Wu Yue’s Warning

Chapter 227: Wu Yue

Just as the beautiful woman’s head was about to hit the woolen blanket, Li Huowang reached out and helped her up.

“Madam, you are too kind. We are fellow disciples who have fallen on hard times; helping each other is only natural. I cannot accept such a grand gesture.”

The deeply grateful woman only stopped after Li Huowang had insisted several times, and then she sat down beside him.

Still shaken, she said to Li Huowang, “After Baolu went missing again, we practically turned all of Qingqiu upside down, but we still couldn’t find him. My heart was dead then. I truly thought I would never see him again. Thank the Bodhisattva for her blessings; Baolu came back safe and sound, not a single hair out of place.”

As she spoke, she took a string of prayer beads from her sleeve and began to spin them as she bowed toward the north.

Seeing this action, Li Huowang was taken aback. “May I ask, which Bodhisattva is it that you are bowing to?”

Perhaps it was because of everything he had been through, but Li Huowang had become especially sensitive to these kinds of superstitious matters. In this place, things like this were always problematic.

Wu Yue seemed to misunderstand his intent, thinking he was mocking her. She fumbled for an explanation. “Benefactor, that’s not what I meant. Baolu’s return is all thanks to your efforts, not some distant, intangible Bodhisattva.”

“Ever since I married into Qingqiu, I no longer worship the Bodhisattva. It’s just that I’ve believed in Buddhism my whole life. It’s a habit I’ve had since I was a child, and I really can’t seem to break it.”

“No, no, I’m not mocking you. I’m just genuinely curious. Which Bodhisattva is it that you are bowing to?” Li Huowang said seriously, holding his cup of honey water.

Hearing this, Wu Yue was visibly surprised. “Bodhisattva… isn’t it just the Compassionate Bodhisattva who saves us from suffering? Are there different kinds?”

Li Huowang sighed inwardly at this reply. There are too many ignorant people in these worlds. They all believe in something, but it’s all blind faith. They’re no different from Danyangzi.

But from another angle, this was probably a good thing for Baolu’s mother. In a world that had already gone mad, believing in a fake Bodhisattva was far safer than believing in a real one.

“Please, sit, Madam. I was just curious and asked on a whim. Speaking of which, I saw Baolu embracing a woman earlier. Was that his sweetheart?” Li Huowang began to change the subject, trying to ease the slightly tense atmosphere.

“Yes, that’s his older sister. She’s been attached to him since they were little. We had already arranged their marriage when they were children. Then Baolu disappeared. That day, she cried so hard she nearly died.”

“Older sister?” Li Huowang was taken aback by her reaction. How could a mother be so calm about her son doing something so immoral? Besides, the woman Sun Baolu had embraced was clearly a native of Qingqiu, a completely different race from Sun Baolu.

“They don’t have the same father. I was pregnant with Baolu when I married into Qingqiu from Liang. Zhuo’er, his sister, was already born by then. Even though they don’t share both parents, they’ve been close since they were little, so we betrothed them to one another. We wanted to make the bond even stronger.”

Seeing the woman’s skin tone, which was clearly different from the Qingqiu natives around her, Li Huowang had already guessed as much.

Just then, a short, stocky Qingqiu man with dark skin approached with a smile, holding out a horn cup toward Li Huowang.

He spoke a rapid string of short Qingqiu words to Li Huowang, then extended the horn cup again.

Wu Yue quickly explained from the side. “The child’s father says thank you for saving his second son. He says may the Eternal Sky protect you and grant you eternal life.”

“The Qingqiu toast is quite unique,” Li Huowang said, nodding to him as he clinked his own horn cup against the man’s.

Taking the opportunity while drinking the honey water, Li Huowang sized up the couple. To be honest, Sun Baolu’s parents really didn’t seem to match.

The man was short and stout, with a round, flat face. If he had a little more hair, he could pass for a monkey. He seemed completely unworthy of such a beautiful woman. Li Huowang wondered how he had managed to marry her.

Was Sun Baolu’s mother bought by his father? Thinking back to the slave trade at Woman Mountain, Li Huowang’s mind began to speculate wildly.

“Brother Li!” A drunken Sun Baolu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, throwing himself onto Li Huowang’s chest and sobbing loudly. He was spouting drunken nonsense.

“Brother Li! I don’t want to leave you guys! I don’t want to go home! I want to go with you to Liang!”

Seeing his son so disgraceful, Sun Baolu’s father quickly put down his cup and dragged him out of the tent to sober up.

Li Huowang watched Sun Baolu’s somewhat pathetic back and smiled, thinking nothing of it.

Sun Baolu was talking nonsense. He was home now, with a loving family. There was no way he would continue to follow them.

Besides, the path ahead wasn’t that long. Qingqiu was right next to Liang. From the map, it wasn’t that far.

If Niuxin Mountain wasn’t far from here, maybe he’d have time to come and visit later.

Li Huowang sat back down cross-legged and grabbed a piece of roasted lamb rib seasoned with black spices, taking a bite.

The rich aroma filled the air, and the savory juices of the meat exploded in his mouth. He found it exceptionally delicious.

He wasn’t sure if it was because his perception had been enhanced and applied to food, but in all his two lifetimes, this was the first time Li Huowang had tasted lamb ribs this good.

The tender, smooth lamb, seasoned with a tangy, salty spice, made every single bite an incomparable pleasure.

No wonder no one was talking. They were all gnawing on bones.

Faced with such a feast, Li Huowang didn’t want to waste it. He put aside all his worries and began to eat his fill.

Although the Qingqiu men dancing in a circle with their heads bobbing wasn’t much to look at, their exaggerated body movements livened up the entire tent, putting a smile on everyone’s face, including Li Huowang’s.

After others had eaten their fill, they also started to dance arm-in-arm with the Qingqiu people.

The Lü Family Troupe was the most eye-catching, given that their main trade was performing opera. Their novel singing and the sounds of their instruments drew cheers from the surrounding Qingqiu people.

A smile on his face, Li Huowang watched it all unfold. They look truly happy. Why is it that when they’re with me, there’s only ever sadness and pain?

Just as Li Huowang was lost in thought, his keen senses detected someone staring at him.

It was the gaze of Sun Baolu’s mother. He slowly turned his head and saw that she now looked deeply troubled, all her earlier composure gone.

“Madam, is there something you wish to tell me?”

Li Huowang’s words finally spurred the hesitant Wu Yue into making a decision.

“Benefactor, we’ve only just met, and I don’t know if I should say this, but… perhaps you shouldn’t go to Liang. Why not stay in Qingqiu? That place over there is no good land.”