Going Home

Just as the two were talking, a new sound came from the table.

Plop.

Li Huowang immediately lifted his head and looked toward the noise.

There he saw Gouwa, clutching a food box and tiptoeing toward the door.

“Brother Li… this stuff you brought back—it’s for us to eat, right?” Gouwa’s voice was cautious.

Li Huowang lay back down, a bitter smile crossing his face. “Yeah. Only you guys are left.”

If there was anyone in this world he could trust, it was probably the fellow disciples around him—even if they really weren’t much use.

He pushed himself up with his hands on the bed, and the listlessness on his face vanished.

“Gouwa, put the food box down. Go get Gao Zhijian. We’ll eat together, and when we’re done, we’re leaving.”

“Where to?”

“Home.”

A few days later, Li Huowang, Gouwa, Gao Zhijian, and Bai Lingmiao sat in a horse-cart, swaying side to side with every rut and bump in the road.

Bai Lingmiao pulled back the curtain and said warmly to the old driver, “Uncle, thank you so much for giving us a ride. If we’d had to walk, it would have taken days.”

The old driver opened his nearly toothless mouth and chuckled. “Don’t mention it—luckily we’re heading the same way. But little miss, your home is really out of the way. If you hadn’t told me, I never would have guessed there was a village at the foot of that mountain.”

Gouwa immediately bristled. “Out of the way? What do you mean, out of the way? We already paid a deposit! What, you trying to jack up the price now?”

Chun Xiaoman glared at him from across the cart. “Shut up! You talk way too much. Nobody’s going to mistake you for a mute if you keep your mouth shut!”

Gao Zhijian, curled up awkwardly with his long limbs, stammered out something that was meant to be peacemaking.

Sitting in the very back, Li Huowang silently watched the lively scene inside the cart. Compared to before, the atmosphere was noticeably lighter now.

He hadn’t seen this kind of warmth much since he’d crossed over.

A soft arm slipped around his. Bai Lingmiao, her face full of smiles, leaned in and asked, “Brother Li, what are you thinking about?”

With home almost in sight, joy radiated from her from the inside out.

“I’m thinking… what kind of place Niuxin Mountain is. Whether we’ll be able to settle in. You know I’m not easy to get along with.”

Li Huowang rolled up the bamboo curtain and looked out at the lush greenery. The forest here was dense.

“Of course you’ll settle in! Everyone in our village is good people! Take my grandpa, for example—he grows melons, and if someone passing by is thirsty, they can just eat one for free. You’re a good person, so you’ll definitely get along with him.”

“And my parents—if anyone in the village has trouble, they always chip in with money or effort. They’ve lived with the villagers for years and have never even had a cross word with anyone!”

“Oh, and my younger brothers and the rest. Don’t worry, they won’t dare to act up. If they give you any trouble, just tell me, and I’ll make sure they don’t forget it!”

Bai Lingmiao eagerly waved her fair little fist in the air.

Seeing her cute expression, Li Huowang smiled warmly. It seemed she had two completely different faces—one for him, and one for her family.

He put his arm around her shoulder and gently shook his head. “I’m not worried. If they raised you, they can’t be bad people. Hey, Miaomiao, I remember you used to wear a gold bracelet. Your family must be pretty well-off, right?”

Bai Lingmiao smiled a little shyly. “Not really wealthy. Just a bit better off than ordinary folks.”

Li Huowang chuckled. Her family had money, and now he was about to move in with her. He really had become the live-in son-in-law.

“So be it. Wherever it is—after drifting for so long, at least I can finally put down roots,” he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Bai Lingmiao grew excited and pointed out the window with a finger as pale as a scallion. “Look! That’s Niuxin Mountain!”

Li Huowang narrowed his eyes, focusing on the green-covered peak in the distance. “It’s big enough, but what about it looks like an ox heart?”

He pushed the pointless question aside and began to worry about the Lü troupe.

“They left early, so they should already be at the foot of Niuxin Mountain. I hope nothing’s gone wrong.”

Carrying that unease, Li Huowang gradually drew closer to the foot of the mountain.

But the worry didn’t last long. It vanished the moment he saw Yang Xiaohai, barefoot, standing in a paddy field with a round-faced woman, both of them feeling around for loaches.

“Brother Li is back!! Brother Li is back!!”

As Yang Xiaohai shouted excitedly, others began emerging from the tile-roofed village one by one.

They’d been apart for nearly half a month. Seeing him again, Lü Zhuangyuan was deeply moved and immediately grabbed Li Huowang’s hands.

“Little Daoist, you’re finally back! I’ve been so anxious waiting for you!”

“Troupe Leader Lü, you’ve worked hard. Any trouble on the road?”

“None at all! Everyone who left is still here—not a single one missing!”

Then he fussed over Li Huowang’s single eye, asking all kinds of questions. The warmth between them was genuine.

“Let’s go. Don’t just stand here. Whatever we have to say, let’s talk inside.” Li Huowang was about to step into the village when Lü Zhuangyuan stopped him.

Lü Zhuangyuan stole a glance at Bai Lingmiao, a troubled look on his face.

“Uh… Little Daoist, don’t rush in just yet. There’s something I need to discuss with you alone.”

Li Huowang clearly didn’t understand what he meant. “Why alone? Just say it.”

He really couldn’t guess what Lü Zhuangyuan might have that required avoiding others.

“Ah, Little Daoist, you see… some things are better discussed in private.”

Lü Zhuangyuan leaned in close and, out of Bai Lingmiao’s line of sight, made a meaningful gesture with his eyebrows.

Seeing that expression, Li Huowang’s heart sank. He glanced at Bai Lingmiao beside him.

“Troupe Leader Lü insists on talking alone. Could it be that something major has gone wrong in Miaomiao’s hometown?”

Li Huowang figured out what Lü Zhuangyuan was trying to convey. But unfortunately, Bai Lingmiao had figured it out too.

“Troupe Leader Lü… my home… what happened to my home?”

When she saw Lü Zhuangyuan guiltily avoid her gaze, tears began to well up on Bai Lingmiao’s lashes.

“Dad! Mom!” Tears streaming down her face, Bai Lingmiao pushed past the others and ran along the narrow dirt path into the village. Li Huowang, worried, immediately followed.

“Dad! Mom! Grandpa! Your girl is back! Where are you?!”

Bai Lingmiao’s tearful shouts echoed through the village.

She pushed open every door, searching for her family. But behind every door, there was only disappointment.