The Choice

“Ahem.”

Li Huowang’s dry cough drew the attention of the other martial brothers. Filled with self-confidence, he looked at each of their faces and announced loudly, “Fellow martial brothers! From now on, we’re not leaving. We’re going to live right here in Ox-Heart Village. Starting today, this is our new home!”

“Senior Brother Li, there’s still one missing. That Yang Xiao Hai hasn’t been delivered yet.” Gouwa patted the head of the novice beside him.

Yang Xiao Hai panicked. He never expected that after all this circling around, it would land on him.

Just as he was stammering, trying to find something to say, Li Huowang spoke with a look of disgust. “The address he gave was made up. He doesn’t even have a home. That kid is a beggar.”

At that moment, Li Huowang felt his arm soften. He turned his head to see Bai Lingmiao holding his arm.

Looking at her adoring, expectant eyes, a warmth filled Li Huowang’s heart. He turned back and continued, “Since we’re talking about it, I’ll say everything I want to say. Everyone, you’ve all seen it on the road—this world is in chaos.”

“If all we want is to claim a plot of farmland, we’re no different from the oxen in the fields!”

“So, if we want to protect ourselves, we have to rely on ourselves! From now on, anything I know, anything I can teach, I’ll teach to all of you.”

“I’ll also find ways to get us some so-called divine powers and cultivation methods. You’ll all learn them.”

Hearing this, everyone became excited, talking over each other in a jumble.

Li Huowang looked at each face before him, his gaze hardening.

Other sects couldn’t be trusted. The Supervisory Heavenly Office couldn’t be trusted either. The only ones he could rely on were himself and this group of broken, imperfect people in front of him.

To survive in this twisted place, he had to build his own power! Only then could he keep the pain he had endured far away from himself.

“Everyone! Let me say this first. The very first thing we’re going to do is learn to read!”

“Read?”

“Read!” Li Huowang touched his own abdomen. “That’s right. Everyone has to learn to read.”

“Once we’ve learned, we’ll found our own sect! That’s the only way we can truly stand on our own in this world!”

“Other people always think we’re monsters, that we’re trash! But we’re going to pry their eyelids open and make them see! People like us can still carve out our own piece of heaven!”

“We are not monsters! No one can sell us anymore, or abandon us, or bully us! As long as we all work together, our days are going to get better and better!”

“Yeah!”

The chorus of cheers nearly lifted the roof off Ox-Heart Village. Seeing his martial brothers united in purpose, Li Huowang smiled. He smiled very happily.

But just then, specks of rain began to fall from the sky, washing away Li Huowang’s smile and diluting the sound of everyone’s cheering.

The rain pattered down. Li Huowang stood at the entrance of Ox-Heart Village, holding a paper umbrella, silently watching the white cooking smoke rising from the chimneys.

There was no one else here. On the muddy, yellow dirt road, there was only Li Huowang. What had just happened was merely a fantasy playing out in his mind.

Li Huowang had been standing here since yesterday morning. He had stood here for an entire day and night.

The damp weather had caused the paper skin on his body to absorb moisture and grow mold, but he didn’t have the time to care.

When he saw Yang Xiao Hai, wearing a bamboo rain hat and leading an old ox, emerge from the village, Li Huowang lifted his almost completely stiffened joints and walked into Ox-Heart Village.

Seeing that Li Huowang had finally moved, Hong Zhong, whose body was half-stuck in the trunk of a tree, grinned with schadenfreude and nudged the monk beside him with his elbow. “Monk, hehehe. Looks like the show is about to start.”

As Li Huowang entered the village, Yang Xiao Hai spotted him and excitedly ran over. But he was immediately startled by Li Huowang’s appearance.

“Ah! Senior Brother Li! What happened to the skin on your face? And why are you wearing paper clothes?”

“Where is Miaomiao?” Li Huowang’s voice was hoarse and carried the scent of blood.

“At this hour, Senior Sister Bai should be in her own room. Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong? Is there any news about the missing Bai family members?”

Without a word, Li Huowang lifted his heavy steps and walked one by one toward the Bai residence.

Soon, Li Huowang’s return caused a stir. Everyone came out of their houses to greet him.

But the joy on their faces quickly cooled, influenced by Li Huowang’s grim mood.

Gouwa cautiously approached. “What’s wrong, Senior Brother Li? Looks like you didn’t find them? Well, if you didn’t find them, you didn’t find them. It’s not your fault, right?”

Li Huowang clenched his jaw and pushed him aside. His pace quickened, and with every step, he moved faster.

When he threw down his umbrella and arrived at the entrance of the Bai family compound, he nearly collided head-on with a panicked Bai Lingmiao.

Seeing that Li Huowang had returned alone, Bai Lingmiao’s heart sank.

But when she saw his miserable state under the rain—his skin and flesh melting—her heart ached. Forgetting everything else, she took Li Huowang by the arm with both hands and led him toward her private room.

Bai Lingmiao held a soft towel in both hands, pressing it against Li Huowang’s body, dab by dab, to absorb the water from his scorched black skin.

She didn’t dare to wipe. She was afraid that if she used even a little force, she would rub away the fragile skin and flesh on his body.

Bai Lingmiao had seen this kind of injury before. She understood that Senior Brother Li must have encountered an extremely dangerous hallucination to have used such a self-destructive, devastating move.

Bai Lingmiao wrung out the towel in the bronze basin. “Senior Brother Li, I’m fine. I’m really fine. Don’t worry about me.”

“It’s been so many days. I’ve actually gotten used to the fact that they’re gone.”

“Since they’ve disappeared, then, Senior Brother Li, let’s just wait here. One day, they’ll come back.”

Li Huowang’s jaw was clenched tight. His hands, balled into fists, trembled slightly.

Just as the words were about to leave his mouth, a fervent Hong Zhong jumped out in front of him. Faceless and eyeless, he gestured wildly.

“Quick, quick, quick! Lie to her! Tell her you didn’t find anything! Maybe the Bai family really did go to take refuge, just like what Head Lü said!”

Li Huowang’s eyes flew wide open, glaring at the Hong Zhong before him with a murderous look.

“What are you glaring at me for? I’m trying to help you! Think about it, the Bai family is already dead. If you tell her the truth now, besides breaking her heart, what good will it do?”

“Oh~! Right, there is one thing. It will also make her hate you. Hate you so much she’ll want to kill you, the murderer of her father.”

“But if you do what I say, not only will she not be heartbroken, she’ll still have a shred of hope in her heart.”