A Good Person

Chapter 645: A Good Person

“Ah~ so you’re Brother Li’s junior. I know him, of course I know him. When we were kids, his father used to bring him to our place every New Year’s and holiday to visit.”

Yang Xiaohai was stunned. Did this guy actually know Senior Brother Li or not?

If he didn’t, he was speaking with damn sure conviction. But if he did… Senior Brother Li wasn’t exactly the type to go visiting people’s homes.

Before Yang Xiaohai could process this, the man became even warmer. “Come, come, I’ve scared our little junior brother. A small token, I hope you won’t hold it against me.”

A heavy gold bar slid out of the man’s sleeve and landed in Yang Xiaohai’s hand.

The brick was heavy, its corner stained with blood. It weighed so much it hurt his hand.

“Junior Brother, I guessed the moment I saw you that you must be connected to our Brother Li. That’s why I’ve already brought your cart over. Take a look—this should be yours, right?”

The man finished speaking and gestured for a companion in the distance to bring the cart forward. Not only did he help lift Zhao Xiumei and the three monkey-faced children into the carriage, but he also meticulously straightened a slightly askew white headband on one of the children’s heads.

Yang Xiaohai’s lips trembled. He wanted to ask if the man truly knew Senior Brother Li—because something didn’t feel right.

But in the end, he wisely shut his mouth. Whether the man knew him or not, since he was letting them go, Yang Xiaohai would just pretend it was true. The best thing to do was get out of here as fast as possible.

“Th-thank you, then.”

“Heheh~ Think nothing of it. Go slowly, Junior Brother. Safe journey. I have duties to attend to, so I won’t see you off. When you see Brother Li, remember to give him my regards.”

Once the cart had faded into the night, the fat man’s smile collapsed. The cold, reptilian slits of his pupils re-emerged.

“Snake Lord, you don’t actually believe them, do you?” A man in short vestments with a fish-scale tattoo on his neck asked, arms crossed.

“Why not? The kid seemed genuine. And I have heard of a troublesome fellow who likes to wear a red Daoist robe. I think his name was Ear Nine.”

“Genuine-looking means genuine? What if it's fake? What if it's the Zuowangdao tricking you?”

“The Zuowangdao are all dead. Not a single one left. Where would they come from? Besides, what do you gain by killing him? If he's lying, all we lose are a few Fa Sect followers.”

“But if you don't kill him, and he is real, then we've earned a significant favor. Why wouldn't you do something that has only benefits and no drawbacks?”

A look of understanding crossed the other man’s face. “No wonder you’ve lived two full cycles, Snake Lord. You really think things through. You don’t want to risk anything at all.”

The Snake Lord seemed unconcerned by his companion’s words. “Let’s go. We killed four Fa Sect believers this time. A good haul. These rats have gotten harder to find since they went into hiding.”

“I really don’t know why they come to such remote places to spread their faith. It makes them damn difficult to track.” The man with the hook sword stretched languidly.

As they talked, they noticed a companion rushing over with a rolled-up document, his expression tense.

“Quick! The Deputy Director has sent word! All units in Hedong Circuit are to converge! The Fa Sect is making a major move!”

Under the moonlight, Yang Xiaohai drove the cart slowly forward. White mist puffed from his mouth as he stared blankly at the road ahead.

He didn’t know how long he’d been in this daze. Everything that had happened was too fast, too hard to process. His mind was nothing but a buzzing, chaotic mess.

After a long while, the still-shaken Zhao Xiumei picked up a towel and leaned over next to Yang Xiaohai, gently wiping the dried sweat from his forehead.

She glanced into the wagon, at the three monkey-faced children sleeping beside a bag of flatbread, and asked hesitantly, “Husband, do you think… that nanny was killed by them?”

Yang Xiaohai shook his head mechanically. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Those people are so hateful. She was such a good person.”

“A good person…”

When the sweat was wiped away, Zhao Xiumei sat beside him for a while before speaking again. “So… who do you think were the good guys and who were the bad guys?”

Yang Xiaohai was silent for a long time. Finally, he said slowly, “I haven’t read many books. I don’t know.”

Zhao Xiumei carefully folded the towel in her hands. “I don’t think that old nanny was a bad person. And I could tell she really liked children. It came from deep inside. I never misread that kind of thing.”

“Maybe no one ever thinks they’re the villain. Maybe they all think they’re the good guys.” Yang Xiaohai’s expression was complicated as he turned to look at Zhao Xiumei’s profile.

If this experience had taught him anything, it was that he had nearly gotten his own wife killed. He didn’t yet have the strength to protect her.

Back at Niuxin Village, he’d thought things were too simple. He had to work harder.

Just as he was thinking this, the sun broke through the morning mist, and the dark landscape began to brighten in the distance.

“Husband, look! We’re back at Qingqiu!”

Yang Xiaohai followed her gaze. A stretch of grassland appeared before him. “…Why has all the grass in Qingqiu turned yellow?”

By a pond, Li Huowang, clad in his red robe, paced back and forth under Li Sui’s watchful gaze, as if waiting for something.

He would occasionally bite the back of his hand in frustration, his expression growing more and more impatient.

He waited for two hours. Just as his patience was nearly gone, he saw the reflection of himself in the pond turn around and look directly at him.

“Yi Donglai, you finally showed up,” Li Huowang said, his voice laced with irritation.

“I have my own affairs. I am your future, not your babysitter,” Ji Zai said.

“Fine, forget it. Time is short, so I’ll make this quick. I don’t care if you know what happened or not, but I need your help now!” Li Huowang stood his ground, scowling at the reflection.

“Help you? Why?”

“Don’t tell me you, a Siming, don’t know that the Fa Sect has taken over the Four Qi Kingdom!”

“I don’t know,” Ji Zai said, utterly unperturbed.

“Say that again! The Four Qi! An entire nation, taken over by the Fa Sect! The Child-God’s influence has spread this far, and you didn’t know?!”

“You know I govern Bewilderment. I am more bewildered than you are. It stands to reason that this would happen, given my nature.”

“Fuck!” Li Huowang swore, a rare display of frustration.