Chapter 93
Chapter 93
Sure enough, after we repelled the two powerful sunken dead, we encountered no further trouble.
Li Miao steered the little wooden boat safely back to the dock on shore.
We jumped out, tied the boat to a wooden piling, left the river, and returned to Li Miao’s cabin beside the distant woods.
Woof, woof, woof!
Heizi bounded over affectionately, wagging its large, furry tail, and circled Li Miao and me several times.
Then it turned around and deliberately swept its tail back and forth across our bodies.
Seeing my puzzled expression, Li Miao explained, “Heizi is sweeping away the yin energy and dampness we brought back from the river. Even if you don’t encounter a corpse-fiend on the river at night, sinister yin dampness can enter your body. If it accumulates over time, it will weaken you.”
“I see. What a good dog you are, Heizi! I’ll bring you twice as much meat next time!”
Smiling, I crouched and vigorously rubbed the big black dog’s head.
It stuck out its long tongue and narrowed its eyes in pleasure.
I felt as if it were smiling.
Li Miao laughed beside us. “Heizi has an excellent memory, Young Brother Wu. Since you’ve promised, don’t forget next time, or Heizi will be unhappy.”
I assured him I would not forget.
After petting the dog for a while, Li Miao and I returned to the cabin. He brewed two cups of hot tea, and we drank and chatted casually.
We had not had time for a detailed discussion before, so Li Miao only knew the broad outlines of the Golden-Thread Netherbloom and the Killer Demon Tree.
Now that we had experienced so much together, and would cooperate in investigating the treasure coveted by countless sunken dead and the River God, we were all in the same boat.
Besides, Li Miao was going to help retrieve Zhou Min’s corpse!
He was worthy of trust, so I gave him a very detailed account of both incidents from beginning to end. Li Miao repeatedly exclaimed in amazement.
“Your master is extraordinarily knowledgeable, Young Brother Wu. I’d never even heard of rare plants like the Crimsonfire Nightbloom and Golden-Thread Netherbloom, yet she understands them clearly and even knows how one transforms into the other. No wonder Coffin-Bearer Cao admires her so much.”
I nodded. “Master truly is a remarkable person.”
Then I added casually with a smile, “But her temperament may seem rather strange to outsiders. She’s lived in seclusion in our village all this time and doesn’t like involving herself in outside affairs.”
I said this to forestall any suggestion from Li Miao that Master join our investigation.
Perhaps the thought had never occurred to him, but I still needed to make the point tactfully.
That did not mean I was scheming. It was simply how friends avoided embarrassing one another.
Li Miao’s voice turned somber again. “Naturally, I know about a cultivator’s life tribulation. Most people who possess decent strength or an arcane lineage know at least a little. But forget me–even Master never became qualified to touch the threshold of a life tribulation.”
That was true!
People who studied the esoteric arts were no longer ordinary, even those in low-status folk arcane professions said to earn their living from yin beings.
In the unseen workings of the world, they would naturally face calamities sent by heaven.
But not every cultivator faced such a calamity. Heaven was not that idle, was it?
Only those who had already become quite powerful faced their own life tribulations.
I understood Li Miao’s concern.
Someone who had likely reached the threshold of their own life tribulation was secretly hiding in Lianghe Town, and none of them had known! Worse, the person was almost certainly an evil practitioner.
Who would not feel apprehensive?
But there was no helping it. We had to face reality.
At worst, we would meet each attack and deal with each problem as it came.
After chatting with Li Miao a little longer, I prepared to take my leave.
I had agreed to help Old Cao with his work in return for lodging at his home.
Yet he had been working alone on that precious rosewood coffin lately. I needed to return and lend him a hand.
When I stepped out of Li Miao’s cabin, the river breeze felt pleasantly cool against my face.
It was already late September. Though the Sichuan-Chongqing region in the southwest remained hot during the day, nights had begun to grow cool. Beside the river, it was even slightly cold without a jacket.
It was not especially late–a little after eleven at night–so I walked back at an unhurried pace.
First I had to cross the entire pebble-covered riverbank, then turn onto a dirt road three meters wide. Only after another one or two li would I reach a better paved road within Lianghe Town’s outskirts.
Scattered little houses and several factories stood along the road.
The economy had already begun developing rapidly in those years. Even our small town had several chemical plants, cardboard factories, and the like. They caused terrible pollution, but no one cared at the time… It was completely different from today’s emphasis on environmental and ecological protection.
Now, however, the houses and factory buildings were swallowed by darkness, their vague outlines resembling strange beasts watching me from the shadows.
To be honest, an ordinary middle school student walking alone through such a place at eleven at night would probably be terrified!
Naturally, I was not afraid.
About halfway back, streetlights began appearing at intervals. I was approaching a curve leading into the edge of town, near the fork for Duan Family Manor.
Suddenly, a person darted out from the roadside.
The fellow had probably been crouching in the drainage ditch, which was why I had not noticed him.
In the dim, flickering light, I saw that he wore tattered clothing. One hand held a chipped bowl, while the other leaned on a wooden stick.
He looked like a beggar.
Muttering and giggling, the fellow approached me.
“Kind sir, spare me some money. Kind sir, spare me some money. I’m starving. I haven’t eaten in days. Please show some kindness and give me a little money.”
The beggar stopped before me and blocked my path.
He was about a head shorter than I was, with a hunched body and worn straw sandals on his feet. He looked very pitiful.
I glanced into his bowl. It was empty.
I said nothing and merely stared at him.
The beggar stared back, then suddenly smiled. He opened his mouth, revealing stark white teeth.
His entire body was filthy, and his face was covered in dust and mud.
Yet his teeth were unnaturally white, practically shining, reminding me of some animal or wild beast.
I said, “I left in a hurry to handle some business and didn’t bring the money you want. I really can’t help you this time. I’m going home now. Please move aside.”