Chapter 126

Chapter 126

Having transformed into his true Huodou form, Wangcai was wreathed in flames from head to toe.

His two red-lantern-like eyes blinked once.

He was far larger now, not much smaller than the corpse wrapped in black cloth.

Qin Ying had warned him to burn the body as soon as possible, lest some unforeseen complication arise.

As a Huodou capable of burning an entire city to the ground, the flames around Wangcai spread open like a crimson lotus of karmic fire.

In the blink of an eye, Huang Jun’s corpse and the shroud wrapped around it were blazing furiously.

According to the local native Hou, there were no living creatures left in Golden Saddle Mountain. Because of that, the Huodou’s flames rampaged through the mountains without restraint.

Wherever they passed, the slopes were scorched black.

In the blink of an eye, Huang Jun’s corpse had become a charred lump of carbon.

In keeping with the principle that caution came first, Qin Ying had Wangcai make sure the corpse was burned so thoroughly that not even much ash remained.

For the sake of two cans of dog food and a bag of dog biscuits, Huodou Wangcai put every ounce of strength he had into it.

The great fire, as though it meant to burn heaven and earth to ashes, set the skies over the Chixia Region ablaze.

Aman rode a Sand Lizard through Yellow Stone Beach.

After seeing Wu Er and the others off, he had led his people to the old sites of the Thirty-Six Tribes of Sand People to search for survivors.

It was not because he wanted to annex other Tribes. Rather, at the Shaman’s suggestion, he wanted the remnants of the Sand People to form a temporary alliance.

Together, they would convert to the New God.

Aman’s efforts had not gone smoothly. During that great catastrophe, the Thunderbird had sealed off every Sand People tribe indiscriminately.

Of the Thirty-Six Tribes of Sand People, a full twelve had been wiped out.

When Aman arrived, all he saw were abandoned villages buried beneath yellow sand.

As for the surviving twenty-four tribes, not every one of them was willing to accept Aman’s words.

After yet another failure, Aman was politely asked to leave.

Just then, he happened to see flames in Golden Saddle Mountain burning all the way to the sky.

He stood stunned for a long while. Then he yanked on his Sand Lizard’s bridle and rushed back toward the tribe he had just left.

He shouted, “Divine Revelation! Divine Revelation has come!”

Before his cry had even faded, the Old Shaman of that tribe came scrambling and tumbling out.

Gone was every trace of his earlier defiance.

His face covered in sand from rolling across the yellow ground, the Old Shaman threw himself at the feet of Aman’s Sand Lizard mount.

“Brother Aman, if we convert now, will the Supreme Deity still be willing to accept us?”

Aman’s burn-scarred, twisted face had still been wearing a mocking smile, but at those words, his expression abruptly turned solemn.

“Under the god’s gaze, all living beings are equal.”

“If you turn back now, of course there is still time.”

“Hurry and prepare the offerings. Seven days from now, come to my clan for the sacrifice.”

…

Leaving aside how dashing Huodou Wangcai looked while destroying the body and erasing all traces of it…

Leaving aside how Qin Ying was gaining more and more unofficial Believers…

Outside the Box, Qin Ying was dealing with something even more important.

Further eliminating any possible traces.

She said to Fuzhu, “Make the rain heavier.”

Fuzhu, who was lying in a pile of vegetable leaves eating a tomato, burped. As it nodded, the sound of rain outside grew even louder.

Using the downpour as cover, Han Lie climbed over the wall to inspect the area outside.

After wiping away half a footprint left on the wall, he returned home soaking wet.

Then he checked the backyard for any dropped items.

With the sounds of a Tom and Jerry cartoon playing in the background, he returned indoors.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Qin Ying in front of the Box on the kitchen island.

He only glanced once at the twisted painting at the bottom of the Box before looking away.

Qin Ying held the dog leash in her hand, still looking into the Box as she asked, “Was everything cleaned up?”

Han Lie lowered his head and gave a quiet sound of acknowledgment.

At that moment, in the World in the Box, Huodou Wangcai had already gone all out and burned Huang Jun so completely that not even ash remained.

A scorching wind swept through the mountains, and the fierce flames on the Huodou gradually died down.

Even the white Divine Shrine beside the corpse had been burned black.

As the wind blew past, the remaining handful of white bone ash scattered through the mountains.

Some of it was swept by the wind into the Divine Shrine.

Inside the Divine Shrine, the White Stone Path had been burned pitch-black.
The sacrificial tripod was still there, but the wax Giant Species inside had been burned away completely.
The eyes of the sacrificial figure on the temple roof were buried beneath black ash.
A scorching wind swept by, carrying human bone ash with it, and much of it settled inside the sacrificial tripod.
The black ash on the eyes atop the Divine Shrine seemed to have been wiped away by an invisible hand.
Those eyes, pieced together from uneven black and white boulders, were still starkly defined, with a tiny crimson mole at the outer corner.
But perhaps because of the soot left by the burning, the rims of the eyes now bore smudges that resembled eyeliner.
With that added touch of color, the owner of those eyes seemed… to have grown into adulthood.
Below, the sacrificial tripod was filled with the remaining ash of objects that had fallen from beyond the sky.
Then, with a thunderous crash, the entire Divine Shrine collapsed into rubble.

Outside the Box, Qin Ying heard faint voices, as if she were hallucinating.
She looked down over the World in the Box, and her vision suddenly zoomed in.
It felt like riding a terrifying roller coaster, plummeting straight into the World in the Box.
Qin Ying swayed on her feet, feeling the World in the Box dissolve into faint, insubstantial lines.
“Open the door.” A familiar woman’s voice guided her beside her ear. “Go hold the door handle.”
Under that voice’s instruction, Qin Ying reached toward the blurring Box as if bewitched.
But in the next instant, blood choked out of her mouth and nose at the same time.
Agony shot through Qin Ying’s eyes, and she snatched her hand back as if she had been electrocuted.
The Box, which had been fading into illusion, solidified again and lay quietly on the kitchen island.

“Supreme Deity.” Han Lie had no idea what had happened. He immediately caught Qin Ying as she staggered.
Han Lie was soaked through, his Black Trench Coat clinging wetly to Qin Ying’s back.
The chill made her shudder, as if she had just been pulled up from the depths of the sea.
Qin Ying pushed Han Lie away and stumbled to the sink.
She cupped water in her hands and splashed it over her face, only then fully coming back to herself.
The faucet gushed. The blood thinned, winding its way into the drain.
Qin Ying’s mouth was filled with the taste of iron, and water dripped from her chin.
If her memory was not mistaken, the voice that had guided her to open the door belonged to Qin Ying’s biological mother.
Ms. Qin, who had said she was leaving to pursue a new life after Qin Ying turned six, then disappeared and never showed up again.

“Are you… all right?”
Qin Ying turned back and met Han Lie’s worry-filled face.
She wiped the water from her face and said flatly, “I’m fine.”
“Support me. I need to get Wangcai out first.”
With Han Lie supporting her, Qin Ying stood beside the Box again.
In the World in the Box, Wangcai had already changed back into that little white puppy with patches of color.
His cheeks were bulging as he tipped his head up, waiting for Qin Ying to lower the leash and bring him back.
As soon as Qin Ying lowered the leash, he pushed his head into the loop and put it on himself.
Qin Ying tugged once to make sure it was secure, then began reeling the leash in.
The instant Wangcai was lifted out of the Box, he trembled in terror, but he did not make a sound.
He only kept whimpering with his cheeks puffed out.
Qin Ying sensed something was wrong and pried at his muzzle. “What’s in your mouth? Spit it out!”
Wangcai shook his head, refusing to spit it out, and tried to jump down from the island with whatever he was hiding in his mouth.
But halfway through his short-legged leap, Han Lie reached out and intercepted him, then forced his jaws open.
Splat-
A wet, drool-covered little blue bird, about the size of an adult’s fist, landed on the island.
It lay there with its eyes rolled back. When its claws and wings twitched, crackling sparks of electricity flashed from them.
Now that his mouth was free, Wangcai barked twice.
Still supporting Qin Ying, Han Lie looked at the twitching little blue bird with an indescribable expression.
“Huodou… no, Wangcai says this bird flew over and provoked him first. It’s his prey.”
“He wants to trade it for a biscuit.”
Qin Ying tore off a piece of kitchen paper to wipe the water from her face and was speechless for a long moment.
“Fine, trade. Give this useless little thing a dog biscuit. From now on, the bird is mine.”