Chapter 102: Benefits

A thought suddenly crossed Li Huowang’s mind, making him tremble all over. He meticulously patted his entire body, and only after confirming that no extra jade pendant had appeared did he let out a complete sigh of relief.

"That's right, it was just a dream, just a dream," Li Huowang kept muttering to himself, still shaken.

"What's wrong?" Bai Lingmiao asked, her eyes hazy with sleep as she lit an oil lamp.

"Nothing, nothing at all. Go back to sleep."

Seeing that Li Huowang didn't answer, Bai Lingmiao didn't say anything either. She closed her eyes, resting her white-haired head lightly on his shoulder, and gently stroked his constantly rising and falling chest with her slender hand.

Pressing his hand over hers on his chest, Li Huowang stared intently at the ceiling beam. "Miao Miao."

"Hmm?" Bai Lingmiao, half-asleep, responded instinctively.

"Do you want to know about my past? Why I have hysteria?"

Bai Lingmiao's sleepiness largely dissipated. She opened her eyes in surprise and turned her head to look at the man beside her. This was the first time Senior Brother Li had talked to her about his past.

Living together day in and day out, she had actually long sensed that Senior Brother Li was different from the others. It wasn't a difference arising from their different home countries, but a very peculiar feeling of being out of place. She wasn't the only one; others thought so too, they just didn't voice it.

"Actually, I'm not from here."

"I know, you're not from Si Qi."

Li Huowang smiled knowingly and shook his head. "I mean I'm not from this world. I'm from another world…"

Accompanied by the flickering oil lamp, Li Huowang slowly explained his origins and his troubles to Bai Lingmiao. As he continuously unburdened himself, Li Huowang felt better, as if a heavy burden on his heart was being shared.

He continued talking until the paper window began to lighten, then Li Huowang stopped. The room was silent for a moment. "Don't you have anything to ask?"

"Yes." Bai Lingmiao withdrew her hand from Li Huowang's and then grasped his hand, the one missing three fingernails, in reverse. Her fingertips trembled slightly as they brushed over the scabs. "What about the red bamboo slip?"

"Let me tell you a little fun fact: human fingernails can actually regenerate. After a nail is pulled out, it will grow back on its own."

Li Huowang, having changed the subject, was about to pull his hand away, but she gripped it again. Then he saw Bai Lingmiao’s somewhat red and stubborn eyes appear before him.

"I don't care where you came from, and I don't care what happened with the hysteria. I just want to know if the wound on your abdomen is also related to it?"

Li Huowang didn't answer her question. He simply pulled her head into his embrace and gently patted her back.

"Senior Brother Li, that thing is too sinister. Throw it away. If you keep this up, it will really kill you." After saying this, Bai Lingmiao paused, but then finally added with a hint of a sob, "If you die, what will become of me?"

Li Huowang sighed softly. Bai Lingmiao seemed gentle and soft-spoken, but that was just her facade; she was actually outwardly gentle but inwardly strong.

"Let me think about it, let me think again…"

Li Huowang also understood that the Great Qian Record was a double-edged sword; one wrong move and he could be badly hurt. But this item was also an extremely useful tool. With it, he had some ability to protect himself in this strange world. If he threw it away, what would he do if he encountered something evil like the Eighteenth Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month? He couldn't always rely on Dan Yangzi, could he?

He also wanted to join another sect and cultivate to gain sufficient strength. But this presented even greater difficulties. Setting aside whether others would accept him or covet his rare mental essence, even if they were willing to accept him, Li Huowang might not dare to practice their methods. After coming into contact with sects like Qingfeng Temple, Zhengde Temple, and Anci Convent, Li Huowang no longer held out much hope for other sects; they were surely all more sinister than the last.

Until he found another alternative, the Great Qian Record absolutely could not be discarded. It was his foundation for survival, even if each use required an extremely cruel price.

Unbeknownst to them, sounds began to emerge from outside. The other senior and junior disciples were preparing breakfast.

Just as Li Huowang sat up, Bai Lingmiao was about to help him dress, but he suddenly froze. "Wait." He slowly pressed his hand against the gauze on his abdomen and discovered that it no longer hurt as much. Pulling it open, he saw that the wound underneath was already close to healing.

"It's healing so fast?" This surprised even Li Huowang himself. According to his guess, it should have taken at least half a month to recover to this extent. His body seemed to be undergoing some kind of change.

After a long period of thought, Li Huowang focused on the last gaze from Ba Kui. "This should be a good thing, right?"

At this moment, Li Huowang was both happy and worried. He understood too little about the entity he had summoned through physical and mental pain. He didn't know what it meant. "Is it making it easier for me to self-harm?" Li Huowang thought for a long time but could only come up with this reason. As the saying goes, many lice, no itch; many debts, no worry. Compared to Dan Yangzi and his own illness, this could only be considered a minor matter.

"At this rate, my injury should be mostly recovered by tomorrow. Let's rest here for another day, and then we'll head back tomorrow," Li Huowang told Bai Lingmiao.

Bai Lingmiao seemed to hesitate, then finally nodded.

Upon hearing that they could return, the others began loading things onto the carriage, almost stripping the entire courtyard clean, even putting the two old hens that could lay eggs onto it.

When dinner time arrived again, Li Huowang unwrapped the gauze and found that the wound had basically healed. "Not bad. At least I gained something for all the trouble." Li Huowang was quite satisfied with this inexplicably acquired ability. With it, at least he wouldn't die so easily in the future.

Returning to the main hall, Li Huowang sat down and began to eat. The table was laden with simple farm dishes, all picked from the fields of the Wu family village. Although they were all vegetarian, they were stir-fried with lard, so they tasted good.

Li Huowang picked up a piece of radish and took a bite, frowning. "Who made this food? Why is it still so salty?" Although he didn't have a very high desire for food, he wasn't livestock either.

Li Huowang quickly saw a pale-faced young Daoist stand up. "Senior Brother Li… it was me…"

Bai Lingmiao, sitting beside him, took the radish from Li Huowang's chopsticks. "Senior Brother Li, this radish isn't that salty. It's just right."

"It isn't?" Li Huowang, puzzled, picked up another piece and took a bite, finding it still very salty. "Never mind, just keep eating. A little salty makes it go down with more rice."