Chapter 176: Speaking

"Clip-clop, clip-clop" went the rhythmic, crisp sound of horse hooves striking the ground.

The wheels of the carriage behind slowly rolled over the hoof prints, followed by Gao Zhijian's large footprints.

The group continued along the path, trailing the carriage.

Everyone seemed preoccupied, and every now and then, someone would secretly glance at Li Huowang, who was leading the group.

In their eyes, Li Huowang was clearly dead. Even without attracting flies, they had checked repeatedly and were certain he was completely lifeless.

Yet, he had suddenly come back to life, out of nowhere. It was all simply too bizarre.

Of course, the strangeness didn't stop there. His body had suddenly emerged from the grave mound, he had mumbled a few incoherent words about the world going mad, and then he had abruptly fainted again.

Everything had happened too quickly for them to process.

If Senior Brother Li hadn't still looked like his familiar old self, they would have almost believed something else had possessed him.

Their only comfort was that after Senior Brother Li woke up again and sat there dazed for a moment, he reverted to his usual demeanor.

When they asked what had happened, the only reply they received was that everything was over.

If he said it was over, then it was over. No one dared to ask again; it was enough that he was alive.

"Let's rest and have dinner," Li Huowang announced, and the carriage wheels came to a halt.

Some went to fetch water, others to gather firewood, and some to pick wild vegetables. After so many days, they worked together with remarkable synergy.

Li Huowang, however, did nothing. He sat there, using the last remnants of the setting sun to open the translated text of "The True Scripture of the Fire Robe."

The characters written by Yingzi gradually appeared before Li Huowang's eyes. With Danyangzi's death, Li Huowang's lost cognitive abilities slowly returned. He was no longer illiterate; he could now fully comprehend what was written.

This also indirectly indicated that Danyangzi was truly dead, not merely feigning it as he had before.

"The True Scripture of the Fire Robe" was phoneticized using Yingzi's characters. Through the translated text, Li Huowang gradually mastered the use of this strange book, which was wrapped in wax.

However, this wasn't easy to learn. The text stated that one must possess a compassionate heart when casting spells.

It was unexpected for Li Huowang that casting spells also required emotional engagement.

As Li Huowang mumbled the obscure incantations, the white wax on the book gradually began to melt and tried to form a ball.

However, Li Huowang was interrupted before he could practice for long.

"Senior Brother Li, hehe~ Senior Brother Li, busy?" Gouwa, with a few dry pieces of firewood tucked under his armpit, sidled over with a mischievous grin.

He glanced left and right, and seeing that Junior Sister Bai Lingmiao hadn't returned from picking wild vegetables, he leaned closer and deliberately lowered his voice to ask, "Senior Brother Li, as a token of my respect, I took advantage of Junior Sister Bai's absence earlier and burned two paper figures at your grave — female ones!"

"Hmm?"

Seeing Li Huowang's brows furrow, Gouwa furtively glanced around, then leaned in again and asked, "Senior Brother Li, did you receive those two women on the other side?"

Gouwa's words left Li Huowang utterly speechless. "I wasn't dead at all."

"I know you're alive, but weren't you dead before? I figured if you received them, I'd burn a few more women for myself to have waiting."

"I was never dead to begin with. There's no 'receiving' anything."

"But you clearly had no breath left at the time! We even purposely left you for three days before burying you. So, what happened? Were you not escorted to the Underworld by Ox-Head and Horse-Face? By the way, what does the Underworld look like?"

Li Huowang looked at him with an impatient expression, wondering how to quickly end this pointless chatter. "I received them."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Gouwa's face instantly lit up with delight. He clapped his hands, so happy he almost bounced, and began to ponder something in his mind.

"Received what?" a female voice from behind him startled Gouwa.

He turned around to see Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman returning with wild vegetables, and quickly chuckled awkwardly. "Nothing, nothing, just chatting idly with Senior Brother Li."

Dinner tonight was pasta dumplings, a dish that was simple to prepare and convenient to eat.

To make them, one simply added flour to cold water, kneaded it into a semi-wet, semi-dry dough, then placed a portion in the palm and squeezed it through the web of the thumb into the pot.

Once the pasta dumplings floated slightly, Bai Lingmiao picked up a jar of lard, scooped a large spoonful into the black iron pot, and finally added the emerald-green wild vegetables, which cooked quickly.

Before long, the white pasta dumplings and green wild vegetables were tumbling continuously in the water.

Seeing this sight and smelling the rising aroma, everyone couldn't help but swallow. After their long journey, everyone needed to replenish their energy.

"Heh, I never thought a guy like me, Cao Cao, would have a day where I get to eat white flour every day. Who would've thought?" Gouwa said proudly, tapping his chopsticks.

The first steaming bowl scooped from the pot naturally belonged to Li Huowang.

Bai Lingmiao brought it to Li Huowang. Seeing him reach out with both hands to take it and eat it heartily, her face instantly filled with a joyful smile.

Her Senior Brother Li truly hadn't lied to her; his severed hand had indeed grown back.

"Why are you looking at me? Aren't you eating?"

Bai Lingmiao nodded, ladled herself a bowl, and obediently squatted beside Li Huowang to eat.

There weren't many people in their group to begin with, but with Gao Zhijian and Bai Lingmiao, two big eaters, a large pot of pasta dumplings was completely devoured, leaving not a drop of broth.

After washing the pots, bowls, and chopsticks, the sky gradually darkened. There was nothing else to do late at night, so they quickly lit a campfire and went to sleep.

Tonight, Gao Zhijian was on watch. With Mantou, who had a keen sense of smell, there was nothing for Li Huowang to worry about. After washing up by the river, he lay down in the carriage and went to rest early.

Shortly after closing his eyes, Li Huowang felt a soft body slide in from under a corner of the quilt.

Li Huowang, with his eyes closed, gently embraced her, pulling her into his arms.

Soon after, Li Huowang felt her arms wrap around him, holding him tighter and tighter, almost burying herself into his body. A moment later, Li Huowang felt his chest become damp, accompanied by pathetic sobs.

"Why are you crying?" Li Huowang gently stroked the soft hair on Bai Lingmiao's back.

"My mother always taught me that a good wife should be diligent, good at managing the household, generous, eloquent, and that she shouldn't interfere with her husband's affairs."

"But do you know? I'm truly afraid, afraid that one day you'll suddenly disappear again, just like that day, and never wake up..."

Silence fell inside the carriage. Li Huowang could feel her sincere affection for him.

Bai Lingmiao's voice carried a hint of a sob.

"Senior Brother Li, why do you always bear everything by yourself? Why don't you tell me? Am I truly nothing in your heart?"

"Because I didn't want you to get hurt. But since everything is over, I'll tell you everything."

Li Huowang lowered his head and kissed Bai Lingmiao's hair. With a soft sigh, he began to explain the entire sequence of events to her, one by one.

He thoroughly recounted the entire story to her, rambling on, from Qingfeng Temple all the way to the Gate of Yak.

But then he suddenly faltered.

"What happened next? What happened after that? Is Danyangzi dead? And how did you come back?" Hearing him reach the crucial moment, Bai Lingmiao's heart involuntarily pounded.

Li Huowang's expression became strained. Pulsating blue veins appeared on his forehead, and he instinctively clutched his head.

"Those... those... things!! I... I don't know how to describe them! I can't put it into words!!"