Chapter 217: Rabbit

Hearing this, Sun Baolu's face showed a hint of confusion, but quickly returned to normal. "I don't know if those Luo Sect lamas count, but my father and grandfather both greatly respected them, saying they could communicate with gods and summon ghosts."

"I've only heard about them, but haven't seen much of them. I've only seen them twice in my life. They were begging for alms, and my father treated them very well."

According to Sun Baolu's explanation, Li Huowang understood the basic characteristics of these so-called Luo Sect lamas.

From his description, all weddings, funerals, and other ceremonies in Qingqiu required their presence. They were also very worldly, with no taboos against eating meat or drinking alcohol.

Furthermore, these lamas claimed that it was due to the protection of their Eternal Sky that Qingqiu was free of evil spirits.

"No evil spirits? Really, nothing at all?" Li Huowang looked around in surprise again. This place was surprisingly different from others.

"Hmm, at least I haven't seen any, and others haven't seen many either." Sun Baolu's response was not as definitive as Li Huowang had expected.

"No evil spirits... Should I try to contact those lamas? Perhaps I could ask about the Heart-Seed."

However, after careful consideration, Li Huowang ultimately dismissed the idea. It was too dangerous for him to rashly contact other factions right now. Although he wore a copper coin mask, it would be a huge problem if they recognized him as the Heart-Seed.

After experiencing so many things, apart from An Ci'an, none of the other factions had good people.

Beyond Qingqiu lay Liang Kingdom. Reaching Liang Kingdom safely was more important than anything else right now.

"I can't take these people with me. After I've seen them off, perhaps I can go look for myself." Li Huowang quickly made up his mind.

"Come, continue. Tell me everything about these so-called Luo Sect lamas. What's their reputation like around here?"

"They're alright, at least the times I've seen them, they were fine."

Immediately after, Li Huowang carefully extracted all the limited information Sun Baolu had about the Luo Sect lamas.

"Senior Brother Li, here, it's time to eat." A bowl of clear noodle soup was brought to Li Huowang. Small, finger-sized white, round root-like stems floated on the soup.

"What are these?" Li Huowang picked one up with his chopsticks. "I don't know. Senior Brother Sun said this wild vegetable is edible. He said he used to dig them out of the grass and eat them as snacks when he was a child. He called them 'Wild Crystal Heads'."

Li Huowang put a Wild Crystal Head into his mouth and gently bit into it. He found it tasted a bit like bitter potatoes, but it was acceptable.

Mantou, who was lying on Li Huowang, suddenly perked up its ears. With a dash, it sprinted towards the distant grassland.

"Why did Mantou run off? Should we go see?"

"Let it play freely. We're usually on the road, so it's rare to have this much free time. Mantou is intelligent; it knows when to leave and will come back on its own."

After Li Huowang finished speaking, he began to eat. Bai Lingmiao squatted nearby, watching silently.

A bowl of Wild Crystal Head noodles quickly went into Li Huowang's stomach. Immediately after, he asked Bai Lingmiao to serve him another bowl.

Perhaps it was because his skin was growing back, but Li Huowang's appetite now was as big as Gao Zhijian's and Bai Lingmiao's.

Reaching out her right hand, Bai Lingmiao gently patted the dust from Li Huowang's clothes. She said with a hint of anticipation, "Senior Brother Li, once we pass Qingqiu, we'll soon reach Liang Kingdom."

"Once we reach the foot of Niutou Mountain and return to our village, we can settle down."

"We can buy a few mu of land with silver. You can use the ox that pulls the cart to plow the fields, and I'll buy silkworms and weave cloth at home. Once we save enough money to build a house, we can separate from my parents."

"Men farming, women weaving? Do you want to live like that for your whole life?" Li Huowang slurped the noodles into his mouth.

Hearing his question, Bai Lingmiao's voice carried a hint of caution. "Senior Brother Li, you don't want to plow the fields? It's alright, it's fine if you don't want to plow. We have an ox."

"I can do anything, but there's one prerequisite: I want to cure my illness."

As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, Bai Lingmiao grabbed his hand. "Senior Brother Li, it's alright. This is perfectly fine. I don't care. When you have an episode, I can be by your side to take care of you."

Li Huowang remembered Bai Lingmiao's face, swollen from his previous actions. He shook his head firmly. "No, it must be cured."

Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to stay by Bai Lingmiao's side. That version of himself was a ticking time bomb, capable of doing anything he would regret for the rest of his life at any moment.

Although Yang Na and Mom were there in his hallucinations, what was fake would always be fake and could never become real. He should have given up on that long ago.

"Senior Brother Li, I beg you, it's perfectly fine as it is. Don't go looking for anything. Didn't you tell me that even that formidable abbess couldn't find a cure?"

Li Huowang put down his noodle bowl, looking at Bai Lingmiao with some surprise. "How would I know if I don't try? Don't you wish for me to be cured?"

Bai Lingmiao hesitated to speak. In the end, she lowered her eyelashes and remained silently by Li Huowang's side.

Her concern for Li Huowang's danger was one aspect. On the other hand, she was actually more worried that one day, if Li Huowang truly recovered, he would no longer need her and would abandon her.

A Li Huowang without his illness would be too good, so good that someone like her wouldn't be worthy of him.

Li Huowang continued to eat his noodles, his eyes on Peng Longteng, the monk, and the half-torso of Jin Shanzhao in front of him.

Recalling his previous conjectures about the Zuowang Dao, his gaze became even more resolute.

"No, I must completely resolve the Heart-Seed's problem. If Beifeng of the Zuowang Dao is truly the Heart-Seed, then there must be a way."

"Even if there isn't, I will still search. Otherwise, I will not be reconciled!"

Just then, Mantou returned from a distance, carrying something in its mouth. When it came closer, they saw it was a dead rabbit.

Mantou placed the rabbit in front of Li Huowang, its tongue out and its tail wagging excitedly.

Mantou's arrival broke the awkward silence between the two. Bai Lingmiao reached out and petted its head. "Good boy, you know Senior Brother Li needs nourishment right now."

As she spoke, she cradled the rabbit in her hands and walked towards the cooking pot.

Li Huowang glanced at Bai Lingmiao's retreating back. Then, he spoke to Mantou, who was panting with its tongue out: "I know she means well, but I truly don't dare to spend my life with her in my current state. To be honest, I'm really afraid I might accidentally kill her one day."

"Woof woof!!" Mantou barked at Li Huowang, who was speaking to it, and kept sniffing the ground with its nose.

Li Huowang reached into his clothes and peeled off another piece of dead skin. He threw it towards Peng Longteng, who was in the distance. Mantou immediately charged towards Peng Longteng's crotch.

Sun Baolu roasted the rabbit. He seemed very skilled, and it tasted delicious.