Chapter 327: Face

“Clip-clop, clip-clop.” The sound of horse hooves faded into the distance as Li Huowang's carriage departed Canshui County.

Besides the Black Grand-Elder, the carriage also carried plenty of long-lasting dried provisions. Li Huowang pulled out a dried red date, popped it into his mouth, and slowly began to chew.

"Is it sweet?" the monk asked, leaning closer, his face a mass of wrinkles.

"Sweet," Li Huowang replied, then took out a piece of walnut and began chewing it. "Do you think they're happy now?"

"They must be happy. Otherwise, why would they send you all these things?"

"As long as they're happy. This world is already too painful; if they can find a little more joy, then let them."

Li Huowang mumbled to himself. He struggled with his own pain and suppression, but the feeling of helping others escape a similar plight didn't seem so bad.

Hearing a stir beside him, Li Huowang turned to see Mantou wagging its tail, pawing at a large bamboo basket. The dog had buried its entire head inside and was busily crunching on something.

Li Huowang pinched the scruff of its neck, lifted the dog, and set it down on the dirt road next to the carriage. "Down! Start running! Eating like this every day, do you want to grow into a pig and be butchered?"

Mantou whimpered softly, seemingly protesting, but seeing that Li Huowang had no intention of waiting, it quickly set its four paws in motion and scurried to catch up.

Gazing at the seemingly endless, undulating dirt road stretching out before the horse, Li Huowang loosened his grip on the reins, allowing the animal to proceed on its own.

A carriage isn't like an automobile; it doesn't require constant attention. Horses are intelligent creatures; they will instinctively avoid danger and stop at crossroads.

With his hands free, Li Huowang pulled an elementary book from his robe. As he touched his abdomen, the Black Grand-Elder within immediately stirred, and a black tentacle snaked out from his navel, hooking his finger.

He lowered his head, watching the tentacle, seemingly lost in thought. After their previous encounters, he no longer felt as repulsed by the Black Grand-Elder as he once did.

It had intervened when he attempted suicide and offered help in critical moments. Having such a being by his side to assist him was quite beneficial. Of course, it would be even better if it wasn't constantly trying to possess his body.

This thought prompted Li Huowang to remove the earplug from his right ear. The jarring, chaotic sounds instantly became clearer, punctuated by disjointed words: "Before, eat, hungry, I help you."

"I know you helped me. Don't bring it up constantly. Be quiet now."

As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, the Black Grand-Elder's voice softened slightly. "Okay... Hungry? Eat..."

"No eating. Read and learn characters. Your speech is too disjointed; you haven't learned enough yet."

Holding the elementary book, Li Huowang began to read it aloud, word by word.

He didn't know how much the Black Grand-Elder inside his belly could absorb, but the more fluent its speech became, the less detrimental it would be to him.

As he read, a new tentacle emerged from Li Huowang's navel. Wrapped around its tip was, surprisingly, an eyeball with double pupils.

This crooked ocular stalk slowly and intently surveyed its surroundings, its gaze filled with curiosity.

Feeling two gazes emanating from a single eyeball, Li Huowang stopped, snatched the eye into his hand, and examined it closely. "Hongzhong, isn't this your eyeball? Why wasn't it digested by the Black Grand-Elder?"

Hong, who hadn't appeared in a long time, materialized from beneath the rapidly spinning carriage wheel. "This is quite a treasure. It took me a great deal of effort to trick someone into giving it to me back then."

"Another 'treasure'? Isn't this just your original eyeball?"

"Of course not. Why don't you try to guess where I tricked it from?" Hongzhong's face broke into a triumphant smile.

Li Huowang gave it a dismissive glance, then ignored it completely, tucking the eyeball back into the Black Grand-Elder's tentacle before resuming his reading.

No matter how Hongzhong tried to tempt him, he refused to ask further. Through his continuous interactions, Li Huowang seemed to have figured out how to handle the Sitting-and-Forgetting Path's ploys.

As he continued to read and teach, it gradually approached noon. A roadside stall, offering a place for travelers to rest, appeared along the dirt path. A few weary travelers were scattered at wooden tables, slurping down noodles.

Li Huowang considered this, pulled the reins to halt the carriage, and then walked towards the stall, Mantou trailing behind him, tongue lolling out.

"Sir, what can I get for you?" the stall owner, sporting two small whiskers, asked cautiously, having caught the distinct scent of blood on Li Huowang.

"Do you have anything to eat? Anything will do." With hot food available, Li Huowang saw no need to rely on his dry rations.

After all, dry rations were often less palatable, designed more for longevity than taste.

"Alright, sir, please sit and have some cool tea! I'll be right with you!" The mustachioed man hurried over to the stove, joining his pregnant wife in their work.

Li Huowang picked up the cool tea pitcher from the table and poured some for Mantou, who was still panting beside him.

Noticing the dog simply nipping at the water, without actually drinking, Li Huowang poured himself a bowl and began to drink.

Although the spot wasn't far from Canshui County, he believed in caution; he didn't want to stumble into an unforeseen trouble.

"I have the alchemy furnace; next, I need to find the ingredients. Pharmacies in Yinling City should have them. If not, I can ask Tuoba Danqing." As Li Huowang pondered these thoughts, he saw the mustachioed man approaching with a bowl of noodles.

"Sir, here are your noodles." A steaming bowl was placed before Li Huowang. The noodles were topped with only a few bits of animal offal, some wild vegetables, and dried radish.

Yet, combined, they smelled incredibly fragrant.

After Mantou finished, Li Huowang began to eat heartily. The stall served wide noodles, which appeared to be a mix of several types, offering a delightfully chewy texture.

As Li Huowang was currently the only customer, the stall owner, having finished serving and with no other tasks, helped his wife sit down. Their conversation, though spoken at a distance, was clearly audible to the sharp-eared Li Huowang.

"My dear wife, you should rest now. Don't tire out our child."

"Erlang, don't just worry about me. You should quickly grab a few bites while it's quiet."

"Haha, I'm not in a hurry. As long as I'm watching my child, I don't feel hungry at all."

The stall owner crouched down, gently stroking his wife's belly with a loving expression. He whispered softly, "My little treasure, can you feel me? I'm your daddy. Come on, say 'Daddy'."

The pregnant woman playfully pinched her husband's arm. "What nonsense are you talking? What child can speak before they're born? You silly man."

"Don't interrupt! I'm talking to our child. That fortune teller said the more I talk to our baby now, the more successful he'll be in the future!"

With that, he prostrated himself, resting his ear against his wife's bulging belly, and spoke with a voice full of affection: "Child, can you hear me? I'm your daddy. Quickly, say 'Daddy'."

No sooner had the stall owner finished speaking than a muffled, indistinct voice, like a peal of thunder, echoed in Li Huowang's ears. "Daddy..."