Chapter 57: Jumping the Great Spirit

"I don't know what the five immortal families – Red, Yellow, White, Willow, and Sorrow – in the shamanistic ritual represent. An elder in the village mentioned it casually, and I just remembered it."

"The time I encountered them, someone in the village was afflicted by evil spirits, barking like a dog on the ground. The shaman happened to be passing by the edge of the village and came over to investigate."

"I'm not sure what happened afterward; I only remember that the person afflicted by evil spirits recovered the next day and went back to working in the fields."

Li Huowang listened as Xiaoman recounted the incomplete information about the shaman, silently mulling it over in his mind.

"So, the shamans in Sìqí perform duties similar to those of Daoist priests? Exorcising evil and warding off misfortune... do their abilities also come from beings like Lord You?"

"Since shamans often interact with other people, they should be more approachable than the monks at Zhengde Temple, right?"

He wasn't afraid that these so-called shamans would be too powerful; rather, he feared they might be too weak to deal with Danyangzi.

After all, one person alone couldn't compare to a group.

The creaking of the donkey cart ceased, snapping Li Huowang back to reality. He saw that the others had already gone into the woods to gather firewood and fetch water.

Looking up at the sky, Li Huowang noticed that the sun had imperceptibly begun to set, signaling it was time to stop for the day.

Not one to sit idly, he drew the sword from his back and began digging a hole in the ground. The sword was incredibly sharp, and in no time, he had dug a small hole about the size of a head.

The simple-minded man, already prepared, lifted the black pot from the donkey cart and set it over the pit.

Soon, with two more openings on either side—one for firewood and one for smoke—a small earthen stove would be complete.

Compared to rice, dried noodles were more practical, being easier to store and quicker to cook.

Once the water in the pot boiled, several large bundles of longevity noodles, bought in the pass town, were added to the steaming water.

Dandelions gathered from the roadside served as vegetables, and a salted duck egg each for a savory addition. With a large bowl of noodles per person, dinner was complete.

Li Huowang used his chopsticks to break open the salted duck egg floating in the noodle soup. The rich, oily yolk instantly released a layer of golden oil, making the whole soup look incredibly appetizing.

He used his chopsticks to scoop up the softened dandelion stalks and chewed them slowly. The taste was slightly bitter, and the texture was somewhat similar to spinach.

He hadn't known dandelions were edible before, but after seeing the old monk eat them with such gusto, he learned they were also a type of wild vegetable.

Blowing on the hot soup, Li Huowang took a generous gulp. A warmth spread through his stomach, incredibly comforting.

The wild vegetables reminded Li Huowang of the old monk from Zhengde Temple.

"I wonder how he's doing. Being so simple-minded and unable to see, he must be doing well in that environment, right?"

A pair of chopsticks placed the oily salted duck egg yolk into Li Huowang's bowl. "I don't eat yolks," Bai Lingmiao whispered from beside him.

Li Huowang nodded silently, then picked up some noodles with his chopsticks and slurped a generous mouthful. "I have a Daoist bell in my possession, do you remember it? The one I brought from Qingfeng Temple."

"Mhm."

"I'll tell you how to use it now. In case anything happens to me, remember to use it to save yourself."

"Okay."

"First, you need to shake it. You'll feel very dizzy, but resist the urge to stop. Then, grab a handful of dirt from the ground and put it in your mouth..."

The sky gradually darkened. Li Huowang's bowl was empty, and he had finished speaking.

Bai Lingmiao collected the bowl and chopsticks from Li Huowang and walked towards the small river in the woods.

Li Huowang watched her slender back, which imperceptibly shifted into the silhouette of a girl in a red high school uniform. It was Yang Na.

He vigorously shook his head, and Bai Lingmiao reappeared. A frustrated Li Huowang lay down on the ground, gazing at the increasingly visible stars above.

The night deepened. Li Huowang was still taking the first watch; his sleep hadn't been good lately, or rather, it had never truly been good.

Li Huowang stirred the bonfire with his sword, adding a piece of firewood.

He shook off the sword, then, by the light of the fire, examined his weapon.

This incredibly sharp weapon was severely underutilized in his hands; it was either used to dig holes as a shovel or as a fire poker, leaving the sword tip blackened and unsightly.

The only time it had drawn blood was when he had used it to cut his own throat.

"Senior Brother Changming, if you saw your precious sword reduced to such a state, would you be so enraged you'd rise from the dead?" Li Huowang muttered to himself, re-sheathing the long sword behind his back.

"Shhh..." A soft rustle from behind him made Li Huowang spring to his feet. He snatched a burning log from the bonfire and immediately hurled it.

The bright firelight streaked past a figure before landing in front of a pair of embroidered shoes.

The embroidered shoes were a deep, unsettling red, an eerie, blood-red hue.

"Who's there! Come out!!" Li Huowang's loud shout roused the others from their sleep, making them sit up groggy and disoriented.

When they saw the feet wearing embroidered shoes in the distance, they instantly jolted awake, and the sounds of swords and knives being drawn filled the air.

"Hehehe, please don't attack. It's just a misunderstanding."

As an amiable voice rang out, a man in his fifties with greying hair emerged from the darkened woods.

He was dressed plainly, and the patches on his clothes suggested he was not wealthy. Aside from a small bundle on his back, he carried a dirty, old drum adorned with many colorful ribbons slung at his waist.

Standing before Li Huowang and the others' weapons, he explained, "Oh, I was just traveling by night, and when I saw a light ahead, I came to investigate. I didn't expect to find you all here."

Noticing Li Huowang's gaze fixed intently on the red embroidered shoes, he continued to explain, "It's nothing. That's my wife; she's shy around strangers. Goose, come here."

No sooner had he spoken than the embroidered shoes slowly and deliberately emerged from the darkness, approaching the old man.

It was a woman whose face was obscured by a red veil. Her red and purple clothes were strikingly vibrant, and her body, like the drum, was adorned with various colorful strips of cloth.

She stood there perfectly still. Seeing such a figure in the dead of night truly sent shivers down one's spine.

"This is your wife?" Li Huowang, still holding his sword, pressed for confirmation. Bringing such a thing with him in the middle of the night, he could have claimed it was a zombie he was driving, and no one would have doubted it.

Just then, Xiaoman hurriedly leaned in and whispered, "Senior Brother Li, he's the shaman."

This statement instantly heightened Li Huowang's vigilance to its peak.

"Yes! That's right, we are shamans. I am the lead shaman, and my wife is the assistant shaman."

Seeing that the group in front of him remained unresponsive, the man spoke again. "What, you don't believe me? Well then, I'll give you a demonstration, cough cough~"

Before Li Huowang could even react to stop him, he bellowed, "Invoke~ the ~Divine~!"

This forceful cry reverberated far into the dark forest.