Chapter 644: Good Person

"Oh, so it's Brother Li! Of course I know him, of course. When we were kids, his father often brought him to our house for visits during festivals." Yang Xiao-hai was stunned to hear this. Did this guy know Senior Brother Li or not? He spoke so definitively, but if he really knew him, Senior Brother Li didn't seem like the type of person who enjoyed visiting others.

Before Yang Xiao-hai could fully react, the other person became even more enthusiastic. "Come, come, come! We just scared our junior brother. Please don't mind this small token of apology." A heavy gold brick slipped from the man's sleeve and landed on Yang Xiao-hai's hand. The gold brick, with a bloody corner, was incredibly heavy, making his hand ache.

"Junior brother, I knew it the moment I saw you – you must be connected to our Senior Brother Li. Look, I even brought your carriage over. Take a quick look, this should be your cart, right?" After saying this, the man had his distant companions bring the carriage closer. Not only did they help Zhao Xiu-mei and the three monkey-children into the carriage, but he also thoughtfully straightened a slightly crooked white headscarf on one of the monkey-children.

Yang Xiao-hai's lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to ask if the man truly knew Senior Brother Li, as something felt off. However, he wisely kept his mouth shut. Regardless of whether the man knew him or not, since he was willing to let him go, it was best to assume they were acquainted and make a quick escape.

"Th-thank you very much then."

"Haha, don't mention it, junior brother. Travel safely and have a smooth journey. I have duties to attend to, so I won't see you off too far. When you meet Senior Brother Li, remember to give him my regards."

As the carriage gradually vanished into the night, the smile on the plump man's face instantly dropped, and the cold, serpentine pupils reappeared in his eyes.

"Serpent Gentleman, you don't really believe what they said, do you?" asked a burly man with a fish-scale tattoo on his neck, dressed in short-sleeved attire, standing with his arms crossed.

"Why wouldn't I believe it? That kid seemed quite genuine. And I did hear about a troublesome fellow who liked to wear red Taoist robes, though I thought his name was Er-Jiu."

"Just because he 'looked genuine' means it's true? What if it was a trick by the Zuo Wang Dao?"

"The Zuo Wang Dao were wiped out long ago; there's no one left. Besides, what would you gain by killing him? If he was a fake, then we'd merely lose a few more Law Sect followers. Conversely, if you don't kill him, and he turns out to be genuine, then we've earned a significant favor. Why wouldn't you do something that has only benefits and no drawbacks?"

A look of understanding dawned on the burly man's face. "Serpent Gentleman, you've lived over 120 years; your foresight is truly impeccable. You don't want to take any risks at all."

The Serpent Gentleman appeared unconcerned by his companion's words. "Let's go. We've killed four Law Sect followers this time, which is quite profitable. It's getting harder to find these rats since they went into hiding."

"I really don't know why these people come to such remote places to preach. They're incredibly hard to find," the burly man said, stretching vigorously.

As they were talking, they suddenly saw a companion rushing over, holding a scroll of paper, looking quite nervous.

"Quick! The Supervising Censor sent word! Everyone in Hedong Dao must gather! The Law Sect is making a big move!"

Under the moonlight, Yang Xiao-hai slowly drove the carriage forward, white mist exhaling from his mouth as he stared blankly at the road ahead. He didn't know how long he had been in this state. Everything that had happened earlier was too fast, too overwhelming to fully process. His mind was buzzing, utterly chaotic.

A long time later, Zhao Xiu-mei, still shaken, picked up a towel and leaned against Yang Xiao-hai, gently wiping the dried sweat from his forehead. She glanced at the three monkey-children sleeping in the carriage shelter, hugging a bag of flatbreads, and asked with a hint of hesitation, "Husband, do you think... that woman was killed by them?"

Yang Xiao-hai mechanically shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Those people are truly hateful. That woman was such a good person."

"A good person, huh..."

After wiping away the sweat, Zhao Xiu-mei sat in silence for a while before speaking again: "Then tell me, among them, who are the good people and who are the bad ones?"

Yang Xiao-hai remained silent for a long time, then slowly spoke again: "I'm not well-educated. I don't know."

Zhao Xiu-mei carefully folded the towel in her hands. "I don't think that old woman was a bad person. And I could tell she truly loved children; that genuine affection, I wouldn't be mistaken about it."

"Perhaps no one believes they are bad. They probably all think they are good," Yang Xiao-hai said, turning his head with a complex expression to look at Zhao Xiu-mei's profile.

If this incident taught him anything, it was that he had almost endangered his wife, and he still lacked the strength to protect her adequately. Back in Niuxin Village, he seemed to have underestimated things. He absolutely had to work harder.

Just as he was thinking this, the sun pierced through the morning mist, and the dim landscape in the distance gradually brightened.

"Husband, look! We're back in Qingqiu!" Yang Xiao-hai looked in the direction of her voice. Before him lay vast expanses of grassland. "Why has Qingqiu's grass all turned yellow?"

Li Huowang, dressed in red robes, paced back and forth beside a pond, seemingly waiting for something, under Li Sui's watchful gaze. From time to time, he fiercely bit the back of his hand, his expression appearing somewhat anxious.

He waited for two hours. Just as Li Huowang's patience was wearing thin, he saw his reflection in the pond turn around and look at him.

Li Huowang said somewhat irritably, "Yi Donglai, so you finally decided to show up."

"I have my own matters to attend to. I am your future, not your nanny," Ji Zai replied.

"Alright, enough with the talk. Time is short, so to make a long story short, I don't care if you know what happened or not—I need your help right now!" Li Huowang stood firm, frowning as he stared at him.

"Help me? Why?"

"Don't tell me that you, a Sima, don't know that the entire country of Sizhai has been occupied by the Law Sect!"

"I don't know," Ji Zai said frankly.

"Say again that you don't know! Sizhai! The entire country occupied by the Law Sect! Yu'er God's influence has spread this far, and you *don't know*?!"

"You know I oversee confusion. If you're confused, I'm even more so. It's understandable that I'd be unaware of such a situation."

"Damn it!" Li Huowang rarely cursed.