NOVEL NEXT Chapter 219_2
"Lord Xu, I still need to pursue the remnants of the Yin-corroding Dharmaraja's army, and cannot stay long; we shall meet again another day!"
"Safe journey, General!"
The sound of a command to rein in was heard, and the broad-faced, long-bearded general turned his horse's head straight toward the depths of the Yin River.
On the desolate Ancient Yin River Dao, a hundred iron-armored cavalry rode across the yellow earth, stirring up a cloud of dust.
It wasn't until the dust settled in the distance that Xu Qing withdrew his gaze.
These soldiers truly come and go like the wind!
Seeing that no one was around to disturb them, Xu Qing led Li Heyi to an ancient tomb.
Xie Qing might not be familiar with other places along the Ancient Yin River Dao, but he was very familiar with the territory of the Many Trials Ghost King, his neighbor!
After all, the daughter of the Many Trials Ghost King, Princess Yan Ning, was personally put to rest by him. Not to mention the outskirts of the Ghost King Mausoleum, Xu Qing even knew exactly in which coffin the Many Trials Ghost King lay!
In the tomb filled with gunpowder, Li Heyi seemed to be awakened by the smell of realgar.
"You can't kill me! I am a Mage from the Celestial Master's Mansion. If I die, the Celestial Master will definitely investigate thoroughly..."
Li Heyi's voice grew smaller and smaller as he suddenly remembered that Xu Qing dared to kill Ling Yangzi, the spiritual successor of the Celestial Master's Mansion. Would the life of a mere Mage like him be more precious than Ling Yangzi?
"It was presumptuous of me, and I hope the senior can be lenient. I can share the Celestial Master's Mansion's legacy with the senior. This is the Cloud Climbing Talisman, please accept it with a smile..."
Xu Qing looked at Li Heyi, who was deferential after initially being arrogant, and couldn't help but find it amusing.
An old man over fifty calling a lad in his twenties 'senior'—it truly was a shameless display.
"Is the senior not interested in the inheritance of the Celestial Master's Mansion?"
Xu Qing shook his head.
"I don't need you to tell me. The dead will reveal everything to me."
The crisp sound of a neck breaking echoed. Li Heyi's eyes widened, and just before his pupils dilated, he saw Xu Qing remove a mask. However, it was as if a fogged mirror separated them, making it impossible to see clearly.
Nothing about Li Heyi's life was particularly noteworthy, except for one incident from his childhood that piqued Xu Qing's interest.
It was fifty years ago when Li Heyi was just a seven or eight-year-old boy.
Li Heyi had both parents, a home, and land. His father was a peddler who traveled through streets and alleys selling wares, and his mother enjoyed burning incense and worshiping Buddha, occasionally doing needlework to supplement the family income.
That year, during the twelfth lunar month, a heavy snow fell. Li Heyi's father went out to sell goods and didn't return for a whole day. By nightfall, the snow had reached thigh-high, and not a soul was in sight on the road.
Li's wife anxiously awaited her husband's return, but he never came back. Meanwhile, Li Heyi was anxious about the baked cake his father promised to buy and kept pestering his mother about when his father would return.
Li's wife doted on her child, so she coaxed and deceived him by saying that tomorrow morning, he would surely come back, with a baked cake and some candies to eat!
The child believed her and went to bed early, eagerly anticipating waking up to his longed-for treats.
However, by coincidence, that night, a nun came by seeking shelter. Li's wife, a devout believer in Buddhism and Taoism, had many altars for deities and buddhas at home. The nun, unable to return to her temple due to the heavy snow, knocked on the door to ask for shelter. Li's wife, fearing a restless night if she refused, agreed.
"Burdened by rain and snow, I have nowhere to rest. Kindly grant me shelter for a night, and I shall leave by morning..."
The nun clutched Li's wife's sleeve as she spoke, occasionally glancing toward the street as if avoiding something.
Li's wife peeked out and saw a group of ruffians lurking nearby.
"Oh, poor master, hurry, hurry, come in, there's hot soup inside to warm yourself."
The nun felt grateful in her heart and the two entered the house.
Li's wife loved matters of gods and Buddhas, and with the nun staying, she kept a lamp on to listen to her preach and chant Buddhist teachings.
The Li family's house wasn't large, and Li Heyi was in the inner room, separated from his mother and the nun by only a thick fabric curtain.
He had heard the commotion when the nun came in, and, rubbing his eyes, blearily looked out the window. Seeing it wasn't his father, he went back under the covers to sleep.
Now, hearing the nun's chants, Li Heyi stirred and looked again. The bald head, simple, grey monastic robe, and soft-spoken demeanor were completely different from his mother's loud voice.
Listening, Li Heyi began to feel sleepy, waking once more as dawn approached.
His bladder roused him.
In the cold of December, he couldn't hold it in any longer, so he rose to find the chamber pot.
As he got up, he heard the door creak open—the nun was leaving after spending the night.
"Thank you for lending me clothing for warmth. When the weather clears, I shall return them."
"No problem, no problem, be careful on the slippery roads, master."
The child thought nothing of it and climbed back onto the kang to sleep again. It wasn't until the sky was bright and his father returned from selling goods that Li Heyi got up and circled his father.
"The snow yesterday was really thick! Luckily, I found a temple, and the compassionate master took me in for the night. Otherwise, I might not have frozen to death, but would have been half-dead."