Mutated Tao

Just as the beautiful woman’s head was about to touch the blanket, Li Huowang reached out to help her up.

“Madam, there’s no need for such courtesy. We are fellow brothers in distress, so helping each other out is only natural; there’s no need for such a grand gesture,” Li Huowang said appreciatively in the face of the woman’s gratitude.

After repeated refusals from Li Huowang, she finally sat down.

Then, with a lingering fear in her heart, she said to Li Huowang, “After our son went missing, we searched all of Qing Qiu, but couldn’t find him. I thought that I had lost him forever. Thankfully, he has returned unharmed.”

With that said, she took out a string of prayer beads from her sleeve. Then, she began to spin them as she bowed toward the north.

Li Huowang noticed this and was taken aback. “May I ask which Bodhisattva you’re praying to?”

Perhaps it was due to many of his experiences from before, but Li Huowang was especially sensitive to religious matters in this strange world. He had a feeling that there was something wrong with such practices here.

Hearing his words, Wu Yue misinterpreted them as Li Huowang mocking her. Thus, she explained helplessly, “Sir, I didn’t mean that. Our son has managed to return all thanks to your efforts. It had nothing to do with some ethereal Bodhisattva.”

“Also, I’ve stopped worshiping Bodhisattvas ever since marrying into Qing Qiu. Even so, I had been following Buddhist customs ever since childhood, and thus, it’s a habit that's difficult to break,” she added.

Li Huowang assured her, “I didn’t mean to mock you. I was just merely curious about which Bodhisattva you were praying to.”

Hearing this, Wu Yue was surprised. “Bodhisattva... Isn’t Bodhisattva the one who saves people from their suffering and rescues the distressed? Is there a different one as well?”

Her reply, which reflected the ignorance of the locals, caused Li Huowang to inwardly sigh.

People in this world are so superstitious. They just believe in anything without discrimination. It's all blind faith. They are not that much different from Dan Yangzi.

However, looking at it from another perspective, Li Huowang thought that Wu Yue’s belief was a good thing. In this insane world, worshiping a ‘real’ Bodhisattva was far more dangerous than worshiping a false one.

“Madam, please, take a seat. I was just asking out of curiosity. By the way, I noticed earlier that Baolu was hugging a woman. Is she his lover?” asked Li Huowang as he tried to change the topic to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere.

“She is his older sister. She has been clinging to him ever since she was a child. They even had an engagement. She was so devastated after Bao’er went missing,” Wu Yue explained.

“Older sister?” Li Huowang was surprised by her response. He couldn’t comprehend how this parent could be so accepting of this unethical situation. And given that they are siblings, why is there such a significant difference in their skin color? Sun Baolu and the woman did not even appear to be of the same race.

“They don’t share the same father. When I left the Liang Kingdom and came to Qing Qiu, Bao’er was already in my womb. At that time, Zhuo’er had already been born," Wu Yue clarified, hinting at her son’s mixed heritage.

Li Huowang had immediately inferred this after observing the woman in front of him who had a skin tone that was different from the people of Qing Qiu.

At that moment, a dark-skinned, sturdy Qing Qiu man approached them with a smile. He held a cow-horn cup in his hand and spoke in a quick, rhythmic Qing Qiu dialect before extending the cup toward Li Huowang.

Seeing this, Wu Yue quickly translated. “Baolu’s dad wants to thank you for saving his second son and wishes you an eternal life, blessed by Immortal Heaven.”

“The toasts in Qing Qiu are certainly unique,” Li Huowang nodded, and raised his cup in response, clinking it with the cup in the man’s hand.

As he drank his honey water, Li Huowang studied the couple in front of him. Sun Baolu’s parents did not appear to be the slightest bit compatible with each other.

The man was short and stout, with a broad face that could easily be mistaken for a monkey’s. He looked completely unworthy of a beautiful woman like Sun Baolu's mother.

Li Huowang couldn’t help but speculate if Sun Baolu's mother had been bought by the man. Given his previous experiences with the slave trade on Women's Mountain, he couldn’t help but entertain such thoughts.

“Senior Li!” shouted Sun Baolu, already pretty drunk. He sobbed and hurled himself upon Li Huowang while mumbling something incoherently. “Senior Li! I can’t bear to leave you! I’m not going back! I wish to stay with you and accompany you to the Liang Kingdom!”

Seeing his son in such a state, Sun Baolu’s father quickly put down his cup and pulled his son away from Li Huowang to help him sober up outside the tent.

As Li Huowang watched their somewhat disheveled figures, he smiled.

Sun Baolu was talking nonsense. He was already home, reunited with his family. There was no reason for him to continue traveling with Li Huowang. Furthermore, there weren’t that many places left for him to go through. Based on the map, Qing Qiu was not far from the Liang Kingdom. In fact, if the Cowheart Mountain wasn’t too far away from here, then Li Huowang would even consider returning here whenever he had the chance in the future.

Li Huowang returned to his cross-legged sitting position and took a bite of the skewered roasted lamb that was covered in black spice. As he bit into it, the thick meaty fluids erupted on his tongue and a delectable aroma filled the air. He found this roasted lamb to be especially delicious.

He felt that it might have something to do with his enhanced senses, but to Li Huowang, having lived in two worlds, this was the tastiest lamb skewer he’d ever tasted.

The tender and succulent meat, combined with the salty and tangy seasoning, made every bite incredibly enjoyable. It was no wonder that everyone was so engrossed in their meals that none of them were talking; they were all huddled around the lamb and beef bones, gnawing away at them contentedly.

Like everyone else, Li Huowang too couldn’t wait to dig into the delectable cuisine, and immediately set aside everything else to relish in the meal arranged for them.

The Qing Qiu guys danced around in a circle and tossed their heads, but it wasn’t particularly entertaining. Even so, their exaggerated movements and actions enhanced the festive atmosphere within the large tent, bringing a smile to everyone’s faces, including Li Huowang’s.

After some of them had filled their bellies, they too began dancing with the Qing Qiu people, linking arms with them and swaying to the rhythm.

Here, the Lu Family Troupe’s performance stuck out quite a bit because of their talented singing and acting. The unique melodies and moves that they introduced earned them a large amount of applause and cheers from the Qing Qiu people.

As he looked over the crowd, Li Huowang smiled.

Everyone appears to be having a good time here. However, why is there only sadness and pain when they are with me?

As Li Huowang was lost in thought, his keen senses detected someone staring at him.

It was Sun Baolu’s mother.

He turned his head slowly to look in her direction and noticed a deeply troubled expression on her face, completely different from her earlier composed appearance.

Li Huowang turned to her and asked, “Madam, is there something you’d like to tell me?”

Wu Yue, who had been hesitating for a while, finally made up her mind. “Benefactor, even though we have just met, I hope you don’t mind me speaking openly. How about you and your group reconsider going to the Liang Kingdom? It’s not a good place. Staying here might just be a better choice.”

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