Chapter 298 - Going Home
While the two of them were engaged in conversation, a ruckus emerged from the neighboring table.
Hearing a loud thump, Li Huowang lifted his head and peered toward the source of the sound, only to see Puppy sneakily making his way outside while holding a food box.
“Senior Li, is the food you brought back for us to eat?” Puppy asked cautiously.
Li Huowang laid back down with a wry smile on his face. “Yeah, after all, it is only you guys here.”
In this world, his group of fellow disciples were the only ones that he could trust, even if they might not be particularly helpful.
After a moment, Li Huowang propped himself up from the bed. As soon as he sat up, the exhaustion on his face immediately vanished.
“Puppy, put down the food box, and call Gao Zhijian and Chun Xiaoman over. Let’s all eat together. Once we’re done eating, we’ll leave,” said Li Huowang.
“Where are we going?” asked Puppy.
“We are heading home!”
A few days later, Li Huowang, Puppy, Gao Zhijian, Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman set off in a carriage.
Bai Lingmiao drew down the curtain and warmly spoke to the carriage driver, “Sir, thank you for allowing us to catch a ride. If we were to travel on foot, then it would have taken us a few days to get there.”
Hearing this, the old carriage driver let out a smile, revealing his few remaining teeth. “No problem, it’s conveniently on the way. But, young lady, your home is quite remote. If you hadn’t told me about it, then I wouldn’t have known that there was a village at the foot of that mountain.”
Hearing this, Puppy immediately expressed his discontent. “Remote? We agreed on a fixed payment before! What’s this? Are you trying to hike up the price?”
Chun Xiaoman gave Puppy a disapproving glance and scolded, “Shut up! Why are you so full of nonsense?! No one will mistake you for a mute even if you don’t speak!”
On the side, Gao Zhijian huddled his limbs, stammering as he tried to intervene.
Sitting in the back, Li Huowang silently watched the lively show inside the carriage. Things were definitely way more relaxed than they were before.
Accompanied by Yang Xiaohai’s enthusiastic yell, the rest of the group started appearing from the stacked layers of tiled houses.
After nearly half a month of not seeing each other, this reunion filled Lu Zhuangyuan with excitement as he enthusiastically grabbed Li Huowang’s hands. “Daoist! You’re finally back! We’ve been anxiously waiting for you.”
“Troupe leader Lu, the journey here must have been quite tough. Did everything go smoothly?” asked Li Huowang.
“No, no, it wasn’t tough at all! The number of people is the same as before! No one went missing!” said Lu Zhuangyuan before subsequently showing concern for Li Huowang’s lone eye; it was as though they were very close to each other.
“Let’s go, don’t just stand here. We’ll discuss more inside,” said Li Huowang.
Just as Li Huowang was about to step in, Lu Zhuangyuan stopped him. Then, he sneaked a glance at Bai Lingmiao as a trace of unease appeared on his face.
“Uh, Daoist... There’s no need to head in so quickly. First, I have to speak with you privately,” said Lu Zhuangyuan.
Li Huowang clearly didn’t quite understand what he meant. “Just say whatever you need to. Why does it have to be in private?”
Li Huowang couldn’t fathom a reason for him and Lu Zhuangyuan to have a private conversation.
“Oh... Daoist, you see... it’s better to discuss some matters privately,” said Lu Zhuangyuan as he came closer to Li Huowang while making subtle facial expressions in the direction of Bai Lingmiao.
Seeing this, Li Huowang’s heart skipped a beat as he glanced at Bai Lingmiao who was standing beside him.
If Troupe Leader Lu is insisting on discussing things privately with me, could it be because there’s a major problem with Miaomiao’s hometown?
Li Huowang finally understood what Troupe Leader Lu was trying to convey, but unfortunately, Bai Lingmiao had also caught on to it.
“Troupe Leader Lu... What happened to my hometown?” asked Bai Lingmiao.
As she saw Troupe Leader Lu shiftily avoiding her gaze, tears welled up in Bai Lingmiao’s eyes.
“Dad! Mom!” Tears streamed down Bai Lingmiao’s face as she brushed past the others and ran along the winding path toward the village.
Sensing her unease, Li Huowang hurriedly followed suit.
“Dad! Mom! Grandpa!! Your daughter is back! Where are you guys?” shouted Bai Lingmiao, her cries mixed with sobs echoing continuously throughout the village. She opened every door in the village, hoping to find her family, but only disappointment awaited behind each one.