allonlinenovel Chapter 181 Dream of Yellow Millet and the Sound of Rain at Night ( )
Chapter 181 Dream of Yellow Millet and the Sound of Rain at Night ( )
In fact, Yun Songhe didn't "come back," he never left in the first place.
He had a question he wanted answered: "Little friend, I'll ask you one more time, what kind of person am I in your eyes?"
He added, "No random answers allowed. You can only say either a good person or a bad person."
However, Li Tingyun's answer remained the same: "Dead man."
Seeing the undiminished hatred in his eyes, Yun Songhe smiled, took out two pills from the scroll, and handed them to him.
"Red or blue, pick one."
What's blue?
"poison."
"...What about the red one?"
"It's also poison. But it's sweet."
Yun Songhe smiled and said, "You can trust me completely. One pill will kill you instantly, without you feeling any pain. I suggest you choose the red one, the candied hawthorn flavor, kids love it."
Li Tingyun raised an eyebrow: "Only children make choices."
Yun Songhe chimed in: "So you... ugh!"
In the blink of an eye, Li Tingyun pushed his palm toward his open mouth with swift and fierce movements!
One pill fell to the ground, and another slipped into his throat.
He tackled the person to the ground, pressing his knee against the chin and punching the bridge of the nose to stop breathing.
Yun Songhe subconsciously opened his throat to catch his breath.
With a "gulp," it went down.
No, pills!
From beginning to end, it all happened in the blink of an eye.
He clutched his throat, scrambled to his feet, utterly incredulous. A dignified immortal had been "killed" by a mere mortal, whose opponent was a mixed-elemental being, and even a child?!
How could Yun Songhe have foreseen such a scene?
He underestimated his opponent; he deserved to suffer this setback!
But he's not someone to be trifled with—
A fireball suddenly came crashing down, and a wave of intense heat hit his face!
Yun Songhe's vision went black.
In a short while, a large, dark-skinned face, seemingly made from coal and charcoal, was produced.
With its fluffy, curly hair on its head, its eyes rolled back, and a puff of black smoke coming out of its mouth, it collapsed with a thud.
He landed face-first.
“Woof woof! Woof woof!”
Before he lost consciousness, he heard two dog barks.
Wangcai let out a loud shout and spewed out a large burst of fire; then it let out a soft shout and spewed out a small burst of fire; it whimpered and dared not make a sound, the flames swirling around its mouth.
Li Tingyun wiped his face, his hands covered in soot. Clearly, Wangcai had no control over the fire. That fireball had not only turned Yun Songhe into a smoked chicken, but it had also given him a makeover, transforming him from a red-faced Guan Gong into a black-faced Bao Zheng.
Look at Yun Songhe, then look at Wangcai. The dogs have given him far too many frights, or rather, surprises!
"You can breathe fire? When did you learn that?!"
His face was dark, but when he spoke, his eyes and teeth appeared exceptionally white.
"That's great, you're much more useful than me now."
He kept laughing, completely unaware of just how funny he looked.
While laughing, he slapped the dog across the face.
"Next time, aim carefully! If you dare to get the smoke in my face again, I'll smash all your dog teeth in!"
Wangcai whimpered, its head turned to the side after being hit, then it rubbed against his leg a couple of times, then three, then four or five times, never quite getting enough.
Li Tingyun searched Yun Songhe's body.
He did not find the book that interested him so much, "The Record of a Hundred Poisons".
It's a bit of a shame.
He had no choice but to give up, picked up his tattered bag, and continued on his journey!
After overcoming numerous obstacles and defeating many enemies, it was almost dark when they finally arrived at their destination.
First, take a bath in the stream at the foot of the hill to wash away the filth, then climb up the hillside. By then, it's already completely dark.
Sunset and moonrise.
It's good to have another day.
"Go, dig the hole!" Li Tingyun commanded.
Wangcai did as instructed, digging a large pit under the willow tree roots. After his owner buried the things, he was responsible for filling the pit.
After finishing their business, the man and the dog finally had time to lie down and rest for a while.
Suddenly, Li Tingyun thought of something, sat up abruptly, and grabbed the dog's ear.
"You started the fire?! Did you?!"
"You set my house on fire?!"
"Say something! Say it!!!"
Wangcai, figuring out that his stomach wasn't burning anymore and that he wouldn't breathe fire out of his mouth, then said:
"Master, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."
Li Tingyun was startled.
He heard right! The dog really can talk!
But how can a dog speak human language?!
Wangcai felt a little wronged.
You were the one who made me say it.
Even if I told you, you wouldn't be happy.
Li Tingyun was skeptical. She slowly lay down, resting her head on her arms, and pondered the matter alone for a long time, still somewhat unconvinced.
Turning his head, he asked, "Wangcai, can you really talk? And breathe fire?!"
"Yes! Master! Master!! Master!!! Woof woof woof!"
Wangcai patiently proved it to him.
"Okay, okay, stop yelling, I believe you!"
Li Tingyun asked again, "But how did you 'get it'? You were a complete idiot just yesterday!"
Wangcai didn't know either. "I just ate a lot of chili peppers, and suddenly I learned to talk. And then suddenly I started breathing fire."
"Are you bored out of your mind?! Why are you eating chili peppers?!" Li Tingyun cursed.
"Because I was hungry! I chased you for so long last night, and you kicked my food bowl away! I couldn't find it, so I had to go back to the village and howled in the rain for ages. Suddenly, the butcher jumped out and said he'd brought me some pig offal that nobody else wanted. But it turned out it was stuffed with chili peppers! He tricked me into eating chili peppers! Spicy, spicy, spicy! It's killing me! My stomach is on fire... woof..."
The dog whimpered, "Master, I've been bullied terribly since you weren't here!"
"Damn it! How dare you bully my dog?!"
Li Tingyun sat up abruptly again, glanced at the vast night sky, and lay down once more.
Lying Flat said, "Fine, a real man can bend and stretch. Let him be bullied for a while. Haven't you seen your master being bullied all the time?"
He asked, "Do you know why?"
Dog: "Why?"
Li Tingyun: "Because you're not strong enough, you stupid dog."
Dog: "How strong do you have to be to never be bullied again?"
Li Tingyun: "In heaven and on earth, I am the only one who is supreme."
Dog: "Really?"
Li Tingyun: "Yes."
A gentle breeze and the moon, a boy and a dog.
He had nothing but the open sky and the earth as his bed.
"Master, keep going! Keep trying! Keep fighting!"
"how about you?"
"To reap the rewards without sowing, to receive a bounty without merit, and to rise to the top in one step!"
"……roll."
"Wang Wang!"
Li Tingyun did another sit-up and sprang up from the ground.
This time, he pulled Wangcai, who was lying dead, up with him and asked:
"Do you remember the spot where I kicked your dog bowl last night?"
"Of course I remember! You even picked up a big rock and threw it at me, creating a huge crater!"
"Lead the way, I need to go back and get something."
It was in that place that Li Tingyun encountered the evil Taoist priest by chance, was captured and taken to the Sizhitang of the Ji family's old residence, and had his spiritual root dug out.
He had a sudden inspiration and threw the two items into a crevice in the rocks to hide them.
It was the same golden silkworm gu that was taken from his father's body and had already died.
Another item was the Mountain Spirit Coin that he used to always wear.
Walking along the rugged mountain path, going back and forth for twenty miles, even the strongest legs would be worn out, but the two of them felt no fatigue. The pale moonlight illuminated the road ahead, and they chased each other's shadows, running and stopping, finding joy in hardship.
After going around in circles, we returned to where we started.
Li Tingyun put the golden silkworm gu into his inner pocket and stored it carefully.
The mountain spirit spends money, and then buries the ashes in the pit.
If, he meant, if...
If Heaven will still protect him, then hopefully this amulet for warding off evil spirits and suppressing wickedness will have some effect.
If you can't ward off evil spirits, warding off pests is good too.
Li Tingyun kicked away the large bone that the dog was secretly planning to bury with it.
As dawn broke, the two of them got ready to set off.
"Wangcai, would you like to come with me?"
"of course!"
"Aren't you going to ask where we're going?"
"Fly bravely, Master! Wangcai will always be with you!"
"Wangcai, listen up—"
Li Tingyun solemnly declared: "From today onwards, I may be a homeless person, but you will never be a stray dog, because I will be your master forever. As long as I have a bite to eat, you will have a bowl to lick!"
Wangcai didn't immediately notice the oddity in Li Tingyun's words.
He was so happy he shouted with joy.
It wasn't until he followed Li Tingyun and went hungry nine times in three days that he regretted it.
What does wandering truly mean? It means answering the following question:
Do you have money? Do you know how to make money? Do you have the strength to work? What kind of work can you do? All you know is eating, can you cook? You don't even have a home anymore, where will you sleep at night? Will you wander the streets or sleep in the mountains? Are you afraid of ghosts? Are you afraid of jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards?
Even if you're not afraid of any of that, aren't you afraid of the unpredictability of human nature?
You must know that in the world of martial arts, no one can live alone. Even beggars have to form gangs to protect themselves.
Of course, the above are issues that need to be considered only in prosperous times, at least in an era of abundance where everyone can have enough to eat.
In chaotic times, there's no need to think about so much. Every morning when you wake up, the first thing you think about is: survival.
Every night, before closing my eyes, I have to give myself a thumbs up and praise myself: Great job, every extra day I live is a bonus.
Leaving Huangliang City, you may encounter bandits, outlaws, and rebel armies along the way, and you may also run into demons, ghosts, and spirits. The outside world is much more chaotic, complex, and dangerous than Huangliang City. How can you survive in this dog-eat-dog world?
Li Tingyun didn't know.
Because he knew nothing, he had no fear.
Because they were fearless, they gradually went to extremes.
He became a "freak" who looked crazy but was actually even crazier.
Wangcai, having spent every day with him, was arguably the person who knew him best. Over the past four years, Li Tingyun had done two things that terrified the dog and reinforced his belief that he needed to keep his distance from his owner—distance makes the heart grow fonder, distance can save a life.
One of these things was the "blood sacrifice".
It is well known that the Lord of Taiji Palace enjoys blood sacrifices, but what is not known is that this is not a taste that Li Tingyun developed after he came of age; he had tried it many times when he was young.
When exactly did it start?
Wangcai will never forget it, starting from a few months after they left Huangliang City, when they accidentally encountered a group of refugees fleeing together.
Coincidentally, this group of people had escaped from Huangliang City. According to them, the war had spread to their homeland, and the rebel army was attacking and seizing territory. The city was about to fall, so Yuan Hong ordered the able-bodied men to hold the city to the death to buy time so that the elderly, women, and children could evacuate. Even criminals who had been imprisoned were captured and sent to the front lines to fight. Of course, some of those with lighter crimes or those who were disabled could leave if they wanted to.
Li Tingyun spotted two familiar faces among the refugees.
One was Zihan's mother, a "little golden man" who shone brightly. Her husband had probably died in battle, her son had been lost, and she herself was so dazzling that she was abandoned by her companions before being robbed by bandits—no one wanted to take her with them, and as they walked, she disappeared without a trace.
Another one is the courtesan in the brothel. She is also about to be abandoned by the main group, not because she is as dazzling as Zihan's mother. On the contrary, she is very low-key, covered in tattered and dirty burlap, with only two big but dull eyes showing.
Li Tingyun almost didn't recognize her in the crowd. People covered their mouths and noses and kept their distance from her, refusing to continue walking with her no matter what.
Because she was sick, with venereal disease.
Li Tingyun then asked: What is venereal disease? Does it mean someone is very good-looking? How can that be a disease?!
No one answered him. Some wanted to laugh but dared not, because they were all crammed into a small, dilapidated temple to spend the night. This temple was Li Tingyun's place of residence, where he studied talisman drawing and Gouzi practiced fire control. Suddenly, a large group of people barged in.
Having trespassed on his territory, and given his supposed "magical powers," this group of defenseless old, weak, sick, disabled, and women naturally dared not cause trouble.
The group barely managed to squeeze into the dilapidated temple for one night. As soon as it was light the next day, they hurriedly left. Some time after they left, the courtesan hiding in the corner stood up, said nothing, and also left.
Li Tingyun said, "You bad woman, I'll give you this place. You can stay here to recover."
The courtesan remained silent, opened the door, and left. Li Tingyun reached out to grab her, but she dodged faster than a rabbit. She picked up a twig and warned the child to keep his distance, or she would smash his hand!
Li Tingyun had never seen such an arrogant woman in his life. Fine, fine, he couldn't be bothered with her and let her go wherever she wanted. However, he gave all the medicinal herbs he had gone to great lengths to obtain to this wicked woman. Some were for clearing heat and detoxifying, some for reducing swelling and relieving pain, and some for calming the mind and aiding sleep.
The courtesan looked at the little boy in front of her, whose face and hands were covered in wounds, swellings, and bruises, and said: I don't need anything. I have a terminal illness that no medicine can cure! So I won't waste your things.
"Fine," Li Tingyun thought to himself, "Do you think I'm going to offer it to you for free? It's fine if you don't want it; I don't even have enough for myself."
The courtesan said she was doomed, and indeed she was; she died within three days, in a very undignified manner.
She certainly didn't die of illness. Although there is no cure for venereal disease, it wouldn't develop so quickly that she would die suddenly in just a few days.
She was murdered.
Or rather, it was suicide.
She walked right into the line of fire and died at Li Tingyun's hands.
The courtesan left the dilapidated temple and fled alone, but she hadn't gone far when she encountered a group of bandits who were roaming around.
A young and beautiful courtesan accidentally stumbled into a bandit's den—wasn't that like a lamb entering a tiger's den, or a rabbit hopping into the jaws of a wolf? The outcome was predictable; what she would encounter was inevitable.
Although she was ill, the bandits were reckless—they were fugitives who feared nothing more than death and the inability to enjoy life to the fullest.
After the courtesan left, Li Tingyun left the dilapidated temple the next day, taking Wangcai with him to find their next place to stay.
The ruined temple was located in a desolate city. The chances of encountering bandits during the day and ghosts at night were extremely high. The city was full of broken walls and ruins, as well as traces of fire. Wild beasts would occasionally appear, carrying human bones away.
With war raging everywhere, there are countless places like this.
Li Tingyun hadn't gone far when he was captivated by several gold ingots lying untouched by the roadside. Upon closer inspection, he realized they weren't gold at all, but rather golden entrails, torn to pieces and scattered haphazardly.
Wangcai sniffed around, finding the smell somewhat familiar. He continued walking and found a crushed, golden skull. The whereabouts of Zihan's mother, who had been missing for so long, were now known—
She often cursed people with the phrase "you deserve a thousand cuts," but little did she know she would suffer ten thousand or twenty thousand cuts before she died. Who could resist the urge to rip out her intestines to see if they were made of gold, given her dazzling golden appearance? Her fate was entirely predictable.
Li Tingyun felt nothing, only that her death was justified. At the same time, he heard some strange noises that sent chills down his spine and made his scalp tingle.
He kicked open the door of the dilapidated house in front of him!