Second Half of the Night

"Huh? What kind of nonsense is this?" Li Huowang, his brow slightly furrowed, walked into the woods where the fool was.

As soon as he entered the woods, Li Huowang's pupils shrank. He saw the fool squatting in front of a small mound with the Old Beggar from before, munching away.

Several Yellow Papers were placed on top of the small mound, held down firmly by a stone.

Li Huowang suppressed his anger and rushed over, kicking the fool to the ground. "Get up! You dare to eat offerings for the grave! Are you tired of living? Didn't I tell you not to talk to this beggar!"

The fool got up, looking aggrieved. "I didn't... didn't... didn't talk to him."

"Kneel down! Quickly kowtow and apologize!" Li Huowang ordered sternly.

Seeing the fool kowtow heavily several times to the grave, Li Huowang reached out and forcibly pulled him up.

This damn place had everything. He didn't dare to gamble. If he didn't handle it well, trouble would come immediately.

With a clang, Li Huowang drew the Longsword from his back, pointing it directly at the Old Beggar's nose. He said coldly, "I don't care what your purpose is, stay away from my people! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

After saying that, without waiting for the man to reply, Li Huowang grabbed the fool and turned to leave.

"I'm not a beggar, I'm a monk." The man muttered softly, continuing to squat there and eat the dead man's offerings.

Back on the road, the group continued on their way. Li Huowang's expression was grave as he began to instruct the others. "Don't sleep so soundly for the next few nights, something might happen."

Even though the fool had kowtowed and apologized, who knew what kind of temper the thing in the grave had? He didn't dare to gamble.

Hearing Li Huowang say this, the others immediately understood and nodded lightly.

As the sun set, night fell, and people on the road went into the roadside woods to gather firewood and make a fire.

Surrounding the two Donkey Carts, Li Huowang built a roaring bonfire and had the others cut plenty of firewood from the woods.

There was no moon tonight, and it was pitch black all around. The surrounding branches swayed in the breeze, as if countless things were hidden within, spying on the people around the fire.

As time passed, the surroundings gradually quieted down, and the others fell asleep.

But Li Huowang did not sleep, quietly as if waiting for something.

In addition to the surrounding woods, he had to devote most of his attention to the Old Beggar.

If that thing came looking for trouble, it would definitely come to him first.

If it came, all the better, he could take this opportunity to see what this guy was all about.

After a long wait, the first half of the night passed, and the Second Half of the Night arrived, the time when it was easiest to feel sleepy.

"Senior Brother Li, was there... was there a face just now?" Gouwa, who was on night watch with him, said with a trembling voice.

Li Huowang quickly looked over, but saw nothing in the darkness.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a very low voice.

Gouwa swallowed hard. "Not sure, maybe... maybe I was just seeing things."

"Don't talk, be quiet." Li Huowang pretended to stare at the bonfire in front of him, glancing over there with his peripheral vision.

After waiting quietly for a while, in the faint light of the fire, he saw an ugly face slowly emerge from the darkness, a cruel smile on its face.

But what made Li Huowang's scalp tingle was that more heads slowly emerged from behind this head. Streaks of white light appeared and disappeared below the heads.

"Wait, white light?" Li Huowang stood up abruptly, grabbed a burning piece of firewood from the bonfire and threw it over. "Stop! Who are you people!"

Li Huowang's loud shout was like a thunderclap in the quiet surroundings, waking everyone else from their dreams.

When the rolling firewood landed beneath those heads, and he saw that those heads had feet and shadows, Li Huowang immediately understood that these people were alive.

Not only did Li Huowang see them, but the others saw them too, and they also saw the broadswords in their hands. "Bandits are here!! Run!!"

This terrified shout caused the crowd to explode instantly. Everyone packed up their valuables and scattered like frightened birds.

"Damn it! We've been discovered! Quickly, bring the horses over!!" Soon, the sound of hooves rang out, and the robbers, holding their knives, chased after the travelers on the road.

"Run into the woods! Their horses can't run in the woods!!"

Hearing the Old Beggar shout this, the others moved away from the road and rushed into the surrounding woods.

They could run, but people like Li Huowang, who had a Donkey Cart, couldn't. A donkey could never outrun a horse.

Hearing the sound of hooves coming from behind, Li Huowang quickly stopped and turned around, only to see a tall horse carrying a scruffy robber slashing at an old woman.

"Can't dodge it!" Li Huowang quickly took out a Pill and stuffed it directly into his mouth, a surge of heat instantly rushing through his body.

Just as Li Huowang pushed off with both feet, charging towards the bandit.

The Old Beggar suddenly rushed out from the side, pushing away the falling old woman.

Gao Deqiu on horseback looked at the Old Beggar in front of him, a trace of disdain in his eyes. Without even raising his knife, he pulled on the reins, and the horse beneath him raised its hooves high, stepping directly towards the man.

A cruel smile appeared on his face as he anticipated the bloody scene that would follow. Being a bandit was his hobby, besides playing with women.

However, in the next moment, he saw a figure rushing out from the front, a fist slamming heavily into the horse's head.

"Bang!" Accompanied by the horse's neighing, the charging horse was forcibly redirected, falling to the right.

Gao Deqiu, who was falling to the ground, could do nothing but watch as the horse's caved-in head made his eyes widen.

The next moment, with a muffled thud, his head met the same fate as his horse.

Seeing their comrade encounter an enemy, the other bandits put their fingers in their mouths and whistled to call for help.

However, Li Huowang, having taken the Pills refined by Danyangzi, made them immediately realize that they had provoked someone they shouldn't have.

Muffled sounds echoed continuously on the dim dirt road. After losing several men, the bandits hurriedly fled in panic.

"Retreat! This guy is tough! He might be from the Celestial Surveillance Division!"

Li Huowang, his fist covered in blood, stood there, panting heavily.

He turned around and looked at the Old Beggar behind him. After what had just happened, he could be sure that this guy wasn't a tiger; he was a pig.

Under Li Huowang's gaze, the Old Beggar stood up, walked to a person who had been killed by the bandits, knelt down, put his hands together, and whispered something.

As Li Huowang approached, he heard what the man was chanting.

"Amitabha, Amitabha, Amitabha..."

An Amitabha with somewhat non-standard pronunciation was repeated over and over.

After chanting it dozens of times, the Old Beggar walked to the side of the forest and began to dig the ground with his hands.