Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 604 - 545: Returning Home

SPLASH—

The sound of swirling water came from the well in the corner of the courtyard, as if something were thrashing within.

Li Ang involuntarily walked over and removed the heavy Stone Tablet he had originally placed over the well.

A drenched figure in crimson groom’s attire stood at the bottom of the well. His head was lowered, hands hanging naturally, fresh blood continuously dripping from his fingertips.

The figure murmured.

"Something’s missing..."

"Something precious..."

"Why can’t I remember..."

A voice filled with bewildered despair echoed off the well walls.

Li Ang felt a chill creep into his heart, and he instinctively wanted to retreat.

However, the figure at the bottom of the well moved first, suddenly raising its head to meet Li Ang’s gaze.

It was... himself.

DING-A-LING!

The bell rang suddenly. Li Ang, lying in his bedroom, snapped his eyes open and sat up abruptly, gasping for breath as he scanned his surroundings.

Faint dawn light filtered through the window. The clock on the wall indicated it was early the next morning. Chai Chai was still curled up on the other bed in the room.

And on his fingers, the thin cord transformed from Mo Si remained tied.

Another nightmare...

Li Ang pressed his hand to his face, wiping away a sheen of sweat. This was his second nightmare since visiting Li Yuan.

A meaningless Illusion? Or a neural disorder caused by Mo Si invading his brain?

He slowly exhaled, then held his breath and focused, sweeping his Spiritual Sense over his entire body.

Mo Si was still dormant, remaining obediently in its original position. The erosion of his brain hadn’t progressed. Mo Si had been quiet ever since being jolted by the exorcism charm mace.

Perhaps there would be a chance to jolt it a few more times in the future, provided it didn’t arouse suspicion from the garrison.

Li Ang suppressed his distracting thoughts and pondered for a moment. Then, he got up, went to the study, and rummaged through a dark room until he found the diary he had written when Mo Si first parasitized him.

At the time, Li Ang suspected Mo Si was some kind of demon parasitizing his body, one that could subtly influence his mind. So, he had started a diary, recording his daily mental and physical state in Esperanto for long-term observation, to prevent himself from truly becoming a demon.

(Esperanto was a constructed language from his previous life, based on the Indo-European language family.)

Later, because the antimalarial strategy he offered proved effective, Emperor Yu dispatched guards to protect him secretly. Li Ang, worried the diary might be discovered and noting Mo Si’s docile behavior, stopped writing and stored the diary permanently in the dark room until now.

He blew the dust off the diary, opened its pages, and silently wrote about his recent nightmare. However, he couldn’t help but imagine how the Academic Palace and Yu Country would treat him if he truly turned into a demon...

「Winter passed and spring arrived. The frost thawed, all things revived, and time moved to March of the Seventh Year of Zaiqian.」

Several events, some minor and some significant, occurred during these three months.

The epidemic within Yu Country was completely quelled. Martial law was lifted across its territories, and the surplus medicine produced in the sick houses was ample enough to be gifted to the royalty and nobles of the vassal states.

Heavy snow fell for a month on the border between Jing Country and Zhou Kingdom. The severe cold forced the soldiers stationed in various military towns on both sides to retreat further inland to State Mansions to reduce logistical pressure. This move was perceived by the common people as a sign that the war was canceled, and they collectively heaved a sigh of relief.

However, those in the know believed it was merely a postponement. Vast amounts of military supplies were still being continuously transported to the border, awaiting the opportune moment.

As for Li Ang...

CLANG, CLANG.

Accompanied by the rhythmic sound of train wheels on the tracks, he sat on a soft bench in the train compartment, watching the pastoral scenery swiftly recede outside the window.

The train was heading towards Lingnan, passing through Yizhou, Li Ang’s hometown.

"Young Master..."

His hand was gently grasped. Li Ang turned his head and saw Chai Chai’s somewhat apprehensive expression as they neared his hometown.

Unwittingly, four years had passed since they left Yizhou. Recalling their departure from Yizhou City by horse-drawn carriage felt like a lifetime ago.

"It’s alright."

He smiled, patted the back of Chai Chai’s hand, then stood up and stepped out of the compartment into the train corridor to stretch his limbs.

The sound of a baby crying came from a compartment at the front of the train. Inside, new parents Song Shaoyuan and You Xiao were clumsily changing their daughter’s diaper. Aunt Song, sitting nearby, rolled her eyes at their fumbling, snatched the diaper, and replaced it with practiced ease. Then, with hands on her hips, she began to lecture the young couple. Her rebukes were audible even through the wooden door.

"Out for some fresh air too?"

A clear voice sounded behind him. Li Ang turned to see Ji Linglang holding a scroll, leaning against the wooden door of her compartment, and smiling at him.

"Mm," Li Ang nodded.

For the past three months, he had diligently kept a diary to ensure his mental state remained unchanged. He also recorded all his dreams and discussed them with Lu Yunan, but unfortunately, these discussions yielded no useful results.

With Qingming Festival approaching, the Academic Palace granted a seven-day holiday for students to return home for ancestral veneration. Li Ang took this opportunity to buy a train ticket to Yizhou. Besides tending to the ancestral graves, he also wanted to return to his old home to investigate the well that had appeared multiple times in his dreams and find out what was going on with it. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Song Shaoyuan’s family of four and Ji Linglang were also returning to Yizhou. The Spiritual Energy Locomotive had greatly facilitated travel, even for Cultivators.

Li Ang returned to their compartment, said a word to Chai Chai, and the three of them—Li Ang, Chai Chai, and Ji Linglang—went to the rear of the train. They enjoyed the scenic mountains and rivers while chatting about recent amusing incidents.

Ji Linglang asked, "So, Cui Qiao, how’s that novel of yours coming along?"

"It’s doing pretty well." Chai Chai, who had been exposed when Li Leqing and the others caught her secretly writing her novel in the Academic Palace’s Book Collection Pavilion, scratched her head and chuckled, "It’s now number one on this month’s reader-voted favorites list in the Lanling Newspaper."

Ji Linglang remarked, "That’s impressive! Wasn’t the previous number one always that author named Jin Jiang?"

"Yes, Teacher Jin Jiang held the top spot for thirteen consecutive months. It’s only because her previous book concluded half a year ago and there’s been no news of a new one that I managed to sneak into first place."

At the mention of this, Chai Chai couldn’t help but giggle again. "It would be wonderful to meet Teacher Jin Jiang. If she starts a new book, it’ll definitely be ten thousand times better than mine."

She hasn’t had time to write recently. Li Ang thought to himself, casually erecting a Telekinesis barrier to block the fine drizzle that had begun to fall.

Jin Jiang was actually Lu Yunan. When Lu Yunan first came to Chang’an and learned of the Lanling Newspaper, she had thought of earning some extra money by writing books to buy winter clothes for her kinsfolk. She hadn’t expected her pen name to become an overnight sensation. Her earnings from it even, at one point, surpassed the income from the goods she transported from Black Mountain, leaving her both amused and exasperated.

BOOM!

Accompanied by rolling thunder, the drizzle from the sky steadily intensified. The train pulled into Luzhou Station and slowly came to a stop.

The three returned to their compartment, only to see a staff member in a Luzhou Station uniform boarding the train and shouting, "All passengers, please disembark! The tracks ahead are impassable!"