Chapter 52: A Chaotic Dance of Demons, Part 45

The cellar was intended for storing grain; its space was limited, and the few children huddled below were barely clinging to life. Shen Xiao carried each child out of the cellar, settled them in a clean, empty room, and checked their pulses one by one before finally being able to breathe a sigh of relief.

“There are no external injuries. They’re unconscious simply because they haven’t eaten or drunk anything these past days,” Shen Xiao remarked, looking up at Shi Xianyu. “Xiaoyu, see if there’s any grain left in the rice jar.”

“All right, I’ll go now,” Shi Xianyu replied, immediately turning to leave.

She had stayed at the Wan Ji family home for several days and was familiar with the place. Searching the kitchen, she rummaged through boxes and cabinets, discovering a good amount of food—rice and flour, as well as smoked meats and sausages hanging from the beams.

The water jar was more than half full, but she dared not use it, uncertain whether any spores or fungal threads had fallen into it. She sent Linyuan to fetch fresh water from the river and found a way to cook a pot of thin porridge.

While cooking, she saw An Yao leading people outside to clear the village of fungal threads. Whether sun-blackened or still thriving in the corners under the eaves, every trace was burned away to prevent further spread.

The bodies outside were gathered in one place and set ablaze, sending a strange, indescribable scent wafting through the air.

An Yao entered and said to Shen Xiao, “The matter is dealt with, and I must return to report to Prince Jing. What are your plans?”

Shen Xiao sat by the bed, wetting a cloth to wipe the children’s faces. The little ones, once covered in dust and grime, could finally be distinguished from one another.

Xiaoman carried out a basin of water to pour away, carefully avoiding An Yao as he passed; he still remembered her initial intent to kill him.

“I plan to stay,” Shen Xiao said quietly, gazing at the children on the bed. “Surviving has been no easy feat for them. If left unattended, they might encounter further danger. So, I intend to find a place for them to stay, and I won’t return to the barracks with you.”

An Yao pondered for a moment. It seemed there was no other way; she could hardly bring them all to the camp. Once the army moved, with battles raging and bloodshed everywhere, there would be no time to care for a few children.

“We’ll head toward Wangdu City in the Kingdom of Liang. I’ve heard their national advisor recently lost the sight in one eye; now is the ideal time for a major offensive. If you come to Wangdu in the future, perhaps we’ll meet again,” An Yao said.

Shen Xiao nodded calmly. “Very well. If fate wills it, we shall meet again.”

An Yao wanted to say something more but found herself at a loss. She turned to leave, paused at the threshold, and looked back. “Have we met somewhere before?”

The light inside was dim, Shen Xiao’s figure half-swallowed by shadows.

He was silent for a while, then replied, “No, we have not met before.”

“Is that so? I thought as much,” An Yao laughed lightly. “You feel familiar to me. If we had met, perhaps we would have been good friends.”

Shen Xiao answered, “We are friends now.”

An Yao was taken aback, then smiled gently. “Yes, we are friends now.”

She bid Shen Xiao farewell and left with graceful steps.

Watching her departing figure, Shen Xiao felt his heart gradually settle into calm.

…

Shi Xianyu brought the cooked porridge into the room. She had made it especially thin; the children had gone days without food, so she started them on watery soup, planning to offer thicker food once their stomachs adjusted.

Shen Xiao helped one child sit up, took the bowl of porridge from Shi Xianyu, and fed it spoon by spoon. The child swallowed without trouble; it seemed they would soon recover.

Shi Xianyu quietly watched Shen Xiao feed the porridge.

After a while, she said, “Brother Shen, I saw Miss An and her people leave just now.”

Shen Xiao nodded. “Yes, they’ve returned to the camp.”

Shi Xianyu asked, “Did you tell her you’re going to Spirit Mountain?”

“No.” Shen Xiao paused. “…I won’t be going to Spirit Mountain for now.”

He set aside the bowl, wiped the child’s mouth with a clean cloth, and said softly, “Madam Xu once asked me what path I cultivate. I didn’t understand then, but now I grasp the true meaning of her question. If the path exists in the heart, why seek it atop Spirit Mountain? Besides, Xiaoman and these children need me. I thought that ridding the world of chaos and monsters would give people peace, but war is even more terrifying than demons. I want to visit more places and care for innocent children displaced by conflict.”

After speaking, Shen Xiao noticed Shi Xianyu’s silence and recalled how their acquaintance began with a shared desire to go to Spirit Mountain, yet now he had abandoned that plan.

He smiled. “Xiaoyu, you can go with Linyuan to Spirit Mountain. When you return, tell me everything you see and experience there.”

Shi Xianyu was at a loss for words, forcing a casual smile. “…All right.”

She sat for a while, then excused herself, saying she needed to boil water in the kitchen.

At the doorway she met Linyuan, who seemed to have overheard. For a moment, their expressions were subtly alike.

“I’m going to boil water,” Shi Xianyu said awkwardly.

“I’ll split wood,” Linyuan replied, lowering his head.

Harboring the same thoughts, they went their separate ways to the kitchen and the backyard.

They had come here because Shen Xiao wished to go to Spirit Mountain. Now that Shen Xiao no longer wanted to go, was there any reason for them to stay?

Shi Xianyu sat on a small stool in the kitchen, staring blankly at the flames in the stove.

She realized it was probably time for her to leave.

Without the wish, there was no reason to remain. She had never intended to stay here forever.

But… what about Linyuan? She had not yet told him she liked him, nor heard him say he liked her.

After finally meeting someone she liked, was it to end so abruptly? Was this all?

Then again, what difference would it make if she confessed?

She could not stay.

She could not abandon her own world to live in one filled with ghosts and monsters. The novelty might last for a while, but to settle here—for now, she truly lacked the courage.

Moreover, she would not live long.

The divine servant had said that her great-great-grandfather once used spiritual energy to prolong his life, and when that energy ran out, his life ended.

She, a cancer patient, was able to move freely here only thanks to spiritual energy. Having failed to collect any wish power on this journey, she might die at any time.

Shi Xianyu bit her lip, the more she thought, the worse she felt; her mind was in turmoil.

Outside, Xiaoman’s cheerful shouts rang out—some of the children seemed to be waking.

Shi Xianyu pressed her face firmly between her hands, trying to stop herself from overthinking.

In any case, she must settle the children first, then consider everything else!