Chapter 39: Mask

At this time, Li Si used the dagger to pierce the blister, then turned to Luo Ye and said, “Brother Luo, can you help me find a roll of white cloth strips in the book box, and bring the realgar wine as well?”

“Mm, alright,” Luo Ye responded, then went to the book box and found the white cloth strips and the wine gourd.

He then took out the cloth strips and wine gourd, walked to Li Si’s side, and handed him both items.

“Thank you, Brother Luo,” Li Si casually took the cloth strips and wine gourd, but at the same time grabbed Luo Ye’s hand.

Luo Ye’s face changed slightly, but at this moment Li Si sighed and said, “Brother Luo, I know you and Brother Cao have a deep friendship, but you have a wife waiting for you at home. Please don’t be reckless.”

As he spoke, he patted Luo Ye’s hand and said sincerely, “You must take good care of yourself.”

“Thank you for your concern, Young Master Li. I will certainly take good care of myself,” Luo Ye’s eyes revealed a touched expression.

Seeing Luo Ye say this, Li Si smiled and nodded, releasing Luo Ye’s hand. He lowered his head, sprinkled some realgar wine on the cloth strip, soaked it, then wrapped it around the wound before putting on his shoes.

“It’s a pity about Brother Cao,” Li Si sat on the blue rock, looking at the pool in front, and sighed.

Seeing him like this, Luo Ye sat beside him and sighed, “Yes, it’s a pity, but revenge is something that must be done.”

“Indeed, if I were him, I would do the same,” Li Si clearly agreed with Luo Ye’s words, nodding, but then seemed to think of something and said, “Then what about revenge for children against their parents? How should that be carried out?”

Luo Ye’s eyes focused, his breath caught. He took a deep breath and smiled, “How could there be children seeking revenge against their parents in this world?”

“Oh, is that so?” Li Si nodded, then said, “Then what if parents want to kill their children?”

Luo Ye’s heart skipped a beat. He exhaled lightly, then sighed, “Then they can only let themselves be killed. After all, the children’s flesh and blood come from their parents, so they can take it back.”

“Haha…” Li Si suddenly laughed, then said, “Listen to what you’re saying. How could there be parents who want to kill their children? Even tigers don’t eat their cubs, how could humans do such a thing?”

Hearing Li Si say this, Luo Ye looked in another direction. In the depths of his eyes, a pale flame was burning.

“If it’s as Brother Luo says, if there really were parents who wanted to kill their children, the children about to be killed by their parents would probably be extremely angry, hating their parents for wanting to kill them, yet unable to do anything about it. This feeling must be unbearable,” Li Si said in a low voice, his gaze fixed deeply on the pool in front.

“It would certainly be unbearable,” The pale flame in the depths of Luo Ye’s eyes grew more intense.

“If he was so angry at his parents, would he show it?” Li Si asked further.

“He wouldn’t. If his parents knew, his future life would be miserable,” The pale flame in Luo Ye’s eyes gradually dimmed, returning to normal.

“Yes, he can only keep suppressing it, like wearing a mask,” Li Si sighed, then said, “It’s just like that fox spirit I encountered in the market, also wearing a ‘mask’. That fox spirit was clearly a beast, yet pretended to be human.”

“Oh, then Young Master Li, do you wear such a ‘mask’?” A pale flame flashed in the depths of Luo Ye’s eyes as he asked calmly.

“Me?” Li Si was stunned by Luo Ye’s words, then shook his head and sighed, “Of course I do. Sometimes you have to wear such a ‘mask’.”

“If Young Master Li also wears such a ‘mask’, why did you scold that fox spirit?” Luo Ye’s eyes revealed a hint of mockery as he asked Li Si.

“Haha…” Li Si laughed and shook his head, saying helplessly, “I wear this ‘mask’ just to live a normal life, while that fox wears a ‘mask’ wanting to become human.”

“What’s wrong with it wanting to become human?” Luo Ye continued to ask.

“It wants to become human, but deep down it’s still a beast!” Li Si exclaimed with a sigh.

“Actually, there’s nothing wrong with beasts wanting to become human. It’s just that some people want to become someone else,” Luo Ye seemed to imply something, the pale flame in the depths of his eyes burning again.

Li Si was stunned, then pondered for a moment before nodding seriously and saying, “Indeed, I think of a person pretending to be someone else, speaking someone else’s words, doing someone else’s things – just thinking about it gives me chills.” As he spoke, his body shuddered, as if truly frightened by that scene.

Luo Ye’s face twitched, but then he looked down at his own attire, the pale flame in the depths of his eyes growing even hotter.

“Young Master Li, your rice is cooked,” Luo Ye stood up, the flame in his eyes dissipating and returning to normal. He walked to the earthen pot, where the fire had already gone out.

Li Si turned his head, saw that the fire on the “stove” he had built was out, and shook his head, “The fire’s out, it definitely isn’t cooked. We can’t eat it.”

“Then I’ll light it for you and cook it a bit longer,” Luo Ye suggested, seeing Li Si say this.

“Forget it, I don’t want to eat anymore,” Li Si shook his head and refused.

“But it’s not good to waste,” Luo Ye persuaded. Flames were starting to appear uncontrollably in the depths of his eyes.

Li Si scratched his head, troubled, “But that cured meat has grown mold. Eating it will surely make me sick.”

“It won’t. I’ve eaten this kind of meat before, it’s fine,” Luo Ye took a deep breath and continued to persuade.

“Well… alright then,” Li Si reluctantly agreed.

Luo Ye exhaled and went to collect branches, then continued to heat the earthen pot. At this point, neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere became quiet and somewhat awkward.

After a while, the aroma of rice mixed with cured meat wafted from the pot. Luo Ye stood up, preparing to take the pot off the fire.

At this moment, Li Si’s voice suddenly came, “Brother Luo, I think I still don’t want to eat.”

Luo Ye’s back suddenly stiffened. He gritted his teeth, the flames in his eyes almost bursting through his eyeballs. A pale flame also emerged from between his teeth, but quickly disappeared.

“You should still eat. How can you go without food?” Luo Ye turned to look at Li Si, speaking with some difficulty.

“No, I think there’s a problem with what Brother Luo said. Just because you ate it without problems doesn’t mean I won’t have problems. What if something happens to me after eating? I can’t find a doctor in these deep mountains. If I can’t find one…” Li Si said seriously.

“Enough!!!” Luo Ye shouted, then looked at Li Si with cold eyes, his voice hoarse, “When did you realize?”