Chapter 54: Asking Why the Bodhisattva Looks suspicious

In the time that followed, Li Si witnessed lightning strike again and again, while the violent tiger’s roars continued unabated.

Crack! Another lightning bolt struck, and the tree on the cliff finally collapsed under the strain.

At the same time, Li Si received two messages.

“Killed low-level monster creature—Tiger Spirit, gained 75 soul points.”

“Killed low-level ghost creature—Corpse Puppet, gained 12 soul points.”

“Do you want to view the Corpse Puppet’s memories?”

Li Si exhaled, slumping to the ground. The matter with the tiger spirit was finally over.

After choosing not to view the Corpse Puppet’s memories, he looked at Cao Qing’s corpse nearby, his eyes revealing a peculiar expression.

Now that it was raining, this time period was perfect for bringing Cao Qing’s body down the mountain, as no wild beasts would be out.

But with his current injured state, he no longer had the strength to carry the corpse down. However, if he left the corpse here, it would surely be carried off by wild animals.

A resolute look appeared in Li Si’s eyes. He put down the Black Sword and took out his dagger from his bosom, slowly walking towards Cao Qing’s corpse.

…

Rumble~

Silver snakes flashed across the sky, and the howling wind brought torrential rain that enveloped the forest illuminated silver-white by lightning.

On the mountain path, a figure wearing a straw rain cape moved through the trail, using a black long sword as a walking stick. The book box on his back was bulging, covered with a layer of clothes.

A white cloth was also tightly bound over the opening of the book box, preventing anyone from seeing inside and keeping the contents from falling out.

This person was Li Si, and what was in his book box was none other than Cao Qing’s bones.

The method he had thought of earlier was to strip away Cao Qing’s flesh and carry away his bones, which was the only choice he had.

This process had taken nearly half an hour, thanks to the Black Sword’s sharpness. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

After removing the flesh, the bones weighed about fifty jin(about 500 grams), which Li Si could still carry on the journey.

However, the past two days of battling wits and courage with the tiger spirit, coupled with staying up all night and climbing mountain paths, had already pushed his body to its limits.

Especially since his body had already suffered severe injuries.

At this point, his expression was extremely weary, his mind somewhat hazy. He was constantly pushing beyond his limits, with only one thought in mind: to get down the mountain.

Uh~ Uh~

A series of deer calls echoed, sounding extremely eerie. Li Si knew this was the sound of a muntjac (a type of small deer) calling, so he paid it no mind and continued down the mountain.

Just then, Li Si suddenly saw a Bodhisattva statue by the roadside. The statue was covered in vines and moss, but one could still vaguely make out the Bodhisattva’s compassionate face.

He hadn’t seen this on his way up the mountain, but it wasn’t surprising. The Bodhisattva statue was covered in vines and moss; normally, who would notice it?

He only noticed it because the muntjac’s call had alerted him, otherwise he wouldn’t have paid attention.

Li Si stopped and looked for a while, but couldn’t tell which Bodhisattva this was. In his previous life, he wasn’t very familiar with Buddhism. Although he knew the appearances of a few Bodhisattvas, he couldn’t match them to this statue.

Shaking his head, Li Si inwardly sighed, bowed slightly, and continued down the mountain.

However, he didn’t notice that after he bowed, the Bodhisattva statue moved slightly towards his position.

After Li Si left, the statue opened its lowered eyelids, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes. Its head turned slightly, looking towards Li Si’s retreating figure. This turn revealed a blue-black strangulation mark on the statue’s neck.

With this turn, the vines and moss on its body disappeared. The Bodhisattva statue now looked like a real person, yet not quite human.

At the same time, the hair bun on its head fell loose, obscuring its face. It slightly opened its mouth, and a scarlet tongue covered in mucus slid out, with saliva occasionally dripping down.

Hee hee…

An eerie laugh echoed through the forest.

However, Li Si walking ahead couldn’t hear it at all.

This stretch of mountain path was the longest he had ever walked. Not just the original owner, even he himself had never walked such a long mountain path under such harsh conditions.

But he didn’t regret it much, because due to the rain, he couldn’t find dry firewood or caves. If he didn’t leave this forest, he might gradually die from the low temperature.

Moreover, even if he survived, if any wild beasts nearby found this place, in his current state, he would be doomed.

Given this, it was better to put on several layers of clothes and go down the mountain in the heavy rain.

This was the best choice for him, although it meant enduring a lot of hardship.

But for Li Si, what he feared least was hardship. He had endured enough in his previous life, which had forged his unyielding character.

He didn’t care about suffering hardships; he only cared about achieving his goals.

So with this belief, he continued to make his way down the mountain.

…

At dawn, a ray of sunlight pierced through the gaps between the mountains, shining on the earth, dispelling the darkness.

The dewdrops on the leaves glistened in this sunlight, and birds, awakened by the light, began to chirp.

At this time, at the foot of the mountain, a person wearing a straw rain cape emerged from the forest, walking unsteadily towards the city gate.

By now, people on the roadside had noticed him, and those who recognized him were greeting him.

However, Li Si’s face under the bamboo hat was extremely pale, and he ignored those greeting him, continuing towards the city gate.

Suddenly he looked up and saw someone he recognized – it was Luo Ye.

“Young Master Li!” Luo Ye exclaimed joyfully upon seeing him. He had been about to go up the mountain to look for Li Si, but didn’t expect Li Si to return on his own.

Li Si looked at Luo Ye with bloodshot eyes and said hoarsely, enunciating each word: “Mission… accomplished… without… disgrace.”

After saying this, he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Seeing Li Si fall, Luo Ye took a step forward, walked up to Li Si, and was about to take off his book box when he discovered that the straps of the box had dug deep into Li Si’s flesh.

A shocked expression appeared in Luo Ye’s eyes. He lifted a corner of the cloth covering the book box and immediately drew in a sharp breath.

But he reacted quickly, immediately covering it back up. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the book box straps out of Li Si’s flesh, then put the box aside and picked up Li Si, running towards the city.

As he ran, Luo Ye shouted to a hunter, “Wang Daniu, keep a close eye on Young Master Li’s book box. Don’t let anyone touch it!”

As soon as he finished speaking, he had already disappeared, carrying Li Si.

Only a sturdy man in tight-fitting clothes and the nearby villagers were left looking at each other in bewilderment.