Chapter 54: Asking Why the Bodhisattva Turned Her Eyes

In the time that followed, Li Si witnessed lightning strike down again and again, while the violent tiger roars continued without end.

Crack. Another bolt of lightning struck down, and the tree on the cliff finally could not endure any longer and collapsed.

At the same time, Li Si received two pieces of information.

“Low-level demon creature killed, Tiger Demon. Obtained 75 soul points.”

“Low-level ghost creature killed, Ghost Servant. Obtained 12 soul points.”

“Obtained Ghost Servant memories. Query them or not?”

Li Si let out a breath and collapsed to the ground. The matter with the tiger demon could be considered over.

After choosing not to query the Ghost Servant memories, he looked toward Cao Qing’s corpse nearby, and a different look appeared in his eyes.

It was raining now, and during this period, no wild beasts would happen to appear. This was the perfect opportunity for him to bring Cao Qing’s corpse down the mountain.

But with his injured body, he no longer had the strength to bring the corpse down. However, if he left the corpse here, it would certainly be dragged away by wild beasts.

A resolute look appeared in Li Si’s eyes. He placed the Black Sword to one side, took out the dagger from his chest, and slowly walked toward Cao Qing’s corpse.

Rumble.

Silver snakes streaked across the sky one after another. In the fierce wind, torrential rain enveloped this forest illuminated silver-white by lightning.

On the mountain road, a figure wearing a rain cape walked through the mountain path. He used a black longsword as a walking stick. The book chest on his back bulged out greatly, covered by a layer of clothing.

At the same time, there was also a layer of white cloth tied firmly over the opening of the book chest, binding the clothing in place so that others could not see what was inside at all, and so that the things in the book chest would not fall out.

This person was precisely Li Si. And inside his book chest was none other than Cao Qing’s bones.

The method he had thought of earlier was to cut away Cao Qing’s flesh and take his bones with him. This was also a choice made because there was no other way.

This process alone took nearly an hour. This was also because of the Black Sword’s sharpness. Otherwise, it absolutely would not have gone so smoothly.

After removing the flesh, the bones were only around 25 kg (~55 lb), and Li Si could still carry them along the way.

However, these two days of matching wits and courage with the tiger demon, together with staying up all night and climbing mountain roads, had already made his body somewhat unable to endure.

Especially since his body was already seriously injured at this time.

At this moment, his expression was already extremely exhausted, and his mind was somewhat hazy. He had been constantly breaking through his own limits, with only one thought in his heart, which was to descend the mountain.

Eh, eh.

Deer cries rang out one after another, sounding extremely terrifying. Li Si knew this was a barking deer calling, so he ignored it and continued walking down the mountain.

At this moment, Li Si unexpectedly saw a Bodhisattva statue by the roadside. This statue had already been covered in green vines and moss, but one could still faintly make out the Bodhisattva’s merciful face.

He had not seen this when going up the mountain, but that was not strange. This Bodhisattva statue was covered in green vines and moss. Generally speaking, who would notice it?

It was only because the barking deer cries earlier had startled him awake. Otherwise, he would not have noticed it either.

Li Si stopped and looked for a while, but he could not tell which Bodhisattva this was. In his previous life, he had not understood Buddhism either. Although he knew the appearances of a few Bodhisattvas, none matched this Bodhisattva statue.

Shaking his head, Li Si sighed softly in his heart, bowed slightly, then continued walking down the mountain.

Only, he did not notice that after he had just finished bowing, that Bodhisattva shifted slightly toward his position.

After Li Si left, the statue opened its lowered eyelids, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes. Her head turned slightly, looking toward Li Si’s back. And with this turn, one could clearly see a dark bluish-black strangulation mark on the statue’s neck.

It was also with this turn that the green vines and moss on her body vanished. At this moment, this Bodhisattva statue looked like a real person, yet also unlike a person.

At the same time, the hair bun on her head came loose, covering her face. She opened her mouth slightly, and a scarlet tongue slick with mucus slipped out from within. From time to time, saliva dripped down.

Hee hee...

A strange laugh echoed through the forest.

Only, Li Si walking ahead could not hear it at all.

This stretch of mountain road could be considered the longest road he had ever walked. Putting aside the original owner, even he himself had never walked such a long mountain road under such harsh conditions.

But he did not regret it much in his heart. Because of the rain, he could not find dry firewood or caves at all. If he did not leave this forest, he would very likely gradually die from the low temperature.

Moreover, even if he made it through, if any wild beasts nearby found this place, with his current condition, he would also have only a dead end.

Since that was the case, it was better to put on a few more layers of clothing when the heavy rain came and descend the mountain in the rain.

This was the best choice for him, only this choice required him to suffer a great deal.

But to Li Si, what he feared least was suffering. He had suffered enough in his previous life, and it had already forged his tenacious character.

He did not care whether he had to suffer. He only cared whether he could achieve his goal.

So with this conviction, he continued walking down the mountain.

At dawn, a ray of sunlight passed through the gaps in the mountains and shone on the earth, dispelling the darkness.

The dew on the leaves also glittered under this sunlight. At the same time, the birds were awakened by the sunlight and immediately began chirping.

At this time, beneath the mountain, a person wearing a rain cape walked out of the forest and staggered toward the city gate.

At this time, people by the roadside had already noticed him, and those who knew him greeted him.

However, at this moment, Li Si’s face beneath the bamboo hat was extremely pale. He paid no attention to those greeting him and continued walking toward the city gate.

Suddenly, he raised his head and saw a person. Li Si knew that person. It was Luo Ye.

“Scholar Li!” The moment Luo Ye saw him, he immediately cried out in delight. At this moment, he had been preparing to go up the mountain to look for Li Si, but he had not expected Li Si to actually return on his own.

Li Si looked at Luo Ye with blood-red eyes and said hoarsely and dryly, word by word, “I... did... not... fail... you.”

After saying this, he fell to the ground and fainted.

When Luo Ye saw Li Si fall, he stepped forward and reached Li Si. He stretched out his hand to remove the book chest from his back, but at this moment, he discovered that the cloth straps of the book chest had already sunk deeply into Li Si’s flesh.

Horror appeared in Luo Ye’s eyes. He lifted a corner of the clothing covering the book chest and immediately sucked in a breath of cold air.

But he reacted very quickly and immediately covered it again. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the cloth straps of the book chest out from Li Si’s flesh, then placed the book chest to the side, picked Li Si up in his arms, and ran toward the city.

As he ran, Luo Ye shouted to a hunter, “Wang Daniu, keep watch over Scholar Li’s book chest for me. No one is allowed to touch it!”

As soon as his words fell, he had already carried Li Si and run out of sight.

Only an honest-looking man in fitted martial clothes and the nearby villagers remained, looking at one another.