Chapter 206

The drizzle at the foot of the mountain had been lingering for three days. The stench of earth and the smell of rotting vegetation hung heavy and thick over this humble place called Xigu Village, like a viscous liquid. The adobe walls were saturated with dampness, showing a heavy, dark-brown hue. Even the firewood carried a damp chill. In the corner of the most dilapidated adobe hut at the eastern end of the village, a tiny flame struggled in the damp stove, emitting a sizzling, mournful cry. The rising smoke, carrying the scent of scorching heat and water vapor, was unusually acrid. Lin Moyu crouched. His worn, coarse-cloth tunic was starched stiff from washing, and its frayed edges rubbed against the skin of the side of his neck. He stared at the feeble fire in the stove. The hearth was built crookedly, as if it might collapse at any moment. The mouth of the stove was stained with years of black ash and grease, which, mixed with the rancid, watery vapor of burning damp wood, wormed its way thread by thread into his nasal passages. That odor was like countless tiny woodworms, slowly gnawing away at every inch of his past memories concerning Chaos, the stars, and the World-Burning Black Flame.