CH 451

Li Huowang lifted his foot as he saw the blood-sucking locusts crawling towards his shoes, and stomped on the leeches beside his foot. Then, he looked at Yang Xiaohai in front of him with rare tenderness.

"Do these things often suck onto your legs?"

"When plowing the fields, it's inevitable to have rotten crotches in the water. It's just that they're not water snakes. Actually, it's fine if they suck human blood. Humans have hands and can pull them off."

"But it's troublesome when they suck onto cows. Cows don't have hands, so they can't remove them. They can only let these things suck recklessly. That's why they're called rotten crotches."

Li Huowang looked at Yang Xiaohai's young face. If this child were in the future, he would probably only be in the sixth grade of elementary school. But here, he had already grown up like an adult.

After thinking for a moment, Li Huowang patted his shoulder and said, "Don't work in the fields anymore. At your age, you should be learning to read in a private school instead of working in the fields. Let the tenant farmers do these tasks."

When Li Huowang spoke, a new teacher appeared in Niu Xin Village.

Although Niu Xin Village was remote, as long as there was enough money, it was easy to find a teacher who hadn't passed the imperial examination.

This was not only for Yang Xiaohai, but also for Li Sui, who was also in the private school. According to Liu Huowang's instructions, he only listened and didn't speak, quietly listening to the teacher's lectures.

In addition to them, whenever others had nothing to do, they would eavesdrop and peek through the windows, as if they could earn more by listening more.

Even Lv Zhuangyuan brought his less than one-year-old grandson over, saying that he wanted to absorb some literary aura and make it easier for him to become the top scholar in the future.

Seeing this scene, Li Huowang opened the door. From now on, anyone in the village who wanted to listen could come to the private school. It could be considered a welfare in Niu Xin Village.

Looking at everyone inside the private school who were attentively listening, a faint smile appeared on Li Huowang's face, and even his previously gloomy mood improved a lot.

"Why are you smiling?" Bai Lingmiao, who was standing beside him, asked in surprise.

"Look how good they are. No matter how many hardships we have experienced on the road, life is getting better and better. Isn't this what they want?"

Bai Lingmiao reached out and interlocked her fingers with his fleshless hand, leaning slightly towards him.

"Yes, life will always get better. So, if you encounter any difficulties in the future, don't seek death. No matter what happens, there will always be a better day."

At this moment, the teacher inside was teaching the disciples something else. "Zhihu zhe ye, it's useless for you to learn. This old man doesn't expect you to pass the imperial examination. You should learn something practical, like reading and calculating!"

"After learning these, you will have a good skill and won't go hungry anywhere! Today, let's learn calculations!" The teacher finished speaking and raised a bunch of chopsticks in his hand.

"There are eleven time periods in a day!" He picked out eleven chopsticks from the bunch and placed them on the ground.

"For example, a peddler goes to your village to sell goods and spends five time periods on the road." The teacher took away five chopsticks from the eleven. "How many time periods does he have left to sell goods and sleep?"

"Hmm?" Li Huowang's expression became somewhat unpleasant.

Feeling the strangeness in Li Huowang's expression, Bai Lingmiao asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Isn't this teacher good?"

"A day has twenty-four hours, and two hours make up one time period. So, a day should have twelve time periods. I don't know where this person's eleven time periods come from."

"If he can't even understand the simplest concept of time, it's no wonder he can't pass the imperial examination. He should find an excuse to resign so as not to mislead the students."

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Bai Lingmiao's eyes, which were tinged with white, showed a hint of doubt. "Li Huowang, what are you talking about? A day originally has eleven time periods. Where did your twelve time periods come from?"

"What?!" Li Huowang's mind was suddenly struck by something, buzzing loudly.

He first looked at Bai Lingmiao in shock, and when he received her confirmation, he rushed into the private school and questioned the teacher, who was wrapped in white gauze, "Is it true that there are only eleven time periods in a day?"

"Nonsense, if it's not eleven time periods, then what is it? Do you have any brilliant ideas?" The teacher felt very dissatisfied with this man who suddenly rushed in and interrupted his teaching.

With a shocked expression on his face, Li Huowang turned around and looked at the eyes behind him, asking everyone, "Are there really only eleven time periods in a day?!"

In the face of Li Huowang's shock, Yang Xiaowa appeared very confused. "Yes, Senior Li, isn't there only eleven time periods in a day? What's so strange about it?"

"Only eleven time periods? That means there are only twenty-two hours in a day here? Where did the missing two hours go?"

In an instant, Li Huowang had a sense of unreality about this world.

Bai Lingmiao, with a slightly furrowed brow, walked into the private school and pulled his hand, leading him outside. "What's wrong with you? It's normal for a day to have only eleven time periods."

"No, something is not right." Li Huowang calmed down and decided to find the answer himself. "Miao Miao, is there anything in the village that can be used to measure time? Bring them all out, I need them."

"Something to measure time? Does a water clock work? The Bai family only has that."

"That works!"Soon, three large interconnected barrels, arranged from high to low, were placed in front of Li Huowang. The top barrel was filled with water, which dripped down a small tube into the second barrel.

Each drop fell almost exactly one second apart. Li Huowang was so incredulous that he even began to count the seconds in his mind.

However, no matter how he calculated, the answer was always the same: a day was eleven hours long.

Although there might be some deviation in his calculation, it was impossible for it to be off by a full two hours.

Having stayed awake all night, Li Huowang finally accepted this reality: a day in this world really only had twenty-two hours.

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Rubbing his sore eyes with the back of his hand, Li Huowang murmured to himself, "So that's why I always overslept in the past. It's because a day here is missing two hours?"

Ever since he left the Clear Wind View, he either overslept or felt that his sleep was insufficient. Now it seemed to be a matter of time.

Bai Lingmiao, standing behind him, looked deeply worried. "Li Huowang, what nonsense are you spouting now?"

Li Huowang accepted the fact that a day only had twenty-two hours much faster than he had imagined. Since even the world was mad, it was only natural that time was abnormal.

He stood up and gently hugged Bai Lingmiao. "So, when we were at Clear Wind View, a day was also eleven hours long?"

"Of course."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do I need to tell you this? How was I supposed to know that you didn't even know this?"

As the two were talking, Zhuge Yuan, who was standing in the distance, looked at the faceless Taoist sects that deceive beings with a mischievous expression and whispered, "See? This is the essence of a bewildered heart! Have you learned something?"

(End of Chapter)