As if to emulate how intense a war could be, the red-faced general who was surrounded by several soldiers leaped onto a table with only three legs and spun it on its edges.
Jiang jiang jiang jiang~
The performer spun the table for minutes even though the table only had three legs. It was quite impressive. Even Li Huowang was shocked to see the performance.
Are the requirements to become performers in the Liang Kingdom this high?
Jiang~ Jiang~ Tai!
The general did a backflip and finally landed on the stage safely. At the same time, the soldiers around the performer all fell to the ground. Then, the general posed and the crowd cheered.
Even Li Huowang was clapping his hands. He was wrong. He had thought that performances were all more or less the same. But this one was amazing!
Even someone like Li Huowang, who was not into performances could enjoy it.
When Li Huowang was engrossed in the performance, the general's body suddenly froze. The two pheasant tail feathers in his crown stood upright and shook violently. "Hm? Who's~ There?"
Just as the general said those words, the lights on the stage were blown out completely. Everything became pitch black.
When Li Huowang was confused by what was happening, the lanterns suddenly lit up once more, but this time the lanterns were an eerie green color.
The general was still on the stage, but there was someone else besides him.
It was a woman. She had her back against the crowd while her long sleeves were shaking continuously, making them look like a waterfall.
The music had stopped. The only sound on the stage was a panting sound that grew heavier and heavier.
"Hehe~"
An eerie chuckle suddenly rang out from near Li Huowang, causing the hair all over his body to stand on end.
"Motherfucker! Can't we catch a break?!" Li Huowang snarled and grabbed his sword. He almost launched himself toward the stage.
Bai Lingmiao suddenly held him back with all her strength and quickly explained, "Senior Li, it's fake! It's a show!"
"Fake?" Li Huowang started at the stage warily. He saw that the general was cautiously circling the woman.
At that moment, the woman suddenly turned around. At the same time, two bronze mirrors were raised from the sides of the stage. They reflected the light from the lanterns and shone onto the woman's face... or rather the lack thereof.
Everyone was frightened by it. Even the children were crying from fear. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
But Li Huowang sighed. It was indeed all a show. He could see that the faceless head was just a prop while the woman's real head was hidden inside the dress.
After confirming this, Li Huowang released his grip on the sword and sat down once more. "Are the performances in the Liang Kingdom always so unique? Do you guys even add horror elements into the performances?"
"Senior Li, what's a horror element? This is how the show has always been performed since a hundred years ago. Legends say that when General Yue was on the battlefield he met such a being," said Bai Lingmiao.
Staring at the eerie stage, Li Huowang thought to himself that if this legend was true, then it would probably be even scarier than this.
As the performance continued, the general on the stage swung his mace and easily knocked off the woman's head, causing her to fall flat onto the ground.
But the woman had just fallen when a man appeared on the side of the stage. He had a black face and two copper coins made of paper were stuck to his cheeks as he swaggered onto the stage.
"Wuhahahaha~"
Sharp fangs appeared and disappeared from his mouth! He was doing teeth play! While the drums continued to play, the fangs rubbed against each other and made fiery sparks that were easily visible in the dark.
"Hehe."
Bai Lingmiao heard Li Huowang's chuckle and turned to him, feeling confused. "Senior Li, why are you laughing? Is the show not interesting?"
"It is interesting, but I'm not laughing at the performers. I'm laughing at Troupe Leader Lu. Looks like he's out of his depth this time. I don't think he will be able to earn even a single coin here in the Liang Kingdom with his techniques," explained Li Huowang as he looked at Lu Zhuangyuan's increasingly frustrated face. "That said, the Liang Kingdom is indeed different from the other places. Everyone here has access to better materials and entertainment. This is indeed a very strong nation."
That night, everyone was satisfied with the performance, including Li Huowang.
The performers also earned a lot of money. They chose to perform during the harvest season because the landlords had a lot of money on their hands and were very generous.
On the other hand, Lu Zhuangyuan came back defeated. He was no longer as arrogant as before—his pride as a performer has been crushed.
Compared to the others who were discussing the show, Lu Zhuangyuan brought his two sons into the granary before quietly heading to a corner.
"Father, they could even make sparks from their mouths! How can we compete with them?" Lu Xiucai was the first to break the silence.
"Why can't we compete with them? The performer at the end didn't sing as well as I could!" said Lu Zhuangyuan, trying his best to defend himself.
But it was futile. He soon deflated like a balloon. It was not enough to close the gap between them and the performers here.
After a while, Lu Zhuangyuan took a puff of the smoke pipe and walked over to Bai Lingmiao. "Young lady Bai, can I ask you a question? Is the performance of every troupe in the Liang Kingdom as entertaining as the one tonight?"
"Yeah, and it's not just this particular story. They can perform numerous kinds of stories. This is not even the best one," replied Bai Lingmiao.
When he slowly walked back to his sons, Lu Zhuangyuan's back was even more hunched than before.
That night, Lu Zhuangyuan couldn't fall asleep. He kept thinking about how to improve his performances.
If we can't perform and earn money here, then I will just become someone who's nothing more than a parasite.
However, he was not the only one awake that night.
When the rooster's call was heard in the morning, Lu Xiucai saw Puppy embracing Hong'er while walking out from a small forest.
Both of them were happily chatting and flirting with each other.
When Puppy saw Lu Xiucai carrying some water from the well, he left Hong'er and happily walked over to him.
"Hehehe~ Did you know what I was doing last night? Hehehe~" asked Puppy, chuckling lewdly.
Lu Xiucai remained silent and carried the pail of water into the granary, but Puppy was too excited to stop talking.
"Ai~ That feeling~ It feels good~ Hehehee~"
Puppy's face was beyond obscene.
Chapter 261 - Object
Lu Xiucai listened to Puppy as the latter continued showing off and finally could not bear it any longer. He smashed the bucket onto the ground and glared at him fiercely. "What's the big deal? Aren't you just relying on your Senior? Or do you think that woman would even look at you?"
"Ah! You really said it right! I really am relying on my Senior~ But you don't have one~" Puppy was very proud.
"What's the big deal about that... I don't care! When my dad buys a theater..." Lu Xiucai discontentedly picked up the bucket again and pouted as he walked back to the house.
Meanwhile, after finally leaving Qing Qiu, Li Huowang could also sense everyone's exhaustion after such a long journey. He decided to let them rest here for a few more days first.
Coincidentally, there was a theater troupe right beside, which could provide entertainment for them.
During these few days, Troupe Leader Lu attended everyday. He was always right at the front of the stage. From how he looked at them, one would be forgiven for thinking that he wanted to swallow them whole.
At night, in the spacious granary, Li Huowang sat on his blanket and focused on studying Han Fu's copper coin sword. From the Nascent Soul, he had learnt that this sword had a remarkable origin, and had the ability to slay evil spirits as well.
Through the process of confronting Han Fu, Li Huowang had seen that the copper coins of this sword could disperse. If he could master the use of this sword, then at least he would not need to chop off his fingertips each time for long-range attacks.
Speaking of which, even now, whenever he was faced with danger, Profound Records was the thing he used most frequently. Li Huowang still wanted to replace this self-mutilating style of fighting as it was not very healthy for himself.
It was only that he had not yet found someone that could be experimented on, and so he still couldn't use the coin sword just yet.
At that moment, he turned to look at his belongings beside him.
The set of torture tools made by a blacksmith, the sword he had carried ever since his time from the Zephyr Temple, the black-tassel sword he had obtained from the Abbess, and the gourd that was filled with nineteen lifespan pills.
Lastly, there was also the sacred text, something that had been useless from start to end.
Li Huowang slowly scanned all these things and finally settled on the sacred text that once belonged to Dan Yangzi. He examined it inch by inch, occasionally pressing it with his hand.
In the end, he once again confirmed that it was just a stone tablet with inscriptions encouraging virtue, and nothing else.
Li Huowang sighed and threw the heavy sacred text onto the ground. He felt like he had some illness that made him carry this useless piece of stone over a thousand miles for no reason.
Should I just toss it?
Li Huowang pondered, then picked up the piece of stone once again.
No, this object might be useless, but it still has good hardness. It might somehow come in handy.
Li Huowang looked around and focused his gaze on Gao Zhijian, who was playing with Bun.
"Zhijian, come here. I'll give you a protective mirror," called out Li Huowang.
Soon, the stone slab, tied with a chain, was hung around Gao Zhijian's chest. The chain was the one that was used to tie Li Huowang down before.
Gao Zhijian felt very nervous with Senior Li hanging something so valuable on him; he couldn't help but want to take it off.
"Don't take it off. From now on, this object will be with you. Anyway, it's useless for me, but it still has some value with you," said Li Huowang.
As he spoke, Li Huowang pulled out the black-tassel sword and stabbed it at Gao Zhijian's chest. It only left behind a small white spot. But looking at Gao Zhijian, he felt that it was rather awkward. This stone slab hung on the latter's chest, and looked like a child's bellyband; the area it blocked was too small.
"Peng Longteng's armor should be on the ox-cart, right? Put it on," Li Huowang told him after a moment. The armor pieces that crazy woman had been wearing were good things. They could even withstand the murderous aura from his black-tassel sword.
However, Gao Zhijian shook his head and stuttered, "Too... too heavy!"
"Who told you to wear all of it? Pick a few lighter pieces to protect the crucial areas like your shoulders and neck," said Li Huowang impatiently.
Hearing this, Gao Zhijian scratched the back of his head and walked toward the ox-cart outside.
Soon, the heavy, silver armor appeared on Gao Zhijian's body. With the face mask pressed onto his face, and the heavy wolf-tooth club on his shoulder, he instantly turned into a terrifying beast in front of Li Huowang.
Li Huowang looked at his masterpiece and nodded with satisfaction. "Go! Test it out!"
Soon, the crisp sounds of metal colliding came from the courtyard. To his surprise, Li Huowang found that the current Gao Zhijian wouldn't lose to him if he didn't use his Profound Records.
Panting heavily, Li Huowang stabilized himself and looked at Gao Zhijian before him and said, "Alright. When we encounter trouble, remember to put this on. It'll come in handy."
The visor opened to reveal Gao Zhijian's honest face. He nodded and tried to scratch the back of his head, but his hand only managed to touch the smooth surface of the helmet.
"By the way, everyone is going to watch the play. Why aren't you going?" asked Li Houwang as he sheathed his sword.
"No... no... not interesting!" Gao Zhijian, soaked in his own sweat, took off the heavy armor on his body. Then, he walked to Bun and squatted beside it, easily flipped it over as he used his strong fingers to scratch Bun's white belly.
Bun was very happy to have someone playing with it. It stuck out its tongue while wriggling its body and kicking its four limbs.
Looking at the scene of the person and dog playing, Li Huowang shook his head, then carried his sword and walked back into the house.
He arranged the things on the ground, but hesitated when faced with three swords. One was the black-tassel sword he had gotten from the Abbess, one was the copper coin sword he obtained from Han Fu, and the third was Senior Chang Ming's sharp sword from back at the Zephyr Temple.
He was no blacksmith, and carrying three swords was too heavy.
Just as he was feeling conflicted, Lu Xiucai, who had one green leaf stuck on his hair, rushed in.
When the latter saw Li Huowang alone, he passionately knelt before him and kowtowed three times. "Daoist! I bow to you to become your apprentice! Teach me your supernatural powers!"
"Hmm?" Li Huowang was puzzled, not knowing what this guy was up to.
Has he been enchanted by the play?
"Stop kneeling; I can't teach you."
Li Huowang was stating the truth. He could not teach the ability to displace his body, nor could he teach the use of Profound Records. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
The only thing he could impart were his half-baked pill-refining abilities, or his skilled torture techniques. But it didn't seem like this guy would be interested in either of those.
"Daoist, please teach me! If not... I won't get up!" Xiucai kowtowed once again.
"Then keep kowtowing," said Li Huowang as he turned around and continued to examine his three swords.
At this point, the one-armed Chun Xiaoman stepped in from outside. Li Huowang paused as he looked at the girl covered in black hair. Then, he picked up the sharp sword that had accompanied him for the longest time, and tossed it over to her.
Chapter 262 - Xiucai
"You can use this one. It was wielded by Senior Chang Ming back then. This sword is decent and cuts through iron like mud, but I never had the chance to use it," Li Huowang said to Chun Xiaoman, who was holding his sword.
Chun Xiaoman looked at the longsword in her hand, surprised. Although it was a bit heavy for her, it was still much better than her previous weapons. "Thank you, Senior Li!"
"Practice your sword skills regularly. Although I gave you that bell, don't rely on the Wandering Gods for everything. After all, inviting them once costs three months of life. How many three months does a person have in one lifetime?" said Li Huowang.
Chun Xiaoman nodded. Then, she turned around and faced Yang Xiaohai, who had just come in. Excited, she took off her own sword from her waist and stuffed it into his arms.
"This sword is yours from now on. Let's go! Let's have some practice outside!" said Xiaoman.
The next few days passed peacefully, without the need to rush on the road while braving against the wind and the rain. Apart from eating and drinking, they spent all their time watching plays. Aside from the members of the Lu family, the exhaustion on everyone's faces had reduced significantly.
However, after four days, they had to continue on their way. Li Huowang had originally wanted to stay a few more days, but he noticed that the sheep from the Qing Qiu were starting to lose weight because they hadn't eaten enough. If they lost any more weight, they would likely die.
The sleeping blankets and iron pots were put back on the ox-cart, and they began to walk toward the town mentioned by the harvester.
"What happened to your face?" Li Huowang asked Lu Zhuangyuan upon noticing the bruise around his right eye.
"Nothing... nothing at all. I accidentally fell when I went to the toilet at night," Lu Zhuangyuan said with an awkward smile on his face.
"Hey, this is not from a fall. He secretly went to the backstage of someone else's house to steal some skills, and he was caught by the leader of that troupe and got beaten up."
Puppy's words instantly made Troupe Leader Lu hang his head in shame, but he still tried to justify himself, "I... I... wasn't stealing. I just went to take a look."
Obviously, even he himself didn't believe his own words.
To change the subject, Lu Zhuangyuan immediately sold out his own son. "Daoist, I already know about Xiucai's matter. I have scolded him severely. Be the bigger person, and don't lower yourself to his level."
"What happened?" After a brief moment of confusion, Li Huowang immediately understood what the other party was talking about. "Oh, you mean the matter of apprenticeship? Don't worry, it's nothing. I really can't teach my abilities to others. If I could, I would have taught my juniors long ago. Then, I would have more helpers around me."
"That's good, that's good." Lu Zhuangyuan was hunched over, as he smiled and nodded continuously by Li Huowang's side.
"Troupe Leader Lu, how long did those harvesters say it would take to get to the town?"
"They said that it would take about four days of journey to reach there," replied Lu Zhuangyuan.
Li Huowang nodded, slightly accelerating his pace.
I hope that the town is big enough, and that I can buy a map with Cowheart Mountain marked on it.
Li Huowang wanted to get to his destination immediately, but the journey had to be taken step by step. Though the ox-cart had strong carrying capacity, it couldn't even compare to a donkey-cart in terms of speed, let alone a horse-drawn carriage.
As the sun set, the ox-cart and the sheep formed a wall with the inside having dinner.
Today, they had knife-cut noodles for dinner. Yang Xiaohai skillfully kneaded the dough into a ball, and then held a knife in his left hand and the dough in his right. A cold light danced, and strips of noodles were shaved into the pot. During this time, while he hadn't made much progress in his swordsmanship, his knife skills had certainly improved.
When some freshly-picked bamboo shoots were thrown in, a bowl of bamboo shoot and lamb oil knife-cut noodles was quickly ready.
"Junior Yang, your skills are getting better. In the future, you can become a chef," Puppy commented. Then, him and Hong'er each scooped a bowl and walked toward the ox-cart.
The two of them exchanged bites as they ate heartily.
With a large bruise on his head obtained from his dad's tobacco pipe, Lu Xiucai came to the pot with his bowl, and picked up some of the noodles while seething, "What's so special about this?! Wait till my dad buys a theater..."
"Brother Xiucai, what did you say?"
Lu Xiucai looked up at Yang Xiaohai. There was a round-faced woman behind Xiaohai, holding a bowl, and walking back with a cold expression.
There was no other activity after dinner, and everyone went to sleep early. Tonight, Lu Xiucai and his brother took turns to stand guard.
Li Huowang slept well in the first half of the night, but just before the third section of the night, he was awakened by a strong killing intent.
He opened the blanket and pushed Bai Lingmiao out from his arms, then flipped around to locate his weapons on the ox-cart.
He could only find the copper coin sword. The black-tassel sword from the Abbess was missing!
"You brat!! What are you doing?! Put the sword down quickly!" Lu Zhuangyuan's cries woke everyone up.
Li Huowang immediately turned and rushed toward the direction of the campfire. Finally, he spotted his weapon within the Lu Family's encirclement.
At this moment, the black-tassel sword was being held by Lu Xiucai. Clearly unable to bear the killing intent released by the sword, his body was involuntarily bent backward, his expression grim as he gasped for breath.
Panicked, Lu Zhuangyuan rushed to Li Huowang's side and fearfully asked, "Daoist, what's going on? Why did that brat become like this?"
"Hahaha! I have divine powers now! I can kill anyone I want!" Lu Xiucai laughed maniacally.
When he saw Li Huowang coming toward him, Lu Xiucai instinctively pointed the sword at him.
However, Li Huowang just grabbed the blade with one hand, and then raised his right foot before kicking the young man's soft stomach.
"Ooh~!" Lu Xiucai knelt on the ground and held his tummy. He vomited out all the bamboo shoot knife-cut noodles he had eaten tonight.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang resheathed the sword and looked at his bleeding palm. He casually shook off the blood, and then turned to Lu Xiucai, "I'll say it again. I don't have any supernatural abilities, and I cannot teach them to you. This is the first, and the last time. If there's a next time, then you guys can leave."
"Why won't you teach me? Why can Puppy learn, but not me? I want to be a lord too! I don't want to be an ordinary person!" shouted Lu Xiucai.
"When you really have it, you won't think like this. If I could choose, I would rather be a normal person like you," said Li Huowang. Then, he turned toward the others and continued, "Don't stand around; go back to sleep. We still have to continue our journey tomorrow."
After handling this trivial episode, Li Huowang grabbed the black-tassel sword and turned to leave.
Seeing that everything had been settled, the depressed Lu Zhuangyuan and his eldest son hurriedly approached Lu Xiucai.
"What kind of foolish thing have you done?! Why are you still lying on the ground?! Get up quickly!" shouted Lu Zhuangyuan. However, just as he reached out to pull Lu Xiucai up from the ground, the latter slapped him in the face, stunning him.
"Old man, get away from me! My affairs have nothing to do with you!" shouted Lu Xiucai.
This series of events didn't end that night.
The next morning, Li Huowang woke up to see Lu Xiucai being hung upside down on a tree while Lu Zhuangyuan whipped him using a rattan cane.
Even though his face was covered in blood from being whipped, Lu Xiucai still refused to admit defeat, cursing loudly at his father, "Ah ah ah! Just you wait! You dare to hit me?! Kill me if you dare, or I'm going to kill all of you!! Ah ah ah!"
Chapter 263 - Changes
Lu Zhuangyuan was enraged to hear his son say such defiant remarks even after he had been punished for so long.
"You, this——!" Lu Zhuangyuan was about to raise the rattan stick to once again swing across Lu Xiucai's face when Li Huowang, who happened to be passing by, grabbed onto it.
Having known Lu Xiucai for a while now, Li Huowang had gotten to understand him to some extent. To the best of his knowledge, this young man had always been rather timid and he would never utter such words. There had to be something wrong here.
Li Huowang approached to study Lu Xiucai's upturned figure in front of him. His round, blazing eyes were full of hatred and malicious intent, like a wounded wild beast.
After having gone through so much, Li Huowang had seen it all. He could tell that the fierce stare in front of him was not something an average young guy could just make up.
For some reason, Li Huowang felt an odd feeling of familiarity when he looked into those eyes.
Upon closer inspection, Li Huowang suddenly turned his head and gazed at the tall, headless female corpse behind him.
At that moment, it suddenly struck him. The current Lu Xiucai resembled Peng Longteng quite a bit.
Surprised, Li Huowang re-evaluated the black-tassel sword in front of him.
It was after Lu Xiucai had played with the sword that he reached his current state. Although this was a good sword, Li Huowang underestimated its side effects. Him being a Strayed One was the reason why he hadn't felt anything.
Abbess once mentioned that military objects often carried a malevolent aura, but this aura couldn't dispel the bewilderment and sense of doubt of a Strayed One. However, she never told me the consequences an ordinary person would face upon coming into contact with this weapon.
Now, Lu Xiucai had cleared up the doubts that had been bothering Li Huowang—namely, what would happen when an ordinary person came into contact with this weapon, and what type of consequences would they face?
Li Huowang shifted his gaze back to Lu Xiucai, re-evaluating those resentful eyes.
Could it be that Peng Longteng wasn't always like that? That she was similar to Lu Xiucai, and that she too was affected by something that brought about this change?
Li Huowang strained his mind, trying to recall Peng Longteng's physical features from before. If he removed the flamboyant green tattoo on her face, she would appear to be nothing more than a demure maiden ready for marriage.
But it was also this very woman who had slaughtered thousands of people without batting an eye.
Li Huowang gained a better grasp of military families thanks to Lu Xiucai's change.
Individuals like Peng Longteng were just ordinary people in the past. To gain greater power, whether through cultivation or other means, their bodies were pushed to acquire certain things. It was these things that produced such severe alterations in their dispositions.
Li Huowang recalled the deeds of the monks back at the Righteous Monastery and their Bodhisattva, as well as the foul-smelling establishment of the Benevolent Nunnery.
It seems that no matter how they cultivate, they will eventually absorb something, and it will affect their character and behavior.
The Abbess and nuns' decay, the monks' lust, so what about the military? Ruthlessness? Bloodlust? Or slaughter?
Seeing Li Huowang standing there with a furrowed brow pondering the issue, Troupe Leader Lu sensed that something was amiss. He set aside his anger as a trace of concern appeared on his weathered face. It seemed that his son was not just being rebellious. The trouble appeared to be something a lot more significant.
Regardless of how Lu Xiucai hit or scolded him, he was still his son.
"Daoist, what happened to my son? Is he possessed? Can you think of a way to cure him?" asked Lu Zhuangyuan.
Pulled back to reality by the questions, Li Huowang reassessed Lu Xiucai before turning back to Lu Zhuangyuan to let him know the truth.
"I don't know much about Lu Xiucai's current state. But based on the overall situation, if his temperament gradually becomes milder, then there should still be hope for recovery. If not, Troupe Leader Lu, I advise you to be prepared," said Li Huowang.
The meaning behind Li Huowang's words was unspoken yet clear.
Upon hearing this news that was like a bolt out of the blue, Troupe Leader Lu's body staggered, almost causing him to lose his balance.
Before anyone could react, Lu Zhuangyuan knelt before Li Huowang.
Li Huowang quickly turned around to avoid the bow from Lu Zhuangyuan, as he frowned. "Troupe Leader Lu, are you trying to shorten my life?"
"No, no, no!" Lu Zhuangyuan quickly got up, repeatedly waving his hands. He said nervously, "Daoist, it was my fault. If I hadn't started it, he wouldn't have been led astray, and tried to steal your sword!"
The atmosphere became heavy as the onlookers approached silently, listening to what Lu Zhuangyuan was saying.
Casting another glance at the inverted Lu Xiucai, Li Huowang sighed and turned toward Bai Lingmiao. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Boom, boom, boom~
The rhythmic drumbeat rang out, followed by a chant.
"The sun set on the Western mountain, and the skies went dark~ Every house closed its doors while the magpies and crows flew back to their trees~ The sparrows flew to the rafters, and the entrances to the houses were closed~ Ten houses with nine locked~ Only one remains unlocked..."
The chanting to invite the Bei Family began. The fragrant incense with dark red embers wafted gently into Lu Xiucai's throat, yet there was no response.
"Senior Li, the Immortal families said that Lu Xiucai is fine," relayed Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang sneered. These Immortal families were just like that, full of tricks when it came to their people. But when faced with real challenges, they were nothing more than a facade.
On the other hand, the aggrieved Lu Zhuangyuan turned around and gave Lu Xiucai a slap across his face. "He deserves it! This has nothing to do with you. It's his fault! He is already at this age, and still engaging in such improper behavior! This is just his karma!"
In response, ??Lu Xiucai's scolding became even louder.
Despite the small incident in the evening, they still had to continue with their journey. During the day, Lu Xiucai was still tied up. However, instead of hanging him from a tree, he was now tied to the ox-cart.
A shadow of gloom covered the faces of everyone in the Lu Family Troupe. But to Li Huowang who had experienced numerous battles, it was not all that significant whether Lu Xiucai lived or died.
Li Huowang himself had enough troubles, and he didn't have the leisure to worry about others.
The journey continued, and people gradually adapted to Lu Xiucai's new changes.
Eventually, Lu Xiucai was released; after all, he was not Li Huowang. If a person was not strong enough, then his hatred would simply seem laughable. The change in temperament hadn't really increased his strength. Ultimately, he was still a frail young man. Under Lu Zhuangyuan's tobacco pipe and his elder brother's fists, he obediently followed as they continued their journey.
At the same time, Troupe Leader Lu noticed that although his younger son had become more irritable, there wasn't much change in other aspects of his behavior.
For example, he still exchanged vulgar jokes with Puppy and occasionally teased his niece, Cui'er. It was just his voice that had become much louder.
Even so, the boy still harbored deep resentment toward his father for hanging him up and beating him. He continued to glare at his father's back with a cold expression.
Yet, he dared not look at Li Huowang, who had also beaten him up.
"Old bones! Just you wait! There'll come a time when you can't move either..." Lu Xiucai muttered under his breath with a fierce look on his face.
Puppy leaned over and used his elbow to bump him. "Ah, you've got guts stealing Senior Li's sword."
Lu Xiucai glanced at him with disdain. "Such a joke! What's the big deal just holding a sword? Don't you dare?"
"Of course not. That sword has such a strong bloody smell. I feel uncomfortable even getting close to it," replied Puppy.
Hearing this, Lu Xiucai appeared even more pleased with himself. "Why would I be afraid of that? Let me tell you, I pulled it out precisely because I sensed the strong smell. As long as I want to, I still dare to do it even now!"
"Wow, very impressive."
While the two chatted, they dropped the firewood by the iron pot, then turned back to fetch water.
"Xiucai, come over here for a moment." Li Huowang, who was sitting on a tree stump with Lu Zhangyuan, gestured toward the slender youth in the distance.
As Puppy looked on gleefully at his misfortune, Lu Xiucai lowered his head and walked over.
As Lu Xiucai looked up at the one-eyed young man, he felt a sudden jolt of panic. He once again lowered his head and focused on the straw sandals on his feet.
"Don't look down. Look up at me," said Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Lu Xiucai eventually raised his head.
"How have you been feeling recently? Is your temperament still the same?" Li Huowang asked calmly.
Lu Xiucai shook his head. "Much better. It's almost like it was before I picked up the sword."
At that moment, Puppy had a mischievous grin on his face as he approached Li Huowang. He repeated the conversation he just had with Lu Xiucai to them.
Upon hearing that his son had said such words, Lu Zhangyuan sighed deeply, then lowered the tobacco pipe in his hand. "You damned brat! You..."
Lu Xiucai was about to scold Puppy fiercely, but a slap had already landed on his face.
It was Li Huowang who struck him. When he saw Lu Xiucai stare back at him fiercely, he turned toward Lu Zhuangyuan and said, "Troupe Leader Lu, all these days have passed, and yet there has been no change in him. It seems like this influence will stick with him for the rest of his life."
"Young Daoist, is there no other way?" Lu Zhuangyuan asked unwillingly. Although he had always despised his younger son for being foolish and timid, the previous version was much better than the one before him.
"If you are afraid that Lu Xiucai's tyrannical character will cause big trouble in the future, then you can just cut off the root of the problem now," said Li Huowang.
Those words not only scared Lu Xiucai, they also surprised Lu Zhuangyuan. Both of them showed fear in their eyes.
"That... that's not necessary, really not necessary," said Lu Zhangyuan as he forced a smile and pulled his younger son away from Li Huowang.
On the other hand, though Lu Xiucai had a look of disgust as his dad approached him, he dared not push him away when he saw the tobacco pipe his dad held in his other hand.
Just as they were about to leave, a shout rang out from behind to stop them.
"Hold on, I just thought of a way. Perhaps it might turn Lu Xiucai back. It depends on whether you guys are willing to take the risk," said Li Huowang.
Lu Xiucai and Lu Zhuangyuan both turned around simultaneously, only to see Li Huowang holding a parchment filled with words. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
What Li Huowang held now was none other than the technique he had forced out of Han Fu's Nascent Soul—the Xiandu Cishe Seal that allowed one to control the copper coin sword.
If his guess was correct, the ability of any sect was the application of some object.
Since Lu Xiucai now had the influence of malicious energy on him, it was a good opportunity to use the cultivation technique of the disciples of Luoism to try and purify it. Regardless of what the disciples of Luoism practiced or absorbed, it would suffice as long as it could replace the current malicious energy on him.
Moreover, Lu Xiucai could also help him test out whether or not there were any tricks in the technique, thus killing two birds with one stone.
While Lu Zhangyuan was still hesitating, the excited Lu Xiucai knelt directly in front of Li Huowang, and pounded his forehead on the soil, giving three loud knocks. As he raised his forehead with red mud caked on it, his eyes were filled with a strong thirst for power.
"Master! Accept me as your disciple! I am willing to learn your supernatural abilities!" said Lu Xiucai.
On the other hand, Li Huowang looked at Lu Zhangyuan, choosing to wait for his response.
After a difficult moment of hesitation, Lu Zhangyuan finally nodded. He decided to take the risk in hopes of seeing his son return to normal. The Young Daoist had also mentioned that the risk was not that high. And if they succeeded, then his useless son would really end up having a meteoric rise.
"Alright, let's give it a try. Perhaps it will work," said Li Huowang as he handed the parchment to Lu Xiucai, who was staring at him passionately.
As soon as Lu Xiucai took it, he eagerly began to read it.
However, immediately after giving the parchment to Lu Xiucai, Li Huowang sighed deeply, and used his fingers to massage his throbbing forehead in a helpless manner. "Xiucai, didn't you notice that you took it upside down?"
"Master, I can't read." Lu Xiucai dumbfoundedly looked at Li Huowang.
"Ah... You really don't live up to your name[1]."
Li Huowang took the parchment back, and relayed its contents word by word. It was a tiring task, especially when dealing with an illiterate person who couldn't even write his own name.
Fortunately, Li Huowang had some time on his hands, and Lu Xiucai's determination to learn the supernatural arts kept him going, despite the exhaustion.
By the time they reached the town, Lu Xiucai had just learnt the beginning part of the technique.
Li Huowang's group was big, but there were also many other farmers from other villages that were traveling toward the town to sell their wares. Thus, the road had grown much busier.
Watching Lu Xiucai, who was tirelessly reciting his cultivation mantra beside him, Li Huowang asked, "Don't you want to kill me?"
"Master, what are you talking about? Why would I want to kill you?" Lu Xiucai responded calmly.
Li Huowang could tell that he was not lying. With his nature, he would have easily exposed himself if he tried to lie.
"I've beaten you up before, and I even planned to persuade your father to kill you. I'm really surprised that you aren't holding a grudge with your current personality," said Li Huowang.
"I've just become a bit more temperamental. I haven't turned into a lunatic. Besides, you taught me the supernatural abilities which have already offset that," Lu Xiucai said matter-of-factly.
Li Huowang nodded in understanding and patted the ox pulling the cart.
"Moo~" The ox mooed and continued pulling the cart toward the town gate.
Upon entering the town, the guards insisted on inspecting the ox-cart with the Black Taisui in it. After some effort and with a few pieces of silver, the seasoned Lu Zhuangyuan finally managed to get them across safely.
They stepped back onto the cobblestone streets, and observed the lively market, where everyone seemed to have come back to life. Following their usual routine, they found an inn and enjoyed a good meal. After settling in, each person started to carry out their own agendas.
As a local, Bai Lingmiao brought Chun Xiaoman to find a map and pinpoint the position of Cowheart Mountain.
Meanwhile, Puppy, Zhao Wu and Gao Zhijian went to sell off the sheep and buy more food.
As for Li Huowang, he ventured into the town to investigate any traces of the Surveillance Bureau.
1. Xiucai in Chinese also refers to scholars ?
Chapter 265 - Town
Usually, it was the others' responsibility to obtain information. But, this time was different; his direction of inquiry was related to the Surveillance Bureau. It was simply far too dangerous for others to inquire about these mysterious and unpredictable entities.
However, Li Huowang didn't have to be concerned about that. His newly acquired powers gave him a distinct advantage in his investigation.
As long as he kept his illusion underground, his physical body could stay outside while staying hidden.
And in any case, if he was targeted, then he had nothing to worry about. His sharp senses would allow him to anticipate those threats earlier.
All the people were scattered throughout the town like white sesame seeds on a pancake. Everybody was busy with their things until nightfall when they finally all gathered again at the inn.
"Senior Li, I've sold all of the sheep. People were in a frenzy to get these sheep as soon as they knew that they came from Qing Qiu! I also bought some refined grains. I couldn't even poop normally after eating whole grains every day the past few days," said Puppy as he walked side-by-side with Zhao Wu and playfully handed the heavy silver coins to Li Huowang.
"Give it to Zhao Wu to manage. He normally handles the accounts," instructed Li Huowang.
Feeling a bit low-spirited, Li Huowang turned and walked into his room. As he lay on the bed, he felt the piercing pain in his feet due to walking all day.
If there was anything worse than catching the attention of the Surveillance Bureau, that would be not being able to find any information about them at all. He knew that finding the Surveillance Bureau in just one day was improbable, but he couldn't help feeling discouraged.
This way of searching won't work. It's like trying to find a needle in a haystack. I must come up with a different strategy to connect with the Surveillance Bureau as soon as possible.
Li Huowang rubbed his forehead, contemplating his next steps in the dark room.
At that moment, a pair of hands with long, sharp black nails reached out from under the bed as they removed Li Huowang's shoes and socks before gently soaking his weary feet in warm water. At the same time, the pitch-black room fell into silence, devoid of any sound.
The tranquility lasted for an entire hour before Li Huowang broke the silence himself.
Li Huowang suddenly sat up, and excitedly said to Monk's illusion standing in front of him, "Wait a minute, think about the time when that old Lama appeared! Yes, that's it! Since the Surveillance Bureau deals with things that regular authorities can't handle, I just need to get involved in as many troublesome matters as possible. That way, I'll have a better chance at getting in touch with the Surveillance Bureau quickly!"
"You're right!" Monk nodded approvingly while standing beside the headless Peng Longteng.
Li Huowang realized that he had been looking in the wrong direction before. Instead of inquiring about the Surveillance Bureau itself, he should be investigating any bizarre and supernatural incidents in the area. As long as there were such occurrences, the Surveillance Bureau was sure to make an appearance.
With this realization, Li Huowang could no longer contain his excitement. He lifted his feet from the basin, hastily put on his shoes and socks even as his feet were still too wet, and rushed out.
But as soon as he pushed the door open, the excited Li Huowang came face-to-face with Lu Zhuangyuan.
"Hehe, Daoist, have you eaten?" Lu Zhuangyuan asked with a smile.
"Do you need something?" Li Huowang asked coldly while bracing himself against the doorframe.
"Oh, um, how is Xiucai doing? If he is not behaving, then just give him a good beating! From my experience, a bit of toughness is necessary when learning a craft. Also, please, you don't need to be too polite with me," said Lu Zhuangyuan.
"He is very diligent. However, he is learning at a slower pace because he cannot read," said Li Huowang truthfully.
"Oh, Daoist, why is my life so tough? I finally got a grandson, and now this happens," said Lu Zhuangyuan.
"If there's something, then just say it. Otherwise, I have urgent matters to attend to," said Li Huowang, sensing that there was more to the conversation. This old man wouldn't come here just to complain. That was not like him. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
"Yes! Daoist, did you forget? It is regarding borrowing money to re-open the theater. I've been searching all day, and there are plenty of things in this place—costumes, mirrors, musical instruments! So, um..."
"Are you still not giving up?" asked Li Huowang. To be honest, he felt that when compared with the troupe from Liang Kingdom, the Lu Family Troupe's modest performances gave them no competitive edge.
"Well... I want to give it a try. I've thought of a way. Maybe I can make a living by picking up some leftover business from these troupes," Lu Zhuangyuan chuckled.
"Alright, go get the money from Zhao Wu. He should have enough cash available now," said Li Huowang, pushing him aside and quickly heading toward the inn's staircase.
Compared to the matter of the Surveillance Bureau, Lu Zhuangyuan's aspirations to revive his troupe were immediately pushed to the back of Li Huowang's mind.
In the following period, Li Huowang went to great lengths in order to locate the Surveillance Bureau in Liang Kingdom. He went out early and returned late, gathering information from the town residents.
Li Huowang decided to overlook those who died or were cursed because he knew that such insignificant instances would only draw the attention of Shamans or local mediums, and not the Surveillance Bureau.
Having been in this world for quite some time, Li Huowang also understood what kind of existence the Surveillance Bureau was and what they cared about.
The Surveillance Bureau only ever focused on significant events, such as large-scale disasters that could lead to the death of tens of thousands. For example, the town that was massacred by the Sitting Oblivion Dao, or events that defied the laws set by the Imperial Court.
However, such matters that could attract the attention of the Surveillance Bureau were not all that common. After searching for a while, Li Huowang didn't find any paranormal or evil occurrences. However, he did hear a lot of gossip and rumors about various trivial matters.
Of course, Li Huowang knew that if he took off the copper coin mask on his face and revealed that he was the Strayed One, it would undoubtedly attract the attention of the Surveillance Bureau immediately. However, that was not what he wanted.
Late into the night, Bai Lingmiao gently opened her eyes as she lay on the bed while looking at Li Huowang, who was fast asleep next to her with his head covered. A trace of concern crept into her heart.
Every day, Senior Li wakes up before dawn, and only returns after I've gone to sleep. I'm also not sure what he's in search of.
Bang, bang, bang!
Someone violently banged on the door as an eager voice sounded from outside the room, "Master! I've done it! I now have supernatural powers!"
The moment this voice sounded, Li Huowang abruptly opened his eyes, fixing his bloodshot gaze on the door. It was Lu Xiucai's voice. He sat up right away, lifted the covers, and walked toward the door.
Li Huowang had just put on his shoes when he suddenly remembered something. He turned to look at Bai Lingmiao on the bed and asked, "How is it going? Have you found your home?"
In response, Bai Lingmiao nodded with a hint of a smile in her eyes. She reached under the pillow and took out a map, handing it over. "Senior Li, I have found it, but you've been going out a lot lately, and I haven't had a chance to tell you."
Li Huowang quickly unfolded the map and saw various winding lines, among which a red line stood out, leading to the Cowheart Mountain.
"The merchant who sold the map said that if we are using an ox-cart, it would probably take us about a month. It would be faster on horseback, but unfortunately, none of us know how to ride horses."
Chapter 266 - Pink Show
Li Huowang nodded when he heard Bai Lingmiao. "It's ok, we can go slow. How many more urns do we still have?"
"Don't worry about them. Chun Xiaoman went to the escort office and entrusted them with the last of the urns that were to be sent back to their respective homes," said Bai Lingmiao.
Hearing this, Li Huowang felt his heart become lighter.
Bam bam bam!
At that moment, an urgent knocking sound came from outside the room and interrupted both of them. "Master! Open the door! I did it!"
Li Huowang placed the map down and walked to the door.
Creak~
The door opened to reveal Lu Xiucai standing outside as he shouted excitedly with heavy eye-bags under his eyes. He held a single coin in his palm. It was the coin that Li Huowang had taken off from the bronze coin sword for Lu Xiucai to practice with.
"Master, I did it! The bronze coin just moved!" Lu Xiucai ran into the room without waiting for Li Huowang to say anything and placed the coin on the table.
Then, he started chanting to it while stomping his foot. "Am da mu bao tuo nan er!"
He kept repeating the chant and his voice slowly got louder and louder. His veins slowly started bulging and he looked like he was about to eat the coin. He repeated the chant numerous times before the coin finally vibrated.
Covered in sweat, Lu Xiucai excitedly looked toward Li Huowang. "Master, look! I did it!"
Li Huowang walked over, inspected Lu Xiucai, and then looked at the bronze coin on the table. "You did it? Did you feel anything wrong with your body?"
"No, I feel great! This is the happiest day of my life! I'm finally half an Immortal! Hahaha!"
Lost in his own thoughts, Li Huowang looked at Lu Xiucai.
From the looks of it, Hanfu's Nascent Soul did not lie to me; however, this is only the start. The side effects might manifest at the end. I only have one life, and so it's better to be cautious. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Continue training and don't stop. Go back now. I will teach the other half to you tomorrow," said Li Huowang.
Lu Xiucai nodded and left.
Once the boy left, Li Huowang turned around and smiled at Bai Lingmiao. He closed the door and lay down on the bed once again.
"Xiucai looks a lot better now," Bai Lingmiao whispered to him.
"Hoho, is that so? I don't think so. He's completely different compared to before. I hope he can return to normal after learning it." Li Huowang closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
"Senior Li, what have you been up to all these days?"
Li Huowang closed his eyes. "Nothing much. Don't worry, in just a few days, we will resume our journey once more. I won't keep you from going home."
At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly felt a pair of soft hands holding him. "Senior Li, I'm not worried about my home... I am worried about you."
"Me? What's there to worry about? With the Black Taisui, I won't start hallucinating again. My left eye is slowly growing back and I can already see some light with it. It should regain vision in a few more days. Plus, no one is chasing after us this time. This is one of the best times of our lives," said Li Huowang.
Li Huowang felt Bai Lingmiao's soft body cuddling against him. He hugged her waist and pulled her closer.
Bai Lingmiao didn't believe him one bit—she knew him like the back of her hands.
Sensing her distrust, Li Huowang sighed. He opened his one eye and saw the three illusions standing beside him.
After a moment, Li Huowang patted Bai Lingmiao's back gently and comforted her, "Don't worry. Everything will be fine. We will solve it."
Days passed and slowly, Li Huowang had explored most of the town. Even though he had some leads, he still hadn't managed to obtain any results from them.
At this moment, Li Huowang carefully placed his illusion beneath the ground and sat on a wall while observing the people walking past him.
Horse carriages and ox-carts passed by non-stop. The oxes shat wherever they wanted, but some children with baskets took the feces away not long after.
After the children collected the feces, they would stand beside a stall that sold pancakes. They were entranced by the delicious frying smell.
Staring at the people in front of him, Li Huowang silently pondered.
Maybe this place is too small. Even though a lot of people pass by here and there is a lot of gossip, I still don't have a proper lead. Maybe I need to go somewhere larger? I can't stay here for too long. If I can't find them today, then I will have to go somewhere else. I'm sure I will meet them one day.
After pondering for a while, Li Huowang leaped down from the wall and walked over to a tea shop. It was a place where one could find the most up to date information. All of the information about the town would go through here first.
Just as Li Huowang walked into the tea shop, a group of men ran out excitedly.
"Let's go! I heard that there's a troupe performing a pink show over there! The show they are performing is much more exciting than the storyteller of the tea shop!"
Troupe?
Li Huowang was confused. The only troupe left in the town should be the Lu Family Troupe.
After thinking about it for a moment, he entered the tea shop. However, except for the storyteller and the waiter who were talking to each other, there was no one else.
Well, I don't think I will be able to glean any information here.
Li Huowang walked out and followed the group of men, running after them.
Li Huowang wanted to see what kind of show Lu Zhuangyuan was able to put up to have everyone within the tea shop be attracted by it.
The stage was not too far away, located at the western side of the town. Beneath the stage was a thronging crowd. Some of them were chewing on beans while others were talking.
When Li Huowang got close, he saw Lu Juren pointing toward his wife while performing.
"Ai~ I~ Don't want the best, nor the worst~ I want~ I want~ I want you~ and your heart~"
The crowd cheered underneath the stage.
This is not the script I remember.
Li Huowang was puzzled when he saw Lu Juren's performance. Just as his thoughts reached this point, Lu Xiucai started singing to the beat of the music.
"I touch her nose~ Fragrance flows out from the room~ I touch her mouth~ Her eyes smile bewitchingly~ I touch her chin and she places it on her chest~ I touch her ears and they flutter to my touch."
The lyrics were normal in the beginning, but they slowly became more and more obscene until everyone started whistling beneath the stage.
Li Huowang now knew why it was called the "pink show". He had been wondering why there were only men in the audience and no women.
Even faced with the incredible performance of the Liang Kingdom's troupe, Lu Zhuangyuan had actually found a way to perform here.
He is indeed an experienced performer.
After satisfying his curiosity, Li Huowang decided to leave the performance early.
But just as he turned around, something piqued his interest.
"This is much more interesting than the pink show from Pi County."
"I thought that a plague was sweeping through there? You still dare to go there?"
Chapter 267 - Resume the Journey
Plague?
Li Huowang was immediately attracted to what they said. His instincts told him that this was what he had been looking for.
Li Huowang stood near the two men while ignoring the stage completely. He was waiting for them to continue speaking. But what made him anxious was that they had been talking excitedly when he accidentally overheard them, but now they had gone completely silent.
After a moment, Li Huowang walked up to the fat one among the two and gently patted his shoulder. "My dear friend, may I ask what is happening within Pi County? Why is there a plague? I hadn't heard anything about it before."
The fatty, who had been concentrating on the pink show, was displeased when he got interrupted by Li Huowang. "What is it to you? Who are you?"
But when Li Huowang passed him two fragmented pieces of silver, the fatty immediately perked up and became much more polite.
"I hope this is enough. My relatives are staying in Pi County and I'm worried that something might've happened to them if there is a plague. I'm sorry for my brashness; I'm just worried about them," said Li Huowang, making up a story.
The fatty couldn't care less if Li Huowang was saying some bullshit; after all, the money was real. With this, he was more than happy to help Li Huowang.
"You could've just said so. It's nothing much, don't worry about me," said the fat man as he took the two fragmented pieces of silver. "Don't worry, your relatives should still be alive. While the Pi County doesn't actually have a plague, it would still be better to bring them out of there. The feng shui over there is quite bad."
After speaking to this point, the fatty then whispered, as if afraid of someone overhearing them, "But let me tell you this. When I was there on business with them last time, I saw that the people over there were very nervous and their faces didn't look healthy. I don't know what happened to them, but I could see why the people would say that there was a plague in Pi County. Those people looked worse than sick people."
"The entire county's people looked very nervous and unhealthy?" muttered Li Huowang.
After a moment of thought, he asked another question, "Is there anything else weird about Pi County?"
Even though this world was quite bizarre, it was still too early to know what was happening to the people of Pi County based on just these two clues.
"I don't know. I just went there and quickly came back. If you are worried, you can go there and see them yourself. It's just a ten day journey so it should be fine. See, I came back safely didn't I?" said the fat man.
"Ten days?" muttered Li Huowang as he turned around and went back to the inn.
Back at the inn, Li Huowang unfurled the map with Bai Lingmiao and soon found where the Pi County was. It was in the same direction as Cowheart Mountain!
In the end, Li Huowang decided to check it out.
It was not a minor case if an entire county went crazy. Li Huowang felt that he had a high chance of encountering the people from the Surveillance Bureau over there.
This was his only choice.
Just then, Lu Xiucai ran into the room excitedly. Just as he was about to say something, Li Huowang looked at him and said, "Go tell your father to stop performing once you end with the current one. We will resume our journey tomorrow."
Hearing this, Lu Xiucai nodded and ran off.
By now, everyone was already used to Li Huowang suddenly telling them to move out. Soon, they loaded all their stuff into the ox-cart and the newly bought horse carriage. As for where they were heading and what they were doing, they were either too lazy or too scared to ask. All they had to do was follow Li Huowang's orders.
The only thing different this time around was that the Lu family was now much happier after their performance. All of their faces were ruddy and refreshed.
"Hehehe, Young Daoist~ This is what we agreed upon last time. Half of it is yours while the other half is mine," Lu Zhuangyuan showed several fragmented silver and bronze coins to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang stared at the grinning Lu Zhuangyuan. "What? You managed to earn this much?"
Li Huowang knew that the Lu Family's past performances had never been this lucrative.
"Hohoho, the Liang Kingdom is indeed wealthy. Everyone here is so rich~" said Lu Zhuangyuan as he smiled happily and placed the money onto the ox-cart.
When Zhao Wu saw that Li Huowang did not turn down the money, he took a piece of string and tied up the bronze coins.
Li Huowang naturally did not turn it down. Even though the amount wasn't huge, they would still be able to deal with their daily expenses using it. At the very least, their meals would be more luxurious every day.
"Bring out the cured meat. Let's make baked rice with cured meat," instructed Li Huowang.
When Li Huowang said that, he suddenly heard someone gulp. He felt that they should've eaten enough meat back in Qing Qiu, and so there was no reason for them to be so hungry for meat.
"Who did that? Did you not eat anything today?" questioned Li Huowang. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
When he turned around, Li Huowang saw that it was not someone from his group, but a skinny man with white hair. Behind him was a youth. Both of them were harvesters and were on the same path as Li Huowang.
When they noticed that Li Huowang was staring at them, the old harvester started staring toward a harvested field on the other side.
Growl~
The old harvester's stomach was still grumbling. After a moment, he placed his shoulder pole down before tying the hemp rope on his waist tighter.
Li Huowang stared at the harvester's tattered clothes and then continued on with his journey.
Throughout their journey, no one spoke besides Puppy.
When the sun was about to set, the ox-cart finally came to a stop and everyone immediately started with their respective chores.
"Senior Li, look! There's a wild vegetable here that we can eat to offset the oil from the cured meat!"
Due to being focused on the map, Li Huowang didn't know who said that.
He was focused on the map because they couldn't afford to make a single mistake. One wrong turn and they would have to waste days just to travel back.
Soon, dinner was served. Their menu tonight was baked rice with cured meat as well as some wild vegetable soup.
Looking at the oily rice with bits of cured meat within, Li Huowang looked at the two harvesters sitting farther away from their group.
At this moment, the two harvesters were scooping up some cold water from a stream to drink while eating multigrain rice balls from their pouch. The younger harvester was staring at Li Huowang's bowl of hot rice, only to be stopped by the older harvester pressing his head down.
After a moment of thought, Li Huowang said, "Take two bowls of rice and give it to them."
"Alright." Bai Lingmiao nodded before turning to the pot.
Chapter 268 - Pi County
When Bai Lingmiao gave the two bowls of rice to the harvesters, they accepted them with trembling hands before thanking her.
Compared to Li Huowang and the others who needed wild vegetable soup to offset the oiliness of the rice, the harvesters had no such qualms and gulped down the rice with gratitude.
But they only ate the rice and picked out the cured meat before placing it within their pouch. They wanted to save it for later.
After eating, the harvesters washed the bowls by the creek and happily returned them to Li Huowang. Even though they were missing a few teeth, they were grinning happily.
The old harvester wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure how. In the end, Li Huowang broke the silence first.
"Old man, the harvest season was so good this year. Why are you still working even though you are so old?"
"The... the fields all belonged to the landlord. The bountiful harvest had nothing to do with us. We can't even eat any of it," The old harvester smiled and explained Before continuing, "Thank you for the delicious meal, Daoist. That meal was enough to keep us full for an entire day."
"No worries. It's just a bowl of rice. Old man, are you working near the fields here? Have you been to Pi County before?" asked Li Huowang, finally revealing his intention.
"Of course! I have been there many times! After all, I've been harvesting the fields at Pi County all these years," replied the old man. He was quite excited to be able to share his experiences and became confident. He used his calloused hands to gesture in the air. "Let me tell you this. Harvesting wheat is all about technique! Those youngsters don't have the technique and can't do as well as me! For example, you can't hold your sickle too high or too low. You need to be just right!"
Li Huowang interrupted his explanation. "Old man, have you gone to Pi County recently?"
"Yes, I went there before. I came back here this time to bring my nephew or I might've already finished harvesting all of the wheat in Pi County by now. It takes technique—"
"You went there before? Have you seen anything wrong with the people there?"
While Li Huowang was not worried that nothing had happened there, he was worried that the problem wasn't large enough. If the problem wasn't serious, then the Surveillance Bureau would not send anyone there and he would just be wasting time by going there.
Seeing Li Huowang become serious, the old harvester got nervous. He scratched the back of his head and stuttered, "I do-don't think there's anything wrong with them. They always pay and feed me, but for some reason, they prefer to stay in their houses and never come out. They would just place the food and money outside and tell us to take it for ourselves."
Panicky, looks terrible, and they love to stay in their own houses?
Li Huowang carefully pondered the three things and the relationship between them.
Regardless, it doesn't seem like the Surveillance Bureau has solved the situation yet.
Li Huowang was cautious as he asked once again, "Is there anything else wrong with them? Did their faces or physical appearances change?"
"What do you mean? They looked the same to me. One nose, two nostrils, two eyes, two ears."
Li Huowang knew that they might look human on the surface, but the people in Pi County might be something else entirely.
No matter what happened there, I hope it was serious enough.
Li Huowang prayed for the best.
Seeing how the Daoist did not talk to him anymore, the old harvester walked back to his nephew.
But just as he was halfway there, he turned back toward Li Huowang once again. "Oh, I nearly forgot. The people of Pi County apparently like to hit their children! I remember collecting the payment and walking past a window. Back then, I heard their children crying profusely. If I was in their place, I wouldn't hit my child that badly."
Li Huowang started analyzing what he had heard.
Are they hitting their children or are they using their children for something else?
Li Huowang recalled how the water bandits sacrificed the babies to summon a monster. After surviving in this bizarre world for so long, Li Huowang would now always think about the worst-case scenario.
This was also why he grew slightly more troubled when he heard what the harvester just said. He wanted the issue to be large enough that it would attract the Surveillance Bureau, but not large enough that they would be in danger.
By the time Li Huowang snapped back, he saw that the harvesters were gone and the sky was already dark.
Li Huowang shook his head and washed up by the creek. "It's getting more and more confusing. Whatever... I will just see what the situation looks like later and decide what to do."
The two harvesters bid farewell to them on the second day. Since the wheat in Pi County had already been harvested, they were going somewhere else to find work.
Days passed and they met other people along the way. Li Huowang always tried to gain information about Pi County through them.
Unfortunately, all they knew was that Pi County seemed to be suffering from a plague and advised Li Huowang to not go there. There was no new information. The only good thing they found out was that there were no bandits around here.
Perhaps the Liang Kingdom is very good at dealing with them.
Soon, they reached Pi County.
"Is this Pi County?" Li Huowang stood atop a hill and observed the town surrounded by walls. His other eye had grown back completely.
The day was gloomy with dark clouds hanging low. The entire town looked desolate and creepy.
Staring at how the town was built, Li Huowang finally knew why they called it Pi County.
It was because the town was built in the shape of the character "Pi".
"This place seems ominous. Everyone, be careful," Li Huowang warned them before walking into the town.
When they entered the town, Li Huowang was visibly uncomfortable; there were too few people in the town. The streets were empty and devoid of life, with only some passersby quickly passing by them from time to time.
At the same time, Li Huowang felt a lot of people were staring at them. The gazes were coming from behind the windows. He could feel a lot of the townsfolk staring at them through the windows.
Just then, a woman carrying a baby walked toward them with a haggard face. When she got close, she was visibly surprised by the appearance of Li Huowang and everyone else. She bit her lips, hugged her crying baby closer, and quickly ran past them.
When the woman passed by them, Li Huowang closed his eyes and smelled the air.
"Awoo." Bun sat down and nudged Li Huowang with its paws.
In response, Li Huowang patted Bun's head. "You smelled it too? That's right. There's the scent of blood and rust on that woman."
Chapter 269 - Inn
"Oooowu~" Bun shook its tail. It could indeed smell the two scents, but as a dog it didn't know what Li Huowang was saying.
Just then, Monk's illusion spoke to him, "Daoist, if she has the scent of blood and rust on her, is she a good person or a bad person?"
Li Huowang just shook his head and looked up at the sky. Just then, a single raindrop fell into his eye.
"Let's go, it's going to rain soon. Let's find an inn to stay at first," instructed Li Huowang.
The rain was initially light, but gradually grew stronger. By the time Li Huowang and the others finally managed to enter an inn, it was pouring in full force.
Shaking the rain off his body, Li Huowang shouted toward the inside of the inn. "Waiter! Owner!"
He shouted for quite a bit before the waiter finally appeared with a white cloth over his shoulder.
When the waiter saw so many outsiders, he was shocked and panicked momentarily as he instinctively tried to retreat.
However, Puppy jumped out and grabbed the waiter's wrist to stop him from retreating. "Where are you going? Can't you see that we are here as paying customers? Quickly ask the cook to prepare a meal for us. My wife and Senior Li are both hungry!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
"Alright, please wait," replied the waiter, very close to losing it.
When the waiter ran back into the kitchen, Li Huowang frowned. He was worried about what was happening here.
"Xiaoman, go and follow him. Make sure that they don't try to poison us," instructed Li Huowang.
Chun Xiaoman nodded and went into the kitchen with her sword. Bai Lingmiao followed her soon after.
"Young Daoist, why don't we leave here once the rain stops?" suggested Lu Zhuangyuan. He didn't know that Li Huowang had actually come here with a purpose, but as an experienced traveler, he could feel that something was wrong.
"Don't worry. They are afraid of us instead of the other way around. The town is big and everyone is tired. It's best if we rest here first," replied Li Huowang.
Hearing this, Lu Zhuangyuan dared not to argue with Li Huowang anymore.
The Young Daoist is very strong; it would be for the best if I don't make him angry. Even if this place is weird, I'm sure he will be able to deal with it.
Soon, the fragrant dishes were brought out one by one. Every time the waiter brought out a plate of the meal, Li Huowang took a small piece of it and threw it under the table, allowing Bun to happily eat it.
It was only after seeing that Bun was doing fine that the others started eating.
Munching on the crispy lotus root, Li Huowang silently ate his meal; even so, he could feel the two gazes coming from within the kitchen.
The waiter and the cook were staring at them with fear.
Li Huowang recalled the woman they had passed by just now and remembered how she was staring at them with fear too.
Li Huowang knew that he didn't look as horrible as he did last time—everything had grown back. And after adjusting his organs little by little, his face should also be quite normal now.
Then what are they afraid of? This is a large town, so there's no reason to be afraid of just a few outsiders. Did they encounter something?
Li Huowang continued to think of a reason while having his meal.
The rain did not stop even late into the night. It continued to pound the streets with water.
"Waaaa~" Lu Juren's son, being afraid of the rain, continued to cry. Lu Juren tried comforting his son, but nothing was working.
"Aiyo~ That's not the way to do it, here let me," said Luo Juanhua as she took her son, opened her clothes, and started breastfeeding the baby.
"What are you doing?! Xiucai is still here!" Lu Juren quickly stood between his wife and his younger brother, using his body as a shield.
"What are you afraid of? Look at him. Do you think he's even interested in me?" asked Luo Juanhua.
Hearing this, Lu Juren turned around and looked at his brother. He saw that Lu Xiucai had removed his shoes and was sitting on the bed. His eyes were closed and he continued to chant something. He didn't even notice that his brother and sister-in-law were discussing him.
Lu Juren was actually against his younger brother learning supernatural powers from the Young Daoist. He knew his younger brother would not make it. Plus, he became like this from just a single touch of the Young Daoist's sword. Lu Juren was worried that his younger brother would be lost forever.
But alas, Lu Juren was not the patriarch; Lu Zhuangyuan was still alive and he had all the power at the moment.
"Wait, where is father?" asked Lu Juren.
Hearing his question, Luo Juanhua rolled her eyes. "How would I know where your father went?"
Then, Luo Juanhua lowered her head toward her son. "My son, you cannot be as dense as your father. You will grow to be an official!"
At that moment, the door slammed open and Lu Zhuangyuan walked in with a serious face.
"Father, where have you been?" Lu Juren approached him.
"Get lost. Why do you care what I am doing? Go to the kitchen and find me the cook," growled Lu Zhuangyuan.
Knowing that he did not have any authority here, Lu Juren walked out of the room.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhuangyuan saw Luo Juanhua breastfeeding his grandson. He grinned for a moment, before becoming angry. "Scoundrel! Quickly bring a cloth and cover her!"
Soon the cook was brought over. The cook had a mole on his chin and his face was as poor-looking as the waiter. His entire face was oily.
"Dear customer, did you call for me? Do you want to eat anything for supper?" asked the cook as he rubbed his hands nervously.
"Hohoho~" Lu Zhuangyuan chuckled and passed some fragmented silver to the cook. "Young man, as you can see my daughter-in-law just gave birth, but she can't produce any breast milk. Could you please help me cook some braised pork knuckles and carp soup? It's for her to produce breast milk."
Hearing this, Luo Juanhua rolled her eyes and pouted. She did not need it. She had so much breastmilk that her son couldn't even finish it. She could even feed Xiucai if she wanted.
But she chose to not say anything. After all, only an idiot would say no to a free meal of pork knuckles and carp soup.
"Oh~ Alright, I will go and prepare it. I remember that we still have half a pork knuckle in the kitchen," said the cook as he turned around.
However, he was once again stopped by Lu Zhuangyuan. "Ai, don't go so fast. I'm not done yet."
As he spoke, Lu Zhuangyuan retrieved a silver ingot the size of his thumb and stealthily placed it in the cook's hands. "Let me ask you something. Did something happen to the people around here?"
Hearing this question, the cook, who had already been very cautious, suddenly panicked and threw the silver ingot away as if it were a venomous snake.
"Don't ask me! I don't know anything! I don't know anything!!" The cook ran out of the room in a panic.
Seeing this, Lu Zhuangyuan sighed and collected the silver ingot from the floor. He then turned to his seemingly empty left side and said, "Young Daoist, looks like the cook doesn't want the silver."