Chapter 134: At the Foot of the Mountain

Chapter 134: At the Foot of the Mountain

In the small town at the foot of Henghua Mountain, Li Huowang led his party forward. Mantou, seemingly seeing such a crowd for the first time, pressed tightly against Li Huowang's legs.

The long and arduous journey had exhausted everyone; they desperately needed a good rest.

Although the Ance Nunnery was right before their eyes, Li Huowang was no longer as anxious as he had been before.

With the oppressive dread of being replaced by Danyang Zi at any moment gone, he could finally afford to slow down a little.

Li Huowang cast his somewhat weary eyes around to survey the surroundings.

The town at the foot of the mountain looked just as it had before. Perhaps because it was a crucial transportation hub, the roads were bustling with people even though it wasn't a market day.

The only difference was that there were more beggars squatting in the corners of the walls.

Seeing Li Huowang's group, and especially the three horse-drawn carriages, the ragged beggars hurried over, raising their broken bowls high toward Li Huowang and chanting their rhythmic rhymes.

"Take a look, take a look, here comes a poor beggar, oh! Good masters, kind masters, take pity on this poor wretch, give us a bun, give us a soup, and may you live long and be healthy..."

With a sharp "clang," a long sword was drawn from its scabbard, and the beggars instantly scattered like frightened birds.

"Three bamboo!"

A crisp "smack" made Li Huowang subconsciously glance over in that direction.

"Pong! Six characters~"

"Oh dear, what kind of hand is this, another nine circles."

"Ah~ One bird! Haha! Self-drawn pure one suit~ Hahaha, pay up, pay up!"

Inside the lively mahjong parlor, it was bustling and nearly full to capacity, the clatter of dice and mahjong tiles incessant as everyone focused intently on finding their amusement.

"Oh, so they're playing mahjong." Li Huowang turned and continued walking forward.

After just a few steps, Li Huowang arrived at the old inn they had stayed in before. Stepping over the threshold, he said to the waiter who came to greet them, "We need both lodging and a meal. Tell the cooks in the back to prepare some hearty dishes, but no pork."

"Ah~ Right away~ Please come in, honored guests~"

"Senior Brother Li, although we have plenty of money, it's all going out and none coming in. Perhaps we should be a bit more frugal." Bai Lingmiao clearly had some reservations about Li Huowang's extravagance.

Sitting in the seat of honor at the eight-immortal table, Li Huowang took a sip of the tea handed to him by the waiter and said, "It's fine. Let's celebrate. We don't eat like this every day."

"You still have the face to eat! You wretch worse than a beast! Have you ever thought that while you were enjoying yourself, those people were killed because of you! Why aren't you dead yet!!"

Facing Jiang Yingzi's baseless curses, Li Huowang's expression remained unchanged as he continued to speak to the others, "After you finish eating, just wait here. The Ance Nunnery is filthy too, and I'll be back down soon."

At first, when the two suddenly appeared by his side, he had found it extremely difficult to accept.

But as the days passed in close companionship, Li Huowang had fully adapted to having a long-dead ghost screaming in his ear.

All Jiang Yingzi could do was constantly curse, which didn't affect Li Huowang too much.

Compared to Jiang Yingzi, Danyang Zi always stood in the distance, staring at him with a sinister gaze.

After some simple tests, Li Huowang discovered that these two were indeed just illusions and could not truly affect him.

He didn't know how long this situation would last or if other people would appear in the future. But compared to being replaced by Danyang Zi, the current situation seemed much easier to accept.

"Hehe~ The dishes are here~ Azure Dragon Emerging from the Sea~! Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl~! Three Yangs Bringing Prosperity~! Fortune and Blessings from the Eastern Sea~! Honored guests, please enjoy your meal~ The other delicacies will arrive shortly~"

Scholar Lü, constantly swallowing his saliva, was just about to pick up his chopsticks when he was struck down by Scholar Lü Zhuangyuan's smoking pipe. He then flashed a flattering, obsequious smile at Li Huowang. "Young Daoist Master, please eat first. You've had a hard journey, so consider this table of food our treat."

Li Huowang glanced at him with some surprise, but too lazy to waste time on such trivialities, he picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

For some reason, Li Huowang always felt that the Lü Troupe was even more constrained in his presence.

Having traveled on the road for years, everyone had a hearty appetite. Coupled with Bai Lingmiao and Gao Zhijian, two big eaters, a large table of food and two buckets of rice were quickly devoured without a trace.

Mantou wasn't left hungry either; all the bones too tough for humans to chew were given to him.

After eating his fill and drinking to his heart's content, Li Huowang picked up his teacup, took another sip, stood up, gathered his belongings, and walked out of the inn.

"I'm off. I should be back before dark."

Mantou, who had been squatting under the table gnawing on a bone, picked it up in his mouth and followed right behind.

As soon as Li Huowang left, Lü Juren put down his clean bowl and chopsticks, walked over to Lü Zhuangyuan, and coughed lightly, "Father, come here for a moment."

When they reached the deserted stable behind the inn, a nervous Lü Juren leaned against the black horse eating bean fodder and asked in a hushed whisper, "Father~! Why aren't we leaving? Do you really intend to keep following him? Have you forgotten him---"

Saying this, he looked left and right, and upon confirming no one else was around, he continued in an even lower voice, "Have you forgotten what they all said that night? He's no master! He's a demon! His Daoist robe was dyed red with human blood! Aren't you afraid he'll eat us all up one day?"

Lü Zhuangyuan, his face covered in wrinkles, pulled out the smoking pipe tucked behind his neck, lit it, and took a deeply satisfying puff. "Perhaps... the Young Daoist Master has his own bitter reasons?"

"What bitter reasons could there be for doing that kind of thing!! Oh my heavens, Father, have you gone senile!"

"Hey~! Looking for a beating, are you! Who are you calling senile!!"

Faced with the raised smoking pipe of Lü Zhuangyuan, the usually simple and honest Lü Juren, in a rare display of defiance, did not dodge, but stubbornly glared at his father.

"We can forget about ourselves! But what about Xiu? What about your granddaughter Xiu'er? The storytellers have all said it! Demons love to eat young boys and girls the most! Can you bear to let Xiu'er be in danger?"

Hearing this, Lü Zhuangyuan, in a rare show of silence, did not refute, but instead took another deep drag, the lit tobacco in his pipe flaring up brightly for a moment.

"Son, I naturally know what you're saying, but haven't you noticed anything wrong along the way?"

"I know what's going on. At first, there were just a few more beggars by the road, which didn't seem like much, but it won't be long before people are selling their sons and daughters. The world is about to fall into chaos."

"If we flee on our own now, we'll be a sweet morsel that anyone can take a bite out of. Following the Young Daoist Master, at least ordinary bandits and highwaymen won't be able to get near us."

"Your father has lived for these few decades and is still quite accurate in judging people. The Young Daoist Master is not that kind of villain. Although his supernatural powers are formidable, he is not deeply calculating, and he wouldn't do things that go against his conscience."

"But..."

"No 'buts' about it, let's leave it at that. I noticed your wife didn't eat much just now, which is unlike her. She's also been feeling nauseous lately. Take her to see a doctor and check if she's with child."

(End of Chapter)