Chapter 28: Lü Family Troupe

Chapter 28: The Lü Troupe

"Ah! There's no need to fear such things. When traveling far, just stick together in a large group," Lü Zhuangyuan shared his experience with Li Huowang.

"Oh? So with more people, the yang energy is stronger, and those things wouldn't dare to strike?"

"Not at all!" Lü Zhuangyuan repacked his pipe and resumed smoking. "How many people can it eat anyway? If you really run into one, just outrun the others. Instead of worrying about that, you'd better watch out for bandits who kill for silver and man-eating tigers in the woods."

Li Huowang was momentarily at a loss for a reply; it seemed they were simply not on the same wavelength.

"Come, come, the buns are roasted. Eat them while they're hot." Luo Juanhua handed over several white steamed buns, skewered on branches and roasted to a golden crisp.

Li Huowang took them and passed them to the young acolytes beside him, all of whom he had picked up along the way.

As soon as these fellows realized they could leave the Qingfeng Temple, they had rushed out without a second thought, giving no consideration to what would come next.

By the time he encountered them on the road, they were nearly fainting from starvation.

Having shared the same sect, Li Huowang couldn't just turn a blind eye and leave them to their fate, so he took them all along.

Seeing the hot food, the others didn't stand on ceremony; it was indeed late and they were quite hungry, so they grabbed the buns and ate in big mouthfuls.

Watching the hulking simpleton devour one bun after another, the corner of Lü Zhuangyuan's eye twitched. These were fine wheat buns, which he couldn't even bear to eat himself; he regretted being so generous just now.

Just then, a question from Li Huowang made him forget his stinginess. "Old sir, do you have a map? To be honest, we aren't locals, and we're getting lost in these woods. We have no idea where we are."

Indeed, Li Huowang had lost his way earlier. The forest looked the same everywhere, making it impossible to determine his bearings, and asking the others had yielded nothing.

They hailed from all corners of the land and could talk eloquently about where their homes were, but when asked where they currently were, none could say.

To avoid drawing attention, it seemed Danyang Zi hadn't been looking for medicinal ingredients nearby.

"What? A map? Don't have one, but I know all the roads around here. Where are you headed? Just ask me!"

"Well, there are many places. See which one is closest, old sir." Li Huowang pulled a large stack of paper slips from his sleeve.

"What's this? What's written here?" Lü Zhuangyuan held the slips at arm's length, his wrinkled face scrunching up as he squinted hard.

Although his name was Zhuangyuan, if he were truly the top scholar, he wouldn't be out here performing in an opera troupe.

Lü Zhuangyuan was literate, but not by much. With Li Huowang's help in reading, he finally understood all the addresses on the slips.

As a veteran troupe master who had traveled north and south for years, if nothing else, he was quite knowledgeable about geography.

However, just because he knew where these places were didn't mean Li Huowang could get there easily.

"Goodness, there's even the State of Liang. Didn't they go to war with our State of Qi a few years back?"

Lü Zhuangyuan squatted down and scratched the ground with the bowl of his pipe, presenting a simple map before Li Huowang.

If one were to describe the map he drew in a single phrase, it would be a large flatbread dropped on the ground and shattered into pieces.

Their current position was in the upper left corner of the flatbread, moving from left to right, with various large and small states interwoven.

"It looks a bit like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period of the past, without any grand unification," Li Huowang mused silently as he looked at the map on the ground.

Although he hadn't held out any hope, seeing this map confirmed that he hadn't truly transmigrated to some ancient dynasty, but to a far more peculiar place.

"This old man only tours the northern parts of this region. I know this area well, but once you cross the border, I really can't tell which is which. I've just heard their operas are different from ours."

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao's heart tightened. Her home was on Niuxin Mountain in the State of Liang, which sounded incredibly far from here.

Li Huowang keenly sensed her distress and gave her a reassuring look. "Don't panic."

Looking at the dozen or so bizarre individuals before him, Lü Zhuangyuan's suppressed thoughts, previously held back by fear, began to stir again.

"Uh, young Daoist master, look, there's a Jianye Town on your slip, and it just so happens the Lü Troupe is heading that way!"

"Hehe, how about we travel together?"

"Jianye Town? Whose is this?" Li Huowang flipped through the slips.

"Senior Brother Li, my home is in Jianye Town," Zhao Wu suddenly spoke up from the side.

"And there's an escort agency in town. As long as you pay them silver, they can deliver letters to Nanping on your behalf."

Hearing this, Li Huowang didn't hesitate and stuffed the papers back into his robe. "Very well then, old sir, we'll rely on you for directions on this journey. We'll travel together to Jianye."

Whether it was the map information or anything else, relying solely on the old troupe master's word was hardly convincing.

Whether searching for the Black Taisui to suppress his hallucinations or delivering letters to the others, he should first head to a town where information flows freely, especially since their rations were nearly gone.

Furthermore, if possible, Li Huowang also wanted to seek out the so-called orthodox and prestigious sects.

In such a dangerous place, lacking strength was truly unacceptable; anyone could trample you at will, and he had no desire to be casually snatched up by another Danyang Zi.

Smiling broadly, Lü Zhuangyuan waved his hands repeatedly. "Oh, oh, oh, you're too polite, think nothing of it, think nothing of it."

Though he said this, Lü Zhuangyuan was overjoyed inside. Having such a master by his side was like having a free escort!

By the end of this trip, he would at least earn back the cost of those fine wheat buns and the five salted duck eggs.

"Hah~" The simpleton beside them let out a massive yawn; he was full and wanted to sleep.

Seeing the others' eyes growing heavy, Lü Zhuangyuan tactfully stood up. "Without realizing it, we've chatted until the second watch. Young Daoist master, you all rest first. I'll take the night watch."

"No need, I'll take the watch tonight." Li Huowang wasn't just being polite; one could never be too careful.

After all the tossing about, everyone was exhausted. The two groups, with different goals, drifted into slumber around the warm campfire, while Li Huowang and Lü Zhuangyuan sat alone in silent companionship.

Early the next morning, Li Huowang was woken by Gouwa, who was keeping the latter half of the night watch. "Senior Brother Li, the troupe is packing up."

"Let's go, we're setting off too." Li Huowang stood up, carrying his long sword and stone tablet, and led the others to follow the troupe.

Just as they hit the road, both sides were visibly restrained, with no one speaking, occasionally stealing glances and whispering to their own companions.

This didn't include the leaders, Li Huowang and Lü Zhuangyuan, who chatted merrily all the way.

Li Huowang wanted to learn more about everything here from Lü Zhuangyuan, while Lü Zhuangyuan was even more eager to build a rapport with the master; after all, flattery cost nothing, and a few extra words wouldn't hurt.

"My, my, young Daoist master, so formidable at such a young age, your future achievements will be boundless! Hahaha."

(End of Chapter)