Chapter 505: On the Road

Chapter 505: On the Road

"The fragrant scent fills heaven and earth, that flame of incense pierces the sky, the golden bird dashes like a cloud arrow, the jade rabbit's glow shines like a wheel—"

Lü Yuanzhang stood on the cart with one foot, the other dangling, stuffing tobacco into his pipe when he heard that familiar chant. His brows furrowed in irritation.

Following the sound, he saw his youngest son, Lü Xiucai, squatting by the bonfire, holding a stick of incense, chanting while sketching something intently onto a canvas.

"Hmph! Always praying and reciting, yet you're not this devoted to your own father!"

No matter how much Lü Yuanzhang scolded, Lü Xiucai continued diligently chanting the sacred words.

"South Star and Northern Dipper shine across the heavens, five-colored clouds flutter in chaos, the Purple Palace opens its holy hall, peach blossom maidens summon the gods, a thousand-mile journey offers incense prayers, flying clouds and galloping horses descend, we receive the three blessings from our altar, honored saints and countless deities..."

After Lü Xiucai chanted these verses three times with heartfelt gratitude, he carefully inserted the burnt incense into the ground. He bowed three times before the canvas, then tucked it away. At that moment, the dog boy lying nearby rubbed his eyes and opened them.

"Xiucai, what are you howling about every day? You woke me up this morning. Even during your days practicing White Lotus martial arts, you never made such a racket."

Lü Xiucai looked at him with disdain. "After finishing one cultivation method, naturally you move on to the second. The techniques differ accordingly."

"Though you may show off those few items your master gave you, you'll never go further than this. You can only rely on external tools, never advancing a step more. I'm different—I grow stronger each day. Before long, I’ll surpass you!"

The dog boy waved his hand impatiently like swatting flies, turning away to lie back down and sleep again.

"Yi-yi~ Ah~~ Ah~ Ah~"

The discordant voices of Lü’s apprentices made the dog boy cover his head with a pillow in agony.

He couldn’t possibly fall asleep under such circumstances. Irritated, he sat up abruptly and walked toward the creek to wash up.

The weather was gradually warming. The water in the stream was refreshingly cool, comfortable to stand in.

When the dog boy returned slowly, Lü Ju Ren’s wife Luo Juanhua had already prepared breakfast: wild vegetable soup with steamed bread and pickled radish.

With his eyes half-closed, the dog boy sipped the soup alongside the pickled radish, shaking his head. “It’s far worse than a child’s cooking.”

Luo Juanhua didn’t indulge him. After living together for so long, she knew well the dog boy’s status in Niu Xin Village—he was nothing but a comic relief.

"Oh, Master Dog, if you don’t like our food, you can go back."

"Hey, do you think I want to be here? Brother Li hasn't returned for so long. If it weren’t for the village insisting someone go scout for news, would I have come out here enduring hardship? No oil or fat in the morning—how can we travel the whole day?"

"But didn’t you make good money performing in the pink opera? Why is all the income going to waste?"

While complaining, the dog boy drank from his bowl of soup.

Hearing this, Lü Yuanzhang suddenly produced a salted duck egg from nowhere. First, he poured the runny yolk into his three-year-old granddaughter’s bowl, then added the white to the dog boy’s bowl.

"Master Cao, please don’t leave us! In these chaotic times, the Lü family troupe depends on you and my son for protection. If you return, I won’t dare venture to the capital."

Upon hearing this, Lü Xiucai sprang up instantly. "Old bone! Who did you call a dog?"

Seeing them about to quarrel again, the dog boy reluctantly played peacemaker.

He merely spoke words of peace; if Gao Zhijian and Xiao Man knew he hadn’t even reached the capital but returned halfway, they’d surely curse him to death.

This modest breakfast ended amid noise and argument. Three carts of the Lü family troupe set off along the dirt road toward the capital.

"The capital! That’s the imperial city of Great Li. They say it’s the largest city in all the land. It must be far grander than Yinning City."

Luo Juanhua gazed dreamily. She had heard the name since childhood, though it remained just a legend.

Following her lead, the entire Lü troupe became lively, chattering excitedly about exaggerated tales they'd heard from peddlers about the capital.

As Lü Ju Ren walked silently with his daughter like an old yellow ox, he noticed his father approaching.

"Ju Ren, we’ve made quite a bit of money in Great Li. Once we reach the capital, let’s inquire about land prices. If we still owe little, we can borrow more from Old Daoist and buy a theater in the greatest city in the world!"

At the mention of "theater," Lü Yuanzhang’s eyes nearly glowed. For his entire life, he had lived for these two words alone.

A dream once unattainable, now finally within sight in Great Li.

"When the theater is built, we’ll move our ancestors’ graves here too. When that time comes, ah~ just thinking about it makes me happy."

Just as Lü Yuanzhang was lost in bliss, the dog boy came over. "Oh, so that’s why you agreed so readily back in Niu Xin Village—it wasn’t really about finding Brother Li."

"Cough... yes, I did look for him too. But I believe Old Daoist is mighty, no need to worry. Things that could stump him might not even be solvable by you."

At that moment, Li Huowang was a celestial figure in Lü Yuanzhang’s mind—a being destined for immortality, soon to ascend.

"Heh, who knows? Maybe he’ll fall ill again on the way?"

They chatted as they walked, but their energy didn’t last long. As the sun climbed higher, everyone grew too hot to speak.

Seeing a pond near the village entrance, they were delighted and rushed to wash faces or drink water.

"Dad, there’s finally a village. Let’s ask them for a stove. This sun is too fierce—we can’t cook outside," said Luo Juanhua, wiping her daughter’s face, complaining to Lü Yuanzhang.

Lü Yuanzhang nodded after thinking. "Hmm, don’t pay yet. First, see if there’s any business in the village. If so, we might save a meal."

Cooler now, they led the carts toward the village. It was a large place, many people carrying bowls emerged, pointing at the Lü troupe from their doors.

Lü Yuanzhang didn’t approach them directly but quietly observed the signs, knowing that to get a good meal, one must seek the richest families. Common villagers wouldn’t have spare cash for entertainment.

After wandering around, Lü Yuanzhang suddenly brightened. Inside a fence, someone was airing bunches of tobacco leaves.

He asked an elderly man sitting inside, holding a bamboo tube and smoking water pipe, "How much for your tobacco leaves? I need some, just enough to finish."

"What? So expensive! Sir, I don’t want you to cut or dry them. I handle it myself."

After persistent bargaining, Lü Yuanzhang finally bought a large bunch of fresh tobacco leaves for five copper coins.

"Hehe." Lü Yuanzhang chuckled joyfully, holding the leaves. With a pinch of chili leaves mixed in, they’d last him half a year if used sparingly.

"Dad! Dad! There seems to be movement over there—like drumbeats!"