Chapter 55: Heal

Chapter 55: Healing

"Come, come, take a look. Is the Daoist master pleased with these goods?" Zhu Dexi said, pointing at the spread on the ground. I.

A chaotic jumble of goods was spread before Li Huowang's eyes, mostly rusted swords and blades, alongside a scattering of bottles and jars.

"What is all this? Everything's rusted, just scrap iron and broken copper." Gouwa squatted down and immediately began to haggle.

"Don't mind the rust; a good sharpening will make them usable. If there were truly divine weapons and legendary blades, they wouldn't have ended up in my hands, now would they?"

Li Huowang paid no heed to the swords and blades, focusing his attention instead on the bottles and jars.

He half-squatted, picking them up one by one to inspect them, only to find that not a single character was written on any of them.

"This Daoist master truly knows his goods, spotting the treasures with a single glance."

Zhu Dexi had just squatted beside him when the stench of blood on Li Huowang's clothes drove him to shuffle two steps back.

Yet he was not deterred; instead, he grew even more solicitous.

"Daoist master, what you hold in your hand is a fine treasure. This poison is called Half-Step Fall. Just a tiny pinch in the water, and I guarantee anyone who drinks it will collapse after half a step. It's not expensive, only three taels of silver a bottle."

"Ah! What an eye! This bottle is equally precious! It's Red-Crowned Crane, just a fingernail's worth is enough to send a man straight to the underworld. Five taels a bottle."

"Yes, yes, yes, and this is an even greater treasure!! Swallow just one pill, and I guarantee you'll have the stamina for two women in a single night! This was ordered by Second Master Liu of Wolf Head Mountain, but if you want it, I'll give you priority, though you'll have to pay extra."

Li Huowang stood up with a hint of impatience. "Why is everything a treasure in your mouth? Enough, I'll take the first two. Gouwa, fetch the money from the cart."

"The Daoist master is generous!" Zhu Dexi smiled until his eyes disappeared into slits. "You really don't want the other? How about I give you a discount? You may not need it now while you're young, but you might when you're old. You can never have too much of a good thing, especially when it comes to carrying on the family line."

Li Huowang ignored him, turning his head to look at the others. "Each of you pick a weapon that feels right in the hand. Having one is better than having none."

Hearing this, the men, who had long been eager to try, stepped forward one after another, save for the two women, Bai Lingmiao and Xiaoman.

Li Huowang tucked the two bottles of poison into his robe and turned to Lü Zhuangyuan, who was watching the fun from the sidelines. "Troupe Master Lü, aren't you going to buy something to defend yourself?"

Lü Zhuangyuan shook his head hastily. "No, I won't. If I carry no weapons and the bandits catch up, the worst that happens is I lose my silver. But if I carry a weapon and can't win the fight, I'll lose my life."

"Heh, Troupe Master Lü thinks things through thoroughly. To each their own way of living, I suppose." Li Huowang returned to the donkey cart and lay back down.

As the gathered crowd dispersed, Gouwa and the others each had a weapon in hand. Regardless of whether they knew how to use them, their intimidating presence had increased by several orders of magnitude, at least in appearance.

Just as they were enthusiastically waving their blades and sparring with one another, Bai Lingmiao approached, a thimble and a threaded needle in her hand.

With a somewhat worried expression, Bai Lingmiao took the red thread and began stitching up the tears in Li Huowang's Daoist robe.

"Senior Brother Li, adding up all these miscellaneous purchases, we've spent more than half our silver. We only have five taels left now."

"We'll be on the road for a long time; we still need these things for self-defense." It seemed that with his Daoist bell and the ability to summon Danyangzi through blood sacrifice, Li Huowang had no use for such mundane items at all.

But to be honest, Li Huowang truly did not trust himself.

He genuinely feared that one day, the stabilizing effect of the Black Taisui would wear off, and he would once again plunge into inescapable hallucinations.

If that were to happen, with no one around to protect him, he would be nothing more than a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

"Senior Brother Li, these swords and blades are only useful against bandits. If we could learn the divine powers Danyangzi once had, we truly wouldn't have to fear anything," Gouwa said regretfully, carrying his blade over.

"You want to learn? Do you think others would be willing to teach? And besides..."

Speaking of this, Li Huowang recalled Danyangzi refining pills from human beings, and the bizarre cultivation methods of the monk Zhengde. "And besides, even if they were willing to teach you, as an ordinary person, you might not dare to practice those divine powers."

Although he had not come into contact with much, a premonition had formed in Li Huowang's mind: the other factions in this world were probably no better than Danyangzi.

Gouwa chuckled, nudging the naturally one-armed man beside him with his elbow, and led him toward the nearby stream. "Come on, let's go find a rough stone in the water to sharpen our blades."

At this moment, the tall, simple-minded man stepped forward, blocking the shadow over Li Huowang like a wall. "I... I... I..."

"Stop stuttering. You can't handle swords or blades. Just practice with your club; that thing will maximize your advantage in raw strength." With that, Li Huowang lay back down.

This minor interlude with the peddler thus came to an end, and the two groups continued on their journey.

Days passed one by one. Aside from occasionally passing through small villages where the Lü family troupe would put on a performance, they spent their time traveling.

The wound on Li Huowang's neck also slowly healed as time went by.

Standing by a water vat, Li Huowang tilted his chin up, looking at the reflection of the scar on his neck in the water.

"Not bad. If I keep my head down, it's not that noticeable."

As he spoke, Li Huowang turned to look at Bai Lingmiao beside him and rubbed the top of her fair head with his hand. "Why the long face? Has nothing unpleasant happened lately?"

"Senior Brother Li, what with people eating and donkeys chewing, we just restocked some grain and donkey feed. We only have one tael of silver and three hundred and forty-five copper coins left now," Bai Lingmiao said, counting on her fingers.

"So fast? That shouldn't be." Li Huowang walked out of the farmhouse courtyard where they were temporarily staying and headed toward the Lü family troupe's stage.

"It could have lasted longer, but you made them practice with swords and spears. Everyone is exhausted and eating much more. Ever since the fool got that wooden club, he eats two jin of flour in a single meal! That's four jin a day for two meals!!"

"But it's not just a fire poker; if you buy it, you have to practice with it. If nothing else, they at least need to learn how to chop and thrust."

Even with simple chopping, practicing every day makes a world of difference compared to just carrying it on your back and looking at it.

When facing enemies, smearing poison on their blades would make them a threat not to be underestimated.

At this moment, Li Huowang watched the others in the distance, helping the Lü family troupe dismantle the stage.

"But at this rate, we can only hold out for another month at most before everyone goes hungry."

"No money... that's a problem."

Li Huowang stroked his chin, looking at the Lü family troupe thoughtfully. "They must have made quite a bit of money on this journey, right? Wouldn't the problem be solved if we just robbed them all?"

As soon as this thought arose, Li Huowang was taken aback. Why would he think such a thing? Lü Zhuangyuan, if nothing else, was smooth-talking but upright; how could he even think of robbing him?

Li Huowang's previously good mood was instantly cast under a shadow.

(End of Chapter)