Chapter 79: Market

Chapter 79: The Market

"From now on, your name shall be Gao Zhijian," Li Huowang said to the simpleton standing before him, shouldering a wooden staff.

"I... I... I-I..."

Li Huowang reached out and pressed down the thick finger pointing at his own chest.

"No more 'I's. Remember this: you are no longer called Simpleton. This is your formal name now, Gao Zhijian, do you hear me?"

"Don't you know how to read? Break off a twig and write it in the dirt over and over until you've memorized it completely."

"Oh..." Devoid of any say in his own name, the simpleton turned and trudged dejectedly toward the woods.

Watching his towering back, Li Huowang let out a soft sigh.

"No matter what. Since I promised to give him a name, I must keep my word; consider it a gift for his resurrection."

In truth, Li Huowang had long wanted to name the simpleton, for calling him Simpleton back and forth was truly unpleasant to the ear.

Yet ever since leaving Reed Island, he had never settled on a fitting name, which was why it had dragged on until now.

The simpleton lacked wisdom, so Li Huowang named him Gao Zhi, hoping the fellow might make up for it through his name.

As for the final character, Jian, it was Li Huowang's expectation, hoping he would persevere in the face of his tragic life.

"Senior Brother Li! Senior Brother Li! Give me one too! Calling him Simpleton is ugly, but calling me Gouwa isn't much better."

Frowning slightly, Li Huowang turned to look at the shifty-eyed young man beside him.

"His mind doesn't work well, but is yours broken too? You're a grown man, can't you even pick a name for yourself?"

Saying this, Li Huowang walked toward the bonfire, but Gouwa trailed right behind him, relentless.

"Oh, Senior Brother Li, it's just that you know how to read, so your naming skills must be far better than mine, a mere cowherd."

"I'm not greedy, just give me a name with great prestige, the bigger and grander the better."

Li Huowang chuckled. "Heh, you want a prestigious name? How about Cao Cao? Think you can handle that?"

Gouwa clearly didn't grasp Li Huowang's meaning; clapping his hands in excitement, he leaped high into the air.

"Great! Cao Cao is a wonderful name, it sounds so auspicious! From now on, I'm Cao Cao!"

Before Li Huowang could say another word, Gouwa darted like a wisp of smoke into the crowd, excitedly announcing his new name to them.

Naturally, the others didn't understand the meaning behind the name and all stood up to offer their congratulations.

Watching this farcical scene before him, Li Huowang shook his head in speechless resignation.

Looking up at the gradually brightening sky, Li Huowang spoke up: "Stop dawdling, let's keep moving. We'll try to reach the town today."

"Once we're in town, we'll have a proper feast. You've all had your fill of wild greens by now, haven't you?"

This sentence instantly roused everyone's spirits, making them swallow repeatedly.

Earlier, their dry rations had fallen into the water along with the donkey cart.

They had plenty of gold, but in this desolate stretch with no village ahead or inn behind, no one was around to sell them grain.

Without grain, they could only eat wild greens like the old monk; the journey had left their faces sallow, and sometimes they couldn't even get their fill of greens.

The collectively emaciated medicine lures pressed forward with great strides, driven by their craving for food.

Perhaps spurred by the promise of a meal ahead, they covered half a day's journey in just two hours.

Nestled at the foot of a towering, cloud-shrouded peak lay a bustling little town.

The town was perhaps overly bustling; as Li Huowang and the others squeezed in, they could barely find a foothold.

Tilting his head slightly to dodge a protruding carrying pole, he quickly lifted his right foot to avoid stepping in chicken droppings.

Li Huowang pressed forward through the thick, clamorous hawking sounds surrounding him.

"Is this place really that special? Why are there so many people?"

The already narrow stone-paved road was now crowded with squatting vendors and buyers, loudly haggling.

There were those selling their own woven bamboo baskets, wild game hunted from the mountains, and homegrown vegetables.

Sellers of chickens, sellers of dogs, and even sellers of saplings.

The chatter of these vendors and buyers buzzed loudly, making Li Huowang feel as if a thousand flies were swarming around him.

"Senior Brother Li, I know about Cao Cao! Today is the first day of the lunar month, the grand market, so folks from all the surrounding villages have come to trade," Gouwa explained from the side.

Li Huowang nodded in understanding; he had nearly forgotten that the locals held grand markets.

On the first and fifteenth of every month, people would spontaneously gather in one place to form a market for mutual trade.

Watching the lively crowd, Li Huowang suddenly felt an urge to ring that bell, just to see how many wandering lords had come to this grand market.

But it was merely a fleeting thought; he was no longer a child, and there were more important matters to attend to now.

Li Huowang's gaze gradually rose, sweeping past the dense crowd and the distant buildings, finally settling on a towering peak.

This was Mount Henghua, and the nunnery on this mountain was Li Huowang's destination; perhaps they could resolve the issue of Danyang Zi, who was gradually eroding his body.

Just as Li Huowang was about to step forward, he saw the others all stop simultaneously in front of a stall.

They stared fixedly at the items displayed there, the simpleton's drool hanging long from the corner of his mouth.

"What is this?" Li Huowang walked over and tapped the scorched yellow round cake, catching the scent of wheat.

"Senior Brother Li, this is guokui, it's edible."

Bai Lingmiao tried hard to suppress the urge to swallow, but ultimately failed.

Seeing their eager, longing expressions, Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow; after all, they were all a pitiful lot.

Li Huowang pulled some gold jewelry from the simpleton's bundle and, with his iron-slicing sharp sword, swiftly cut it into small gold beans.

"Buy, go buy everything! We have money now, buy whatever you want from this market!"

He placed handfuls of gold beans into the hands of everyone except Gao Zhijian.

Everyone was instantly flushed with excitement, unable to contain themselves.

Watching the suddenly wealthy medicine lures rush to the surrounding stalls to buy all sorts of things they needed or didn't need.

Li Huowang glanced at Gao Zhijian, who was gnawing on a guokui beside him, and said, "Come with me. Since we have money now, it's time to upgrade our transport."

Before long, two brand-new horse-drawn carriages appeared beside Li Huowang.

The horses were tall, robust, and highly intelligent; with just a light pull on the reins, they would follow steadily without running astray.

This was a far cry from the two sickly, stubborn old donkeys they had before.

When the others finished shopping and gathered near the carriages, Li Huowang noticed that their clothes and shoes had all been changed to new ones.

They also carried various foods in their arms, and Bai Lingmiao was no exception.

Joy radiated from everyone's faces, and one could easily imagine just how truly happy they were at that moment.

(End of Chapter)