Chapter 262
Chapter 262
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 262
>Chapter Title: Things
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Listening to Gouwa boast proudly nonstop, Lv Xiucai finally lost his patience. He slammed the bucket onto the ground and glared at him fiercely.
“This is nothing! Aren’t you just relying on your senior brother? As if that woman would even glance at you otherwise?”
“Hey! You nailed it! I am relying on my senior brother~! But you don’t have one~” Gouwa said with immense pride.
“What’s so great about that? I don’t even want it! Just wait till my dad buys the theater...”
Fuming, Lv Xiucai picked up the bucket again and walked into the house, his mouth pursed.
After finally escaping Qingqiu and traveling such a long, dusty road, Li Huowang could sense everyone’s exhaustion. He decided to let them rest here a few more days before moving on.
Conveniently, there was a theater troupe right nearby—perfect for some diversion.
Over these few days, Boss Lv went every single time, always shoving his way to the front row. The way he stared at the performers was like he wanted to swallow them whole.
At night, inside the spacious granary, Li Huowang sat on his bedding and studied Han Fu’s copper coin sword with intense focus.
From that infant’s mouth, Li Huowang knew this sword had impressive origins. It even had the power to slay evils.
During his clash with Han Fu, Li Huowang had seen how the coins on this sword could disperse. If he could truly master it, then at least for ranged attacks, he wouldn’t need to slice his fingers every time.
Truth be told, whenever danger struck, his go-to was still that highly taxing “Great Thousand Record.” Li Huowang had long wanted to replace this unhealthy means of self-defense.
It was just that he hadn’t found anyone to test it on him yet—temporarily unusable.
Li Huowang turned his head to eye his belongings nearby.
The torture kit forged by the blacksmith, the longsword he’d carried from Clear Wind Temple all this way, the Purple Tassel Sword from the nun master, and the gourd holding nineteen Yang Life Pills.
And finally, that utterly useless Heavenly Book.
Li Huowang’s gaze slowly swept over his possessions before settling on Danyangzi’s Heavenly Book.
He picked it up and inspected it inch by inch, occasionally pressing down with his fingers.
Yet in the end, he confirmed it was nothing more than a stone slab etched with inscriptions urging people toward goodness. Nothing else.
Li Huowang let out a sigh and tossed the hefty Heavenly Book to the floor. He couldn’t help but feel like he was losing his mind—hauling a damn rock for thousands of li.
“Maybe just chuck it?”
Li Huowang mulled it over before promptly scooping the stone back up.
“No, even if it’s useless for anything else, its hardness is decent enough. It should come in handy somehow.”
Glancing around, Li Huowang fixed his eyes on Gao Zhijian, who was playing with Mantou.
“Zhijian, come here. I’m giving you a breastplate.”
Soon enough, the stone slab—bound with chains—hung from Gao Zhijian’s chest. The chain, of course, was the one once used to restrain Li Huowang.
Gao Zhijian grew terribly nervous at having Senior Brother Li hang such a precious item on him. He reached up to take it off.
“Don’t. Leave it there from now on. It’s utterly pointless with me, but on you, it’s got some value.”
Li Huowang drew the Purple Tassel Sword and jabbed at Gao Zhijian’s chest a couple times, noting it left only a white mark.
But no matter how he looked at Gao Zhijian from left or right, something felt off. A lone stone slab on the chest was like an open-crotch toddler’s bellyband—barely covering anything vital.
“Isn’t Peng Longteng’s armor on the ox cart? Put it on and see.”
Li Huowang said to him.
The plates from that madwoman were quality goods—tough enough to block even his Purple Tassel Sword brimming with killing intent.
At Li Huowang’s words, though, Gao Zhijian shook his head and stammered,
“T-too... too heavy!”
“Who said to wear the whole set? Pick a few lighter pieces for your shoulders, neck—the key spots.”
Gao Zhijian scratched the back of his head and shuffled out toward the ox cart.
Soon, heavy silver armor plates blanketed Gao Zhijian’s frame. He flipped down the faceplate, shouldered the massive wolf-tooth club, and in an instant, a terrifying beast loomed before Li Huowang.
Li Huowang admired his handiwork and nodded in satisfaction.
“Let’s go! Test it out!”
Crisp metallic clashes soon rang out from the courtyard. To Li Huowang’s surprise, this geared-up Gao Zhijian could hold his own even against him—without invoking the “Great Thousand Record.”
Panting heavily, Li Huowang came to a halt and eyed Gao Zhijian.
“Not bad. From now on, gear up like this whenever trouble hits. It’ll definitely prove useful.”
The faceplate flipped up, revealing Gao Zhijian’s honest face. He nodded and reached back to scratch his head—only to graze the smooth helmet instead.
“Right, everyone else went to watch the show. How come you didn’t?”
Li Huowang sheathed his sword.
“N-no... no good!”
Drenched in his own sweat, Gao Zhijian stripped off the heavy layers. He went over to Mantou—squatting nearby—easily flipped her onto her back, and scratched her pale, fluffy belly with his thick fingers.
Delighted to have a playmate, Mantou lolled her tongue, wriggled her body, and kicked her legs wildly.
Li Huowang shook his head at the sight of man and dog, then carried his sword back inside.
He methodically slung the scattered gear onto himself, only to hesitate before the three swords arrayed in front of him.
One was the nun master’s Purple Tassel Sword, one Han Fu’s copper coin sword, and the last the keen blade from Senior Brother Changming back at Clear Wind Temple.
He wasn’t a smith, after all—and lugging three swords was far too cumbersome.
As Li Huowang wavered, Lv Xiucai burst in, a green leaf stuck in his hair.
Spotting Li Huowang alone, he dropped to his knees at once and delivered three resounding kowtows.
“Daoist! Take me as your disciple! Teach me your divine powers!”
“Hm?”
Li Huowang eyed him in confusion, unsure what had gotten into the boy. Driven mad by the theater?
“Quit kowtowing. I can’t teach you.”
Li Huowang meant it. Be it his dislocation trick or how to wield the “Great Thousand Record,” he couldn’t pass either on.
The only things he could teach were his half-baked pill refining or his expert torture skills—neither likely what the kid craved.
“Daoist, please teach me! If you don’t... I-I won’t get up!”
Lv Xiucai slammed his head down again.
“Kowtow all you like, then.”
Li Huowang turned away to reassess the three swords on the ground.
It was then that one-armed Chun Xiaoman entered from outside.
Li Huowang eyed the black-furred woman, thought for a moment, snatched up the longsword that had stuck with him longest, and tossed it straight to her.
(End of chapter)