Chapter 267
Chapter 267
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 267
>Chapter Title: Powder Play
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Chapter 267: Powder Play
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> Hearing Bai Lingmiao's words, Li Huowang nodded.
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> "It's fine. Slow is slow. How many urns of ashes do we have left now?"
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> "Don't worry about these little things. Sister Xiaoman and I went to the escort agency. We've already asked the escorts to send back the last batch of our fellow disciples' urns."
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> Hearing this, Li Huowang felt a strange sense of relief.
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> "Bang bang bang!" The urgent pounding on the door interrupted their conversation. "Master, open the door quick! I really did it!"
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> Li Huowang set down the map in his hand and walked toward the door.
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> "Squeak~" The door opened, and Lv Xiucai stood outside, eyes wild with excitement and sporting two massive dark circles under them. In his hands, he held a copper coin—the one Li Huowang had taken off that copper coin sword for Lv Xiucai to practice with.
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> "Master, I really did it! That copper coin just moved!"
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> Without waiting for Li Huowang to respond, Lv Xiucai rushed into the room, placed the copper coin on the table, and began stomping his feet and pinching his fingers while chanting at it. "Om da ra bao zha na mu li!"
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> As he repeated the incantation over and over, Lv Xiucai's voice grew louder and louder, veins bulging on his forehead, looking like he was about to devour the copper coin whole.
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> After repeating it dozens of times, the copper coin finally trembled.
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> Drenched in sweat, Lv Xiucai saw this and excitedly looked toward Li Huowang at the door. "Master, see? I did it!"
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> Lv Xiucai then watched as Li Huowang walked over, glanced at him, then at the copper coin on the table, and spoke. "You did it? Then you don't feel anything uncomfortable in your body?"
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> "Nope! Feeling great! I've never been this happy in my whole life. I'm basically half an immortal now! Hahaha!"
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> Li Huowang eyed Lv Xiucai thoughtfully. "Looks like Han Fu's infant core didn't trick me, but this is just the beginning. Who knows if there are pitfalls later. Life's only once—better play it safe."
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> "Then keep practicing, don't stop. Head back for now, and tomorrow I'll teach you the next incantation."
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> Hearing this, Lv Xiucai nodded vigorously and turned to leave.
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> Li Huowang turned back, exchanged a smile with Bai Lingmiao, then walked over to close the door and lay back down on the bed.
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> "Xiucai looks a lot better." Bai Lingmiao whispered softly into Li Huowang's ear.
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> "Heh, better? I don't see it. He's a completely different person from before. I hope learning this technique gets him back to normal." With that, Li Huowang slowly closed his eyes, his breathing gradually steadying.
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> "Senior Brother Li, what have you been busy with these past few days?"
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> Hearing the voice beside his pillow, Li Huowang replied with his eyes closed. "Nothing much. Don't worry, we'll leave in a few days. Won't delay you getting home."
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> Just as he finished speaking, Li Huowang felt a pair of soft hands grasping his right hand. "Senior Brother Li, I'm not worried about going home. I'm worried about you."
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> "Worried about me? What's there to worry about? With Black Tai Sui, I'll never fall into hallucinations again. My crushed left eye from before—I can already sense some light. Give it a bit more time, and it'll grow back."
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> "And no one's chasing us anymore. I'm doing great—better than ever."
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> With his eyes closed, Li Huowang felt a light body pounce onto him, slender arms gently wrapping around his waist.
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> It was Bai Lingmiao. She knew him too well; she didn't believe a single word he'd just said.
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> Sensing her worry from her actions, Li Huowang let out a soft sigh, opened his eyes, and turned to look at the three differently shaped hallucinations beside him.
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> Li Huowang lightly patted Bai Lingmiao's back and said wistfully, "Don't worry. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. There'll be a way."
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> Days passed, and Li Huowang had scoured nearly every corner of this small county. Though he had a direction, he still found nothing.
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> Li Huowang, his body color concealed underground, sat on a wall watching the bustling street below.
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> Carriages and ox carts streamed by endlessly. An ox lifted its tail, dropping a steaming pile of dung that was soon snatched up by children with baskets.
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> After scrambling for the dung, they clustered by a pancake stall in groups of two or three, blissfully sniffing the aroma of frying oil.
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> Watching the lively, everyday scene, Li Huowang thought to himself, "Is it because this place is too small? Not even the tofu-loving county magistrate's house yielded any clues. Maybe a bigger place would help?"
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> "Can't stay here too long either. If nothing here, go elsewhere. As long as I keep searching, I'll find it eventually. Today's the last day."
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> Li Huowang pushed off the wall with one hand and leaped down, heading to the nearby teahouse.
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> That was the hub for the latest gossip—every bit of news in the county should pass through there.
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> Just as Li Huowang reached the teahouse door, a group of men in long robes burst out excitedly.
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> "Quick, a troupe doing powder play just arrived over there! Way more fun than the storytellers in this teahouse."
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> A theater troupe? Li Huowang's face showed a hint of hesitation. If he wasn't wrong, the only troupe in this county should be Lv Zhuangyuan's.
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> As he thought this, his body had already entered the teahouse. Inside, besides the storyteller and tea pourers chatting idly, it was empty.
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> "Heh, what's the point of asking around." Li Huowang turned and headed back to the inn.
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> But as he lifted his right foot, almost involuntarily, he followed the steps of those men from before.
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> He wanted to see just what kind of show Lv Zhuangyuan was putting on to draw everyone away from the teahouse.
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> The Lv family stage wasn't far, right at the base of the west city wall. Below it, a sea of people—cracking melon seeds, munching edamame, chatting idly, full of lively energy.
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> As Li Huowang drew near, up on the stage, Lv Juren—face painted in opera makeup—was reciting lines to his wife.
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> "Ai~ wu~ I don't want the finest, nor the lowest, I just want~ just want~ wu, I just want sister~ that one dot of red in my heart~"
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> Whoosh—a wave of laughter and catcalls erupted from below the stage.
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> "These lines don't seem right." Li Huowang looked puzzled at Lv Juren on stage.
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> As he thought this, Lv Xiucai on stage began singing along with the music.
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> "Reach out and touch sister's little nose tip~ a whiff of fragrance wafts out,"
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> "Reach out and touch sister's little mouth~ her eyes crinkle with a smile,"
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> "Reach out and touch sister's lower bits~ lower bits right up to her chest."
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> "Reach out and touch sister's ear~ floppy ears swinging like a swing."
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> It started off normal enough, but it got cruder and cruder, the laughter and hooting from below growing louder with each line.
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> At that moment, Li Huowang finally understood why they called this powder play, and why there were only men below the stage—not a single woman.
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> Facing off against other troupes' fancy skills, the old man had found a way to survive. Not bad for a veteran actor of decades.
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> With his curiosity satisfied, Li Huowang shook his head and turned to leave the lively stage.
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> But just as he was about to go, a snippet of low conversation nearby reached his ears.
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> "This is way more fun than the powder play in Pi County."
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> "Didn't they say there's a plague over there? You still dare go?"
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>(End of chapter)