Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 36
>Chapter Title: Donkey Cart
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Chapter 36: Donkey Cart
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> Looking at the six taels of silver, Li Huowang didn't bother refusing. He tucked them into his robe—he really needed the money right now.
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> "Then, young Daoist, eat slowly. We'll go make preparations. We'll hit the road again tomorrow."
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> Full and satisfied, the Lv family was getting sleepy and headed back to catch up on rest. After all, they hadn't slept a wink the night before.
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> Once the Lv family left, Li Huowang was the only one left in the room. He stared at the roast chicken in front of him, bigger than his head, and after a moment's thought, turned to a servant nearby. "Got anything to pack this in?"
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> Not long after, Li Huowang led a donkey out of Five Mile Post. A flatbed cart trailed behind it, piled high with sacks of grain.
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> Six taels of silver wasn't much and needed to be stretched, but it wasn't enough for a horse—though an old donkey was within reach.
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> With this, at least they wouldn't have to lug their grain on their backs anymore.
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> When Li Huowang emerged, he saw the others still huddled in the rice straw piles in the fields.
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> They hadn't entered the village, clearly afraid their unusual appearances would scare the locals.
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> As he approached, Li Huowang saw they were roasting dried sweet potatoes over a fire.
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> Li Huowang reached into the cart and pulled out a piping-hot roast chicken. "Eat this instead."
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> After days of dry rations, the group couldn't hold back at the sight. They rushed over excitedly.
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> A dozen people dividing one chicken didn't leave much per person, but everyone gnawed at theirs with utmost seriousness. They even carefully crunched the bones into bits and swallowed them down.
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> "Senior Brother Li, where'd this chicken come from? And the donkey cart—where'd you go last night?" Bai Lingmiao asked, cradling the chicken neck in both hands.
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> Li Huowang sat on the rice straw pile with his eyes closed, giving a brief rundown of what had happened.
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> When she learned Li Huowang had risked his life for it, Bai Lingmiao set down her chicken neck. She crawled over beside him by sound and looked at him with heartache on her face.
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> "Senior Brother Li, I'm sorry. It's us burdens holding you back. Without us, you wouldn't have to push yourself so hard."
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> Li Huowang opened his eyes and looked at the girl before him, her eyes covered by a green cloth strip. "It has nothing to do with you all. That thing came to the Hu family ancestral hall, so it had its eyes on us long ago. Even without last night, we'd have run into it sooner or later."
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> "And besides..." Li Huowang paused as he spoke, recalling how he'd fully sunk into hallucinations back at Clear Wind Temple. "And besides, who ends up being the burden in the future... who knows?"
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> Li Huowang thought for a moment, then looked back at the girl in front of him. He reached out and took her hand.
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> Bai Lingmiao shyly pulled back a little, but quickly stopped.
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> A moment later, though, Li Huowang thought better of it. Lying back on the straw pile, he closed his eyes, turned his face away, and slowly released her hand.
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> But the instant he let go, those soft hands chased after his, gripping them tightly.
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> After a good night's rest, the two groups with different goals set off once more.
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> Their next destination was Jianye Town—the largest settlement Li Huowang would encounter in this world so far.
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> "Young Daoist, Five Mile Post isn't far from Jianye Town. At our pace, it'll take four or five days," Lv Zhuangyuan reported to Li Huowang.
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> Li Huowang turned to Zhao Wu, who was being carried on the Fool's back. "How about it? Almost home—excited?"
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> Zhao Wu had mentioned before that his home was in Jianye. After these past days, Li Huowang had gotten a basic sense of the man.
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> He felt Zhao Wu had a sharp mind—it was just that his physical limitations and illiteracy had kept his potential bottled up.
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> "Zhao Wu, you're almost home. Gotta treat your brothers to a meal at a tavern, right?" Gouwa teased from the side.
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> But Zhao Wu's reaction surprised everyone. A bitter smile crossed his face. "A cripple like me going home—what's the point? Can't lift a hand or shoulder a burden. I'd just be a rice bucket freeloading at home."
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> His words hung in the air, silencing the mood. He'd struck at the heart of every "medicine primer."
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> Everyone holed up in the Material Room—aside from Li Huowang—had some kind of issue. Even back in their old lives, they'd still be those feared or despised freaks.
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> Escaping death's shadow from Clear Wind Temple was great, but returning to a world of contempt and hostility wasn't anything to celebrate.
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> Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Li Huowang turned to Zhao Wu. "Who says you're a cripple? We've got some time—I'll teach you how to refine pills. Memorize what you can. You could be a barefoot doctor back home and not starve."
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> Zhao Wu froze at the news, then his face lit up with excitement, his eyes burning with desperate longing. "Senior Brother Li, I don't want to learn pill refining. Could you teach me to read instead?"
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> "Why learn to read? Learn a few more pill formulas, go home and practice medicine—you'd have a steady living." Li Huowang couldn't quite grasp these locals' emotions.
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> It wasn't that reading was useless—far from it. But teaching a total illiterate who couldn't even write his own name was a massive undertaking. It'd take years to get anywhere.
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> "No worries! Learn as much as you can, even if it's not much."
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> Though Li Huowang didn't get Zhao Wu's thirst for knowledge, if that's what he wanted, he could teach him.
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> "Fool, put Zhao Wu from your back onto the donkey cart. I'll teach him to read."
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> Since Zhao Wu knew nothing, Li Huowang started with simple wooden-mouthed pictographs for beginners.
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> As he taught, Li Huowang noticed how quiet it was around him. He looked up to find everyone—including the Lv family—listening intently.
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> Not just listening intently, but with awe on their faces. As if Li Huowang were performing some solemn, sacred rite.
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> "Heh heh heh, uh, young Daoist."
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> Grinning Lv Zhuangyuan approached, one hand holding two strips of cured meat, the other dragging his youngest son along.
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> Just as Li Huowang waited for him to speak, dust billowed up from the lane behind them.
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> Moments later, a horse reined to a stop before them. A chubby young boy jumped down.
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> Lv Zhuangyuan clearly knew him from Five Mile Post and quickly cupped his hands in greeting. "Oh my, Young Master Hu! Slow down there. Where you headed?"
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> "I'm not going anywhere! I'm coming with you to perform opera! That way I can listen every day!"
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> Young Master Hu's voice was boyishly high-pitched with excitement. Though burly, his voice hadn't changed yet.
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> "Oh dear, don't joke like that. Head on back—don't worry your grandpa."
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> "Don't worry, I'll pay for the shows!" He forced a gold longevity lock into Lv Zhuangyuan's hand.
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> Lv Zhuangyuan's face twisted in conflict as he clutched the gold, torn on what to do.
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> But soon, someone rode up from behind to bail him out.
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> "Dad! Don't drag me! I'm not going back! I want to watch opera!!"
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> "Slap~!" The resounding slap across Young Master Hu's face startled everyone. The boy's cheek swelled instantly.
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> "You're gonna be an actor?! You dare be an actor? How low can you get?! That's the lowest of the low-nine streams! If you dare shame the Hu family as an actor, I'll beat you to death myself!"
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> He snatched the raised longevity lock from Lv Zhuangyuan's hand, hoisted his son onto the horse, and galloped off with both mounts.
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> Once he was gone, Li Huowang looked back at Lv Zhuangyuan, waiting for whatever he'd been about to say.
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> Lv Zhuangyuan stood there awkwardly clutching the cured meat, mouth opening several times but no words coming out.
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> For the first time, the ever-slick old man was at a loss like a child.
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> In the end, he said nothing. He forced a smile, nodded at Li Huowang, and tugged his son toward their cart beside the road. His already hunched back stooped even lower.
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> (End of chapter)