Chapter 39
Chapter 39
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 39
>Chapter Title: Wild
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Li Huowang glanced at the few ingots of silver in Bai Lingmiao's hand before reaching into his robe and pulling out a piece of silver to stack on top.
Before Li Huowang could even open his mouth, Bai Lingmiao quickly cut in.
"That gold bracelet has already been melted down. I saw it with my own eyes. It's gone for good; we can't get it back."
Seeing Li Huowang standing there with his mouth agape, Bai Lingmiao grinned smugly, feeling like she'd won something. She cradled the silver in her hands and stuffed it into his arms.
"Don't worry. That bracelet was just something my mom gave me for protection anyway. It wasn't any kind of family heirloom."
With Bai Lingmiao putting it that way, Li Huowang didn't push back. He carefully counted out the silver and put it away.
"Once everything's settled, I'll buy you a bigger one."
"Mm! I'll be waiting!" Bai Lingmiao smiled and nodded.
Just then, the door suddenly swung open. Gouwa walked in from outside and froze at the sight of the two squatting in the corner. He promptly turned to leave.
"Wrong room. Terribly sorry. I'll be out of your hair."
Bai Lingmiao's face flushed red as she buried her head and rushed to the door, shoving him aside before bolting away.
Gouwa sauntered in with a grin.
"Senior Brother Li, sure, Junior Sister Bai's pale all over, but when it comes to taking a wife, looks don't matter—it's the temperament that counts. Don't let that put you off."
Li Huowang had no patience for his nonsense.
"Cut the crap. Wash up and get to bed. It's not every day we get actual beds."
In a hazy daze, Li Huowang found himself deep in an ancient forest. A faint light shimmered ahead through the mist. Puzzled, he hacked through the branches with his sword and headed toward the glow.
As he drew closer, Li Huowang saw that it was Bai Lingmiao and the others, gathered with his own mother and Yang Na around a campfire, roasting dried sweet potatoes.
The warm scene eased his tension instantly, and he started toward them.
But in a flash, the world twisted. Towering over a hundred zhang high, covered in feathers with three heads, Danyangzi loomed like a mountain.
"Hahaha! Good job, kid. You even brought the bait right to me."
With a terrifying laugh, the monstrous Danyangzi raised a stone pillar as long as he was tall and smashed it viciously down toward the campfire below.
"Wait!!" Drenched in cold sweat, Li Huowang bolted upright. He took several deep breaths before realizing with lingering dread that it had all just been a dream.
"Senior Brother Li, you're up? I got you some wontons. Eat 'em while they're hot." Gouwa pulled his head back in from the window, where he'd been watching the street.
"What time is it?" Li Huowang clutched his throbbing head as he sat at the table. The wontons in his bowl looked a lot like dumplings in broth.
"Just past chen hour. Sleeping in's fine. No rush to hit the road today."
Li Huowang scooped the wontons into his mouth with a ceramic spoon, polishing them off in short order.
"Who said we've got nothing today? Come on, let's go buy what we'll need for the road."
The earlier dream flashed through his mind, and Li Huowang spoke up again.
"I'll take the others for those supplies. You go ask Master Lv when we can leave—the sooner, the better. If he can't go yet, we'll head out ahead of them."
Li Huowang still had silver left over from the donkey cart, plus what Bai Lingmiao had chipped in. It was enough to stock up on essentials.
Bedding and mats were a must at minimum—no more huddling by the campfire at night with your back roasting and your chest freezing.
They could also get a pot, so they'd have hot meals on the road instead of gnawing dry rations day in, day out.
All the bits and pieces added up. By the time he rendezvoused with Lv Zhuangyuan at the city gate, they'd needed a second donkey cart.
"Hey, Daoist Master, you're something else. The farther we go, the more gear you're piling up. Give it another half year or so, and you'll be rolling in riches." Lv Zhuangyuan kept up the flattery even as he drove.
"Master Lv, how far is it from Jianye to Xijing?" Li Huowang asked, eyeing the broad dirt road ahead.
The wider road meant more people—not just their group and Lv's, but plenty of travelers with bundles on their backs, all seemingly bound for Xijing.
"Not far at all. Another ten or twenty days, and we're there." Lv Zhuangyuan's face broke into a grin, clearly thinking of something pleasant.
Li Huowang nodded and pressed on.
"About that monk temple you mentioned—aside from them being good at granting kids, what else do you know?"
"Pfft, a monk temple's a monk temple. What's to know? Don't all of 'em have a bunch of old monks leading a bunch of young ones in eating vegetarian and chanting sutras?"
Li Huowang let out a soft sigh. Looked like he'd have to check it out in person. Folks like Lv Zhuangyuan muddled through life without a clue about this stuff.
"Daoist Master, check it—there's a monk up ahead. The one pissing under that tree. Why not ask him? Might be from that temple."
"Oh?" Li Huowang looked up and sure enough, spotted a bald monk by the roadside.
As he approached, the figure in tattered monk robes shook himself off and turned around.
But seeing the man's face, Li Huowang's brow furrowed tight.
If you could even call him a monk—he looked more like an old beggar who'd shaved his head. He was as wretched as they come, his robe a patchwork of patches and tatters.
"Amitabha. You need something from me?" The filthy old man grinned wide, flashing his toothless gums and yellow stubs in a dopey smile.
"You... a monk?"
"Yep, monk here!" The old monk tugged at the string of fruit-pit beads around his neck, stating it proudly.
"May I ask, Master, which temple are you from?" Hesitation crept into Li Huowang's voice.
"Ain't got no temple. Headed north to find one. Heard they got plenty up there, and they feed ya. Figure I'll sign on as a monk."
Hearing that, Li Huowang had his suspicions confirmed. He gave the man a perfunctory nod and turned back to his group.
But while Li Huowang ignored the fake-monk beggar, the man stuck to them like a plaster.
"You headed to a monk temple too? Let's go together then. But ain't you a Daoist? Daoists don't believe in the Buddha, right?"
"This guy's not playing dumb to fool me, is he?" Li Huowang's guard went up as he slapped the donkey's rump and picked up the pace, treating the man like he didn't exist.
He might ignore him, but someone else didn't. The simple-minded Fool sensed nothing amiss.
"You didn't bring food. You'll starve!"
"How'm I gonna starve? Look at these woods—full of stuff. Wild fruits, mushrooms, greens."
"I... I ate wild fruits too! I also, I also—"
"Fool, don't talk to him!"
"Oh."
Once no one paid him mind, the old beggar wandered off bored. Li Huowang, who had been gripping his ritual bell tightly, finally relaxed.
Real idiot or not, in a place this eerie, better safe than sorry.
They followed the dirt road for an hour until the sun hung straight overhead. Seeing others squat to gnaw their dry rations, Li Huowang had his group do the same.
He was getting antsy, but safety in numbers.
Fresh steamed buns reached everyone's hands, paired with jars of pickled vegetables for their midday meal.
Li Huowang took Bai Lingmiao's water gourd and gulped some down before glancing back. He noticed someone missing.
"Hm? Where's the Fool?"
"Went into the woods to piss a bit ago. Still not back? Hope he didn't turn it into a shit halfway. Hey!! Fool!! You in there!!"
As Gouwa bellowed into the roadside woods, the Fool's dopey head poked out. His cheeks bulged like he was chewing something.
"What're you eating?" Li Huowang called out, puzzled.
"From the woods... wild... wild... wild white rice! No... no cost!" The Fool finished and ducked back into the trees.
(End of chapter)