CH 28

“Well, there’s no need to be afraid of such things. As long as you travel in a group, with more people, it’s better,” Lv Zhuangyuan shared his experience with Li Huowang.

“Oh? More people means more yang energy, so those things won’t dare to attack?” Li Huowang asked.

“No,” Lv Zhuangyuan put some new tobacco into his pipe and replied, “Those things can’t eat many people anyway. If you do encounter them, just run faster than anyone else. Instead of worrying about these things, we should be more concerned about bandits who rob and kill for silvers, and giant snakes in the woods that eat people.”

Li Huowang didn’t know what to say next. He couldn’t seem to chat with Lv Zhuangyuan.

“Come on, come on, the flour buns are ready. Eat them while they’re hot,” Luo Juanhua picked up several white flour buns skewered on branches and handed them to Li Huowang. The buns were browned from being grilled over fire.

Li Huowang took them over and handed them to the Taoist children on the side. 

These Taoist children were all picked up by him not long ago.

As soon as these guys saw that they could leave the Qingfeng Temple, they didn’t care about anything and rushed out without considering the future at all.

When Li Huowang met them on the way, they were almost starving to fainting.

They all come from Qingfeng Temple, and Li Huowang couldn’t ignore them either, so he took them all along the way.

Seeing something hot to eat, the others were no longer constrained. It was so late that they were indeed a bit hungry, so they grabbed food and ate them in large gulps.

Watching Plonker gobble up flour buns one after another, Lv Zhuangyuan showed an expression of distress. If he had known this earlier, he probably wouldn’t have been so generous.

Just then, Li Huowang asked, “Elder, do you have a map? Honestly speaking, we are not locals and we are a bit lost walking in these woods. We don’t know where we are.”

Yes, Li Huowang is lost. The woods all around looks exactly the same, and he can’t determine his direction. The others are also clueless.

They come from various places, and although they know where their homes are, they have no idea where they are now.

To avoid drawing attention, Dan Yang Tzu doesn’t seem to be looking for medicinal herbs nearby.

“What? A map? No, but I know all the roads around here. Just ask me where you want to go!”

“Well, we need to go to many places. See which one is closest,” Li Huowang said, pulling out a bunch of notes from his sleeve.

“What is this? What is written on it?” Lv Zhuangyuan pulled the notes away and struggled to read the words, his face covered in wrinkles.

Although his name is Zhuangyuan, even if he really was a Zhuangyuan, he wouldn’t have come out to sing opera.

Lv Zhuangyuan knew how to read, but not many words. With the help of Li Huowang’s translation, he finally understood all the addresses on the notes.

“Well, how come there’s even the Liang State here? Wasn’t this the state fought against with our Nanping State a few years ago?”

Lv Zhuangyuan squatted down and used his tobacco pipe to draw on the ground. Soon, a simple map appeared in front of Li Huowang.

If you had to describe the map he drew in one sentence, it would be like a pie that fell to the ground and shattered into pieces.

The Nanping State was located in the upper left corner of the pie-shaped map. As Li Huowang’s gaze moved from left to right, he saw states of all sizes crisscrossing each other.

“This looks a bit like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period in the past. There is no unity here,” Li Huowang thought to himself as he looked at the map on the ground.

（The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period was a time of political upheaval and fragmentation in China, which lasted from 891 to 979 AD.）

Li Huowang realized that he wasn’t just transported to an ancient dynasty, but to a more unique place.

“When we go to sing opera, we usually wander around the north of Nanping State. I’m very familiar with that area, but if we leave Nanping State, I lose my sense of direction. I’ve only heard that other states sing different types of operas than us,” Lv Zhuangyuan explained.

Listening to Lv Zhuangyuan’s words, Bai Lingmiao felt her heart tighten. Her family lived in Niuxin Mountain of Liang State, which sounded very far away from where they were.

Li Huowang keenly sensed her unease and gave her a reassuring look. “Don’t worry.”

“Little Taoist Master, there’s a Jianye Town on one of your notes, and it’s on our Lv Family Troupe’s way! How about we go to there together?” Lv Zhuangyuan suggested with a grin.

“Jianye Town? Whose is that?” Li Huowang searched through his notes.

“I come from Jianye Town, Senior Brother Li,” Zhao Fifth suddenly spoke up, “And there’s Escort Agency in the town. As long as we give them some silvers, they can deliver Nanping State’s notes for us.”

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang didn’t hesitate and stuffed the notes back into his pocket. “Okay then, Elder, we’ll rely on you to lead the way. Let’s go to Jianye Town together.”

Whether it was the map or other matters, relying solely on the words of this old troupe master was a bit difficult to believe.

Regardless of whether they were looking for the Black Ganoderma that can suppress hallucinations, or delivering notes, Li Huowang needed to go to a city or town which is a place where information flows and they needed to replenish their food supplies now.

If possible, Li Huowang also wants to find the so-called Famous and upright sects. In such a dangerous place, he can’t without enough  strength. He doesn’t want to be captured by another Dan Yang Tzu at will. 

Smiling, Lv Zhuangyuan repeatedly waved his hand and said, “You’re welcome, little Taoist Master.”

Although Lv Zhuangyuan said this, he was very happy in his heart. Having a master as a companion is like having a free Escort! After this trip, at least they have earned back the white flour buns and five salted duck eggs.

“Ha~” Plonker, who was beside them, let out a yawn. He had eaten enough and wanted to sleep.

Seeing that everyone looked tired, Lv Zhuangyuan stood up wisely and said, “Oh,I didn’t realize it’s so late. Little Taoist Master, you rest first,I’ll keep watch at night.”

“No need, I’ll keep watch tonight,” Li Huowang said, he is not really being polite, but rather having a sense of vigilance.

After traveling for such a long time, everyone was tired and eventually fell asleep around the warm campfire. Only Li Huowang and Lv Zhuangyuan remained silent, each immerse in their own thoughts.

The next morning, Li Huowang was awakened by Doggie who had been on watch during the second half of the night, “Senior Brother Li, the theatrical troupe is packing up.”

“Let’s go then,” Li Huowang stood up with his long sword and stone tablet on his back, leading the others to follow the theatrical troupe.

As they set off, both sides seemed somewhat restrained and no one spoke. They would occasionally steal glances at each other’s team and whisper something to their own companions.

However, this did not include Li Huowang and Lv Zhuangyuan who chatted happily all the way.

Li Huowang wanted to learn more about this world from Lv Zhuangyuan, while Lv Zhuangyuan was eager to build a closer relationship with Li Huowang. After all, flattery costs nothing, and there’s no harm in giving a few compliments.

“Little Taoist Master, you’re so talented at such a young age. Your future achievements are limitless!” Lv Zhuangyuan said.