"Ah, you can't be too scared about things like this. When traveling far, just stick together in a group with more people," said Lyu Zhuangyuan, sharing his travel experience with Li Huowang.
"Oh? So as long as there are more people with strong yang energy, those things wouldn't dare to attack?" asked Li Huowang.
"Where'd you get that idea!" Lyu Zhuangyuan replied while stuffing more tobacco into his pipe. "It's just, how many people can it eat? If you ever run into one, just run faster than the others. Worrying about these things is pointless; better worry about bandits who rob and kill for money or those tigers in the forest that eat people."
Li Huowang found himself at a loss for words. It seemed like he and this man were speaking entirely different languages.
"Come on, come on, the steamed buns are done! Eat them while they're hot." Luo Juanhua, the daughter-in-law of Lyu Zhuangyuan, handed out freshly roasted white buns, strung together on sticks, golden brown and crispy from the fire.
Li Huowang accepted one and handed it to a boy from the group of children he had picked up along the way.
These kids, who had been under the control of Qingfeng Temple, had run out blindly the moment they were free. They hadn't thought about what they'd eat or drink later on.
When Li Huowang encountered them again on the road, they were already on the verge of starving.
Having shared their past, Li Huowang couldn't just leave them to die, so he brought them along.
When they saw the hot food, none of them were shy. Grabbing the buns, they devoured them ravenously.
Watching the burly man among them wolf down one bun after another, Lyu Zhuangyuan's eye twitched. These weren't just any buns—they were white flour buns! He rarely allowed himself the luxury of eating them. If he had known earlier, he wouldn't have been so generous.
At that moment, a single sentence from Li Huowang distracted Lyu Zhuangyuan from his heartache. "Elder, do you have a map? To be honest, we're not from around here. We've been wandering through this forest without knowing where we are."
Indeed, Li Huowang and his group were completely lost. The forest all looked the same, and he had no sense of direction. Asking the others yielded nothing useful either.
Everyone came from different parts of the world. They could describe their own homes clearly, but when asked where they were now, none of them had an answer.
Judging by this, it seemed that Danyangzi hadn't chosen his victims based solely on proximity but from farther afield to avoid suspicion.
"Map? I don't have one, but I know all the roads around here! Where are you trying to go? Just ask me!"
"Hmm, many places. Take a look and see which one's the closest." Li Huowang pulled a pile of paper slips from his sleeve.
"What's all this? What's written here?" Lyu Zhuangyuan squinted, his wrinkled face scrunching up as he held the papers at arm's length, struggling to read them.
Though he was called "Zhuangyuan" (top scholar), he was far from an actual scholar. If he had been, he wouldn't have ended up performing in a traveling opera troupe.
While Lyu Zhuangyuan could read a little, he wasn't very literate. With Li Huowang translating for him, he finally understood the addresses written on the papers.
Being a seasoned performer who had traveled widely, Lyu Zhuangyuan at least had some geographical knowledge.
But even knowing where these places were didn't mean they were anywhere near.
"My goodness, there's even someone from Liang Kingdom? Wasn't that the place fighting us in Qi Kingdom just a few years ago?"
Crouching down, Lyu Zhuangyuan used the metal tip of his smoking pipe to draw a crude map on the ground—a simple representation of the world he knew.
If one were to describe it, the map looked like a piece of dough that had been thrown to the ground and smashed into random pieces.
Currently, they were in the northwest corner of the "dough." From west to east, various small and large kingdoms were interspersed with each other.
Author's Note: This scene reflects the fragmented political situation in the story's setting, where numerous small kingdoms coexist, somewhat resembling China's Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The lack of a unified nation adds tension and instability to the world the characters navigate.
Looking at the map, Li Huowang finally confirmed something he had long suspected: he wasn't in any historical dynasty from his own world but in a completely foreign and unique land.
"I've only ever performed in this northern region," Lyu Zhuangyuan said, pointing at the upper section of his crude map. "I'm familiar with this area, but once you leave the kingdom, I wouldn't know. I've only heard that their opera styles are different from ours."
Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao, who had been quietly listening, suddenly stiffened. Her family home was in the Niu Xin Mountain of Liang Kingdom, which seemed to be very far away from here.
Li Huowang noticed her unease and gave her a reassuring look. "Don't worry."
Lyu Zhuangyuan's calculating mind began to churn as he observed this peculiar group of a dozen people. His fear from earlier gave way to a sense of opportunity.
"Uh, little Daoist, about that... I saw one of your papers mentions Jianye Town. Coincidentally, my Lyu Troupe is heading there too!"
"How about we travel together?"
"Jianye Town? Whose address is that?" Li Huowang rifled through the papers.
"Li Senior Brother, my family's in Jianye Town," Zhao Wu, one of the group, suddenly spoke up.
"And there's even a security bureau there. If you pay them, they'll deliver letters and goods as far as Nanping."
Hearing this, Li Huowang didn't hesitate. He stuffed the papers back into his sleeve. "Alright then, elder. We'll be relying on you to guide us. Let's travel together to Jianye."
While he wasn't entirely convinced by Lyu Zhuangyuan's words, the idea of heading to a town—a hub for communication and resources—was appealing. They were running out of food, and the journey would also give him a chance to learn more about the world.
Moreover, he hoped to find a so-called "righteous sect" in town. A place this dangerous demanded real skills and power to survive. He didn't want to end up as someone else's experiment, like he had with Danyangzi.
Lyu Zhuangyuan clasped his hands together repeatedly, grinning. "Oh, there's no need for such formality. It's no trouble at all!"
Though he spoke humbly, he was inwardly overjoyed. Traveling with such a skilled Daoist was like having a free bodyguard. By the end of this trip, he'd have made up for the cost of those white buns and eggs.
Yawning loudly, the tall, simple-minded "fool" among the group started nodding off.
Seeing everyone's drowsiness, Lyu Zhuangyuan took the hint and stood up. "It's getting late, nearly midnight already. Little Daoist, you should rest. I'll take the first watch."
"No need. I'll keep watch tonight," Li Huowang replied. It wasn't courtesy but caution. Trust was a luxury he couldn't afford just yet.
By the warm glow of the campfire, the two distinct groups eventually drifted to sleep, leaving Li Huowang and Lyu Zhuangyuan sitting silently, occasionally exchanging glances.
The next morning, Li Huowang was awakened by Gouwa. "Senior Brother Li, the troupe is packing up."
"Alright, let's move out." Hoisting his sword and the stone tablet onto his back, Li Huowang led his group to join the troupe.
At first, both groups were visibly wary of each other, exchanging only stolen glances and whispers.
But this didn't include their leaders. On the road, Li Huowang and Lyu Zhuangyuan chatted cheerfully.
Li Huowang sought to glean as much information about the world as possible, while Lyu Zhuangyuan was eager to curry favor with this "highly skilled Daoist." After all, flattery cost nothing.
"Oh my, young Daoist, you're so talented at such a young age. Your future is boundless! Hahaha!"