Li Huowang looked at the six taels of silver in his hands, then stuffed them into his pocket without hesitation. He needed the money too much to decline.
"Well, Daoist Master, take your time eating. We'll go prepare ourselves. Tomorrow, we'll get back on the road," said Lu Zhuangyuan as he led his family away.
After feasting and drinking their fill, the Lu family finally went to rest. They were utterly exhausted after a sleepless and nerve-wracking night.
With the house now quiet, Li Huowang glanced at the large roast chicken still sitting on the table. After some thought, he turned to a servant. "Do you have anything I can use to pack this up?"
Before long, Li Huowang was leading a donkey out of Wuli Gang village. Behind the donkey was a cart loaded with sacks of grain.
Six taels of silver couldn't buy him a horse, but they were enough to buy an old donkey. At least now he wouldn't have to carry everything on his back.
When he reached the fields outside the village, he found the rest of his group still huddled in piles of hay. They had chosen not to enter the village, fearing that their peculiar appearances might frighten the villagers.
As Li Huowang approached, he saw them roasting sweet potato chips over an open flame.
He reached into the cart and pulled out the fragrant roast chicken. "Here, eat this."
Having survived for days on dry rations, the group couldn't hide their excitement as they rushed over.
The single chicken wasn't much when split among a dozen people, but they savored every morsel, carefully chewing even the bones before swallowing them.
"Brother Li, where did this chicken and donkey cart come from? Where did you go last night?" Bai Lingmiao asked as she held the chicken neck in her hands.
Li Huowang, reclining on the hay, briefly recounted the events of the previous night.
When Bai Lingmiao learned that the chicken had been obtained at great personal risk, she placed the neck back down. Her face filled with guilt as she crawled over to Li Huowang.
"Brother Li, I'm so sorry. It's our fault for being a burden to you. If it weren't for us, you wouldn't have to put yourself in danger like that."
Li Huowang opened his eyes and looked at the girl, whose eyes were still covered with blue cloth. "It's not your fault. That thing had already targeted us. Even without last night's events, we would've encountered it sooner or later."
Pausing briefly, he added, "And besides, who's to say who's really the burden here?"
He remembered the time in Qingfeng Temple when he had completely succumbed to his hallucinations.
After a moment of reflection, Li Huowang took Bai Lingmiao's hand in his own. She blushed and instinctively tried to pull back but hesitated and stopped herself.
After a few moments, Li Huowang reconsidered, closed his eyes, and released her hand.
But just as he let go, her soft hands reached out again, this time tightly gripping his.
The next morning, after a restful night, the two groups—Lu Zhuangyuan's opera troupe and Li Huowang's companions—resumed their journey. Their destination was Jianye Town, a bustling settlement and Li Huowang's first encounter with a large gathering of people in this world.
"Daoist Master, Wuli Gang is just a few days away from Jianye Town. If we stay on schedule, we should arrive in four or five days," Lu Zhuangyuan reported cheerfully.
Li Huowang turned to Zhao Wu, who was riding on the back of the group's strongman, nicknamed "the Fool." "Zhao Wu, we're almost home. Aren't you happy?"
Zhao Wu had previously mentioned that his home was in Jianye Town. Over time, Li Huowang had come to understand Zhao Wu better. Though his body was weak and crippled, his mind was sharp, only held back by his inability to read.
"Zhao Wu, since you're almost home, why don't you treat us to a nice meal at an inn?" Dog Wa teased.
But Zhao Wu's response was unexpected. With a bitter smile, he said, "What does it matter if I go home? I'm useless—can't carry things, can't lift anything. Staying home just makes me a burden."
His words cast a pall over the group. Most of them had some sort of ailment or deformity that made them outcasts. Even though they had escaped Qingfeng Temple, the world outside wasn't necessarily more welcoming.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Li Huowang turned back to Zhao Wu. "Who says you're useless? While we're traveling, I'll teach you alchemy. Learn as much as you can, and when you go back, you can work as a barefoot doctor. You won't go hungry."
Zhao Wu was stunned for a moment. Then, his face lit up with a mix of gratitude and excitement. "Brother Li, I don't want to learn alchemy. Can you teach me to read instead?"
Li Huowang raised an eyebrow. "Why bother learning to read? Isn't it more practical to learn some medical recipes and earn a living?"
While reading was obviously important, teaching a complete illiterate was no small task. It would take years of effort, and Li Huowang didn't understand Zhao Wu's insistence.
"It doesn't matter! I just want to learn! Even if I don't learn much, I'll take whatever I can get!"
Seeing Zhao Wu's determination, Li Huowang decided to indulge him. "Fool, put Zhao Wu on the donkey cart. I'll teach him to read while we travel."
Using simple words like "wood," "mouth," and "person," Li Huowang began teaching Zhao Wu basic literacy.
As he taught, Li Huowang noticed how quiet it had gotten. Looking up, he realized that everyone—including Lu Zhuangyuan and his troupe—had stopped what they were doing to watch and listen intently.
Their faces were filled with awe, as if they were witnessing something sacred.
"Um, Daoist Master..."
Lu Zhuangyuan shuffled over, holding two sticks of dried meat in one hand and dragging his youngest son with the other.
Before Li Huowang could respond, a cloud of dust rose behind them on the forest path.
A large horse soon appeared, carrying a plump young man who leapt off as soon as it stopped.
"Lu Zhuangyuan!" the young man cried. "I'm coming with you! I'm joining your troupe to watch opera every day!"
Lu Zhuangyuan clearly recognized him as someone from Wuli Gang. Bowing deeply, he greeted him. "Ah, Young Master Hu, where are you headed?"
"Nowhere! I'm going with you!"
Lu Zhuangyuan tried to dissuade him, but the boy wasn't having it. He pulled a solid gold longevity lock from his neck and forced it into Lu Zhuangyuan's hands.
"Don't worry, I'll pay for it!"
Before Lu Zhuangyuan could respond, the boy's father arrived, dragging him away after slapping him hard across the face.
"You want to become an opera singer? That's disgraceful!" the father shouted as he rode off with his son.
Lu Zhuangyuan stood frozen for a moment before turning back to Li Huowang, still holding the dried meat. But instead of speaking, he simply forced a smile, bowed, and shuffled away. For once, the always-glib Zhuangyuan seemed at a loss for words.