Chapter 147: After Shu

“Brother Li, we shall meet again!”

“Have a safe journey!”

“Take care!”

Under the enthusiastic welcome and send-off of the escort guards, Li Huowang and his companions departed from the Dragon Soaring Escort Agency.

As they gradually disappeared from view, Wang Chengxing’s smile slowly faded, and he looked at Escort Master Zhao beside him.

“Master, I wonder if you noticed the sword on that man’s back? That sword is extraordinary; it felt very imposing, full of killing intent.”

Zhao Qin, his brow slightly furrowed, nodded. “Nonsense, do I need you to tell me? Of course, I know. I know the origin of that sword; it’s General Zixiong’s personal sword.”

“What? General Zixiong’s personal sword? Why haven’t you done anything for the past half month?”

“Do? What am I supposed to do?” Zhao Qin turned his head to look at Wang Chengxing.

“Am I supposed to steal his sword, or inquire about its origin? Or perhaps secretly report him?”

Seeing Wang Chengxing had fallen silent, Zhao Qin continued, “Do you think I’m blind? Did I not notice this person’s peculiarities?”

“The red bamboo slip on his waist, the various iron implements on his hem, and that gourd. Not to mention those disabled people around him. But what does that have to do with me?”

“He acted and cured Fengxia. I helped him find sword techniques and vouched for him at his request. It’s enough that we maintain a civil relationship.”

“I also didn’t tell him about our past as ordinary soldiers, did I? This is called discretion.”

“Yes, yes, Master’s consideration is thorough; it was my rashness.”

After staying in the stable for half a month, the horses pulling the carriage were clearly tired of being cooped up. As soon as they exited the city gate, they excitedly broke into a run.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Zhao Wu, who was driving, shouted for a good while, and only then did the carriage slow down. He turned his head and asked Li Huowang, “Brother Li, where do we go now?”

“The border. Everything on the Siqi side is done,” Li Huowang said. “Let’s leave Siqi first, and this place is a bit chaotic. The sooner we reach Liang, the better.”

As soon as he mentioned this, his expression immediately showed some uneasiness. He turned his head to look at Bai Lingmiao beside him.

“Since there’s a war here, won’t there be conflict in Liang too? Then your family—”

Hearing this, without waiting for Bai Lingmiao to answer, Scholar Lu walked over, holding his pipe.

“Hey, Young Daoist, you’re worrying too much. That Liang country is as big as five Siqis combined. Moreover, the Emperor of Liang is very formidable; others respectfully call it the Great Liang Nation. If there’s a war, they’ll be the ones fighting others; no one would dare attack them.”

Only then did Li Huowang realize that compared to other countries, Liang was a large and powerful nation.

Evidently, Scholar Lu had done his homework regarding their destination.

Li Huowang nodded in understanding. This was good; as long as they reached Liang, they would have no more worries.

At this moment, Li Huowang keenly noticed that Scholar Lu was somewhat different. “Headman Lu, have you encountered a joyous occasion?”

Compared to the old man with a face full of wrinkles from before, he now looked several years younger. The smile on his face was irrepressible.

“Hehe, nothing, nothing, hehehe.” Scholar Lu tried to hold it back, but the joy on his face betrayed him.

Unable to contain his joy, he turned and climbed onto his own carriage. He came before Li Huowang, carrying a large cloth bag. “Come, come, have some eggs, have some eggs.”

Two eggs, dyed bright red, were placed in Li Huowang’s hand.

Not only Li Huowang, but everyone present received one. Giving out eggs for no apparent reason was quite unlike Scholar Lu’s usual stingy demeanor.

As soon as he received the red-shelled egg, Zhao Wu was the first to realize what it signified.

“Juren Lu? Is your wife expecting? Congratulations! May you soon have a son.”

Facing Zhao Wu’s congratulations, Juren Lu’s smile appeared very forced.

Scholar Lu, standing nearby, naturally took over the conversation.

“Did you see my daughter-in-law’s belly? How was it? It’s pointed, and she’s been especially fond of sour foods recently. This time, there’s no mistake; it’s definitely a grandson!”

Luo Juanhua, on the carriage, held her head high with pride. At this moment, she was like a victorious general returning from battle.

“Everyone come for the full-moon celebration then.” Scholar Lu grew happier the more he spoke, his eyes disappearing in his wide smile.

Li Huowang, eating his egg, shifted his gaze between the father and son, whose attitudes were completely different. He couldn’t shake the feeling that the egg he was eating had a strange underlying taste.

However, he wasn’t one for gossip. Too lazy to bother with others’ family affairs, Li Huowang climbed onto the carriage and began to look for the map.

“The name of the next country… next…” Li Huowang stared at the two utterly unfamiliar characters on the map, momentarily stunned.

He had previously thought that not knowing how to read wasn’t a big deal, but now it seemed to severely impact every aspect of his life.

With a light sigh, Li Huowang poked his head out of the carriage window. “Headman Lu, what’s the name of the next country we pass through on our way to Liang?”

“Hmm… I think it’s called Later Shu.”

“Later Shu?” Li Huowang murmured, looking at the circular pattern on the map in his hand.

“Headman Lu, do you know of any famous sects within Later Shu? Or dangerous evil spirits?”

“Hey, Young Daoist, isn’t asking me this a waste of breath? How would I have the ability to know such things? It’s already quite something that I know Later Shu is next to Siqi.”

Indeed, as an opera performer, Scholar Lu naturally couldn’t know the specific details of other countries.

“Do any of you know about Later Shu?” Li Huowang asked his fellow disciples. It was always better to learn more in advance about the places they would be passing through.

To Li Huowang’s disappointment, he received a unanimous shake of heads. It seemed none of them had been captured in Later Shu.

“Brother Li, I remember there was a young Daoist from Later Shu, but he drowned during that incident.”

Hearing Chun Xiaoman’s words, Li Huowang sighed lightly.

Now they could only take things one step at a time. Fortunately, things were much better than before. He no longer had the threat of Dan Yangzi, and he had gained much more self-preservation capability than when he first left Qingfeng Temple.

As soon as Li Huowang jumped down from the carriage, he saw Scholar Lu approach with a fawning smile.

“Oh dear, oh dear, my memory! Regarding Later Shu, I almost forgot. When I was young, I heard some things from my blind second uncle. My second uncle said that the people of Later Shu don’t listen to our operas. They seem to listen to… oh right, I remember now, they seem to enjoy watching Nuo opera.”

“Nuo opera?”

“Yes, isn’t the name strange? Nuo opera. My second uncle also said that Nuo opera doesn’t require stage makeup.”

“When they perform, they wrap the performer’s entire head in red cloth, and then wear various wooden masks to sing.”

Li Huowang stopped Scholar Lu, not allowing him to continue. Let them watch whatever opera they want; it has nothing to do with him. He wasn’t Scholar Lu, going there to steal their business.