Chapter 279: Cultivation Technique

That night, the magistrate of Pixian County enjoyed himself thoroughly and didn't wake up until late morning.

Upon learning that Li Huowang was leaving, he, still suffering from a hangover, brought his wife and children to see him off.

"Master, bon voyage! I will certainly report yesterday's events in detail to my superiors. I wish you a brilliant future and a smooth journey!"

Yang Hongzhi, smiling, continually bowed his hands towards Li Huowang, even though the wound on his chin was still bleeding.

Regardless of his true thoughts, his outward demeanor was absolutely faultless.

Hearing this, Gouwa in the crowd pursed his lips. Yang Hongzhi spoke well, but regarding Li Huowang's departure, he offered nothing more.

"Magistrate Yang, could you please issue a travel permit? My previous one was ruined by alcohol while drinking last night."

Through Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang learned that unlike other regions, the Great Liang Kingdom was vast, with numerous cities and even more regulations.

Small places were fine, but in some large cities, without a travel permit, one couldn't even gain entry.

Although such a small matter wouldn't stump Li Huowang, it wasn't worth having Bai Lingmiao climb walls every time for something so trivial.

"A travel permit? Of course!"

With the Pixian County matter resolved and his official position secured, issuing a few travel permits was a mere trifle.

The trouble was gone, so naturally he wanted to quickly send this "plague god" on his way.

As the local magistrate, Magistrate Yang clearly put on a good show for the people of Pixian, seeing them off for three or four li before reluctantly making his way back.

"Seeing them off so diligently, one might think he was seeing off his own father! Yet he didn't even provide us with some travel money," Xiucai spat fiercely onto the ground, saying with intense disgust.

*Smack!* A copper smoking pipe, trailing sparks, directly struck his mouth.

Li Huowang couldn't be bothered with the affairs of the Lu family father and son; his mind was entirely occupied with his conversation with the blade seller from last night.

He had finally taken the first step, but it had been incredibly difficult.

The other party had merely said they would go back and report, neither confirming nor denying, and he had no idea how they would respond.

To be on the safe side, he should prepare for two possibilities.

If they simply didn't agree, that would be acceptable; what he feared most was that this person might be an impersonator from the Zuowang Dao sect, which would be the most fatal outcome.

The monk beside him reached out and touched the copper coin mask on Li Huowang's face.

"Don't worry, it's fine. For the past few days, you haven't even taken this off when sleeping, so they won't discover you're a Xinsu."

"As long as they don't discover it, we'll have a way out."

Despite the monk's comfort, Li Huowang felt no peace of mind; merely relying on a mask to conceal his identity was far too risky.

He still needed to quickly find other ways to conceal his identity to ensure his safety.

The monk had indeed been right about one thing earlier: as long as others didn't discover he was a Xinsu, everything had a way out.

"However, the most important thing is strength. With enough strength, none of these will be problems."

A travel permit was not just a pass; it also represented a temporary identity. With it, Li Huowang and his companions could be considered half-citizens of the Great Liang Kingdom.

*Clang, clang, clang, clang* — accompanied by Gouwa continuously banging the gong, Lu Juren, dressed as a young scholar, pulled back the curtain, walked to the front of the stage, and began to sing.

This newly arranged opera was very enjoyable for the tenants below the stage, who eagerly threw grain and reward money onto the stage.

Furthermore, some older children picked up a straw basket of loaches and threw them onto the stage, startling Luo Juanhua, who was dressed as a beggar, and drawing bursts of laughter from the audience below.

By the somewhat muddy roadside, the smiling Lu Zhuangyuan was meticulously reconciling accounts with Zhao Wu, coin by coin.

Li Huowang, observing nearby, saw strings of copper coins already threaded next to Zhao Wu on the cart and couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

Since the Lu Family Troupe changed their performing style, they earned much more than before, and as the troupe's patron, half of those earnings belonged to him.

The Lu Family Troupe, if not a goose that lays golden eggs, could at least be considered a hen that lays double-yolk eggs, and these double-yolk eggs would continue to appear.

"Hey, Little Brother Zhao Wu, our accounts match up! We've earned money, so let's eat something good. Tonight, we're having loaches drilling through tofu!"

The loaches were readily available; what Lu Zhuangyuan considered "eating something good" merely meant going to the village to buy some tofu.

Having spent so much time together, Li Huowang already knew the other man's character. "Troupe Leader Lu," he asked, "why didn't I see Xiucai during the performance just now?"

As soon as he heard about his younger son, Lu Zhuangyuan's previously smiling face immediately fell.

"Him? Forget it. Even if that boy truly masters divine abilities, I'm afraid I can't expect him to care for me in my old age or bury me. In the future, we'll still have to rely on our Tong Sheng, won't we? My good grandson?"

Watching Lu Zhuangyuan playing with his grandson, Li Huowang walked towards a large rock in the distance, where Lu Xiucai was practicing.

As he drew closer, Li Huowang heard Xiucai chanting a spell: "Purple Qi, pure and bright, vast Qi of true origin, descend and respond, all existing in the void!"

The copper coins laid out side by side on the rock in front of him, with a *snap*, instantly stacked themselves.

As he suddenly stomped his foot, with another *snap*, the stacked copper coins instantly flipped over and separated.

After practicing for so long, Lu Xiucai, who couldn't read a single character, had truly learned it purely by rote memorization.

Seeing him, Li Huowang then understood how much Danyangzi must have suffered in the past to be able to cultivate to the extent he did before his death.

"Master!"

"You're practicing well. How have you been feeling recently?" Li Huowang asked, observing his demeanor as he spoke.

"Very well! Exceptionally well!"

Lu Xiucai, feeling that he had mastered divine abilities, had a radiant face and a booming voice; he was completely a different person from his former self.

Li Huowang felt a mix of disappointment and relief.

He was disappointed because it seemed his previous conjecture was somewhat off: compared to other sects, it appeared that the Luo Sect's cultivation method had not expelled the malevolence from Lu Xiucai.

And he was relieved because Lu Xiucai had cultivated to this point with surprisingly no ill effects, which proved that this cultivation method had not been tainted by the Nascent Soul, meaning he could also begin practicing it.

"It's good that you're practicing well, but why don't you go help your father with the opera?"

Hearing this, Lu Xiucai's face showed extreme disdain. "I am now a master with divine abilities," he scoffed, "how can I go back and associate with them, being part of the lower classes?"

Hearing this, Li Huowang couldn't help but frown. Honestly, the current Lu Xiucai was truly annoying; he hadn't even made his fortune yet and was already looking down on his father and elder brother.

However, he was destined to be disappointed. Han Fu's cultivation methods were designed to be used with a copper coin sword, and Lu Xiucai had only learned a method for controlling it. Without the sword, this method was utterly useless.