Chapter 28: Lv Family Group

"Oh, there's no need to be afraid of such things. When traveling far, it's enough to stick together in a large group," Lu Zhuangyuan told Li Huowang, sharing his experience.

"Oh? The more people, the stronger the Yang energy, so those things won't dare to act?"

"Not at all!" Lu Zhuangyuan refilled his pipe with tobacco and continued smoking. "How many people can 'it' eat? If you truly encounter something, just run faster than everyone else. Instead of worrying about that, it's better to be wary of bandits who rob and kill for silver, or man-eating tigers in the forest."

For a moment, Li Huowang didn't know how to respond. It seemed he and Lu Zhuangyuan couldn't quite connect in conversation.

"Come, come, the steamed buns are roasted, eat them while they're hot." Luo Juanhua handed over several golden-brown steamed buns, skewered on tree branches.

Li Huowang took them and passed them to the young disciples nearby, who he had picked up along the way.

As soon as these guys realized they could leave Qingfeng Temple, they rushed out without a second thought, completely disregarding any future implications.

By the time Li Huowang encountered them on the road, they were almost starving.

As fellow disciples, Li Huowang couldn't just stand by and ignore them, so he brought them along.

Seeing the warm food, the others didn't hesitate. It was late, and they were indeed hungry, so they grabbed the food and ate heartily.

Lu Zhuangyuan's eye twitched as he watched the large simpleton devour the buns one after another. These were white flour buns, something he usually couldn't bear to eat himself. He regretted being so generous just now.

Just then, a remark from Li Huowang made him forget his heartache. "Elder, do you have a map? To be honest, we're not from around here, and we're a bit lost in this forest. We don't know where we are."

Indeed, Li Huowang had been lost earlier. With the forest looking the same everywhere, he couldn't determine his location, and asking the others yielded no results.

They hailed from all corners of the land and could describe their homes in great detail, but when asked where they currently were, none could say.

To avoid drawing attention, it seemed Dan Yangzi hadn't sought medicinal ingredients from nearby locations.

"What? A map? No, I don't have one. But I know all the roads here. Just ask me where you want to go!"

"Hmm, there are many places. Could you see which one is closest?" Li Huowang pulled out a stack of paper slips from his sleeve.

"What? What's written on these?" Lu Zhuangyuan held the slips at arm's length, his wrinkled face contorted as he struggled to read.

Although his name was Zhuangyuan, if he truly were a top scholar, he wouldn't be performing opera.

Lu Zhuangyuan was literate, but he didn't know many characters. With Li Huowang's translation, he finally understood all the addresses written on the slips.

After all, he had been an old troupe leader traveling the country for so many years. Setting other things aside, Lu Zhuangyuan was quite knowledgeable about geography.

However, knowing the locations didn't mean Li Huowang could easily get there.

"Well, well, how is there even Liang Kingdom? Didn't they just fight a war with our Qi Kingdom a few years ago?"

Lu Zhuangyuan squatted down and used the tip of his dry pipe to draw on the ground, presenting a simple map to Li Huowang.

If one were to describe the map he drew, it would be like a large pancake dropped on the ground, completely shattered.

Their current position was in the upper-left corner of the "pancake." Moving from left to right, various large and small states intertwined.

"This looks a bit like the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, with no great unification," Li Huowang thought to himself as he looked at the map on the ground.

Although he hadn't held out much hope, upon seeing this map, he finally confirmed that he hadn't merely traveled back to an ancient dynasty, but to a much more unique place.

"As for me, I usually just travel around the northern part of this region for performances. I know this area well, but once you cross into other kingdoms, I really can't tell one place from another. I've only heard that their operas are different from ours."

Bai Lingmiao, who was nearby, felt her heart tighten upon hearing this. Her home was in Niuxin Mountain, Liang Kingdom, which sounded very far away.

Li Huowang keenly sensed her unease and gave her a reassuring look. "Don't panic."

Lu Zhuangyuan looked at the dozen or so peculiar individuals in front of him, and the thoughts that had been suppressed by fear immediately became active again.

"Um, young Daoist priest, look, one of your slips mentions Jianye Town, and our Lu family troupe happens to be going that way!"

"Hehe, how about we travel together?"

"Jianye Town? Whose is this?" Li Huowang rummaged through the slips.

"Senior Brother Li, my home is in Jianye Town," Zhao Wu suddenly spoke from the side.

"Furthermore, there's a security company in town. If you give them silver, they can deliver your messages to Nanping."

Hearing this, Li Huowang didn't hesitate and put the slips back into his embrace. "All right then, Elder, we'll rely on you for directions on this journey. We'll travel together to Jianye."

Whether it was map information or anything else, relying solely on the old troupe leader's word was a bit hard to believe.

Regardless of finding the Black Grand Elder who could suppress his hallucinations, or delivering messages to others, he decided to first go to a town, a place where information flowed freely. Besides, their food was almost gone.

Moreover, if possible, Li Huowang also wanted to seek out the so-called renowned righteous sects.

In such a dangerous place, without strength, one truly wouldn't survive. Anyone could be easily trampled upon, and he certainly didn't want to be randomly captured by another Dan Yangzi.

The smiling Lu Zhuangyuan repeatedly waved his hand. "Oh, oh, oh, you're too kind, not at all."

Though he said this, Lu Zhuangyuan was inwardly delighted. Having such a master by his side was like having a free bodyguard!

This trip would at least recoup the cost of those white flour buns and five salted duck eggs.

"Haa~" The simpleton nearby let out a big yawn. He was full and wanted to sleep.

Seeing the others' eyes drooping, Lu Zhuangyuan discreetly stood up. "Before we knew it, we've talked until the second watch. Young Daoist priest, you all should rest. I'll stand guard."

"No need, I'll stand guard tonight," Li Huowang said. He wasn't being truly polite; it was simply a matter of caution.

After such a long day, everyone was tired. The two groups, with different objectives, fell into slumber around the warm campfire, while Li Huowang and Lu Zhuangyuan sat silently, looking at each other.

The next morning, Li Huowang was woken by Gouwa, who had been on guard in the latter half of the night. "Senior Brother Li, the opera troupe is packing their things."

"Let's go, we'll set off too." Li Huowang, carrying his long sword and stone tablet, stood up and led the others to follow the opera troupe.

As soon as they set off, both sides were noticeably reserved. No one spoke, occasionally stealing glances at each other, and whispering things to their companions.

However, this did not include Li Huowang and Lu Zhuangyuan, who were leading the way. They chatted very happily throughout the journey.

Li Huowang wanted to learn more about the place from Lu Zhuangyuan, while Lu Zhuangyuan was eager to get closer to such a distinguished person. After all, flattering words cost nothing, and there was no harm in saying a few extra.

"Oh my, young Daoist priest, to be so formidable at such a young age, your future achievements are immeasurable! Hahaha."