Chapter 55: Healing

"Come, come, come, take a look! Are you satisfied with these items, Daoist priest?" Zhu Dexi said, pointing at the things on the ground.

A large pile of items lay haphazardly in front of Li Huowang. Most were rusty swords and knives, with various bottles and jars scattered beside them.

"What is all this? It's all rusty, just scrap metal," Dogwa said, squatting down and beginning to haggle.

"Don't just look at the rust; they can still be used if you polish them," Zhu Dexi explained. "If there were any divine weapons or sharp tools, they certainly wouldn't fall into my hands, would they?"

Li Huowang didn't pay attention to the swords and knives; instead, he focused his attention on the bottles and jars.

He half-squatted, picking up each one and examining it, only to find no writing on any of them.

"This Daoist priest certainly has a good eye; he spotted the good stuff right away."

As soon as Zhu Dexi squatted beside him, he recoiled two steps, repelled by the strong scent of blood from Li Huowang's clothes.

However, he wasn't afraid; instead, he became even more eager to please.

"Daoist priest, what you're holding is an excellent item," Zhu Dexi began. "This medicine is called 'Half-Step Collapse.' Just a tiny bit in water will make anyone collapse after taking only half a step. It's not expensive, only three taels of silver per bottle."

"Ah! You have excellent taste! This bottle is also a treasure! It's 'Crane's Peak Red.' Just a fingernail-sized amount can send someone directly to the underworld. Five taels per bottle!"

"Yes, yes, yes, this is an even greater treasure!" he exclaimed. "One pill taken, and I guarantee you'll last all night with two women! This was ordered by Second Master Liu of Wolf Head Mountain, and if you want it, I'll prioritize you, but you'll have to pay extra."

Li Huowang stood up, somewhat impatient. "How can everything be a treasure when it comes from your mouth? Alright, I'll take the first two items. Dogwa, get the money from the cart."

"Daoist priest, you're so generous!" Zhu Dexi said, smiling so broadly his eyes disappeared. "Are you really not taking it? How about I give you a discount? You might not need it now, but you might when you're older. You can never have too much of a good thing, especially something that helps with passing on the family line."

Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to respond. He turned to the others and said, "All of you, pick a weapon that suits you. Having something is better than nothing."

Hearing this, the other men, already eager to try, came forward, except for the two women, Bai Lingmiao and Xiaoman.

Li Huowang tucked the two bottles of medicine into his robe and said to Troupe Master Lu, who was watching from the side, "Troupe Master Lu, aren't you buying something for self-defense?"

Lu Zhuangyuan quickly shook his head. "No, I'm not carrying anything. If I don't have a weapon and bandits catch up to us, at worst we'll just lose our money. But if I carry a weapon and can't defeat them, then my life will be lost."

"Heh heh, Troupe Master Lu, you've thought this through thoroughly," Li Huowang chuckled. "Everyone has their own way of living." He then returned to the donkey cart and lay down again.

Once the gathered people dispersed, Dogwa and the others each had a weapon. Regardless of whether they knew how to use them, at least their deterrent power seemed several magnitudes higher than before.

As they excitedly brandished their knives and gestured at each other, Bai Lingmiao, holding a thimble and thread, walked over.

With a worried expression, Bai Lingmiao picked up a red thread and began to stitch up some of the tears in Li Huowang's Daoist robe.

"Senior Brother Li," she said, "all these haphazard items together have spent more than half of our silver. Now we only have five taels left."

"We'll be on the road for a long time; we still need these self-defense items," Li Huowang replied. It seemed Li Huowang, with his Daoist bell and ability to blood sacrifice and summon Dan Yangzi, wouldn't need such mundane items.

But to be honest, Li Huowang truly didn't trust himself.

He genuinely worried that one day the stabilizing effect of the Black Grand Emperor would disappear, and he would once again fall into an inescapable illusion.

If that were to happen, with no one to protect him nearby, he would truly be a lamb to the slaughter.

"Senior Brother Li, these swords and knives are only useful against bandits," Dogwa said regretfully, walking over with a knife on his shoulder. "If we could learn the divine powers of Dan Yangzi, then we truly wouldn't fear anything."

"You want to learn? Would others be willing to teach you? Besides..."

At this point, Li Huowang recalled Dan Yangzi using people to refine elixirs and Monk Zhengde's bizarre "cultivation" methods. "Furthermore," he continued, "even if they were willing to teach you, as an ordinary person, you might not dare to practice those divine powers."

Although he hadn't encountered much, Li Huowang had a premonition that the other factions in this world were probably not much better than Dan Yangzi.

Dogwa chuckled, nudging the one-armed man beside him with his elbow, and led him towards the nearby stream. "Come on," he said, "let's go find a rough stone in the water to sharpen our knives."

Just then, the tall, simple-minded man walked forward, blocking Li Huowang's light like a wall. "I... I... I..." he stammered.

"Stop stammering," Li Huowang cut him off. "You can't use swords and knives. Just stick to practicing with your cudgel; that thing will maximize your strength advantage." With that, Li Huowang lay down again.

This little interlude at the goods stand concluded, and the two groups continued their journey.

Days passed. Except for occasionally passing through small villages where the Lu Family Troupe would put on a play, they were usually just traveling.

Li Huowang's neck also slowly healed with time.

Standing by a water vat, Li Huowang tilted his chin up, looking at the scar on his neck reflected in the water.

"It's not bad," he murmured. "If I keep my head down, it's not so obvious."

As he spoke, Li Huowang turned to Bai Lingmiao beside him and gently rubbed the top of her head. "Why the long face? Has anything unpleasant happened recently?"

"Senior Brother Li," Bai Lingmiao said, calculating on her fingers, "between our food and the donkey's feed, we just replenished some provisions and fodder. Now we only have one tael of silver and three hundred forty-five copper coins left."

"That fast? It shouldn't be," Li Huowang remarked, walking out of the temporary farmhouse courtyard and heading towards the Lu Family Troupe's stage.

"It could have lasted longer," she explained, "but you made them practice with knives and spears. Everyone got exhausted and ate more. The simple-minded man, ever since he picked up that wooden cudgel, eats two *jin* of flour per meal! That's four *jin* a day for two meals!"

"But it's not just a fire poker," Li Huowang countered. "If we bought it, we have to practice with it. At the very least, they need to learn to chop and thrust."

Even simple chopping, practicing daily versus just watching from afar, is completely different.

When encountering enemies, and smearing poison on their blades, it would also be a threat not to be underestimated.

At this moment, Li Huowang looked at the others in the distance, helping the Lu Family Troupe dismantle their stage.

"But this way, we can only last another month at most," she continued. "Everyone will starve."

"No money... that's a problem," Li Huowang mused.

Li Huowang rubbed his chin, looking thoughtfully at the Lu Family Troupe. "They must have earned a lot along the way, right? Wouldn't robbing them all solve the problem?"

As this thought arose, Li Huowang was startled. Why would he think such a thing? Lu Zhuangyuan, while smooth, was an upright man. How could he even consider robbing him?

Li Huowang's previously decent mood was instantly clouded by a shadow.