Chapter 79: Market

"From now on, your name is Gao Zhijian," Li Huowang said to the simpleton standing before him, who was carrying a wooden stick.

"I... I... I..."

Li Huowang reached out and pressed down the man's thick finger, which had been pointing at his own chest.

"Stop saying 'I'. Remember, you're not called Simpleton anymore. From now on, your proper name is Gao Zhijian, understand?"

"Don't you know how to read? Break off a twig and write it on the ground several times until you've completely memorized it."

"Oh..." The simpleton, having no say in his own name, turned dejectedly and walked towards the forest.

Li Huowang sighed softly as he watched the man's tall figure walk away.

"No matter what. Since I said I'd give him a name, I should naturally keep my word. Let's consider it a gift for his resurrection."

Actually, Li Huowang had long wanted to name the simpleton. After all, constantly calling him "Simpleton" sounded unpleasant. However, after leaving Reed Island, he hadn't thought of a suitable name, which is why it took until now to choose one.

The simpleton lacked intelligence, so Li Huowang named him Gao Zhi, hoping he could gain some wisdom from the name itself. As for 'jian' (坚), it represented Li Huowang's hope that he would persevere through his tragic life.

"Senior Brother Li! Senior Brother Li! Give me a name too! Calling him 'Simpleton' is unpleasant, and 'Doggy' doesn't sound any better for me."

Li Huowang, with a slight frown, turned to look at the shifty-eyed young man beside him.

"His mind isn't working well, but is yours not working either? You're a grown man; can't you pick a name for yourself?"

With that, Li Huowang walked towards the bonfire, but Doggy relentlessly followed him.

"Oh, Senior Brother Li, you can read, can't you? Your naming skills are definitely better than a cowherd like me."

"I'm not greedy; just give me a famous name, the more renowned, the better."

Li Huowang chuckled. "Ha, you want a famous name? What about Cao Cao? Can you handle that?"

Doggy clearly didn't understand Li Huowang's meaning, but excitedly clapped his hands and jumped high into the air.

"Great! Cao Cao is a good name; it sounds auspicious! From now on, I'm Cao Cao!"

Before Li Huowang could say anything more, Doggy darted into the crowd, excitedly announcing his new name to everyone. The others, naturally, didn't understand the meaning behind the name and congratulated him one after another.

Li Huowang shook his head, speechless, at the comical scene unfolding before him. Looking up at the gradually brightening sky, Li Huowang said, "Stop dawdling. Let's keep going. We'll try to reach the town today."

"Once we're there, we'll have a proper meal. You've had enough wild vegetables these past few days, haven't you?"

This sentence instantly lifted everyone's spirits, and they swallowed continuously.

Earlier, their dried food and the donkey cart had fallen into the water. They had plenty of gold, but in a place with no villages or inns nearby, no one would sell them food. Without food, they could only eat wild vegetables like the old monk. Along the way, eating wild vegetables had made their faces turn pale, and sometimes they couldn't even eat their fill.

The 'medicine guides', all noticeably thinner from hunger, strode forward eagerly, driven by the desire for food. Perhaps spurred on by the promise of food, they covered half a day's journey in just two hours.

At the foot of a tall, mist-shrouded mountain lay a bustling small town. The town was even a bit too bustling; Li Huowang and the others struggled to find a place to stand when they squeezed in. He slightly tilted his head to avoid a horizontally held carrying pole, then quickly lifted his right foot to avoid stepping in chicken droppings on the ground.

Li Huowang pushed his way inward, enduring the incessant hawking all around him. "Is this some kind of special place? Why are there so many people?"

The already narrow stone-paved road was now crowded with vendors and buyers, loudly haggling over prices. There were those selling handmade bamboo baskets, wild game caught in the mountains, and home-grown vegetables. There were sellers of chickens, sellers of dogs, and even sellers of tree saplings. The vendors and buyers were all buzzing with conversation, making Li Huowang feel as if a thousand flies were swirling around him.

"Senior Brother Li, I know why!" Doggy explained from the side. "It's the first day of the lunar month, which means it's a big market day, so people from all over are here."

Li Huowang nodded in understanding. He had almost forgotten that people here held big market days. On the first and fifteenth day of each lunar month, people would spontaneously gather in one place to form a market for trade.

Watching the bustling crowd, Li Huowang suddenly felt an impulse. He wanted to ring that bell and see how many "wandering masters" were at this big market. But it was just a thought; he wasn't a child anymore and had more important things to do.

Li Huowang's gaze slowly lifted, passing over the dense crowd and distant buildings, finally settling on a tall mountain peak. This was Mount Henghua, and the nunnery on it was Li Huowang's destination. Perhaps they could help him deal with the Danyangzi that was gradually corroding his body.

Just as Li Huowang was about to move forward, he saw everyone else stop simultaneously in front of a stall. They stared intently at the items displayed, and drool stretched long from the simpleton's mouth.

"What is this?" Li Huowang walked over, tapped the golden-brown round cake, and smelled a faint scent of wheat.

"Senior Brother Li, this is *guokui*; it's edible."

Bai Lingmiao tried hard to suppress her swallowing, but ultimately failed. Seeing their eager expressions, Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. After all, these were truly a pitiful group of people.

Li Huowang took out some gold jewelry from the simpleton's bundle and quickly cut it into small gold pellets using his longsword, which could cut iron like mud. "Go buy, everyone! We have money now. Buy whatever you want from this market!"

He placed handfuls of gold pellets into the hands of everyone except Gao Zhijian. Everyone instantly flushed with excitement, unable to contain themselves.

Watching the newly rich 'medicine guides' rush to the surrounding stalls and buy all sorts of things, whether useful or not, Li Huowang turned to Gao Zhijian, who was beside him, munching on *guokui*, and said, "Come with me. Since we have money now, it's time to upgrade our transportation."

Before long, Li Huowang had two brand new horse carriages beside him. The horses were tall, strong, and very intelligent. With just a gentle tug on the reins from Li Huowang, they would follow steadily without straying. They were completely incomparable to the two sickly old donkeys they had before.

When the others gathered near the carriages after buying their things, Li Huowang noticed that their clothes and shoes had all been replaced with new ones. They also carried various foods in their arms, and Bai Lingmiao was no exception. Joy radiated from everyone's faces; it was clear they were truly happy.