CH 36

Looking at the six taels of silver, Li Huowang put them directly into his chest pocket. He really needed the money now.

“Little Taoist Master, you eat first. We Lv Family Troupe will go and prepare, and then we will continue on our journey tomorrow,” Lv Zhuangyuan said.

After eating their fill, the Lv Family Troupe was also tired and had to go back to sleep. After all, they hadn’t slept for a whole night yesterday.

After the Lv Family left, Li Huowang was the only one left in the room. He looked at the roasted chicken in front of him, which was bigger than his head, and after a moment of thought, he asked the servant next to him, “Is there anything I can use to pack it up?”

…

Not long after, Li Huowang walked out of Wuli Hillock with a donkey. The back of the donkey was attached to a cart, which was piled high with sacks of food.

Six taels of silver was not a lot, and he still needed to be thrifty with it. He couldn’t afford a horse, but he could buy a donkey.

With the donkey, they no longer had to carry the food on their backs every day. When Li Huowang came out, he saw that everyone else was still in the rice straw stack in the field.

They didn’t enter the village, obviously because they were afraid of scaring the villagers with their peculiar appearance. As he approached, Li Huowang noticed that they were roasting sweet potatoes over a fire.

Li Huowang reached out and took a fragrant roasted chicken from the cart. “Eat this,” he said.

After eating sweet potatoes for so many days, they couldn’t resist the sight of roast chicken. They rushed over excitedly.

With more than ten people sharing one chicken, each person didn’t get much, but they all gnawed on it very seriously. They even carefully chewed the chicken bones into small pieces then swallowing them.

“Senior Brother Li, how did you get this chicken and the donkey cart? Where did you go last night?” Bai Lingmiao asked while holding the chicken neck with both hands.

Li Huowang sat on a pile of rice straw with his eyes closed, briefly describing what happened last night. 

When Bai Lingmiao found out that Li Huowang had risked his life to get these things, she put down the chicken neck and climbed over to him. She looked at him with a heartbroken expression.

“Senior Brother Li, I’m sorry. We burden has dragged you down. Without us, you wouldn’t have to risk your life like this,” Bai Lingmiao said with a cloth covering her eyes.

Li Huowang opened his eyes and looked at the girl in front of him. “It’s not your fault. If that evil spirit could come to the Hu Family’s ancestral hall, it means it must have already been targeting us. Even if nothing had happened last night, we would still eventually encounter it,” he said.

“Besides, who knows…,” Li Huowang paused, remembering the days when he was completely immersed in hallucinations at Qingfeng Temple. “Maybe I’m the burden in the future.”

Li Huowang thought for a moment, then looked at the girl in front of him again and reached out to hold her hand.

Bai Lingmiao shyly retreated a bit, but then took the initiative to grasp Li Huowang’s hand tightly.

After a while, Li Huowang lay on the pile of rice straw with his eyes closed and let go of Bai Lingmiao’s hand.

However, at the moment he let go of her hand, her soft hands immediately caught up and tightly grasped his hand again.

After a good night’s rest, the two groups with different goals set off again. Their next destination was Jianye Town.

“Little Taoist Master, Wuli Hillock is not far from Jianye Town. With our speed, we should arrive in about four or five days,” Lv Zhuangyuan reported to Li Huowang.

Li Huowang turned his head and asked Zhao Fifth, who was being carried by Plonker, “How about you? Going home soon, are you happy?”

Previously, Zhao Fifth had mentioned that his home was in Jianye Town. During this time of interaction, Li Huowang had gained some preliminary understanding of Zhao Fifth.

He felt that Zhao Fifth was very intelligent, but because of his physical disability and illiteracy, he had not been able to fully unleash his potential.

“Zhao Fifth, we will be arriving at your home soon. Do you want to invite us to have a meal at a tavern?” Doggie teased on the side.

However, Zhao Fifth’s reaction was unexpected by everyone. He smiled bitterly and said, “What’s the use of me returning home? I can’t do anything and can only stay at home and be a burden.”

As soon as he said this, the atmosphere became quiet. His words struck a chord with all of the medicinal herbs.

Those who had been staying in the material room, except for Li Huowang, all had obvious physical deformities or illnesses. Even if they returned to their hometowns, they would still be perceived as freaks and feared by people.

Coming out of Qingfeng Temple and escaping death was a good thing, but returning to an environment full of contempt and hostility was not something to be happy about.

Sensing the atmosphere turning heavy, Li Huowang turned his head to Zhao Fifth and said, “Who said you are a burden?! During this free time, let me teach you alchemy. You can learn as much as you can, and even if you become a barefoot doctor when you return home, you won’t starve.”

Zhao Fifth was stunned at first upon hearing this, but then his expression became excited, with his eyes filled with strong desire. “Senior Brother Li, I don’t want to learn alchemy. Can you teach me how to read?” 

“Why do you want to learn how to read? Wouldn’t it be better for you to learn more alchemy formulas and become a doctor when you return home?” Li Huowang couldn’t understand their way of thinking.

Of course, learning how to read was useful, but teaching an illiterate person who cannot even write his own name how to read is a huge project that can take several years to complete.

“It’s okay! Even if I can’t learn much, it doesn’t matter. I can learn as much as I can .”

Although Li Huowang did not understand Zhao Fifth’s way of thinking, he was willing to teach him how to read since he wanted to learn.

“Plonker, put Zhao Fifth on the donkey cart, I’ll teach him how to read.”

Zhao Fifth knew nothing, so Li Huowang could only teach him with simple characters like“木”“口”“人”.

（These are the most basic components and structures of Chinese characters,Just like 26 English letters）

As he taught, Li Huowang noticed that the surroundings became very quiet. He looked up and saw that everyone, including the Lv Family, was listening attentively.

Moreover, they all had a look of awe on their faces, as if Li Huowang was doing something solemn and sacred.

“Uh… Little Taoist Master…” 

Lv Zhuangyuan grinned, holding two sausages in one hand and dragging his little son Lv Xiucai with the other as he walked toward Li Huowang.

Just as Li Huowang was waiting for Lv Zhuangyuan to speak, a cloud of dust suddenly rose up from behind the wood path.

Not long after, a horse stopped in front of them and a young chubby boy jumped off the horse.

Lv Zhuangyuan obviously knew this person and hurriedly bowed to him. “Oh, Young Master Hu, be careful. Where are you going?”

“I’m not going anywhere! I’m going with you guys to sing opera! So that I can listen to operas every day!” Young Master Hu’s voice was childish, and although he looked strong, he had not yet reached puberty.

“Oh, Young Master Hu, don’t make such jokes, please go back quickly, or your grandfather will worry,” Lv Zhuangyuan said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you money!” Young Master Hu handed over a longevity lock made of gold and forcibly placed it in Lv Zhuangyuan’s hand.

Lv Zhuangyuan looked very conflicted at the moment, holding the gold in his hand without knowing what to do.

However, someone quickly rode up from behind on a horse.

“Dad! Don’t pull me! I’m not going back! I want to sing opera!!”

“Bang!” Young Master Hu’s father slapped him hard across the face, startling everyone around them. The boy’s face quickly swelled up.

“How dare you want to become an actor!? How lowly can you get!!? That’s the Ninth Class in the Ninth Class!! If you dare to become an actor and disgrace the Hu Family, I’ll beat you to death!” 

He snatched the longevity lock from Lv Zhuangyuan’s hand, then carried his son and rode away on two horses at a fast pace.

Lv Zhuangyuan awkwardly stood there, holding the two sausages, trying to say something several times but couldn’t make a sound.

This sophisticated old man was like a child for the first time, lost and helpless.

In the end, he said nothing, forcing a smile and nodding at Li Huowang, then pulling his little son towards the nearby carriage. He was already somewhat hunchbacked, and at this moment, it seemed that his hunchback had become even more severe.

（The actors here do not refer to actors who perform movies in modern society, but rather to actors who sang operas and performed plays in ancient times. Their status is very low and they are often looked down upon by people）