Glancing at the few silver ingots in Bai Lingmiao's hand, Li Huowang reached into his robes and pulled out another piece of silver, stacking it on top.
Before Li Huowang could say anything, Bai Lingmiao hurriedly cut in. "That gold bracelet has already been melted down. I saw it with my own eyes. It's gone for good and can't be bought back."
Seeing Li Huowang standing there, mouth agape, Bai Lingmiao smiled triumphantly. She stuffed the silver she was holding into his robes.
"Don't worry. That bracelet was just something my mom gave me to keep for emergencies. It wasn't some family heirloom."
Since Bai Lingmiao had put it that way, Li Huowang didn't insist. He carefully counted the silver before putting it away. "Once everything is settled, I'll buy you an even bigger one."
"Okay! I'll be waiting!" Bai Lingmiao nodded with a smile.
Just then, the door suddenly opened, and Gouwa walked in. He froze when he saw the man and woman squatting in the corner, then immediately began to back out. "Whoops, wrong room. My apologies, I'll leave right away."
Bai Lingmiao's face flushed red. She buried her head and rushed to the door, pushed him aside, and ran off.
Gouwa sauntered in with a grin. "Senior Brother Li, Junior Sister Bai might be all pale and fair, but when it comes to finding a wife, looks aren't everything—character's what counts. Don't you turn your nose up at her."
Li Huowang couldn't be bothered with his nonsense. "Cut the crap. Wash up and get to sleep. It's not often we get a real bed."
In a drowsy haze, Li Huowang found himself in an old forest. There was a faint source of light up ahead. Puzzled, he hacked through the branches with his sword and headed toward the firelight.
When he drew closer, Li Huowang saw that it was Bai Lingmiao, her mother, and Yang Na gathered around a campfire, roasting dried sweet potato slices.
Seeing this warm scene, he heaved a sigh of relief and started walking toward them.
Suddenly, the world twisted violently. Li Huowang saw Master Danyang standing there like a mountain, a hundred zhang tall with three heads and a body covered in feathers.
"Hahaha! Well done, boy! You brought the Medicinal Guide all the way here."
The terrifying Master Danyang roared with laughter. He then raised a stone pillar, one even taller than himself, and slammed it down viciously on the campfire below.
"Wait!" Drenched in a cold sweat, Li Huowang shot upright. He took a few deep breaths, his heart still pounding, before he realized it had all just been a dream.
"Senior Brother Li, you're awake? I went and bought you some dumplings. Eat them while they're hot." Gouwa, who had been watching the commotion outside, pulled his head back in from the window.
"What time is it?" Clutching his throbbing head, Li Huowang sat at the table. He noticed that the "dumplings" Gouwa mentioned were almost identical to wontons.
"Just past the Hour of the Dragon. It's fine to sleep in. We don't have to travel today anyway."
Grabbing a ceramic spoon, Li Huowang shoveled the wontons into his mouth and finished them in a few large gulps. "Who said we have nothing to do today? Let's go. We need to buy supplies for the journey."
The memory of his dream flashed through his mind, and Li Huowang spoke again. "I'll take the others to buy what we need. You go ask Top Scholar Lv when we can leave. The sooner, the better. If he can't go, we'll leave ahead of him."
Li Huowang still had some silver left from buying the donkey cart, plus the extra Bai Lingmiao had given him, which was enough to stock up on more necessities. At the very least, they needed blankets and mats to avoid huddling by the campfire at night, their backs scorching while their chests froze. They could also buy a pot to have warm meals on the road instead of constantly gnawing on dry rations.
With all the odds and ends piling up, one donkey cart was no longer enough. By the time he met up with Top Scholar Lv at the city gate, they had acquired a second one.
"Heh, you're quite something, little Daoist Master! With every mile, your assets seem to grow. If you keep this up for another half a year or so, I reckon you'll be fabulously wealthy!" Top Scholar Lv couldn't resist flattering him as they traveled.
"Band Leader Lv, is it far from Jianye to Capital City?" Li Huowang asked, looking at the wide dirt road ahead.
The road was wider here, and there were more people. It wasn't just their two groups anymore. There were plenty of others on the road, carrying bundles on their backs. It seemed they were all bound for Capital City as well.
"Not far. Another ten days or so and we'll be there." Top Scholar Lv was clearly thinking of something pleasant, as his face broke into a wide grin.
Li Huowang nodded and continued asking, "About that Buddhist Temple you mentioned—besides their reputation for helping people conceive, what else do you know about it?"
"Tch, a Buddhist Temple is a Buddhist Temple. What's so different? Aren't they all just a bunch of old monks leading a bunch of young monks, chanting sutras and eating vegetarian meals?"
Li Huowang sighed softly. It seemed this was something he would have to investigate in person. A commoner like Top Scholar Lv, just muddling through life, had no real concept of such matters.
"Little Daoist Master, look! There's a Monk up ahead. See, the one peeing under that tree? Instead of asking me, you should ask him. He might be a Monk from that Buddhist Temple."
"Oh?" Li Huowang looked up and saw a bald-headed Monk standing by the roadside.
As he approached, he saw the back of a figure in ragged robes shake himself dry and turn around.
The moment Li Huowang saw the man's face, however, his brow furrowed deeply.
He was called a Monk, but he looked more like an old beggar who had shaved his head. He was as shabby as could be, his robes covered in patches and holes.
"Amitabha. Do you need something from me?" The filthy old man grinned, revealing yellowed teeth and a gap where his front teeth should be.
"Are you... a Monk?"
"That's right, I'm a Monk!" The old Monk lifted the string of Buddha Beads from his neck—which were just threaded fruit pits—and said with some pride.
"May I ask, Master, which temple are you from?" Li Huowang's voice now held a trace of hesitation.
"I don't have a temple. I'm heading north to find one. I heard there are lots of Buddhist Temples up there, and they give you food! I'm planning to go be a Monk there."
Hearing this, a suspicion formed in Li Huowang's mind. He gave the man an indifferent nod and turned to head back to his group.
But just as Li Huowang decided to ignore the old beggar pretending to be a Monk, the man stuck to them like a sticky plaster.
"Are you looking for a Buddhist Temple too? Then let's go together! But aren't you a Taoist? Taoists don't believe in Buddha, do they?"
Is this guy playing dumb to hide his true strength? Growing wary, Li Huowang slapped the donkey's rump, urging his group to quicken their pace and acting as if the old man didn't exist.
He might have ignored the old man, but someone else didn't. The simple-minded Fool didn't sense that anything was amiss.
"You don't have... don't have... food. You'll starve!"
"How could I starve? Look, the forest has everything! Wild fruits, wild mushrooms, wild vegetables."
"I... I... ate wild fruits too! I also... I also..."
"Fool, stop talking to him!"
"Oh..."
When no one else paid him any mind, the old beggar grew bored and wandered off on his own. Li Huowang, who had been secretly gripping his Daoist Bell, finally let out a sigh of relief.
Whether the man was genuinely a fool or just pretending, in a bizarre place like this, one could never be too careful.
They walked along the dirt road for an hour until the sun hung directly overhead. Seeing that many travelers had begun to squat down and gnaw on their rations, Li Huowang had his group do the same.
Though he was starting to feel anxious, there was safety in numbers.
Fresh white Mantou were passed out to everyone, and they ate their midday meal with a few jars of pickled vegetables.
Taking the Water Calabash from Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang took a long drink and glanced back, suddenly realizing someone was missing. "Hm? Where's Fool?"
"He went into the forest to pee a minute ago. Why isn't he back yet? Don't tell me he started peeing and ended up pooping. Hey! Fool! Are you in there?"
Just as Gouwa yelled toward the trees by the road, Fool's big, dopey head poked out from the forest. His cheeks were bulging as if he were chewing something.
"What are you eating?" Li Huowang asked curiously.
"Wild... wild... wild white rice from the forest. It's... it's... free!" Fool said, before ducking back into the trees.