On the Road

Chapter 190: On the Road

Listening to the old man boast, Li Huowang gradually learned the life story of the young gong-player.

It was quite an inspiring tale, actually. The Hou family hadn’t always been this wealthy. In the past, they had been heartbreakingly poor.

Those few acres of poor-quality land couldn’t support a large family, so he’d had to go out begging for food.

Still, Li Huowang was a bit skeptical about the “generals” the old man kept mentioning. In his mouth, anyone who held any rank in the army was a general.

“Ah, it wasn’t like it is now. Back then, there was nothing to eat, nothing to drink. We didn’t even have more than one pair of pants. Whoever needed to go out wore them.”

Hearing the man’s wistful reminiscing, Li Huowang made a few vague noises of agreement.

After chatting for a while longer, the old man, his sense of pride thoroughly satisfied, clasped his hands behind his back, hunched over, and walked toward the courtyard with the two stone lion statues in the distance.

Watching his retreating figure, Li Huowang let out a breath and turned to leave.

Having learned this much, Li Huowang’s wariness toward the gong-playing Hou the Second had lessened considerably.

Not because of his status, but because he was truly gone now. Whatever thoughts he might have had about Li Huowang no longer mattered.

Just then, Li Huowang happened to spot Gouwa returning from buying grain and walked over to meet him.

“Senior Brother Li! Look what I bought! A map made from leather!”

That night, nothing happened. They slept soundly until dawn, and after a good rest, they set out again.

As the cart wheels rolled slowly over the ground, the Gobi around them gradually disappeared. The terrain began to undulate, slowly replaced by craggy stone mountains of strange shapes.

The only real benefit was that the stone mountains blocked the wind, so there wasn’t as much sand and dust as in the Gobi. Some low, brownish grass even appeared along the roadside.

“Go here… then here…” Li Huowang’s finger traced across the worn leather, finally stopping on the drawing of a city wall.

“If I haven’t gone wrong, this is Ji City. Once we get there, we can deliver the escort, and we’ll also be about halfway through the Later Shu Kingdom. This place seems a bit smaller than the last two kingdoms—a small state.”

Just as Li Huowang was thinking this over, he felt someone tug at his sleeve. “Senior Brother Li, look, there are people up ahead.”

He looked up and saw a figure walking along the roadside in the distance.

As they drew closer, he saw it was an old man in scholar’s robes, leaning on a bamboo staff. Though he looked quite old, he was very spry. A square bamboo basket was strapped to his back, and he didn’t seem the least bit tired.

The sound of hooves made Jin Shan Zhao turn his head. When he saw the group of people wearing black veiled hats behind him, he quickly shuffled his legs to the side to get out of their way.

Why are these people dressed like that? Especially that young Daoist in the red robe—he’s even got a string of copper coins hanging from his face, covering his mouth and chin. He looks like trouble. Better keep my distance. Jin Shan Zhao muttered inwardly.

He was thinking he’d just slow down and let these people pass him by, but to his surprise, the young Daoist started talking to him.

“Old sir, might I borrow your map for a look? I want to check if mine is accurate.”

After a moment’s thought, Jin Shan Zhao reached into the bamboo basket on his back and pulled out a paper map.

“I drew this map myself, sir. I’ve traveled far and wide for so many years—not to boast—but this map is perfectly accurate. If you want it, you can have it.”

“Thank you, but that’s not necessary. I just want to compare it with mine. I’ll return it to you straight away.”

Seeing that the young Daoist’s tone was kind and he was so reasonable, Jin Shan Zhao felt a little more at ease.

“Where are you headed, sir? Oh, I’m just asking. Maybe we’re going the same way.”

“Escorting a contract to Ji City.”

Hearing this answer, Jin Shan Zhao didn’t believe it for a second. What kind of escort master didn’t know their own route? It was obviously a lie.

“Oh? You’re an escort master too, sir? That’s a rather worldly profession.”

“Even a true man has to eat. I’ve got to find a way to make travel money. These are desolate mountains, old sir. You’re all alone—where are you headed?”

Sensing the probing question, Jin Shan Zhao chuckled. Just as he was thinking of some lie to fob the man off with, a huge boulder suddenly came tumbling down from the mountain beside them, crashing onto the road in the middle with a thunderous roar.

Immediately after, the sound of hooves erupted behind them.

Turning to see the masked riders on horseback, Jin Shan Zhao’s heart sank. Damn it! I’ve been caught in a pincer!

Subconsciously, he looked over at the young Daoist, only to find him expressionless, standing calmly by the cart.

This guy is so unruffled—he must have a plan.

After mulling it over for a moment, taking advantage of the bandits’ imminent arrival, Jin Shan Zhao edged a little closer to the young Daoist.

Clop, clop, clop. Amidst the sound of hooves and swirling dust, a group of bandits, radiating menace from their lofty perches on horseback, reined in before them.

“Brothers on the path, I’m no outsider. Shall we open with the spring canon?”

“Huh?” Jin Shan Zhao shot a surprised look at the man beside him. This Daoist knew the code of the rivers and lakes? He wasn’t just anyone.

Just as Jin Shan Zhao expected the bandits to respond, the one-eyed man at the front simply raised his blade. “Go! Brothers! Kill him!”

The sound of hooves exploded. This was something no one had foreseen. The horses surged forward, charging straight at Li Huowang and his group.

Without waiting to see what would happen, Jin Shan Zhao scrambled for the boulder behind him, planning to escape while the others were fighting.

He struggled and climbed for a long time, and by the time he’d finally made it to the top of the boulder, the sounds of hoofbeats and clashing steel behind him had died down.

When he turned to look, he saw that the bandits had been routed!

The ground was littered with the bodies of bandits and horses. And on the young Daoist’s side, aside from the cart being a little battered, not a single person had been hurt.

“Huh? How? What did I miss?”

Li Huowang, however, paid no attention to what the old man behind him was thinking. He pressed his blood-dripping longsword against the throat of a one-armed bandit.

“Are all the bandits around here so uncivilized? They don’t even answer a proper code call?”

But faced with Li Huowang’s threat, the bandit remained defiant, even daring to threaten him back.

“Pockmarked Daoist!! You dare kill my brothers? You’re finished!”

Shink! One of the bandit’s ears was sliced off.

The sight made Jin Shan Zhao’s eye twitch.

God’s mercy! That easygoing attitude from before was all an act. This Daoist is a cold-blooded killer too!