Mutated Tao

Ring, ring, ring!

An extremely piercing ringing sound interrupted the old man’s shout, causing everyone to cover their ears with agonized expressions. By the time the sound of the bell subsided, Li Huowang’s blade was already placed at the man’s neck.

“Keke, Taoist, what are you doing?” asked the old man, his expression still calm despite the sharp blade pressed against his neck.

“Why are you asking me what I’m doing? I should be the one asking you what you’re doing! What gods are you summoning?!” asked Li Huowang. At the same time, he applied some pressure on the charred blade, drawing a trace of blood. Nothing good would happen, no matter what deities or gods the shaman was summoning; he had not encountered anything good ever since he came to this wretched place.

The man chuckled, realizing that he had been misunderstood. “Taoist, you aren’t from the kingdom of Si Qi, right? I didn’t summon any gods. I didn’t even beat on my drum, so I can’t summon them at all. I just wanted to prove to you that I am indeed a Shaman.”

Xiaoman whispered, “Hmm, he’s right. A shaman does need to beat their drum.”

Li Huowang glanced at the colored drum hanging on the man’s waist before slowly withdrawing his sword.

“Friend, don’t make such jokes late at night. It’s easy to be misunderstood. You can leave,” said Li Huowang.

The old man eyed the wary Taoist up and down, then nodded reluctantly and turned to leave. “Alright. I am Li Zhi. Until we meet again! Dear, let’s go.”

He did not say another word, instead bringing the red-veiled woman back toward the pitch-black path within the forest.

As Li Huowang watched them leave his line of sight, he turned back and said to the others, “Don’t sleep anymore tonight. Stay on your guard, just in case that fellow hasn’t left.”

It didn’t hurt to be overly cautious. Such a fellow could suddenly jump out in the middle of the night; who knew what his objectives were.

Despite their hesitant responses, the guiding drug ingredients hugged their weapons and gathered around the bonfire. At the same time, Li Huowang grabbed a dried tree branch and tossed it into the fire, causing it to become brighter and illuminate everyone’s anxious faces.

Despite the seemingly endless wait, the long night passed. Nothing else happened aside from them looking exhausted.

“Let’s rest for the morning, and then catch up. Puppy, you keep watch first,” Li Huowang said before closing his eyes.

After some time, Li Huowang was gently awakened from his nap by someone. “Senior Li, that person is back.”

“Eh? What?” This news immediately caused him to jolt awake. He turned back to see Li Zhi with his wife, who was wearing a veil, both beaming at him from nearby.

“After thinking all night, I realized that I scared you last night, didn’t I? I’m here to offer my apologies,” said Li Zhi.

The sunlight peeking through the branches shone upon Li Zhi’s somewhat dark face, causing the mole on his face to stand out. If the drum around his waist was taken away, then he would look like just any other common farmer who worked in the fields all year round.

Under the bright sunlight, he now appeared much more approachable than last night.

Some thoughts flashed through Li Huowang’s mind as he clasped his hands together and returned the greeting, “Brother Li Zhi is too courteous. I was also reckless yesterday.”

No matter his objective, since a Shaman was standing before him, Li Huowang could not miss the chance of getting some information.

“This girl told me that your surname is also Li? That’s quite a coincidence; my surname is also Li. Perhaps we were relatives 500 years ago,” Li Zhi said cheerfully as he took a few steps forward and approached Li Huowang.

“Brother Li Zhi, where are you headed?” asked Li Huowang.

“Oh, my family’s grandmother is going to celebrate her birthday soon, so I’m hurrying over to give her my well-wishes,” explained Li Zhi.

Birthday celebration? Shamans seem to be different from those monks and the Taoists; they still have to attend worldly functions and fulfill their worldly obligations.

“Taoist, where are you headed? And with such a big group of helpers, no less.” Li Zhi’s gaze flickered as he eyed Li Huowang’s blood-stained Taoist robes.

“Liang Kingdom,” Li Huowang replied concisely.

“That far? It must be quite challenging going such a long way away,” commented Li Zhi.

After exchanging some pleasantries, the tension between them had eased to a certain extent; at least they were no longer pointing swords at each other.

The donkey cart’s wheels began to turn, and they continued on their journey alongside the new pair.

“Not far from here is the Half-Moon Gorge, and then there’s a village where you can rest for a few days. After that, it will take at least another 15 days of walking before you can find another place you can stay at. You should know as well that the border regions are usually sparsely populated,” Li Zhi looked like he was talking to an old friend as he enthusiastically gave pointers to Li Huowang.

“Many thanks. May I ask, Brother Li Zhi, since you’re a Shaman, which Immortal family do you worship?” asked Li Huowang.

Li Huowang’s incisive questioning caused the red-veiled woman to tilt her head in wonder.

“Keke, I’m a disciple of the Bei Family. Since you’ve asked about me, I would also like to know which mountain or sect you belong to,” said Li Zhi.

“Xishan Donghua Sect, Zephyr Temple. I go by the Taoist name, Xuan Yang,” Li Huowang instinctively responded with Dan Yangzi’s old claims. He did not know what the Xishan Donghua Sect was but, in any case, with this, others would believe that he had a genuine lineage and he was not just a fake Taoist.

Li Zhi shook his head. “Keke~ I have never heard of it. But that’s understandable. The world is so vast that nobody would know everything.”

Li Zhi was very talkative, and his face always had a smile. One’s mood would be lifted by just staying in his company.

As they continued walking, it was soon time for lunch; they were still using the makeshift stove to cook noodles. The river by the roadside was gradually becoming wider, making it more convenient for them.

Meanwhile, Li Zhi did not take out anything from his small backpack and just squatted at the roadside, watching them with a smile. This caused Li Huowang’s group to start feeling uneasy.

“Brother Li Zhi, do you want some?” asked Li Huowang.

“Ah! That’s very kind of you; I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday.” Li Zhi eagerly ran across to pick up a bowl before starting to fill it with noodles.

Soon, bowl after bowl was slurped clean by him, causing Bai Lingmiao to furrow her brows.

“Senior Li, that’s almost 1.5kg… How can he eat so much? Is this guy following us just for this meal?” asked Bai Lingmiao.

Everyone stared blankly as Li Zhi scooped up the last strand of noodles. He was not the slightest bit embarrassed and continued to happily slurp away as he squatted under a tree.

Li Huowang walked to his side and copied him and squatted down. “Was the food enough? Do you want some more?”

“Ah, it’s quite embarrassing, but I really haven’t had enough.” Li Zhi said as he drank a large mouthful of soup.

“Cook one more kilogram of noodles!” Li Huowang shouted toward those around the metal pot.

“How come you’re the only one eating, and not your wife? Isn’t she hungry?” Li Huowang looked toward the woman with the red veil. He found that her fingernails were a little blackened and extremely long.

“I’m the Main Deity while she’s the Second Deity. Just me eating is enough,” Li Zhi said as though that was the natural order of things.

“Oh? Why’s that?” asked Li Huowang, hoping to learn something new.

The slurping sounds stopped as Li Zhi raised his right hand that was holding the chopsticks before wiping his mouth with his elbow. He then turned over and beamed, “Keke, you have so many questions. Are you trying to become a shaman as well?”

Chacha and Char's Thoughts

1.5kg of noodles? Yeah that ain't sustainable