"There's... There's shit!"
"Stop pushing! I'm not blind! Don't tell me you want to eat it? Even if you're a simpleton, you shouldn't be eating shit, right?"
"Puppy, stop talking. There are people in front of us."
"Alright, Senior Li."
It wasn't long before Lu Zuangyuan saw the people walking out of the forest.
No wonder my son thought they were ghosts. They look so frightening!
Lu Zuangyuan took a deep breath as he saw them approach. A skinny guy with black and white markings on his face, a white-haired lady, a twisted man riding on the back of a giant of a man, and someone with hair all over their face.
Lu Zuangyuan had traveled and seen a lot, but even he was frightened by the sight before him.
"Father, I'm scared." Lu Xiucai said, walking backward as if trying to hide behind his father.
And you think I'm not scared?
Lu Zuangyuan silently scolded his son in his heart. If it weren't for the young Taoist and the young assistants, who looked quite normal, he too would have made a run for it.
Lu Zuangyuan stammered as he spoke to Li Huowang. "Respected sir... are these... the monsters that you've subjugated?"
The moment he said this, several pairs of hostile eyes focused on him.
"You damned geezer! Are you asking for a beating? Who are you calling monsters?"
At that moment, Lu Zuangyuan saw the Taoist motion for the man with black and white markings on his face to stop talking. This made him even more certain that the Taoist was the one in charge of all of them.
"Old man, may I ask where this road leads to?"
"Wuli Gang! It's just slightly further ahead. In fact, we are pretty close to it, hehe."
The moment he said this, he stealthily took his pipe and used it to burn the rump of his horse. The horse neighed loudly and ran down the path, pulling their belongings with it.
"My horse! Aiya! Quickly! Follow it!" Lu Zuangyuan pretended to be anxious as he grabbed his people and quickly ran after his horse, using this opportunity to make a quick getaway.
They ran so fast that they were gone in an instant. They continued running for two hours until Lu Zuangyuan saw his youngest son vomiting from the stress. Finally, Lu Zuangyuan blew a whistle, signaling the horse to stop.
Instead of caring for his youngest son, who was vomiting, he went to check on the horse pulling their cart—horses were much more expensive than the people in the troupe.
As night approached, the sky slowly darkened.
"What were those things? I swear, they looked so terrifying!" Lu Juren was sweating profusely as he panted.
Lu Zuangyuan kicked him. "Don't you see that it's getting dark? Quickly go and gather some firewood!"
Soon, a warm fireplace was made just off the forest path. They roasted some multigrain buns until they were soft and mushy before passing them around, trying to calm themselves with the taste of the food.
"Look at how frightened you all look! Remember: when you're on the road, you need to stay calm, even if you encounter something strange like that. You must remain level-headed!" Lu Zuangyuan said to the others.
"Father, maybe they weren't monsters? They looked like humans to me. The young Taoist even called you 'old man.'"
Listening to his daughter-in-law, he shook the gourd of water in his hand.
"No matter what they are, don't go trying to interact with them. If we want to survive out here, we need to remember not to engage with others if we can avoid it."
This was based on Lu Zuangyuan's personal experience. Even if it was minimal, he had survived until now because of it. He needed to teach his sons these lessons, as they would one day inherit the entire troupe.
He passed the gourd of water to one of his nephews and then looked at his granddaughter, who was in his daughter-in-law's arms.
Lu Zuangyuan grew more and more fond of his granddaughter as he watched her munching on a small piece of bun with her newly grown teeth.
He turned back to his cart and took out a single salted duck egg from a round jar. Then, he carefully opened the egg and exposed the fatty yolk before passing it to his granddaughter. "Here, suck on this. This is some good stuff!"
Seeing his granddaughter sucking on it voraciously, Lu Zuangyuan smiled contentedly.
Even though he was somewhat disappointed that it wasn't a grandson, she was still part of his family, and he took great care of her.
Sensing an opportunity, Luo Juanhua said, "Father-in-law, look at how much Cui Er has grown. I think it's time for her to get a new set of clothes. I don't think it's appropriate for her to wear a costume every day."
When Lu Zuangyuan heard this, he knew his daughter-in-law was asking for money. His smile disappeared in an instant, replaced by a stressed expression.
He was about to decline when he saw the loose costume his granddaughter was wearing, causing him to sigh.
He smoked his pipe for a while before walking to his cart, his face filled with wrinkles. He took out a long bronze key and opened one of the chests.
He rummaged around a bit before taking out a stack of bronze coins. He counted 50 and placed the rest back inside.
"Don't buy the fabric for the clothes in the cities. It would be too expensive there. We'll reach Wuli Gang in two days. Once we get there, ask around to see who's willing to sell some fabric. Go to multiple houses and buy about a meter or so from the one with the best price. Oh, and remember to buy cotton fabric, not linen. She's still young, and it might not be suitable for her to wear rough linen."
"I understand." Luo Juanhua was quite happy as she took the coins. She had thought it would be very good to get some linen, but her father-in-law's generosity exceeded her expectations this time.
The child was still young, so she wouldn't need much fabric to make a set of clothes for her. She might even be able to save some of the money for herself.
Lu Zuangyuan split the white of the salted duck egg among the rest after his granddaughter had finished the yolk.
While everyone only got a little, they were happy just to taste the salt and egg. It wasn't every day they got to eat protein.
There was nothing else to do after dinner, and it was already quite late. Lu Zuangyuan told them some random stories before everyone went to sleep.
Lu Juren was in charge of keeping watch during the first half of the night. It had been a long day, and he was already very tired, but he still forced himself to stay awake. He stared at the bonfire, making sure it didn't die out.
"Son, go and get some sleep. I'll keep watch." Lu Zuangyuan sat beside his son while smoking his pipe.
Lu Juren yawned. "No need, father. I'm not that sleepy. You should get some sleep first."
"No. Go and sleep now. As an old man, I don't need much sleep."
Just as they were telling each other to go to sleep, Lu Zuangyuan suddenly covered his son's mouth with his hand. Then, he silently pointed toward a dark figure that had appeared from the depths of the forest.
"Hehe~" A shrill female laugh rang out from their right.
Both of them stared in the direction of the voice but couldn't see anything.
"Hihi~ Tell me. Do I look like a human or a God?" The shadows of the trees in the forest shifted, as if something was walking toward them.
Lu Zuangyuan was scared, cold sweat soaking his shirt. He had experienced many things in his lifetime, and he knew that something was trying to ascend to godhood through him.
He knew that he mustn't answer the question wrongly. If he did, there was a chance everyone here would perish.
But the problem was, he didn't know what the thing was. Why was it asking him?
At that moment, a strange rustling sound was heard as the trees in the forest shook.