Mutated Tao

Silver. Several carts full of silver.

Lu Zhuangyuan had known that the carriages were transporting something heavy when he saw those deep marks left by their wheels, but he could never have thought that the carts were all filled with silver!

How much silver is there in those carts? Just give me a portion of it, and I will be able to open several theaters.

Soon, the curtains, blown off by the wind, fell back down; even so, Lu Zhuangyuan was still staring wide-eyed.

Meanwhile, the nuns noticed the strange looks they had attracted, but they were too lazy to care about all that; they just continued to sit on the floor like measuring weights as they ate.

“Stop staring; hurry up and finish eating. Once we’re done, we’ll start to move again. There’s so much silver here, and it’s bound to lead to some trouble,” instructed Lu Zhuangyuan.

When they heard him, the Lu Family Troupe formed a half-circle with their two carriages and began to eat. Of course, their treatment of Zhao Wu, their distinguished guest, was quite good; there were more than enough white steamed buns and duck eggs to go around, even though Zhao Wu declined.

Just as they were eating, a vile stench filled the air. A relatively thin nun had somehow ended up next to them, salivating as she eyed the salted duck egg in Zhao Wu’s hand.

“How much for this egg?” asked the nun.

“Is Master joking? It’s just a few eggs, here, take them,” said Lu Zhuangyuan as he reached his hand into the jar and pulled out two salted duck eggs before passing them across.

Meanwhile, the nun looked rather guilty as she glanced at her companions near the carriage. She reached out to grab a duck egg before directly stuffing it into her mouth without even bothering to peel it.

“I’ll pay,” she said as she threw a few smelly copper coins onto the carriage. Then, the fat nun closed her eyes in enjoyment as she felt the rich yolk burst out in her mouth.

The two duck eggs offered by Lu Zhuangyuan weren’t quite enough with her huge appetite, so she reached her chubby hand directly into the jar of salted duck eggs, thoroughly enjoying herself as she ate one egg with every mouthful. It was almost as if she was not eating eggs, but just grapes.

When he saw this, a question popped up in Zhao Wu’s mind.

Isn’t it too salty the way this nun is eating them?

Tatata~

At that moment, the clattering sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out in the air, causing everyone to look across. A cavalry had appeared in the distance!

“The soldiers are here! Run!!” shouted someone.

As soon as this shout rang out, the other travelers also stood up, carried their luggage, and then ran to hide within the forest around them.

Lu Zhuangyuan wanted to run as well, but he was tied down by his horse-drawn carriages.

When the cavalry finally arrived before them, only the Lu Family Troupe and those nuns were left in the area.

Seeing the situation, Lu Zhuangyuan gritted his teeth, then smiled at Zhao Wu and supported him to the front. “Master Zhao, I have known for a long time that since you have such a powerful senior, then your own abilities must be great too. There’s no need to conceal them any longer.”

“I… I… I’m not…”

However, before he could explain himself, the black-armored cavalry dashed up to them, causing him to eat a mouthful of sand.

The stamping sound of the hoofbeats combined with the collision of their weapons; this group was not just any ordinary cavalry, but an elite unit. Zhao Wu caught sight of a large military banner that was being carried by them—it was marked with a large Si word.

“Stop!” At that moment, a deep shout caused everyone to tremble.

To everyone’s surprise, the cavalry actually came to a sudden stop.

They stood there in a row, like a black city wall. The warmth from the horses’ nostrils caused the moisture in the air to condense into a white fog. In a sense, they were rather remarkable—they could move like the wind, and were also able to stay still like pine trees.

Zhao Wu’s eyes widened with surprise when he saw an officer amongst the cavalry with four blades on his back forcefully step on his horse’s back and leap before the nuns who were a dozen meters away while leaving two deep craters on the ground.

“Sisters from the Benevolent Nunnery, there’s an emergency at the border! The military is in urgent need of funds. We will requisition this silver, and issue a certificate of debt[1] which you can exchange back at the Ministry of Revenue.”

His voice was loud enough for everyone to hear him clearly.

“Dad, what’s happening? Is there a war at Si Qi as well?” asked Lu Xiucai, his voice trembling.

“My ancestors! Will it kill you to stay quiet?” Lu Zhuangyuan whispered and covered his mouth. He had curled his body up and hidden himself behind the carriage, to avoid drawing the attention of these soldiers.

However, You Zixiong was focused completely on the fat nuns, essentially ignoring the troupe’s existence. When he saw that the nuns just continued to sit around and eat heartily while completely ignoring him, his brows furrowed together.

“Didn’t you hear what I said?!” He exclaimed, while grabbing the hilt of the sword adorned with black tassels hanging from his waist.

Killing intent filled the air in an instant, almost as though this place had become the center of a life-and-death battlefield. This aura also infected the cavalry around them; their bodies heated up and their eyes became bloodshot. Even their horses started to raise their hooves.

“We refuse. We don’t want to go so far,” said several nuns simultaneously. “Make a move if you dare. But think carefully before you do so.”

This refusal immediately intensified the tension. Some of the mounted soldiers were already nocking arrows onto their bows.

Just when Lu Zhuangyuan was ready to flee with his family on the horse carriages, the murderous aura in the air suddenly vanished.

Then, with a serious expression, You Zixiong grabbed the sword adorned with black tassels and threw it across. “This is You Zixiong’s sword! Take this sword with you and collect your silver back at the Ministry! They will return what we owe and more!”

You Zixiong burned with anger as he watched the black-clothed nuns gather around with greedy looks on their faces as they used their dirty and chubby hands to handle his weapon. But he also understood that the current situation in the kingdom of Si Qi was unstable, and that he couldn’t afford to make more enemies, especially out of these nuns before him.

“Blackpeak Cavalry! Follow my orders! Distribute the silver evenly and carry it on the horses! We must reach Kun City in three days!” shouted You Zixiong.

“We receive your orders!” All the soldiers in the cavalry responded in unison and dismounted from their horses before rushing to the carts. They swiftly unloaded the silver in an orderly manner.

As the sound of the horse hooves gradually faded into the distance, Lu Zhuangyuan and the others seemed to wake up from their dream, each of them panting and sweating profusely, almost as though they had just taken a hot shower.

“Dad, I… I peed my pants,” said Lu Xiucai.

“Rascal! Aren’t you embarrassed?! No sense of shame! Go and quickly change your pants!” shouted Lu Zhuangyuan.

Although he spoke to his son with great confidence, earlier Lu Zhuangyuan’s own legs had also turned weak with fear.

“Aiya, looks like Si Qi is going to be in a mess as well. No, this place is too dangerous. I need to find that Taoist as soon as possible and follow him to leave this damned place,” muttered Lu Zhuangyuan.

1. like an IOU ☜

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