Mutated Tao

In the face of Lu Xiucai’s doubt, Puppy confidently responded, “You shouldn’t even ask that. It’s just some coins! A beggar can turn their life around with that much money, so those beggars will definitely go all out to find Senior Li!”

“Those beggars are more familiar with the Shangjing capital than anyone else. They can find people much faster than we can.”

“Yang Xiaohai used to be a beggar, and he taught me that method. He said many people use this method to find others.”

“So after all this, this isn’t a method you thought of,” Lu Xiucai replied with a look of disdain.

“This is my method.”

The two talked as they walked together. After a while, Lu Xiucai revealed a puzzled look and asked, “We still don’t know whether Master is in Shangjing or not. Anyway, what are we going to do once we find him?"

“Once we find him?” Puppy rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said, “If he’s fine, that’s great. We can all go back to Cowheart Village together.”

“If he’s sick, we’ll tie him back with the chain we brought with us and wait for him to wake up.”

“If he has encountered any issues, Xiaoman has instructed us to notify Cowheart Village immediately, and they will come over to help.”

“If he’s dead, we’ll bring his corpse back and give him a grand burial on Cowheart Mountain. We still have the shroud we bought for him. It couldn't be refunded, so I decided to put it away.”

“My master is still alive! There's no way he's dead!” Lu Xiucai replied firmly.

“Just in case. I don't want him to die, either. Wait, Xiucai, isn’t that your family’s troupe up ahead?”

Puppy’s words made Lu Xiucai look down the street. Puppy was right; his family members were indeed up ahead.

Lu Xiucai saw his father’s worried face. The three carriages were parked at the roadside, and they seemed unsure of where to go next.

“What’s wrong with the old man?” Lu Xiucai asked his elder brother, Lu Juren.

Lu Juren also had a troubled expression as he sighed deeply. “Just now, our father learned from the storyteller that in this Great Liang Empire, theater troupe performers are not allowed to study and take the imperial exams. Here, the descendants of theater troupe performers can only remain as performers for life.”

“Study for the imperial exams? Are you stupid? There are supernatural powers for us to learn, but you want to study instead?” Lu Xiucai was exasperated.

“You, milk-sucking scoundrel, what do you know?!” Lu Zhuangyuan exclaimed, and he scolded Lu Xiucai with a red face. He waved three fingers vigorously in front of Lu Xiucai's eyes and said, “Our Lu family only has three male descendants! Three eggs can’t be put in one basket! Do you not understand that?!”

“I won’t stop you if you want to learn supernatural powers! But you have to know that you're walking on a dangerous path! Look at the young Daoist; how many times has he gone through hell?! Can you even become as powerful as him?”

“You can go down that path, but the other members of the Lu family can’t walk down on that path with you! Juren taking over the Lu Family Troupe is the stable path! While the children becoming scholars is one of our Lu family's way out! In case one path doesn’t work out, there will be other paths to take!”

Lu Xiucai was stunned. It was his first time hearing Lu Zhuangyuan's explanation. The latter had always just ordered him what to do or ought not to do without any explanations. He had always thought that Lu Zhuangyuan looked down on him from the bottom of his heart, which was the reason behind his opposition. However, he didn’t expect that Lu Zhuangyuan still considered his path as one of the Lu family's way out, even though it was an extremely dangerous path.

Lu Xiucai’s heart became filled with complicated emotions.

“Huh? Where did this troupe come from? Are they here to make trouble on my Golden Leopard’s territory?”

Several men approached and eyed them. “Have you paid your respects yet? If you haven't, then do it quickly.”

“Get lost!” Lu Xiucai lifted his sword hilt, and the bronze coins flew up to form a sword.

Just as Puppy thought that they would be scared off and scatter, those few rough-looking men burst into laughter instead.

The leader swaggered up to Lu Xiucai with a haughty expression on his face.

“I’ve seen plenty of bumpkins like you. Do you really think you know everything just because you’ve learned some supernatural power?”

“Do you know where we are right now? We're by the emperor’s feet, and even a dragon will have to bow down before the emperor! My brothers are guarding the gates of the Surveillance Bureau! Attack us, and believe me when I say that I’ll call them and have you all thrown in jail!”

The words "Surveillance Bureau" made Puppy's face change. Senior Li had told him many things about the Surveillance Bureau.

He subconsciously covered his chest, where he hid the scepter that Senior Li had given to him. He couldn’t let the Surveillance Bureau discover it.

Puppy walked up to Lu Xiucai and whispered, “Don’t act rashly! They’re just a bunch of street thugs; it’s not worth it!”

Lu Xiucai stood still, unsure whether to strike or not.

“What? Why are you making me wait? Hurry up and pay your respects !”

Just then, Lu Zhuangyuan walked up to the men with a smile tugging at his lips. He was holding a few silver coins in his hand and was fawning over them to send them away.

Lu Xiucai gripped the bronze coin sword tightly and slammed it heavily on the ground. “Let’s go! This place is too oppressive!”

He had come to learn supernatural powers, but to think he'd still get bullied by a few thugs in the capital. It was just too frustrating of an experience.

“Go? Where can we go?” the wrinkled Lu Zhuangyuan took out his tobacco pipe and lit it.

“Where can’t we go? If there’s nowhere to go, we’ll go back home! The theater performers back home can still take the imperial examinas! Buying a theater there is cheaper than staying here!”

“It’s gone... It’s all gone…” Lu Zhuangyuan sighed deeply. “Fortunately, we made it out fast. The emperor of our hometown has even been dragged out and beheaded. I heard that even Si Qi was destroyed.”

“De.. destroyed?” Lu Xiucai repeated with shock. He didn’t really care about his hometown, but he was still surprised to learn that he could no longer go back to the place where he had spent about ten years of his life.

“Can we really never go back there?”

“Probably not within ten years. I heard that even Hou Shu is in chaos. Who knows when this damned world will become peaceful again,” Lu Zhuangyuan said, tapping his worn-out pipe on his head before putting it away.

“Kid, let’s go. We’ll find an inn to rest. This place is too expensive, and I don’t know if we can find cheap lodging here.”

Lu Zhuangyuan had experienced many hardships throughout his life, and like an old ox; he remained quiet as he endured yet another hardship with his iron plow.

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