Mutated Tao

“From now on, you’ll be called Gao Zhijian,” Li Huowang said to Simpleton, who was carrying a wooden rod.

“I… I… I…”

Li Huowang reached out to press down on Simpleton’s thick finger that was pointing at his own chest. “Don’t go ‘I…’ anymore. Remember, you’re no longer Simpleton. This is your new name. Gao Zhijian. Got it? Aren’t you literate? Break off a tree branch and write it on the floor until you memorize it.”

“Oh…” Simpleton, who had no say in picking his own name, dejectedly turned toward the forest and walked over.

On the other hand, Li Huowang sighed as he looked at that towering figure walking away.

Whatever it is, since I previously said that I will give him a name, then I have to deliver. Let this be his gift for coming back from death’s door.

In fact, Li Huowang had wanted to give Simpleton a name for a long time. After all, calling someone a simpleton and ordering him around like a fool sounded quite bad. It was only that he had not thought of a suitable name until now.

Simpleton was a little lacking in terms of intelligence, so Li Huowang had decided to give him the name, ‘Gao Zhi’ in the hopes that the fellow could find some intelligence from his name. Meanwhile, ‘Jian’ represented Li Huowang’s expectations of him persevering through the difficulties in his difficult life.

“Senior Li! Senior Li! Can you give me a name too? While it doesn’t sound good for him to be called ‘Simpleton’, ‘Puppy’ isn’t much better either,” asked Puppy.

Frowning, Li Huowang turned to look at the shifty-eyed youth beside him. “While he is somewhat slow, are you as well? You’re already so mature, but you still can’t pick a name for yourself?”

Li Huowang turned back toward the bonfire, but Puppy persistently followed behind him. “Ah, Senior Li, you’re literate, so the name you come up with will definitely be better than whatever a cattle-herder like me would be able to come up with. I’m not greedy; just giving me a reputable-sounding name will do. Of course, the greater, the better.”

Li Huowang chuckled, “Ke ke… you want a reputable name? Can you handle ‘Cao Cao’?”

It was evident that Puppy did not understand Li Huowang’s meaning, and excitedly clapped his hands together, leaping with joy. “Alright! Cao Cao is a good name; it sounds quite festive! From now on, I’ll be called Cao Cao!”

Puppy did not wait for Li Huowang to continue, and dashed back toward the crowd, excitedly announcing his new name.

The others naturally did not understand the meaning behind this name either, and just congratulated him.

Witnessing this comical scene, Li Huowang could only shake his head silently.

Li Huowang looked up to see the gradually brightening skies. He said, “Stop dawdling around, and let’s set off. Our aim is to reach the town today. When we get there, we’ll have a good meal. Haven’t you guys had your fill of these wild vegetables these past few days?”

His words made all of them feel invigorated, and they eagerly swallowed their saliva.

Their dry rations and donkey cart had all drowned in the lake. While they had a lot of gold, there was nobody to buy rations from in these remote areas.

Without rations, they could only survive by eating wild vegetables like the old monk from back then. There were quite a few times when the vegetables were not enough for them to even feel full. Due to this, the guiding drug ingredients had become noticeably skinnier. And so, as soon as they heard that they would get proper food, they started moving with renewed vigor. Under the allure of getting to fill their stomachs, they covered a distance which would normally take half a day in just four hours.

A bustling little town sat at the foot of a large mountain peak shrouded within clouds. To a certain extent, it was even a little overly busy. Li Huowang’s group went in but could barely find a place to stand.

Li Huowang turned around slightly, sidestepping a shoulder pole, and then quickly raised his right foot to avoid stepping on the chicken droppings on the ground before pressing on toward the sounds of peddling in the distance.

Is this place really so good? Why are there so many people here?

There were many people squatting down on the narrow stone-paved road, both buyers and sellers haggling in loud voices. People were selling things like hand-woven baskets, wild game from the mountains, home-grown vegetables, chickens, dogs, and even tree saplings.

The buyers and sellers were conversing so loudly that Li Huowang felt as though a thousand flies were buzzing around him.

“Senior Li, I, Cao Cao, know the reason! It’s the first day of the month, so there’s a larger crowd today since everyone from the nearby villages is gathering here,” Puppy explained.

Li Huowang nodded. He had forgotten that the people here often gathered at such large markets on the first and fifteenth day of each month, facilitating trade.

Li Huowang suddenly had an urge as he looked at the bustling crowd—he wanted to ring the bronze bell and see how many Wandering Gods there were in this large market.

However, this was just a passing thought. He was not a kid anymore, and he had much more pressing matters to attend to.

Li Huowang gradually moved his gaze from the dense crowd and looked toward the buildings in the distance. Finally, his gaze settled on the towering mountain peak up ahead.

That was Henghua Mountain. The Nunnery at the top of that mountain was Li Huowang’s destination. There, he may perhaps be able to get rid of Dan Yangzi, who was gradually eroding away his body.

Li Huowang was just about to set off but saw that the others had stopped before a stall. They were staring intently at the objects displayed. Even the drool hanging from Simpleton’s mouth seemed to be hanging longer.

“What’s this?” Li Huowang walked over and tapped on the golden-brown round biscuit.

“Senior Li, this is Guokui, a type of flatbread. It can be eaten,” said Bai Lingmiao as she tried her best to stop drooling but still failed.

Seeing their eager looks, Li Huowang felt a pang of sadness. At the end of the day, these people were a pitiful and unfortunate group.

Li Huowang took out some of the gold jewelry from Simpleton’s bag and used his sharp sword to quickly divide it into small pieces the size of golden beans.

“Buy! Go and buy whatever you want. We have money now, so buy anything you like from this market!” said Li Huowang as he placed the golden beans in the hands of everyone besides Gao Zhijian.

In an instant, everyone’s faces became flushed with excitement.

Meanwhile, he watched the nouveau-riche guiding drug ingredients rush to the stalls and buy all sorts of things that they could or couldn’t use.

Then, Li Huowang turned to Gao Jianzhi who was munching on the flatbread, and said, “Follow me. Since we have money now, we should make some upgrades.”

Soon after, there were two brand-new horse carriages beside them. The horses were tall, healthy, and very intelligent. Once he gently tugged on their reins, the horses would follow steadily without struggling or trying to go in other directions. This was completely different from those two old and sickly donkeys they had before.

When the others finished making their purchases and gathered around the carts, Li Huowang noticed that their clothes and shoes had all been replaced by new items. At the same time, they were carrying all sorts of food and treats; even Bai Lingmiao was no exception.

Everyone had extremely joyous expressions on their faces, and one could easily imagine just how happy they were.

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