The Unruly Immortals

"What's that?" Bai Lingmiao was about to move closer to Second God when Xiao Man grabbed her.

"Be careful, don't go."

Glancing at Second God at the edge of the forest, Bai Lingmiao pulled her hand away. "It's fine, there should be no danger now."

Seeing Bai Lingmiao head over just like that, the others were not at ease and followed with torches in hand.

When they reached Second God's side, they finally understood where those sounds had come from.

With the help of the torchlight, they watched the madman dancing and gesticulating in the forest.

"Mom, I can eat, you really don't need to feed me. It's okay that I have an IV in my hand."

Li Huowang, covered in dust, sat on the ground littered with dead leaves, smiling at a spider web in the tree.

He gnawed on a long stone in his hand. The crunching sounds never ceased, even as his mouth filled with blood.

"Mom, I've swallowed it, I really did, I'm not a child anymore, afraid I'll be picky about my food. Hehe."

"Wooo~" Mantou circled Li Huowang, tirelessly wagging its tail, the woos were indeed made by it.

"Brother Li!" Seeing him in such a pitiful state made Bai Lingmiao cry out, tears streaming down her face.

She couldn't help but take a few steps forward, then forced herself to stop.

"Quick! Get some rope and tie Brother Li up! He'll be alright soon!"

After what felt like an eternity, when Li Huowang opened his eyes again, what he saw was a familiar face wet with tears.

He revealed a very tired smile, "You've come? How did you find me?"

Bai Lingmiao, choking up, grabbed Li Huowang's head and held it tightly against her chest.

She didn't speak, but her deep emotions were transmitted through the contact of their bodies.

Li Huowang felt a warmth in his heart, an emotion that was somewhat unfamiliar to him welled up inside. "Is this... joy? I haven't felt it for so long..."

Patting her back, Li Huowang thought for a moment before saying vaguely, "I... I went to understand some things, dealt with some troubles, how did you all get here?"

Li Huowang didn't want the others to know what he had experienced or what the past him had done.

After a warm conversation, everyone gradually quieted down.

Next to the bonfire on the dark forest path, Li Huowang gently sipped some hot soup, warming his stomach and cleansing the taste of blood from his mouth.

His mouth was raw from the wounds, but Li Huowang knew such injuries would heal in the blink of an eye.

Gently squeezing Bai Lingmiao's smooth right hand, Li Huowang comforted her once again.

"It's over now, the trouble is behind us, we can continue our journey home."

Li Huowang said this as he looked at everyone gathered around him, seeing the concern in their eyes.

He knew that in this world, there were still many people who truly cared about him.

He bowed his hands to the others. "Everyone has worked hard, I, Li, thank you here."

He didn't specify what for; some things are meant to be kept in the heart, not everything needs to be said out loud.

At that moment, Top Scholar Lv, sitting to the right of Master Danyang, spoke up with a flattering smile on his face, "Oh my, what are you saying? That's as it should be."

"What was with the young Taoist just now? Did he encounter an Evil Spirit? Why was he also eating rocks? What kind of Evil Spirit is so formidable?"

Li Huowang had long been aware of the reason for Lv's Troupe's arrival and didn't really care about such trifles.

Li Huowang shook his head, a bitter smile on his face, and pointed to his head with his finger.

"I have a slight problem with my head, but rest assured, it's nothing serious."

At that point, the boy squatting next to Jiang Yingzi widened his eyes and said, "Brother Li, are you really alright now? You'll never burrow into someone else's belly again, eating them from the inside out, will you?"

As soon as these words fell, the faces of Top Scholar Lv and the others almost turned green with fright. Zhao Wu gave him a hard jab in the waist and hastened to smooth things over.

"What are you talking about in front of outsiders? When has our Brother Li ever eaten a person? It was during an illness when he pretended he'd eaten someone."

"Ah—right, right, right, oh my, my stupid brain, I always remember things wrongly," said the child, noticing his mistake and hastily chiming in agreement.

However, this did not reassure Top Scholar Lv much; the smile on his face clearly froze, and his younger son was so perturbed that he started to shiver.

"Enough of the act, some deeds are done and it's pointless to hide them," Li Huowang broke the façade the others were putting up.

"Band Leader Lv, I'll speak frankly. In the past, I indeed did many despicable things, and I don't want to explain them. I can only say that they were against my will."

"If Band Leader Lv is worried about harming his family, then we can part on good terms. If it does not bother you, then you may stay as long as you like. As friends, I, Li, will naturally protect your safety."

"Oh my, what are you doing, young Taoist? Do I look like the kind of man who measures others by their wealth? I trust in your character, you must have your own difficulties," Top Scholar Lv said with a smile plastered on his face, as he hastily brought up a bowl of hot soup.

"Instead of wine, let me offer you this tea, and apologize to you. Who said anything about leaving? Whoever leaves is a bastard!"

Li Huowang raised the bowl, nodded towards Top Scholar Lv, and took a sip from it.

Whether he stayed or left was actually a minor concern in Li Huowang's heart; what he now needed to consider was what to do next.

After giving it some thought, Li Huowang addressed everyone present, "We've been delayed by these issues for too long, and fortunately, they're now resolved. Tomorrow we'll continue our journey and leave Siqi."

Once he safely escorted these people home, he would be relieved of a heavy burden, making any future actions much more convenient.

"Brother Li, we can't leave yet. The abbess said that if we found you, remember to let you go back and report your safety," Bai Lingmiao conveyed this unexpected information to Li Huowang.

"There's no need to make a special trip just to report safety; just write a letter and send it via the postal station," he replied.

Since the issue was resolved, there was really no need to go back. Although An Ci Nunnery was not far, it was not very close either.

"That's not it. The abbess said you need to go back in person, it seems she has something to instruct you face-to-face."

"Face-to-face instruction?" Li Huowang frowned in thought. "It doesn't sound as simple as just reporting safety. Does the abbess have something in mind?"

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang handed the bowl he was holding to Bai Lingmiao.

"Alright then, I'll make another trip to Henghua Mountain. It's also a good opportunity to get an overview of the current state of the world."

In this wretched place, he had been chased around without the time to make sense of what exactly was going on.

How many sects there were, how wide their influence extended, and what taboos to observe when dealing with them.

Since he was to continue his journey, it was certainly necessary to learn more about these matters.