The Unruly Immortals

At the foot of Henghua Mountain, Li Huowang led a line of people forward, with Mantou seemingly seeing so many people for the first time and sticking very close to Li Huowang's leg.

The journey by boat and carriage had been exhausting, and everyone was in need of a good rest to recover.

Although the An Ci Nunnery was just ahead, Li Huowang was no longer in as much of a hurry as he had been before.

With the oppressive feeling that Master Danyang could replace him at any moment now gone, he finally allowed himself to slow down a bit.

Li Huowang surveyed his surroundings with weary eyes.

The small town below the mountain still looked the same as before, perhaps a transportation hub. Even though it wasn't a market day, the streets were bustling with people coming and going.

If there was one difference, it was that the number of beggars crouched in the corners of walls had increased.

The beggars, in their ragged clothes, seeing the arrival of Li Huowang's group, especially the three carriages, hurried over, hoisting their broken bowls and starting to chant a ditty.

"Take a look, a poor beggar's come by, oh generous sir, oh kind sir, pity this pauper, give me a bun or some soup, and may you live long and prosper…"

With a "clang," a longsword was drawn from its scabbard, and the beggars scattered like birds and beasts.

"Three of a kind!"

A crisp "snap" sound made Li Huowang instinctively look in that direction.

"Bam! Liuwan~"

"Oh, what kind of hand is this, another nine of bamboo."

"Ah~ single tile! Haha! Winning with a self-drawn pure suit~ Hahaha, pay up, pay up!"

The lively mahjong parlor was packed and bustling, with the constant clash of dice and mahjong tiles; everyone was deeply engrossed in the joy they found in the game.

"Oh, so they're playing mahjong," Li Huowang muttered and continued walking forward.

A few steps later, Li Huowang arrived at the old inn where he had stayed before. Crossing the threshold, he spoke to the inn's runner who came to greet him, "We need both rooms and a meal. Tell the kitchen to prepare some hearty dishes, but no pork please."

"Alright~ right this way, sir~"

"Brother Li, although we're flush with cash, we're only spending without earning. Perhaps we should be a bit more frugal," Bai Lingmiao obviously had some reservations about Li Huowang's generosity.

Sitting at the head of the Eight Immortals table, Li Huowang took a sip of the tea handed to him by the runner, and said, "Don't worry, let's celebrate a bit. It's not like we eat like this every day."

"You still have the face to eat! You're worse than a beast! Have you ever considered that while you're enjoying yourself, those people were all doomed by you! Why don't you just go die!!"

Facing Jiang Yingzi's unwarranted abuse, Li Huowang remained unfazed and continued speaking to the others, "After eating, you all wait here, the An Ci Nunnery is dirty, I'll come down quickly."

At first, when two people suddenly appeared beside him, he found it extremely difficult to accept.

But as days passed and they constantly kept company, Li Huowang was fully accustomed to having a ghost who had long been dead screaming in his ear.

There wasn't much Jiang Yingzi could do except curse continuously, which didn't affect Li Huowang much.

Compared to Jiang Yingzi, Master Danyang stood at a distance, staring darkly at him.

After some simple tests, Li Huowang realized that these two were indeed just hallucinations and could not truly affect him.

He did not know how long this situation would last, or whether other people might appear in the future. However, compared to being replaced by Master Danyang, the current situation seemed more acceptable.

"Hehe~ The dishes are here~ 'Azure Dragon Soars to Sea'~! 'Two Dragons Play with a Pearl'~! 'Three Suns Herald Prosperity'~! 'Fortune and Happiness from the Eastern Sea'~! Please enjoy your meal, guests~ The rest of the delicacies will arrive shortly~"

Just as Scholar Lv, who had been continuously swallowing his saliva, was about to start eating, he was stopped by Top Scholar Lv's smoking pipe tapping down. He smiled ingratiatingly at Li Huowang. "Taoist Master, please start eating. You must be tired from the journey. Consider this meal our treat to you."

Li Huowang gave him a surprised look and, not wanting to waste time on such trivial matters, picked up his chopsticks and started eating.

For some reason, Li Huowang always felt that Lv's Troupe seemed more restrained in his presence.

Having been traveling all year round, everyone had a good appetite. Add to that Bai Lingmiao and Gao Zhijian, both big eaters, and a whole table of dishes plus two buckets of rice were soon devoured completely.

Mantou was not left hungry either, as it was given all the bones that the people could not chew on.

After a full meal and drink, Li Huowang then picked up his tea cup for a sip, stood up, and started walking outside the inn with his belongings.

"I'm off now. I should be able to make it back before dark."

Mantou, who was gnawing on a bone under the table, followed him with the bone in its mouth.

No sooner had Li Huowang left than Lv Elevated Man put down his clean utensils and approached Top Scholar Lv, coughing softly, "Dad, can you come here for a moment?"

When they reached the quiet stable behind the inn, Lv Elevated Man leaned against a black horse eating beans, and asked in a very low voice, tense with apprehension, "Dad! Why aren't we leaving? Do you really plan to keep following him? Have you forgotten what he—"

He glanced around to make sure no one was listening, then continued in a hushed voice, "Have you forgotten what they all said that night? He's not a sage. He's a demon! His Taoist robe is dyed red with human blood! Aren't you afraid that one day he'll eat us all up?"

The wrinkled face of Top Scholar Lv took out the smoking pipe from behind his neck and lit it, taking a satisfying puff. "Perhaps... the Taoist Master has his reasons?"

"What possible reason could there be for doing such things? Oh dear, Dad, have you gone senile!"

"Hey! Looking for a beating, huh! Who's calling me senile!!"

Facing the raised smoking pipe of Top Scholar Lv, Lv Elevated Man, normally simple and honest, unusually did not dodge but stared stubbornly at his father.

"Forget about us! What about Xiu'er? What about your granddaughter, Xiu'er? It's said in the stories! Demons love to eat boys and girls the most! Can you bear to put Xiu'er in danger?"

Hearing this, Top Scholar Lv uncharacteristically did not argue back and instead took another deep draw from his pipe, the tobacco inside flaring up brightly for a moment.

"Son, I know what you're talking about, but haven't you noticed anything odd on our travels?"

"I know what's going on. At first, there were just more beggars by the roadside, which didn't seem like much. But before long, people will be selling their own sons and daughters. The world is descending into chaos."

"We are fleeing for our lives now, and we would be a tasty morsel for anyone to bite into. But with the Taoist Master, the common bandits can't even come close to us."

"I have lived for so many years, and I have a keen eye for people. The Taoist Master is not that kind of evil person. Though his divine skills are formidable, his nature is not so malicious. He would never do something heartless."

"But..."

"No 'buts' about it. Let's leave it at that. I noticed your wife didn't eat much just now, which isn't like her. She's also been feeling nauseous lately. Take her to see a doctor, see if she might be pregnant."