The Unruly Immortals

When the three little guys performing the Nuoxi removed their masks, three red heads wrapped in red cloth appeared in front of Li Huowang.

Their heads weren't entirely covered, with deliberate openings for the mouth and nose, and after removing their masks, they began to take off the red scarves on their heads.

Soon, young men about the same age as Li Huowang appeared before him.

Everything about their faces was normal; nothing was added or missing, and even their expressions were very natural.

"Taoist, what are you looking at? They're not performing anymore, what's there to watch? Let's go somewhere else to have fun, who knows, we might even do some good deeds along the way."

The Monk beside him showed impatience, as if eager to leave.

"Monk, not so fast, stay with me a little longer." The terrifying image of the other party brandishing their teeth flashed through Li Huowang's mind, and he still had not let go of his suspicions.

He was not afraid of them confronting him directly; Li Huowang was afraid they would play dirty.

Shortly after Li Huowang said this, he suddenly noticed that the three men began to pack up their belongings more quickly, and their expressions were somewhat serious, occasionally stealing glances in his direction.

Li Huowang's expression tensed, and he thought to himself, "There's definitely something going on; they've hidden it quite deeply."

The suspicion he had put aside because of Top Scholar Lv's words instantly peaked.

The three men and the other musicians put all their possessions on the backs of camels and hurriedly headed down a small path.

"Monk, let's go! Follow them!" Right after speaking, Li Huowang quickly lifted his foot to follow.

"Good grief, what do you want with them, huh? Are you planning to spend Silver to have them sing just for you?"

The reluctant Monk complained, yet he still followed.

The two of them trailed far behind, following the musicians around the town.

At first, everything seemed fine, but gradually, Li Huowang noticed that the camel carrying the boxes had started running, someone was whipping it.

"They've spotted us! Chase them!" Li Huowang, gripping the hilt of the sword behind him, quickened his pace.

Although the town was small, these were the locals, and after a few turns in the alleys and hutongs, Li Huowang surprisingly found he had lost them.

Looking at the uniformly gray walls all around, Li Huowang's face grew darker.

"Ha—ha—Taoist, slow down, I can barely keep up—" The Monk, leaning against the wall behind him, gasped for breath as he spoke.

Li Huowang turned to look at him; it was natural for the older Monk to not have the same stamina as him.

"If it's too much, you go back first; don't follow." Saying this, Li Huowang continued to search along the small path.

The Monk's suspicions were quite small, but he had not yet cleared them, and Li Huowang didn't want the burden of having him around when facing the enemy later.

"All right... I'll head back then; you take your time." The resigned Monk, holding his waist, walked down another alley.

"I hope I'm just overthinking this." Shaking his head, Li Huowang had barely taken a few steps alone when a scream suddenly erupted from behind.

"No good! That's the Monk's voice!"

Li Huowang immediately rushed toward the sound and, turning around a wall, stopped in front of a large square pit.

This was a dirt pit with four sides lined with doors and windows, appearing much like a subterranean courtyard.

Several large wooden masks hung on the four walls, their fierce designs unmistakably those worn by the three Nuoxi performers.

From the camel eating grass inside the yard, it was clear that this was the three brothers' home.

"Taoist! Come down and give me a hand, ugh, this place really got me—why would anyone build a house under the ground, it's not like they're digging a grave."

Li Huowang looked again toward the source of the voice and saw the Monk lying below in pain, quietly groaning.

With one hand on his sword, Li Huowang jumped down, touching the window ledge briefly to steady himself before landing securely next to the Monk.

He didn't reach out to help the Monk up right away; instead, he instantly gripped the hilt of his sword, looking around at the tightly shut doors and windows with caution.

Through his keen perception, he could feel the gaze coming from behind the doors and windows, someone was there, and not just one person.

With the strength of the enemy unknown, Li Huowang didn't want to make the first move.

Strangely, the other party also seemed to have the same idea and didn't attack either. The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment.

"Are these people thinking the same as me?" Li Huowang thought to himself.

"Taoist, what are you standing there for?" The Monk climbed up from the ground, his face full of discomfort.

"Wait a minute! I'm busy right now," Li Huowang responded just as he felt several more gazes settle on him.

They were not coming from inside the house but from the eyes of masks on the walls, which seemed to come alive at that moment.

No matter whether this place was related to the Copper Coin mask from last night, Li Huowang didn't plan on this standoff continuing.

After pondering for a while, Li Huowang spoke, "Junior Xuan Yang pays respect to everyone present. I just happened to pass by this treasured place, no offense intended, I hope for your forgiveness."

Li Huowang received no response to his words, and after some thought, he tried another approach.

"Will the spring ritual be held?" Yet again, there was no response.

"What happened last night, let's pretend it never happened, shall we all value peace above all?"

After his explanation, Li Huowang didn't bother to wait for any understanding; he moved with the Monk toward a nearby ladder.

The tall ladder was set in place, and Li Huowang let the Monk climb out first.

Once he saw him safely on the ground, Li Huowang quickly stepped onto the ladder with his right foot and followed him up.

After Li Huowang and the Monk had left, several people with tattooed ears came out from inside the house.

There were men and women, and even children of several years old.

At that moment, every face bore a mix of sorrow and fear.

One of the three brothers who performed the Nuoxi, fists clenched and trembling, said to an old man with whitening hair, "Grandfather! What he said is true! We can't wait any longer! We have to strike first!"

The old man was clearly very angry, gripping his walking stick and smashing it hard on the ground.

"Get all the young people from our family to go, finish off that Red-robed Taoist! Don't think our family is that easy to mess with!"

By the time Li Huowang and the Monk left the underground courtyard and re-emerged onto the busy street, the Monk still seemed to be confused.

"What's going on? What in the world is going on?" he asked cluelessly.

"You really don't know what's happening?" Li Huowang took another careful look at the Monk in front of him.

He hadn't forgotten that this was also troublesome.

Last time, it was because of the Monk that he stumbled upon Zhengde Temple's conspiracy; this time, it was because of him again that he found the family of those who performed Nuoxi.

Once can be an accident, but twice? If this is still a coincidence, then it's just too coincidental.