The Unruly Immortals

Li Huowang appeared relaxed, yet he was secretly on guard, watching the monk in front of him.

Even though the monk hadn't done anything harmful to him, Li Huowang dared not take the risk and couldn't entrust his fate to someone else.

"Monk, can you tell me who you really are?" Li Huowang asked, half-jokingly.

Was he another person with ulterior motives against him?

Had the monk become a spy for Zhengde Temple?

Or was he the Oblivion Path that the abbess had mentioned?

Any of these possibilities were big trouble for him, regardless of which one it might be.

"Me? I'm a monk, why suddenly ask this?" The old monk expressed himself very frankly.

Li Huowang carefully observed any changes in the other's expression but didn't find anything amiss.

However, even without evidence, Li Huowang could no longer easily trust him.

The safest measure when one could not determine whether there was danger was to keep away, and that was exactly what Li Huowang intended to do.

"Alright then, since the play is over, how about we go our separate ways? You do your good deeds, I'll continue on my journey, may we meet again."

"What's the hurry? It's been a long time since we've seen each other, we could catch up a bit," the monk said with a grin, reaching out to grab Li Huowang's sleeve, only to be met with a sword sheath.

The monk's fingers stopped an inch from the sword sheath and awkwardly retreated.

"I really don't know what you're talking about, aren't we friends?"

"If we're friends, then be honest about your identity! Stop playing riddles with me! Who are you exactly!" Li Huowang said, then turned around and headed towards the inn.

The monk seemed to sense the emotion in Li Huowang's tone and did not follow him, his face showing a touch of grievance.

Heading back the way he came, he made it to the inn without any unexpected incidents. After looking back one more time and seeing no trace of the monk, Li Huowang finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother Li, what's wrong? Why are you in such a panic, like you're being chased by a ghost?" asked Dog-Er, curiously descending the stairs while cracking sunflower seeds.

"Where are the others?" an anxious Li Huowang asked him.

"As you instructed, everyone went out to look for Huo Shu's map and to gather information about the area," Dog-Er replied with confusion.

"Stop searching! Call everyone back now, we need to leave this place as soon as possible!"

"Why... Alright! I'll go find the others right away." Dog-Er dropped his handful of sunflower seeds and rushed outside.

"And don't forget to tell Lv's Troupe!" Li Huowang called after his retreating figure, then quickly headed to the horse stables in the back courtyard.

Li Huowang's notice was incredibly hasty, giving no one time to prepare, and everyone was in a flustered rush.

But on such matters, Li Huowang's word was law; no one had the right to object.

Finally, before nightfall, the carriage wheels had rolled out of the town.

"Brother Li, what happened?" asked Xiao Man, clutching his sword in confusion.

"Some people in the town are scheming against us, but don't worry, this time is different from the others. If things really come to a fight, they won't get the upper hand."

Li Huowang pressed his hand against the sword on his back.

Having rested for just a day, everyone had recovered well, and they traveled until the moon hung high in the sky before stopping to rest.

Having estimated the distance, they were now over ten kilometers from the small town, and Li Huowang ordered everyone else to rest.

If they wanted to hurry on the next day, it would not do to go without any sleep at all.

For the first night's peace of mind, Li Huowang personally stood guard.

Gently stroking Mantou's fluffy nape with his hand, Li Huowang went over the day's events, carefully considering any details he might have overlooked.

The more he thought, the more Li Huowang felt that something about the town's encounter was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

At that moment, Li Huowang had the sensation of being led on by a thread, an unpleasant feeling indeed.

Now that he was already out, Li Huowang stopped dwelling on it, shook his head, and began to think about more practical matters.

"Whether those Nuoxi performers or the monk, whatever their origins may be, since they did not directly take action in the town, they clearly fear something about me," he said.

Touching the "Great Thousand Record" at his waist and the sword on his back, Li Huowang's face showed a trace of thoughtfulness.

"Everyone I ran into knew I was Xinsu, and judging from the actions of Zhengde Temple, Xinsu is of considerable value."

"No matter what they fear, since the other party could hold back from attacking, this proves I have a certain ability to defend myself, and I can safely get through this crisis," he concluded.

Just then, Master Danyang, who was squatting opposite him, suddenly spoke up.

"Humph! What a disgrace to be a disciple of Master Danyang! Others are bullying you to your face, yet you only think of protecting yourself! In this situation, you should be figuring out how to thoroughly kill them, not thinking about escape!"

Li Huowang looked at him with a cold laugh, his hands gently patting, "Good! Master teaches very well! When the monks from Zhengde Temple were chasing you, I wonder who it was that abandoned their disciple to save their own wretched life."

"You ingrate!" Master Danyang stood up, his body's various misshapen flesh beginning to writhe more rapidly.

As he was about to say something with his three mouths, he suddenly stopped and, along with Li Huowang, turned to gaze out at the pitch-black Gobi desert.

With his excellent vision, he saw a small black dot gradually approaching.

"They've caught up!" Li Huowang immediately got up with a serious expression.

Just as he stood up and was about to alert the others, he realized that there was not merely a small black dot following them, but there was also one ahead.

The enemy would not just send two people; Li Huowang quickly scanned the surroundings and found black dots approaching from all directions.

"Li Huowang! You're surrounded! You're doomed this time! Hahaha!"

The ferocious Jiang Yingzi held his stomach with his single arm, laughing maniacally.

"Everyone, wake up! We've got company!" Li Huowang's roar shattered the silence of the Gobi.

The others, still groggy, were instantly scared into a cold sweat by the scene before them, and swiftly drew the knives from under their pillows.

No matter who the enemy was, their intentions were now clear, and the atmosphere on the Gobi began to crackle with tension.

"Don't wait for them to encircle us! Break out now!" Li Huowang led everyone toward a black dot in front of them.

As the distance closed, Li Huowang got a good look at the person.

The copper coin mask on the man's face was all too familiar; he was the same person who had attacked him the day before!

As was the case the previous night, the man still held several shadow puppets in his hand.

With enemies face to face, more words were needless. "Clang!" Li Huowang drew his sword with one hand and charged at him.

The man in the copper coin mask quickly raised the shadow puppets in his hands. Taking advantage of the moonlight, the shadows rapidly took shape on the ground, and then they rose to stand upright, floating toward Li Huowang like a fleet of paper figures.