The Unruly Immortals

As Bai Lingmiao, clutching the drum, constantly tried to calm her nervous heart,

Second God had already silently appeared behind her, quietly observing the distant door that was bolted shut.

"I know I can't always rely on Brother Li, I don't want to depend on him, stop talking about it," Bai Lingmiao complained softly.

"I understand, so please stop talking, okay? Besides, he has nothing to do with you."

No sooner had Bai Lingmiao uttered these words than Second God's sharp nails touched her neck.

"You know it does matter..."

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao's face turned even uglier, and she said nothing more.

When the hall became quiet again, Bai Lingmiao grew anxious and, trying to make conversation, asked, "What will the Immortal Sects do to me if I don't help them?"

"It's not that I don't want to help them, I'm just saying that sometimes I might not have the time or be able to make the effort."

On hearing the words in her mind, Bai Lingmiao's expression grew even more troubled, "I see... Then is there any way to—"

Before she could finish, the sudden knock on the door startled her greatly.

"Bang!" The wooden door was violently struck by something from the outside, instantly creating a crack.

Through that crack, Bai Lingmiao saw a pair of round, lifeless eyes.

"It's here!" Bai Lingmiao hastily shoved the drum into Second God's arms and covered her head with a red veil.

An extremely delicate female voice carried far into the pitch-black night, "Please~~~Gods~~ lend~~ your strength~~"

"Bang!" Another loud noise sounded, and the wooden door, with a creak, fell heavily to the ground.

An old woman with white hair and dressed in a red shroud appeared in front of Bai Lingmiao.

Her mouth was a blurry mess of flesh and blood, her expression rigid and her eyes vacant. Standing in the darkness, she resembled a zombie, sending chills down one's spine.

"Bang!" The old woman's legs hopped, she stepped over the threshold and jumped straight into the room.

Her shoes, still connected, and the black cords tied around her ankles, meant she could only move by hopping.

"The sun sets behind the mountains, darkening the sky~~ Ten homes are locked, leaving only one door ajar...

Confronted with that urgent and fast-paced incantation, the old woman did not react at all. Staring with unblinking eyes, she surveyed the room for something.

When she didn't find what she was looking for, her gaze turned to Bai Lingmiao, and she began hopping closer.

"Eastern Dipper, Western Dipper, press the same, Beidou at noon to judge the dust, Spring is born, Autumn dies in the desolate grass, Winter and Summer thrive in the Dense Pine Forest, A faint star in the sky, falls to the earth to bring forth life!"

Four sticks of incense appeared in Bai Lingmiao's hands, and with a fierce swing, the tops of the incense spontaneously ignited without flame.

"Heaven holds auspicious Ruyi skies, Earth holds Fengdu and Ghost Gate Pass, In sunnier days you claimed much, on this sunnier day covet less!"

With the rhythm of the sacred tune, the lit incense throwing off white smoke, was aimed at the old woman. But upon contact with her shroud, the incense extinguished as if it had touched water.

The old woman suddenly opened her mouth wide and bit down hard on Bai Lingmiao's hand. However, when the skin broke, black hedgehog spines were inside.

The sharp spines emerged, piercing right through her chin.

"Boom, boom, boom! Lord Hong, quickly send out your troops, Boom, boom, boom! At the first drum, prepare the battle meal; Boom, boom, boom! At the second drum, tighten the battle robe; Boom, boom, boom! At the third drum, the sword leaves its sheath; Boom, boom, boom! At the fourth drum, hand over the troops!"

Accompanied by the sound of the drum, clusters of soft, white fur rapidly grew from beneath Bai Lingmiao's sleeves and under the veil.

From underneath her skirt grew a constantly splitting fox tail.

These hairs, as if alive, started burrowing into the seven orifices of the old woman.

Facing this, the old woman still tried to struggle, but she had no chance to fight back, and her movements became weaker and weaker.

Suddenly, the old woman's body went limp, and a big black mass crawled out from under the leg of her shroud pants, quickly disappearing outside the door, using the dim light to its advantage.

"Dong dong dong! You're leaving, I won't stop you, pulling the horse to the manger's head, first undo the reins then unburden the saddle, the old Immortal Sects member cracks the whip and the horse must return to the mountain ah! Dong dong dong!"

Bai Lingmiao, back to normal, took off her red bridal veil, let out a sigh of relief, and then excitedly laughed again.

This was the first time she had dealt with such a situation on her own, and she had resolved it successfully.

This made her even more confident that in the future, when Apprentice Brother Li encountered any trouble, she could be of help too.

As husband sings and wife follows, she couldn't complain about the troubles of Apprentice Brother Li; what she could do was to lend a hand when he was in trouble.

"How do I become more powerful when invoking spirits? I feel like I'm still not quite strong enough."

"Hmm? Why should I learn operatic singing? It was you who sang, oh... alright then, I'll give it a try."

Seeing the old grandmother lying motionless on the ground, Bai Lingmiao crouched beside her, thoughtfully tidying up the disheveled shroud on her body.

"It looks like my guess was right; something indeed attached itself to her corpse. It ran away too quickly just now; I didn't see what it was."

After she had tidied up, Bai Lingmiao went to the backyard to call the father and son out, and after receiving a reward of fifty Patterned Money, Bai Lingmiao hurried back home.

However, as soon as she stepped out the door, she was startled by a black shadow nearby. "Who's there!"

The shadow stepped forward, took her hand, and walked toward their residence. "Next time something like this happens, let me know in advance so I can look out for you."

Seeing that Li Huowang had been worried about her and had waited outside for such a long time,

at that moment Bai Lingmiao's heart was as sweet as honey, and she leaned in shyly, "Mmm..."

The two of them silently walked back along the somewhat muddy village path.

Neither of them spoke, enjoying the silence together.

But this silence was soon broken by an old woman who approached, hunchbacked, with a basket hanging from her wrist and holding a bamboo pole in her hand.

"Da da da," the bamboo pole was aimlessly sweeping the ground, scouting the way ahead for her; she was a blind woman.

When she heard footsteps, the blind woman stopped and, turning her ear toward them, asked, "Young folks, do you know where Qian Niusheng's house is? They've had unwanted guests, and I've come to help them chase them away."

"Ah? Grandma, you're too late; their Evil Spirit is gone."

"What~?! Are you playing with a blind woman!"

The exasperated blind woman planted her hands on her hips, and a stream of profanity burst forth, all directed at the ancestors of Qian Niusheng.

The barking of dogs in the vicinity joined in the commotion.

Facing the fierce old woman, Li Huowang suddenly became intrigued.

"You're of such age and still exorcising demons? May I ask your honorable surname? Which Sect did you apprentice with?"

Hearing this, the spirited blind woman instantly reined in her fervor.

"I'm an old woman surnamed Cui; just call me Cui the Sorceress. Do you have a problem? Do you need my help?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Cui the Sorceress looked confused. She tucked the bamboo pole under her arm and staggered towards Li Huowang, groping her way.

Li Huowang wanted to dodge, but to his surprise, she followed him and directly pressed her bony, claw-like hands to Li Huowang's face.

"What did you do in your past life, lacking such virtue? Really curious!"

"Others, they may lack water or fire; at worst, they'll be missing two elements, but you, young man, are special – missing all Five Elements altogether!"