The Unruly Immortals

"To worship... the wedding deity? No, at least not in our Liang State."

"I still remember when my second brother got married, the general practice for the bride upon entering the door was to first worship heaven and earth, then the parents."

"However, at weddings, they also affix this round character on the doors and windows just like this."

With a lamb's trotter in his hand, Gouwa pointed at the double happiness character cut out of red cloth in the distant hall and said

After hearing this answer, Li Huowang's expression did not improve much.

He stood still for a while, only when he saw that the round-shaped double happiness in the distance did not show any abnormality did he slowly sit down.

"Hurry up and eat, and after you're finished, find a place to get some sleep." Hearing Li Huowang's words, the others hastened their swallowing.

Li Huowang picked off a dried date from the jujube bun beside him and chewed it slowly while vigilantly observing all the laughter and joy around him.

He had not completely let his guard down.

It was not surprising that he was like a frightened bird; once bitten, twice shy. In this already crazy world, no amount of caution could be considered excessive.

Besides, he had fallen into pits quite a few times already.

Li Huowang did not want to know why; all he wanted was to lead the people around him to safely carry on living.

The sky gradually darkened, and as the blazing torches were lit and stuck on the walls, the wedding feast became more and more lively.

Seeing the host toasting at other tables, Li Huowang thought they wouldn't come over to a table of outsiders like his, but to his surprise, they actually sent someone over.

The square-faced young man who had been banging the gong to welcome the bride was approaching Li Huowang's side with a wine cup in one hand and a wine pot in the other, smiling.

He came to the table, said nothing first, filled the cup in his hand, and then raising both hands, he said to Li Huowang,

"Come, come, come! Thank you all for attending our master's wedding banquet. I, Hou Wen, toast the bodyguards a cup, wishing you all everything you wish for, and may your travels be smooth!"

Upon hearing the other party say this, how could the others sit idle? They all raised their cups in response, and even Li Huowang did likewise, substituting tea for wine.

In principle, such treatment of foreign guests was already not bad.

But with one hand clenching the neck of the cup and the other supporting the bottom, Hou Wen tipped his head back to drink, and then immediately refilled his cup to toast specifically to Li Huowang.

"Esteemed Taoist, I'll toast to you individually. May you ascend on a crane to immortality and achieve transcendence at the earliest opportunity!"

Although the words were meant to be kind, they sounded awkward to Li Huowang, the faux-Taoist.

"You're too kind, too kind." Li Huowang picked up his tea cup and drank with his head tipped back, with the tea pot blocking his line of sight.

Immediately, he keenly sensed the man in front of him staring at him.

No, to be precise, not at him, but at the sword on his back given to him by his master.

As soon as Li Huowang put down the tea cup, that gaze disappeared swiftly, and the young man before him greeted him with a smile.

If Li Huowang's senses had not been much higher than others, he might truly have been deceived by him.

"Why does this person want to look at my sword? Has he recognized the power of this sword?"

Regardless of what Li Huowang thought, the young man, having finished toasting, did nothing else but carried the wine pot and headed towards the other tables.

It seemed like his visit was indeed just for toasting.

"Everyone, please enjoy your food and drink to your heart's content and make sure to return home happily!"

Watching his retreating figure, Li Huowang turned to the others with a complicated expression and said, "We've eaten enough, let's go."

The others reluctantly looked at the unfinished dishes on the table, but since Li Huowang had spoken, they eventually got up to leave with lingering reluctance.

Having this meal not only filled their stomachs, but it also came with another advantage—it made finding a place to stay much more convenient.

Recognizing the guests from the earlier meal, the homeowners readily agreed to temporary stays, even trying to politely refuse the room money offered by Bai Lingmiao.

"Oh, since you've come and joined the meal, you are guests now, aren't you? What's this talk of money—no need for such formality."

Despite these courteous words, the vocal old man ultimately accepted the Copper Coin with a pleased smile on his face.

Money indeed served its purpose well; soon, the homeowners allocated a two-story old earth building for Li Huowang and his companions to stay in.

Although the earth building was old, its detached structure perfectly matched Li Huowang's preference.

The night deepened, and the village that was bustling earlier gradually quieted down.

Li Huowang stood by the window on the second floor, gazing at the red lanterns of the household celebrating a wedding in the distance.

Sitting beside the bed, Bai Lingmiao wet a thread with her mouth and carefully threaded it through the needle's eye in the candlelight.

She then began to diligently sew some useless scraps of fabric onto the chains attached to a stool beside her.

After sewing until her eyes felt sore, Bai Lingmiao looked up at the broad back near the window. "Brother Li, perhaps someone saw your sword and just gave it a few casual glances; it doesn't necessarily mean they harbor any malicious intent."

Li Huowang bore two swords on his back, asking, "Why did that kid focus on just this one? You can never be too careful. Later, when you go down, alert the others in the house to stand watch through the night as well."

Bai Lingmiao obediently nodded and began to spread out the quilt.

"Li... Li... Li..."

"What is it?" Li Huowang looked down at the courtyard below, raising his head to see Gao Zhijian looking up at him.

"I... I'm really not... I'm really not a Village Guardian," Gao Zhijian insisted, clearly very concerned about this matter.

"Alright, I know you're not a Village Guardian. So where are you from? You can't possibly have sprung from a stone, right?"

Due to Gao Zhijian's intelligence and stuttering issue, Li Huowang and the others weren't very keen on chatting with him, as speaking with him was indeed a drawn-out affair.

Consequently, aside from knowing that he could recognize characters, they had little understanding of anything else about Gao Zhijian.

Gao Zhijian, looking utterly tormented, stood still thinking for a while before saying, "Li... Li... Brother Li!! Do... do you believe me... I... I"

"I believe, I believe; just get on with it. If you keep dawdling, it'll be daylight before you're done," Li Huowang said impatiently.

"You!! Don't... don't interrupt! Don't interrupt... my speech!" Gao Zhijian spoke up to Li Huowang in this tone for the first time.

"I... I hate... hate... hate it the most! When others... inter... interrupt me... my talking!"

Li Huowang observed his flustered, red-faced expression and clenched fists, then nodded. "Go ahead, you speak."

"Brother Li!! Do... do you trust me... me... no matter how... how... shocking and outrageous... my words might be?"

"I trust you, go on."

Upon hearing this, Gao Zhijian stamped his foot with a fierce look. "I... I... I'll tell you upstairs!!"

After glancing at Bai Lingmiao behind him, Li Huowang stopped the restless Gao Zhijian, "No need to come up; just say it from there, then you can go back to sleep."