The Unruly Immortals

When Li Huowang was looking at the women, the voices of Sun Baolu and Doggy talking beside him entered his ears.

"Old Sun, these bandits sure have a keen eye. Every woman they've snatched is pretty decent-looking. What do you think, should I pick one from these women to be my wife? I don't mind if they're dirty, as long as they can bear children."

"Forget it, they've just come from that place. Don't take advantage of them."

"Tsk! You make it sound so bad. I'm not taking a concubine; what's wrong with taking a wife in proper marriage? I might not be handsome, but if they really marry me, they'd be climbing the social ladder."

"Old Sun, don't you want one too? If you miss this chance, it'll be hard to find such a beautiful wife in the future."

"They're all pitiful people, forget about it."

"We're helping them! Think about it, even if they go back, they'll be pointed at and whispered about, unable to marry for life! At least with me, they'd have a warm meal to eat."

Li Huowang stretched out his hand to pull off the blanket from his body and stood up.

He didn't bother with Doggy's idle chatter and walked towards Top Scholar Lv, who was eating porridge.

After resting for the entire night, Lv's Troupe looked much more spirited, at least clean-faced and no longer disheveled.

Seeing Li Huowang approach, Top Scholar Lv quickly stood up, stuffed the bowl into his young son's arms, and his eyes were full of respect.

"This is yours, isn't it?" Li Huowang returned the previously borrowed smoking pipe to its owner.

"Yes, yes, yes!!" Top Scholar Lv hastily took it with both hands, nodding and bowing profusely.

"I've troubled you, Taoist Master, for such a trivial matter, to personally deliver this."

"If you feel bad about it, help me with a favor. I happen to need your services."

Top Scholar Lv was quite surprised. The Taoist Master was so endowed with divine skills, what could there possibly be that he needed his help for?

Li Huowang turned his head towards the others who were normally dining, "Yes, help us get into disguise. Everyone put on makeup."

Soon, everyone's face was painted with theatrical makeup, even Li Huowang's Copper Coin mask had a long beard attached to it.

Once everyone's weapons were placed on the carriage, the previously somewhat disordered bodyguard team vanished, leaving only a large theater troupe of about twenty people.

"From now on, you'll lead this troupe. We're all under your command. If anyone asks, you handle it."

With Monkey Second's identification, their appearance was too conspicuous and they had to adopt new identities—this was Li Huowang's intention.

Top Scholar Lv was quick on the uptake and immediately patted his chest, ensuring that there would be no problems.

"Brother Li, will this work?" asked Doggy with a bitter face, sporting a white circle on his nose.

The fake beard on Li Huowang's old man makeup swayed as he shook his head. "We have to try. If we just walk on the road like that, they'll find us too easily. We can't fight against the whole of Huo Shu."

At that moment, his face was covered in black with a beard and wrapped in official theater robes, completely unlike the red-robed Taoist he had been before.

Unless the makeup was completely removed, no one could recognize him.

"Brother Li, have some porridge." Bai Lingmiao, with the makeup of a leading lady, came over carrying porridge.

Li Huowang was about to drink when he quickly scanned around and saw that only Chun Xiaoman was left without makeup.

Seeing Li Huowang looking, Bai Lingmiao hurriedly explained, "Sister Xiaoman has too much facial hair. She needs to trim it before she can put on makeup."

"Hurry up and shave, don't waste time. Who knows how long it will take for those people to catch up," said Li Huowang, as he tossed the longsword that could slice through iron like mud, and began to drink the porridge voraciously.

"Don't use that, we're not chopping heads. I know how to shave," Luo Juannhua, Top Scholar Lv's daughter-in-law, put down the bowl she was holding, took out two red hair ties from her wrist, and went over to help.

The threads intertwined and rapidly twisted off Chun Xiaoman's facial hair from the roots, revealing a patch of white underneath.

By the time Li Huowang's bowl of porridge was finished, Chun Xiaoman's facial hair was almost completely plucked out.

At this moment, the other brothers and sisters from Qingfeng Taoist Temple who came out with them couldn't help but curiously glance over.

Chun Xiaoman's face had always been covered by hair, and this was the first time they saw what she actually looked like.

Luo Juannhua was meticulous with the grooming, even cleaning up the neck area.

Chun Xiaoman looked uneasily at the others, her heart starting to flutter with apprehension.

To be honest, she didn't even know what she looked like herself.

Xiaoman quickly stood up and walked away from the copper mirror, scrutinizing her own face carefully.

She then saw in the mirror a delicate face belonging to a girl around sixteen or seventeen, with slightly round cheeks and a straight, elegant nose.

She wasn't stunning, but she could definitely be considered graceful.

Whether others were satisfied or not, Chun Xiaoman was absolutely content. She held her face with those furry hands, tears brimming in her eyes.

No one wants to be a furry monster for life; she, too, wanted to marry and have children like other women.

"Xiaoman is so young..." Li Huowang muttered to himself before beginning to urge her on.

"Don't dawdle, quickly finish painting, and once you're done, we must leave. The whole of Huo Shu is not safe for us."

Lv Elevated Man picked up the brush and with a few strokes and twists, covered her features with thick ink, to the reluctant gaze of Xiaoman.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop~!" The sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out as a group of fierce-looking men rode by at a gallop.

Some of them took quick, careful looks at the troupe in front of them but didn't linger long.

This was not a good sign. "Let's go. Hurry, those men are probably commissioning bandits to look for us."

Li Huowang's words immediately made the just-relaxed atmosphere tense again.

No one bothered with their porridge anymore, and hurriedly packed everything up.

For the following days, Li Huowang didn't dare to take the main roads, opting for smaller paths whenever possible.

Whether it was because of the disguises or the choice of routes, ten days later, Li Huowang and his companions actually managed to safely reach a small town nestled among several rocky hills.

The town wasn't large, just one street in size, but it seemed to be a hub of activity with a fair amount of passersby due to its location on a travel route.

Seeing the bustling street, Li Huowang let out a sigh of relief, good, another stretch of the journey out of Huo Shu behind them.

"We'll rest here for the night and continue on tomorrow," Li Huowang said, leading his group deeper into the town.

They hadn't gone far when Li Huowang's eyes suddenly lit up. He saw an old man he had encountered on the road before. "Old gentleman? Where are you headed?"

Jin Shanzhao turned around and saw the man with a long beard who was talking to him—a mature actor.

After briefly recognizing the voice, he said with a bit of surprise, "Oh? It's you, the real person? What a coincidence."

"What a coincidence?" Li Huowang's pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly stepped forward, "Hit me."

"Hm? Why?"

"Thump!" Li Huowang punched Jin Shanzhao in the chest, causing him to retreat three steps while clutching his chest.

"Real person? Why would you do so without a reason? Has this old man offended you in any way?" Jin Shanzhao was nearly breathless from the punch.

Li Huowang, however, ignored him and looked down at his own fist, mumbling to himself, "I can touch him, and this feeling... It seems he's truly not an illusion like the monk."