The Unruly Immortals

Following Li Huowang's thorough explanation, with assistance from others, Jin Shanzhao's inner anger finally subsided.

As for the so-called reasons fabricated by Li Huowang, only Jin Shanzhao knew whether to believe them or not.

"Old man, since we are going the same way, why don't we travel together? If we encounter any trouble on the road, we can look out for each other, right?"

Hearing Li Huowang's words and recalling the corpses of those bandits from before, Jin Shanzhao hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"Sure, I'm old and travel alone; I indeed fear one day being carried off by a wild beast. It's safer to go with more people."

"However, venerable one, there's a saying 'respect the old and cherish the young.' After all, I am no longer of youthful age. If you startle me like that again, I might just end up in a coffin."

"Of course, I won't. I was indeed too rash just now."

Seeing that the other party finally agreed, Li Huowang instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't intentionally trying to cling to this strange old man, but rather worried that the man had recognized him and might accuse him to others along the way.

Now, as long as the man stayed by his side, he could monitor everything.

The town was bustling with people coming and going. As they walked among them, their painted faces immediately attracted the attention of others.

Many people stopped and curiously pointed at Li Huowang and his companions.

"They couldn't possibly recognize us as part of Siqi, could they?"

No sooner had this thought crossed Li Huowang's mind than it was extinguished.

Top Scholar Lv and the rest were not from Siqi, and the plays they performed weren't Siqi plays; it was unlikely anyone would suspect them on that count.

Nevertheless, these people served as a reminder to Li Huowang.

Rather than suspecting them to be of the Siqi military, if a troupe didn't perform, it would actually be more suspicious.

After pondering for a moment, Li Huowang quickly came up with a plan. "Band Leader Lv, since we are a troupe, let's set up a stage and start performing. Look, all these people are waiting."

A performance, of course, had to be the whole package.

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Top Scholar Lv with his hunchback nodded repeatedly.

"Quickly, quickly, didn't you hear what Taoist Master said? Find a spot to set up the stage," he said to the other members of Lv's Troupe.

"Ah... Dad, I'm exhausted. We just came out of the bandits' den. Haven't we sung enough in there? Let's rest before we sing again..."

Top Scholar Lv sneaked a glance at Li Huowang not far away and forcefully tapped his son's head with the pipe stem.

"If I tell you to sing, you sing! No more nonsense! When you're my dad, then you can talk," he retorted.

There were no trees or bamboo poles around, so a proper stage couldn't be built.

They could only find a broken wall, drape a big red cloth over it, and call it done.

The carriage was pulled behind the broken wall to serve as a backstage area.

Although it was rudimentary, the townspeople weren't picky. Seeing that there was a play to watch, they gathered around.

Of course, Li Huowang couldn't just sit idly by. "Everyone go help, and remember our identity; we are now a troupe."

"After the performance, we'll go to the inn and rest properly."

Li Huowang's words set everyone in motion, except for Jin Shanzhao.

Blowing, stringing, beating, and singing – these amateurs couldn't be much help, only pitch in here and there. But even so, they made things much easier for Top Scholar Lv and his group.

Lv Elevated Man, dressed in black, brandished his sword and made his appearance on stage, quieting the buzzing crowd little by little.

The others didn't clap, but their eyes were filled with curiosity.

Although the Nuoxi opera was popular in Huo Shu, this showed that they were not averse to other plays.

"Dong qeng~ dong qeng qeng~"

With the Lv's Troupe music accompanying him, Lv Elevated Man began to sing.

"Today~ on~ orders~ I~ descend~ the~ hillside~ dong qeng~ to quell~ disturbances~ draw~ my sword~ to aid the fight!!"

Li Huowang watched the audience intently, using his keen senses to search for any potential risks.

Fortunately, after a good while, except for spotting a thief stealing in the crowd, he found no other causes for concern.

He also noticed that Jin Shanzhao was there, watching intently.

"Brother Li, it's not that I didn't want to give you that bamboo scroll before; it's just that..."

The hesitant voice came from behind; it was Chun Xiaoman's voice. Li Huowang raised his hand to interrupt her.

"I know you've been sold by your family and you always feel insecure, but the 'Great Thousand Record' is not an option—it's sinister."

"If you don't use it properly, it could cost you your life."

"Then Brother Li, how can you use it?"

"I…" Li Huowang touched the smooth surface of the 'Great Thousand Record' and a bitter smile appeared on his face. "I'm used to it."

"I was a bit harsh before; don't take it to heart. It's just my lousy temper—please bear with me."

Li Huowang reached out to take the Taoist Bell and handed it to Chun Xiaoman.

"You can use this, although it requires Yangshou with each use, at least it's safer than 'Great Thousand Record'."

Chun Xiaoman took it, her expression one of surprise as she looked at the Taoist Bell and then at Li Huowang.

Having been with him for so long, she of course understood the power of this Taoist Bell, and that he would actually give such a thing to her.

Any unpleasantness she felt vanished in an instant.

She wanted to say something, but in the end, it all condensed into one sentence. "Thank you, Brother Li."

Li Huowang sighed; in fact, he didn't want to give away any of these things.

It wasn't that he was selfish; it's just that each of these items was more dangerous than the last.

In this crazed world, to gain something, you always have to give up something.

Just as Li Huowang was teaching Chun Xiaoman how to use the Taoist Bell, an accident occurred outside.

It wasn't an enemy that appeared but rather, on the stage, Lv Elevated Man's emotions were off.

Witnessing his excitement, it was clear he had become immersed in the role.

Even Li Huowang, with his limited understanding of opera, could tell that the lines coming out of his mouth were very off.

"Rouge and powder are like enchanting poison!!"

"The lotus-like face is this deadly curse!"

"Golden Lotus is like an evil demon!"

"The willowy waist is a trip rope for horses!"

"Flirty eyes force one to don the green hat!"

"A pair of jade wrists, a pillow for thousands!"

"A dab of vermilion lips, chewed by ten thousand!"

"Who cares about Zhāng, Wáng or Lǐ, Zhào!"

"On the mandarin ducks' pillow, summon Jiaojiao~!!"

As he belted out the last line, Luo Juannhua, the wife of Lv Elevated Man who was beating the gong, raised her bronze gong with a grief-stricken face, hurling it toward the stage before rushing toward the backstage, in tears.

With a "clang," the stage fell silent at once.

Stunned for a moment, the audience below then exploded into applause and acclaim.

"Great~ this is great!!"

"Encore, encore please!!"

"This is way more exciting than a Nuoxi! What play is this from?"

"Let that lass who just struck the gong onto the stage—this young master has a hefty reward!"

Various Copper Coins, Pieces of Silver, and some food gradually covered the ground.

This was the most lucrative performance in the many years since the Lv's Troupe began singing opera.