The Unruly Immortals

The creaking ox cart moved slowly forward.

Li Huowang and his companions continued to walk beside the oxen's heads.

Some of their luggage was placed on several ox carts, which had made everyone a lot lighter and their appearance no longer as haggard as before.

These new tools had been purchased when they passed through a town, with Sun Baolu handling the negotiations.

After all, they still had to continue on their journey, and such essential tools could not be lacking.

Jin Shanzhao, still carrying his bamboo basket, hummed a tune from the corner of his mouth.

Looking at the lush green grassland around him improved his mood significantly.

In the heartland of Huo Shu, one couldn't see such beautiful scenery; it seemed they were nearly there.

He opened his map once again, rechecking their current position.

"Hmm... roughly a few more days of walking, and we should be able to cross the pass."

He put the map away again and, with hands clasped together, congratulated Li Huowang, "True Man, we are about to leave the pass. Congratulations, congratulations indeed."

"Once we're out of the pass and into Qingqiu's territory, we'll be completely safe."

Li Huowang, who was reading 'Swindling Scripture,' looked up at him, then buried his head to continue reading.

"Where do you plan to go? Do you intend to follow us through Qingqiu to Liang State?"

"No, this old one will not go to Qingqiu. After escorting everyone to the pass, I'll head back."

"Go back? Back where? Aren't you afraid of being caught by others?"

Jin Shanzhao smiled confidently. "Don't worry, this old one has ways to protect himself."

Li Huowang sized up the man in front of him again, feeling like he was just bragging.

Previously, he was so scared by the bandit soldiers that he almost wet his pants, and now he was pretending again.

While the two were chatting, a village appeared ahead.

They didn't all go inside, but instead Jin Shanzhao and Li Huowang went to buy food together.

Two people would be less conspicuous, and Jin Shanzhao had a good way with words, suitable for dealing with hostile villagers.

Li Huowang did not plan to stay long here, intending to restock on food and quickly pass through Huo Shu as soon as possible.

Although more tiring, with enemy forces behind them, they couldn't afford to linger.

As soon as he entered the village, Li Huowang smelled a distinctive stench.

He followed the scent and came upon a pigsty, one that was sheltered underneath a house.

Seeing what these black-haired pigs were eating, Li Huowang's voice started to tremble.

"They… feed pigs this way here too?"

Stirred by the scene, he remembered Master Jingxin from An Ci Nunnery who died in a pigsty.

"Hmm? True Man, why do you say that? Isn't this how pigs are always fed? That's why this old one never eats delicacies or pork, because pigs and dogs are both filthy eaters."

Li Huowang quickly suppressed the emotions welling up inside him and turned to look at him.

"What did you say? Is this how everyone feeds pigs?"

"Of course, it has been this way for thousands of years."

Jin Shanzhao squatted down, picked up a piece of stone, and began to write neatly on the soft dirt.

Even though he used a stone as a writing tool, his characters were very beautiful.

"Home" - this was the character he wrote.

"True Man, look, the upper part, the 'miàn' radical, stands for house, and the lower part, the 'shǐ' radical, stands for pig."

"A house above a pig, that's 'home.'"

"From this character alone, one can deduce that even ancient people used to feed pigs with filth."

"Understanding characters reveals meaning; in fact, if you carefully ponder, some things are hidden within these characters."

Gazing upon the word 'home' on the ground, Li Huowang slowly squatted down and gently caressed it with his finger.

"So this is what 'home' is... It seems I misunderstood Master Jingxin before."

Recalling every moment, Li Huowang's eyes moistened slightly.

That place was once the only warmth he felt in this mad world, but now it was gone forever.

"Immortal?" Jin Shanzhao sensed something off about Li Huowang's mood and took a step back.

After having spent so much time together, he had long noticed that something was peculiar; although capable of Divine Skills, this 'immortal' seemed to have something wrong with his mind.

Li Huowang brushed aside some dirt with his fingers, burying the character for 'home,' and then stood up.

He faced Jin Shanzhao once more - this ordinary-looking old man.

"Old man, your identity isn't ordinary, is it?"

Few among ordinary folks can read, let alone write such exquisite characters with pebbles.

Jin Shanzhao froze, puzzling over something.

"I saved your life, and you can't even tell me this? Never mind, never mind. If you don't want to talk, then let's just go buy some food from a farmhouse."

Just as Li Huowang had taken only a few steps away, Jin Shanzhao's voice came from behind him.

"Alright, telling the Immortal won't hurt. I'm actually a disciple of the Warring States strategists."

"Warring States strategists?" Li Huowang turned around slowly, eyeing him with uncertainty. The term was unfamiliar to him.

Having revealed his identity, Jin Shanzhao seemed invigorated.

"To open and close with the seasons and to transform all things, that is strategy; to unite the weak to attack the strong, that is Zong; to serve the strong to attack the weak, that is Heng. These are the principles of stratagems and alliances."

Thanks to Jin Shanzhao's explanations, Li Huowang now understood what a Warring States strategist was.

Put simply, it was a special profession that emerged in the environment of many small states.

In Jin Shanzhao's own words, it was wisdom, an indispensable counselor beside every Monarch.

To help the Monarch strategize, connecting alliances and making ploys.

But to Li Huowang, it was about the clever people who hop between the small states with their eloquence.

"To possess a grasp of the overall situation, to be good at speculation, to be eloquent in debate, to adapt to changes, to be full of wits and bravery, to have far-reaching strategies, and to make decisive choices – these are the qualities of us, the disciples of Warring States strategists."

As Jin Shanzhao nearly burst with pride, Li Huowang interjected.

"If you're so capable, why didn't you engage in a 'tongue battle against an army' when you met that woman earlier?"

Hearing this, Jin Shanzhao's face showed a trace of embarrassment.

"Ah... as the saying goes, 'When scholars meet soldiers, reason becomes unavailing,' and all the more with the bandit soldiers of Huo Shu."

"Hehe," Li Huowang turned and walked toward the village, with Jin Shanzhao hurrying after him.

"Immortal, you know you can't trust me, but it doesn't matter. You can continue with your own important business after you safely leave the Huo Shu Kingdom,"

"So your position isn't jeopardized by me."

"Since the Immortal has saved my life, I will surely repay you like a spring returning water. After I take up my post in Huo Shu Kingdom—"

"After all this time, it turns out you don't have a Monarch yet. Aren't you just an unemployed wanderer right now?"

"Soon, very soon. Once I turn the tide and become an official in Huo Shu, I will surely not forget the Immortal."

"Fine, we'll see when the time comes, though I reckon I will have reached the Liang State by then."

Everything was going well, but the light-hearted chatter between the two was interrupted as Li Huowang suddenly grasped the hilt of his sword.

"Immortal?" Jin Shanzhao followed Li Huowang's gaze to see several black pottery jars under the eaves, each one emblazoned with a large red upside-down Fu character.