The Unruly Immortals

"It's dangerous inside. None of you should follow; I can go by myself." After saying this to Bai Lingmiao and the others, Li Huowang turned and walked into the cave alone.

But this time, the others were unwilling to stay back, and Gouwa spoke up: "Brother Li, that's not going to work. If you really run into trouble, we can help you."

Li Huowang looked at his withered figure and said impatiently, "What help can you provide? You're not even as useful as Mantou! If you come in, I'll have to take care of you!"

Gouwa hung his head a little guiltily, "How can you say that about me? I really put myself out there saying that. Besides, I've been practicing with a knife. At the very least... at the very least, if you were to have an episode, I could lend a hand to tie you up..."

"Brother Li, Gouwa may be useless, but we can certainly be of use. You can go in if you want, but we must follow!" Bai Lingmiao, who rarely showed such a serious expression, held a whip in one hand and a drum in the other.

Although Bai Lingmiao always appeared soft and frail, there was a firm resolve inside her, and she always had her own opinion on certain matters.

At that moment, Gao Zhijian also stood up. The honest and large man didn't speak, but his clenched fists clearly expressed his determination.

"Brother Li, since Black Taishui could help you escape from hysteria, we'd be happy to help you out. More people means more support. And we're not like Gouwa," Chun Xiaoman, holding the Taoist Bell, explained logically.

Seeing their earnest faces, Li Huowang felt a slight warmth in his heart. "Alright, let's be cautious. If anything feels off, we'll retreat immediately."

With that, he led the others towards the cave. However, Sun Baolu once again blocked his path.

"Are you ever going to let it rest? Get out of the way," Li Huowang's face turned cold.

Visibly agitated, Sun Baolu's eyes dilated; he stood there trembling, unfastening his belt and beginning to take off his shirt. "Brother Li, I've been inside. If you think becoming like me is no big deal, then I won't stop you!"

"Brother Li, didn't you ask before why I always hide my appearance, while everyone else looks odd? Because I'm different from all of you! No matter what, you're still human! But I am completely and utterly a monster!"

After undoing part of his shirt, Li Huowang saw a thumb-sized indentation beneath his neck.

"What is that...? It looks a bit like a belly button. Wait, that IS a belly button. But why is Sun Baolu's belly button under his neck?"

With a swoosh, Sun Baolu opened his shirt, standing naked before Li Huowang.

Apart from Chun Xiaoman and Bai Lingmiao, who turned aside because of the differences between men and women, everyone else who saw Sun Baolu's body gasped in shock.

"Old Sun, this... how did you end up looking like such a mess?" Gouwa said, wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

Seeing Sun Baolu's body beneath his clothes, Li Huowang finally understood why he always hid when going to the toilet or bathing. Sun Baolu's body was a complete mess, with organs growing haphazardly.

His buttocks were where his belly button should have been, and the belly button had moved to just under his neck. Tufts of hair haphazardly grew in places where they shouldn't be.

His body looked like a misshapen clay figure a child had carelessly molded.

Seeing their horrified expressions, feelings of shame, repression, and sadness welled up in Sun Baolu's heart.

He had dreamt countless times of his deformity being discovered by others, so he always hid, kept hiding, and hid some more. But in the end, he was the one exposing himself to them.

Li Huowang let out a breath and hobbled over to help Sun Baolu pull up his pants and put on his clothes.

"What happened?" Li Huowang asked in a low voice beside his ear.

"Inside the cave, something touched me, and I ended up like this, it's so dark, I couldn't see what it was, I just felt it was like a big brush."

Recalling some past incidents, Sun Baolu's face showed fear, and he instinctively hugged his shoulders with his shaking hands.

"I was only seven years old at the time when it happened. Some sheep wandered in while I was herding, and even though the adults said this place was dangerous, I followed four other kids thinking it was just wandering around and nothing would happen. In the end, out of the five of us, only I came out alive."

Having said that, a terrified Sun Baolu looked eagerly at Li Huowang again.

"Older Brother Li, you saved my life and took me home, you've been kind to me, I can't just stand by and watch you jump into a pit of fire!"

Sun Baolu was still trying to persuade him even in this dire situation.

Li Huowang sighed softly, he could feel the other's concern. "Do you know? There could be a Black Taishui inside, do you know what Black Taishui means to me now?"

His tone was calm as he explained to Sun Baolu the reason why he needed to enter the cave, "So I have to go in, otherwise, I'm really about to be driven insane by those hallucinations; it's the only medicine for me."

"I know you've done a lot for me, I appreciate your kindness, but Baolu, if you really want to do good for someone, don't force your goodwill onto others, let them choose for themselves."

"Also, thank you for the information; it's very helpful to me."

Li Huowang patted him on the shoulder and, leaning on his stick, walked toward the cave, a determined look in his eyes.

The others exchanged glances and quickly followed him.

Sun Baolu watched their figures disappear into the pitch-black cave mouth, he controlled his shaking legs as much as he could, his expression alternating between hesitation and struggle, before finally gritting his teeth and following them.

"Since you're determined to go, I'll go with you! I've been there before and can lead the way for you!"

As the group took their glowstones and entered the round cave one by one, all around them fell silent in an instant.

The sound of the wind in Qingqiu and the warm sunlight from above also disappeared completely.

"Huuh," as Li Huowang gently exhaled, a puff of white mist came out of his mouth.

"Baolu, has it always been this cold in here?" Li Huowang's voice gave a high-strung Sun Baolu a big start.

He nodded his head frantically in response. "Yes, it was this cold last time I came, and the further you go inside, the hotter it gets."

After saying that, he quickened his pace and moved to the front of the group, "I'll lead the way, make sure you stick close, it's not far ahead, one of my playmates suddenly disappeared just around there."

Sun Baolu's words made everyone tense, and they all gripped their weapons tightly.

The cave was very quiet, with no other sounds except for the footsteps of Li Huowang and his group.

The cave was not a karst cave but some kind of rock cave, with the entrance gradually sloping downwards. The further they walked inside, the further they moved away from the surface, they were heading down all the way.