The Unruly Immortals

"Let's stop here for now," Li Huowang said, bringing immense relief to everyone.

Watching the bloody mess that was Li Huowang in front of her, Chun Xiaoman could no longer hold back. She turned her head and collapsed to the ground, vomiting violently once again.

But her stomach was already nearly empty from her previous bouts of vomiting, so now she could only bring up clear water.

Bai Lingmiao's trembling hands caressed Li Huowang's black hair over and over again, her eyes brimming with tears, words caught in her throat that she just couldn't say.

"Why cry? Smile! Not a single one of us died. We not only got Black Taisui but also captured a prisoner. That's great news!"

"Besides, Miaomiao, look at my face. It's not so bad, right? Whenever you get tired of it, you can switch it out," Li Huowang said, trying hard to jest and wiggle his eyebrows at her.

Li Huowang knew he looked terrible and that he was truly in pain, the kind that made him wish for death.

Yet, he had to pretend not to care because if he kept complaining and screaming, it wouldn't solve anything and would only bring everyone else down.

This was a skill he had learned from Luo Juannhua, the wife of Lv Elevated Man. When something unavoidable happened, to spare the feelings of those around you, perhaps you can try acting oblivious to it all.

However, clearly, Li Huowang hadn't mastered the essence of this technique. The louder he laughed, the harder Bai Lingmiao cried.

Finally, Li Huowang grew tired, literally tired, and his one good eye slowly closed, "I'm going to rest for a bit... Call me when we get there... When I wake up, we'll find our way back."

Having said this, Li Huowang lost consciousness in an instant.

In his dazed state, something very familiar surfaced and submerged in his mind. He tried to grasp what it was but could never succeed.

As he drifted in and out of sleep, Li Huowang's thoughts were fragmented, often forgetting what he had been thinking just moments ago.

Suddenly, a splendid starry sky filled Li Huowang's mind. At that moment, he remembered. This was on the school rooftop where he and Yang Na had spent an entire night looking up at the sky. What he saw now was a memory from his past.

"Nana, I'm sorry. I've gotten sick. I need to take a leave from school for treatment," the boy said, holding the girl gently.

"When can you get better? Will it take a long time?" the girl asked, gently swaying their intertwined hands.

"I don't know, but don't worry. For you, I will work hard with the treatments and leave the hospital as soon as possible."

"I've told you, we will get into the same university, and then, after graduation, I will marry you."

The girl was shy when she heard this, but eventually, she nodded slightly. "Okay, I'll wait for you."

At that moment, the two tender young people drew closer and closer until they were finally one.

"Huowang? How are you?"

"Brother Li, are you all right?"

"Li Huowang! Get up right now!"

"Little Li, do you think that place seems real, or does this place seem real?"

All the calls tore relentlessly at the one beautiful memory deep within Li Huowang.

Li Huowang didn't want to return; he wanted to stay forever in that perfect moment, but it was destined to be impossible. Everything around him began to crumble, and that beautiful memory slowly shattered into pieces.

"Ah!" Li Huowang, drenched in cold sweat, suddenly opened his eyes and saw Bai Lingmiao supporting his head, gently leaning down to pass the sheep's milk from her mouth to his.

Drinking the warm sheep's milk in his mouth, Li Huowang's scattered consciousness began to gradually coalesce. Right now, his head felt like a rusty machine, any thought coming in fits and starts.

"Where are we?" Li Huowang asked, looking up at the cowhide tent above him.

Seeing that Li Huowang had finally awakened, Bai Lingmiao let out a huge sigh of relief. "This is Sun Baolu's home; he's herded sheep nearby and knows the local routes well. It was he who brought us back."

"And Brother Li, you've been unconscious for more than ten days. It's good that you have awakened."

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang immediately threw off the quilt covering him and quickly looked down at his body.

The wide cut he had made before had almost healed, but his appearance was still strange, with many incongruities, at least ordinary people's navels don't grow on their waists.

However, compared to the state he was in when he had just crawled out of the cave, he already looked much better, at least like a human.

Most importantly, his left foot had fully grown out half a foot, so he'd finally be able to walk without a crutch.

After examining his body, Li Huowang still couldn't rest and immediately began to press Bai Lingmiao for news about Han Fu and Black Taisui.

"Don't worry, everything is ready. But we really need to thank Sun Baolu and his family. Without them appearing, those things couldn't have been brought here."

"We borrowed two cowhide tents and set them up a bit farther away on their own. The other brothers are all watching there; Brother Li, you better lie down, your injuries are too severe."

"Go! Find Black Taisui first!"

Already too impatient to wait, Li Huowang immediately put on his clothes and walked outside the tent.

As he came out of the tent, he was immediately greeted with all eyes on him. The gazes of these Qingqiu People no longer held curiosity but carried a touch of taboo and unease.

That was normal—if they saw Li Huowang in his current condition and still showed a warm and hospitable attitude, Li Huowang would have been uneasy about them instead.

After clasping his hands in salute to the others, he left the cluster of tents and walked toward the two solitary tents in the distance on the grassland.

As he was walking over, Li Huowang just happened to run into Lv's Troupe coming back from herding, and Top Scholar Lv, suppressing his surprise, looked at the drastically changed Li Huowang and said, "Little Taoist Master? In just over ten days' time, you can already get down on the ground?"

"Oh, what did I say? My little Taoist Master has unrivaled divine skills; such ordinary evils are no match for you!"

However, the worried Li Huowang couldn't be bothered to pay attention to his flattery.

After inquiring and finding out that Han Fu's little head was not dead, Li Huowang went straight into Black Taisui's tent. This creature was now more important than anything in his heart.

As soon as he entered, Li Huowang saw that Black Taisui's tentacles were speared by long spears, pinned firmly to the ground, rendering it utterly immobile.

Circling it for a thorough examination, once Li Huowang was certain that it was the same creature as the Black Taisui from Qingfeng Taoist Temple, he spread his five fingers and reached into Black Taisui's body, seizing a piece of greasy Taishui flesh and pulling it out.

When the edge of the dagger smoothly cut along the flesh, some crevices on Black Taisui's body emitted a piercing screech, and black viscous liquid continuously slid out from within.

Looking at the cut surface of the flesh in his hand, seeing some of the fragments rapidly turning into tentacles, Li Huowang opened his mouth wide and lifted up, about to stuff the Black Taisui into his mouth.

But just at the moment of biting down, Li Huowang suddenly stopped.