The Unruly Immortals

"We don't have any wheat flour, but would you like some sorghum or corn flour?"

Squatting on a large square stone, the gaunt old man holding a large porcelain bowl said to Top Scholar Lv, who was inquiring about buying grain.

"Aren't the fields full of grain? How come there's no wheat flour? We are paying, not robbing you," Top Scholar Lv seemed a bit discontented.

Although coarse grains were edible, they were not as tasty as fine grains. Besides, it wasn't coming out of his own pocket, so there was no need to be thrifty.

The gaunt old man shook his head like a rattle-drum. "That won't do, all the wheat flour has to be kept to pay the grain tax to the officials. If we can't deliver the grain tax, they will take my son to work as corvée labor."

"Little Taoist Master, look at this..."

Top Scholar Lv turned his head and cast an inquiring glance at Li Huowang, who was stroking the head of the mantou dog with his hand.

After getting a nod, Top Scholar Lv turned back to the old man and said, "Alright, alright, coarse grain it is. We're buying a lot, so you need to give us a discount."

As bag after bag of grain was loaded onto the horse cart, the wheel hubs sank slightly into the ground.

But purchasing so much had its benefits: at least the seller agreed to lend them two empty grain barns for Li Huowang and his group to stay overnight.

Although all the grain they bought was just coarse grains, the kid Yang still managed to make it delightful.

The sticky dough made from mixed coarse grains was wrapped around a black pot and baked into pieces of golden-brown flatbread.

In the middle of the flatbread was a soup made from leftover sheep bones from the day before; the yellow flatbread with sheep bone soup was their dinner.

Although the food was simple, it tasted exceptionally good.

"Little Taoist Master, there are a lot of people around here. At night, we should send more people to watch the sheep. Otherwise, who knows if some bastard without an asshole might come and steal them."

While holding his bowl, Top Scholar Lv reminded Li Huowang, who was eating the roasted flatbread.

"No worries, at night we'll just have Mantou sleep with the sheep. If someone tries to steal them, she'll bark."

Li Huowang threw the meatless sheep bone he had in his hands to the ground, and Mantou, crouching under his stool, immediately rushed to grab it and dragged it away.

She pinned it down with her front paw and started to gnaw at it, crunching contentedly.

"We're just a dog short. How about this, I'll have my youngest son go with the dog and guard them. I've inquired about the price; once we leave Qingqiu, these sheep will be valuable."

Seeing that Li Huowang did not object, Top Scholar Lv showed a satisfied smile on his face and felt proud inside. "Heh, Lv's Troupe is proving its worth again!"

"Your daughter-in-law gave birth alone outside, is everything okay? Do you want me to find a midwife in this village to check on her?"

"No problem, it's nothing serious. She has given birth before, so doing it a second time is like taking a dump, uh... sorry Little Taoist Master, this isn't something to talk about during a meal."

While the group was having their meal inside the simple grain barn, they heard some noisy commotion coming from outside.

Gouwa, who sat by the door, turned his head to glance at Li Huowang in the room, stuffed a yellow flatbread from the pot into his mouth, picked up his bowl, and curiously walked outside.

The room quieted down, and other than the sound of slurping soup, all that remained was the smacking sound of chewing. The flatbread made with corn flour was sticky and got stuck in the teeth, so it had to be chewed slowly and thoroughly.

Before long, Gouwa walked back in with an empty bowl and an excited expression. "Hey! Do you know what I just saw?"

The others glanced at him and kept eating their meal, completely uninterested in what he had to say.

Seeing that no one was chiming in, and in order to save his friend from embarrassment, Scholar Lv asked at just the right moment, "What did you see?"

The boy set down his bowl excitedly and clapped his hands, "I just saw a troupe performing an opera! There were men and women! They are setting up a stage at the entrance to the village right now!"

At these words, Li Huowang and the others didn't have much of a reaction, but everyone in Lv's Troupe immediately perked up their ears.

If you ask what in the world is pure hatred, competition between peers would definitely be one example.

"Ay yo!" Top Scholar Lv set his bowl on the ground and wiped his mouth with both sides of his sleeve. He straightened his hunched back abruptly, like a rooster, and headed outside.

"Let's go! I want to see how they perform plays in the Da Liang Kingdom!"

Li Huowang looked up at his retreating figure and continued eating his fragrant and sticky yellow cakes.

Top Scholar Lv was nonchalant about most things, but he took his fellow performers, the actors, very seriously, as if on a chicken's blood.

For Li Huowang, such matters were of little consequence, but for others, the temptation was great. They had been traveling every day without any chance to relax.

Hearing about the opera, everyone grew restless and started wolfing down their food. As soon as they finished eating, they put down their bowls and walked outside.

"Brother Li, let's go take a look too."

"Yeah, Taoist Master, let's go have a look. I love watching operas the most."

"I'm not going."

"Brother Li, come on, let's go. It's really good. I used to love watching operas while my grandmother held me in the crowd," Bai Lingmiao said, gently shaking Li Huowang's arm, her voice carrying a hint of coquetry.

"Yeah, let's go, Taoist Master, I beg you," the Monk, dressed in his tattered robes, said eagerly as he leaned in on the other side of Li Huowang.

Li Huowang watched the Monk's lips twitch slightly, and finally he forcefully held back the curse that had almost slipped out.

He put down his bowl and strode outside; behind him erupted Bai Lingmiao and the Monk's cheers.

By the time he got outside, the previously empty village entrance had become incredibly crowded. People were packed onto walls and trees. Judging from the crowd, it seemed likely the entire village had come out, including the members of Lv's Troupe.

Li Huowang, leading Bai Lingmiao by the hand, leaped onto the rooftop in just a few steps, and they sat on the hard roof tiles, looking at the brightly lit stage in the distance.

To provide a clearer view for the audience, the other party had hung many lanterns around the stage, making it the brightest spot.

"Clang clang clang!" Accompanied by the distinctive music of opera, a red-faced general with six chess pieces in his back and two long feathers on his head took to the stage, keeping time with his steps.

Following the music, he danced a few moves with the white double maces in his hands, and after a powerful reveal, the music stopped, and he began to sing with a voice full of boldness and clarity.

"Listen to the thunderous sound of the war drums~! Awakening my aspirations to break through Heaven's Gate~ Remember the days, on my gallant steed~ Majesty fierce and chilling! Duty must be upheld in life! How can a single inch of soil be yielded to others! "

"Excellent!!"

Hearing Bai Lingmiao and the Monk's shouts of approval and joining them in clapping, Li Huowang first turned to look at her joyful profile, then lifted his gaze back to the actor on the stage.

Hearing the lyrics, it seemed to describe the inner turmoil of a general from the Da Liang Kingdom before he set out to battle, but Li Huowang didn't know which play it was or who he was or where he was going to fight.

However, he was there because he had been persuaded, so he didn't care about the plot and just watched along with everyone else, confused.

At first, Li Huowang thought this play was similar to the ones performed by Band Leader Lv's troupe, nothing more than the different singing styles, but he soon noticed something different.