The Unruly Immortals

"Whimper~" Mantou kept wagging its tail. Although it also smelled those two scents, as a dog, it didn't understand what Li Huowang was talking about.

At this moment, the Monk spoke up. "Taoist, what does it mean that she has the scent of blood and rust on her? Is she a bad person or a good one?"

Li Huowang shook his head, looking up at the sky, and just at that moment, a drop of rain fell from the sky and into his eye.

"Let's go, it's about to rain. Let's find an inn to stay in first."

The rain started off light, but gradually it got heavier. Just as Li Huowang and the others had entered an inn, the rain poured down in torrents.

Shaking the rainwater off his body, Li Huowang called out to the empty room, "Innkeeper! We need rooms!"

After calling out for almost the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, an innkeeper with a white towel draped over his shoulder, pushed aside the curtain and came out.

Seeing so many foreigners, the innkeeper's face immediately changed, showing fear as he instinctively stepped back.

At this point, Dog Wa jumped out, grabbed his arm, and stopped him from going back in. "Where are you going? Didn't you see there is business? Hurry up and tell the cook to prepare food, my wife and Brother Li are starving!"

"Alright... alright, dear guests, please wait a moment." The innkeeper's voice lacked confidence.

As he turned to walk towards the kitchen, Li Huowang, seated in the main seat, furrowed his brows. The other party's behavior was very strange.

"Chun Xiaoman, follow him and watch closely, don't let them drug our food." Chun Xiaoman nodded and, holding a sword in her one arm, headed towards the back courtyard. Bai Lingmiao also thought for a moment and followed her.

"Little Taoist Master, why don't we leave this place after the rain stops?" Top Scholar Lv clearly did not know that Li Huowang had come here for this very peculiarity, but having traveled far and wide, he felt something was off.

"Don't panic. Right now, they are afraid of us, not the other way around. This county town is big enough, and we're all tired. Let's rest here before we go."

Hearing what Li Huowang had to say, Top Scholar Lv did not speak further. The Little Taoist Master was brave and skilled; he shouldn't trouble himself with this. Even if there was something weird about this county town, the Little Taoist Master could handle it.

Before long, the delicious aroma of various dishes filled the room, and everyone took a little from each dish and threw it under the table. Mantou, who had been waiting for a long time, couldn't wait to start eating.

After watching Mantou finish and seeing that nothing happened for a good while, the rest of them began to eat.

While chewing the crunchy lotus roots in his mouth, Li Huowang silently ate, feeling the gaze from behind the kitchen curtain on his back.

The innkeeper and the cook were there, watching them with eyes full of fear.

Li Huowang didn't think his appearance was anything to be scared of; after all, he had already grown back all that should have grown back.

Moreover, after such a long time adjusting bit by bit, everything had already grown to its proper place.

"What exactly are they afraid of? Why does such a big county town need to be so wary of outsiders? Did they encounter something before?" A sumptuous dinner ended with Li Huowang pondering these questions.

During the night, there was no sign of the rain relenting in the sky. It seemed as though the heavens had been torn open, constantly washing away everything outside.

"Wah wah wah~" The sound of wind and rain frightened Lv Elevated Man's son into constant crying, and Lv Elevated Man carefully held him, trying to soothe him, but to no avail.

"Hey, you're not doing a good job as a dad. Give him here." Luo Juannhua, with a look of disdain, reached for her son, opened her clothes, and began to breastfeed.

"What are you doing? Scholar is still here!" Lv Elevated Man blocked the path between his wife and his younger brother with his body.

"What's there to be afraid of? Look at him. Does he seem to enjoy watching me?"

Lv Elevated Man turned to look at his younger brother. At this moment, Scholar Lv had taken off his shoes, was sitting cross-legged on the bed, with his eyes closed, concentrating intently and muttering non-stop, completely oblivious to his older brother and sister-in-law discussing him.

As for Scholar learning Divine Skills from the little Taoist Master, Lv Elevated Man was not very pleased. He knew his brother well, and he couldn't see him as cut out for this stuff.

Besides, merely holding the little Taoist Master's sword led to his current state. Heaven knew what would happen if he continued to practice.

But it wasn't his place to make decisions for the family; that responsibility fell to Top Scholar Lv.

"By the way, where has father gone?" When he heard her husband asking her this question, Luo Juannhua immediately gave him a disdainful look, "How should I know where your father has gone?"

After speaking, Luo Juannhua lowered her head and softly said to the infant in her arms, "My dear child, you mustn't grow up to be as clueless as your father. You are meant to be a great official one day!"

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. With a creak, the door opened, and Top Scholar Lv, with a stern face, walked in.

"Father, where have you been?" Lv Elevated Man came forward to greet him.

"Step aside, does a son need to meddle in his father's business? Go to the back courtyard and find that cook for me."

Lv Elevated Man, evidently hesitant, clearly had no power to object and turned to walk outside.

When Top Scholar Lv saw his grandson, who was suckling in his daughter-in-law's arms, his face first showed joy and then immediately turned to anger. "This is indecent! Hurry and cover up with a cloth!"

It didn't take long for the cook to be summoned, soon a cook with a black, hairy mole on his chin stood before Top Scholar Lv, his complexion as poor as that of a servant, his face looking greasy.

"My good man, you called me? What would you like for supper?" he asked with restrained eagerness, rubbing his hands together.

"Hehehe—" Top Scholar Lv chuckled before speaking, pulling out some Silver Fragments from his sleeve and handing them over.

"Master, as you can see, my daughter-in-law has just given birth, and her milk isn't coming in well. Could you trouble yourself to make some pig's knuckles and crucian carp soup to help her lactate?"

Upon hearing this, the real nursing mother Luo Juannhua pursed her lips; she didn't need anything to help her lactate. Her baby couldn't finish all the milk every day, and she could even spare some for Xiu'er.

But she didn't protest either, after all, who would refuse free pig's knuckles and crucian carp?

"Oh—understood. I will get on it right away; I remember there are still half pig's knuckles left in the kitchen." The cook turned to leave but was stopped by Top Scholar Lv who interjected, "Hey hey hey—Master, don't be in such a rush, hehehe, I haven't finished talking."

As he spoke, Top Scholar Lv pulled out a thumb-sized Silver Ingot from his bosom and stealthily slipped it into the other's pocket.

"That is, I wanted to ask you something. You see, in these parts... has something happened in the past?"

The cook, who had first appeared quite reserved, suddenly changed color upon hearing this. His fingers trembled violently as if holding a venomous snake, fearfully flinging away the Silver Ingot.

"Don't ask me! I don't know anything! I know nothing at all!" With that, he fled the house as if running for his life.

Top Scholar Lv let out a soft sigh, picked up the Silver Ingot from the ground, and held it in his hands with some regret as he spoke to the empty space on his left, "Little Taoist Master, the cook won't accept this."