The Unruly Immortals

Last night, the County Magistrate of Pi County had eaten and played to his heart's content, and did not wake up until the sun had risen high in the sky.

Only when he learned that Li Huowang was leaving did he, with a head still groggy from the hangover, come with his wife and children to see him off.

"My lord, may you have a smooth journey. Regarding the incident yesterday, I will surely give a detailed report to my superiors. I wish you a journey as splendid as a brocade, and may the wind be at your back!"

Yang Hongzhi, with a smile on his face, kept clasping his hands towards Li Huowang, even though the wound on his chin was still seeping blood.

No matter what he thought inside, his outward demeanor was impeccable, and no one could find any fault with it.

Hearing this, the youth among the crowd pursed his lips. Yang Hongzhi's words were fine, but he showed no real intention regarding Li Huowang's departure.

"County Magistrate Yang, could you issue me a travel pass? The one I had got soaked with wine last night."

Through Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang knew that, unlike other places, the Da Liang Kingdom had extensive lands and numerous cities, each with its myriad rules.

In smaller places, it might be fine, but in some of the larger ones, without a travel pass, you couldn't even enter the cities.

Although such a minor issue wasn't a setback for Li Huowang, he also didn't want to have Bai Lingmiao climbing over walls every time because of such trivial matters.

"A travel pass? Sure, sure, sure!"

With the Pi County issues resolved and his official hat secure, issuing a few travel passes was trivial.

Now that the trouble was gone, of course, he wanted to send off this god of plague as soon as possible.

As the parental official, in the eyes of Pi County's people, County Magistrate Yang had done more than enough, escorting them for three or four miles before slowly and reluctantly heading back.

"To escort with such diligence, those who don't know might think he's seeing off his father, yet not a word about giving some travel funds for the journey," Scholar quipped bitterly, spitting on the ground with a look of disgust.

"Smack!" A tobacco pipe with sparks flew right onto his mouth.

Li Huowang couldn't care less about the affairs of the Lv family; his mind was preoccupied with the conversation he had with the swindler last night.

At last, he had taken the first step, making contact with the Astrological Bureau, though that first step was exceedingly difficult.

The other party had only said they would report back, not giving a clear yes or no, leaving him unsure of the response he would receive.

Just in case, he had to be prepared for any eventuality.

If they just refused, that would be fine, but what he truly feared was if that person was a follower of Oblivion Path in disguise—that would be fatal.

The Monk beside him touched the copper coin mask on Li Huowang's face.

"Don't worry, it's fine. These past few days, even when sleeping, you've never taken it off. They won't discover you are Xinsu."

"As long as they don't find out, we still have a way out."

Li Huowang felt no reassurance from the Monk's comfort. Relying solely on a mask to conceal his identity was far too risky.

He needed to find other methods soon to add an extra layer of security to his identity, to ensure his safety.

The Monk was right about one thing: as long as no one discovered he was Xinsu, there would always be a way out.

"The most important thing is strength. With enough strength, none of these would be an issue."

A travel pass was not just a permit; it also represented a temporary identity. With it, Li Huowang and his companions could almost be considered people of the Da Liang Kingdom.

"Clang, clang, clang~~" In an ordinary village of Liang State, someone was performing an opera.

Along with Doggie incessantly striking the gong, Lv Elevated Man, dressed as a male lead, lifted the curtain and walked to the front of the stage and began to sing.

The new opera was thoroughly enjoyed by the tenant farmers beneath the stage, who joyfully threw grains and reward money onto the platform.

Some older children even grabbed a basket of loaches and tossed them onto the stage, startling the beggar-imitating Luo Juanhua into a jump, triggering a wave of laughter from the audience.

By the somewhat muddy roadside, Top Scholar Lv was grinning, counting out the copper coins one by one with Zhao Wu.

Li Huowang watched in surprise as the copper coins neatly strung with rope piled up beside Zhao Wu on the horse carriage.

Ever since Lv's Troupe adopted a new singing style, their earnings had increased significantly, and as a principal investor, he was entitled to half of it.

Now Lv's Troupe was, if not a goose that laid golden eggs, at least one that continuously laid double-yolked eggs.

"Hey! Brother Zhao Wu, our accounts are all settled now, we've made some money, let's eat something good, tonight we'll have loach with stuffed tofu!"

The loaches were readily available; Top Scholar Lv's idea of a good meal was simply to buy some tofu from the village.

But having spent so much time together, Li Huowang had come to understand his partner's character, "Band Leader Lv, during the opera performance, why didn't I see Scholar?"

Upon hearing about his youngest son, the recently smiling Top Scholar Lv immediately let his face droop.

"Him? Forget it, even if that boy truly mastered divine skills, I doubt he'd support me in my old age and at my deathbed. In the future, we'll have to rely on our pupil, right? My dear grandson?"

As Top Scholar Lv played with his grandson, Li Huowang walked towards a large rock in the distance, where Scholar Lv was practicing.

As he approached, Li Huowang heard Scholar Lv chanting incantations, "Purple Qi, clear and bright, grand Qi, true essence, invocation, responsiveness, all encompassed in the vacuous absorption!"

The copper coins spread out on the rock in front of him suddenly snapped together in an instant.

With a forceful stamp of his foot, the merged coins flipped and separated again with a snap.

After such extensive practice, relying solely on memorization without recognizing a single character, Scholar Lv had truly learned it.

Seeing him, Li Huowang realized just how much suffering Master Danyang must have endured to reach the level he attained before his death.

"Master!

"That's good practice. How have you been feeling lately?" Li Huowang asked, while paying attention to his student's demeanor.

"Great! Really awesome!"

Scholar Lv, now feeling he had acquired divine skills, spoke with a face flushed with excitement, sounding like a completely different person compared to before.

While Li Huowang felt a touch of disappointment, he also felt a measure of relief.

The disappointment stemmed from the realization that his previous guesses were somewhat off; compared to other sects, the Luo Sect's cultivation technique didn't seem to dissipate the malicious energy within Scholar Lv.

Relief came because, having reached this level, Scholar Lv had encountered no troubles.

So this could prove that the technique didn't have any traps laid by the Nascent Soul, and Li Huowang could begin practicing it himself.

"It's good that you've practiced well, but why don't you go help your father with the opera?"

Upon hearing this, Scholar Lv's face showed extreme disdain, "Now that I have divine skills, am I supposed to go back and mingle with them as one of the lowly?"

Hearing these words, Li Huowang couldn't help frowning. To be honest, the current Scholar Lv was really annoying. He hadn't even turned his fortunes around, yet he was already looking down on his father and elder brother.

But he was destined to be disappointed because these so-called divine skills required the use of the Copper Coin Sword. He had only learned how to wield the Copper Coin Sword, without the sword; the technique was utterly useless.