The Unruly Immortals

"Cough."

Li Huowang's light cough drew the attention of the other brothers. Confidently looking at the faces before him, he declared, "My fellow brothers! We shall wander no more; from now on, we will make our home here in Niuxin Village. From this moment forward, this is our new home!"

"Brother Li, we're still missing one, the young Yang hasn't been delivered yet," Dog Wa said as he slapped the Taoist Boy's head by his side.

Young Yang immediately panicked, for he had not expected the conversation to take such a turn and land on him.

"I..." Just as he stammered trying to say something, Li Huowang, with a look of disdain, interrupted, "His address is a bunch of nonsense; he doesn't have a home, this kid's nothing but a beggar."

Just then, Li Huowang felt his arm go limp and turned to see Bai Lingmiao clinging to him.

Looking at her admiring gaze filled with anticipation, warmth flooded Li Huowang's heart and, turning back, he continued, "Since it's been said here, then I'll say it all, everyone, you've all seen it on our journey here—the world is in chaos."

"If we just want to grab a piece of land to farm, then we're no different from the oxen in the fields!"

"So if we want to protect ourselves, we can only rely on ourselves! From now on, anything I know and can teach, I'll teach you all."

"I'll also find a way, in the future, to find some so-called Divine Ability Techniques for you all to learn."

Hearing this, everyone was suddenly excited, all talking at once.

Looking at the faces before him, resolution settled in Li Huowang's eyes.

The other sects were unreliable, the Astrological Bureau was unreliable, all he could depend on was himself and this group of disabled fellows in front of him.

To survive in this peculiar place, it was imperative to have his own force! Only by doing so could he keep the pain he had experienced at bay.

"Everyone! The first thing we need to tackle, is literacy!" he announced.

"Literacy?"

"Literacy!"

Li Huowang touched his stomach, "Yes, learning to read. Everyone must learn."

"After we've learned, we'll establish our sect! Only by doing so can we truly hold our ground in this world!"

"Others always think we are monsters, trash! But we will lift their eyelids and show them! People like us can also make a world for ourselves!"

"We are not monsters! No one will sell us short, look down on us, or bully us anymore!! As long as we all work hard together, our days ahead will definitely get better day by day!"

"Great!!"

"Great!!"

"Great!!"

The chorus of approvals nearly blew the roofs off Niuxin Village, and Li Huowang, watching the brothers united in spirit, smiled a happy smile.

But just at that moment, droplets of rain began to fall from the sky, washing away Li Huowang's smile and dampening everyone's cheering.

The rain pitter-pattered down as Li Huowang stood silent at the entrance to Niuxin Village, holding a paper umbrella, watching the white smoke rising from the chimneys.

There was no one else here, the desolate muddy yellow road was occupied only by Li Huowang himself—everything else had been just a figment of his imagination.

Li Huowang had been standing there since yesterday morning, and he had stood there for a day and a night now.

Because of the humid weather, Li Huowang's paper-made skin had become damp and moldy, but he didn't have the time to care about that.

When he saw the child with a bamboo hat, leading an old ox out of the village, he lifted his nearly stiff joints and walked towards Niuxin Village.

Seeing Li Huowang finally move, Hong Zhong, whose half-body was stuck in a tree trunk, wore a smile of schadenfreude and nudged the Monk beside him with his elbow. "Monk, haha, now there'll be a good show to watch."

As Li Huowang entered the village, he was spotted by the child, who excitedly came to greet him, but was soon frightened by Li's appearance.

"Yikes! Brother Li, what happened to the skin on your face again? And why are you wearing a paper garment?"

"Where's Miaomiao?" Li Huowang's voice was hoarse with a hint of bloodiness.

"At this hour, Sister Bai should be in her own room. Brother Li, what happened to you? Is there any news about the missing Bai Family Members?"

Li Huowang, silent, lifted his heavy steps and walked towards the Bai Family step by step.

It didn't take long for the commotion caused by Li Huowang's return to stir everyone; they all came out to welcome him.

However, their joy soon cooled down under the influence of Li Huowang's mood.

Dog Wa approached with caution. "What's wrong, Brother Li? It looks like you didn't find them, eh? If not, then so be it; it's not your fault."

Li Huowang clenched his teeth and pushed him away, quickening his footsteps, which became faster and faster behind him.

When Li Huowang, having discarded his umbrella, arrived at the entrance of the Bai Family Courtyard, he collided with a panicked Bai Lingmiao.

Seeing Li Huowang return alone, Bai Lingmiao's heart skipped a beat.

But when she saw under the rain, the pitiful sight of Li Huowang's flesh melting away, her heart immediately ached; she disregarded everything else, took hold of Li's arms with both hands, and led him towards her boudoir.

The soft towel was held by Bai Lingmiao, who pressed it onto Li Huowang's body, drying the droplets of water on his charred skin.

She dared not rub, for she feared that with a little force, she might scrub away the tender flesh from Li's body.

Bai Lingmiao had seen such injuries before; she knew that Brother Li must have encountered some abnormal and dangerous hallucination, to have used such a self-damaging technique.

Bai Lingmiao washed the towel in the basin, "Brother Li, I am fine, really fine, don't worry about me."

"So many days have passed, I've actually become accustomed to the fact that they're gone."

"Since they have disappeared, then Brother Li, let's just wait here; they'll come back one day."

Li Huowang clenched his jaw tight, his fists trembling slightly.

Just as he was about to speak, an ecstatic Hong Zhong jumped out, his faceless, eyeless appearance wildly gesticulating in front of Li Huowang.

"Quick, quick, quick! Trick her and say you found nothing! Maybe the Bai Family really did escape, like Band Leader Lv said!"

Li Huowang's eyes suddenly flared open, giving Hong Zhong a deadly glare.

"Why are you glaring at me? I'm helping you! Think about it, the Bai Family Members are dead, if you tell her now, aside from causing her utter despair, what else will it do?"

"Oh~! That's right, there really is something else. If you do that, you'll make her hate you, she'll wish to kill you, the murderer of her father."

"On the contrary, if you do as I say, not only will she not be sad, but she'll also keep a hope in her heart."