The Unruly Immortals

Yinling City remained as bustling as ever. Li Huowang, leading a horse-drawn carriage and wearing a bamboo hat, walked among the crowd, largely inconspicuous.

The lively crowd around him caused Mantou to become quite fearful, and it tucked its tail and hid under the carriage, following slowly as the carriage moved forward.

Upon reaching an inn, Li Huowang took out the Silver Fragments prepared on the carriage and paid the room fee.

Everything was prepared on the carriage, not only Silver and clean clothes but even several kinds of dry food were stocked up.

"Whoosh~" The curtain of the carriage was lifted, and the bound Black Taisui appeared before him. Li Huowang stuffed the jerky in his hand into the slimy crevices of its body.

Following that, Li Huowang took out a knife, cut off a large chunk, and began to chew on it. The meat of Black Taisui was tough and disgusting, but he had long grown accustomed to it.

Even after being eaten by Li Huowang so much, Black Taisui didn't seem to have diminished much.

After checking the cowhide ropes that bound it, Li Huowang looked at Black Taisui in front of him and said, "Can you hear me? Can you repeat what I'm saying now?"

In response to Li Huowang's question, Black Taisui gave no indication, still writhing its disgusting body, spewing filthy, sticky liquid from the various slits.

Not to mention making a sound, there wasn't even a reaction.

Li Huowang thoughtfully touched his belly, "Could it be that Black Taisui can only recognize characters once inside my stomach? Or is it because my hearing is too sensitive, and only I can hear it?"

He didn't know whether others experienced the same with Black Taisui, and whether his condition was normal or exceptional.

Covering the carriage curtain again, Li Huowang said to Mantou squatting on one side, "Keep a close watch. If Black Taisui makes any moves, or if someone tries to approach, bark loudly. I'll be right inside the adjacent room."

"Woof woof!!" Mantou wagged its tail and jumped.

Li Huowang patted Mantou on the head and then turned to walk towards his room.

Opening the window, looking down at the bustling marketplace, Li Huowang pulled out a book from his chest, "Three Character Classic."

Li Huowang didn't know if Black Taisui inside his stomach could learn from such teaching, but it was at least worth trying. Trying different methods wasn't a bad thing.

Properly taught, perhaps Black Taisui could be of great help in his future endeavors.

Even if it didn't help, as long as it didn't cause trouble, that would still mean he had achieved his goal.

"At the very beginning, human nature is good. Though similar in nature, habits make us different. Without education, nature will change. The way of teaching, value lies in focus..."

A wriggling black tentacle emerged from Li Huowang's navel, shook for a bit, and then retracted back in.

"This is a lychee," Li Huowang said, peeling it with his hands, "Eat."

He then stuffed the translucent flesh into his own mouth. "No, not kill, eat."

Seeing that the oil lamps were lit in the houses outside the window, Li Huowang felt it was about time and stood up to leave.

It was still the same place where he had drunk with Tuoba Danqing before. As soon as Li Huowang entered, he stated his purpose and was immediately ushered inside by the waiter.

Clearly, arrangements had been made beforehand. As soon as he entered, a variety of fine wines and dishes were served.

Li Huowang didn't wait long in the elegant private room before the distinctive laughter of Tuoba Danqing could be heard from outside, his voice preceding his arrival.

"Hehe~ Junior Brother Er, it's been a long time. I've missed you dearly." With a creak, the door opened, and Tuoba Danqing, dressed in brocade, entered. "Don't just stand there, quick, have a seat. We're all brothers here, no need for formalities."

Seeing Tuoba Danqing shut the door behind him, Li Huowang took off the black gauze bamboo hat from his head.

Seeing the blotchy black and pale patches on Li Huowang's Copper Coin face mask, Tuoba Danqing's eyes revealed a glint of unusual color.

But he said nothing and merely smiled again, picking up the wine pitcher and pouring himself another cup. "Come, come, let's drink."

Knowing the other party's ways, Li Huowang was in no rush.

Li Huowang poured a little and tipped his head back to drink, grateful that he had purposefully drunk a lot of water beforehand to slow the onset of drunkenness.

After three rounds of drinks and five dishes of flavors, Tuoba Danqing gave a light cough and then began to speak.

"Brother Er, there's been progress with the Bagua Mirror you asked me about. It was swindled from a blind old ox-nose by someone from the Oblivion Path."

"Oh? Is that blind man surnamed Chen by any chance?"

"Eh, Brother Er, I hadn't mentioned that. How did you know?"

Li Huowang, holding his wine cup, cast an ironic glance towards Hong Zhong in the distance, confirming his speculation that the identity of 'Blind Chen' had also been stolen.

"Brother Er, that ox-nose said that while he can't give you the cultivation technique to activate the mirror, if you're willing to return it, he'd be willing to trade a set of Talisman Manuals for it."

"What kind of Talisman Manual?"

"He says, this Talisman Manual records various talismans and incantations. Master this manual, and you'll become an expert in geomancy, medicine, divination, fate calculation, and physiognomy."

After saying this, Tuoba Danqing paused for a moment, a sly smile on his face.

"However, in my opinion, that old coot is likely bluffing. The Talisman Manual will be of use, but it probably isn't as powerful as he's making it out to be."

Li Huowang took out the mirror and weighed the pros and cons, but being inexperienced in such matters, he had no idea how to decide.

After thinking it over, Li Huowang turned to face Tuoba Danqing.

"Brother Tuoba, could you give me some advice regarding this matter?"

After all, Tuoba Danqing was a veteran of the Jianghu. It made sense to seek his counsel on the matter.

Tuoba Danqing picked up his chopsticks and placed a slice of crystal clear fish skin into his mouth.

"Hmm... In my view, you should accept the deal. Though that ox-nose isn't saying it, he seems to place significant importance on that mirror. If you don't give it to him, he'll likely come looking for you."

"Furthermore, while the magic artifact is good, it's really of little use to the Ao Jing Sect. As long as you're willing to be ruthless with yourselves, you don't need that broken mirror."

"On the contrary, some special talisman papers recorded in the Talisman Manual can fill in the gaps for your Ao Jing Sect."

"And besides, in these times, having one more friend means one more path to follow. Who knows, that Blind Chen might be able to help you with something else down the line."

After careful consideration, Li Huowang realized that Tuoba Danqing's advice indeed made sense. "Thank you for the guidance, Brother Tuoba."

"We're brothers in the same sect, no need for formalities. If you really want to thank me, just remember me when good fortune comes your way," Tuoba Danqing said, reaching again for his wine cup.

As the two drank, their relationship grew even closer.

When they were almost done eating, a tipsy Tuoba Danqing straightened his face.

"Brother Er, now that we're done with idle talk, it's time for serious matters. If you want to make your way up the ladder, you need to be diligent, right? Fortunately, there's a matter in the south that requires your attention."