The Unruly Immortals

The iron-rimmed wheels rolled slowly on the dirt road, forced to press deep ruts into the muddy ground due to the weight of the luggage from Black Taishui and Li Huowang.

Li Huowang, who was leading the horse by the reins, glanced over at Mantou, who kept sticking out its tongue next to the road. He reached out, grabbed a piece of skin on the back of its neck, and lifted it onto the cart.

"Bang, bang, bang, bang," Mantou's constantly wagging tail sounded like a stick, knocking against the wooden cart loudly.

Pushing away the affectionate dog's head that came close, Li Huowang said impatiently, "Be good!"

After speaking, he took out from his bosom the note that Tuoba Danqing had given him initially.

Just like before, it contained an address, but unlike the past, there was no clear indication of what he would encounter this time.

It was deliberately mentioned that two "Ginger Yellow Paper Scouts" had been lost at this location and that the next person to head there should be careful.

Li Huowang didn't know how strong these so-called Ginger Yellow Paper Scouts were, but he could be sure that this matter would not be minor.

Otherwise, Tuoba Danqing would not have mentioned that after completing this task, he could be promoted from a "Gui" foot soldier to a "Ren" squad member.

He knew the journey could be dangerous, but to say he was afraid, Li Huowang truly wasn't. Having gone through so much, he had become somewhat numb. If a person is not even afraid of death, then there's nothing left to fear.

Li Huowang took out the dark blue Talisman Manual again and began to read it, starting with the first page, which was a brief overview of the manual.

"Forebear He Dao, observing the traces of celestial birds and spiritual insects in the sand, realized that they all harbored innate mysteries, thus, he delved into their study..."

Simply put, someone named He Dao, or a Taoist by the surname He, had gleaned a method to harness the powers of heaven and earth from the calls of birds and the trails of insects.

The sounds derived from the calls of animals and the patterns in the stars that could summon the spiritual energy of heaven and earth were called Talisman Spells, while the traces that led to this energy were Talismans.

But what was written above was just for listening. Li Huowang didn't believe that the powers of heaven and earth could backlash at just a glance, for heaven knew which chaotic power of this world they borrowed.

In this crazed world, everyone had their own logic, and most were contradictory to one another.

Forget about the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the San Qing, the five Buddhist directions—he didn't want to entangle himself in discerning their truth. As long as something could help him, even if it was said the Jade Emperor descended to earth, he'd be willing to believe it.

"The same Talisman begins with a stroke sequence, start by writing a 'four' first, then one stroke bending to the bottom left followed by a straight one, below it conjunction as 'ugly,' underneath 'ugly' combine two 'fire' characters, then draw four circles in reverse to create a 'Lian'..."

Although that blind Chen had said that using Talismans could have grave hidden dangers, mastering their use was not at all straightforward.

One had to recite the incantation in their mind while drawing a Talisman. A single mistake in the drawing or a wrong word in the chant, and the Talisman would be rendered useless; even more so, after drawing a Talisman, one could not see if there had been any mistakes.

If Li Huowang wanted to master this Talisman Manual, it would not be possible without some hard toil.

To be honest, Li Huowang felt that using this thing was much more troublesome than the "Great Thousand Record." While the "Great Thousand Record" came at a great cost, it was truly convenient to use.

A small strip of bright ginger yellow paper was placed on the cart, and Li Huowang bit open the tip of his finger, looking at the Talisman Manual in his hands as he began to copy it.

"...Essence of heaven and earth, essence of the sun and moon, heaven and earth unite their essences, sun and moon join their brilliance!"

After Li Huowang recited this in his mind, he slapped the Talisman onto the horse's back in front of him, and the next moment, he vaguely heard some sticky whispering close to his ear.

But before he could listen closely, the black horse pulling the cart let out a shrill neigh, its skin bulging with dark purple veins as it suddenly bolted forward.

The fierce wind lifted the black veil of Li Huowang's hat, revealing most of his face.

Hearing the creaking of the cart's wheels, Li Huowang couldn't help but feel tense. "If it keeps running like this, won't the carriage fall apart?" he wondered.

Fortunately, not long after Li Huowang removed the talisman from the horse's back, the animal gradually returned to normal.

But in just that short time, the carriage had already traveled several miles. The effectiveness of the talisman far exceeded Li Huowang's expectations—it was remarkably fast.

However, when the black horse, sweating blood, reached the river and began to drink deeply, Li Huowang wiped its back and saw a red liquid, resembling oil, seeping out. He thought to himself, "Could there be no hidden dangers in using this thing?"

"Woof, woof!" Suddenly, Mantou began barking fiercely at something by the roadside.

Li Huowang looked up and saw a traveling merchant dancing along with his burden balanced on his shoulders.

As the merchant moved on ahead, Li Huowang quickly followed in his carriage. Being so close to their destination, it would be ludicrous not to ask a local for some information.

"Hey, merchant, wait up!"

After glancing at the Copper Coin Sword on Li Huowang's back and then at his red Taoist Robe, the merchant with a mole on his chin wiped the sweat from his forehead, set down his carrying pole, and, staring at Li Huowang's black veil hat, asked, "What does the revered Taoist Master require?"

"It's nothing much, just thought since we're traveling the same path, we might as well accompany each other. After all, there's safety in numbers, lest we encounter highway robbers and needlessly lose our lives."

"You jest, Taoist Master. I'm not sure about other places, but around here, there's really no need to fear highway robbers. You should be more wary of the beasts lurking in the forest."

"Really? But I've heard that this place is not at peace," Li Huowang said, casting out a fishing line, and the merchant immediately took the bait.

"That's just the county's business, it has nothing to do with us traveling merchants," the merchant said with indifference.

"Oh? I'd love to hear more. It's my first time here, and I'm quite unfamiliar with the area."

Yet, when Li Huowang asked, the merchant fell silent, his expression turning fearful as if he was afraid of something.

Li Huowang didn't press for an answer but instead looked towards the items on the merchant's carrying pole. "What do you have there, in that full bundle?"

Seeing potential business, the merchant perked up immediately. "I sell food, of course. I have all sorts of snacks like soap paste, chengsha dumplings, and sugared lactose... all for sale here."

After Li Huowang had bought most of the different foods from his basket, the merchant hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to speak up.

He sneakily glanced around the forest before leaning close to Li Huowang and whispering, "I'll tell you, but you mustn't blabber about it outside, alright? I've heard that right ahead in Cangshui County, the place is haunted."

"Haunted?" Li Huowang was taken aback. He really hadn't expected to hear such a thing from someone else.

"Yes, you know, it was the Ghost Festival just a few days ago? Oh dear... I heard that King Yama forgot to close the Ghost Gate Pass! All those things from the Underworld, oh—they've all escaped."

Li Huowang didn't believe a word of these ghost stories. If this fellow knew that King Yama forgot to close the Ghost Gate Pass, then continuing to be a traveling merchant was surely beneath his talents.

"Just tell me what exactly happened in Cangshui County, and cut out the embellishments," Li Huowang pressed.