The Unruly Immortals

Hearing Li Huowang's disbelief, a trace of embarrassment instantly appeared on the peddler's face.

"That's what I heard from the elders at the head of the village. It is said that the ghost wanted to be reborn, so it stole quite a few children under one year of age, and because it had been pent up in the Underworld for too long, it came to haunt virginal young women."

"So you're saying that children have gone missing in Cangshui County, and quite a few women have been defiled, is that right?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Taoists are indeed remarkable. One sentence of yours is worth several of mine."

Li Huowang's brow furrowed. With children being stolen and women defiled, if that was really all there was to it, the local County Magistrate would have dispatched the constables to catch the perpetrator, rather than notifying the Astrological Bureau. There must be something that this peddler was unaware of.

Li Huowang's hand, which held the horsewhip, moved, striking the horse's rump, and the carriage immediately started moving.

Just before the city gates were to be shut, Li Huowang managed to arrive at Cangshui County. The gatekeepers, upon seeing Li Huowang's Astrological Bureau waist token, hurriedly found an arrest officer to escort Li Huowang to the Prefecture.

"Huahuahua~" Chaotic footsteps periodically sounded around Li Huowang.

Watching the young and middle-aged men hurriedly walking past the carriage with torches in hand, Li Huowang asked the arrest officer leading the horse up front, "Who are these people?"

With both hands clasped in a salute, the officer replied, "To report to the esteemed official! These are the men the County Magistrate has called up from the county for the night watch! Cangshui County is now under night curfew due to public panic. Anyone who dares to wander outside is immediately arrested!"

Understanding, Li Huowang nodded without speaking further.

"Woo..." In the strange environment, Mantou seemed to feel uneasy as it constantly nudged its big black nose into Li Huowang's embrace.

Nevertheless, as he swept his gaze continually along the desolate streets, Li Huowang did not notice anything unusual.

Soon, Li Huowang arrived at the Cangshui County Government Office, where the County Magistrate had clearly already been informed of his arrival and was waiting at the door with a group of officials alongside the two large stone lions.

"The subordinate official greets Your Excellency!" With the neatly dressed County Magistrate bowing his respects, his entourage—including the Counselor, County Deputy, Chief Clerk, and Head Warden—also simultaneously bowed their heads in salute.

Li Huowang, descending from the carriage, looked at the County Magistrate, who appeared to be in his forties and somewhat too short, making him stand out sharply among the crowd.

"Let's cut to the chase, shall we? Business before courtesy," Li Huowang said and, taking the lead, entered first with the others hastily following.

"Hua~hua~" The sound of paper being flipped continuously echoed inside the hall, with a group of people bending over, watching cautiously as Li Huowang browsed through the documents.

As the tea on an adjacent table ceased to emit steam, Li Huowang placed down the items in his hands. "Nine children have been lost, and five virgins violated?"

Stepping forward hastily, the County Magistrate spoke up, "I believe the number of violated women is far greater than this count, but out of shame, they are reluctant to report to the authorities, so..."

"Is that all? Is that the only thing?" Li Huowang's gaze fixed firmly on the County Magistrate's eyes.

A drop of cold sweat slid down his forehead, and after making a small bow to Li Huowang, he turned to the others and said, "Everyone else, leave us. Head Constable Zhou, have someone surround the Government Office."

The rustling footsteps receded, leaving just Li Huowang and the County Magistrate alone in the room.

"My surname is Lou, and although I am not from Cangshui County, my hometown is also in the Jiangnan Circuit. As the father of the people, seeing the populace in such terror pains me deeply. I beg Your Excellency to save the people from this dire plight," said the tearful Lou, the County Magistrate, as he knelt before Li Huowang.

Such a gesture was a bit much, considering that based on the previous incident, the County Magistrate and Li Huowang were not in a superior-subordinate relationship.

One could only wonder whether his words were sincere or just a show for Li Huowang. "Stick to the facts. Besides these incidents, has anything else happened in Cangshui County?"

"There have also been some thefts, but these incidents are trivial! Please look, Your Honor." As County Magistrate Lou spoke, he took out a map from the side table and slowly spread it out in front of Li Huowang.

This was a detailed map of the entire Jiangnan circuit; next to Jiangnan, were Yinling City and Niuxin Mountain in the Zongluo circuit.

Da Liang was divided into six circuits, large and small, with Jiangnan being the smallest.

"Your Honor, look." County Magistrate Lou pointed to several spots on the map, "This sort of thing isn't limited to Cangshui alone! Surrounding Cangshui, the counties of Pingcheng, Anshan, Panshui—all fifteen of them—have been experiencing the same phenomenon!"

Li Huowang looked at the scattered dots on the map, and he finally understood why such a trivial matter required Tuoba Danqing's involvement.

No matter how small the issue, when they accumulate, they become significant.

Li Huowang picked up the map and examined it closely, "So many places, how many children must be lost?"

"A total of fifty-seven, and the number is still on the rise. My management in Cangshui County has been strict, hence it's been better here, but other places have already seen those who spread rumors and cause trouble using this issue as leverage."

"Stealing children who aren't even a year old, what for..." Associating it with his own experiences in this world, he always felt that the fate of those children would be very grim.

"Your Honor, I implore you to save the common folk from dire straits!" County Magistrate Lou's head bowed down once again.

"There's no rush. Didn't you say that some women have been defiled? Bring them to me; I want to see them." Since these two incidents happened concurrently, it was natural to clarify exactly what was going on.

Soon, a dazed woman was brought in front of Li Huowang, but when faced with his questions, she could not articulate clearly.

She could not say who had defiled her, nor when it had happened. Had it not been for her parents noticing something was amiss, she might never have reported it herself.

For a moment, Li Huowang actually felt at a loss on how to proceed.

The so-called mastery requires a focus of specialty, and this kind of matter was really not Li Huowang's forte.

"Wait, maybe I'm not entirely without means."

Watching the woman leave, Li Huowang thought for a moment, took out the Talisman Manual from his bosom and flipped through it, then turned his head towards the County Magistrate Lou, "Do you have any human bones here? Preferably wider ones."

Since Chen the Blind had said that the talisman could be used for divination, perhaps in this situation, it could be tried.

"Human... human bone?" Although unsure why, County Magistrate Lou still instructed the constable to search for it.

As the sky gradually brightened, the human bone that Li Huowang had requested arrived—it was a skull.

"Your Honor, rest assured, it's definitely a human bone, freshly dug up from Chaotic Grave Mound." The constable bringing the skull showed a face eager to please.

With one hand, Li Huowang reached into his chest, pulled out a piece of ginger yellow paper, bit open the tip of his finger, and began to draw quickly on it.

"Hastening in pursuit, Taiyin the erratic, I obey the command, divining to avert disaster!"

A Copper Coin followed the freshly drawn talisman onto the skull, accompanied by a grating sound, the skull cracked open with several fissures.

With a grave expression, Li Huowang studied the cracks on the skull, compared them to the records in the Talisman Manual, and began to interpret the divinatory symbols. "Hmm... these signs..."