The Unruly Immortals

In the exquisitely bright ancient-style guest room, Li Huowang picked up a piece of soy sauce duck meat, chewed it in his mouth, and swallowed, attempting to suppress the lingering nausea.

Although the feeling was unpleasant, if it could reduce Tuoba Danqing's suspicions, it was worth it.

After all, at least this way, he could make it clear why he needed to wear the Copper Coin mask.

Moreover, by the look of surprise on his face, Li Huowang knew he had guessed correctly; despite Tuoba being well-traveled and knowledgeable, he had never seen someone with tentacles bearing eyeballs in their mouth.

With a slight squint, Tuoba Danqing, still shaken, began, "Younger brother, I see this as evil cultivation. Brother, I'll give you some advice, don't take it amiss—the less you practice such cultivation techniques, the better. Otherwise, you truly won't know in the end whether you are practicing it, or it is practicing you."

Li Huowang raised his cup and gently tapped it against Tuoba Danqing's, "Thank you, Brother Tuoba, for the reminder. I have my own plans."

"Having plans is good. Actually, to tell you the truth, since the moment I first set eyes on you, I knew you were destined for great things." As Tuoba Danqing droned on with some idle talk, the atmosphere in the guest room gradually returned to how it was before, with both individuals once again starting to drink and chat merrily.

Tuoba Danqing became ever merrier as he drank, and at the peak of his merriment, he leaned towards Li Huowang with a peculiar expression and whispered in that knowing chuckle shared among men, "Young brother, come, let me show you what perks a Renwu has over a Guizu."

After speaking, he clapped his hands gently, and shortly after, four women with plump figures entered one by one, looking demure and obedient.

Just when Li Huowang thought these four were singers, they simultaneously extended their sleeves, revealing themselves in their entirety in their naked glory.

Their bodies were adorned with blue and white tattoo patterns, which covered them completely, making them look like four exquisite blue and white porcelain statues.

And without exception, all were women with bound feet; the sight of their small feet and larger upper bodies made them look even more like porcelain works.

Different from fine ceramics, when two of the women gracefully approached Li Huowang and began serving him dishes, brushing against his body, Li Huowang realized that this kind of blue and white porcelain was soft, warm, and smooth, exuding allure with every movement.

As if showing off to Li Huowang, Tuoba Danqing made a gesture to drink, and one of the women immediately lifted her cup and poured the wine deliberately into her mouth.

After she finished pouring, she sprawled onto Tuoba Danqing, curled her tongue into a funnel shape, and slowly transferred the wine in her mouth to him.

Contentedly sipping the warm wine from his mouth, Tuoba Danqing turned towards Li Huowang and asked, "Do you know what this is called, younger brother? It's called a 'skin cup.' How about it; have you ever seen this in Siqi? Hahaha~"

Li Huowang glanced uncomfortably at the women by his side, "Brother Tuoba, is it really appropriate to have these four women with us? It's hard to speak freely."

With his arm around her, Tuoba Danqing confidently told Li Huowang, "Don't worry, I specially picked these from the Exquisite Pagoda—mute courtesans who can neither hear nor speak. Whatever we say, they can't hear or utter a word."

"These mute courtesans are specially bred for people like us." With that, he leaned in and took another sip from the 'skin cup.'

This scene immediately reminded Li Huowang of Sun Baolu's mother, who had been crafted into a 'beauty's silhouette,' suddenly making him nauseous. He had been in Da Liang for so long that he'd nearly forgotten this place's perverted custom of treating people as tools.

"Come now, younger brother, you've returned after such a long time; shouldn't you rest well? Don't worry, this is all a normal expense of the department; it'd be a waste not to use it," Tuoba Danqing stood there, winking at Li Huowang mischievously.

Looking at the pitiful bodies almost clinging to his sides, Li Huowang shook his head, "Thank you, Brother Tuoba, but I only came here for a drink today. I don't want to do anything else."

Seeing Li Huowang's indifference toward the company of women, Tuoba Danqing was quite surprised. "Oh? Could it be that Brother Li also got tired of playing with women and wants to play with the bunny lord instead? Indeed, after all, three flats are not as good as one round. I'll go and switch them for you right away."

Li Huowang's expression immediately became grave, his voice slightly louder. "Brother Tuoba, I cannot rest easy until I have avenged our senior brothers, so I really have no mind for such diversions."

Seeing that Li Huowang wasn't joking, Tuoba Danqing casually waved his hand, sending the women out.

After they had left, Tuoba Danqing lifted his cup and drank it down, heaving a heavy sigh. "Brother Li, you are truly loyal. These days, it's rare to find someone who would go through fire and water for their brothers. Everyone else harbors ulterior motives."

"One day as a teacher is a lifetime as a father. They killed our six Elders, it's only right to respond."

"Well then, since that's the case, you might as well stay here in Yinling City. I know you're anxious; I'll call on you if there's anything."

"Alright, I thank you, Brother Tuoba. I raise a glass to you!"

When Li Huowang returned to the inn with a smell of alcohol about him and collapsed on the bed, he closed his eyes and pressed his temples with his fingertips, one after the other.

Dealing with Tuoba Danqing, the smiling tiger, wasn't as easy as battling foes on the outside; he didn't know how much the other party knew or how much he was trusted. All he could do was stay alert at all times to prevent the other party from discovering any flaws.

Suddenly thinking of something, Li Huowang took out his waist badge and looked at the "Ren Wu" inscribed on it, realizing he had taken another step closer to success.

The corners of Li Huowang's mouth slightly curled upwards; it seemed that as his position in the Astrological Bureau rose, he could also mobilize a part of its forces.

Bei Feng living to the age of one hundred and ninety sounded very impressive, but it wasn't necessary for him to take on the Oblivion Path all by himself.

Li Huowang, sprawled on the bed, suddenly sat up and murmured to himself, "Right, since I have the Astrological Bureau as a strong backer, not using it would simply be unreasonable, especially since they were mortal enemies to begin with."

"As long as I can incite a fight between them when the time comes, I'll be able to reap the benefits!"

"Heheheh..." A low chuckle made Li Huowang look over, not surprisingly, it came from Hong Zhong.

"With your blunt ways, who do you think you can deceive? And you want to conspire and create discord?"

"Sixi and Sanyuan are incredibly shrewd; it's likely that before you get a chance to stir the pot, they will take preemptive action and drag you into it."

This time, Li Huowang unusually didn't ignore him, "Didn't you always used to say that I was one of the Sanyuan, Hong Zhong? Now I believe it. Since I am a high-ranking member of the Oblivion Path just like them, why can't I incite them against each other?"

Upon hearing this, Hong Zhong's expression suddenly lit up with excitement as if remembering something.

"Right, this could very well be Hong Zhong's plan! Suppress your own memories and then sneak into the Astrological Bureau stealthily and eventually work subversively from within!"

"Yes, yes, yes, that's exactly what I thought!" Li Huowang also stood up, his expression as excited as his.

In the end, both of them laughed together, the laughter growing louder and louder, but just as the laughter reached its peak, it stopped abruptly, both of them looking at each other with mocking expressions.