The Unruly Immortals

The grand carriage, pulled by four strong horses, sped like mad down the road ahead.

Yet, the coachman was still not satisfied, anxiously whipping the horses' haunches continuously.

Li Huowang rested his arm on the carriage window, gazing at the verdant sea of trees outside.

"We're not far from Niuxin Mountain now. I wonder how they're doing. But with Bai Lingmiao's Second God and Gao Zhijian there, ordinary bandits shouldn't be able to harm them," he thought.

Suddenly, Li Huowang felt a gaze shooting from the forest, but when he turned his head to look, he found nothing.

"Ahem—Since we're about to arrive, I might as well make things clear to you about the mission's regulations," he said.

The eunuch's voice pulled Li Huowang's thoughts back as he turned to look at the old eunuch, who sat holding the Rotten Wood Ruyi as if it were a skinny cat.

"Ahem, since I've summoned you here, there's certainly a matter at hand. I know many of you have guessed it, yes, we're here to capture someone with Heart Turbidity, dead or alive."

No one spoke, but continued to listen to the eunuch's words.

"The abilities of those with Heart Turbidity, I don't know if you've heard of them before, but since we're not busy at the moment, I might as well repeat it," said the eunuch, deliberately glancing in Li Huowang's direction.

"This so-called Heart Turbidity is just like Xinsu and Heart Pan. It's about living people whose hearts carry burden. As for the word 'turbidity,' as the name implies, it refers to the murkiness of a person's heart."

"Not only are those with Heart Turbidity impure at heart, but they can also use the burden within their hearts to contaminate everything around them."

The eunuch was interrupted midway through his speech, leaving Li Huowang quite displeased. Unsurprisingly, the interrupter was still that spirit medium.

"Feng Erniu, there's no need to mention things we all know. Just tell us how to deal with it once we find it. And let me make it clear, no matter what happens afterward, with this, I will have repaid my debt to you."

Upon hearing his full name called, the eunuch huffed unhappily, but he seemed reluctant to provoke the other person and had to suppress his anger, saying, "Shentu Gang, give us some face. It's not urgent this moment. Since we're at leisure, why not rest a bit if you don't care to listen, and let us finish first."

Seeing the spirit medium slowly fold his arms and close his eyes, the eunuch cleared his throat and continued, "I'll make it short then. Heart Turbidity is the opposite of Xinsu. If Xinsu is like a bright spot in the night, visible from a distance, then Heart Turbidity is like a dark cloth in the night. It's harder for ordinary people to find than reaching the heavens."

At these words, a bitter taste arose in Li Huowang's mouth. If he were Heart Turbidity instead of Xinsu, he feared there wouldn't be so much trouble.

Meanwhile, the eunuch continued, "Moreover, someone with Heart Turbidity can use the burden on themselves to hide, as well as conceal other things, whether living or dead."

"Put it this way, when you confront Heart Turbidity, you might find yourself forgetting where your weapon went in the midst of battle, and then realize that you've lost sight of Heart Turbidity altogether."

Li Huowang silently noted all this in his heart, linking it with his own experiences. A question surfaced in his mind, "As powerful as it sounds, can someone truly control this ability of Heart Turbidity at will?"

"Be vigilant," the eunuch suddenly intensified his tone.

"Don't you ever think that Heart Turbidity only has that little ability, otherwise, I wouldn't have gathered you all here, making such a big fuss. When it comes to abilities, among the great calamities of those who practice the Heart Mantra, Heart Turbidity and Xinsu are the most difficult to deal with."

"Never stare into the eyes of Heart Turbidity for too long. If you allow the karmic hindrances to taint your three souls and seven spirits, your entire being will be concealed by it."

"Remember what I said about being concealed—it's the kind where no one can find you, the kind from which you'll never return in this lifetime!"

"Also, many mature Heart Turbidities come with different variables, so when you encounter them, you must adapt to the situation. However, generally speaking, they still utilize the karmic hindrance in their hearts. So if they transform, they do it within these confines."

As Li Huowang looked at the solemn expressions of the others, he sighed slightly in his heart. If a normal look couldn't be exchanged, then surely Heart Turbidity had concealed many of their loved ones, right? He couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity for this Heart Turbidity he had yet to meet.

In terms of predicament, Heart Turbidity and Xinsu were probably not very different.

"Clip-clop, clip-clop"—as the urgent galloping of horses outside gradually slowed, the Record of Appearance hastened his speech.

"When we reach the territory, Little Liu and Danqing will need to encircle the area to prevent Heart Turbidity from escaping. Afterwards, Shentu Gang and I will flush her out, and then, Er Jiu, you're in charge of killing Heart Turbidity. After all, the Ao Jing Sect doesn't need weapons to kill—her karmic hindrance won't be useful against your sect. That's the plan, get out of the carriage!"

The carriage curtain was flung open, and the six of them quickly took their positions by the roadside, with a very peculiar village appearing before everyone.

This village was just like any Li Huowang had seen on the road before, except that it was completely devoid of any visible tiles or walls—all were covered by a layer of vibrant green ivy.

"Little Liu, go. Remember, this matter could cost us our heads, so be absolutely careful," the one wearing the wooden mask, Liu Zongyuan, nodded and with a push against the ground leaped into the bushes behind him like a monkey.

Shortly after, a thin mist started to arise, enveloping the nearby area while the White Impermanence with its red, long tongue, flickered in and out of visibility within the fog.

Before the Record of Appearance could issue any command, Shentu Gang, the imposing deity, was already striding forward. The Record of Appearance sighed in resignation, hurriedly picking up his golden abacus and following.

Walking on the verdant grass, Li Huowang was vigilantly scanning everything around him.

The place was extremely quiet, devoid of any sounds save for the clicking of the golden abacus—there wasn't even the chirping of birds or the croaking of insects.

Upon reaching the entrance of the village, a bed of flowers appeared before them, clearly well-manicured without a single weed in sight.

"Who's there! Come out!" A sharp shout caused Li Huowang to instantly draw his longsword three inches from its sheath, the blade enveloped in surging evil Qi.

Everyone grasped their weapons, pointing towards a low wall.

When a pair of embroidered shoes stepped out from behind it, Li Huowang immediately thought of Record of Appearance's earlier words and quickly lowered his head to avoid eye contact.

But upon seeing those boots fully revealed before him, Li Huowang's heart tightened—there was something inexplicably familiar about them.

"No! That's Miaomiao's feet!" Li Huowang abruptly looked up, and sure enough, he saw a familiar red bridal veil. Meanwhile, a rusty knife blade hurled by Hong Da was already flying towards her.