The Unruly Immortals

Bai Lingmiao laughed, laughed so boldly and joyfully, as if she wanted to vent everything accumulated in her heart through her laughter.

Having spent such a long time with Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang had never seen her reveal such an expression.

"Give me the sword! Give me the sword quickly!!" Li Huowang walked toward Bai Lingmiao, who held the sword, trembling.

But just as he approached her, Li Huowang saw the white-haired girl in front of him raise her right hand, the longsword in her grasp thrusting straight toward his chest.

As the blade was raised, Li Huowang's chest was ripped open in an instant, exposing his beating heart to the biting cold air.

The next moment, Bai Lingmiao pressed forward, clinging tightly to Li Huowang, and the blood gushing out from his body rapidly stained her light-colored clothing red.

"Ah...." A hint of relief appeared on Bai Lingmiao's face.

Looking at the unfamiliar Bai Lingmiao before him, Li Huowang was about to speak when he saw her tilt her head slightly and lean in for a kiss.

After a few breaths, Bai Lingmiao slowly raised her head and looked at Li Huowang again, a small smile on her lips as she laughed once more.

Li Huowang held her face, trembling, his expression severely conflicted, "Miaomiao, can you please not do this?"

Just like with Scholar Lv before, the Evil Qi on the Purple Tassel Sword ultimately changed Bai Lingmiao's personality.

Bai Lingmiao's expression gradually softened, as if she had become that gentle girl once more. She asked shyly, "Senior Brother Li... is that so?"

Just as a glimmer of hope shone in Li Huowang's eyes, the shyness on Bai Lingmiao's face was instantly replaced with exuberance. "Hahaha! How could that be possible! What daydreams are you having?"

"I have no desire to go back to being the self-pitying ghost I was before! Now, I care about nothing and nothing matters! To tell you the truth, I couldn't be more comfortable!"

"If I had known how comfortable this could be, I would have taken your sword long ago! And besides, look at you now, and look at me! How well-matched we are! Hahaha!!"

While spouting this mad talk, Bai Lingmiao's face occasionally showed some features only found in Immortal Sects, like furry ears or a few snake scales.

Hearing her utter such shocking and appalling words, Li Huowang embraced her tremblingly, his expression one of extreme pain. "Miaomiao... I'm sorry..."

Bai Lingmiao leaned into his embrace and closed her eyes, inhaling the strong stench of blood on Li Huowang's body, her face showing a trace of comfort. "Li Huowang, you can go back to Niuxin Village now, everyone is waiting for you there."

Li Huowang let go of Bai Lingmiao, his expression very complex as he looked at her familiar yet strange face.

After much inner struggle, he said to her, "Don't worry, this happened because of me, and I will find a way to restore you to your original state."

Unexpectedly, just as the words left Li Huowang's mouth, Bai Lingmiao's expression turned ferocious, and she raised her slender, soft right hand, reaching straight into Li Huowang's chest to grip his burning heart.

"Did you even listen to what I said? I said I feel very comfortable like this! Who are you to decide what kind of person I should become?" Bai Lingmiao slightly raised her sharp black fingernails and gently inserted a pointed tip into Li Huowang's heart.

The next moment, a dozen tentacles burrowed out from Li Huowang's body, tightly wrapping around Bai Lingmiao's arm, preventing her from moving any further.

"Li Sui, stop this." As Li Huowang issued the pained command, the tentacles of Li Sui slowly withdrew.

With an almost mocking expression, Bai Lingmiao pulled her hand from Li Huowang's chest and then wiped the blood on her hand onto his body.

After doing this, Bai Lingmiao quickly moved closer, affectionately nestling in Li Huowang's embrace like a bird snuggling against a person.

However, in contrast to her affectionate action, her words were filled with barbs. "Don't think I'll be beholden to you for life, it's not even certain we'll marry; I am a living person, not a trinket on Li Huowang's body."

Li Huowang looked at Bai Lingmiao before him with a very complex expression, no longer as agitated as before. Since the incident had already occurred, he now had to consider how to deal with the aftermath.

As Li Huowang was wrestling with his thoughts, the others came over. After a moment of lamenting over the corpse of Heart Turbidity, they immediately turned their attention to Bai Lingmiao.

At that moment, Bai Lingmiao didn't shy away at all but defiantly met their stares.

"Ah, Brother Huowang, as the saying goes, 'Choose a wife, choose a sage.' Your lady here has quite the temper. If you really plan to spend your lives together, I bet it'll be chaos every single day," Tuoba Danqing advised Li Huowang, speaking with the tone of someone who knew from experience.

Just as Bai Lingmiao was about to speak up, she was stopped by Li Huowang.

Clearly, Record of Appearance didn't think it was a good time to talk about this.

"Hey, Danqing, do you really think now is the time for this? Let's head back quickly, I'm exhausted."

The previous actions had left Record of Appearance staggering and frail, looking like he could collapse at any moment, and the group trudged forward in a rather pitiful state.

Supported by Bai Lingmiao, images of her past smiles and glances kept surfacing in Li Huowang's mind.

"No, I can't let Bai Lingmiao become like that, there must still be a chance to bring her back!" Li Huowang affirmed to himself.

If I'm searching for the impossible task of finding Xinsu, surely I won't be afraid of this slight Evil Qi invading my body, right?

With his resolve firmed, Li Huowang quickly turned to look at the others around him. If in the past he was like a headless fly, perhaps now these people might be able to help him with this matter.

But with Bai Lingmiao right beside him, it really wasn't convenient to ask.

On the way back, nobody spoke; each was lost in their own thoughts.

Walking slowly, and with the previous distractions, it was no surprise that they did not reach the nearest village as night fell.

What followed needed no discussion; they gathered firewood to light a fire and rested around the campfire.

Bai Lingmiao and Li Huowang slept embraced, as they had done before, a feeling they hadn't experienced in a long time.

But obviously, both were suffering from insomnia and under the glow of the campfire, they locked eyes.

Looking at Li Huowang who stared back at her, Bai Lingmiao slightly curled the corners of her mouth, leaned into his ear and wickedly whispered, "What are you staring at? What, even in this state you still wish to make love?"

Li Huowang sighed deeply, holding Bai Lingmiao tenderly in his arms.

Bai Lingmiao peeled back Li Huowang's skin and nestled her head in, kissing his beating heart. "Don't worry, I am still the Bai Lingmiao who has been with you through life and death."

"I haven't forgotten any of the myriad of things we've been through on this journey, almost nothing has changed, the only thing that's different now is the way I think about things."

"But... after all, things have changed..." Li Huowang's tone carried a mix of self-blame and helplessness.

"Oh? And would you dare say, Li Huowang, that along this journey, you haven't changed a bit? You've changed as well, you know?"

"I've changed?" The thought flashed through Li Huowang's mind, and he immediately shook his head vigorously. "No, I haven't changed, I am still Li Huowang."

"What's the point in lying to yourself?" Bai Lingmiao gave Li Huowang a sidelong glance.

"You've changed a lot more than I have. The Li Huowang of the past would never chop off his own fingers or gouge out his own eyes so casually."

"Does that mean the Li Huowang of the past is Li Huowang, and the Li Huowang of now is not Li Huowang anymore?"