The Unruly Immortals

Seeing the face-changing actor trembling with fear before him, Li Huowang was about to lift the actor's mask to see how many faces he had underneath.

Realizing something was amiss, the innkeeper who was in the middle of taking orders hurried over to smooth things over. "Esteemed guest! Esteemed guest! My apologies, truly sorry, my subordinate has offended you. How about this, we'll waive your meal cost, and I'll also provide your group with a complimentary soup?"

Li Huowang stood still for a few seconds before slowly relaxing and sitting back down.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you so nervous?" Bai Lingmiao was somewhat puzzled by his unusual behavior.

Li Huowang let out a light sigh, the face-changing actor had reminded him of those from the Oblivion Path who switched faces, and he couldn't help but overreact.

Li Huowang, holding his bowl, continued eating as he explained to her, "It's nothing, this place is the Capital City, the territory of the Astrological Bureau, the Oblivion Path should not be able to infiltrate here."

After hastily finishing his meal, Li Huowang changed his lodging to an inn without a troupe of actors and then set off alone to the address left in the letter.

Not familiar with the Capital City, it wasn't until after the night curfew had started that Li Huowang finally found the place.

With a "creak," the wooden door opened, and the Record of Appearance holding a lantern peeked out, looked around to see there was no one else, and quickly pulled Li Huowang inside.

Li Huowang looked up into the courtyard and discovered it was a small one. Aside from a well, a large date tree occupied most of the space. Li Huowang was somewhat surprised; the Record of Appearance, a person of considerable office, lived in such a modest place, seemingly without even household servants.

Though small, the courtyard appeared to be exceptionally delicate. It would be just right for a family of three.

"Er Jiu, we've been looking forward to this day and night, and finally, you've come," said the smiling white-faced old eunuch, grabbing Li Huowang's hand without letting go.

Li Huowang forcefully withdrew his hand and gave the Record of Appearance a bow, "Thank you for your help, Sir Record of Appearance, I will never forget this favor!"

"Hehehe, don't mention it, don't mention it," Record of Appearance said with a cheerful smile, sizing up Li Huowang, his mind perhaps pondering over something.

Now that he had met the man in person, Li Huowang was not shy to ask. After all, the other party indeed owed him a favor. "Sir Record of Appearance, you mentioned in your letter that you could make contact with the Military and also had a way to remove the Evil Qi. Is that true?"

Some matters were more urgent than others, and Li Huowang still felt that Bai Lingmiao's issue was more pressing than his own.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I knew you would ask about this, so I've specially prepared everything. Shall we go now?"

Although he didn't know why the other party seemed more anxious than himself, Li Huowang preferred haste over delay and immediately followed Record of Appearance through the corridor, arriving at the back door, where two sedans were already waiting.

"Please, master, enter the sedan," four sedan bearers knelt on the ground swiftly, with incredible proficiency.

This was Li Huowang's first time riding in a sedan chair, and to be honest, it was uncomfortable, swaying with a sensation akin to motion sickness.

Record of Appearance lifted the sedan curtain and eagerly called out to the sedan chair alongside Li Huowang's, "Brother Er Jiu, now that you've just arrived in the Capital City, where do you plan to stay? Did you like that courtyard? If so, why don't I leave it for you to live in?"

"Thank you for the honor, Sir Record of Appearance, but I cannot accept rewards without merit. Er Jiu cannot accept such a generous gift."

For some reason, Li Huowang felt that, since that incident of Heart Turbidity, the eunuch's enthusiasm was too exaggerated; who offers a house after only a few sentences of conversation?

Hearing Li Huowang's words, the Record of Appearance feigned displeasure. "Ah, Brother Er Jiu, those words of yours sound so distant. How can you talk about 'no reward without merit'? You've done me such a big favor before, what's a dilapidated house worth? It was originally reserved for our retirement, don't mind its poor location, just accept it."

"So, it's settled then. The keys and the deed are placed beneath your sedan chair. Once you're in the house, you'll also find some inexpensive little trinkets we left there."

Li Huowang reached under himself and immediately found three brass keys and some papers.

Sitting in the shaky sedan chair, Li Huowang held these items and pondered the other party's purpose in giving them.

After quite some thought, Li Huowang then realized that the other party intended to repay the debt of gratitude with the house directly. Probably, those insignificant things left in the house were no ordinary items either.

"Why is he giving me the retirement house? Does he not plan to work at the Astrological Bureau anymore?"

As Li Huowang was pondering this question, the sedan curtain was lifted, and the humble voice of the sedan bearer rose, ""Kindly step out of the sedan, my lord~"

Li Huowang stuffed the keys and the deed into his bosom, bent over to get out of the sedan, and the moment he looked up, a huge lion's head with bared teeth jumped into Li Huowang's face.

Taking a few steps back, Li Huowang could clearly see the front of the Government Office—it was another prison. The Record of Appearance seemed to be inextricably linked with this prison.

With creaking noises, a slit in the prison's large doors opened, and the Record of Appearance led Li Huowang inside.

The entire prison, with its double doors and double walls, appeared extremely sturdy. Entering the main gate revealed a second door, even smaller, requiring one to stoop greatly and even squat to pass through.

Further inside was a third door. On the frame of this third door was carved a tiger, but after a quiet explanation from the Record of Appearance, Li Huowang learned that it wasn't a tiger but the legendary ferocious beast—the Baize.

As the third door opened, gaze upon gaze glared over, palpable as if material. Gradually adjusting to the dim light of the prison, Li Huowang could see who was observing him.

How to describe it, if one must? What presented itself before him was a room full of Peng Longtengs.

These prison guards with tattoos on their faces were either standing or lying down, drinking or arm-wrestling. All of them were soldiers, and their presence made the evil Qi in the air condense without dissipating, making it difficult to even take a few breaths.

Li Huowang found it hard to imagine what sort of being in the prison required such a group for suppression.

"Oh my, isn't that Eunuch Chen? What kind of wind has blown you over here?" An elderly prison guard drinking alcohol looked at the Record of Appearance surprisingly, his thick white sideburns stretching from one earlobe to the other.

"Hehe, Captain Cao, it's been a long time, I've missed you quite a bit. How's everything at home?" The Record of Appearance approached with a beaming smile.

"It's alright, I guess, just the usual, my daughter-in-law and son bicker three days out of five. Just a moment, I'll first offer incense to the Prison God."

Following Captain Cao's actions, Li Huowang discovered in the high wall to his left, halfway up, there was a shrine carved from stone and gravel.

In the shrine, there were three small brick-sculpted deities. Seated in the center was an elderly figure, whose expression seemed kind, and whose form was dignified. However, the two little devils on either side were the complete opposite. Looking fierce and ferocious, they appeared ghastly and grotesque.

The one in the middle, the so-called Prison God.