The Unruly Immortals

Li Huowang slowly walked on the road back from the execution ground, his mind still replaying that recent scene.

The belly, bloated by the elixir, it was hard to imagine that a normal person's stomach could be stretched so large by an elixir.

Considering his previous identity, it was not hard to guess why he consumed so many elixirs.

In Li Huowang's memory, many emperors sought longevity through elixirs, and it was likely the same in this world.

"Even Master Danyang, an illiterate, dreams of becoming immortal. As the mightiest ruler of Da Liang, he probably goes to even greater extremes," Li Huowang thought to himself.

"But all humans cling to life and fear death, it's only natural, it's just..."

Li Huowang still remembered that Xu Fu took away five hundred boys and girls in search of the Longevity Medicine. In this utterly mad world, it was hard for him to imagine to what lengths the Emperor of Da Liang would go.

Gradually, Li Huowang arrived again at the towering walls outside the Imperial Palace, looking up and speculating about what scenes might lie within.

When he noticed the guards on the wall scanning the area vigilantly, Li Huowang shook his head and turned towards the direction of the prison.

No matter what appalling events were unfolding inside, it had nothing to do with him. His task complete, it was time for that Officer Cao to cure Bai Lingmiao.

The underground prison was still as claustrophobic and oppressive as ever. When Officer Cao saw Li Huowang return, he broke into a broad smile, "Oh? Brother Er Jiu is back? Tell me in detail, what happened on your way here."

There was naturally nothing that needed to be avoided in these matters, and Li Huowang quickly relayed everything he had experienced. "Officer Cao, now that the business is done, please lend your help."

"Mmm, of course, of course," Officer Cao stated with a smile as he reached into his robe and pushed a small, arm-sized black lacquered coffin in front of Li Huowang.

Li Huowang couldn't help but feel sensitive about the coffin; the large red longevity character on it seemed to give it an air of death, as if a corpse truly lay inside.

Looking at the coffin, Li Huowang immediately remembered the dense flock of dead sheep beneath Qingqiu, they too had exuded this same aura.

"This object is definitely not from the military faction, it belongs to some other sect," Li Huowang decisively concluded, noting a vast difference from military artifacts; it was the complete opposite.

Officer Cao tapped the tabletop with his calloused fingers, making a 'tapping' noise. "Take this coffin, open it for three breaths towards that person and it will expel the Evil Qi from their body. Remember, exactly three breaths, not one more."

"That simple?" Li Huowang reached out and took the black lacquered coffin, surprised by its unexpected lightness. It didn't feel like wood at all, rather more like it was made of paper.

"Heh, how hard can expelling a minor Evil Qi be? If it weren't for me being really tied up here, it would just be a matter of lifting a finger," Officer Cao said with a disdainful tone, then took a sip from his bowl of wine,

Just then, the ground began to tremble slightly, and an indefinable aura surged up from below. This made Li Huowang's goosebumps involuntarily rise.

Clearly, the commotion was caused by something imprisoned below.

"Damn it! Bloody thing!" Annoyed, Officer Cao forcefully smashed his bowl onto the tabletop, grabbed the straight sword beside him, and strode toward the distant cell door. "I've got important matters to tend to, so I won't keep you. Just return the coffin after you use it. I don't want to have to fetch it myself."

When Li Huowang emerged from the prison, he felt an unreal sensation. Looking at the coffin in his hand, he thought to himself, "Is it really that simple? Can this really turn Bai Lingmiao back?"

"Are all these people deceiving me? Are they all in this together? Do they already know Xinsu's identity?" This crazy thought burst into Li Huowang's mind, sending a chill through his whole body.

His expression suddenly became ferocious, and his pupils contracted instantly, as he looked around at everything. In that moment, it seemed as if everything around him, the rooftops, the stone lions, the floor tiles, every last thing was filled with malice.

After pausing for quite a while, Li Huowang, standing still with the coffin in his arms, calmed his emotions and meticulously went over the whole situation again and again in his mind.

After a long time, Li Huowang heaved a sigh. "No, they shouldn't know my identity yet, otherwise they wouldn't let someone as restless as me get close to the Imperial Palace."

Li Huowang realized that perhaps he was overthinking it. Since the Military could drive the Evil Qi, they naturally could also retract it. Maybe this was just a minor incident after all.

"I've got the item... What's next..." Li Huowang, with a grave expression, carried the coffin in his arms and headed towards the inn.

When Li Huowang pushed open the door to his room at the inn, he saw Bai Lingmiao sitting in front of a copper mirror, using a black liquid-soaked iron comb to brush her hair.

"What are you doing?"

"Using a lead comb soaked in vinegar to comb my hair, it makes it black, which is much better than this ghastly white."

Looking at Bai Lingmiao's reflection, Li Huowang took a deep breath and pulled the small coffin out from his embrace.

He had just paid someone to test it, and sure enough, the object could remove Evil Qi from a person.

Through the copper mirror, Bai Lingmiao also saw what he was holding. "What's that? A coffin?"

Li Huowang, resolutely digging his fingernails into the coffin lid, forcefully flipped it open towards Bai Lingmiao.

A strange suction force burst from inside the coffin, swiftly drawing away the conflicts, guilt, and worries from Li Huowang's heart.

Li Huowang even felt that the method Bei Feng used to rid himself of illusions had become trivial; the coffin was absorbing the very things that supported his life.

"One... two... three...!" Suddenly, he slammed the coffin lid shut, and Li Huowang looked quickly towards Bai Lingmiao in front of him.

The lead comb soaked in vinegar slowly fell to the ground, making a crisp sound. Li Huowang watched as Bai Lingmiao slowly turned around, her eyes wide with shock, silent tears sliding down her cheeks.

Seeing the familiar Bai Lingmiao return, Li Huowang, trembling, rushed to embrace her, his eyes brimming with excited tears.

After being excited for a good while, Li Huowang finally let go and looked carefully at the Bai Lingmiao before him, "How do you feel now? Do you feel any discomfort? If you do, tell me right away!"

With tearful eyes, the silent Bai Lingmiao reached out her hand towards the Purple Tassel Sword on Li Huowang's back.

When Li Huowang quickly pressed his hand down to stop her, Bai Lingmiao's eyes filled with a deep grief and profound pain.

"Brother Li, I'm begging you... I really can't live without it..."