The Unruly Immortals

"Brother Zhuge, it seems that this Oblivion Path really believes itself to be me," Li Huowang said with a grave expression, turning his head to look at Zhuge Yuan beside him.

He had never expected that the Oblivion Path could actually steal his spindle and weapon, and completely disguise itself as him from inside out.

"This fellow must have made his move when I was trapped in that hallucination in the water, perhaps it was also the Oblivion Path that triggered my sudden hallucination!"

Thinking back carefully, when he had awakened from that so-called White Tower Prison, there was conveniently an imbecile beside him, perhaps that person was a projection of the Oblivion Path.

"There's more! I also saw someone inside my stomach before! Perhaps he was specifically waiting for you inside," the Monk reminded him earnestly.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." Hong Zhong walked over, circled the corpse several times, and with hands pressed together, began to chant for the spirit's passage as a Monk would.

Now that the matter was resolved, the process of the entire event was not hard to guess, but Li Huowang didn't understand why the other wanted to impersonate him. If it was to deal with him, wouldn't the disguise be immediately exposed as soon as they met face to face?

"Whoosh!" Zhuge Yuan flicked open his folding fan, and the four characters "Tian Sheng Wo Cai" appeared in front of Li Huowang, "No need to worry, they were targeting me. Here on Apricot Island, they dare not confront me openly, so they used your identity to get close to me."

"This plan was actually decent, but I guess they didn't anticipate that you could get onto the island so quickly."

Watching Zhuge Yuan walk away, Li Huowang bent down to retrieve his belongings from the corpse of the Oblivion Path and hurriedly followed. "That is truly regrettable. If it wasn't because of my arrival, Brother Zhuge might not have encountered this trouble."

He had truly not expected that the Oblivion Path was not targeting him this time. It was unexpectedly a bit unsettling for him since in the past, encountering the Oblivion Path was like meeting a wolf that wouldn't rest until it got its prey.

Hearing the apology in Li Huowang's words, Zhuge Yuan smiled slightly. "It's fine, it's fine. I am used to it. It's not the first time. Ever since that wealthy Oblivion Path died by my hand, such incidents have never ceased."

Li Huowang turned his head to look at the Oblivion Path corpse, gradually disappearing into the morning fog. The thought of being targeted by the entire Oblivion Path organization, where anyone close to him could potentially be an impostor from the madmen of Oblivion Path, made him feel suffocated.

Then, Li Huowang turned his head with a somewhat complex expression to look at Zhuge Yuan. Facing the intense retaliation of the Oblivion Path, the other party seemed so effortlessly poised. His power was clearly formidable.

"Definitely stronger than Master Danyang at the beginning. No! Perhaps even stronger than Master Danyang after becoming immortal!"

While Li Huowang was pondering this question, Zhuge Yuan frowned slightly and scrutinized Li Huowang. "Brother Li, is there something living inside your body? Would you like me to help you remove it?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the tentacles of Li Sui wrapped around the eyeballs and emerged from Li Huowang's navel, curiously sizing up Zhuge Yuan.

Li Huowang pointed with his finger and stuffed it back in. "It's fine, just Black Taisui. Although it's gradually eroding my body, it's the only thing that can help me suppress the hallucinations caused by Xinsu," he said.

"Ah, I see. I've read about this method in some obscure book, but it's truly my first time seeing it with my own eyes," Zhuge Yuan said, nodding in understanding.

Zhuge Yuan stepped forward but then paused. "Then, you presumably haven't vomited out the Black Taisui accumulated inside and taken a new piece in?"

Li Huowang was stunned, a little surprised that the other party would ask such a question, "I do have this intention, planning to try after the Black Taisui in my belly can no longer hold up."

"Don't even try. When I read that book back then, it stated that if you really did that, the consequences for Xinsu would be dire," Zhuge Yuan warned.

Hearing this reminder, Li Huowang immediately felt a wave of gratitude. Had the other not mentioned it, he might indeed have tried it in the future.

After this minor incident, the interaction between the two suddenly became much more harmonious. Li Huowang, rarely encountering someone who did not attempt to pry into his affairs, felt incredibly at ease.

They walked for almost half an hour, and a quiet and elegant two-story bamboo house appeared before them.

This was an all-emerald bamboo construction, perfectly blending with the bamboo forest as if the house itself had grown from the earth like the bamboo.

"My humble abode is simple, Brother Li, please do not mind," Zhuge Yuan pushed open the bamboo door, leading Li Huowang inside.

The bamboo house had no locks whatsoever, but one could be certain that no thief would dare to intrude here.

Entering the bamboo house, Li Huowang noted a strong scholarly aura, with walls hung with either calligraphy or paintings; yet, the quality of the work was beyond his ability to discern.

Among them, one painting was particularly unique—a white palanquin was being held aloft by four wax-yellow skeletons, with a white weasel carrying a white lantern leading the way.

Apart from this one, the majority of other paintings were portraits featuring men and women, old and young, suggesting that Zhuge Yuan was particularly skilled at capturing likenesses convincingly.

By this time, Zhuge Yuan was already seated on a meditation cushion, skillfully preparing tea. "Brother Li, which tea would you prefer? Ding Mountain Plain Wrap, or Gentleman's Silver Needle?"

"I... any is fine." Li Huowang sat on a cushion on the other side of the low tea table, watching Zhuge Yuan make tea.

Although Li Huowang had many things he wanted to say at this moment, seeing how focused the other was, he ultimately decided to wait politely for him to finish.

He may not have understood the purpose behind transferring the water from one cup to another, but it was clear that the other was a master of tea ceremony.

"This is the third brewing of Gentleman's Silver Needle, the tea is fine from Apricot Island, but the water is quite ordinary. Please don't mind it," said Zhuge Yuan.

Taking a sip of the pale green tea, Li Huowang had just opened his mouth to speak when all the tea implements were removed, and a perfectly square chess board was placed in front of him.

Without waiting for the other to start, Li Huowang picked up a black chess piece, casually placed it on the board, and eagerly asked, "Brother Zhuge, why did you help me earlier? Are you the same as me, both from Oblivion?"

As he posed this question, Li Huowang felt his heart reach a peak, his heartbeat accelerating as he watched the other speak.

With a "snap," a white piece landed on the board, and an unexpected reply came from the other's mouth. "Not so. Although both from the same Oblivion, I am not Xinsu, I am Heart Pan."

"Heart Pan?" A deep sense of disappointment arose in Li Huowang's heart. When he was on the ship, it had crossed his mind that the other's willingness to help was because Zhuge Yuan was his kin.

If in this Chaotic and mysterious world he could have a powerful senior leading him, then whatever came next would be much easier. However, things did not always develop in the direction he wished.

Li Huowang gathered his thoughts and spoke again, "Which Pan? The Pan of a peach?"

Zhuge Yuan cradled the tea cup in his left hand, using the lid to hold back the tea leaves, sipped gently with his eyes closed. "As in the quietly coiling and entwining snake and worm, that 'Pan'. It's your turn, Brother Li, make your move,"