The Unruly Immortals

Seeing Bai Lingmiao's dramatic reaction, Li Huowang seemed somewhat speechless. "What nonsense are you talking about? I've told you, it's the Black Taisui in my body used to suppress illusions; it's just that I don't need it to suppress illusions right now, so it has come out of my body."

As he spoke, Li Huowang picked up Li Sui's bamboo hat, revealing a clump of black, sticky tentacles underneath.

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao immediately latched onto the most crucial information, her face bursting with ecstasy. "Oh?! So you're saying, from now on you won't fall into illusions anymore?"

"No, I still need to go there; things haven't been settled properly there, but now I can barely control it," he replied.

At this, Bai Lingmiao was overjoyed, looking much happier than Li Huowang. "That's wonderful! You are the first among us to cure your own defect!"

Watching her joyous smile, a twinge of guilt crossed Li Huowang's heart, as she undoubtedly cared about him much more than he did about her.

After a moment's thought, Li Huowang took out a golden ring wrapped in a red string from his chest and bent down to gently slide off Bai Lingmiao's white shoes.

"I remember when we first left Qingfeng Taoist Temple, I didn't have money to buy food, so you melted your own gold anklet to buy me buns," he said.

Gazing at the gold anklet on Bai Lingmiao's fair, jade-like ankles, Li Huowang said with a complex expression, "I promised at the time that when I had money, I would buy you a bigger one; sorry, so many things have happened along the way, and I've only now found the time to buy it for you."

Her white eyelashes fluttering slightly, Bai Lingmiao said nothing more, just gently bending down to nuzzle in Li Huowang's embrace.

Li Huowang looked inside Bai Lingmiao, where joy and love in the Ten Emotions overshadowed desire and evil; she was the same as before evil qi had entered her body, unchanged in any way.

While Li Huowang was gently stroking Bai Lingmiao's hair, inhaling her subtle fragrance, and savoring this rare moment of peace, Li Sui moved over to a table on the side and coiled up on it, holding two eyeballs and watching intently.

"Dad, what are you doing?" it asked.

It was incredibly curious, because it had not seen such a thing before, and Li Huowang had never told it about it.

"Is your son's brain not working properly?" Bai Lingmiao asked with a muffled voice, her head buried in Li Huowang's embrace.

With a light chuckle, Li Huowang let go of Bai Lingmiao and walked over to Li Sui, whispering a few instructions to it. Soon, Li Sui, with its limbs all over the place like an octopus, went crawling through the open window to go play with Mantou.

By the time he had closed the window and turned around, Li Huowang was met with an ecstatic Bai Lingmiao launching herself onto him.

Li Huowang, in a fluster, was about to speak as he caught her but was silenced by her soft and slippery touch; the desire emanating from Bai Lingmiao was notably brighter than the rest.

.......

After a long while, Li Huowang lay in bed, holding Bai Lingmiao in her white lotus-root starch bellyband, enjoying the tranquility after the storm and softly sharing the experiences they had missed during their separation.

The Bai Lingmiao nestled in Li Huowang's arms curled up her body, listening while playing with the red string golden ring around her ankle without letting go.

However, as he spoke about how the Cultivation Technique could be used to make the false appear true, Li Huowang's words suddenly halted.

"If both sides could turn out to be real, then is it unfair to both Bai Lingmiao and Yang Na the way I am doing things?"

Li Huowang fell into a state of distress, as he had never considered this issue before, always believing that one of the sides must be fake, and thus thinking about it was a complete waste of time.

"Why have you stopped talking?" Bai Lingmiao gently nuzzled her head full of beautiful hair into Li Huowang's arms.

"Nothing much, the matters at Huan Jue don't need discussing. How has Niuxin Village been while I was away?" Li Huowang casually changed the subject.

"Just the same, what else could it be? I hired some people to do the farming for you. There's too much land in the village, and with just Dogwa Zhao Wu and the others, they simply can't manage it all. Besides, they're not cut out for farmwork."

Li Huowang nodded in understanding, visualizing the new faces in the fields.

"That's right, although they are servants in private, they must call you 'Godfather' in public. You've got to acknowledge it."

"Godfather? What kind of term is that?"

"It's the way people address it in Da Liang. It's all because the Emperor of Da Liang is so kind-hearted and compassionate, and forbids others from keeping slaves, so slave traders simply had to find a different term to carry on selling."

"Hey, Li Huowang, don't think you're so young, but here you are, both a godfather and a real father. That's quite a high status, eh. Hehe."

While the two continued their secret discussion, a knock came from the door of the boudoir. "Miaomiao, it's time for dinner."

That voice belonged to Xiaoman, laced with a hint of shyness, merely a reminder before she fell silent again. She obviously knew what the two were up to inside.

"Hey, let me tell you something funny. Recently, Zhao Wu and Gao Zhijian got a bit stiff over Xiaoman, both of them buzzing round her like flies, driving her crazy."

Li Huowang rolled out of bed and dressed, casually pulling at his skin to gauge how well he had recovered. "That's good, let her choose for herself. After all, it's her own path. We can't help with such personal matters."

When the two, freshly dressed, took their seats at the head table, the guests at around a dozen tables all raised their glasses under Top Scholar Lv's lead.

"Come, let's toast to Taoist Master Li! Wishing Taoist Master Li everything as he wishes!" As soon as Li Huowang picked up his cup and tipped his head back to drink, the dining table instantly buzzed with excitement.

Even from several tables away, Li Huowang could hear Dogwa's boastful voice. "That's my senior martial brother Li! My buddy! An Immortal-like figure! Flying in the sky, disappearing into the ground, turning beans into soldiers, there's nothing he can't do! It was that day, when we encountered a group of river bandits on the road ..."

"How strong is this drink?" Li Huowang frowned tightly, rubbing his swollen head, his body sensitive and clearly not adept at drinking.

"What strength? Band Leader Lv specially bought this winner's red, it should be good liquor. Had I known, I would've switched it with tea for you. Just eat something casually and go rest in bed," Bai Lingmio responded.

Li Huowang shook his head vigorously and immediately left the Bai Family Courtyard.

Once he bent over under a tree and cleared his throat, he vomited out all the liquor he had just drunk, instantly feeling much more sober.

At that moment, a hand bearing a washcloth reached out to him, and Li Huowang immediately took it to wipe the saliva from the corner of his mouth.

But when he turned around, he saw that it was Second God, wearing a red bridal veil.

In the distant courtyard's light, Li Huowang watched Second God with her blood-red bridal veil with a very complex expression.

"Li... Senior Brother." Li Huowang looked at the Ten Emotions and Eight Miseries manifesting on her, as if for a moment he saw the Bai Lingmiao of the past returning.

After a long hesitation, Li Huowang eventually took out a new golden ring wrapped with a red string from his bosom and handed it over.