The Unruly Immortals

Second God looked down at the golden ring around her ankle, her voice trembling slightly, "Brother Li...."

Tear tracks had soaked through the red bridal veil, leaving behind five inconsistent stains on the red cloth, betraying excitement and seemingly heartache as well.

Li Huowang couldn't see through her; Second God was shrouded in a mist that prevented him from using the Oblivion Path's abilities to discern her deep emotions and struggles.

Li Huowang watched her with a complex expression and, after hesitating a moment, reached out to lift a corner of the red veil.

He had seen Second God's appearance many times and wouldn't be scared, but her current look was somewhat different from the past.

On that mostly animalistic face, signs of other wild beasts were relatively less, while the silver-white fur of a fox was noticeably dominant.

The short spines amid the white fur lay as flat as possible, as if trying to make herself look a bit better.

Li Huowang gazed absent-mindedly at her partly human face and the resentful look in her eyes, which closely resembled the Bai Lingmiao of the past; he felt as though the Bai Lingmiao who had always been by his side from Qingfeng Taoist Temple had reappeared before him.

Li Huowang couldn't help reaching out to touch her cheek; the scales beneath the fur pricked his fingers, jolting him back to reality.

No, Second God wasn't her; the Miaomiao of the past would never forgive him.

As the crestfallen Li Huowang's hand began to fall away slowly, it was firmly clasped by Second God's hand, sharp claws and all.

But when Second God opened her mouth full of sharp teeth, revealing the forked tongue within, she gave up first, covering her face with the red veil and leaving with a choked sob.

Li Huowang didn't pursue her, silently watching as Second God gradually vanished into the darkness before he let out a soft sigh.

Although he knew Second God was also a part of Bai Lingmiao, with a different share of emotions and sorrows, apart from affixing another foot ring to her, he really didn't know how to face her.

Should he treat her the same as Bai Lingmiao? Two Bai Lingmiaos? Li Huowang always felt a particular awkwardness in his heart.

When the somewhat disheartened Li Huowang returned to the lively banquet, his mind was still pondering the tear at the corner of Second God's large animal eye.

By the time he snapped back to reality, he saw his bowl in front of him heaped high with various chicken legs and chunks of meat.

Bai Lingmiao added a chopstick-full of leeks on top of his bowl, "Are you done talking? Eat up, this banquet is to welcome you."

Li Huowang reached his right hand toward the table but didn't go for the chopsticks; instead, he reached for the wine jug nearby.

Pouring himself a full cup, Li Huowang drank it back in one gulp.

The regained sensation of heavy intoxication once again enveloped his brain, the tingling numbness of his scalp making his current emotions more bearable.

To be honest, he had no experience in handling such matters; he was just a high school student in the past.

"Why do these troubles never end? Can't things just be quiet for once?" Li Huowang muttered to himself, holding his cup and pouring himself another.

Before drinking himself into oblivion, Li Huowang realized that these emotional troubles did exist in the past, it's just that his former self was always caught between life and death, reality and illusion, and had no time to think about these trivial matters.

After the banquet ended and Li Huowang, reeking of alcohol and half-asleep, felt light and floaty, as if lying on clouds.

After a while, the silky touch of the satin sheets and that familiar fragrance told Li Huowang he was back in Bai Lingmiao's boudoir once again.

Subconsciously reaching out, Li Huowang wrapped his arms around a soft body, caressing the individual hairpins among the strands of hair, then he lowered his head and kissed.

Bai Lingmiao walked along the winding dirt roads within Niuxin Village, where candlelight flickered on the windows around her. Every household was discussing with high spirits how to ration the meat and vegetables they had brought home over the next few days.

"Miaomiao, everyone's life is so much better now compared to before. After the feast, there's even some left over," Chun Xiaoman said to Bai Lingmiao with a smile.

"If you want the horse to run, you always have to let it graze," Bai Lingmiao said indifferently and headed towards the Bai Family Ancestral Hall in the distance.

"Besides, it doesn't cost that much silver. The money Lv's Troupe makes is enough to feed them. Honestly, I didn't have much hope for Lv's Troupe at first, but who would've thought that their Peking opera is earning more and more silver in Da Liang."

"Yeah, last time, there was an old man who had a funeral and wedding celebration, and I heard that before he died, he specifically requested Band Leader Lv. He wanted Peking opera sung for three days straight in front of the memorial hall. I don't understand what he was thinking," Chun Xiaoman added.

As they talked, Bai Lingmiao and Chun Xiaoman had already entered the Bai Family Ancestral Hall and skillfully turned the three wise monkeys statue, going through the secret door.

The oil lamps in the underground hall were lit, and the urgent sound of chanting incantations drifted up along the hollow stairs.

"Heaven's round, the earth's square, inviting gods to descend to aid the spirit medium, hasten heaven, hasten earth, the Great Master soars riding clouds homeward, the Great Master ascends on horseback arriving, arriving before the altar to lift up the medium's body..."

By the time they entered the main hall, they saw Scholar Lv wearing a paper bib painted with scriptures, in one hand he held a triangle banner with White Lotus, and in the other a spiked dagger, repeatedly knocking the spikes against his head.

"...Left eye becomes the sun, right eye becomes the moon, transforming sun and moon shine bright and clear, in sincere devotion do I come to worship..."

The spikes of the dagger had already cracked his scalp open, bright red blood trickled down his forehead, smearing over his whole face, making his frantic expression particularly frightening.

"The revered deity of this altar, hasten thine arrival, body to divine, divine to body, transforming the mountains and rivers light the way, step by step to lead us, inch by inch to support the child, lifting the medium to shine with divine light, to speak with a golden voice and make it clear!!"

As he shouted the last word, he lifted his right foot abruptly and stomped hard on the floor three times, then everything returned to calm.

Watching Scholar Lv now, who glared fiercely with eyes wide as if he were a statue frozen in place, Bai Lingmiao furrowed her brows in thought, and with a "clang," drew the longsword from Chun Xiaoman's waist with one hand, directly slashing toward Scholar Lv's waist.

However, when the blade collided with Scholar Lv's body, a clear, bell-like sound of metal against stone unexpectedly rang out.

Bai Lingmiao, unconvinced, tried a few more times but could only leave a shallow scratch on Scholar Lv's body.

You see, the sword that Chun Xiaoman carried was a gift from Li Huowang. Although it wasn't meant to exorcise evil, it still could cut through iron as if it were mud.

Yet now, this sharp sword could only have such an effect on Scholar Lv. It had to be said that at this moment, Scholar Lv had become impervious to swords and spears.

The ecstatic Scholar Lv looked down at his body, his heart bursting with excitement unable to contain itself.

To master this divine skill, he had endured so much suffering and took so many beatings! But when this moment arrived, he felt that everything was worth it.

Suddenly, his expression turned ferocious, his teeth clenched, and the dagger and triangle White Lotus banner in his hands shook uncontrollably with his trembling hands.

"Damn it! That old bastard! How dare he hang me up and beat me! Don't stop me! I must have my revenge today! I'm going to tear that old bastard apart alive!"

"How can you---" Chun Xiaoman was about to step forward but was immediately stopped by Bai Lingmiao extending his hand. "We're not stopping you, go ahead, your dad drank quite a bit tonight, he should be fast asleep."

Scholar Lv roared, waving the dagger in his hand, and charged towards the secret door in high spirits.

But as he was about to leave the door, his steps slowed down, and his cursing suddenly grew louder. "Don't any of you stop me!! Today I'm going to slaughter that old son of a bitch!!"