The Unruly Immortals

With his sensitive fingers, he traced the strokes he had written on the paper, as Li Huowang searched for solutions one by one.

"First is to get Bai Lingmiao new eyes, her vision is getting worse and we can't delay, since Liu Zongyuan mentioned that the Astrological Bureau in the Capital has them, I definitely have to check it out."

"Plus, I've done quite a lot of work in the Astrological Bureau, not to mention earned a lot, but except for bribing Hong Da, the debt collector, to kill Xin Chi, most of it's still in the Gourd and hardly used, just right to swap out during this opportunity."

"As for her problem of having a short lifespan, I don't know if the Yangshou Pill would work for her."

"Right, speaking of Bai Lingmiao, where did she go? Why haven't I seen her all night?"

"Li Sui, where's your mom?"

"She went into that room with lots of black wooden boards on the wall."

Hearing this, Li Huowang's expression dimmed slightly, and he didn't ask further; Bai Lingmiao had gone to the Ancestral Temple.

"It's nothing, it's late, you should go to sleep too."

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Li Sui nodded and turned to leave the house.

When she came back to the Bai Family Courtyard, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, she turned towards the horse stable where she was currently staying temporarily.

There were not many horses there besides some pulling carts, making the area feel quite empty.

Li Sui walked to the deepest part of the stable, which was already filled with thick piles of hay.

Li Sui burrowed her entire body into the hay, stretched contently, and then curled her ferocious body into a disc shape, tail meeting head.

But after a short silence, Li Sui wormed her way out again, tilting her head towards the Ancestral Temple and moving in that direction with her backwards-bending legs.

The Ancestral Temple was quickly reached, the secret door on the wall was not closed, and after some thought, Li Sui crept towards it.

Upon seeing the spacious hall of the White Lotus Sect, she showed great curiosity towards the unfamiliar environment, sniffing the lotus white banners on the ceiling now and then, and scratching at the wall paintings with her claws.

After a tour around, Li Sui stopped and looked towards a side door on the wall, where she detected a familiar scent.

She hesitated but in the end, entered; inside it was dark, but the scent grew stronger—it was her mother's scent.

Soon, following the direction of the scent, Li Sui heard some sobbing sounds; her mother seemed to be crying.

"We've been together day and night for so long, I know how Senior Brother Li feels about me, and I don't want to make him sad, but...."

"But I really don't know what to do, every night as soon as I close my eyes, my parents come to me in dreams, cursing me in those dreams, accusing me of ingratitude, of being heartless, and I'm just so tired of living...."

"Do I really have to leave Senior Brother Li? But... I really can't bear to...."

"This constant struggle on both sides is making me wish to die, but because of the Immortal Sects, I can't even die if I want to."

"Wu Sheng, Mother of No Birth, no matter what I do now, it is wrong, tell me, what should I do?"

The voice coming from the direction of the scent paused, and Li Sui thought for a moment and prepared to draw closer but was blocked by a red figure.

"Mom?" Li Sui softly spoke to the Second God in front of her. "Mom, it's so late, won't you go to sleep? Dad asked me to sleep already."

Second God stretched out his ghastly pale right hand, full of sharp nails, and took hold of Li Sui's right forepaw, which was baring bones and growing black tendrils, then they slowly walked deeper into the dim tunnel.

As Li Sui was led by Second God through a secret door, she saw kneeling before the lotus, that frail white-clad woman, who was another mother.

Bai Lingmiao held three incense sticks in her hands, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked up at the Twin Lotus on the wall. "Wu Sheng Mother... Are you really as the books describe, truly existent? Are you all-powerful?"

"But if you truly exist, why didn't you show your divine power to save them when the Bai Family members, who worshipped you, were killed by Brother Li?"

Li Sui just stood there, listening to her own mother kneeling and speaking.

It wasn't until Li Sui felt a bit sleepy that she saw her mother, with her eyes red and swollen, stand up and bow three respectful times to the Twin Lotus on the wall.

"Wu Sheng Mother, if you are truly as compassionate and merciful as the books say, I beg you to help me escape this plight," she said.

"If you can fulfill this young woman's prayer, then I, Bai Lingmiao, will surely cast a gold statue for you, follow the White Lotus Sect all my life, and serve you forever."

Bai Lingmiao raised her head to look once more at the Twin Lotus on the wall, yet there was not the slightest change.

This seemed to have been predestined, but deep disappointment still appeared on Bai Lingmiao's face.

When she turned around in a daze, she saw Li Sui and Second God standing there.

Bai Lingmiao didn't have much of a reaction, simply wiping the tear from the corner of her eye and walking outside.

She walked ahead, with Second God silently leading Li Sui following behind.

Right at the entrance of the Ancestral Temple, Bai Lingmiao stopped and without turning her head, her voice choking with sobs, said, "Do you particularly despise me? That I would actually worship such a fake thing?"

"If you feel tired, I can take over..." A creepy voice arose from beneath the red bridal veil.

Bai Lingmiao bit her lower lip and shook her head vigorously. "No, another influx of Evil Qi would make Brother Li even more heartbroken."

Second God stretched out those pale hands and covered Li Sui's damaged dog ears. "You're barely living yourself, why care about his thoughts? You act more like his dog than Mantou does..."

"You!!"

The red bridal veil slid off, revealing the fierce beastly face below.

"The slightest kindness from others, and you can't wait to give them your heart, you deserve it."

"According to the laws of the jianghu, he's the murderer of your father, you want to be a filial daughter, then you should find an opportunity to kill Li Huowang, but you neither dare nor want to."

"If you think the living Li Huowang is better than the deceased Bai Family members, then you should just marry him calmly, and become his bride as soon as possible, yet you can't cross the emotional barrier within your heart."

"When trouble arises, you don't think about how to solve the problem, instead, you pin your hopes on the elusive Wu Sheng Mother, praying for miracles from the Immortals, you're cowardly."

"So wake up, no matter what you pray for, no one can help you, the only one who can help you is yourself, you need to truly understand this."

Bai Lingmiao didn't want to argue with Second God, turning around with a sob.

Second God's hands fell from Li Sui's ears, "Don't spend all day fussing over Li Huowang, our own lives are more important than his, think carefully on how to save yourself. Your eyes are nearly blind."

Bai Lingmiao, with a choking sob, held her hands to her chest and walked aimlessly toward the Bai Family Courtyard. "I just... I just wanted to spend my life with the person I love, is that so wrong....."