The Unruly Immortals

The other party's action frightened Bai Lingmiao into taking a step back, and she shrank behind Li Huowang. "I... I am married."

Watching his burly servant behind him, Li Huowang had been ready to make a move, but the other's response was unexpected.

"Oh, then I apologize for disturbing the lady. I hope you won't take offense." Hearing these words, a hint of disappointment flashed in the young man's eyes as he courteously performed a bow towards Bai Lingmiao and then turned to walk ahead.

Passing a group of beggars, he carelessly scattered a handful of silver fragments among them, and with a turn, he began to bow to another young girl.

Such frivolity naturally did not receive a favorable response, but he was not annoyed by others' rejections, and continued to greet other girls.

Watching his retreating figure, Li Huowang thought for a moment and then called out a warning, "The cat in your arms is fake, made of three pieces of jade cobbled together."

"Oh?!" The young man holding the jade cat turned around in surprise. "Kind sir, you must be mistaken. The shopkeeper just told me it's worth five thousand taels."

"It's a scam; you've been duped. Your jade cat has three vertical scratches under its left foot and two horizontal ones."

"Your cat has those marks so anyone who feels them will offer you five thousand taels, but even if you sold it for two thousand taels, they wouldn't take it."

"Oh?! Really?"

Upon seeing the young man, surprised, clutching his jade cat and walking back to the jade shop, Li Huowang took Bai Lingmiao's hand and moved forward. "Let's go; a fight might break out soon."

After walking some distance, Bai Lingmiao looked at Li Huowang in amazement, "Brother Li, you didn't even look at his jade cat. How did you know it was fake?"

Li Huowang didn't answer this question; the trick was the same. The Oblivion Path would use this sort of staged scam as well.

As long as one Oblivion Path left a mark on someone, even if the two people didn't collude, when encountering another Oblivion Path, they would use the same scheme based on the reminder of those marks.

If one person claims something, it could be doubted as a deception, but if everyone encountered keeps telling the same lie, then even the most resolute individual might waver. They start to doubt themselves.

Just like before, those from Oblivion Path, although not in contact with each other, unanimously claimed to be Hong Zhong as part of their scam.

It was just that, in the midst of deceiving, he really became Hong Zhong.

After this little interlude, neither of them took it to heart.

Afterward, Bai Lingmiao enjoyed herself immensely, even drinking a little liquor.

Only after the lanterns along the streets were extinguished, one by one, did Li Huowang carry the somewhat tipsy Bai Lingmiao home.

Bai Lingmiao, tilting her head and squinting her eyes, kept drawing circles on Li Huowang's back with her pale fingers.

"Brother Li, the Shangsi Festival is so fun, I really wish it were Shangsi Festival every day...."

"Mmm, let's celebrate Shangsi Festival every day from now on," Li Huowang agreed with her drunken murmurings.

As they walked, Li Huowang felt his back grow wet, and sobbing sounds came from behind him.

The sobbing gradually turned into crying. Bai Lingmiao seemed to want to cover her hands with her mouth, but her cries grew louder.

In the end, her face smeared with snot and tears, she lay on Li Huowang's back, wailing loudly like a child.

Bai Lingmiao used all her strength to madly beat upon Li Huowang's back with her hands.

...…

Although he stayed up late with Bai Lingmiao the previous night, Li Huowang rose as soon as it was light.

He did not depart right away but took a deep breath and dug his fingers into his left eye.

With a fierce force, he gouged out his own left eye along with blood.

"When she wakes up, tell her I went to find a solution for her eyes," he said.

Li Huowang, gasping for breath, placed the eyeball in Second God's hand.

Seeing the red bridal veil nod in response, Li Huowang gently embraced her, then picked up the two swords on the table and turned to leave.

It was early morning, and some street lanterns were just beginning to be taken down. Many people yawned widely, clearly having strolled late into the previous night.

Li Huowang bought a youtiao wrapped with sticky rice cake for breakfast and headed for the Astrological Bureau while eating.

By the time he finished eating, he had arrived at his destination. Li Huowang wiped his oily hand on the stone lion statue and stepped into the Government Office.

The gatekeeper today was Sima Lan of the Mo Family, with a black bird on his shoulder. He was extremely surprised to see Li Huowang's arrival.

"Er Jiu, I really didn't expect you to be still alive. You haven't shown up for so long, I thought Oblivion Path had killed you," Sima Lan's black bird spoke to Li Huowang.

"Perhaps my time has not yet come. I managed to cling to life. Brother Sima, I hope you are doing well," Li Huowang greeted him with cupped hands.

Having met a few times before, Sima Lan of the Mo Family was something like an acquaintance to Li Huowang.

After a brief chit-chat and a few curses at Oblivion Path, Li Huowang brought up his business.

He pointed to his left eye, now just a drooping lid, "Does the Inner Treasury have anything that can heal an eye?"

"An eye?" Sima Lan thought for a while then shook his head.

"Brother Er Jiu, the Inner Treasury of the Astrological Bureau is so vast, how would I know what's there? You'll have to look for yourself. Have you been there before?"

Seeing Li Huowang shake his head, Sima Lan told him the location of the Inner Treasury.

Wandering the extensive underground labyrinth for a long time, by the time Li Huowang was utterly confused about the directions, he finally found the so-called Inner Treasury.

After presenting his waist tablet to confirm his identity, Li Huowang walked in.

Upon entering, Li Huowang felt like he had shrunk into a mouse that had just scurried into a large pharmacy.

In the echoing and empty warehouse, rows of densely packed wooden cabinets were neatly arranged, these tall cabinets stretching up to the three-story ceiling.

The contents of these wooden compartments varied, some sealed with talismans, others bound with chains.

Clearly, these boxes contained the divine treasures managed by the Astrological Bureau.

It was these treasures that enticed outsiders to work for the Astrological Bureau.

Not all items were placed inside those little boxes; some scattered objects were categorized on long tables.

There were all sorts of bizarre items, but Li Huowang couldn't discern their uses.

"Wait, isn't this mine?" Li Huowang reached out and took his Copper Coin mask from the long table.

This mask should have ended up in the Astrological Bureau's hands along with his head after the last time he disguised himself as Hong Zhong and his head fell off.

Although he now had the Heart-Turbid Spindle given to him by Zhuge Yuan, having an extra layer of insurance was something Li Huowang certainly wouldn't refuse.

Just as he was about to speak, a eunuch with a smile on his face approached from the side.

Unlike the eunuch in the main hall, this Inner Treasury eunuch had no eyes; his eyes were completely replaced by two Copper Coins, gruesomely sewn in place.