The Unruly Immortals

"All right, back off, stop showing off here."

Chun Xiaoman, holding a bamboo pole in her hand, pushed away the braggart dog and walked up to the collapsing man. After contemplating her words for a moment, she slowly began to ask, "Why did you come to our village? Why did you start killing people upon arrival in our village? When have we ever offended you?"

Facing Chun Xiaoman's questioning, the man hurriedly spilled everything he knew, fearing that any delay would bring the rope down upon him.

"We... we were driven out by those horse-riding soldiers, and on the way fleeing, we ran out of food. So, we followed the witch's instructions, looking for a village far from the Government Office to find something to eat. It just turned out that yours was the farthest from the county town."

"Horse-riding soldiers?" The man's disjointed words left Chun Xiaoman confused. So, they targeted Niuxin Village without any particular reason?

"Who exactly are you? And why did those soldiers from Da Liang drive you out?"

"We are from Dharma Sect!" Upon mentioning this, the believer from the Dharma Sect suddenly became much more composed, his chin lifted high as if the name itself imbued him with strength.

"Is there no law left? Is there no justice in this world? There are so many named Buddha Master and Immortal out there! They never bothered to give us a second look. So why should those dogs of the Imperial Court single us out, who follow God Yu'er, with such disdain!"

"Humph! The Great Witch, who can communicate with God Yu'er, has said it! Don't think these lapdogs of Da Liang are invincible now! They're like grasshoppers after autumn, not long left to hop around!"

"Just recently, God Yu'er manifested! That darkness was the Divine Skills of God Yu'er! When His old self fully manifests and descends to earth, humph, humph, humph! By then, our Dharma Sect will be the state religion! We followers of the Dharma Sect will take turns being Emperor! No taxes, no forced labor! Every day we will eat fatty meat as our meal!"

"What's this guy ranting about? Is he insane?" Dog looked at the man with a bewildered face and said.

Dog couldn't make head or tail of it, but Top Scholar Lv, who had seen much of the world, spotted something through the man's words.

"Oh no, these guys aren't just bandits out for money! They're trying to rebel like King Xian did!" he exclaimed in anxiousness, slapping his thigh.

"It's done for, done for. We ran so far just to escape the war, and we haven't had a moment's peace before it starts up again!"

"Rebel? With those worthless fellows just now?" Scholar Lv said disdainfully. Yet, when he recalled that strange little woman, the disdain on his face gradually faded.

Although they didn't understand everything, the word "rebel" was clear to everyone present. In their minds, rebellion meant war, death, and famine.

A tense Chun Xiaoman quickly squatted in front of the man and continued to ask, "How many people are in your Dharma Sect?"

"Of course, there are many! Just within the Jiangnan region alone, there are at least millions! And under the whole sky belong to the children of God Yu'er! It's just that some have had their enlightenment early, while others have not yet awakened, that's all!"

"You're no different! I advise you to surrender early and submit to our God Yu'er."

Although his remarks seemed boastful, they still managed to intimidate everyone present.

Zhao Wu said with an unsightly expression, "We've killed so many of them, won't they seek revenge against us?" No one had an answer to that question, and everyone felt as if they had a weight on their chest.

"Don't panic, Brother Li left with Miaomiao a while ago, and they should be nearly back by now."

This statement instantly improved the spirits of everyone present; Li Huowang was seen by them as an existence akin to an Immortal.

As long as he was there, this nonsense of an uprising by the Dharma Sect was not worth mentioning at all.

"Miss Chun, I think we can stockpile more food; there's no time to worry about the autumn harvest now. If the times are truly headed towards chaos, then these grains will be as precious as life itself," said Top Scholar Lv, thinking several steps ahead of the others with his ample experience.

"Yes, Zhao Wu, take out some gold and pawn it, let's fill up the grain storage first! We'll discuss other matters in detail when Brother Li returns," Chun Xiaoman commanded.

"Zhijian, arrange for some village militiamen to take turns standing watch at night, just like we did on the road before. It's best to bring a couple of dogs, too! There are some things people can't see that they can.

With Li Huowang absent, the others began to take action under the command of Chun Xiaoman. Gao Zhijian, the one with the stronger leadership quality, would have been more suitable, but he was tongue-tied.

Just as the lights were brightly lit in Niuxin Village, the wooden gate of Li Huowang's small courtyard in the Capital City was knocked on. "Is Mr. Er at home?"

Li Huowang, who was having a nightmare, woke up abruptly and his hand had instinctively grasped the weapon under his pillow.

"Is Mr. Er at home? Could you trouble yourself to open the door, please? My master invites you," came the voice again.

Listening to the distant sounds of the night watchman from a few streets away, Li Huowang realized it was only the third watch of the night. He didn't know many people in the Capital City; who would come to find him at this ungodly hour?

"Brother Li, there are twelve people outside and a big palanquin," Miaomiao whispered, informing him of the situation outside.

"Dress properly, pack your belongings, and wait on the second floor. If the visitors have ill intentions, we'll kill them and make a speedy escape from the Capital under the cover of night!" Li Huowang donned a red Taoist Robe, hid the Purple Tassel Sword behind his back, and walked toward the courtyard gate.

As Li Huowang, fully focused, reached out to the wooden gate's latch, the skinless face of Hong Zhong from the Oblivion Path suddenly popped out of the latch. "I took a look for you. The one who called out is an eunuch," he said.

Li Huowang's cheek twitched slightly. He reached into the faceless head of Hong Zhong and pulled gently, and the courtyard gate opened.

Li Huowang's keen sense of smell immediately detected a mix of a fragrant aroma and the stench of urine. Hong Zhong was not wrong; the portly, beardless old man in front of him was indeed an eunuch.

What surprised Li Huowang even more was that the old eunuch was cradling a very familiar jade cat in his arms.

"Hehehe~ I've come to see Lord Er Jiu," the old eunuch said, respectfully bowing to Li Huowang with the jade cat in his arms, his voice ingratiating. "Please, get into the palanquin. My master invites you to his residence for a chat."

It seemed that after the Emperor of Da Liang regained his composure, he remembered this insignificant figure once again.

When Li Huowang stepped into the palanquin, which was as big as a small room, eight strong palanquin bearers lifted it simultaneously and carried him toward the Imperial Palace of Da Liang.

The palanquin carried by eight men was remarkably stable, giving Li Huowang the sensation of riding in a carriage. He experienced for himself the highest standard of transportation—the eight-bearer grand palanquin.

As the palanquin entered the deep red colossal wall, it didn't stop but continued directly towards the Emperor of Da Liang's sleeping palace. It was only when they reached the entrance to the sleeping palace that the palanquin was slowly tipped to invite Li Huowang to alight.

With a golden roof, red doors, and golden glazed tiles that shone silver under the moonlight, the ridges on the roof also sparkled with glints of silver and were lined with rows of glazed ceramic animals, each face bearing the distinctive mask of the Emperor of Da Liang.