The Unruly Immortals

"Come, come, take a look, take a look, is the Taoist Master satisfied with these things?" Zhu Dexi said, pointing at the items on the ground. Me.

A huge mess of items was spread out before Li Huowang's eyes, most of which were rusty swords and knives, with some bottles and jars beside them.

"What's all this? They're all rusty, nothing but scrap metal." Gouwa squatted down and began to haggle.

"Don't mind the rust, they can still be used after a bit of grinding. If there were any truly divine weapons, they wouldn't have come my way, right?"

Li Huowang wasn't paying attention to the swords and knives; his focus was on the bottles and jars.

He squatted down, picked them up one by one to take a look, and found that there wasn't any writing on them.

"This Taoist Master really knows his stuff, spotting the good items right away."

No sooner had Zhu Dexi squatted beside him than he moved back a couple of steps from the bloody smell on Li Huowang's clothes.

But he wasn't scared off; instead, he became even more eager to please.

"Taoist Master, what you're holding there is something special, this medicine is called 'Staggering Step,' just add a tiny bit to water, and it'll surely make anyone take half a step and then collapse. It's not expensive, just three taels of silver per bottle."

"Ah! Good eye! This bottle is also a treasure! It's powdered Red Crown Crane toxin, just a fingernail's worth is enough to send someone straight to the Underworld. One bottle, five taels."

"Right, right, this is even more precious!! Swallow one and you're guaranteed to bed two women all night long. This was reserved by Second Master Liu from Wolf Head Mountain. If you want it, it's yours first, but you'll need to pay extra."

Li Huowang, growing impatient, stood up, "How is it that everything in your mouth is a treasure? Fine, I'll take the first two items. Gouwa, fetch the silver from the cart."

"Taoist Master is so generous!" Zhu Dexi laughed until his eyes nearly disappeared. "Really not interested? What if I give you a special deal? You might not need it now while you're young, but who says you won't when you're old? It's good to have plenty of such treasures, after all, they can ensure the continuation of your lineage."

Li Huowang ignored him and turned to the others, "Everyone, pick out a weapon that suits you, having something is better than nothing."

Upon hearing this, all the men, except for the two women, Bai Lingmiao, and Xiao Man, who were already eager to try, stepped forward.

Li Huowang tucked the two bottles of medicine into his chest and said to Top Scholar Lv, who was watching the commotion from the side, "Band Leader Lv, aren't you going to buy something for self-protection?"

Top Scholar Lv quickly shook his head. "No need, if I don't have a weapon and am chased by bandits, at most I lose my silver. But if I'm armed and can't beat them, then I might lose my life."

"Heh, Band Leader Lv sure thinks things through, different strokes for different folks," Li Huowang said before lying back down on the donkey cart.

When the crowd dispersed and everyone had a weapon in hand, even if they didn't quite know how to use it, they certainly looked much more intimidating than before.

Just as they were all excitedly brandishing their blades and comparing with each other, Bai Lingmiao, who had been holding a needle and thread, came over.

Bai Lingmiao, looking somewhat worried, picked up the red thread and began to sew up the tears on Li Huowang's Taoist Robe.

"Brother Li, all this stuff mixed together cost us a good chunk of our silver. Now we only have five taels left."

"If you're going to be on the road all the time, these things for self-defense are necessary." Li Huowang looked as if he had both the Taoist Bell and could perform a Blood Sacrifice to summon Master Danyang, not needing any of these mundane items.

But to tell the truth, Li Huowang really didn't trust himself.

He was truly worried that one day the stability maintained by Black Taishui would vanish, and he would once again be trapped in an illusion unable to extricate himself.

If it really came to that, with no one by my side to protect me, I would simply be a lamb to the slaughter.

"Brother Li, these swords and sabers are only effective against bandits. If we could learn the divine skills Master Danyang used back then, we'd truly have nothing to fear," Doggy lamented, carrying a knife as he walked over.

"You want to learn? Would others be willing to teach? Moreover..."

As he spoke, Li Huowang recalled how Master Danyang used people for alchemy and Zhengde Monk's bizarre "cultivation" methods. "Moreover, even if someone was willing to teach you, you, an ordinary person, might not dare to practice those divine skills."

Though he hadn't had much contact with it, Li Huowang had a premonition that the other powers in this world were probably not much better than Master Danyang.

With a chuckle, Doggy nudged the natural one-armed man beside him and led him towards the nearby stream. "Come on, let's find a rough stone in the water to sharpen our knives."

At this moment, the tall and bulky simpleton approached, standing in front of Li Huowang's shadow like a wall, "I... I... I..."

"Stop it, you can't use swords or sabers. Just honestly practice your club. That thing can maximize the advantage of your strength," Li Huowang said, then lay down again.

This minor incident among the porters thus came to an end, and both groups continued on their way.

Days passed by, and aside from occasionally passing through some small villages where Lv's Troupe would put on a play, the time was mostly spent on the road.

Li Huowang's neck was slowly healing over time.

Standing beside a water vat, Li Huowang tilted his chin up, looking at the scar on his neck reflected in the water.

"Not bad, it's not so noticeable when I keep my head down."

As he spoke, Li Huowang turned his head to look at Bai Lingmiao beside him and rubbed her pristine white head. "Why the long face? Haven't had any unpleasant things happen lately?"

"Brother Li, we just stocked up on some food and fodder for the donkeys. Now we've only got one tael of silver and three hundred and forty-five copper coins left," Bai Lingmiao said, counting on her fingers.

"That quickly? That can't be right," Li Huowang left the temporary farmhouse and walked toward Lv's Troupe's stage.

"It could have lasted longer, but you had them practice with knives and guns, which exhausted everyone, so they ate more. Ever since the simpleton got that wooden stick, he eats two jin of flour in one meal! Four jin of flour in two meals a day!!"

"But that's not a fire poker; if we bought them, they need to be practiced with. Not to mention anything else, they at least have to learn to chop and stab."

Even just simple chopping, practicing every day as opposed to just carrying it around and looking at it, makes all the difference.

In battle, if they coated their knives with poison, they would still be a threat not to be underestimated.

At that moment, Li Huowang watched the others helping to dismantle Lv's Troupe's stage.

"But at this rate, we can only hold out for another month at most. Everyone will be starving."

"No money... that's a problem."

Li Huowang stroked his chin, looking thoughtfully at Lv's Troupe. "They must have made quite a bit of money on this trip, right? If we robbed them all, wouldn't that solve the problem?"

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Li Huowang was startled by it. Why would he think such a thing? Top Scholar Lv, if nothing else, was an upright man although slippery, so why did Li consider robbing him?

The mood that had been quite good for Li Huowang suddenly cast a shadow over him.