The Unruly Immortals

"Ring, ring, ring!!" An extremely piercing bell sound suddenly interrupted the shouting, causing everyone present to grimace in pain as they covered their ears.

By the time the ringing slowly faded, Li Huowang's sword was already resting on that person's neck.

"Hehe, Master, what are you doing?" Although the sharp longsword was against his throat, that person's face remained calm and unruffled.

"What am I doing? I should be asking you that! Whom are you summoning?"

The slightly blackened blade pressed a bit more, and immediately a line of blood appeared.

No matter whom this person was summoning, it definitely wasn't anything good; he hadn't encountered anything good in this broken place for a long time.

Sensing the misunderstanding, that person suddenly laughed silently

"Master, you're not from around Siqi, are you? I'm not summoning any spirits. I didn't even beat the drum, so I couldn't summon any spirits. I was just proving that I'm a shaman, that's all."

At this moment, Xiaoman came over and whispered, "Hmm, that's right, shamans do need to beat drums."

After glancing at the colorful drum on the other person's waist, Li Huowang, his face full of vigilance, slowly withdrew his sword.

"Friend, don't make this kind of joke in the middle of the night, it's easy to cause misunderstandings. You should go."

The man looked up and down at the wary Taoist in front of him, nodded sheepishly, and then turned to leave. "Alright then, my name is Li Zhi, until we meet again. Come on, goose, let's go."

After he finished speaking, without saying anything else, he took the woman with the red veil and headed straight into the dark forest path.

Only after they had completely disappeared did Li Huowang turn back and said to the others, "Nobody sleep tonight, stay vigilant, in case that fellow hasn't gone."

One must always be cautious. In the dead of night, this sudden appearance of a stranger, who knows what he intended.

Amidst the sporadic acknowledgments, the Medicinal Guides held their weapons and sat down next to the campfire, one after another,

A dry stick was grabbed by Li Huowang and thrown into the fire, the burning flames illuminating the uneasy faces of everyone.

The long night dragged on with this agonizing wait until it was over, and aside from everyone's face turning haggard, nothing else happened.

"We'll rest this morning, then continue on our way after, Gouwa, you keep watch," Li Huowang said and slowly closed his eyes.

Not knowing how long Li Huowang had been napping, he was gently shaken awake, "Brother Li, that man has come back."

"Huh? What?" this news instantly brought Li Huowang to full alertness. As he turned his head, he saw last night's Li Zhi standing not far away with his veiled wife, smiling brightly.

"Last night, I thought about it for half the night, and I realized I must have scared the Master, right? My apologies, my apologies, so I've come especially to apologize."

The sunlight filtered through the branches onto Li Zhi's somewhat dark face, making the mole on his face incredibly conspicuous.

If you removed the drum from his waist, just by looking at him, he didn't differ much from a farmer who worked the fields all year round.

Under the bright sun, he certainly seemed much safer than he did last night.

After quickly turning over his thoughts, Li Huowang gestured with his hands in salutation and replied, "You're too kind, Brother Li Zhi. I was also too rash yesterday."

No matter what this man's purpose was, now that such a shaman was before him, it would be a real waste not to pry something out of him.

"I just heard this young lady say the Master's family name is also Li, isn't that quite the coincidence? I'm also a Li. Perhaps we were from the same clan five hundred years ago."

Li Zhi, full of amiability and overly familiar, took two steps forward and said to Li Huowang.

"Brother Li Zhi, where are you heading?"

"Hey, my elder cousin's grandmother will be celebrating her grand birthday in a few days, so I'm heading over there early to give her my best wishes."

Celebrating a grand birthday? Li Huowang thought to himself, "The jumping gods ritual doesn't seem to be the same as being a monk or a Taoist, as it hasn't escaped the demands of the secular world."

"Where does Master plan to go, taking such a large group with you?" Li Zhi asked, his eyes somewhat shifty as he looked at Li Huowang's bloodstained Taoist robe that wasn't completely washed clean.

"To Liang State," Li Huowang answered succinctly.

"Really, going that far? That must be quite hard for Master on the road."

After exchanging conversations for a while, their relationship became relatively more relaxed, at least there was no need to be as tense as before.

The wheels of the donkey cart started turning, moving forward alongside the red embroidered shoes.

"Not far ahead is Half Moon Gully. There is a stronghold there, where Master can rest well for a few days. It will be at least fifteen days before you encounter another place suitable for staying. You know, the border areas are always sparsely populated and desolate," Li Zhi said as if he were an old friend, cordially giving Li Huowang directions.

"Thank you. May I ask Brother Li Zhi, since you are a god jumper, which Immortal Sect do you worship in your home?"

Upon hearing Li Huowang's direct question, including the woman covered with a red veil, they all slightly tilted their heads up.

"Hehe, I am a disciple of the Bei Clan. Since you've asked, I won't be coy. Dare I ask from which mountain and which sect does Master hail?"

"From Qingfeng Taoist Temple of the Eastern Illumination of the West Mountains, Xuan Yang," Li Huowang immediately offered the same line that Master Danyang once used.

He didn't know what the Eastern Illumination of the West Mountains was, but at least saying this made others believe he had a lineage, and that he wasn't a fake Taoist.

Li Zhi shook his head, "Hehe, never heard of it, but that's to be expected. The world is so vast, who knows everything?"

Li Zhi was very talkative, and he always wore a smile on his face. Being in his company could improve anyone's mood.

As they walked on, it was time for lunch. They still set up a stove and boiled noodles, made easier by the ever-widening river they followed.

Li Zhi didn't take any food from his small bundle; he just squatted by the road, smiling as he watched, making Li Huowang and his companions uncomfortably aware of his gaze.

"Brother Li Zhi, would you like some?"

"Ah! That would be great, I just happened not to eat yesterday," Li Zhi said excitedly, hurrying over to fill a bowl with noodles.

He slurped bowl after bowl in quick succession, causing Bai Lingmiao's brows to furrow tightly.

"Brother Li, that's almost three pounds... How can he eat so much? Having followed us so closely for such a long time, he couldn't have done it just for this meal, could he?"

Everyone watched as the last noodle was taken from the pot by Li Zhi, who didn't seem the least bit embarrassed as he continued slurping under a tree.

Li Huowang walked over to him and squatted down as well, mimicking Li Zhi's posture, "Are the noodles enough? Do you want us to cook some more?"

"Oh, I would feel so guilty, but I really haven't eaten enough," Li Zhi responded, taking a big gulp of the noodle soup.

"Cook another two pounds of noodles!" Li Huowang shouted towards the pot.

"How come only you are eating, and not your wife? Isn't she hungry?" Li Huowang's gaze shifted to the woman covered with a red veil. He noticed that her nails were somewhat blackened and very long.

"I am the First God, she is the Second God. It's enough if I eat," Li Zhi stated as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Oh? Why is that?"

The sound of noodle slurping stopped. Li Zhi raised the hand holding the chopsticks to wipe his mouth with his elbow and turned his head with a smile, "Hehe, Master asks so many questions. Are you thinking of joining in the act?"