The Unruly Immortals

Seeing that Li Zhi's expression was off, Li Huowang walked straight over and said, "Brother Li Zhi, about last night's incident, I can explain."

Li Zhi raised his hand and stopped Li Huowang from continuing, saying impatiently, "Hey, what's there to explain? I didn't do anything to you. Just let it be."

Finishing his words, he stood up and, taking his wife by the hand, turned and walked towards the outside of the house.

Li Huowang watched the departing figures of the two, silent and speechless.

"Second God called me Xinsu Immortal. It seems to be some sort of special title. And she also warned me not to look at the Protector Immortal. Maybe she knows something about me. I must find a way to pry this information from her lips."

Li Huowang didn't want to let go of the clue he had so hard found.

"Brother Li, what's up? Do you have a grudge against that shaman?" Hearing what Doggie said, Li Huowang shook his head.

"It's nothing, it's my personal affair. Go have breakfast, everyone. We've finally got a bed to sleep in, rest well these days. Once we leave this village, we can only lie on the roadside."

In the following days, Li Huowang didn't approach Li Zhi again, nor did he pay attention to what the other party was doing.

He knew that the other party was certainly still angry. If he asked him now about Second God, it might not go well. It was better to wait and talk later.

This was what Li Huowang thought, but as he waited, a small trouble came knocking—Bai Lingmiao fell sick.

The trouble was big in that, in this remote place, a small illness not taken seriously could easily become deadly.

But it was also small because, thanks to Qingfeng Taoist Temple's elixirs, he could barely be considered a village doctor. He might not be able to treat other diseases, but a minor illness like this wasn't an issue.

Li Huowang held Bai Lingmiao's slightly feverish head in his arms,

carefully placing a red pill into her mouth.

"Brother Li, am I going to die? I don't want to die..." Bai Lingmiao, very weak, grasped Li Huowang's sleeve tightly.

"Don't think nonsense, just a small cold. You've taken medicine. Just have a good sleep, sweat it out under the covers, and you'll be fine."

Knock knock knock—the sound of knocking at the door suddenly interrupted their conversation. Li Huowang had just looked up when he saw Li Zhi standing at the door with his wife.

"How is it? I heard from the villagers that your sister is sick. Do you need help?"

"No need, thanks," Li Huowang gently covered Bai Lingmiao with the blanket and turned to walk towards him.

"That's it, no need for formalities. You treated me to noodles before, so I ought to help you. The Bai Family's old immortal is unrivaled in healing people. As long as you don't target my wife, we are still friends. This is a favor I should do."

Li Zhi's tone was natural, as if the incident had just passed.

"It's just a minor cold. There's no need to bother your Great Immortal, and besides, we can't afford their 'tea money'."

Li Zhi was taken aback, then laughed again, "That's true indeed. I've added to the confusion, one really shouldn't casually call on the old immortal."

"However, Li True Person, you don't seem to know how to exorcise evil or cure illness. For a Taoist, you are quite exceptional."

Li Huowang examined the man before him again, and the very natural smile on his face.

"I'm already treating her. The elixir has been taken, and we have to wait for it to take effect now."

The frowning Li Zhi kept shaking his head. "This won't do; I've seen other Taoists who are so impressive. They just draw a yellow talisman, burn it to ashes, mix it with water for a drink, and any illness disappears just like that."

Li Huowang smiled gently, sensing the relaxed atmosphere. He felt it was a good time.

"Brother Li Zhi, can we talk? About your wife, she doesn't seem like an ordinary person. Are all other shamans, like Second God, like this?"

Li Zhi's smile froze on his face. "Li True Person, it's no fun if you speak so bluntly. You're a Taoist practitioner; surely you wouldn't tell me all your secrets, would you?"

"I asked you, did you find these mangled creatures somewhere? No, you didn't, right?"

After speaking, the ever-smiling Li Zhi patted Li Huowang's red Taoist robe and, taking his wife with him, turned and left.

Clearly, even though Li Zhi appeared to be very talkative and even often complained about the Immortal Sects behind their backs as if he didn't care about anything, it was all an act.

Li Huowang pondered thoughtfully for a while, then turned and went back inside to continue taking care of Bai Lingmiao.

That night, during the third watch, while he was in a light sleep, he was awakened by a series of knocks on the window.

"Creak~" The wooden window silently opened, and a pair of blood-red embroidered shoes hung over it, gently swaying.

Li Huowang recognized the shoes; they belonged to Second God. She was looking for him.

Li Huowang thought for a moment, then whispered to the embroidered shoes in a very low voice, "The forest at the head of the village, I'll be there shortly."

Seeing the shoes slowly retract, Li Huowang took a deep breath, rolled out of bed, and began to get dressed.

Soon after, guided by the hazy moonlight, Li Huowang arrived at the pitch-black forest outside. Then, he saw the motionless Second God under a tree.

Li Huowang looked around cautiously, and after not spotting Li Zhi, he approached her. "Miss Second God, do you have something to tell me?"

Second God lifted her bleeding finger again and began to write on her red veil.

From a distance, Li Huowang couldn't see clearly, and he subconsciously moved closer to the red veil.

"You... need... to... be... careful..."

Midway through her writing, without any warning, Second God suddenly raised her hands, her black nails sharpened, and viciously plunged them into Li Huowang's neck.

"Thump!" The muscles in Li Huowang's body instantly tensed up, and with a fierce grip on the red veil before him and a lift of his right leg, he brutally kicked her in the stomach.

Although he had temporarily escaped danger, four bloody holes had already appeared on both sides of Li Huowang's neck.

Trembling, he took out some Hemostatic Elixirs and stuffed them into his mouth, his gaze then shifting to the garishly dressed Second God in front of him.

Li Huowang never imagined that Second God, who seemed to be warning him just a moment ago, would suddenly launch a deadly attack on him.

However, when he saw the face of the person before him, he was instantly stunned.

Although this person had misshapen facial features, with snake-like green scales, porcupine spines, fox ears, and various other animal characteristics,

by relying on the few remaining human traces, he could tell that the person bore an uncanny resemblance to Li Zhi.

No, it was a feminine version of Li Zhi, with powder applied on the little remaining human skin she had.

While the other half of her face, with protruding beastlike sharp teeth, was beyond help, the other side with the large cherry-like mouth was deliberately painted with red rouge.

Seeing that Li Huowang had discovered her true face, "Li Zhi" covered her mouth with her hand and began to laugh sharply like a fox.

"After testing for so long, turns out your Xinsu is just ordinary stuff. It hasn't been snatched away by someone else beforehand; you're really quite lucky."

"After testing for so long, turns out your Xinsu is just ordinary stuff. It hasn't been snatched away by someone else beforehand; you're really quite lucky."

The voice echoed in two layers, one close at hand, the other reverberating through the pitch-dark forest around.

"Boom, boom, boom!" A long, intense sound of drumming came from within the forest.

"Invite~ the~ god~"