The Unruly Immortals

Hearing movement behind him, Li Huowang held his burning shoulder and looked back at the fallen Li Zhi. Is he... apologizing to me?

"You're about to die, and you're still putting on an act for me. Setting your face straight now, but wasn't it you who just tried to kill me?"

The color drained from Li Zhi's face, revealing a bitter smile.

"I had no choice, I really had no choice, they forced me. You can run, but I truly can't escape. From the day I embarked on this path, there was no running away for me."

Dark red blood gradually seeped out from Li Zhi's body, staining the earth beneath him red. He didn't have much time left.

Li Huowang stood there, his expression complex, watching the Li Zhi whose words he could not discern as true or false.

"Actually... this isn't so bad, finally there's no other noise in my head," Li Zhi said reflectively.

"Was everything before done because the Immortal Sects forced you?" Li Huowang asked again.

"Heh... whether you believe it or not, I can't do anything. From the day I set out, I became their puppet. I resisted, but it was truly useless. Humans can't fight against the Immortal Sects."

Li Huowang, not caring whether the man's words were true or false, went straight to the hilt of the sword and reached to pull it out.

But when he pulled hard, he couldn't move it, realizing that Li Zhi had grabbed onto the blade with his hand that had fingers chopped off.

Li Zhi, with blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, let out a chuckle. "Li True Person, next time you encounter someone like me, be more cautious. With your kind of Xinsu, you're a delicacy in the eyes of others. Others might harbor bad intentions."

At these words, Li Huowang's heart shrank. He hadn't expected any information from Li Zhi, but he had now begun to speak of it himself.

Looking at the man on the brink of death, Li Huowang deliberately slowed his tone. "What exactly is Xinsu?"

"Xinsu, born from the primal beginnings, takes shape before possessing form, a shape with essence yet without physical body, this is called Xinsu. Xinsu, the beginning of essence before it becomes a body."

"What?" Li Huowang clearly didn't understand what the other was saying.

"This is what the Immortal Sects told me. I'm a simple man, haven't studied much and didn't quite understand, but it was the first time I saw them so happy, so I thought... it must be something good."

Li Huowang looked down at his own hands with a shocked expression.

He thought of the mischievous monks from Zhengde Temple; this was enough to prove that Li Zhi hadn't lied to him.

"In this world, am I something very rare? But aside from being mentally ill, I seem no different from an ordinary person. What exactly does Xinsu mean?"

Li Huowang committed the words Li Zhi had just spoken to memory, sensing their great significance.

Then, he thought again of his deceased Master, Master Danyang.

Li Huowang realized that there had been signs of this all along; his foster Master's search for a Medicinal Guide had not been random.

If the other members of the Sects cultivated in the same strange way as Master Danyang, they might also need someone like him as a Medicinal Guide for their cultivation.

At this moment, Li Zhi's voice began to fade, and his pupils began to dilate.

"Li True Person, could you do me a small favor?"

Li Huowang looked again at the dying Li Zhi. "Speak."

"On the twenty-second of next month, it's Qingming Festival. When the time comes, could you burn some extra joss paper for me? I've been poor all my life; I don't want to be a poor ghost even after death."

By the end, Li Zhi smiled again out of habit, as blood trickled down from the corner of his mouth.

"In my next life, even if I incarnate as an animal, I just dare not become a spirit medium again. It's too suffocating and too... exhausting. I've lived a life even worse than a brothel's watchman."

"Li True Person, remember, you can do anything in the future, but never, ever become a spirit medium. This job is truly not for humans, it's just too bitter and too suffocating." Tears streamed down his cheeks.

Li Huowang looked at him with a complex expression,

flashes of the past raced through his mind. He might have been a good person, but what he did and didn't do were never in his own control.

He was just a pitiful person controlled by those from the Immortal Sects.

This cruel world taught him that those who wield special powers are not necessarily high beings adept in spells like Xinhui Master Danyang, but could also be slaves to that power.

"Thank you for the guidance, Brother Li Zhi."

At this moment, all that was left for Li Zhi was his last breath. He took a deep breath and with his final bit of strength said, "Also, that day you asked about exorcising evil spirits, you had a matter, right? Remember to head south. Look for a group of nuns in black robes there... They are...reluctantly... considered... good people, they should... help you."

Li Huowang never expected this unexpected piece of advice, which pertained to his own issues with Master Danyang. He hurriedly asked with urgency, "Nuns? What are these sects called? Are they skilled at expelling evil spirits?"

Li Huowang spoke at length yet no one responded, then he realized, at this moment, there was no light in Li Zhi's eyes; he had died.

Looking at Li Zhi with eyes that would not close in death, Li Huowang felt a mix of complex emotions.

If he had not been a spirit medium, perhaps the two could have become good friends.

Just then, others approached from a distance. "Brother Li, as soon as the drumming stopped, that monster suddenly stopped moving. Oh? What's wrong with this man?"

Gouwa Xiaoman and the rest had entangled with the Second God for a while, appearing very ragged, each bearing wounds, but fortunately, they were only minor injuries.

Li Huowang sighed and reached out to grasp the sword hilt protruding from Li Zhi's abdomen, pulling it out and reinserting it into the sword sheath on his back. "Find a place to bury these two, so they won't be torn apart by wolves and jackals."

"Why, Brother? He was a murderer and a robber!" Gouwa did not understand.

Li Huowang did not explain, but reached out and gently closed Li Zhi's eyes.

Li Huowang did not leave a stele for Li Zhi; he was a loner with no one to worship, and leaving one could easily bring trouble.

After being busy for most of the day, by the time they got back, the village roosters were crowing.

Just as he reached the gate, he saw an unexpectedly gaunt figure beside the well. Bai Lingmiao, who had been lying on the bed extremely weak before, was now bending her waist and drawing water.

"Brother Li! Where have you been? How did you get injured? Nothing serious, I hope?" Bai Lingmiao asked with concern.

Li Huowang, with a slight frown on his face, walked over and discarded her bucket, "You're feverish, why are you drawing water? Get inside and lie down right now."

"I'm fine, I'm better now, see for yourself if you don't believe me."

When Li Huowang placed his hand on her forehead and found that the fever had indeed subsided, he said, with some surprise, "The elixir I concocted couldn't have been this potent. Are you sure you're alright?"

Bai Lingmiao's expression tensed, then she smiled again. "I'm fine. What's wrong? Being healed from sickness is a good thing, isn't it?"

"Sick or not, go back and lie down. Don't mess with water just after recovering from an illness!"