The Unruly Immortals

Lifespan, this problem that has always troubled everyone, now held its answer in the hands of Li Huowang.

First, don't concern yourself with why something like yangshou can actually manifest in tangible form.

In this bizarre world, having experienced so much, Li Huowang had long stopped considering these secondary issues.

What he should be considering now was what this thing in his hands meant for him.

Following the guidance of Master You, Li Huowang held the gourd high towards the sun in the sky.

Before long, the gourd's mouth split open like petals.

Six plump pearls, each faintly marked with a golden character for longevity, rolled slowly in the green viscous liquid.

Li Huowang carefully reached into the water to take one out.

He gripped it firmly with his fingers; according to Master You's explanation, yangshou would dissipate upon contact with any of the five elements—gold, wood, water, fire, or earth—and if it fell to the ground, it would be lost.

This one represented a common person's one-year lifespan, and was extremely precious.

When exposed to sunlight, these solid lifespans began to disperse gradually, emitting a yellow mist that sent a shiver through one's body.

With a gentle press by Li Huowang, the object merged into his hand.

In an instant, Li Huowang felt much lighter; he had gained a year of lifespan.

"If I keep taking this, wouldn't I become immortal?"

Li Huowang quickly cast aside this unrealistic thought.

Recalling what Li Zhi had said, it wasn't hard to guess that these lifespans were the "tea money" coveted by the Immortal Sects.

For the sake of accumulating this bit of lifespan, heaven knows how many rituals Li Zhi had performed; if it were that easy, he wouldn't have aged so much.

The sole purpose of these lifespans was probably to feed them to Master You.

Li Huowang was about to pull out the remaining five and absorb them directly.

Last night, to deal with Li Zhi, he had summoned six Master Yous—three times six makes eighteen, which he had to make up for from here.

But when his fingers touched those lifespan orbs, Li Huowang suddenly stopped.

"Could these things be used as currency in this world?"

As the saying goes, time is money, and money can't buy time. But what if money could indeed purchase time?

"These things, whether in the eyes of mortals or those cultivation practitioners, must be highly valuable; it's too wasteful to just absorb them. They must be put to good use."

Li Huowang withdrew his hand from the gourd and looked at the gourd that had returned to the shade of the tree, its menacing mouth slowly closing.

He picked up the gourd, turned, and walked towards the carriage, Li Huowang found a rope to tie the gourd to his waist and continued searching through the bundles.

However, Li Huowang did not find anything of value next.

One half-worn piece of clothing, two pairs of half-worn shoe soles, some needles and threads, and a few clay statues of household-guarding immortals.

This was all that Li Zhi owned, his entire possessions.

Seeing this, Li Huowang couldn't help but feel a bit of sorrow; the power of the Immortal Sects had not granted Li Zhi a better life but had actually made him live more frugally than ordinary people.

Making money using the abilities of the Immortal Sects for Li Zhi would be an easy task, but those Immortal Sects might not be willing to do so.

They just wanted an obedient slave to collect yangshou, how the slave lived was of no concern to them.

Li Zhi was right, performing rituals was truly not a job for humans.

"Senior Brother Li, can I have these?" asked a Taoist Boy with a runny nose, staring intently at the clay statues.

After all, no matter how hard-working these people are, they are still just children, and all children love to play.

Li Huowang shook his head and grabbed those human-shaped clay sculptures to place them by the roadside. "These things are unclean."

The continuous sound of the donkey cart's wheels echoed, rolling ceaselessly ahead.

Li Zhi had deceived Li Huowang about other things before, but there was one thing he did not lie about; indeed, the road ahead was very rugged, with no other resting points halfway through.

So, after traveling for more than ten days on the muddy dirt road, they finally saw a town that was neither too large nor too small.

Even as fine rain floated down from the sky, it did not stop the tired smiles of joy on their faces.

"Finally, we can sleep on a bed. This journey has truly been grueling," complained a one-armed man in the crowd.

He was not without an arm; it's just that one was normal sized, while the other was the size of a baby's.

Li Huowang's gaze shifted from the map in his hands, "We will rest here for two days, and after the rain stops, we'll move on."

The wheels of the donkey cart began rolling toward the town's entrance.

As Li Huowang and his companions entered the town, they noticed many horse-drawn carts, ox carts, and single-wheeled carts leaving the town.

After all, few people had vehicles; most were on foot.

These people were clad in straw raincoats, with bamboo baskets slung over their arms, containing joss paper and small bowls of eggs, meat, and fish, silently hurrying out of town with somber expressions.

"What's going on? Did something happen in the town?" asked Li Huowang instinctively.

"Elder Brother Li, today is the Qingming Festival. They are going to tend to the graves," Taoist Boy answered.

"Is it Qingming already? So soon," Li Huowang murmured to himself.

Upon entering the town, they saw several stalls set up along the roadside, all selling joss paper and Gold Ingots, along with paper effigies and paper oxen. Business was booming.

Li Huowang didn't want to break his promise to Li Zhi.

But as he held the joss paper and treasure candles in his hand, he paused momentarily, unsure how to burn them for the deceased Li Zhi.

"Elder Brother, leave this to me. I know what I'm doing, and I'm good at it," boasted Gouwa, pounding his scrawny chest with pride.

Soon, they arrived at the town's crossroads, where quite a few people were also burning joss paper for distant relatives.

Gouwa took out his knife and drew a circle on the ground, leaving an opening that pointed in the direction where Li Zhi was buried.

The joss paper within the white circle was set alight, gradually turning to ash.

Gouwa, tending to the fire, shouted loudly as he burned the offerings. "First we burn for Li Zhi! Then for Li Zhi's wife! Whoever dares to snatch it is mother-bred by a bitch and destined to be a beast in their next life!"

"Does yelling like that really help?" Li Huowang asked as he added a Gold Ingot to the fire.

"It helps, definitely helps! My third uncle taught me this. If you shout like that, the lonely ghosts won't dare to steal the offerings we burn," said Gouwa with unwavering confidence.

Li Huowang watched the slowly rising smoke for a while before he slowly spoke again, "Do you think people really become ghosts after they die?"

"Elder Brother Li, what nonsense are you talking about? If people don't become ghosts after they die, then what do they become?"

"Maybe when people die, they just vanish into nothingness, don't become ghosts, and leave nothing behind. Humans are that fragile and insignificant," Li Huowang pondered.

In this world, Li Huowang had seen many strange things, but he had never seen a ghost.

His words made the others around him feel somewhat uneasy, exchanging uneasy glances.

Gouwa crossed his arms, trying to calm the goosebumps all over his body.

"Ah, Elder Brother Li, what you're saying is too unsettling, especially during the Qingming Festival. Don't talk nonsense. When people die, they definitely become ghosts and then most certainly go to the Underworld to be reincarnated. It's a sure thing," he said.

"Why are you so sure? Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"Because... because my great-aunt told me so. She's ninety-four and knows everything," he replied.