The Unruly Immortals

One by one, the yellow papers turned into black ashes as they were consumed by the flames, rising up swiftly on the hot air.

Li Huowang's expression was complex as he watched everything in front of him.

"Li Zhi, oh Li Zhi," he said, "I have burned the joss paper you wanted, and I hope you can receive it."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Li Huowang saw the black ashes whirl in front of him, as if responding to his own words.

At that moment, Li Huowang suddenly felt he could understand the thoughts of those superstitious people.

Compared to the extremely cruel and desperate notion that everything falls into oblivion after death, the idea of continuing the cycle of reincarnation as a ghost seemed like a beautiful fairy tale.

Throwing the last pile of yellow papers into the fire, Li Huowang stood up and patted the ash off his body.

"Let's go. We'll find an inn in town to rest a bit. Everyone is soaked through."

He was about to walk away when Bai Lingmiao's words made him turn. "Brother Li, Little Man is missing."

Li Huowang looked around among the people and indeed, he couldn't spot the woman with hypertrichosis.

"Oh, I remember now. She mentioned before that her home is around here."

No one responded to his remark. After the recent events, everyone knew what Little Man intended to do once she got home, and the mood, already somewhat oppressive, grew even heavier.

"Er, Brother Li, shall we look for her? Maybe we can still stop her," said Dog Tail, grinning sheepishly as he scratched his greasy hair under his hat.

Li Huowang glanced at him, then headed in the direction of an inn sign.

"First, we find an inn to settle down. This is Little Man's hometown; she certainly knows her way around. Once she's done, she'll come to find us," he said.

His words brought silent acquiescence from Bai Lingmiao, who followed behind, quietly clutching the hem of her clothes.

It was a drizzly, gloomy day, and she no longer needed a cloth to cover her eyes; her pink pupils were filled with sadness.

The dry guest rooms were quickly sorted out. Some bathed, some washed their hair, and once everything was ready, they all gathered in the hall for a meal.

With not much travel funds left, the dishes on the table were mediocre at most, mostly vegetarian. The only dishes that passed for meat were bitter gourd with fried eggs and stir-fried chili with pork cracklings.

Yet everyone ate with gusto for a simple reason: the copious amount of lard in the food made it smell delicious and filling.

Today being the Qingming Festival, there weren't many people staying or dining at the inn. An errand boy was chatting idly with the cashier.

"Hey, Scholar, did you know? I heard that there might be another war at the border," he said.

"Don't talk nonsense. What do you know, a mere errand boy who dares to discuss national affairs?"

"Now that's what I don't like to hear. Although I'm just a small errand boy, if there's one thing I know, it's the news. I've heard that this time, our Siqi is planning to strike eastward," the errand boy retorted.

"East?" Li Huowang, who was eating, perked up his ears. To the east lay the territory inside the pass.

He didn't know many people over there. The only ones he was concerned about were the Lv's Troupe.

But then he thought of Top Scholar Lv, slick as they come, and his worries eased; that old man surely would be fine.

The errand boy's voice lowered. "Scholar, let me tell you. Recently, all the merchants over there have been hurrying back. They must have heard some news."

Li Huowang, eating his meal, shook his head. With all the chaos around here, with evil spirits and bandits, these higher-ups were neglecting the people's welfare and still had the nerve to go to war. How absurd.

The errand boy, excited to share more, suddenly brightened up and quickly went to greet someone at the entrance of the inn.

"Well, hello there, miss! Please come in. Are you stopping by, or would you like to stay?"

Upon hearing the noise, Li Huowang and the others turned their heads and saw a woman walking in, carrying a short knife and wearing a black veil and a douli hat.

Not many in the town dressed in such a manner; upon seeing the hairy back of the woman's hands, Li Huowang easily guessed her identity.

"Waiter, bring a set of chopsticks and bowl, and tell the chef in the back to add two more substantial dishes."

"Coming right up!"

Li Huowang nudged the fool beside him with his elbow, who, knowing what was expected, hurriedly wolfed down a few bites of food, took his bowl, and squatted down to eat by the table.

Xiaoman walked over and sat down beside Li Huowang.

She removed her black veil, revealing her face with black hair dampened from tears.

Li Huowang took a breath and then wolfed down a few mouthfuls of rice. He smelled a faint scent of blood on Xiaoman.

"Here are your chopsticks and bowl—oh my goodness!"

Li Huowang dismissed the frightened waiter with a wave of his hand and placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of Xiaoman. "Eat."

Xiaoman, her expression one of anguish, stared at the empty bowl in front of her as if recalling something. "He sold my sister too; she was sold to a man over fifty years old. She just died this year from a difficult childbirth."

At the table, only the sound of chopsticks tapping and food being chewed and swallowed could be heard; no one spoke a word.

"He's scum! I hate him! I wish I could eat his flesh and drink his blood!"

Xiaoman forced these words through her clenched teeth.

Upon hearing this, Bai Lingmiao, sitting beside her, leaned over with a look of sympathy, extending her pale, jade-like hands to gently hold her.

"My mother advised me that no matter what, he's still my father, and that killing one's own father would incur divine punishment. But I'd rather be cursed; I want to kill him!"

Li Huowang scooped a few spoonfuls of green vegetable and tofu soup into his empty bowl and poured it into his mouth, speaking as if making casual conversation, "The gods in this place don't see everything."

The table gradually quieted down, the others sitting silently in their places, quietly watching Xiaoman.

In their eyes was a trace of both anger and sadness. Everyone was a Medicinal Guide, and they could empathize with Xiaoman's situation.

Until one returned home, no one could be sure if they had been sold by their own family.

As Xiaoman's anger in her eyes faded, leaving only deep confusion, she said, "My home is gone; I personally tore it down. I don't know where to go next."

"Fried donkey meat, braised river fish—Enjoy your meal, honored guests!" The waiter who brought the dishes quickly retreated as if fleeing for his life.

Li Huowang took Xiaoman's empty bowl, filled it to the brim with steaming white rice, and pushed it in front of her. "Eat."

After speaking, Li Huowang picked a fishbone from the braised fish to use as a toothpick and began to clean his teeth as he walked toward the guest rooms on the second floor.

The others, seeing this, gradually dispersed in twos and threes, leaving only Bai Lingmiao accompanying Xiaoman in the large hall.

Tears slid down from the hair on Xiaoman's face, continuously dripping onto the rice.

She trembled as she picked up the chopsticks, lifted the bowl, and started eating the rice mingled with her own tears, bite after bite.

The more she ate, the more tears flowed, until finally, bowl in hand, she broke into loud, unabated sobs.