The Unruly Immortals

"From now on, you'll be called Gao Zhijian," Li Huowang told the fool in front of him, who was carrying a stick.

"I... I... I, I..."

Li Huowang stretched out his hand and pressed down the fool's thick finger that was pointing to his chest.

"No more 'I, I,' remember this, you're no longer called fool. From now on, this is your name, Gao Zhijian, do you hear me?"

"You can read, right? Break off a twig and write it in the ground over and over again until you've completely memorized it."

"Oh..." The fool, who had no say in his own name, turned disheartened and walked towards the forest.

Li Huowang watched his tall figure and sighed softly.

"Regardless, since I said I would give him a name, I must follow through. Let's consider it a gift for his rebirth."

In fact, Li Huowang had wanted to name the fool for a while now; it was really unpleasant always calling him a fool.

It was just that after they came out of Reed Island, he hadn't thought of a suitable name, which is why it had taken until now to decide.

The fool lacked intelligence, so Li Huowang gave him the name Gao Zhi, hoping the guy could compensate somehow through his name.

As for the 'Jian' at the end, it represented Li Huowang's expectations for him, hoping that he could persist in the face of his miserable life.

"Brother Li! Brother Li! Give me one too, it doesn't sound any better being called Doggy," said another.

Frowning, Li Huowang turned to look at the shifty-eyed youth beside him.

"His brain isn't working. Is yours not functioning either? You're a grown man; can't you come up with your own name?"

As he spoke, Li Huowang headed towards the bonfire, but Doggy was relentless in following him.

"Ah, Brother Li, but you're literate, so surely you'd pick a better name than a cowherd like me."

"I'm not greedy; just give me a name with some reputation, the bigger the better," Doggy pleaded.

Li Huowang laughed. "You want a name with a big reputation, eh? How about Cao Cao, can you live up to it?"

Doggy, not quite grasping the implication in Li Huowang's words, clapped his hands excitedly and jumped up.

"Great! Cao Cao is a good name, sounds festive! From now on, I'll be called Cao Cao!"

Before Li Huowang could say anything else, Doggy sprinted off into the crowd to excitedly announce his new name.

The others, of course, didn't grasp the significance behind the name and got up to congratulate him.

Watching this comical scene unfold, Li Huowang shook his head speechlessly.

Looking up at the gradually brightening sky, Li Huowang said, "Quit dawdling, let's move out. We aim to reach the town today."

"Once we're in town, we'll have a good meal, I guess everyone's had enough of wild greens these past days, right?"

His words instantly energized everyone, causing them to swallow hard.

Previously, their dry food had fallen into the water along with the donkey carts.

They had plenty of gold, but in a place where one couldn't find a village in front nor a store behind, no one would sell them grain.

Without grain, they had to resort to eating wild vegetables just like the old monk. Their faces had turned green from eating wild greens on the road, and sometimes they couldn't even fill their stomachs with that.

The Medicinal Guides, who had collectively lost weight from hunger, marched eagerly forward, driven by the promise of food.

Perhaps it was the prospect of food ahead that spurred them on; they covered a half day's journey in only two hours.

At the foot of a towering mountain shrouded in mist, there lay a bustling small town.

The town was a bit too bustling; when Li Huowang and his companions squeezed in, they even had trouble finding a place to stay.

Slightly tilting his head to the side, he dodged a carrying pole swinging his way, and quickly lifted his right foot to avoid stepping on the chicken droppings on the ground.

Li Huowang made his way forward amidst the stuck-together hawking voices all around.

"Is this some kind of wonderful place? Why are there so many people?"

The already narrow brick road was now filled with people squatting to sell and buy goods, loudly haggling over prices.

There were those selling bamboo baskets from their own homes, wild game hunted from the mountains, and vegetables grown in their own gardens.

There were sellers of chickens, sellers of dogs, and even those selling saplings.

All these vendors and buyers buzzed in conversation, making Li Huowang feel as though a thousand flies were swirling around him.

"Brother Li, I know Cao Cao! It's the first of the month, so people from all around have come to the market," Gouwa explained from the side.

Li Huowang nodded in understanding; he had almost forgotten that people here gathered for the market day.

On the first and fifteenth of every month, they would spontaneously gather at a place to form a market and trade with each other.

Looking at the bustling crowd, an impulse suddenly arose in Li Huowang's heart,

He wanted to ring that Taoist Bell to see how many wandering nobles had come to this big market.

But this was just a thought; he was no longer a child, and there were more important things to do now.

Li Huowang's gaze gradually lifted, over the dense crowd and the distant buildings, finally settling on a tall peak.

This was Henghua Mountain; the nunnery on it was Li Huowang's destination, as they might be able to solve the increasingly erosive Medicinal Guide within his body.

Just as Li Huowang was about to move forward, he noticed that everyone else had stopped in front of a stall at the same time.

The people stared fixedly at the items displayed there, with even the fool's drool stretching out long from the corner of his mouth.

"What is this?" Li Huowang walked over and tapped on the yellowed round cakes, smelling a hint of wheat fragrance.

"Brother Li, this is guokui; it's edible,"

Bai Lingmiao struggled to restrain the act of swallowing saliva but eventually couldn't hold back.

Looking at their eager faces, Li Huowang couldn't help feeling a bit sorrowful; after all, these people were a bunch of poor souls.

Li Huowang took out some gold jewelry from the fool's pack and, with his sword that could slice through iron as if it were mud, swiftly cut them into small sections of Gold Beans.

"Go buy, all of you, go buy; we have money now, whatever you want from this market!"

He placed handfuls of Gold Beans in the hands of everyone, except for Gao Zhijian.

Instantly, everyone's faces flushed with excitement, beyond themselves.

Watching the suddenly rich Medicinal Guides rush to the various stalls around to buy all sorts of things, whether they needed them or not,

Li Huowang turned to Zhijian, who was gnawing on guokui beside him, and said, "Come with me, now that we have money, of course we have to upgrade our ride."

Before long, two brand-new carriages joined Li Huowang.

The horses were large, strong, and very intelligent; as long as Li Huowang pulled the reins lightly, they would follow steadily, not running a bit out of line.

This was a stark contrast to the previously used, sickly stubborn old mules.

When the others finished their shopping and gathered near the carriages, Li Huowang noticed that they had all changed into new clothes and shoes.

They also held various kinds of food in their arms, Bai Lingmiao included.

Joy radiated from everyone's faces, leaving no doubt they were truly very happy.