The Unruly Immortals

Hearing Dog-Boy's words, Sun Baolu took out a card from the fan of long, leaf-shaped cards in his hand and played it.

"I saw Brother Li going to find the village blacksmith, looked like he was talking about making something. Right, Dog-Boy, didn't Brother Li ask you to gather information? And here you are playing with leaf cards? Aren't you afraid he'll scold you when he gets back?"

"Dog-Boy, what Dog-Boy! Call me Cao Cao!" Dog-Boy said with a displeased expression as he tossed out a card.

"This little village is only so big, where's the need to go to any trouble? Besides, I took those two brats along to inquire. It didn't take long before we found out; the old folks in the village all say the forest to the west has worms that eat people. They warned us never to go there."

"You're planning to go there? No, you really shouldn't. Ten years ago, my mother saw flying worms twining in the sky!" blurted an onlooker who had been watching the card game.

"Hey, no worries! As long as Brother Li is around, no matter what kind of worms, they can't get close to him. Ah, wait a second, who played this card just now? I won~ Hahaha. Remember, all the eggs in your noodles are mine now."

"Look, Brother Li is back."

Nobody knew who said that, but everyone turned their heads and saw Li Huowang walking into the courtyard, carrying a large cowhide bag in his hands.

Surrounded by people, Li Huowang placed the cowhide bag on the table and opened it.

The inside of the cowhide bag had rows of buckles, perfect for neatly hanging the contents.

He began to check the items one by one, which were shiny, new tools smeared with clear oil; all specially customized.

A large black iron pliers, sharp awls, small shovels the size of a fingernail cap, and long needles with barbs.

Just looking at these strangely shaped tools was enough to creep someone out.

Dog-Boy picked up an extremely sharp-edged spoon with his right hand and toyed with it for a while. "Brother Li, what are all these things? They don't seem like weapons, more like torture devices. Take this, for example, it's not good for killing, but perfect for scooping out eyes—"

Dog-Boy's words came to an abrupt halt; he frightened himself with what he had just said.

He immediately remembered what had happened at Reed Island, the person who had used pliers to pull out their own teeth and burst their eyes.

Li Huowang snatched the object from his hands, "How did the inquiry go?"

"Inqu... Inquired already. There are worms in that forest eating people. No one nearby goes there, and the worms stay put too, never coming out." Dog-Boy looked at the items on the table, his eyes revealing deep fear.

Li Huowang took out a small shovel and compared it to his own fingernail, then slung the tools over his shoulder. "Let's go, time to set off."

"It's already noon, by the time we get there, it'll be dark. Why don't we stay a night and then go?"

Sun Baolu's suggestion was met with a cold glare from Li Huowang, "I said let's go!"

The carriage wheels started turning, slowly rolling toward the man-eating forest.

When the moon was high in the sky, Li Huowang and the others finally reached their destination.

They were met with a dense bamboo forest, with fireflies flickering in and out of view.

A small path snaked its way into the forest, meandering like a serpent, and from the overgrown weeds on the ground, it appeared that nobody had walked this path for a long time.

Li Huowang didn't recklessly charge in. According to Master Jingxin, the eighteenth of the twelfth lunar month was when a very unpredictable Evil Spirit appeared; nobody knew what it looked like right now or what threat it posed to them.

He stood at the edge of the forest and quietly observed the interior,

Time passed slowly, and everything inside seemed normal. All the creatures that were supposed to be there showed no signs of change, and Li Huowang could even see some bamboo rats clutching bamboo, nibbling away.

It wasn't until the sky gradually brightened that Li Huowang finally stopped his observation.

While eating noodles, Li Huowang turned to the others and said, "It seems there's nothing unusual on the outside. After we finish this meal, we'll go inside. Once we're in, I don't want you to do anything else. There's only one thing you need to do—if, I say if—."

At this point, the solemn-faced Li Huowang paused. "If my behavior becomes abnormal, you guys have to watch over me and not let me run off."

Yes, this was indeed why Li Huowang wanted them to come along this time.

As the effect of Black Taisui faded, Li Huowang felt the space around him becoming unreal, with hallucinations ready to engulf him at any moment.

To be on the safe side, it was necessary for these people to follow him inside.

Hearing this unusual request, the others exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.

"This period shouldn't be too long. Just wait for me to come back."

Li Huowang finished speaking and took a sip of soup. Just then, a pale and slender hand reached over and lightly pinched his head, causing him to feel a pang of pain in his scalp.

"What are you doing?" Li Huowang looked at Bai Lingmiao, the owner of the hand, with displeasure.

"You have a white hair that needs to be removed. My mother said that if you leave it, more white hairs will grow on your head."

Li Huowang began to eat faster, burying his head in scooping up noodles with his chopsticks.

Bai Lingmiao sat next to Li Huowang, her legs together.

Her hand moved toward the red bamboo slips behind Li Huowang. "Senior Brother Li, you always carry this thing—"

Before she could touch it, Li Huowang abruptly stood up. After gulping down all the soup in his bowl, he threw the bowl into the empty iron pot. "Let's go, into the forest."

All who had eaten their fill followed Li Huowang down the narrow path.

Even though it was still early morning, it immediately became darker as they entered the forest.

The dense bamboo forest acted like a barrier, completely blocking the sunlight from above.

The blue-green fluorescent stones were taken out again, casting some light around them.

However, as this color illuminated the surrounding bamboo, the normally vibrant green bamboos took on a sickly hue, creating an unsettling feeling in anyone who looked at them.

Amid the flickering fluorescent light, it seemed as if something was hiding in the depths of the dense bamboo forest, watching from the inside.

Li Huowang tried hard to see clearly, but couldn't make out anything. Yet, just as he was about to turn around, that sensation of being pricked by wheat awns returned.

"Is it the 18th day of the twelfth lunar month? Is it watching me in the forest? What has it turned into now??"

It wasn't just Li Huowang who felt it; the others did as well.

The only sound left was that of shoes bending the weeds underfoot; no one spoke again, and soon the atmosphere around them grew tense.

"Senior Brother Li... do you... feel like the bamboo above our heads is getting closer to our skulls?"

Hearing this, everyone slowly raised their heads, only to see that the bamboo around them had completely bent over, with the sickly-colored tips pointing straight down at them from above.