The Unruly Immortals

The county town was indeed found, but what surprised Li Huowang was that there were no walls around the town. A shabby white gauze lantern swayed in the wind, hanging at the gate.

"Stay alert, there might be someone who can see me." As Li Huowang displaced his figure into the ground, he walked towards the county town, now invisible.

The only feeling this county town gave Li Huowang was desolation. Everywhere there were empty houses with doors wide open, the ground was rough and uneven, and garbage was scattered everywhere.

If it weren't for the candlelight still flickering in some of the windows, Li Huowang would almost have thought he'd arrived at Chaotic Grave Mound.

At that moment, Li Sui suddenly spoke, "Dad, there's someone in Tianchen Country doing divination to figure out where we are."

Hearing this, Li Huowang felt a chill down his spine. As expected, they acted quickly. Instead of sending people to search, they directly resorted to divination. "Did they find us?"

"No, I blocked them, but I can't hold them off for long."

"Hold them off for as long as possible. We'd better leave before they find us." Li Huowang headed straight towards the town's center.

The town center was barely lively; although it was night, the surrounding shops were brightly lit.

There weren't many choices for shops: a gambling den, brothel, and theater were just about it.

After quickly deciding, Li Huowang walked into the theater, the place most likely to have scholars, but as soon as he entered, he saw a powder play being performed on stage.

Unlike the powder plays of the Lv's Troupe, the actors of Tianchen Country wore only sheer gauzy robes.

The whole theater was bustling and chaotic, with spectators drinking and playing games below the stage, while a performance went on above.

Suddenly, a scruffy man yanked off his clothes, revealing a tuft of hair on his chest, jumped onto the stage, and began to assault the female lead amidst the music.

Ignoring the applause and shouts of approval, Li Huowang focused on the evil qi between the brows of these people; they were all in league.

"Military? Is this what Tianchen's military has become?" Li Huowang watched the chaotic scene, realizing there was a mix of all types, short, tall, fat, thin, unkempt, and dirty.

He knew that Tianchen Country had a military; the people who initially ambushed him were military men.

Those men were very strong and coordinated, nearly snatching away his Spinal Bone Sword.

Quickly surveying the area, Li Huowang's eyes fell on the central spot on the second floor, where a lounge chair sat. A fat man with a large scar on his head was embracing two women, their chests bare, while playing Pai Gow with others.

His evil qi was the heaviest, and if nothing else, he was likely in charge here.

Li Huowang approached, peeling a face from his own, intending to stick it to the back of the fat man's head.

Just as the face was about to adhere, their conversation made Li Huowang pause.

"Second Master, did No Face really invite us to hunt pheasants?"

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang immediately understood; it was greenwood lingo; these people weren't military, they were bandits or mountain robbers.

Immediately recalling, the people who confronted him then didn't say they would kill him, but rather haul him off.

No mistake, those initial attackers were likely bandits too. Soldiers were bandits, bandits were soldiers. They were all part of the military.

"Dad, without an emperor in Tianchen Country, naturally there won't be soldiers or generals; the military became greenwood, which is natural."

Li Huowang nodded, continuing to listen to what these bandits were talking about.

"Don't think it's a good job; No Face invited more than just us. Last time, both Old She Hai Qingzi and All Hands Leading Old Watermelon went, and now they haven't come back yet."

Hearing this, Li Huowang knew exactly; Old She Hai Qingzi and All Hands Leading Old Watermelon were the bandits who tried to steal his Spinal Bone Sword before.

The reason they hadn't returned was simply because he burned them to ashes.

As for what No Face meant, Li Huowang hadn't caught on yet; according to previous greenwood lingo, No Face generally referred to some monsters or demons.

"No Face probably hit something hard this time; Sun the Wire said they've lost quite a few men, and this time all the Thirty-Six Caves were invited, they mean business."

If Tianchen Country's military was all bandits, and now No Face invited all the bandits, this wasn't good news.

"Second Master, with Old Wide so difficult this time, are we still going?"

"Go, of course, we go. Not showing No Face any honor just isn't done."

At this point, the Second Master's voice lowered a bit, glancing at the chaotic stage below, then whispered again, "I heard it has to do with the Moon Line this time. Let's take a look first."

And just then, a shout came from downstairs, "Second Master! Read short! There are eagle claws drifting over in the kiln!"

As urgent whistles sounded, the various doors of the theater slammed shut.

Realizing he'd been discovered, Li Huowang wasn't going to hide anymore. This fat man surely knew something, and he needed to extract it from him.

The Second Master tossed aside his Pai Gow tiles, staring at Li Huowang who wore Yang Little Kid's face. "Side by side, swing a vine?"

"Swing your ancestor!!" Li Huowang's body flashed, instantly before the fat man, preparing to draw his sword, but recalling he needed him alive, he grabbed the nearby hourglass instead, smashing it fiercely on his head.

The hourglass was deformed by the blow, but the fat man's head was bashed, blood pouring, as he staggered and fell.

"Haul off!" With his angry shout, evil qi surged and enveloped the whole theater, all the bandits likewise shouted and charged at Li Huowang.

"I'll handle it." Li Sui's words had just fallen when the entire theater began to warp; both the ground and people started stretching and shrinking, morphing large and small.

The evil qi that had just gathered fragmented like pulled noodles in an instant.

Seeing the horror of Li Huowang and Li Sui working together, the fat man knelt quickly and began pleading for mercy.

"Get up! We're changing places!" Li Huowang kicked him over, grabbing him to leave.

"Dad! Be careful!"

Just as Li Sui's warning came, a dry hand suddenly pierced through Li Huowang's chest with a squelch.

Along with that hand came some dark yellow substances; Li Huowang knew what it was, it was his Innate Qi inside!