The Unruly Immortals

"Dad, should it be a bit more to the left? Is it straight?" Li Sui stretched out a few tentacles, tilted her head following instructions from behind, and pasted the Spring Festival couplets on the wall.

The aroma of meat in the air and the distant crackling of firecrackers brought a joyful smile to Li Sui's face. She loved lively atmospheres; the New Year was the liveliest time of the year, and she loved the celebration.

"Suisui, can you recognize all the characters on these couplets?"

Feeling her mother's gentle hand stroking her head, Li Sui nodded with pride, "I recognize them! I know them all!"

"Really? You're amazing. Then tell Mom, what are the characters on these couplets?"

"The couplet above says, 'Blessed lands prosper wealth,' and the one below says, 'Fortune shines upon the household, flourishing with glory!'"

"Great, now Suisui, what about the horizontal inscription?"

"The inscription across the top reads, 'Wishes come true!'"

"Suisui, you're great." Feeling her mother hugging her from behind, Li Sui's eyes squinted with a smile.

"But Suisui, isn't the inscription a bit crooked?"

"Is it crooked?" Li Sui stepped back two paces, inspecting the horizontal inscription under the plaque carefully.

Despite studying it seriously for a while, Li Sui couldn't find where the red horizontal inscription was crooked.

"Mom, it's not crooked. Dad, do you see the inscription is crooked?"

However, this time the inquiry failed to receive any response from behind.

"Dad? Mom?" Li Sui turned around perplexedly, but saw behind her was empty, with no one there. The aroma of meat and the sound of firecrackers had vanished without a trace.

Suddenly she saw at the distant fork in the road, a figure in white and another in red were slowly disappearing. Li Sui became anxious immediately and struggled to run towards them. "Dad! Mom! Where are you going!"

The more Li Sui chased, the further the figures distanced themselves from her.

Seeing this, Li Sui no longer maintained her human form fiercely, with ten or more tentacles bursting from her body, her entire being splitting open as she rapidly surged forward.

"Dad!! Mom!! Don't leave me, I'm begging you! I'll never upset you again! I'm scared!"

No matter how fast she ran, the figure in red and white in the distance always stayed one step ahead, eventually disappearing at the distant end of the road.

Li Sui finally couldn't hold it together; she staggered and fell to the ground, sitting there crying loudly.

Crying and crying, Li Sui gradually woke up, choking as she looked around the cave, only then to realize that she had merely been dreaming, currently curled up on the dry grass.

Ever since she fell from the sky, many days have passed, yet she still hasn't found Youdu.

Thinking of this sorrow, Li Sui couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, once again crying loudly.

But no matter how long she cried, it wouldn't change anything; the path she always had to walk herself. An hour later, Li Sui emerged from the stone cave, continuing along the path to Youdu.

She didn't know if she was going the wrong way, as there were so many paths branching off on the way.

More importantly, so much time had passed. She didn't know how her dad was doing, if he still needed Dragon Qi, if she was even going to make it in time.

Walking several hours along this path, the small road gradually converged into a large one, with Li Sui walking on it all the way forward. When hungry she grabbed live creatures in the forest to eat, when thirsty she drank the blood of live creatures.

After walking for two days, a town appeared before Li Sui.

Li Sui looked around the lively town, observing all the hustle and bustle around her.

If it were before, she'd definitely run around joining the fun, but now her mind was occupied with other thoughts.

"I don't know how far it is, I need a map."

"Should I be like my dad and buy a carriage? Walking is tiring, but I don't have money."

"Luckily I didn't throw away those furs. These furs, I should be able to exchange them for some money." Li Sui reached with her hand into the skirt, where several tentacles tightly held onto some animal furs.

In the past, Li Huowang always made decisions for her, but now Li Sui had to start making decisions for herself. Whatever Dad did in the past, she would copy and do the same.

As she walked, Li Sui saw a group of people gathered at the front intersection. She tiptoed over and saw several shirtless men in the middle performing martial arts with spears and sticks.

The knocking of the gong resounded, as a young boy about eleven or twelve years old, while beating the copper gong and flipping somersaults, didn't stop narrating.

"Round and round goes the little gong! In search of friends from all corners of the world, south to north, east to west! Traveling every corner, now reaching the esteemed land of Luo Mountain! Our clothing and food patrons, so to speak, talk doesn't mean skill, as performers selling talents, today let's show everyone true skills! Breaking large stones on chest!"

Soon enough, a long wooden bench was brought to the center of the performance area, with a sturdy man lying on it. Two strong men placed a large stone on his belly, and an old man with a hammer eagerly approached.

"Hey!" As the old man exerted his strength, the hammer slammed hard onto the stone on the belly.

This alarming scene instantly made the young women and brides in the crowd close their eyes.

With a crack, the stone split, and the man beneath it seemed unscathed, with astonished exclamations sounding repeatedly.

Seeing the crowd's atmosphere stirred up, these performers seized the opportunity, showcasing feats like fire-breathing, sword-swallowing, rope-walking, with applause wave after wave.

Li Sui had intended to leave, but with the innocence of a child, she stood there watching and forgot about other things.

A series of performances ensued, making the audience lose themselves, and leaving the performers drenched in sweat.

Feeling the atmosphere was just right, the bearded old man signaled to the young boy.

The young boy reluctantly lay on the ground, flipping his hand over.

When the old man stepped on his hand, the boy's legs kicked repeatedly, accompanied by his screams, his hand was twisted and removed.

Despite the pain, the boy didn't care, clutching a bowl while dragging his dislocated hand pitifully, asking for tips from the surrounding spectators.

Seeing the money collection, the crowd began to disperse quickly, leaving very few behind. However, there were a few kind-hearted individuals who dug out a few coppers from their sleeves and tossed them into the bowl.

When the bowl reached Li Sui, she thought for a while, took out a wild rabbit fur from her skirt, and placed it in the bowl.

Li Sui didn't leave; she planned to ask these performers for directions, and watching their performance, she couldn't help but think of Lv's Troupe, feeling a sense of closeness.

She remembered Dad mentioning that he also once asked Lv's Troupe for directions. These types often traveled far and wide, with broad experience.

But unlike Lv's Troupe, there were no women among these performers, all were men.