Chapter 104: Two Gods

The Bizarre Daoist Immortals

Slurping sounds filled the air. The others continuously shoveled porridge into their mouths with chopsticks.

Today was a travel day; they needed to eat plenty, otherwise, they would be hungry before noon, and their stomachs would be quite uncomfortable.

However, this was clearly not Li Huowang's immediate concern. He turned his head to glance at Bai Lingmiao, who was sitting beside him.

The young woman looked a bit downcast. This was because he hadn't allowed Bai Lingmiao into his room the previous night, insisting she sleep with Chun Xiaoman instead.

During this brief interval, he had cleaned up all the red decorations in his room. This was to prevent her from realizing he had inexplicably gotten married without his knowledge.

Although the potential trouble was averted, only one question remained in his mind: "What was that? What exactly did I sleep with last night?"

Judging by the bite marks on his fingers, it was definitely not an ordinary person.

Reflecting on it now, Li Huowang belatedly realized many suspicious details.

"Why did she insist on extinguishing the candles before removing the red veil? Why was 'she' so different from Bai Lingmiao in bed?"

And in the darkness, the hairpin on her head... Perhaps it wasn't a hairpin at all! Perhaps it was something naturally part of her head.

"Why did she do that? What good did it do her?" Li Huowang racked his brain, unable to understand.

He had barely slept the previous night, staying awake to guard against her reappearance, but she had not appeared again.

As for who that person was, when Li Huowang recalled the red veil, he already had a faint idea in his mind. But he wanted to confirm it.

Li Huowang watched quietly as Bai Lingmiao ate five slices of guokui with her porridge.

He had always noticed her small stature and wondered when her appetite had become so large.

When he saw that she had almost finished eating, Li Huowang nudged her foot with his toe and turned to walk towards the bedroom.

Bai Lingmiao wiped her mouth, put down her bowl, and followed him.

When she entered the room, she saw her Senior Brother Li standing there, his expression very serious, looking at her.

"Senior Brother Li, what's wrong? Is something the matter?" She sensed the atmosphere was off, and her voice became softer.

"Sit down. There are some things I want to ask you." Li Huowang reached out and gently pressed her down onto a stool.

After a moment of consideration, Li Huowang began to speak.

"I learned from Li Zhi that divination rituals usually require two people to perform: one grand shaman to invite the immortal, and one assistant shaman to embody the immortal. Since you can use this ritual to treat me, that means there's an assistant shaman besides you, right?"

Given that both wore red veils, it was impossible for Li Huowang not to suspect that Bai Lingmiao's assistant shaman was the one from last night.

"Yes," Bai Lingmiao nodded.

"Is she a living person? Or an immortal spirit? Or something else entirely?"

"She's a living person. She's not an immortal spirit; immortal spirits only appear when invited."

"When did Li Zhi's wife crawl out? Didn't Gao Zhijian smash her head in, and wasn't she buried with Li Zhi?"

Hearing this, Bai Lingmiao froze for a moment. "Senior Brother Li, the assistant shaman isn't Li Zhi's wife."

"What? She's not? Are there different types of assistant shamans?" Li Huowang was greatly surprised.

"Yes, they told me that an assistant shaman is connected to its grand shaman. You can't just use someone else's assistant shaman."

Li Huowang recalled Li Zhi's assistant shaman from before. Aside from the heavy makeup on her face and some grotesque growths, that assistant shaman was practically a spitting image of Li Zhi.

"Could it be..." Connecting this to Bai Lingmiao's familiar voice from last night, Li Huowang suddenly realized something.

"If you remove those growths from her face, is your assistant shaman's appearance actually the same as yours?"

Hearing Li Huowang's words, Bai Lingmiao hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"Yes, she looks just like me. Other assistant shamans also look like their respective grand shamans."

"Then how does she appear? How do immortal spirits conjure such a living person?" Li Huowang asked the crucial question.

This time, Bai Lingmiao didn't answer immediately. Instead, her expression was very conflicted, and her hands nervously twisted the hem of her shirt.

"Senior Brother Li, I really want to tell you. I truly want to explain it clearly. But I don't know how to put it into words. It's just that on the night I became a medium, the assistant shaman appeared in my dream, and then... and then..."

Seeing Bai Lingmiao's distraught expression, almost on the verge of tears, Li Huowang stopped pressing her. He understood that in this eerie place, some things simply couldn't be explained clearly.

"Call her out. I have something to ask her." At that moment, Li Huowang's eyes gleamed with displeasure.

After Bai Lingmiao cautiously glanced at Li Huowang, she turned, walked to the door, and pulled it open. A woman with a red veil covering her head, wearing large red embroidered shoes, stood there.

Li Huowang forcibly suppressed his anger and walked over, staring at the assistant shaman through the red veil.

He could distinctly feel that something inside was staring at him, and his own perception of being watched had grown significantly stronger.

Carefully observing the folds in her clothes and her physique, Li Huowang confirmed once more that she was the one in his bed last night!

"Senior Brother Li, what's wrong with her? What exactly happened?" Bai Lingmiao asked, her face full of worry.

Li Huowang, whose heart was burning with anger, was about to open his mouth, but seeing Bai Lingmiao's face, he abruptly stopped.

He couldn't very well say that he had slept with this strange entity, which might or might not have a soul, last night, could he?

"Senior Brother Li, what is it? Please speak, what did she do to you?"

Bai Lingmiao's repeated questioning, ironically, made Li Huowang decide against pressing the matter. He pointed at the assistant shaman's face with his hand, giving her a menacing look, then pushed open another door and left directly. "Never mind. Let's go."

At this moment, Bai Lingmiao was utterly bewildered. She turned to the assistant shaman standing beside her and asked again, "What happened?"

But the assistant shaman stood there like a zombie, motionless.

"Strange, what's going on?" Bai Lingmiao was clearly confused.

Two carriages were brought out from the backyard, and with everyone aboard, they left Wujia Village, which was fast becoming a beggars' den. They returned the way they came, passing through the withered bamboo forest.

A journey of over two hundred li was neither long nor short. Hurrying along, they swiftly arrived back at the foot of Mount Henghua.

Compared to before, the small town at the foot of the mountain was noticeably "busier." More beggars lined the roads, asking for alms.

Li Huowang opened the lacquered box, glanced once more at the pair of blood-red eyeballs staring lifelessly within, and then headed into the town at the foot of the mountain.

However, this time Bai Lingmiao stopped him. "Senior Brother Li, I'm coming with you this time. I can perform the divination ritual now; I'm no longer a burden."