Puppy shouted outside and opened the door soon afterward. Gao Zhijian wasn't wearing any upper clothing. He frowned as he stared at Puppy. The sweat dripping down his body created steam despite the freezing weather.
"Do you smell that? Yang Xiaohai's side is steaming dumplings today! Pork and green onion dumplings!"
Gao Zhijian stared briefly at Puppy's mischievous expression before shutting the door harshly. Gao Zhijian could still hear Puppy's grumbling behind the door, "Ah, you really are boring. Lu Xiucai is more fun than you, but I don't know where that kid went. It's been a while long, and I kind of miss him."
Gao Zhijian remained silent and allowed Puppy to grumble for a while. Once he could no longer hear Puppy's ramblings, he turned around and gripped the heavy halberd before him by the hilt. Then, he grunted and pulled it up.
The heavy halberd was made exclusively for Peng Longteng.
Gao Zhijian felt like he were a child riding a horse as he swung around the heavy halberd. Gao Zhijian swung it a few times, and the ground trembled with each swing as the heavy halberd shattered the stone slabs on the ground.
Gao Zhijian panted heavily and looked down at his trembling hands; they were red because the blood vessels in his hand had ruptured. Gao Zhijian turned around and picked up the military manual he had found on the late Peng Longteng.
Gao Zhijian wiped the blood from his trembling hands on the military manual, and the content of the book changed completely. It turned out to be a military cultivation manual.
Gao Zhijan sat down cross-legged and followed the notes in the manual. He concentrated his killing intent and circulated the latent energy inside of him according to the manual.
Gao Zhijian performed a few cycles while sitting cross-legged like a fierce-looking Arhat in a temple. Faint strands of blood qi seeped out of Gao Zhijian, and anyone with keen eyes would see that Gao Zhijian's figure had slightly grown bigger.
A bug happened to fly by. Gao Zhijian opened his eyes, and his gaze landed on the fly. Inexplicably, the fly stiffened and fell to the ground.
"Time to eat!" Yang Xiaohai shouted.
Gao Zhijian closed his eyes slowly, and when he opened them again, he became the honest Gao Zhijian once more. Based on Peng Longteng's appearance, Gao Zhijian deduced that the manual was dangerous, so he wanted to try it out himself first before sharing it with anyone else.
Gao Zhijian walked to the well in the courtyard; he hoisted a bucket of ice-cold water and poured it over himself. He freshened up, put on his clothes, and then he finally opened the door to head toward the kitchen.
The others were already eating hot porridge and delicious steamed dumplings. They chatted casually as they ate, sitting together without any regard for genders
Gao Zhijian picked up a bowl and plucked fifty dumplings with his chopsticks before sitting down and eating slowly by himself. He poured himself a saucer of dark vinegar, but he decided not to eat porridge.
Gao Zhijian took a bite first and dipped the bun into the dark vinegar before stuffing the whole thing into his mouth. Gao Zhijian ate slowly, and he would sometimes glance at the doorway.
Time went on, and as more and more people dispersed, Yang Xiaohai scratched his head in confusion. "Is Senior Xiaoman not going to eat again?"
Yang Xiaohai pondered briefly before covering a bowl of dumplings with a plate. Then, he proceeded to wash the steamer baskets along with the round-faced lady.
Gao Zhijian chucked the last remaining steamed dumpling into his mouth and washed it down with the dark vinegar. Then, he picked up the bowl of dumplings that Yang Xiaohai had set aside and walked outside.
His destination was clear—the Bai Family Ancestral Hall. The three monkeys arranged side by side turned, and the secret door appeared before Gao Zhijian.
Gao Zhijian bent down and entered. The oil lamps hanging on the walls illuminated the dark staircase. Gao Zhijian soon found himself in the main hall, and he saw Chun Xiaoman chanting something inscrutable.
"Disciples look up at the blue sky. Fellow masters are beside. Twenty-four divine beings help disciples learn to drag knives. Dragging knives transform into goose feathers. Iron rulers transform into lamp wicks. Rolling stone transform into water bubbles..."
Chun Xiaoman heard footsteps, prompting her to turn around. Her eyes immediately brightened upon seeing Gao Zhijian. "Zhijian, come here and take a look. Am I reading this right? How come there aren't any reactions?"
Gao Zhijian grabbed the book and examined it for a while before handing over a bowl of dumplings to Chun Xiaoman, saying, "Eat."
Chun Xiaoman noticed that Gao Zhijian had more or less recovered. Unfortunately, Gao Zhijian had become incredibly taciturn since then, and he would often only say one word. However, it wasn't really an issue as long as everyone could understand him.
"I'm not going to eat. I want to examine the contents of that book," said Chun Xiaoman, looking a bit impatient as she pushed the bowl of dumplings away.
However, Gao Zhijian wasn't going to accept Chun Xiaoman's excuse. He extended the bowl over toward Chun Xiaoman and said, "Eat."
Gao Zhijian's attitude made it clear that he wouldn't say anything unless Chun Xiaoman ate the dumplings.
Chun Xiaoman accepted it reluctantly. Then, he ate the dumplings with small but urgent bites.
"Is Miaomiao back?" asked Chun Xiaoman.
Gao Zhijian shook his head while reading the book in his hand.
"Where did that brat go? She didn't even send me a letter," Chun Xiaoman grumbled, and then her heart suddenly skipped a beat. "Could it be that she has—"
"No, no, no," Chun Xiaoman interrupted herself, "She won't do silly things again."
Chun Xiaoman continued eating, but she was to eat not to feel full but to drive the anxiety that had gripped Chun Xiaoman's heart. Chun Xiaoman ate vigorously, so she ended up choking and hiccuping.
Gao Zhijian put down the book and patted Chun Xiaoman's back gently.
Chun Xiaoman eventually came to her senses, and she said, "If it really doesn't work out, let's gather everyone and look around where Miaomiao was last seen. I'm really worried since there's no news at all."
"Okay." Gao Zhijian nodded.
Chun Xiaoman wanted to continue eating her dumplings when Puppy barged in and rushed forward with a smile. "Junior Bai's letter has just arrived!!"
Chun Xiaoman stood up immediately and asked, "Where is she? What's in the letter?"
"Why are you asking me? I don't know how to read," Puppy said with a shrug before handing over the letter to Gao Zhijian.
With Gao Zhijian's help, Chun Xiaoman understood that Bai Lingmiao was fine and that she had decided to go to the capital to handle some trivial matters. More importantly, Bai Lingmiao said that she would return after she was done with everything.
"As long as she's fine..." Chun Xiaoman finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Lingmiao's absence had been giving her nightmares.
Gao Zhijian leaned even closer to the letter and examined it carefully for a while before stammering, "T-t-this is Senior Li's handwriting!"
Senior Li was the only one who preferred to write in square-shaped characters, and the latter's handwriting was quite distinct.
Puppy chuckled and pointed at Chun Xiaoman before sneering, "I told you that they were having a quarrel. You're just an outsider, so you shouldn't have gotten involved, but the milk has already spilled. You may have indirectly chided her husband, and there's a high chance that they simply made up at the end of the day.
"You really should have believed in me. I told you so, right?"
Chapter 371 - Shangjing
Clop, clop, clop!
The sound of horse hooves seemed incessant as Li Huowang's carriage traveled along with the other passersby. Li Huowang could see many peddlers and wheelbarrows[1] as they closed in on the largest and most prosperous city in the Liang Kingdom, Shangjing.
Bai Lingmiao sat on top of the carriage while staring at the castle walls. The castle walls looked ancient, seemingly standing for more than a thousand years. The castle walls were made from black bricks, and they stood as tall as small mountains.
Meanwhile, the moss that had covered the walls indicated its old age.
"So this is Shangjing? It's very unique." Bai Lingmiao was looking at the capital with excitement.
Li Huowang stood up and carried Bai Lingmiao down before covering her eyes with a silk cloth. "It's so bright, so don't open your eyes. You're going to hurt them."
The headquarters of the Surveillance Bureau was here—in Shangjing. If it hadn't been for the black spindle, Li Huowang wouldn't have dared to ever come here.
Bai Lingmiao felt annoyed, but she didn't remove the silk cloth.
Bai Lingmiao sat on Li Huowang's lap and stretched lazily. "I'm definitely going to change these useless eyes of mine one of these days!"
Li Huowang stifled Bai Lingmiao's excitement by saying, "Stop the nonsense. We're entering the capital now, so be quiet."
Li Huowang's carriage followed the travelers and soon arrived at the gates. The guards took just one glance at Li Huowang's carriage, which resembled a coffin, and they instantly knew that something was up.
Upon seeing Li Huowang's identity token as a member of the Surveillance Bureau, however, they didn't say anything and simply allowed Li Huowang entry.
Li Huowang suddenly felt happy with his decision to join the Surveillance Bureau.
If it hadn't been for his identity as a member of the Surveillance Bureau, he would have had issues entering and exiting cities.
When the carriage entered the capital, Li Huowang was surprised to see the sheer number of people beyond the gates. There were people as far as Li Huowang's eyes could seem, and they stretched all the way to the watchtower in the distance.
"Let's find a place to stay first," Li Huowang said, guiding the carriage to move slowly amidst the crowd.
The sun was starting to set, and the rays of sunlight reflecting off of the blue roof tiles and red walls were starting to dim. The buildings were tall, and each of them showcased large banners. Meanwhile, there seemed to be an infinite number of people and carriages moving to and fro along the street.
This was a testament to the Liang Kingdom's strength. It looked similar to Yinling City, but there was a stark difference between them.
If one word were to be used to describe the difference, it would be the word "history."
After all, Shangjing was one of the surviving cities of the previous dynasty, the Qi Kingdom.
While Li Huowang was busy looking around the capital, the crowd abruptly moved toward the left of the street. Everyone wore excited looks, and they seemed to be waiting for something.
Li Huowang followed the crowd and soon arrived at an empty crossroad. There were three white towers several meters tall while a group of topless youths were carrying pouches in their hands. They were warming themselves up around the white towers.
While Li Huowang was thinking about what was going on, a short man walked out of the crowd.
The short man was carrying a gong on his back, making him appear like a tortoise, which elicited quite a few peals of laughter from the crowd. The short man ignored the laughter and raised three incense sticks toward the three white towers. Then, the short man closed his eyes and prayed. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
Is this a prayer ceremony for the people of Shangjing? Li Huowang was intrigued, but it wasn't an unusual sight in this crazy world.
Just as Li Huowang was in the middle of his speculations, the short man took off the gong from his back and struck it hard, shouting, "Grab the Bun Mountains!"
The youths leaped onto the three white towers with their pouches. They used both their hands and feet to grab something off the white tower before storing it in their pouches.
Hm? Li Huowang did a double take at the three white towers and saw that the white towers were made out of white buns. As the youths climbed up the three towers of buns, the white towers became human towers as the youths climbed onto each other to climb even higher.
The youths fought each other to seize the buns, and as they fought, the buns at the top of the tower fell to the ground. The nearby onlookers wasted no time, rushing over to the fallen buns and ignoring everything, even manure, just to grab a bun.
Meanwhile, Bun poked its head out from under the carriage and snatched one of the white buns on the ground. Bun chewed the bun with delight, attracting Li Huowang's gaze.
Li Huowang saw that the white bun had the character for "longevity" stamped on it.
Bai Lingmiao swept his gaze across the wasted buns on the streets and chuckled sarcastically. "Hahaha, looks like the people of Shangjing are just different. To think they would waste white buns made out of wheat flour.
"There are regions where the people can't afford to eat such buns even during the New Year."
Li Huowang turned his gaze somewhere and asked, "Don't you think those towers looked like three incense sticks? I think they're praying to something."
"Prayer? You should stop guessing," Bai Lingmiao replied.
Li Huowang went silent as he looked at the crowd before guiding the carriage away.
There were so many people, and Li Huowang wasn't familiar with the place, so it took him quite a while to find a suitable inn for them to stay in.
It was already night when they arrived at the inn, and it looked so much better than the others. There was even a stage in the middle of the inn's main hall, clearly to attract customers using plays.
Everyone ate and drank happily; no one really paid any attention to Bai Lingmiao.
However, the waiter was an exception. Upon seeing Bai Lingmiao and his group, he immediately ran over to them and asked, "May I know what you would like to order, esteemed guests?"
"Two seasonal vegetables and two meat dishes."
"All right, please sit and wait. Your meal will be served soon," said the waiter before turning around and leaving.
Li Huowang placed both of his swords on the table, and he instantly felt like a massive weight had been taken off of him. "You should go ahead and rest once we're done eating. I still need to find Ji Xiang."
"Why are you looking for that old eunuch? Do you need any help?" Bai Lingmiao asked.
Li Huowang glanced at Bai Lingmiao and patted her head without answering her.
"Fine, fine, you are the head of the household. Your words are the rules, and you don't need to discuss things with me," Bai Lingmiao said, looking away and pouting.
The two went silent and waited for their meal. Eventually, the food was served; they chose to feed Bun first before enjoying their meal. Li Huowang wasn't sure whether it was because he had been traveling for a long time or the cooks of the inn were simply amazing, but he ate a lot.
Li Huowang wolfed down his food while watching the performers on the stage. Just then, the performers jumped down the stage and moved around the main hall to greet the customers.
One of the performers came to Li Huowang's table and performed. However, Li Huowang's face remained indifferent, and the sight made the performer feel like his pride was being trampled upon, so he went all out.
The performer closed in on Li Huowang and shook his head; the makeup on his face changed instantly. The performer waved his hand in front of his face, and his makeup changed once again.[2]
The performer thought that the customer would surely be impressed, Li Huowang grabbed his sword instead and pressed it on the performer's neck.
"Who told you to change your face?! Why the fuck are you changing your face?!" Li Huowang snarled.
1. Quite literally a wooden wheelbarrow used to move objects in ancient China ?
2. This is a reference to the face-changing show, a subgenre of Chinese Sichuan opera ?
Chapter 372 - Kindness
Li Huowang wanted to peel off the face of the performer to see if he was hiding other faces underneath. The performer was so shocked and terrified that he trembled all over.
The owner of the inn noticed the commotion and rushed forward to Li Huowang, saying, "I'm so sorry that he has offended you, dear guest! As an apology, your meal is on the house, and I'll even give you two a free bowl of soup. Will that be okay?"
Li Huowang stood quiet for a few seconds before he sheathed his sword and sat back down.
"What's wrong with you? Why did you get so agitated?" Bai Lingmiao asked, sounding confused by Li Huowang's outburst.
Li Huowang sighed. The performer's rapid makeup change reminded him of how the Sitting Oblivion Dao could change faces. Now that the ordeal was over, Li Huowang acknowledged that he had overreacted.
Li Huowang continued with his meal as he explained. "Don't worry, we're in Shangjing. The Headquarters of the Surveillance Bureau is here, so there's no way the Sitting Oblivion Dao can come here."
Li Huowang made quick work of his meal and decided to look for another inn without plays. Afterward, Li Huowang went to the address on the letter. Of course, he was by himself.
He wasn't familiar with Shangjing's streets, so he only managed to find it when the curfew started at midnight.
The door opened, and Ji Xiang peeked from behind the wooden door with a lantern in hand. He looked around to make sure that no one else was around before pulling Li Huowang inside.
Li Huowang looked around the tiny courtyard and saw nothing but a well and a giant jujube tree that occupied half of the courtyard. Li Huowang was surprised that Ji Xiang was staying at such a small place, even though he was a high-ranking member of the Surveillance Bureau.
In addition, there were no maids around, either.
Regardless of its size, the house was perfect for a family of three.
"Er Jiu, I've been waiting for you." Ji Xiang smiled, holding Li Huowang's hand firmly.
Li Huowang retracted his hand forcefully, and he sounded resolute as he said, "No worries. I've always been grateful for Lord Ji Xiang's kindness!"
"Hehe, no need to thank me," Ji Xiang said, smiling as he looked at Li Huowang.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang had no idea what Ji Xiang was thinking at all.
Li Huowang decided not to waste any more time, as Ji Xiang was in the flesh right in front of him. Moreover, there was indeed a debt that had to be settled. "Lord Ji Xiang, you said that you found someone from the military capable of removing someone else's killing intent. Was it true?"
Li Huowang thought that Bai Lingmiao's issue had to be addressed first.
"Yes, of course. Everything has been prepared, so let's go."
Although Li Huowang had no idea why Ji Xiang seemed much more anxious than him, there was no reason to delay things, so Li Huowang followed Ji Xiang through the long corridor and arrived at the back door. There were two sedan chairs[1] waiting for them.
"Please enter~" the four bearers said, kneeling with grace, which was a result of countless hours of training.
It was Li Huowang's first time riding a sedan chair, and he found it uncomfortable.
He felt like throwing up every time it swayed.
Ji Xiang opened his curtains and turned to Li Huowang's sedan chair, saying, "Brother Er Jiu, where are you staying here? Remember that little house where we came from earlier? If you like it, I can just give it to you as a gift."
"I appreciate Lord Ji Xiang's offer, but I don't like receiving gifts with nothing in return. I also don't think that I can accept such an expensive gift."
For some reason, Li Huowang thought that Ji Xiang had become much more compassionate after he had saved the latter from the Muddled Ones. It made sense, as there was no way someone would give an entire house away after exchanging just a few words with them.
Ji Xiang pretended like he was upset and replied, "Ai~ Brother Er Jiu, that's not right. You're not going to receive it with nothing in return. In fact, a broken house is not enough repayment for your help.
"I prepared it for my retirement, so I hope you'll like it. Anyway, let's just say that it's yours now. The deed to the place and the keys are underneath your seat. I even left you something inside the house."
Li Huowang checked and saw three bronze keys and several pieces of paper.
Li Huowang looked down at the items and pondered over why Ji Xiang had decided to give his house away.
After a while, Li Huowang realized what was going on. Ji Xiang wanted to repay Li Huowang for his favor in one go. That was why he decided to give Li Huowang a house. The item he left in the house must be priceless, too. But why did he give me the house that he bought for his retirement? Is he going to resign from the Surveillance Bureau?
Li Huowang was in deep contemplation when the curtains to the sedan were opened; the bearer's voices soon echoed, announcing their arrival. "Please disembark~"
Li Huowang placed the keys and the documents behind his shirt and exited the sedan chair. He then looked up and saw a massive stone lion snarling at him.
Li Huowang took a few steps backward and realized that he was at the entrance to a prison. It seemed Ji Xiang had a robust network with prisons.
The door opened slowly, and Ji Xiang led Li Huowang into the prison.
The main gates were shut, and Li Huowang saw another gate. It was a smaller gate, and they had to walk like ducks to enter it. The multiple gates and towering walls made the prison extremely secure.
They walked past the second gate and saw another gate.
Li Huowang saw the image of a tiger painted on the gate, but Ji Xiang told him that it wasn't a tiger but a legendary beast, Bi'an.[2]
Li Huowang felt quite a few gazes landing on him the moment they walked past the third gate. Li Huowang squinted and had to adjust to the darkness first before he could finally see who was looking at him.
If he were to describe his location, he would say that he was in a room full of someone like Peng Longteng.
Every single individual in the room had tattoos on their face, and they were either drinking or fighting. Each of them was from a military family, and the killing intent in the air was so dense it was palpable, making it hard for anyone to breathe.
Li Huowang couldn't imagine the prowess of the prisoners here that the prisons actually had to employ a group of prison guards that reeked of killing intent just to suppress the prisoners.
"Aiya~ is that you, Grandpa Chen? Why are you here?" said an old prison guard while staring at Ji Xiang. The old prison guard's white hair beard stretched to the underside of his ears.
"Hehe~ Cao Baihu~ Long time no see. How's your family doing?" Ji Xiang replied with a smile before approaching the old prison guard.
"They're doing pretty fine. It's just that my daughter-in-law is still fighting with my son-in-law every day. Wait here, I'll go and pray to the Prison God[3] first."
Cao Baihu moved to the left.
Li Huowang saw an indent in the left hall, where a small shrine was enshrined. There were three deities inside the shrine. The one in the middle resembled a kind-looking old man, but the ones on the left and on the right looked like goblins with fierce expressions.
The deity in the middle has to be the Prison God, thought Li Huowang.
1. A mode of transport where a VIP is carried in a wooden box by four to eight men. ?
2. One of the legendary beasts, also the seventh son of a dragon. ?
3. God overseeing prisons. There are three main ones. ?
Chapter 373 - Small Favor
Li Huowang sat on the bench as he looked at Cao Baihu lighting up an incense to be offered to the Prison God.
Usually those from the military don't light up incense nor pray to any gods, but I know basically nothing about them. Perhaps this is a custom of the Liang Kingdom's military?
After lighting up the incense and offering it to the Prison God, Cao Baihu sat back down and took just a glance at Li Huowang's bronze coin veil before turning to Ji Xiang, saying, "You must have a favor to ask me, as you had come all the way to this inauspicious place."
"Hoho, Cao Baihu is an astute man indeed. I will keep it short. This is Brother Er Jiu, and someone in his family has been inundated and is being plagued by the killing intent of a weapon. I suppose that's a minor issue for you, right?"
Cao Baihu nodded.
Li Huowang sighed in relief. Li Huowang thought it was a serious matter, but he was happy to know that it was just a minor issue for Cao Baihu.
Li Huowang grabbed his gourd and poured out all of the lifespan pills he had onto the table, saying, "Cao Baihu, this is just a tiny gesture of my good faith for you; please accept them."
However, Cao Baihu pushed the lifespan pills back to Li Huowang. "No need for that. I'll just consider us friends from now on, so you don't have to give me these. Even though we're from different departments, both of us are still working for the sake of the Liang Kingdom."
Ji Xiang chuckled and smiled. "So, Cao Baihu, are you going—"
"I would have immediately come out to help you, but..." Cao Baihu interrupted, trailing off.
An hour later, Ji Xiang and Li Huowang walked out of the prison with frowns.
Ji Xiang slammed the doors harshly and said, "What kind of man is he?! How dare he ask us for a favor before helping us with our minor issue! Rather than Bi'an, they should just draw the Pi Xiu[1] instead!"
"It's fine, Lord Ji Xiang," Li Huowang said, "We're asking them for a small favor, so It is only natural for us to repay it."
"Sure, that's the correct thing to do, but ..." Ji Xiang trailed off. He clapped and sounded regretful as he said, "Sigh, I'm sorry for finding someone like him for you."
Li Huowang knew that Ji Xiang was just putting up an act, but it was a very convincing one.
"No worries. It's just a small favor. I will do it," said Li Huowang. He didn't sound disappointed, as he never really expected to receive a free lunch in this world. Li Huowang just had to escort a prisoner in exchange for Bai Lingmiao's treatment; it was a profitable trade.
"I'm so sorry." Ji Xiang smiled regrettably.
"Lord Ji Xiang, no need to apologize. Let's go back first. If you still feel that you owe me, you can just tell me more information about the prisoner. Of course, only if you know anything about them..." Li Huowang said. He was still unsure as to what he was supposed to do. After all, this was his first time accepting a mission from the Liang Kingdom's military.
"No need to worry about that. Old Cao is right; it's just a small favor. It wouldn't affect you as long as you have no plans of becoming an official."
"An official?" asked Li Huowang, sounding curious. The two sedan chairs arrived at the small courtyard house once more. To show his appreciation, Li Huowang offered Ji Xiang some tea in the house to talk things over.
Ji Xiang smiled and accepted the offer. The two sat in the hall, and Li Huowang's question made Ji Xiang's smile freeze.
"Lord Ji Xiang, are you really going to leave? Are you not going to reconsider it?"
Li Huowang had never once thought that it was taboo to say such words out loud. He needed to make things clear, after all. What am I going to do once he leaves? Tuoba Danqing is already dead, so who else should I find to get more missions?
Ji Xiang sighed and placed the teacup down slowly. "You know what we went through last time. Plus, I'm too old, and it's time for me to rest. There are still people waiting for me at home, so I will leave the world to the youths like you~"
Ji Xiang clasped his hands together and kowtowed toward the northeastern corner of his house before saying, "I'm not sure what the superiors are thinking. I dared not ask nor listen for any news. I think it's wise for me to prioritize my life."
Li Huowang frowned as he sipped his tea. If he's telling the truth, it means Shangjing might become chaotic in the near future. I need to be careful, and I can't get involved. Regardless of what the higher-ups are doing, I need to steer clear of them.
Li Huowang had only one goal: to find Bei Feng for the sake of removing his issues as a Strayed One.
Ji Xiang seemed to have seen through Li Huowang's thoughts, and he pulled out something from his clothes. It was an intricate-looking identity token. Ji Xiang pushed it over to Li Huowang, and the latter finally saw the words written on it—Seventh Banner.
Li Huowang was surprised. "I got promoted again? And I even skipped a rank?!"
Ji Xiang chuckled and said, "Er Jiu, I could only help you this much. I couldn't promote you any further. Upon my departure, you can go to the headquarters to take on missions. You now have the right to do so, and your revenge will not get delayed.
"You're already a Seventh Banner, so the other Ji Xiangs cannot order you around anymore. You're also free to choose any missions. If you need help, you can order those at the Tenth Pawn rank to help you."
Li Huowang stared dazedly at the identity token. He thought Ji Xiang wanted to return Li Huowang's favor by giving him a house, but Ji Xiang had decided to do more than just that, which meant Li Huowang now owed Ji Xiang a favor.
"Lord Ji Xiang, I don't think this is..." Ji Xiang trailed off, shaking his head.
"Er Jiu, you're a great person and a powerful fighter. You're even better than me. All I ask is don't forget me once you've become famous, all right?"
Ji Xiang smiled and patted the imaginary dust off of his clothes. Then, he bowed to Li Huowang before leaving through the back door.
Left all alone, Li Huowang sat quietly in the hall he stared at the identity token in his hands. Eventually, Li Huowang stood up and walked into the house. He could still remember Ji Xiang's words about how he had left him something in the house.
Ji Xiang instantly identified what Ji Xiang had left for him.
It was the wish wood with a withered Strayed One's tongue nailed to it.
The withered tongue trembled ever so lightly as if it had sensed someone's presence.
Li Huowang poked the withered tongue gently; he also poked the nail that had pinned the tongue to the wood.
It was a priceless artifact, but Ji Xiang gave it away so easily.
Li Huowang was unsure of what Ji Xiang thought of him, but Li Huowang was convinced that Ji Xiang had misunderstood something about him.
Meanwhile, Ji Xiang sprinted through the darkness and soon appeared in front of another small house. He opened the gates and saw a brand new horse carriage waiting inside the courtyard.
An old woman peeked out from within the carriage and saw Ji Xiang.
"Brother, how was it?" asked the old woman.
Ji Xiang leaped onto the carriage and ushered it northward. "The man from the Ao Jing Sect has arrived at Shangjing. I've done what I promised him, and I even gave him many things. I no longer owe him any favor, so we can leave now!"
"Really? That's amazing! We can finally go home!" the old woman exclaimed in delight. The old woman's delight made it clear that Ji Xiang was treating her well.
The old woman took out a guokui[2] and tore a small piece to feed Ji Xiang. "Why are you treating that man from the Ao Jing Sect so well? You even spent a long time waiting for him."
1. A mythical beast that attracts wealth ?
2. it's a kind of flatbread ?
Chapter 374 - Emperor of the Liang Kingdom
Ji Xiang munched on the guokui while explaining, "It seems that you don't understand just how special he is. I rummaged through all of the books from the first to the fourth archive before finding out how he had saved us all. He used the Ao Jing Sect's secret technique, Cang-Qiang Ascension!"
"What is that?" the old woman's tone of voice lowered upon sensing the severity in Ji Xiang's voice.
"I don't know. I couldn't check any further than the fourth archive. All I know is that the majority of the people who had used it had perished, while the survivors became extraordinary cultivators.
"Now that I think about it, it makes sense. Why does the technique have the word Ascension? In its name? Ascension to where? Those who had used that technique are no longer humans. Do you really think we can offend someone like that?"
The old woman nodded. "I think you did the right thing, Brother. We can't afford to owe him a favor."
"I think there's another reason why he decided to join the Surveillance Bureau. I don't think he simply wants to take revenge on the Sitting Oblivion Dao," Ji Xiang said.
The old woman took out her handkerchief and wiped the beaded sweat that had formed on Ji Xiang's forehead. "It's fine. Let's just forget about these. They're no longer of concern to us, and we should just go home."
Ji Xiang nodded and stared at the city gates with a pensive gaze. Ji Xiang revealed his identity token, and the city gates opened, allowing them to leave.
Soon, the towering city gates closed once more.
***
Li Huowang woke up the next day and prepared everything he needed before he embarked on a journey to the prison.
However, Li Huowang was surprised to find out that he wasn't alone.
There was a child guiding a blind man toward the prison.
Does he need that many people to escort a prisoner? Li Huowang pondered and waited silently.
Soon, a man sitting on a cow arrived, and he was dressed in clothes that Li Huowang had never seen before. A four-armed statue of a female Buddha was on the man's lap, and the man's head was lowered while his mouth fluttered open with inscrutable chanting.
Li Huowang reckoned that the people in Shangjing seemed to have an idea as to what was to happen, as they dared not approach the prison. The shops near the prison were all closed, and the entrance to the prison was desolate.
The heavy doors of the prison soon opened, and a metallic cart carrying a cage with a prisoner inside of it appeared before everyone's eyes.
The man in the cage was different from what Li Huowang had imagined, and a golden face mask covered the prisoner's face. The mask was unique and special; it was rectangular in shape with two circular holes for eyes, a triangular nose, and large ears.
If it hadn't been for the patterns and carvings on it, Li Huowang would have thought that it was a Three Star Mound mask[1].
"You just have to escort the prisoner to the main gate where he will be executed; that's all you have to do," said the prison guard to the three escorts, which included Li Huowang.
"The main gate? We're not even leaving the city?" Li Huowang thought that he had misheard. It would only take them four hours to reach the main gate at the slowest, so Li Huowang couldn't help but be surprised. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"Yes, that's right," the prison guard replied, sounding anxious. He turned around and immediately retreated.
The prison guard had pushed the cart over to the three escorts, and it rolled slowly toward them. Li Huowang glanced at the other two escorts before walking over to the cart and pushing it outside.
Regardless of what was going on here, he had to complete this task for the sake of Bai Lingmiao's treatment.
As the cart moved slowly in the city, more and more people gathered nearby, creating an uproarious din. The majority of the people were pointing and smiling at the prisoner; none of them seemed shocked by the golden mask.
Li Huowang reckoned that they had long gotten used to it.
The noises awakened the prisoner in the cage, and the prisoner immediately smashed his head on the beams of the cage, shouting, "How dare you people treat me like this?! I'm the Emperor—the Emperor of the Liang Kingdom!"
Li Huowang's heart tightened at the remark. He looked around but was surprised to find that the crowd didn't listen to the prisoner at all.
The blind man next to Li Huowang chanted, "Blame those involved; don't blame those working. Blame those involved; don't blame those working."
Li Huowang decided to ignore the prisoner and focused on his job. Li Huowang finally knew why the military wanted outsiders like him to do this job and why it might affect him if he ever wanted to become an official or minister.
The cart traveled slowly, and they eventually reached a huge road next to the large red walls of the palace.
Li Huowang felt numerous gazes landing on him from above the palace wall, but he didn't dare to look back, afraid of raising any suspicions. Li Huowang focused entirely on his job.
"Ji Song! You think you've won? We'll see about that! One day, you'll end up like me!" the prisoner roared toward the palace walls.
The people on the palace walls didn't reply as they stared quietly at the prisoner
The cart moved slowly, but it reached its destination without any accidents. The executioner was already waiting for them. It was already noon, and a crowd had formed at the execution site.
"Ji Man has been sentenced to death for treason, and there is no pardon for such a crime!"
A red token was thrown to the ground, and the prisoner was dragged out of the cage.
The prisoner was limp, and a yellow stain had marred his trousers.
The executioner promptly shackled the prisoner.
Li Huowang stared at the prisoner and found the latter's body to be a bit weird. His stomach was large, while his limbs were skinny. It didn't look like a bulging stomach from excess fat. From what Li Huowang could see, there seemed to be countless tiny orbs trying to burst out of him beneath his skin.
The executioner sprayed the wine in his mouth onto his blade before raising it up high and decapitating the prisoner in one swing. Blood haphazardly scattered in the air, drenching the ground.
The executioner took off the prisoner's golden mask before presenting it with both hands to the minister.
The minister wrapped the mask with golden silk before running back into the palace with haste. The other ministers left as well, abandoning the corpse to grow cold on muddy ground.
The crowd rushed over to dip their white buns in the blood that had pooled beneath the corpse, and they ate the buns with relish. Two women even fought each other, as they had failed to dip their buns evenly into the blood.
Li Huowang scoffed at them.
Is that it? Is it really this easy? Li Huowang thought with a frown. He was about to leave when he turned around upon recalling something and approached the headless corpse.
Li Huowang took a dagger and sliced open the prisoner's abdomen. Numerous small orbs popped out of the corpse.
Hm? Li Huowang picked up one of the fist-sized orbs. The body of the "Emperor" is stuffed with pills. He was engorged by all the pills that had been forcefully stuffed into his stomach and intestines.
1. Sanxingdui, an archaeological site in China that has many bronze age artifacts. The types of masks found there are quite unique ?
Chapter 375 - Coffin
Li Huowang retreated from the execution site while his mind was still full of the scenes he had just seen. It was hard to imagine someone would stuff themselves full of pills until their stomach bulged visibly.
Li Huowang pondered over the prisoner's status and was convinced that there was a deeper reason behind it.
Historically speaking, emperors often consume pills to extend their lives. The practice may hold true in this world as well. Even Dan Yangzi, that damned illiterate baldy, wants to become immortal, so how could the Emperor of the Liang Kingdom, which was the strongest kingdom, not desire immortality? It's normal for people to fear death, but...
Li Huowang could still remember Emperor Xu Fu, who had taken five hundred children with him to find the secret of immortality.[1]
However, Li Huowang couldn't even begin to comprehend just how crazy the Emperor of the Liang Kingdom's search for immortality had been, as they were in a crazy world, after all.
Li Huowang looked up at the palace walls, and he couldn't help but think about what was happening in the palace.
Upon sensing the wary gazes of the guards, Li Huowang shook his head and walked toward the prison.
The happenings in the palace weren't Li Huowang's business. The mission was complete, and Li Huowang just wanted to acquire the method to treat Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang entered the heavily-guarded prison once again. Cao Baihu grinned upon seeing Li Huowang. "Oh? You're back, Brother Er Jiu? Tell me everything that happened during the mission."
There was no reason to lie, so Li Huowang recounted everything.
"Cao Baihu, I've completed the mission. I hope you'll fulfill your end of the deal."
"Of course, of course." Cao Baihu smiled and reached into his clothes. He took out a tiny black coffin, which was the size of a forearm, and gave it to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang wasn't sure whether he was just being too sensitive or not, but staring at the large red "longevity" character on the coffin made him feel as if the coffin was exuding the air of death. Li Huowang felt like it truly contained a corpse.
The coffin emitted the same air as the droves of deceased sheep beneath Qing Qiu.
This definitely doesn't belong to the military. It belongs to another sect. Li Huowang was certain of it. It was far too "different" from the items usually associated with the military. The difference was quite literally heaven and earth.
Cao Baihu rapped his fingers on the table three times. "Take the coffin, aim it at the person who had been inundated by killing intent, and then open it. The killing intent will vanish in just three breaths.
"However, you have to remember that the coffin must not stay open for more than three breaths, or there will be consequences."
"It's that easy?" Li Huowang accepted the black coffin and was astonished by its light weight. The coffin was so light that he thought it was made out of paper.
"Hoho, it's just killing intent, right? It's not a serious matter. If it weren't for my post, I would go and deal with it myself. It wouldn't take long," Cao Baihu said nonchalantly before downing a cup of wine.
Rumble!
The ground shook lightly just then, and an unknown aura rose from the bottom of the earth. Li Huowang stood up instinctively as goosebumps broke out all over him. It was clear that something sinister was sealed underground.
"Fucking hell! That shitty thing!" Cao Baihu slammed the cup on the table and picked up his blade. He started walking toward the prison door while saying, "I need to do something so I won't force you to stay here. Just return the coffin to me once you're done using it, as I don't want to go and collect it myself."
Li Huowang soon walked out of the prison and found everything surreal. He looked down at the coffin in his palm and thought, It's that easy? I can turn Bai Lingmiao back just like that? Was he lying to me? Wait, what if everyone lied to me? Do they know that I'm a Strayed One?
Li Huowang felt cold at the absurd idea. Li Huowang grimaced and looked around, feeling as if everything around him was out to get him, including but not limited to the roof, stone lion statues, the tiles on the floor, and even the pebbles on the ground.
Li Huowang took a while to calm down, and he looked down at the coffin in his hands once more. He patiently rummaged through his memories to try and make sense of what was going on.
Li Huowang took a deep breath. No, I don't think they know my true identity. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let a variable like me anywhere near the palace.
Li Huowang was soon convinced that he was overthinking things. Since the military could make use of killing intent, it wasn't strange that they could disperse it as well. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶
Perhaps it was truly just a small issue.
Now that I got the item that I needed. Li Huowang put away the coffin in the pocket behind his shirt and returned to the inn. Upon opening the door to his room, Li Huowang instantly clapped his eyes on Bai Lingmiao sitting in front of a mirror.
Bai Lingmiao was combing her hair with a dark fluid.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm using black vinegar to dye my hair black. I don't really like this white color; it doesn't suit me at all."
Li Huowang went silent and took a deep breath before taking out the small coffin.
Before returning to the inn, Li Huowang had paid a man to raise his sword against Li Huowang. Li Huowang used the coffin on that man, and the man's killing intent was sucked away by the coffin.
Bai Lingmiao saw the object in Li Huowang's hand through the bronze mirror.
"What is that? A coffin?" Bai Lingmiao asked.
Li Huowang opened the coffin while aiming it at Bai Lingmiao. A strange suction force rushed out of the coffin, and it sucked away Li Huowang's hesitation and regret. Li Huowang even felt that the coffin was sucking away his will to find Bei Feng; the coffin was insatiable, seemingly capable of sucking away everything.
"One, two... three!" Li Huowang exclaimed and closed the lid. Then, he stared at Bai Lingmiao.
A crisp noise echoed as the comb covered in black vinegar fell to the ground.
Bai Lingmiao turned around slowly, and she stared at Li Huowang in fear with her tear-filled eyes.
Li Huowang trembled at the familiar sight, and he rushed to hug her as hot tears welled up in his eyes.
Li Huowang hugged her tightly for a long time before releasing her. Then, he examined her to see whether there were any side effects. "How are you feeling? Do you feel uncomfortable anyway? Tell me!"
Bai Lingmiao was crying, but she didn't respond.
Soon, she reached out for the purple-tassel sword.
Li Huowang smacked Bai Lingmiao's hand away and retreated. When Li Huowang looked up, he found that Bai Lingmiao's eyes were filled with pain and resentment.
"Senior Li, please... I can't live without it," Bai Lingmiao muttered.
1. Actually, it was recorded to be 3000 children ?
Chapter 376 - Surveillance Bureau
Li Huowang hesitated in the face of the crying Bai Lingmiao, but he eventually relented.
Li Huowang stared blankly as Bai Lingmiao gripped the purple-tassel sword. The pain in her eyes was soon replaced with pleasure.
The murderous Bai Lingmiao was back.
Li Huowang finally understood that the crux of the matter wasn't the killing intent that had pervaded Bai Lingmiao; the crux was permanent, and it was the fact that he had killed her entire family.
"Hehe." Bai Lingmiao let loose a carefree and nonchalant laughter. Then, she bent over and picked up the comb before drenched it in vinegar. She sat down in front of the bronze mirror and combed her hair once more.
Li Huowang stared at Bai Lingmiao's back, and he finally let go of his obsession to treat her. He approached her carefully and hugged her from behind.
"No matter what, you will always be my Miaomiao," Li Huowang muttered.
Bai Lingmiao shoved him away, and she glared at him before shouting, "Do you really think that I'll forgive you so easily? Have you already forgotten my question not too long ago? I asked you whether you truly liked Bai Lingmiao or you simply wanted someone who would listen to your demands!"
Bai Lingmiao hurled the comb away before storming off.
"Where are you going?"
"Why do you even care?! I'm going to look for another man to marry! I'm going to look for someone who deserves me! I'm not going to marry a paranoid man like you!"
Bai Lingmiao ran away. Li Huowang wanted to give chase, but something soft struck Li Huowang from behind and engulfed him. The Second Deity had just hugged Li Huowang from behind, and she pressed herself against him.
"Don't worry, she's not going to do what she said," the Second Deity said.
Li Huowang held the Second Deity's hand and kissed it. Then, he sounded dejected as he said. "It's fine. Her departure is probably for the best. Anyway, just wait for me at Cowheart Mountain. Once my issue is resolved, I'll go back and look for everyone."
The Second Deity rubbed her hairy face against Li Huowang's neck before retreating. Li Huowang looked back and found that he was all alone in the room.
Li Huowang stared off into space for quite a while before walking outside and shouting, "Waiter! Bring me an urn of strong wine!"
The wine was soon delivered to the room.
Li Huowang quietly opened the wine and drank in big gulps. Li Huowang's senses had been heightened drastically by the Cang-Qiang Ascension that he had performed many times by now.
Unfortunately, the heightened senses had the unfortunate side effect of low alcohol tolerance, as Li Huowang couldn't even remember when he passed out. All he knew was that he was awakened by the crowing roosters from outside.
Li Huowang grabbed his head; the splitting headache made him feel dizzy. He stood up shakily and walked toward the window. Halfway there, however, he tripped over himself and fell face first on the ground.
Li Huowang stood up slowly and caught a glimpse of a black tattoo on the back of his hand. Li Huowang shook his head; it wasn't a tattoo—it was Li Sui's wriggling tentacle.
I don't have much time. Li Huowang had to remove his hallucination before Li Sui obtained full control of his body. Otherwise, he would become like his past self once more; he would be forever at the mercy of his hallucination.
Li Huowang would rather die than let that happen.
It was simply too agonizing to be unable to differentiate between reality and a mere hallucination.
Li Huowang opened the window, and sunlight struck his face. He gnashed his teeth and snarled at the sun before pumping his fist into the air.
"You motherfuckers want to torture me that badly? I'll fight to the bitter end to change my fate! COME ON! DO YOU WANNA KNOW WHO'S CRAZIER BETWEEN US?!"
Li Huowang jumped down the window and started walking toward his next destination—the prison. Once morning had truly arrived, Li Huowang had already returned the coffin and was already making a beeline for the Surveillance Bureau.
Li Huowang glanced at the six gates sandwiched between the two stone lion statues. He flashed his identity token groggily at the guards before walking into the stone plaza.
The plaza was huge, but there were only a few people. A massive celestial globe larger than a house was in the middle of the plaza. Astonishingly, it was made completely from stone!
Li Huowang looked around and walked to one of the smaller buildings in the south.
Li Huowang was instantly struck by the strong smell of ink upon entering.
A man holding several books turned to face Li Huowang.
"Hey, hey, hey, who are you? This is where we print almanacs, and outsiders are not allowed here," the man said.
Li Huowang showed his identity token to the man. The man examined it briefly before pointing in the opposite direction. "You came to the wrong place. You're supposed to go in the opposite direction."
"I came to the wrong place?" Li Huowang muttered and took a quick look at the building's interior, finding several documents hanging on the walls.
"The Surveillance Bureau sells the official almanac. Those who are caught illegally printing it will be executed, along with their immediate family members and spouses."
Li Huowang nodded and bade goodbye before turning around to leave. He walked toward an empty-looking building. The massive metallic mask on the building had attracted his attention.
The mask was roughly three meters tall, and it was covered in green rust after being exposed to the elements for such a long time. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
The mask looked similar to that unique golden mask; the only difference between the two was that the eyeholes had been replaced with protruding cylinders. The cylinders protruded from the eyeholes and were soaring into the boundless sky.
Li Huowang looked away and walked into the building.
The interior wasn't big, and it was roughly the same size as a classroom in the modern world. Surprisingly, the building was completely empty; there was just an empty square when Li Huowang walked in.
Just as Li Huowang was feeling confused, several gazes landed on him. He turned to where the gazes were coming from, but he couldn't see anyone. Li Huowang knew just then that he was at the right place and revealed his identity token.
Deep thuds echoed as a wooden wall transformed, revealing a hidden door. A skinny man walked out from the hidden door, and there was a blind black bird perched on the skinny man's shoulder.
"Is this your first time here?" asked the black bird.
Li Huowang nodded. "I'm usually in Yinling City, and this is my first time in Shangjing. Greetings, Senior."
"Follow me, and I will show you the path."
The skinny man walked into the hidden door with the black bird on his shoulder.
Li Huowang followed closely behind them and was surprised to see that the hidden passageway wasn't covered pitch black. The oil lamps hanging on the walls illuminated the path, and clanking noises constantly filled the passageway.
Li Huowang stared at the skinny man's back and decided to be a bit more proactive.
He had found it a good idea to do so in situations like these, so he said, "Senior, my name is Er Jiu, and I am from the Ao Jing Sect."
"Sima Lan, from the Mo Family. No need to be so formal. You're a part of the Surveillance Bureau, so we're considered half-brothers," the black bird replied.
"Mo Family?" Li Huowang's pupils constricted. It had been a long time since he last heard of the Mo Family's name. The Mo Family was a famous family with a deep history back in the modern world.
However, Sima Lan misunderstood Li Huowang's reaction and explained, "Don't worry, my family is from the Qi faction, not from the evil Liang faction."
Chapter 377 - Sima Lan
"Qi faction? Liang faction?" Li Huowang had no idea what Sima Lan was talking about. Is the Mo Family separated into two different factions? Why is the Liang faction considered evil?
Li Huowang stared deeply at the skinny man with a black bird on his shoulder for quite a while before finally asking. "Senior Sima, what are the Qi faction and the Liang faction of the Mo family?"
Sima Lan was confused about why Li Huowang seemed ignorant of the two factions, but he chose to reply, and the black bird on his shoulder spoke in his place, "They were once united, but their cultivation led them into nurturing different ideologies, which resulted in a clash of ideologies after the family head's death.
"The family split into two factions by then. The Liang faction believes in ghosts, fate, and destiny, but they've misunderstood the family head's teachings. They walked down the wrong path and allied themselves with the detestable Dongzhen Sect, becoming half-human bastards."
Sima Lan's expression was soured, and he looked like he had recalled something he didn't want to remember.
Li Huowang went silent; he knew that the Liang Kingdom's standards when it came to orthodox, official organizations were quite loose. The Liang Kingdom would recognize an organization as an "official" organization as long as it would bring profits to the kingdom and would not harm it; it didn't matter whether the organization's practices were evil or upright. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Li Huowang didn't ask any more questions out of courtesy. It had already become clear to him that the Mo Family's issue was the difference in ideologies and techniques.
Li Huowang had to focus on his own issues first before even thinking about anyone else's issues. Li Huowang had learned that Bei Feng had the method to stop the hallucinations of a Strayed One, so Li Huowang just had to find Bei Feng and learn that method from the latter.
Cooperation? It was his first choice, but he cast it aside immediately. The Sitting Oblivion Dao couldn't be trusted. If they found out that Li Huowang was a Strayed One, Li Huowang's life would forever be chaotic.
The only thing Li Huowang could do was find Bei Feng and extract the information from the latter.
To do that, Li Huowang had to find a helper within the Surveillance Bureau. He was sure that he could find someone useful, and that was actually one of the reasons he decided to join the Surveillance Bureau.
They walked along the hidden passageway.
Li Huowang's keen ears picked up some noises. He could hear wood clanking against each other, birds flapping their wings, and the footsteps of people running around.
Li Huowang ignored those noises and followed closely behind Sima Lan. Just then, an eunuch appeared in the distance. The eunuch lowered his head and walked silently on one side of the passageway.
The eunuch passed by Li Huowang and pushed a brick on the wall.
A low rumbling echoed as the same wall opened, revealing a room. Li Huowang looked around and saw a massive window on one end of the room; a variety of birds flew in and out of the room through the window.
One of the eunuchs inside the room untied the papers tied to the birds' feet before placing those papers in a bamboo tube. The eunuch then dropped the bamboo into an odd structure—an array of bamboo pipes that resembled a spider.
The bamboo spider exuded the smell of mold, and it looked quite aged. Even the gears made out of bamboo inside of it had been devastated by mold. Regardless, the bamboo spider was still working, and its gears turned and clacked as it worked.
The letters inside the bamboo tube were distributed to the eunuchs in the room.
The eunuchs skillfully placed the letters into their own categories before placing them all into a cabinet that resembled a medicine cabinet.
Eunuchs, carrier birds, a bamboo spider. Every single one of them moved fast and efficiently to fulfill their role in the Surveillance Bureau.
Li Huowang's curiosity was piqued when Sima Lan turned and started walking toward a nearby staircase. Li Huowang snapped back to reality and followed after Sima Lan, who turned left to go down the stairs.
"Memorize the markings. You can enter from both the Gate of Rest and the Gate of Life. Make sure not to enter the wrong door," Sima Lan said, pushing one of the doors open to reveal a dim hall.
The hall was filled with screens. There were shadowy figures either standing or sitting behind those screens, which meant every screen was occupied. They were so close to Li Huowang, but even his keen ears couldn't quite make out their conversation.
Goosebumps broke out all over Li Huowang as he walked through the forest of screens amidst the muffled voices in the hall. Li Huowang had to reassure himself that he was in the Surveillance Bureau, not in a town filled with ghosts.
Li Huowang was worried that his identity would end up getting revealed the moment he entered. Fortunately, the spindle that he had received from Zhuge Yuan was pretty effective.
Li Huowang looked around and found that the interior of this hall was similar to the previous hall. The screens and pillars were riddled with molds. Li Huowang didn't expect that the grand hall would be so musty and dirty.
"Senior Sima, why is everything here moldy? Is the ventilation here that bad?" Li Huowang asked casually.
"Maybe. The molds appeared at the beginning of this year; they weren't here last year," Sima Lan replied. Then, he pointed at something and said, "Since this is your first time here, go ahead and register yourself over there. Once you're done, I'll tell you more about certain things."
Li Huowang followed Sima Lan's finger and saw a plain-looking man in the distance.
The plain-looking man wearing a long robe was counting something with his fingers behind a tall counter. The tall counters reminded Li Huowang of the counters at the pawn shops of the modern world.
If Li Huowang had no idea that he was in the Surveillance Bureau, he would have thought that the plain-looking man was a storyteller working in a tea shop.
Sima Lan's black bird flew toward the tall counter and pecked the plain-looking man.
The plain-looking man didn't even glance at Li Huowang; he continued counting in one hand while he extended his other hand to Li Huowang and said, "Give me your identity token."
The plain-looking man's surname was Nangong, and he stroked the engraving on the token for a few moments before throwing it back to Li Huowang. "You must be Er Jiu. Erniu told me about you before he left."
Li Huowang nodded. He could still remember that Ji Xiang's real name was Feng Erniu.
Nangong started talking with Sima Lan.
Meanwhile, Li Huowang mulled over his next steps.
Eventually, the conversation between Nangong and Sima Lan ended. Sima Lan turned to Li Huowang and got ready to bring him somewhere else.
Li Huowang stared at Sima Lan and asked, "Senior Sima, who should I find if I want to accept missions?"
Sima Lan was surprised, but he didn't show it on the outside as he replied, "You've become a Banner, so you don't need to accept missions from others. You have to choose your own missions."
Sima Lan then led Li Huowang to the great hall and pulled open one of the screens.
A table surrounded by a few stools was behind the screen.
Sima Lan's bird pecked the table, and a pale-looking eunuch arrived. The pale-looking eunuch bowed toward Li Huowang and Sima Lan. At this point, Li Huowang had become one of the shadowy figures he saw behind the screens earlier.
"Ask him if you need any missions. He has the latest list of missions, but of course, those missions were updated this morning. If you need any help from someone below your rank or from someone idle, you can ask him to enlist them for your mission."
Li Huowang nodded at Sima Lan's explanation and turned to the pale-looking eunuch, asking, "How do I accept missions?"
Chapter 378 - Records
At Li Huowang's question, the pale-looking eunuch politely explained, "Sir, only those below the Seventh Banner would have to look for someone to give them a mission. The procedure changes slightly from the Seventh Banner onward."
Li Huowang nodded, verifying that Tuoba Danqing hadn't lied to him.
The Surveillance Bureau was very lax to outsiders but strict to their own members.
The higher Li Huowang's rank, the stronger the restrictions he would have to face.
If Li Huowang were to become a Ji Xiang, it would be no different from becoming an official of the Imperial Palace. Li Huowang would have his own custom-made uniform as well as daily missions to accomplish.
Of course, the Surveillance Bureau would become more generous to him by then.
The Surveillance Bureau might bestow upon him the method to disperse a person's obsession, which would allow them to keep on extending their lifespan using lifespan pills. Of course, that wouldn't be it; Li Huowang would also gain access to the Surveillance Bureau's treasures and hidden techniques.
The higher his rank, the stronger the treasures and techniques he could receive. A mercenary like Li Huowang would never be able to have access to such things unless he made a drastic move. At best, Li Huowang could buy items from the Surveillance Bureau using lifespan pills.
Li Huowang's quality of work and speed would be the deciding factor when it came to when the Surveillance Bureau would officially allow him entry into their inner circle.
Once the higher-ups of the Surveillance Bureau believed that a certain worker was smart, hardworking, strong, and with a reputable background, they would send someone to negotiate with the said worker, asking them to enter the inner circle.
Of course, Li Huowang didn't really care about that. He just wanted to fulfill his own goals. "Are there any missions related to the Sitting Oblivion Dao?"
"Please give me a moment, sir. I'll go and fetch the relevant documents," said the pale-looking eunuch with a bow. Then, he turned around and walked out of the screen.
Sima Lan frowned, and the blind black bird spoke in his stead, "Why are you looking for the Sitting Oblivion Dao?"
"I have a grudge against them," said Li Huowang. His excuse was both believable and reasonable.
Sima Lan didn't probe any further, but it was unsure whether he believed Li Huowang or not.
Soon, the pale-looking eunuch returned with a stack of parchment and papers.
"Sir, these are all—"
The pale-looking eunuch's words had yet to finish echoing in the air when Li Huowang grabbed the documents and read them. He read through all of them but found none of them contained anything about Bei Feng.
Li Huowang looked up and saw that Sima Lan had disappeared somewhere.
Li Huowang merely shrugged and asked the pale-looking eunuch. "What's wrong with these missions? These are just some random small fries. The majority of them are suspicions as well rather than confirmed sightings. Do you have any missions involving the Four Joys or the Three Officials?"
The pale-looking eunuch became even more pallid at Li Huowang's remark as he hurriedly said, "Oh, no, sir. If there were any missions involving the Four Joys or the Three Officials, we would send people to deal with them immediately!
"Those figures are exceedingly dangerous, and we can't let any missions related to them rot in here, waiting for someone to take the mission during their spare time.
"Missions are divided in ranks as well, sir, and the missions involving the Four Joys or the Three Officials would always be considered Third-rank missions.
"The leader would immediately dispatch people to deal with such missions as soon as they appear. There's no way we'll wait for someone to take it here."
Li Huowang nodded, finding the pale-looking eunuch's explanation as reasonable. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎
The Surveillance Bureau had to react fast enough to the appearance of the Sitting Oblivion Dao's higher-ranking members; otherwise, the Liang Kingdom would suffer greatly.
Unfortunately, the discovery put Li Huowang at an impasse. He was in the Surveillance Bureau, but he still couldn't find Bei Feng.
Li Huowang pondered briefly before asking, "Are there any information or records about the Four Joys and the Three Officials? Anything is fine."
"We do have those. Please give me a moment, sir."
Li Huowang had just in case, but the pale-looking eunuch moved speedily and soon returned with a massive stack of documents. "Sir, you're a Seventh Banner, so you can read all of these."
Li Huowang decided to do just that. Of course, his goal was to find any information related to Bei Feng. After reading the entire stack of documents, Li Huowang finally discovered something. Bei Feng was in Tanyang County's Wu State three years ago.
According to the records, Bei Feng had accompanied Dong Feng to seize control of a Strayed One. They had blackmailed the Strayed One, saying that Bei Feng would kill the family of the Strayed One if the latter refused to cooperate with Bei Feng.
Li Huowang frowned and continued reading.
Bei Feng was one of the Four Joys, so he was extremely strong. He was strong enough to instantly drown anyone in confusion. He had excellent synergy with Dong Feng, allowing him to exchange bodies with others.
They needed just a single eye contact to exchange bodies with that person.
To make matters worse, they would retain their abilities even after the exchange.
The records revealed that they had plunged the entire Tanyang County into chaos, and they exchanged the bodies of many people; a notable example of it was the incident wherein they exchanged the bodies of the wife and the grandmother while they exchanged the bodies of the grandson and the husband.
They caused great confusion in everyone's relationship with each other.
Bei Feng was an exceptional expert at exploiting others through tricks and deception by taking advantage of their desires, which was the hallmark of the Four Joys.
Bei Feng managed to fool a ton of people into becoming his accomplice. He even managed to transform a seventeen-year-old girl into a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao in just two hours, effectively turning her into Wu Tiao[1].
The battle on that fateful day resulted in the deaths of a Ji Xiang and a Jian Zheng. However, they managed to secure the Strayed One, and they also killed Dong Feng.
Li Huowang memorized every single piece of information related to Bei Feng. Li Huowang knew of the Ji Xiang position, and he reckoned that Jian Zhengs were most likely higher in rank compared to Ji Xiangs.
The Surveillance Bureau had sent over a dozen people, but they still lost two members, which was enough evidence of Bei Feng's formidable strength.
Moreover, Bei Feng possessed the strange power to make anyone else exchange bodies with someone else; he could also transform someone into a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao through deceit.
The pressure on Li Huowang's shoulders abruptly became heavy upon realizing the true strength of the Four Joys. Based on the records, it was impossible for Li Huowang to stand against them alone.
Thankfully, Li Huowang no longer needed to fight by himself.
Can Bei Feng threaten to kill the people inside the hallucination of a Strayed One?
Li Huowang hesitated at the thought, and his expression turned ugly at the thought that his mother and Yang Na could fall for the deceit of the Sitting Oblivion Dao or die in the worst-case scenario.
Li Huowang handed over the stack of documents to the pale-looking eunuch.
"You may return these," Li Huowang said.
"Yes." The pale-looking eunuch bowed and turned around to leave.
"Wait," Li Huowang stopped the pale-looking eunuch and asked, "With my rank, can I read the majority of the documents here?"
"Yes, you may read anything in the first to fourth archive."
"I need information about Strayed Ones. Anything will do," said Li Huowang with clenched fists. Li Huowang was a Strayed One, but he wasn't actually quite clear as to what exactly were Strayed Ones.
Li Huowang was already here, so he decided to take complete advantage of the Surveillance Bureau's resources to understand the Strayed Ones.
1. unknown position for now, will change after more info ?
Chapter 379 - Strayed Ones
"Father?" Li Sui lifted his two eyeballs and saw a rapidly beating heart overhead.
Li Sui had no idea why his father's heart was beating so fast, and the discovery amused Li Sui rather than unnerved him. It wasn't the first time that it happened, but the experience never seemed to get old.
Li Huowang had ignored Li Sui's call, prompting Li Sui to carefully poke Li Huowang's heart with his tentacle. Upon receiving no reaction, Li Sui tugged on it gently.
"Ouch! What are you doing?! Stay still!" Li Huowang scolded.
Li Sui was startled, and he immediately retracted his tentacle.
Li Sui dared not move upon getting scolded.
After a while, Li Sui started moving once more, but he didn't change spots. Instead, he decided to toy with the black spindle that his father had given to him.
Li Sui had no idea what the word "spindle" meant, but his father called it "spindle," so he decided to call it that as well. Li Sui circled the spindle numerous times with his two eyes before getting bored. However, he didn't want to go out. He liked to stay in Li Huowang's abdomen, as it was quiet and peaceful.
After a while, Li Sui carefully extended a single tentacle with an eyeball out of Li Huowang's belly button to examine the world outside. Li Sui saw a table before his father. Aside from a cup of tea, there was nothing else on the table. Li Huowang looked anxious, as if he was waiting for something.
Where are we? Li Sui tried to listen to his surroundings, but he could only hear muffled noises.
Oh, someone's here. Li Sui cast a careful gaze at the pale-looking man holding a stack of documents. Why are there so many books? Is father going to teach me how to read again? I don't want to learn anymore.
The pale-looking man placed the documents on the table.
Li Sui wanted to read, but he was unfamiliar with the words on the documents aside from a few words.
Strayed Ones? What does that mean? Li Sui tried to take a closer look, but Li Huowang had picked up the book.
Li Huowang's pupils quivered as he read the book. He read it carefully, afraid of missing even a single letter, as it contained a ton of information about the Strayed Ones!
Li Huowang flipped through the pages and was taken aback.
The book truly had a ton of information about the Strayed Ones, but they were all descriptions rather than what Li Huowang needed. Li Huowang needed the method of using a Strayed One's eyes and a Muddled One's hair to make an artifact.
"Next," said Li Huowang as he grabbed the next book to start reading it. Li Huowang read book after book, but all of them were books about using a Strayed One's body or mind for cultivation purposes.
Li Huowang was disgruntled by the discovery. The information was useless to him unless he cut himself open and refined his own organs into weapons or artifacts.
Chirp!
A shrill chirping interrupted Li Huowang, startling him.
"Why are you reading about the Strayed Ones? Do you have a Strayed One?"
Li Huowang turned around and saw Sima Lan.
Is he suspicious of me? Li Huowang was slightly flustered. He took a quick breath and arranged the books neatly before replying, "I read that Bei Feng is a Strayed One, so I'm trying to learn more about the Strayed Ones."
"How about the elders of the Ao Jing Sect? Did they not tell you about them?" Sima Lan asked.
Li Huowang removed the cloth bag from his back and opened it, revealing the artifact that Ji Xiang had given to him—the wish wood. The Strayed One's tongue was still pinned to the wood.
"The elders at Cross Temple always told me that the Strayed Ones are living treasures. We must not fight them head-on and must coax them gently. They never told me why, though. There's no way I can try coaxing Bei Feng if I ever meet him next time, so what am I supposed to do?"
"I see," Sima Lan said, nodding. "Then, you don't have to check the fourth archive. You're a Seventh Banner, so I'm just going to tell you."
Li Huowang's ears perked up as Sima Lan said, "Beings that live and die cannot produce another being that can't live and die; beings that can't change cannot produce beings that can change. Those who can't live and die can produce beings that can live and die; those who can't change can produce beings that can change. Beings that can live and die must live and die; beings that can change must change.
"This is why such beings live, die, and change."
Li Huowang's head throbbed in pain as he attempted to comprehend Sima Lan's words. In the end, he decided to stop Sima Lan and said, "Senior Sima, please keep the explanation simple enough for me. I'm not exactly educated, so you can just keep things simple for me."
SIma Lan frowned, and his gaze on Li Huowang briefly contained contempt and disdain. However, he didn't express it and simply knocked the blind black bird on its head.
The blind black bird answered, "Our master said that everyone has ten emotions and eight sufferings, but Strayed Ones are different. Not only do they have the ten emotions and eight sufferings, but they also have the primordial breath. In the beginning, everything is just starting to take form; when there is form, there is essence, but it is incomplete.
"Strayed Ones are like that—they have both form and essence, but they're still incomplete. The Strayed Ones are extraordinary foes, as they possess the primordial breath.
"They can make use of their primordial breath to meld their ten emotions and eight sufferings with the Heavenly Dao. Even the Gods cannot save you against a Strayed One once the latter has decided to use their primordial breath against you."
Li Huowang gulped at the remark and hurriedly asked, "What's going to happen once a Strayed One decides to use their primordial breath?"
"The land would be torn apart; the seas would churn, as storms and torrential downpours would all be just a single thought away for that Strayed One!" Sima Lan exclaimed, sounding surprised by his own voice as well.
Hm? Li Huowang was surprised. Are Strayed Ones really that strong? If a Strayed One is capable of reshaping the land itself, can they still be called a Strayed One?
Li Huowang's eyes glazed over as he peered over Sima Lan's shoulders to stare at the illusions behind him—the faceless Hong Zhong, the innocent monk, the headless Peng Longteng, and the legless Jin Shanzhao.
No way! How can their explanation of Strayed One be so different? Why aren't they talking about hallucinations? What about the illusions that follow a Strayed One once a Strayed One kills? And what about the technique to project my body's illusion? 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
"Hohoho, of course, the runt from the Mo Family isn't exactly knowledgeable about the Strayed Ones. He has merely recited what he had memorized from textbooks, and do you think that he has seen a Strayed One before?" Hong Zhong teased Li Huowang, "Oh, wait, he's standing in front of a Strayed One right now! Hahaha!"
Li Huowang's eyelid twitched, and he directly ignored Hong Zhong. He stared at Sima Lan and asked, "If an ordinary Strayed One is already that strong, doesn't that mean that Bei Feng is even stronger?"
"Yes," Sima Lan said, nodding. "I'm sure you already know, but it's exceedingly difficult to deceive the members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. That's exactly why Bei Feng became one of the Four Joys."
"How do I fight Bei Feng?"
"If we knew that, Bei Feng would have perished long ago. How could we let him wreak havoc everywhere he goes?"
Li Huowang frowned at Sima Lan's response. It seemed that he had to go back to the drawing board and revise his plan.