Mutated Tao

After some time, Li Huowang was sitting on the stool while running his hands across the golden sandalwood table in front of him, feeling the soft animal skin beneath his feet. As he surveyed the luxurious interior of the room, he knew that having a meal at this place was bound to be quite expensive. He’d seen this restaurant next to the Exquisite Pagoda before. Judging based on where it was located, it must be pretty well-known in all of Yinling City.

Creak~

The door opened, and a beautifully dressed woman with a light fragrance entered the room and placed various delicious dishes on the round table.

As Li Huowang looked at the dishes, he realized that he couldn’t even discern the ingredients used to make some of the dishes on this table, let alone having eaten them before.

“Hehehe~ Come, come, Brother Er, let’s toast,” said Tuoba Danqing as he lifted the silver pot, about to pour a cup of wine in front of Li Huowang.

Li Huowang felt a little uneasy. “Brother Tuoba, I'm not good with drinks. Please forgive me.”

After saying that, Li Huowang picked up the teapot beside him and poured some tea for himself. “I’ll use the tea instead of wine. I raise this toast to Brother Tuoba, wishing you all the best!”

Tuoba Danqing grinned as he raised his wine glass and clinked it against Li Huowang’s teacup. “Alright~ Here’s to Brother Er’s smooth journey to the Immortals’ residence!”

Li Huowang placed the teacup under his mask and took a small sip.

Meanwhile, Tuoba Danqing rolled up his sleeves, lifted his chopsticks, and started jabbing them into the dish placed before him, emitting white steam. “Come, come, let’s eat! Try this dish! It’s called ‘Myriad of Colors’, and is a specialty of Yinling City. You won’t find it anywhere else.”

With their chopsticks raised and cups clinking, the atmosphere in the room soon became much more relaxed. Mealtime conversations had a distinctly different ambiance compared to discussions that happened elsewhere.

Tuoba Danqing’s plump face turned rosy as he smacked his lips a few times while savoring the food. Then, he leaned on the round table with his elbows, and slurred, “Brother Er, from now on, we’re like family. If there’s anything you don’t understand about the Bureau, feel free to ask me. Also, remember this: You’re part of the Surveillance Bureau now. If you ever encounter any issues in official matters, then you can always invoke the name of the Surveillance Bureau. As long as it’s not a major issue, most government offices will show some leeway.”

“Thanks a lot, Brother Tuoba. In that case, I’ve indeed encountered some difficulties,” said Li Huowang as he extended his hand, bringing out the Bagua mirror he had prepared in advance. “This item belonged to a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. It’s incredibly powerful, but I can’t find the method to activate it. Brother Tuoba, please take a look.”

“An item that was originally owned by someone from the Sitting Oblivion Dao? Haha, they don’t have anything of their own. It’s obviously something they swindled. Let me take a look,” said Tuoba Danqing as he took it and carefully examined it. However, even as he started examining it with his hands, his mouth never stopped talking. “Brother Er, how did it go that day? Tell me, how did you deal with that member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao?”

Naturally, there was nothing to hide, and after glossing over some of the details about the Black Taisui, Li Huowang told Tuoba Danqing most of what had happened that night.

“Ha, those damned scammers from the Sitting Oblivion Dao, always claiming that others belong to their group. This kind of scam is as old as they come,” Tuoba Danqing sneered with a hint of disdain on his face. “However, even with such a simple scam, there will always be a few naive individuals who fall for their tricks. The truth is that I’ve already seen through all their tricks. I’ll kill as many of those bastards from Sitting Oblivion Dao as they come. All that talk about the Three Officials or the Four Joys, and the dices or the flowers, it’s all useless nonsense!”

By this point, it was obvious Tuoba Danqing was starting to brag. Naturally, Li Huowang wouldn’t expose him and just went along with it.

There was nothing wrong with a bit of boasting over drinks. In fact, it actually made Li Huowang feel that Tuoba Danqing was also a human being.

“This looks like a Daoist artifact. But can you see? The positions of the symbols on this Bagua mirror are not right. The Kun is above, and the Qian is below. In Daoism, this is the opposite of the reversal of heaven and earth. As far as I know, there are only three families in the Liang Kingdom that practice something like this,” said Tuoba Danqing as he handed the mirror back to Li Huowang. “Alright, take it back for now. I’ll look into it and get back to you. If there’s a matching cultivation method, then I’ll send you a letter. Regardless, this thing should be quite valuable. I estimate it to be worth at least three to five decades of lifespan. Brother Er, you are very lucky to have this.”

If one looked beyond the surface, this also implied that within the Surveillance Bureau, the currency for transactions was not gold or silver, but rather lifespan.

“Thanks again, Brother Tuoba,” thanked Li Huowang as he took back the mirror.

“You don’t have to thank me for such small matters. We are all on the same side. Let’s drink!” Tuoba Danqing lifted his wine glass and took a gulp, letting out a satisfied burp. Then, he picked up his chopsticks to start eating.

After a while, Tuoba Danqing suddenly seemed to have thought of something. He placed his chopsticks on the edge of his dish and reached his hand into the cloth bag under the table. After digging around for a while, he pulled out over a dozen dark pills.

“Here, I almost forgot. This is your reward, thirteen years of lifespan. Take them, and use them well. They are sealed with elixir techniques, and are slightly different from your usual methods,” said Tuoba Danqing as he handed the pills over to Li Huowang.

Li Huowang took out the gourd from his waist. With a few movements of the small mouth of the gourd, its entire front half cracked open, revealing a sharp opening. Then, the gourd swallowed the lifespan pills one by one.

Upon seeing Li Huowang’s gourd, Tuoba Danqing’s slightly intoxicated expression revealed a hint of satisfaction as he said, “Brother Er, that won’t work. That thing is not even as strong as my tattered cloth bag. Though mine is worn out, it can hold more than yours. In the future, find some time to go to the capital and buy some useful goods.”

“Oh? The Surveillance Bureau has a dedicated place for trade?” Li Huowang was taken aback, realizing the potential significance of this fact for both future intelligence-gathering and strengthening of his abilities.

“Wouldn’t it be weird if they don’t have one?” asked Tuoba Danqing.

Hearing this, Li Huowang agreed before quickly pouring himself a small amount of wine, raising his cup to toast Tuoba Danqing.

Li Huowang’s sharp senses made it easy for him to get tipsy, but sometimes, getting a bit drunk was just what he needed.

As the night went on, the drinks kept flowing. Slowly, their camaraderie became so strong that it almost reached the point of them performing traditional rituals like burning yellow paper and sacrificing a chicken to become sworn brothers.

As he listened to Tuoba Danqing’s voice, Li Huowang was reminded of his dormitory mates; it was as if he had returned to the time when he was in high school before his illness began. Back then, he wasn’t mentally ill, and there was no transmigration. Yang Na was real, and his future was bright.

Ah... how great would it be to once again go back to that time…

But now, I’ve already joined the Surveillance Bureau. The precarious days are behind me, and from now on, each day will surely be better than the last. Some day, I’ll live a life even better than the one before!

In a daze, Tuoba Danqing embraced Li Huowang’s shoulders, leaned against the window sill, and gazed at the quiet Yinling City outside. His voice carried a hint of emotion as he said, “Dear brother~! Look at how beautiful Yinling City is. Honestly, I haven’t been here much.”

“Brother Tuoba, I apologize! I’ll punish myself with three cups! I’m sorry for making Brother Tuoba run around!” said Li Huowang. He was so drunk that his tongue was tied, and at times, he didn’t even know what he was saying.

“What are you apologizing for? What nonsense are you talking about? I just happened to pass by. It’s not specifically for you, my friend. Can you guess what I was doing before?” said Tuoba Danqing.

“How could I guess? Brother Tuoba…”, Li Huowang hiccuped before continuing, “…look, the sun is almost up. How about we call it a night?”

Hearing that Li Huowang didn’t pick up on his cue, Tuoba Danqing got a bit annoyed. “Come here, let me show you a real treasure! It’ll broaden your horizons, my friend!”

Then, he pulled Li Huowang back to the table, plopped down on the ground, and rummaged through his tattered yellow cloth bag. Soon, he forcefully pulled out a man’s head, along with a mass of bloody and mushy internal organs.

“Hmm?” Li Huowang looked at it in bewilderment. “Brother Tuoba, what is this?”

“Hehe, you don’t know, huh? This is the Strayed One we specially obtained from the depths of Qing Qiu with Lord Jixiang,” said Tuoba Danqing.

As soon as these words came out, the illusion of Hong Zhong burst into laughter, doubling over as he struggled to catch his breath.

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