Mutated Tao

Dak dak dak~

The sound of horse hoofs rang out non stop. Due to the rain, there weren’t a lot of people on the streets. Thus, the horses could run faster as well.

The veil of one of the riders flew in the wind, revealing Li Huowang’s resolute gaze. He held the reins in one hand as he took out a letter from inside his robes. It was a letter from Tuoba Danqing. It didn’t say much.

“Ji Xiang summons. Come Immediately. Yinling Prison.”

By now, Li Huowang had a good grasp of Tuoba Danqing’s personality. With his character, if he didn’t inform Li Huowang of something over food and wine, then it meant that the mission was critical.

Li Huowang didn’t know if this was a blessing or a curse. Thus, the best he could do was prepare for the worst-case scenario.

Thankfully he was all alone now, and so there was nothing for him to be afraid of.

Soon, Li Huowang reached his destination and jumped down from the horse. He looked up and observed the eerie building made from bricks. The guards guarding the door were all exuding a murderous aura, a clear sign that this was the place where they kept some of the more heinous criminals.

Li Huowang also had a faint feeling that the guards possessed a military background too.

Just as Li Huowang dismounted his horse, he felt a slight pricking sensation from his organs, a sign that someone was aiming hidden weapons at him from the shadows.

He quickly displayed his identity token and walked through the main gates. The gates of the prison were being guarded by two stone lions.

Just as Li Huowang walked in, he saw Tuoba Danqing sitting on a bench as he waved at him. “Junior Er, come here! Quick!”

When Li Huowang walked over, he saw someone familiar. It was Hong Da, the Creditor.

Without waiting for Li Huowang to greet him, Tuoba Danqing happily pulled Li Huowang and forced him to sit with him on the bench. “Junior Er, as you can see, I do care about your circumstances quite a lot. See, I notified you immediately the moment that a good mission came up.”

“Oh? Is this a good mission?” asked Li Huowang as he sniffed the cold and rotten air of his surroundings. He looked around the cells and wasn’t sure whether any of the prisoners were dead or alive. This wasn’t really a good indication.

On the other hand, Tuoba Danqing slapped his legs and smiled happily. “Of course, it's a good mission! After all, we will be fighting against the Sitting Oblivion Dao! Since you have a grudge against them, I’ve nominated you to come with us so that you can have your revenge. See how well I am treating you?”

Li Huowang was surprised. “Please tell me the details about the mission.”

“Don’t worry. Once Ji Xiang comes, he will tell you about everything. We don’t know much about it yet,” Hong Da replied instead of Tuoba Danqing as he calmly sipped on his tea.

“Senior Hong, long time no see. It was only thanks to your referral that I could join the Surveillance Bureau,” Li Huowang greeted Hong Da while secretly estimating the scale of the mission.

If Ji Xiang has to come here personally from the capital, then the mission this time might be quite dangerous…

Li Huowang knew next to nothing about Ji Xiang. All he knew was that he was Tuoba Danqing’s superior. But since Ji Xiang was someone who could work at the headquarters, he should be quite powerful.

“No need to thank me. You were the one who chose the path. Just don’t blame me for letting you join the nest of thieves if something were to happen next time around,” replied Hong Da.

“Ai~ Hong Da, you can’t say that. How could you compare the Bureau to a nest of thieves? You receive so many lifespan pills after every mission and they even compensate you for food and clothes. Plus, the bureau also gives out lots of mooncakes during the Mid-autumn festival. They even pay the money when you go to a gambling den. How could you insult the bureau in front of a newcomer when we are treating you so well?” questioned Tuoba Danqing.

“Fine, fine. You are the loyal worker while I’m the traitorous one.” Hong Da was annoyed by Tuoba Danqing. He rolled his eyes before turning around.

Tuoba Danqing was just about to launch into another tirade when Li Huowang stopped him. “Senior Tuoba, why are we talking about the mission in a prison today?”

“Junior Er, do you see that over there? Yes, the second-to-last cage. We will be escorting the prisoner locked inside there today,” replied Tuoba Danqing.

Just as Li Huowang was about to stand up and take a closer look, a shrill male voice came from behind him.

“Danqing, it seems that everyone is here. Looks like I’m the one who is late today.”

Hmm? An eunuch?

Li Huowang turned around and saw a plump middle-aged man wearing official clothes.

Li Huowang saw the man had white makeup covering his face, was wearing official clothes, and had a repulsive smile. If he hadn’t walked in, Li Huowang would’ve thought the man was a zombie he had seen in movies.

The man stood there while holding onto a golden abacus, smiling as he looked at everyone. He was Ji Xiang.

Li Huowang got nervous and was worried his disguise would be useless. He only sighed in relief when he saw Ji Xiang did not react to him.

On the other hand, Tuoba Danqing became even friendlier when he saw Ji Xiang. He bowed and became very polite as he quickly greeted the man. “Aiya aiya~ Lord Ji Xiang. How could you say that? You are not late. It’s just that we were there too early.”

Tuoba Danqing held the fat eunuch’s hand while wearing a jade ring before letting him sit down on the table. Instantly, a sharp fragrance burst out from within Ji Xiang, instantly causing Li Huowang to frown. Li Huowang’s nose was too sensitive and he managed to determine that the fragrance was weird, because it had the scent of pee as well.

“Lord Ji Xiang, you already know Hong Da. Let me introduce you to the other person. He is Er Jiu. His powers as a member of the Ao Jing Sect are quite amazing. Even a Human Xiao on the Black level was not his opponent. He will definitely be of help to us!” introduced Tuoba Danqing.

Hearing this, Ji Xiang looked at Li Huowang, his eyes twinkling suspiciously.

Feeling uncomfortable, Li Huowang quickly greeted the man, “I greet Lord Ji Xiang.”

“So you are Er Jiu? I remember you. Liu Zhongyuan told me about you before. You come from the Ao Jing Sect but it seems your temper is very bad. Last time you burned down all the members of the White Lotus Sect that was supposed to be sent to the capital. If it wasn’t because of Liu Zhongyuan saying that he didn’t mind it, and the fact that you were Danqing’s subordinate, the Bureau might have actually wanted to summon you and demand an explanation,” said Ji Xiang as sized up Li Huowang.

Hearing this, Tuoba Danqing did his best to smooth the atmosphere. “Haha, my junior over here is indeed slightly temperamental. The only person I could think of who’s both strong and likable within the bureau is you, Lord Ji Xiang.”

Hearing this, Ji Xiang smiled till his eyes were wrinkled. “Hehehe~ Danqing, I really love hanging out with you. Your words soothe me so much~”

Just at that moment, Hong Da interrupted both of them who were complimenting each other, “Ji Xiang, can you explain to us about the mission first before we have to continue listening to you guys talking crap?”

Immediately, both of them stopped and turned serious. Just as Li Huowang thought Ji Xiang was about to teach Hong Da a lesson, the man instead pointed his finger toward the cage.

“Danqing~ Bring Master Xin Chi[1] over here. We will explain the mission after that,” said Ji Xiang.

Meanwhile, Li Huowang, a newcomer to the Surveillance Bureau, silently observed everything that was happening.

It seems that the hierarchy was not as serious as I thought.

1. Master here doesn’t refer to his superior but a title for a Buddhist monk, as in Zen Master ☜

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