Mutated Tao

Li Huowang looked up and saw a black pigeon perched up high, looking down at him. This was the messenger pigeon that Tuoba Danqing had sent for him.

When he removed the letter from the pigeon’s leg and read its contents, he immediately forgot about his meal and turned to head out of the door.

Li Huowang hadn’t expected that Ji Xiang was still in Yinling City! Not only that, he had specifically requested to see Li Huowang by name. This was his opportunity.

What surprised Li Huowang was that the appointed meeting place was not any grand location, but a simple study. It seemed that he had a rather different style from the way Tuoba Danqing did things.

Upon entering, his attention was immediately drawn to a withered tongue. The human tongue was somewhat shriveled, and it was nailed to a decaying piece of wood. At the sight of this, Li Huowang instantly remembered how Tuoba Danqing boasted that this artifact was made with a Strayed One’s tongue[1].

After taking a slow and deep breath, Li Huowang respectfully bowed to the pale-faced old eunuch before him, who was busy with an abacus. “Greetings, Lord Ji Xiang.”

“Hehehe~ This isn’t the palace, we’re all family here. Please, have a seat,” said Ji Xiang.

Li Huowang followed Ji Xiang’s finger and noticed that tea had already been poured for him on the table.

However, rather than sitting down, Li Huowang directly asked, “Lord Ji Xiang, do you have any important instructions for me?”

He remembered how the eunuch had left in a panicked hurry before this. However, he was now sitting comfortably, suggesting that some things must have happened in the meantime.

“Hehehe~ No rush. I heard that you’re quite capable?” commented Ji Xiang as he eyed Li Huowang.

Faced with the old eunuch’s scrutiny, Li Huowang suddenly felt uneasy.

“Hong Da said that when the three of them faced off with you, you even managed to escape? Seems like being a mere Ninth Troop is a waste of your talents,” continued Ji Xiang.

However, Li Huowang did not feel like the other party was praising him, and he felt tense instead. “Lord Ji Xiang, please get to the point.”

“Alright, it’s refreshing to have someone so straightforward. I reckon that you’ve already guessed what we were trying to do previously?” asked Ji Xiang.

Seeing him remain silent, Ji Xiang continued, “That’s right, our task was to retrieve the hidden Muddled One in the Buddha’s Skeleton Temple. But the mission failed! What do you say we should do now? Returning directly and accepting punishment is not an option. So, we need to make up for it!”

At that moment, Ji Xiang suddenly stood up. “Let me be frank with you. This matter is not trivial. We cannot afford to fail again!”

He placed his finger on the mahogany table and forcefully drew a line. “If we are unable to complete this task, then all the blame will fall on us!”

Having listened to so much, Li Huowang finally understood what he was trying to say. “Lord Ji Xiang, are you saying… that we should find another Muddled One as a replacement?”

“Smart! This is the type of talent that we need in our Surveillance Bureau!” Ji Xiang’s round face broke into a smile. “Since they want a Muddled One, we’ll provide them with a Muddled One. It doesn’t matter where the Muddled One comes from. It’s just that back then, the one in Buddha’s Skeleton Temple was dead, and so now we need to capture a live one.”

Li Huowang’s heartbeat quickened.

A live Muddled One? Is that similar to an existence like myself, a live Strayed One?

For some reason, even though he didn’t even know the other party’s name, Li Huowang began to feel a sense of sympathy for that Muddled One.

While Li Huowang was still contemplating, Ji Xiang’s words hit him like a bomb. “We also understand that this is not a proper task for those within the Bureau. There is no reward, and it’s dangerous to deal with a live Muddled One. If you’re unwilling to, then we will understand. Danqing said that you’ve always wanted to read the records in our Four Repositories that are related to the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Isn’t that right? As long as you can handle this matter smoothly, I will personally go there and memorize all of it for you, even at the risk of my own dismissal!”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s breathing turned heavier. On one side was a Muddled One that he had never met, and on the other was information that might allow him to break free of the status of a Strayed One. The choice was easy.

Li Huowang once again bowed to Ji Xiang. “Yes, Lord Ji Xiang!”

Seeing Li Huowang agree, Ji Xiang once again laughed like a flower blooming. He could only tempt him at this point. If he had refused, then there was nothing else he could have done. After all, this young man was said to have a bad temper. If threatened, it might even backfire on him. Fortunately, he had agreed, and this gave him a lot more confidence now.

Meanwhile, Li Huowang’s heart quivered slightly as he looked at the eunuch before him and asked, “Lord Ji Xiang, back in the Buddha’s Skeleton Temple, the Muddled One was intercepted by someone. Then this time, won’t that person come again? What was that person’s origin for them to even dare to intercept things from our Surveillance Bureau?”

However, Ji Xiang’s face remained indifferent as he said, “A Muddled One isn’t much, and one is enough. Zhuge Yuan will not dare snatch it again. If one live and one dead Muddled Ones are merged together, that might be too much for him to handle. Also, don’t worry. The Sitting Oblivion Dao has lost Fa Cai this time. Before a new Fa Cai has been appointed, they will definitely not dare to make a scene. So this time, there’s nothing else to worry about other than the live Muddled One.”

Ji Xiang chuckled as he patted Li Huowang’s shoulder.

However, that only made Li Huowang frown slightly. After all that talk, Ji Xiang had simply disregarded his inquiry. He still could not determine whether Zhuge Yuan was good or bad.

“Lord Ji Xiang, can you tell me more about the background of Zhuge Yuan? I’m afraid of encountering such a strange person again in future. Please enlighten me.” Li Huowang looked up at Ji Xiang, his eyes filled with determination.

Since the other party had specifically requested for him, he may not have a better opportunity to ask about this in future.

At the same time, since Li Huowang had asked the question like that, Ji Xiang could not pretend to not have heard it.

After a moment, Ji Xiang sighed. “It’s inauspicious to bring up this person. But since you insist, let me tell you. Do you know his nickname? Others often call him the Storyteller.”

Ji Xiang slowly sat down and used his hand to pinch his jade ring. “He is a very strange character. Despite dressing like a scholar, he never takes the imperial examinations. Instead, he likes to go to busy places and tell stories. Also, his stories don’t involve romance or military accomplishments. He only speaks about historical records.”

“Historical records?” Li Huowang was puzzled.

“Yes, historical records. Moreover, he fabricates his own records. He claims that 900 years ago, there was no internal strife in the Qi Kingdom, and that the Qi Emperor unified the world. Today, as a new emperor ascends the throne, proclaiming the era of intelligence, auspicious signs appear from the heavens, and birds flock to the young ruler, while the palace is illuminated with a red radiance. However, it’s pure nonsense. If Qi Kingdom did not fall into chaos, then where did the present Liang Kingdom come from? Where did the kingdom of Si Qi come from?”

1. C297. It mentions that the artifact is made of a Strayed One’s Wealth Attraction, which Tuoba Danqing mentions is a person’s tongue. ☜

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