Mutated Tao

“Senior Zhuge, please wait.” Li Huowang interrupted Zhuge Yuan. “I know what you're trying to say. You don't have to explain it any further.”

Zhuge Yuan was confused. “Junior Li, do you really understand me? Those who have heard my explanation so far have always told me that the Qi Kingdom doesn’t exist. They'd always argue with me.”

“Since you say that the Qi Kingdom exists, then it exists.”

Li Huowang was a Strayed One, so he truly understood Zhuge Yuan’s feelings. He wholeheartedly accepted Zhuge Yuan's explanation. There was no need to cause distress to another person with ‘One’ in their name.

Zhuge Yuan frowned, sensing that Li Huowang didn't believe him at all. “Junior Li, the Twisted Ones and the Strayed Ones are two different entities. The Qi Kingdom exists! The Liang Kingdom is fake!”

“Yes, I know. The Liang Kingdom is fake. The Qi Kingdom is real.” Li Huowang nodded. He made up his mind that even if Zhuge Yuan were to go and save the Qi Kingdom from ruins, even though the kingdom was no more, Li Huowang would still follow Zhuge Yuan.

Zhuge Yuan was kind, and Li Huowang was more than happy to help him.

Of course, there was a limit to it.

After all, the Twisted Ones' curse was related to a Siming inside Baiyu Capital. Li Huowang wasn’t sure what Heavenly Dao was under the Three Ancient Ones' control, but he was sure that he couldn’t do much about it with his meager power.

“Why won't you believe me? The book explaining how the Strayed Ones can cultivate the 'Truth' is located in a library somewhere in the capital of the Qi Kingdom. Come, let me tell you the history of the Qi Kingdom.”

"Senior Zhuge, you don't have to do that," Li Huowang hurriedly said. He had to stop Zhuge Yuan, or the latter might speak for three days and nights straight. feared that it would take three days and nights to fully explain it. “You just need to tell me where we should go, what we should do, and who we should kill. I'll follow your orders.”

Zhuge Yuan relented upon seeing Li Huowang's determined look. Of course, he was a bit sad at the rejection. “Junior Li, you must not stop learning throughout your life. The sea of knowledge is boundless, and all past scholars only had one regret—the fact that they haven't read enough.”

Li Huowang had no idea what to say, but he finally understood why Zhuge Yuan had the moniker—Storyteller.

“If the officials and eunuchs are truly causing havoc in the palace of the Qi Kingdom. I don’t think we should discuss that here, Zhuge Yuan.”

“Fine. There’s still time. I can just tell you as we travel.” Zhuge Yuan stood up and took some of the paintings on the wall. “Follow me to the capital, where we'll meet the Imperial Preceptor.”

“All right,” Li Huowang said. Then, he stood up and helped Zhuge Yuan take some of the paintings.

“Senior Zhuge, you said that Dan Yangzi had used his obsession and my power to become a half Immortal. Doesn’t that mean that I can use that power, too?” Li Huowang asked.

“Of course, the Strayed Ones can use that power. Why do you think others resort to trickery just to capture them? That's exactly the reason why. They're afraid of the Strayed Ones' power.

"However, I think you shouldn't think about wielding your primordial breath for now. You're just going to harm yourself without the proper technique to wield it. Or what? Do you want to become a half Immortal like your master?”

Li Huowang went silent when he remembered Dan Yangzi’s three heads. No one deserved to live such a life, even his enemies. Li Huowang had decided to wield the Profound Records rather than attempt to use his powers.

After all, the Profound Records was easier to use.

“Junior Li, I think you should still try to search for the cultivation method to cultivate the ‘Truth.' I mean, think about the Muddled Ones. Unlike us, they have no choice, and most of them usually go crazy after using their powers haphazardly."

***

“Shit! There's no way I'm going to lose! One head and one tail! No way I'm losing here!”

“Two heads! I bet ten coins!”

“Two heads!”

“Shit! Get out of here! Stay away from me! Don't you dare steal my luck!”

A group of people raised a cacophonous din, betting their money away in a gambling den filled with the sweat of its patrons.

Some of the patrons were notorious gang members, and it wasn't really a strange sight. After all, where there was light, there was also darkness. Yinling City was prosperous, and there was a reason behind its prosperity.

Surprisingly, Sir Kui’s gambling den was considered one of the cleanest gambling dens in the city.

“Anyone else? Anyone else who wants to place their bets? Bets are confirmed once you lift your hands off of the table!”

Lu Xiucai sat in the middle of the gambling den with a demeanor that made him appear as if he were a general heading to the front lines. His naive demeanor was no more and had been replaced by a demeanor hardly seen in someone his age.

Lu Xiucai chuckled as he swept his gaze across the tiny hill of coins and silver on the table. He made a seal with his right arm inside his sleeves and stomped with his right foot; the coins inside the bowl moved unbeknownst to everyone.

Everyone howled and sighed when the bowl was opened. The two coins inside the bowl were both tails, and it was coincidentally the outcome with the least bets.

A few unrelenting gamblers grabbed the coins and inspected them, but they found nothing strange with the coins. Lu Xiucai were using rusty coins, but they were ordinary coins.

“Shit! I can't believe my luck is so bad tonight! Guys, let’s go to Sir Kui and borrow some money!”

Time passed slowly amidst the cacophonous din. Soon, the roosters crowed to greet the day, and the gamblers exited listlessly as if their souls had been sucked out of their fleshly bodies.

Lu Xiucai stood in front of a chubby man while counting the money he had earned overnight. He could only take forty percent of the revenue, but his share was already big enough to make Lu Xiucai happy.

“Sir Lu, this is your share.”

“Thank you, Sir Kui!” Lu Xiucai exclaimed, eyes shining in greed as he happily accepted the money.

I really want to show Father just how much money I can earn overnight! This is more money than he can earn through performing for several days! Hmph! How dare he say I'm useless, even though he’s a useless and senile old man.

Lu Xiucai was putting away his money into his two pouches when Sir Kui, the owner of the gambling den, advised, “Sir Lu, make sure to let them win from time to time. Let them win once every three or four rounds; that way they'll certainly come back.”

“Sure, I'm going to do that next time,” Lu Xiucai walked out of the gambling den with a spring in his steps. A few gangsters outside smiled at him and congratulated him.

Lu Xiucai seemed to be on good terms with the gangsters. He waved his arm and shouted, “Come here, let’s go have breakfast! It’s my treat today!”

The gangsters cheered at Lu Xiucai's words.

“Sir Lu truly is a righteous and generous man!”

“Sir Lu is the most generous man in Yinling City!”

“Of course! Who would dare to say otherwise?!”

Lu Xiucai felt like he was floating on cloud nine, and he couldn't suppress his grin.

This is how life is supposed to be! My previous life as a performer was almost like living as a prisoner!

Chacha and Char's Thoughts

I actually managed to get ahold of some of the older illustrations after dealing some issues with Douyin, so here are some character illustrations and the chapters they appeared in! First we have the Human Xiaos, first appearing in Chapter 321 Credits to 格子的乱七八糟 on douyin

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