Mutated Tao

Li Huowang soon found himself in the small courtyard of the house that Ji Xiang had decided to give to him. Having a house in Shangjing proved to be quite convenient, as he didn’t have to stay in an inn. He could also allow Black Taisui to have fun in the courtyard, which was away from prying eyes.

Li Huowang stood by the window with his hands behind his back and furrowed brows. He was staring at the desolate snowy streets outside. There weren’t many people on the streets, as the curfew in the capital was brought forward today.

Li Huowang remained silent by the window as if he was waiting for something.

Clip, clop, clop.

The sound of horse hooves echoed just then, and a group of large-framed men in fur coats rode their horses into the capital.

They were the third batch of people from the Surveillance Bureau that had arrived in the capital over the past few days. The badges at their waists made it clear that they were personnel from the Surveillance Bureau stationed throughout the Six Divisions of the Great Liang.

After receiving transfer orders, they all came to the capital. It was still dusk, but the overcast and snowy sky made it seem like it was already night. The desolate streets and the solemn atmosphere of the capital made it seem as though there was an approaching storm, which weighed heavily on Li Huowang's heart.

Just then, a black bird streaked across the air. It circled in the distance before gracefully landing on the windowsill in front of Li Huowang. Li Huowang instantly recognized the bird, and it belonged to Sima Lan from the Mo Family.

A folded piece of paper was in between the bird's beak. Li Huowang opened the piece of paper and was delighted by the text inside of it. "At last, it's about to begin!”

Bun heard Li Huowang descending the stairs in a hurry. It perked up and crawled out beneath the chair. Bun then rushed toward Li Huowang downstairs, but the latter pushed it away, saying, "Stay here and guard the house! Regardless of what you hear later, I want you to stay here without taking a peek outside!"

Li Huowang hopped onto his in the courtyard and rushed in the direction of the Surveillance Bureau. He passed through the gate guarded by two stone lions, and then he soon arrived at the grand hall filled with screens.

However, the screens had been taken down, and there were people standing where the screens were supposed to be. Li Huowang was unsure whether it was intentional or not, but the oil lamps on the walls hadn't been ignited, which made the hall extremely dark.

Li Huowang had exceptional night vision, but he could only make out a few blurry figures in the darkness. He had to get close to them to get a clear view of their faces.

Li Huowang squeezed through the crowd, and he felt like he was standing inside a classroom rather than a grand hall. However, the crowd was markedly different from students, and they were also emitting an ominous aura that made Li Huowang feel uneasy. The majority of them were squatting on the floor as well.

The low and muffled whispers from the crowd coupled with the oppressive atmosphere in the grand hall made everyone present feel a little breathless.

Li Huowang wasn't familiar with the people of Shangjing's Surveillance Bureau. He looked around and saw Sima Lan. He walked over to Sima Lan and saw that the black bird that had delivered a message to him was perched on Sima Lan’s shoulder.

The black bird was the reason Li Huowang had no issues spotting Sima Lan amidst the crowd.

“So you're finally here.” The black bird turned around and nodded at Li Huowang.

“Brother Sima, are these people from the Six Divisions?” Li Huowang asked, sweeping his gaze across the crowd.

“Yes, but I heard that they borrowed some talents from the Qing Qiu Surveillance Bureau as well. Hehe, it seems that the Surveillance Bureau is truly going all out.”

Qing Qiu? Li Huowang suddenly recalled the old Lama with a flock of black sheep. Li Huowang looked around and spotted a person in a Lama headdress in the distance, but he wasn't sure whether they were the same in Li Huowang's memories or not.

“Everyone is here, so what are we waiting for?” Li Huowang asked.

“We’re waiting for the Deputy Chief of the Surveillance Bureau. He’s in charge of all this.”

“Oh? Are they the highest official in the Surveillance Bureau? My apologies. I’ve been outside for a long time, so I'm not quite clear on these matters.”

“No problem. I was like you when I first arrived in the capital. It took me quite a while to figure it out. Anyway, there are five Deputy Chiefs, and none of them is the highest official. The highest official is the Chief[1].”

“The Chief…” Li Huowang muttered, memorizing the word. Afterward, Li Huowang asked, “Since we're going to deal with the entire Sitting Oblivion Dao, will the Chief and the other four Deputy Chiefs come here?”

“In theory, they should come here. However, they're all in the palace; I'm sure they're dealing with an urgent matter there.”

Gong!

A gong echoed loudly just then, attracting everyone's attention. Everyone turned around and saw a majestic-looking chair being illuminated by a moonlight-like beam of light from somewhere.

An elderly man with a bed of white hair was seated in the chair. The wide sleeves of his robe slid down elegantly right beside his feet. His earlobes were also quite large, resembling earrings as they hung above his shoulders.

The elderly man was just sitting silently in his chair, but the commanding aura he exuded silenced the majority of the people in the grand hall.

Li Huowang's eyes narrowed into slits, and he managed to make out the row of people standing behind the majestic-looking chair. Unfortunately, it was too dark; he couldn’t see their appearances.

“I believe there is no need for me to explain as to why the Surveillance Bureau has summoned everyone here," the Deputy Chief said. A terrifying aura seeped out of him, making everyone feel as if they were carrying an entire mountain on their shoulders.

The remaining murmurs vanished at once, and silence descended upon the grand hall.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Dull thuds echoed just then as some people in the crowd collapsed to the ground.

At first, Li Huowang thought that they fainted out of fear, but he was quickly proven incorrect when someone approached those who had fainted and lifted their skin with an iron hook. The mahjong patterns on the faces of those who had fainted confirmed their identities as members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao.

The people here had gathered to deal with the Sitting Oblivion Dao, but it turned out that five members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao had already infiltrated them. However, it didn't come as a surprise to everyone, as they knew that the Sitting Oblivion Dao would definitely attempt to infiltrate the ranks of the Surveillance Bureau.

The Deputy Chief swept a nonchalant gaze across the Sitting Oblivion Dao members.

“It is not that difficult to deal with the Sitting Oblivion Dao members. The challenge lies in these swindlers hiding among the common people. However, it doesn’t matter. After all, Shangjing is our capital, not their capital.

“They think they're seamless, but they're simply lying to themselves. They even dared to openly assassinate an official of the Bureau! Hmph! Do they really think that we do not have the resources to deal with them?"

1. it's by rearranging the words of the Surveillance Bureau ☜

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