Mutated Tao

The hall was dim, but Li Huowang's keen eyes allowed him to see the changes in Ji Lin’s face and demeanor.

Li Huowang could swear that he had seen a bold, confident, and pure Ji Lin during the Double Third Festival. At the time, Ji Lin was the epitome of an energetic child.

However, Ji Lin had changed completely. He was hunched over like a snake lurking in the darkness. His gaze was gloomy, and his eyes radiated a sinister light. He was also exuding an extreme air of malice.

Li Huowang couldn't even imagine what had happened to Ji Lin before his return to Shangjing.

The left side of Ji Lin's face was drooping, but Ji Lin pushed them back up by him.

The sight allowed Li Huowang to deduce a few things. After pondering for a moment, Li Huowang bowed to the Great Liang emperor sitting on the throne and asked, “Your Majesty, have you consumed a spiritual sin?”

Li Huowang had captured the spiritual sin used to pay respects to the late emperor, so he naturally understood the effects of its pure malice on a mortal body.

The effects were especially obvious on Ji Lin’s face. Ji Lin's face was drooping, looking like a viscous liquid. It was the hallmark of anything possessed by a spiritual sin.

Ji Lin neither confirmed nor denied Li Huowang's words. Instead, he gestured toward the throne behind him and asked, “What? Must I inform Er Jiu of everything I do?”

The radical change was definitely not just because of a malicious spiritual sin. Perhaps the aura of a military family or something else was at play here.

Under the influence of such things, Ji Lin had become what he was right now.

“Your Majesty, the spiritual sin is ominous. Stay in contact with it for too long, and you'll breed evil thoughts constantly.”

Since Li Huowang was going to be working under Ji Lin in the future, he found it necessary to give the latter a reminder.

“Evil? Who defines evil? What is evil? What is good?”

Ji Lin suddenly stood up from the throne. He then raised his right hand and waved his sleeve vigorously.

“I am the emperor. I never have to abide by any rules. I am the one who sets the rules! What I say is evil, is evil! What I say is good, is good!”

Li Huowang looked at the Great Liang emperor in front of him. According to his memories, Ji Lin’s personality had changed completely. He was just like the old Bai Lingmiao and Second Deity.

The current Ji Lin looked more like an emperor than before, even if he seemed like a complete tyrant.

Ji Lin sat back down, his voice tinged with exhaustion as he asked, “You think I’ve changed, right? I never wanted to change, but I had no choice! If I were still the Ji Lin from when you first met me, I would have died a long time ago.”

Li Huowang couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. Ji Lin was still too young, and if he were living in Li Huowang's modern world, the former would still be a middle school student.

Of course, Li Huowang’s pity quickly disappeared. He didn’t feel qualified to sympathize with Ji Lin, and he decided that he ought to take care of himself first.

“Your Majesty, I’m not good at anything else. You can find me in the future for any matters about killing people. Er Jiu is willing to clear all obstacles for Your Majesty’s ascension to the throne.”

Ji Lin immediately clapped his hands in joy. “Great! Hahaha! Er Jiu is so straightforward! Much better than those who beat around the bush! Come, confer him a title!”

A eunuch with a wrinkled face walked out from the darkness, carrying a golden whisk[1]. He sang in a sharp voice, “By the decree of His Majesty~ Er Jiu shall be conferred~ Left and Right Jinwu Guards~ Cavalry Commander.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” Li Huowang bowed to Ji Lin.

Ji Lin said with a meaningful tone, “Er Jiu, I am very pleased that you have come. Rest assured, I still have that fake jade cat. Everything in the palace is genuine, so fake things have become more precious, don’t you think?”

Li Huowang gently nodded. “Indeed.”

Since the official matter was over, it was time for Li Huowang to leave the palace.

As he took a few steps down the white marble steps, someone shouted from behind, “Commander Er, please wait!”

Li Huowang turned and saw a middle-aged man with a black beard running toward him. From the military cap on the middle-aged man's head, Li Huowang deduced him to be a Middle-rank official.

"Congratulations, Commander Er! Although the title of Cavalry Commander is only eighth rank, the Left and Right Jinwu Guards are one of the twelve forbidden military guards.”

“I have never seen His Majesty give an outsider so much importance. Commander Er, you will soar to the skies soon.”

Li Huowang listened quietly to the middle-aged man, who was a bit shorter than Li Huowang, blabbering on for a while. When the middle-aged man finally paused to catch his breath, Li Huowang asked in confusion, “Who are you?”

"My name is Dong Zhongshou. Hehehe, my rank is insignificant before Commander Er, so I’ll be less conspicuous. I’m from Zhong Heng.”

“Zong Heng Jia?” Li Huowang subconsciously looked at the half-bodied Jin Shanzhao next to him. Jin Shanzhao was the first Zong Heng Jia he had encountered in this world, and he didn’t expect to encounter a second one.

“Ah, we can’t talk about it; I've talked a lot. I’m just someone who spends some time by His Majesty’s side. When His Majesty needs enlightenment, I can offer some advice.”

Dong Zhongshou finally revealed his goal for approaching Li Huowang.

“Commander Er, in the future, both you and I will be planning things around His Majesty. There are some things I think you should know about. How about we talk in the mansion tomorrow night?”

Li Huowang looked at the sky to the left, and then he said to Dong Zhongshou, “It seems that His Majesty has unknowingly attracted many talents.”

Dong Zhongshou chuckled. “Mastery of both civil and martial arts is to better serve the imperial family. Commander Er, I want to talk to you about that. I am also sure that you're unfamiliar with the majority of our people, so I’ll introduce them to you tomorrow.”

“All right, I’ll see you by then.”

Upon Dong Zhongshou's departure, the quiet Zhuge Yuan said, “Brother Li, don’t get swayed by hearsay at this critical juncture. People from the Great Liang emperor’s side will definitely be biased toward the emperor. I suggest you find out for yourself how many forces are involved in this succession war. Find out who is strong and who is weak. Don’t be blinded by the opinions of a mob.”

“Yes, I know. I’ll investigate things through the Surveillance Bureau. Besides, I also want to find out how many cards Shai Zi still has left under the encirclement of the Surveillance Bureau.”

Li Huowang headed toward the carriage down below.

The Surveillance Bureau wasn’t far from the palace. After just one hour, Li Huowang found himself in the grand hall with the screens.

“Why are there so few people? Has something happened?” Li Huowang asked Nangong while staring at the desired hall.

1. a stick with horse hair sticking out at one end, that eunuchs carry ☜

Chacha and Char's Thoughts

Uh oh. Ji Lin went crazy. Credits to 格子的乱七八糟on douyin!

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