Mutated Tao

“No, Brother Zhuge, you don’t understand Shai Zi. That letter is a warning to me! Anything related to him is definitely bad! It’s bad!”

Li Sui opened her mouth, revealing her sharp teeth and three tentacles. Then, she yawned and stretched her arms and nails to stretch. Afterward, she leaned on the Eight Immortals table and rested her slender head on her arms before staring at Li Huowang talking to someone invisible.

Dad is talking to those invisible people again... I used to be able to see them, but I can’t see them anymore. I really want to know what they’re talking about. I cannot understand what they’re discussing just by listening to Dad.

Li Huowang frowned and massaged his temples. He paced back and forth for a while, then continued, “Brother Zhuge, let’s stop here. Arguing like this is just a waste of energy.”

“All right. If Bai Lingmiao is fine, and she’ll eventually come back here by herself, then we don’t need to do anything, right? We just have to wait, and the situation will resolve itself. Of course, that’s good, but... does that even make sense? I’ve never had any luck in this damned place! What if Bai Lingmiao is really in the hands of that Shai Zi? If I just sit and wait here, she’ll end up dead! I can’t afford that gamble! Moreover, this is not just for Bai Lingmiao but for ourselves, too. Since Shai Zi has already made a move against me, he'll keep attacking us until we fight back!"

“The content of that letter doesn't mean anything at all! Perhaps the letter was really written by Bai Lingmiao, but don’t forget that they're the Sitting Oblivion Dao! I’ve seen this kind of scam too many times, even within my memories as Hong Zhong! Perhaps Bai Lingmiao has been imprisoned, but she hasn’t realized it yet! I'm not kidding; the Sitting Oblivion Dao can trap someone without using any force! They could do it just by talking to that person! They can make someone stay in one place willingly until they die!”

The room went silent just then, and there weren't any noises except for Li Huowang’s rapid breathing. The two contrasting possibilities made Li Huowang feel extremely anxious. He also hoped that Bai Lingmiao was fine and that he didn’t need to get involved in these troubles so they could just return to Cowheart Village and live a peaceful life. However, he really did not dare to gamble. After pacing around a few laps, his tone softened as he whispered to the empty window, “You’re right; I'm feeling impatient. However, this is a lose-lose situation, so you can't blame me for being impatient!"

“We don't even know the location of our enemy nor their goal. And they're holding Bai Lingmiao as a hostage. I really... I really...” Li Huowang trailed off, and his worried eyes suddenly lit up.

He turned to the empty window and asked, “Brother Zhuge, is that true?”

“Hmm.. This is a problem. I need to find an opportunity to test it! But it’s okay; it’s a small matter.”

“Hello, is Commander Er at home?”

Li Huowang smiled with joy at the voice outside the wooden door, “Speak of the devil, Brother Zhuge! The opportunity has come!”

“I’m here, the door isn’t locked! Come in!”

The courtyard door was pushed open, and a eunuch walked in alone. His face was covered with a white powder, and a golden duster was in his hands.

Li Huowang recognized him. He was the same eunuch who had been delivering messages to Ji Lin.

The old eunuch coughed and walked up to Li Huowang. Then, he cleared his throat and raised his chin. “Er Jiu, receive the imperial decree~”

Before Li Huowang could react, he pulled out a roll of yellow silk and handed it to Li Huowang. Then, he decisively turned around to leave.

Li Huowang was puzzled as he opened the embroidered decree. Li Sui also came over and looked at it.

After a while, Li Sui stopped looking. There were many words written on it, many of which she recognized, but she couldn’t understand what they meant when placed together. “Dad, what does it say?”

“It tells me not to enter the palace and let Ji Lin come out himself.” Once Li Huowang’s words fell, the yellow silk in his hand quickly ignited and burned into nothing.

“Is there another fight?” Li Sui excitedly raised her ear halfway and said, “Dad, I’ll help you peel your skin!”

“No, I have to wait for the other layers to regenerate. I only have one layer of skin left now. I'll run out of skin if we peel that layer.”

“Oh, I see. Shall we go now?”

“Don’t be impatient. There are some things I need to deal with first.”

Li Huowang walked into the house and picked up a pickle jar in the corner. He didn’t know how to pickle vegetables, but what was pickled inside was his corpse. The corpse was hollow, but it was still the corpse of a Strayed One. Li Huowang believed that it would eventually come in handy.

Li Huowang carried the pickle jar and walked to a hidden cellar under the bed. He opened it and placed the jar inside. Then, he stood up and picked up another pickle jar from the corner.

The pickle jar also contained the corpse of a Strayed One, but this one had five organs without a head. The headless corpse belonged to the Strayed One pretending to be Hong Zhong to deceive the Surveillance Bureau.

Things were busier back then, and he had to bury it somewhere after pickling it. In the end, he had forgotten it. If it weren't for the fact that he had been reminded of it by his recent handling of corpses, Li Huowang would have forgotten where he had buried it.

Li Huowang glanced at the two big jars in the cellar before closing the door and walking away. “Let’s go see what Ji Lin is going to make us do this time.”

The meeting point was in a gambling den. After Li Huowang won 318 taels, he was invited to the cellar in the backyard.

Surrounded by a group of eunuchs, Li Huowang saw Ji Lin once again. He didn't look great; half of his left ear was missing, and his face was wounded. The wound was deep enough to expose his bones.

“Your Majesty, what happened to your face?”

Ji Lin was stroking the fake jade cat as he revealed a sinister smile and said, “It’s nothing serious. I dispatched people to kill someone else. Naturally, that person will seek revenge on me. It’s only fair.”

“It’s just that I didn’t expect the palace to be so dirty. Seems like it needs a cleaning.”

Li Huowang was shocked. Ji Lin couldn’t die right now, so he suggested, “Your Majesty, do you need me to protect you whenever I’m not out running errands?”

“No need. There are still some capable people around me. I can take care of myself. You just focus on what you’re good at.” Ji Lin waved his hand to motion for a eunuch to bring over a painting scroll.

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