Mutated Tao

Li Huowang stared at the figure in the red robes. “Xuan Pin? Why are you here?”

Xuan Pin’s robes fluttered as he walked towards the two. “With the world in chaos, we need the combined strength of the Surveillance Bureau to get through these difficult times. As the Chief, why shouldn’t I be in the palace?”

Li Huowang scrutinized him for a moment and then turned back to Gao Zhijian. “The Dharma Sect is likely to make a move soon. I’m worried, so I came to check things out.”

Li Huowang suggested, “How about this? I’ll stay in the palace to protect you more closely.”

Before Gao Zhijian could respond, Xuan Pin interjected. “No.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“We’ve received your information. Rest assured. The Imperial Preceptor, the military, and the Surveillance Bureau protect the emperor's safety. You can leave.”

Li Huowang slapped his knees and stood up. He angrily said to Xuan Pin, “What are you worried about? I’m Ji Zai’s Twisted One. You learned your illusion techniques from him. Who exactly are you guarding against?”

The gazes he received when he entered the palace, the attention from the Imperial Preceptor, and the Chief's sudden appearance all made Li Huowang realize they didn't trust him.

Li Huowang exclaimed, “If it weren’t for me, Shai Zi would have seized the Dragon Vein long ago! If I had ulterior motives, why would I have saved it? I could have just watched it all happen!

“And now you’re guarding against me? What does this mean? Aren’t you Ji Zai’s follower? Didn’t he say he’s hunting down the Dharma Sect? Doesn’t that include you?”

“First,” Xuan Pin said, pausing briefly. Then he continued, “I’ve confirmed that if it weren’t for you, Shai Zi wouldn’t have nearly seized the Dragon Vein. Saving it was the least you could do to offset your demerits.

“Secondly, my knowledge comes from enlightenment. I know someone named Ji Zai, and that person is you.”

Li Huowang almost laughed. “Xuan Pin, are you pretending to be confused, or do you genuinely not understand?

“In front of you, I used my ‘Truth’ cultivation method to conjure the Siming that controls bewilderment. Don’t tell me you didn’t see that!”

Xuan Pin said nothing. Instead, a strange gaze shot out at Li Huowang from beneath his robe.

What’s going on? Does he really not know? Is he deceiving me, or has the past changed again? Li Huowang thought.

Li Huowang was taken aback, and he looked up at the sky.

The Chief began to drift away, but Li Huowang grabbed him.

Li Huowang called out, “Wait, I need to confront Ji Zai with you! We need to clear this up.”

Both Li Huowang and Xuan Pin looked up at the sky beyond the layers of roof tiles.

As though startled, a flock of birds suddenly soared from the imperial gardens and circled in the air.

“Something seems wrong,” Li Huowang muttered.

His heart sank. He didn’t know what was happening, but he instinctively felt that the world was changing.

Xuan Pin’s six slender fingers emerged from his red robe as he pinched them together and began to calculate.

After a few breaths, he lowered his hand.

A deep voice then emanated from within Xuan Pin’s robe. “A Natural Disaster.”

“Natural Disaster? The sky is clear. What Natural Disaster?” Li Huowang said.

His eyes widened. He knew disasters weren’t limited to just Sun-Devouring Heavenly Dogs.

At that moment, three black smoke columns rose swiftly in the sky to the east.

“What does that mean?” Li Huowang shouted as he pointed at the smoke.

“Enemy at the gates.”

“What enemies?”

Three more black smoke columns rose from the south, west, and north.

Xuan Pin answered, “That’s not from outside the city; it’s inside. Someone has infiltrated the city.”

Li Huowang forgot about questioning Xuan Pin and sprang into action. “I’ll check it out. You and the Imperial Preceptor protect Gao Zhijian! Li Sui, let’s go!”

Li Huowang widened his mouth and swallowed Li Sui. Two of her tentacles emerged from Li Huowang. Li Sui quickly drew talismans on yellow paper with his blood and slapped them onto Li Huowang’s knees.

The moment the talismans were plastered to Li Huowang’s knees, he became a blur as he dashed towards the palace gates like the wind.

Meanwhile, in Shangjing, Lu Juren held his daughter Xiu’er and walked into the inner courtyard through the back of the theater house. He carried a box of pastries wrapped in oil paper.

He entered the second door and saw his wife lounging on a chair. She was listening to the show being performed on the stage as she gently tapped her long nails.

Two young maids massaged her legs and shoulders beside her. Few people in Shangjing could enjoy such luxury.

Lu Juren said, “Juan’er, you should move around. You’ve gained weight since coming to Shangjing.”

“So what if I’m fat? Only the wealthy can afford to be fat,” Luo Juanhua retorted as she opened her eyes.

When she saw the pastries in Lu Juren’s hands, she asked with surprise, “Juren, what’s that?”

Embarrassed, Lu Juren dismissed the maids and sheepishly placed the pastries on Luo Juanhua’s slightly bulging belly.

Luo Juanghua was a little confused. Nevertheless, she opened the box and found the long, white cakes within.

Her face lit up with joy. “Wick cakes[1]!”

Luo Juanhua picked up two of them and placed them in her mouth, savoring their flavor.

She said, “Delicious, I haven’t seen these since we left Si Qi! You specially bought these for me?”

Lu Juren scratched his head. “I didn’t plan to. A new pastry shop run by a refugee from Si Qi opened in the market. I just saw them and bought some.”

Sweetness permeated Luo Juanhua’s mouth and heart. She knew that these things were not easily found in the Great Liang.

Back then, they couldn’t afford such treats, except for their wedding when they had scraped together six taels for them. She had eaten them all then.

Luo Juanhua had not expected her husband to remember that after all these years.

Lu Juren told his wife, “About the harsh words I said on the road, don’t take them to heart.”

Luo Juanhua tried to cover her laughter when she saw her husband’s embarrassed expression and recalled the young man who would blush as red as a monkey’s bottom.

Lu Juren blushed. “What’s so funny?”

He set his daughter down and headed towards the theater house.

1. a traditional Chinese snack of steamed rice cakes, typically filled with red bean paste ☜

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