Chapter 332: Recording Appearances

Chapter 332: The Chronicler

The clatter of hooves rang incessantly through the streets of Yinling City. Because of the rain, few souls walked the roads, allowing the horse to gallop at full speed.

The rider raised his bamboo hat, revealing Li Huowang’s resolute gaze. Holding the reins with one hand, he pulled a slip of paper from his tunic to inspect it once more.

It was a message sent via carrier pigeon by Tuoba Danqing. The words were few: "The Chronicler summons us. Come swiftly. Yinling Prison."

Li Huowang felt he already understood Tuoba Danqing well. Given the man's nature, for him to relay a task without mention of food or drink was proof enough of the matter's extreme urgency.

Whether this business would prove a blessing or a curse to him remained unknown; the only thing he could do was prepare for the absolute worst.

Fortunately, he was now a solitary man with no kin, harboring no fear should anything truly go awry.

Dismounting from his saddle, Li Huowang looked up at the grim, green-brick structure before him. The jailers at the gate, their eyes gleaming with a malicious aura, confirmed that this was indeed the place where Yinling City kept its high-risk convicts.

These jailers bore a faint resemblance to men of the Military Doctrine.

The moment Li Huowang stepped off his horse, he felt a faint, stinging ache in his vital spots. Someone was aiming concealed weapons at him from an unseen vantage point.

Flashing his Mirror Bureau waist tablet, Li Huowang stepped forward and entered the prison gates, which were guarded by two ferocious stone lions.

As soon as he stepped inside, Li Huowang saw Tuoba Danqing sitting on a long wooden bench, waving at him and gesturing for him to come over.

"Brother Er, over here! Hurry!"

Li Huowang walked over, casting a glance at the person beside him. It was an acquaintance, the knife-creditor Hong Da, whom he had met once before.

Before Li Huowang could clasp his hands in greeting, Tuoba Danqing enthusiastically pulled him down to share the bench. "Brother Er, look at how much your elder brother dotes on you. The moment a good errand turns up, I come looking for you."

"Oh? A good errand this time?" Smelling the cold, rancid stench in his nose and looking at the prisoners in the surrounding cages who seemed neither alive nor dead, Li Huowang felt this did not resemble anything good.

Tuoba Danqing slapped his thigh in excitement, his face lighting up with animation. "Of course it's a good errand! Because this time, it's a job to deal with the Sitting-Forget Dao!"

"Don't you have a grudge against that pack of swindlers? Your elder brother specially kept this for you so you could have your sweet revenge. Well? Am I good to you or what?"

Hearing this, Li Huowang was secretly startled. He hurriedly asked, "Please speak in detail. What exactly is this job about?"

"Don't be impatient. Wait for the Chronicler to arrive and tell you himself. We don't know much either," Hong Da said, holding a cup of tea, looking somewhat distracted.

"Senior Hong, it has been a long time. Thank you for your recommendation back then, otherwise I truly would not have been able to enter the Mirror Bureau."

As Li Huowang bowed to Hong Da, he thought to himself, "Even the Chronicler, who resides far away in the Capital, is coming. Is this errand exceedingly dangerous?"

Regarding the so-called Lord Chronicler, apart from knowing that he was Tuoba Danqing’s superior, Li Huowang knew nothing else. But since the man held a high position in a bureau like the Mirror Bureau, his strength was likely formidable.

"There is nothing to thank me for. In any case, you chose the path yourself. Just don't complain that I dragged you into a den of thieves if anything happens in the future."

"Hey, Hong Da, I don't care for that kind of talk. How can you compare our bureau to a den of thieves? Every time a job is done, you never lack for Longevity Pills, do you? Your annual allowance for food and clothing is never short, is it?"

"For this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, you didn't miss out on the mooncakes sent by the bureau, did you? The bureau even covers your expenses at the brothels. The bureau treats you so well, how can you have the cheek to slander the Mirror Bureau in front of this newcomer?"

"Fine, you are the loyal minister and I am the great traitor, all right?" Hong Da seemed utterly annoyed by Tuoba Danqing's nagging. He rolled his eyes, turned around, and presented the back of his head to him.

Seeing Tuoba Danqing point his finger, ready to launch into another lengthy tirade, Li Huowang held him back. "Brother Tuoba, why are we discussing matters inside this prison today?"

"Brother, do you see over there? Yes, that second-to-last cage at the very back. The prisoner locked inside is also one of our Mirror Bureau's people. He will be leaving with us in a moment."

Li Huowang looked over in surprise. The cage was far away, and even with his excellent eyesight, he could only discern a vague, tall silhouette lying in the straw.

Just as Li Huowang was about to stand up and get a closer look, a sharp, drake-like voice rang out from behind him. "Oh, Danqing, everyone is here? It seems this servant has arrived late."

"Hmm? A eunuch?" A bewildered Li Huowang turned around and saw a fair, plump elderly man dressed in official robes, complete with a plumed hat.

That deathly pale face coated in white powder, paired with those official robes and that greasy smile—had he not walked in on his own two feet, Li Huowang would have almost mistaken the creature before him for a zombie sprite from a ghost movie.

Yet it was such a man who stood there, cradling a golden abacus in his arms, sizing them up with a beaming smile. This was the Chronicler.

Li Huowang grew tense all at once, worried the other man would see through his disguise. Only when he saw that the man showed no reaction did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Upon seeing this man appear, Tuoba Danqing acted as though he had met someone dearer than his own father. He shrank his neck, instantly dropping an inch in height, and hurriedly went to welcome him with a humble expression.

"Oh my, oh my, Lord Chronicler, what sort of words are those? How could you be late? It is clearly that we subordinates arrived too early."

He gently supported the plump eunuch's hand, which was adorned with a jade archer's ring, and guided him to the table. A sickeningly sweet aroma assaulted Li Huowang's sharp sense of smell, making him frown slightly; the fragrance was bizarre, laced with the sharp tang of urine.

"Lord Chronicler, you already know Hong Da. Let me introduce this one to you. This is Brother Er Jiu. His Fire-Cloak Sect divine powers are exceptionally formidable. A Xuan-rank human-fiend is nothing but fart in his eyes. He will absolutely be of grand assistance for this errand!"

The Chronicler sized Li Huowang up once more. The peculiar look in his eyes made Li Huowang entirely uncomfortable. "Greetings, Lord Chronicler."

"Mm, Er Jiu, is it? I remember you. Little Liu mentioned you to me, saying you belong to the Fire-Cloak Sect, though it seems your temper isn't quite gentle. Last time you flew into a rage, you burned a whole nest of White Lotus Cultists destined for the Capital to ashes. If Little Liu hadn't let it slide, and if you weren't one of Danqing's men, the bureau would have demanded an explanation from you."

Hearing the Chronicler say this, Tuoba Danqing hastily smoothed things over. "Hehehe, my brother hates evil as if it were a mortal enemy. It is only natural for his temper to be a bit foul. As for someone who possesses grand capabilities yet remains completely approachable, in the entire bureau, there is only you, Lord Chronicler~"

The Chronicler instantly smiled so widely that his eyes could no longer be seen. "Oh ho ho, Danqing, this servant simply loves going out with you. The words that come from your mouth are just so soothing to hear~"

While the two of them were singing in perfect harmony, Hong Da, who was off to the side, suddenly spoke up and interrupted. "Chronicler, can we finish assigning the task before listening to this sycophant flatter you?"

The faces of the two who had been singing in harmony fell simultaneously. Just as Li Huowang thought the Chronicler was going to make trouble for Hong Da, the eunuch instead used his hand, laden with gold rings, to point toward the distant cage.

"Danqing~ Go and invite Zen Master Xin Chi over. Let us settle the arrangements for this errand."

Observing all of this silently as a newcomer, Li Huowang noted that the hierarchy within the Mirror Bureau did not seem as rigid as he had imagined.

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