Chapter 371: Small Favor

Chapter 371 A Small Favor

Sitting on the bench, Li Huowang silently stared at that Centurion Cao, who was lighting incense and bowing to the Prison God on the wall.

Logically speaking, burning incense and praying to deities did not seem to be the style of the Military School, but since he knew very little about them, perhaps this Military School of the Great Liang Kingdom was uniquely different.

After finishing his incense offering, Centurion Cao walked back to stand before Li Huowang and the Scribe. He cast a casual glance at the copper coin mask on Li Huowang's face and asked, "Scribe, it is a rare sight to see you come to such an inauspicious place. I assume there is some business?"

"Hehe, Centurion Cao is a straightforward man, so I won't beat around the bush either. This is Brother Erjiu, and someone in his family has been afflicted by malignant energy. A minor matter like this must be a walk in the park for Centurion Cao, right?"

When he saw the Centurion Cao in front of him nodding with a smile, Li Huowang's heart instantly tightened. The other party's reaction was beyond his expectations, as if this malignant energy affliction was completely trivial.

Li Huowang immediately reached out to yank at the gourd by his waist, pouring out all the Longevity Pills inside. "Centurion Cao, a token of my respect, barely worth mentioning."

To his surprise, the other party did not accept them and instead pushed the Longevity Pills back. "Sigh, doing this means you are treating me, Cao, as an outsider. Though our bureaus are different, everyone works for the entirety of the Great Liang Kingdom after all~"

Hearing this, the Scribe split his mouth into a wide grin and asked with a smile, "So Centurion Cao, this small favor is—"

The Scribe's words were quickly cut off by Centurion Cao. "Logically speaking, I, Cao, really should help, however..."

Half an hour later, the Scribe and Li Huowang walked out of the prison with rather unpleasant expressions on their faces.

The Scribe spat fiercely toward the gradually closing gate. "What kind of person is that? For such a small favor, he actually insists we help them with something before he is willing to act! I think instead of hanging a Bi'an on your gate, you might as well just hang a Pixiu!"

Li Huowang reached out to stop him. "Forget it, Lord Scribe. Since we have a request of them, it is only proper to help with a small favor in return."

"That is true, but..." The Scribe clapped his hands together in immense vexation. "Ai, it is all because I am useless, finding you someone like this."

Although Li Huowang knew that this action of the Scribe was in all likelihood an act, the other party indeed acted very well.

"No matter, it's just a small favor, I will help." From the very beginning, Li Huowang had not come expecting the other party to help him for free.

If simply escorting a prisoner could exchange for Bai Lingmiao's return to normal, then this trade was far too worthwhile.

"Ai, I am sorry, truly sorry." The Scribe kept apologizing there with a face full of shame.

"Lord Scribe, say no more, let us head back. Doing this instead makes me feel uneasy. If you truly feel bad, if you know anything about this escort mission, I hope you can tell me a thing or two."

Suddenly receiving a task from the Great Liang Military School, without finding an acquaintance to clarify things, he indeed felt a bit unsure in his heart.

"That is no problem. What old man Cao said was indeed correct, it is just a minor matter. As long as you do not pursue an official career in the future, you won't be affected much."

"Official career?" At this moment, Li Huowang felt somewhat curious about exactly what kind of person this Military School wanted him to escort.

The two palanquins arrived at the back door of the small courtyard one after the other. To express his gratitude, Li Huowang insisted that the Scribe come inside to have a cup of tea.

The Scribe agreed with a face full of smiles, but just as he sat down in the main hall, a single sentence from Li Huowang caused the smile on his face to freeze. "Lord Scribe, are you truly leaving? Are you not planning to reconsider?"

Li Huowang did not feel that there was anything unspeakable about this kind of matter, and if he did not ask clearly about such a thing, in case the Scribe left later and Tuoba Danqing died as well, who was he supposed to look for next?

The Scribe gave a faint sigh and slowly set down the tea in his hand. "You also know what we went through last time. Furthermore, I have reached the age of knowing Heaven's mandate this year, so it is time to rest. Besides, there is still someone waiting at home. In the future, it will be the world of you young people~"

Immediately following that, he cupped his hands together and bowed humbly toward the northeast corner. "That said, the Emperor, his old self, is planning some unknown commotion. I dare not ask and I dare not listen. After thinking it over, saving one's life is still what matters most."

Frowning slightly, Li Huowang took a sip of his tea. From the Scribe's words, it seemed this capital city of Shangjing would likely not be peaceful in the future.

He would probably need to be careful henceforth to avoid getting entangled. No matter what happened above, it had nothing to do with him.

He had only one purpose, to find Beifeng and obtain from him the method to lift the illusions of the Mind Vessel.

As if knowing what Li Huowang was worried about, the Scribe reached his hand into his robe. Pressing one side down with his finger, he slowly slid over a much more exquisite waist token, upon which was written 'Geng Flag'.

Li Huowang reached out to take it and examined it closely, a trace of surprise surfacing in his heart. "I have been promoted again? And it even skipped Xin Scribe, going directly to Geng Flag."

At this time, the Scribe explained unhurriedly from the side, "Erjiu, I can at most help you transfer up to this level. Any higher, and I won't have the final say."

"After I leave, you can take this waist token directly to the Ministry of Revenue to find the Directorate of Astronomical Observation to take on jobs. It will not hinder your grand plan of revenge."

"Once you reach Geng Flag, other Scribes cannot command you to do anything either, and you can pick your own jobs. Furthermore, for ordinary pawns, as long as they are free, you can give orders to use them."

Li Huowang looked at the waist token in his hand without speaking. If giving him a house was the other party returning a favor, adding this item would turn it into him owing the other party a favor instead.

"Lord Scribe, for you to do this, truly leaves me..." The Scribe waved his hand, stopping Li Huowang from speaking further.

"Erjiu, you are a person of great ability. You have more ability than my Erniu. If you rise to greatness in the future, just don't forget me."

After finishing with a smile, the Scribe patted off the non-existent dust on his clothes, bowed solemnly to the seated Li Huowang, and walked toward the back door without looking back.

Li Huowang sat alone in the empty main hall in silence, staring blankly at the waist token in his hand.

Suddenly he stood up and walked toward the inner room. He still remembered the other party had said earlier that he had left some small things for him in the room.

The things left behind by the Scribe were very conspicuous, and Li Huowang found them very quickly. However, the weight of that item was not small at all—that was actually his decayed wood Ruyi sceptre!

Sensing someone approaching, the dried tongue of the Mind Vessel twitched slightly.

With a very complicated expression, Li Huowang's fingers slowly brushed across that tongue, as well as the coffin nails that pinned that tongue onto the Ruyi sceptre.

The value of this item was extraordinary, yet the Scribe had actually left it to him without a second word.

He did not know what the other party had guessed him to be, but the only certainty was that the other party had likely guessed wrong.

Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, the hurried Scribe arrived alone at the entrance of a small courtyard. When the door opened, a brand-new carriage had already been waiting for a long time.

Hearing the movement, a white-haired woman poked her head out from inside the carriage and asked the Scribe, "Brother, how did it go?"

The Scribe leapt onto the carriage with agile movements and drove the carriage toward the north of the city. "That boy from the Fire Worship Sect has come to Shangjing. What I promised him has been done, and I even gave him quite a few things. This favor has been returned with interest and more. We can depart properly now."

"Really? That's wonderful! Brother, we can go home!" A pure, innocent joy like that of a young girl actually appeared on the old woman's face; evidently, she must have been well protected normally.

She reached into the carriage, pulled out a piece of Guokui flatbread, broke it into a small piece with her hands, and fed it to the Scribe's mouth. "Brother, why be so cautious with this Fire Worship boy? To actually wait for him for so long."

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