Chapter 372: Emperor of Daliang

Chapter 372: The Emperor of Daliang

As he chewed on a round flatbread, the secretary said, “You don’t understand. This boy is no ordinary man. I went through all the books from the First to the Fourth Treasury and finally figured out what he did that saved us—this was the secret art of the Aojing Sect known as Cangqian Dengjie!”

“Brother, what exactly is that?” Noticing the solemnity in his voice, the old woman lowered her tone.

“My rank isn’t high enough. All I could find is that those who used this technique mostly died. Those who survived were not ordinary people.”

“More importantly, think about it. What does 'ascending steps' mean? What was he ascending to become? Anyone who uses such a technique once is no longer human! Do you think we can afford to provoke someone like that?”

Hearing the secretary’s words, the old woman nodded with a shiver of fear. “Then indeed, your actions were proper, brother. We cannot owe such a person a debt.”

“I suspect this boy joined the Celestial Observing Bureau for another reason entirely—it wasn't just about seeking revenge against the Forgetful Dao.”

The old woman gently took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. “It's fine now, brother. Let’s forget these trivial matters. It has nothing to do with us anyway. Let’s go home.”

Looking at the massive gate slowly approaching, the secretary gave a slight nod, his expression grave.

As the secretary pulled out the badge of the Celestial Observing Bureau, the heavy city gate slowly opened a crack. Once his carriage left Shangjing, the gates closed heavily like two great mountains.

Li Huowang rose early the next day, having prepared everything he needed. After finishing his preparations, he got out of bed and walked toward the prison under the morning mist.

To Li Huowang’s surprise, he wasn’t alone. A half-grown child led a blind man there ahead of time.

“Just responsible for escorting prisoners? The military wants outsiders?” Li Huowang silently waited.

Not long after, another man rode backward on a buffalo. His attire was unfamiliar to Li Huowang. He sat cross-legged on the buffalo’s back, holding a four-armed green Buddha statue made of clay, his head bowed while muttering something quietly.

Perhaps the citizens of Shangjing knew something, for they turned away from afar, and there were no shops nearby. Even though the sky had brightened, the prison gate remained eerily quiet.

As they waited, the heavy prison door slowly opened, and an iron prisoner cart slowly emerged.

The man didn’t look like the typical prisoner Li Huowang had imagined. He wore a golden mask over his face.

It was a very peculiar mask—square face, hollowed-out eyes, triangular nose bridge, and wide ears.

If not for the more intricate patterns etched into the mask, Li Huowang might have mistaken it for a Sanxingdui mask.

“Take him to the Wu Gate for execution,” the military officer commanding the escort ordered to Li Huowang and the others.

“The Wu Gate? No need to even leave the city?” Li Huowang almost thought he heard wrong. From here to the Wu Gate, even walking slowly, it would take no more than two hours—a far cry from what he had expected.

“That’s right, that’s right,” the officer seemed anxious. After speaking, he hurriedly disappeared back into the prison.

When Li Huowang saw the prisoner cart move under the guidance of a white-haired old jailer, he glanced at the other two and walked beside the cart toward the Wu Gate.

No matter what their intentions were, as long as it helped Bai Lingshao dispel the curse, he would do whatever it took.

As the carriage slowly entered the bustling streets, sounds around grew louder. The citizens of Shangjing laughed and pointed at the prisoner in the cart. They showed no surprise at the golden mask, or perhaps they were already accustomed to it.

The noise seemed to awaken the prisoner inside. Suddenly, he pressed the golden mask against the cart and shouted frantically at everyone, “You… you can’t treat me like this! I am the emperor!! I am the Emperor of Daliang!!”

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart tightened, but when he turned around, he found that no one else reacted except himself.

At that moment, the hunchbacked blind man began chanting repeatedly, “There is no blame for the strange, the executor is not to blame, there is no blame for the strange, the executor is not to blame.”

Seeing this, Li Huowang stopped paying attention and focused on his duties as a prison guard.

He could now guess why the military had brought outsiders to escort this man and why this matter affected careers so severely.

The wheels of the cart rolled slowly along the wide road until they reached the red palace walls.

Li Huowang noticed a gaze descending from the wall, but he didn’t make a fuss. That gaze was clearly directed at the prisoner inside the cart.

“Ji Song! Do you think you’ve won? Not necessarily!! Someday, you’ll end up like me!” The prisoner inside shouted wildly at the top of the wall.

The people on the wall didn’t respond, simply watching silently.

The cart moved slowly, but it eventually arrived. The executioner had been waiting for a long time, and it was noon. A crowd of citizens gathered around the execution ground, eagerly looking forward.

“Ji Man! Attempted rebellion! Guiltless of pardon! Deserving of death!!”

A red token was thrown down, and the masked man inside the cart was dragged out. His body was limp as noodles, yellow urine soaked his prison clothes.

As the executioner dragged him, Li Huowang noticed something odd about his body. His belly was distended, yet his limbs were emaciated.

And it wasn’t due to obesity—the belly looked like it was filled with various-sized objects squeezed together.

“Pffft~!” A splash of strong liquor onto the blade, and the fat executioner raised his sword high and struck down hard. A large head, blood splattering, fell to the ground.

The executioner removed the bloodied golden mask from the head and held it respectfully before the execution official.

After wrapping it in yellow silk, he mounted his horse and galloped toward the palace wall. The guards quickly withdrew, leaving only the corpse to grow cold.

As soon as the officials left, the crowd of spectators swarmed around like flies, each holding steamed buns and greedily dipping them in the blood on the ground.

Some even quarreled over how much blood they had gotten. To Li Huowang, it was a bitter satire.

“So it’s over? That easy?” Li Huowang frowned and turned to leave.

But just as he was about to go, he suddenly remembered something. Pushing through the crowd, he approached the headless corpse.

With a small knife, he carefully cut open the bloated belly, and countless balls—large and small—poured out.

“Hmm…?” Li Huowang picked up a fist-sized one and examined it closely.

“All these pills inside the ‘Emperor of Daliang’—his belly was swollen by so many pills.”