Chapter 376: Records

Chapter 376: Records

Upon hearing Li Huowang's inquiry, the eunuch hurriedly offered a respectful explanation.

"Your Excellency, for routine tasks, the banners below the Geng Flag operate in this manner. But if you were to rise higher, things would become quite different..."

Listening to the eunuch's detailed account, Li Huowang realized that this was exactly what Tuoba Danqing had told him before.

Within the Celestial Observing Bureau, the outer layers were strict while the inner ones were more lenient. If one wished to climb higher, the corresponding constraints would grow increasingly tighter.

Once reaching the position of Record Keeper, it was virtually no different from becoming an official in the imperial court—there were uniforms and superiors who commanded them.

In return, however, certain hidden treasures within the bureau could be accessed—such as methods for dispelling obsessive thoughts to extend life, along with various martial arts techniques and precious artifacts kept secret by the bureau. The higher one's rank, the better the rewards one could exchange their salary for.

Of course, those like Li Huowang, mere wandering soldiers without connections, had none of this. At best, they could trade longevity pills for ordinary items.

As for when someone might move from the outer circle into the inner circle of the Celestial Observing Bureau, it all depended on their daily conduct.

Only after the leadership deemed a person sufficiently diligent, intelligent, and trustworthy in background would they send someone to discuss further.

But these matters concerned Li Huowang not at all—he had his own purpose. "What kinds of tasks does the bureau have related to the Forgetful Dao?"

"Please wait, Your Excellency. I shall fetch them immediately." The eunuch lowered his head and slowly withdrew behind the screen.

Seeing Li Huowang's actions, Sima Lan frowned slightly. Beside him, the blind bird asked, "Why are you only interested in the Forgetful Dao?"

"I have a grudge with them," Li Huowang replied with a response as normal as can be.

Sima Lan didn't know whether he believed it or not, but he didn’t ask again.

Soon enough, the eunuch returned, holding a stack of papers covered in writing.

"Your Excellency, these are—" Before he could finish, Li Huowang snatched them away and began flipping through them page by page.

Yet from beginning to end, everything was turned over, and still, there was no trace of Bei Feng.

When Li Huowang looked up again, he found that Sima Lan had already left without him noticing.

He didn’t bother to pay attention and instead asked the eunuch beside him directly, "Why are all these just low-ranking soldiers? And even worse, they're just suspected cases, not confirmed. Aren't there any missions involving Si Xi or San Yuan?"

Hearing this, the eunuch was startled and pale with fear. "Oh my, Your Excellency! If there were actual missions involving Si Xi or San Yuan, that would be a major matter—the bureau would have sent people long ago to deal with it. How could we possibly choose slowly?"

"Thee humble servant must tell you, Your Excellency, such missions come in several categories. Tasks involving Si Xi and San Yuan of the Forgetful Dao are classified as Category Bing—they are extremely urgent. Speed is essential; there's no time for leisurely selection."

Li Huowang nodded understandingly. It made sense—had they failed to act quickly against the high-ranking members of the Forgetful Dao, the people of Great Li might have been thrown into chaos.

But now, Li Huowang faced a dilemma. He had come here, yet he had no clue how to find Bei Feng.

After thinking for a moment, Li Huowang asked the eunuch again, "Are there any records here about Si Xi or San Yuan? Anything will do."

"Hmm, please wait, Your Excellency. Let me search for them."

Li Huowang had merely asked casually, but surprisingly, the eunuch brought back a large pile of documents. "Your Excellency is of the Geng Banner, so these are accessible to you."

Li Huowang took the book and began flipping through it rapidly. His target remained Bei Feng.

After all this effort, he finally found something—a record from three years prior in Wuzhou Tan County where Bei Feng last appeared.

According to the bureau’s records, he had shown up there to follow Dongfeng in controlling a Xin Su (Heart Essence).

And he claimed that if the Xin Su did not follow their instructions, Bei Feng would kill her family in her hallucinations.

Seeing this, Li Huowang frowned and continued reading carefully.

As one of the Four Joyful Ones, Bei Feng was undoubtedly powerful. He could instantly plunge others into confusion and could work with Dongfeng to swap bodies.

If they wished, they could simply look at anyone and switch places with them, and this ability persisted even after changing bodies.

In that county, due to their interference, the wives' bodies contained grandmothers, while the husbands’ bodies held grandsons.

Human ethics and familial bonds were completely twisted by them.

More importantly, as one of the Four Joyful Ones, Bei Feng excelled at exploiting people's dark sides. Under their deception, some became accomplices quickly.

Not only that, when facing resistance, Bei Feng transformed a seventeen-year-old woman into one of the Five Tails within a single hour through deception.

The result was the death of one Record Keeper and one Inspector, plus the capture of the Xin Su and Dongfeng's life.

Li Huowang flipped through the pages repeatedly, memorizing every detail about Bei Feng.

He already knew about the Record Keeper, and the role of the Inspector likely ranked even higher. That such a mission required over ten people showed just how strong Bei Feng truly was.

Even more disturbing was Bei Feng's strange ability—he could swap bodies and convert a normal person into one of his own through deception.

At this moment, Li Huowang felt immense pressure. Only now did he truly understand the real strength of the Four Joyful Ones of the Forgetful Dao.

Now, confronting such a being seemed almost impossible.

If there was any good news, it was that Li Huowang no longer had to fight blindly.

"But... could Bei Feng really threaten the people in Xin Su's hallucinations?" A flicker of doubt crossed Li Huowang's mind.

Thinking of his mother and Yang Na being threatened by the Forgetful Dao, possibly even completely deceived by them, Li Huowang's expression turned grim.

"Your Excellency? Is there anything else you require?" The eunuch asked cautiously.

Li Huowang handed him the pages. "Take them back."

"Yes, Your Excellency." Just as the eunuch prepared to exit behind the screen, Li Huowang suddenly called out.

"Wait. Does my current badge allow me access to most of the bureau's books?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. All four sections of the library are accessible."

Hearing this, Li Huowang clenched his fist tightly. "I want all the books and records concerning Xin Su—more and more detailed the better."

Though he knew he himself was Xin Su, he had always harbored a question—one that weighed heavily on his heart: What exactly was Xin Su?

Since he had come here, he naturally wanted to see how the Celestial Observing Bureau interpreted Xin Su!

(End of Chapter)