Chapter 393: Storyteller

Chapter 393: The Storyteller

After listening for a long time, Li Huowang finally understood what the other party was trying to convey.

Put simply, Zhuge Yuan had told him this story with the intention of showing that there were alternatives within the righteous path—there was no need for him to stay by his side and lie in ambush against Beifeng, thus avoiding danger.

"But now I only know that I possess such an ability; I have no idea how to utilize it. As for finding a cultivation technique, I have not even a hint. What should I do next?"

Seeing Li Huowang's gloomy expression, Zhuge Yuan comforted him, "My dear brother, do not be anxious. I will also keep an eye out for you. Should anything come up, I will surely inform you."

Seeing the other’s composed demeanor, Li Huowang grew impatient in his heart. He knew that if the man didn’t understand his predicament, he wouldn’t agree.

Without further ado, he rolled up his sleeve, revealing his forearm covered in dried blood crusts. He pulled out the Purple Spike Sword and, like peeling a sugarcane, forcefully scraped off a layer of flesh. The swollen veins beneath the skin were laid bare before Zhuge Yuan.

In each of these veins, large and small, black tendrils writhed. Some tendrils even emerged from weak points, swaying like maggots.

"Brother Zhuge, I too wish to proceed slowly, but look at this—I truly don't have the time anymore. Although Black Tai Sui can suppress my hallucinations, it is constantly eroding my body."

"I don't know how much longer I have, but it seems to be running short. If I continue searching for some so-called cultivation method, Black Tai Sui might already have taken over my body before I even find one!"

"Wuuu wuuu wuuu," Li Sui's pitiful cries echoed in Li Huowang's mind—it had learned to express sorrow through tears.

Though reluctant, at this moment, he had to make things clear to Zhuge Yuan. Though the cultivation techniques were tempting, Beifeng was right before their eyes. It would be too easy to give up on such a chance.

While consoling Li Sui in his heart, Li Huowang looked anxiously at Zhuge Yuan's face.

"And besides, Brother Zhuge, could it not be possible that Beifeng is using the same kind of cultivation technique?"

Zhuge Yuan appeared to struggle with a decision, gently fanning himself with his paper fan.

"Are you really going to do this? Without Black Tai Sui suppressing your illusions, you may experience hallucinations, but you won't die. Why rush it all at once?"

Just thinking about that scene made Li Huowang's pupils dilate, his breathing rapid. "You don't know what I'm doing over there! I know it's all illusion, but I'd rather die than fall into those illusions again! I truly don't want to lose clarity ever again."

The bamboo house fell silent instantly. Both men stood motionless like statues. A green bird flew to the windowsill, pecked lightly at the bamboo frame with its beak, then turned and swiftly flew away.

"Sigh, since this matter troubles you so deeply, alright, alright. When the Sect of Forgetfulness comes to seek revenge, you must follow closely."

"Thank you, Brother Zhuge, for your assistance!" Li Huowang was overjoyed. Regardless, his purpose in coming to Xing Island had been achieved!

Not only that, but he now had a powerful ally beside him. Even if Beifeng's strength was formidable, he now had confidence.

Since the other had a way to escape the illusions, he couldn't let it go without understanding.

Seeing Li Huowang's overjoyed expression, Zhuge Yuan sighed inwardly. Perhaps if he hadn’t agreed, the brother would still secretly follow.

In that case, it was better to just agree outright, and it would be easier to provide support from the open. They were both of the “heart” generation—pitiable souls indeed. If they could help, they would.

"Dear brother, please calm down. Since you insist on following, I shall tell you what I plan to do next, so you won't be caught off guard later."

"Fine! Go ahead!" Li Huowang perked up immediately. He was also eager to learn what Zhuge Yuan intended to do with the Heart Turmoil obtained from the Heaven-Scanning Department.

Zhuge Yuan took a sip of tea. "These past few days, things have been unsettled in the Eight Directions. Dear brother, you must have sensed it, haven’t you?"

Thinking back to the departure of Ji Xiang Di and the massive warship on the sea, although it wasn’t directly related to him, Li Huowang still felt a sense of impending storm.

"It is true, but since it doesn’t concern me directly, I didn’t pay much attention."

"Sigh~" Zhuge Yuan sighed softly, "At the end of the day, it's still about royal affairs. That Empress Dowager of the Great Qi Empire, in order to rule behind the scenes, actually revived a six-year-old emperor who died young. Haha, the great Qi Empire, letting a soulless corpse serve as emperor—how pathetic and absurd."

"Great Qi? Isn’t Great Qi long gone centuries ago? Isn’t it Great Liang now? Does he think Great Liang is the successor of Great Qi and just got used to calling it Great Qi?"

Li Huowang became more confused as he listened, his mind filled with more questions.

Unaware of Li Huowang's confusion, Zhuge Yuan continued calmly.

"If it were just that, it would be fine. Even a dead camel is bigger than a horse. Though Great Qi is in decline, it's still not something anyone can mess with. But the problem lies in those eunuchs who cling to imperial power."

"They used some method or another to give that corpse-emperor consciousness, and he began issuing fake edicts, calling for palace maidens."

"Even if that little emperor were alive, he's only six years old—why call for palace maidens? And worse, the selected maidens are all born in Yin year, Yin month, Yin hour."

"A while back, I went out to inquire among acquaintances. Not only palace maidens, but many men throughout Great Qi were also summoned for labor duty."

"Think about it—how often has there ever been such a large-scale conscription? Repairing the Great Wall isn’t even comparable. I believe they're being conscripted to build tombs!"

"Build tombs?" Li Huowang’s mind struggled to process this. This clearly didn’t align with his own experience—he had been in Great Liang for quite some time and had never heard of such a large-scale labor conscription.

Ignoring Li Huowang’s confusion, Zhuge Yuan continued speaking.

"A corpse emperor, palace maidens born in Yin year, Yin month, Yin hour, and tomb construction—think about it. This matter is definitely no small thing."

Zhuge Yuan picked up the tea cup in front of Li Huowang and poured out the old tea, replacing it with a fresh pot steaming hot.

"Although the eunuchs hold great power, their influence extends everywhere, and they’re entangled with the monks of Zhengde, making the capital a complete mess. However, there are still upright people in the court."

"As a common storyteller, I originally did not wish to get involved in these matters. But seeing them continue to cause chaos, I fear we’ll see mass suffering. I cannot stand idly by."

"Therefore, I prepared the Heart Turmoil in advance and entrusted an old friend to refine it into a scroll artifact capable of erasing memories—to prepare for my journey to the capital."

Li Huowang stared at the eloquent Zhuge Yuan, whose words entered one ear and left the other. His mind was already elsewhere.

"I used to think that Heart Spleen might be better, but now I see that Heart Essence, Heart Spleen, and Heart Turmoil—though their abilities differ vastly—some aspects are exactly the same."

(End of Chapter)