Chapter 405: Visitor

Chapter 405: The Arrival

The horse galloped at full speed, and Li Huowang soon found himself among a crowd on the street. Those so-called men of Great Qi were seamlessly blended in with the people of Great Liang, showing no signs of discord whatsoever. The surrounding crowd noticed nothing unusual.

When he caught up again and re-entered the group of men from Great Qi, looking once more at those whispering among themselves, Li Huowang felt an odd sensation.

It was as if these people before him were all actors performing a play, merely pretending to be around Zhu Ge Yuan.

"Brother Li, where have you been?" Zhu Ge Yuan asked curiously, then couldn't help but express concern: "This place is crowded and gossip-prone; you must be careful. Who knows, one of them might just be a transformed follower of the Forgetful Dao."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. I've been dealing with the Forgetful Dao for days now. Brother Zhu, where are we heading?"

In the bitter cold, Zhu Ge Yuan continued fanning himself with a folding fan. "First, we'll go to Lord Liang's residence. Tonight, Master Qin's disciples and others from the Jiangnan faction will gather to discuss the next steps after reaching a consensus."

Li Huowang nodded understandingly, his eyes filled with a trace of pity as he looked at Zhu Ge Yuan. Though Zhu Ge Yuan appeared so powerful, when it came to personal matters, he was still as confused as Li Huowang had once been.

Li Huowang knew that such issues were beyond his reach as an outsider. Unless Zhu Ge Yuan himself figured things out, talking more would be useless.

The carriage traveled along the main road toward the city center. Just as they neared the palace, their carriage stopped before a grand estate adorned with two black stone lions. Above the entrance hung a plaque inscribed with golden sand characters—“Liang Residence.”

A middle-aged man in official robes, with a small black beard beneath his chin, waited there with several attendants.

Seeing the visitors, he immediately bowed deeply, tears welling in his eyes with excitement. "Master Zhu Ge! I never expected you to come too!"

"I am just a commoner and do not deserve such reverence. Lord Liang, this is not the place for conversation. Let us enter and speak inside."

The so-called Lord Liang approached Master Qin, called him teacher, and helped him walk toward the magnificent mansion. Li Huowang stood aside like a mere spectator.

They passed through the entrance hall, walked through the courtyard, and finally arrived at the reception hall. They didn’t even have time to sip tea before they began heated discussions.

The core of their debate centered on comparing the strength difference between enemies and allies, and how to turn the precarious situation of Great Qi around.

But none of this concerned Li Huowang at all. With nothing better to do, he stared at the side profile of the so-called Lord Liang, his thoughts wandering aimlessly.

"What exactly is this Lord Liang’s status in Great Liang? If I leave Zhu Ge Yuan’s circle now, will they treat me as an assassin? Wait... could this guy actually be a member of the Forgetful Dao?"

As Li Huowang drifted off into his musings, the sun gradually shifted westward. Officials in uniforms hurriedly gathered from sedan chairs and carriages toward the meeting room.

Eventually, it became so packed that people couldn't even stand. Li Huowang lost interest in listening and simply stepped outside for some fresh air.

"Dad, what are they talking about? I don’t understand," Li Sui's voice rang in Li Huowang's ears.

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. It has nothing to do with us anyway." Li Huowang noticed that Li Sui had become increasingly active lately. Not only did she used to pester him for purchases, but now she even asked questions about unfamiliar topics.

"Dad, you're hungry," Li Sui wrapped her tentacles around Li Huowang's shrunken stomach. She had previously hidden inside his belly, but now she had crawled out and covered his entire body.

Hearing Li Sui's words, Li Huowang added another thought to his mental list: she was starting to care about others.

Though warm inside, Li Huowang knew this wasn't good—it meant she was maturing.

Thinking of this, his mood turned terrible. If he didn't find a way to escape the illusion before Li Sui fully matured, he'd likely fall into another delusion.

He had never imagined he would long for the arrival of the Forgetful Dao.

The sound of footsteps—"tap-tap-tap"—rang out. Li Huowang turned his head and saw an old man walking toward him, holding a square lantern in his hand. Li Huowang had seen him before—he seemed to be the so-called Lord Liang's steward.

"Lord Li, dinner is ready. Please follow me," Li Huowang listened carefully and realized the lively room had gone silent. While he was distracted, everyone had quietly left.

"Almost rebelling, yet still having time to eat," Li Huowang stood up and followed him toward a side door.

Soon, Li Huowang sat down in front of an exquisite table of dishes. His mood was terrible, so he ignored Master Qin's speech and started eating with his chopsticks.

How could someone with such influence in court risk life and death in the Celestial Observation Bureau? Truly, he was just overfed.

Others at the table glared at Li Huowang's disrespectful behavior, but they only gave him that look.

As the sound faded, everyone raised their cups simultaneously and began eating. By then, Li Huowang had already finished most of his meal.

Li Huowang stood up and went to Zhu Ge Yuan's side, asking, "How did your discussion with these people go? When will we act? Who will we kill?"

Perhaps the Forgetful Dao was lurking in the shadows, waiting. Maybe stirring up a big commotion would draw them out.

Zhu Ge Yuan covered half his face with his sleeves, then tilted his cup and poured the wine into his mouth.

After slowly lowering his sleeve, he whispered, "Don't rush, Brother Li. Such a major matter won't happen overnight. Many loyal officials who refused to surrender have been imprisoned, and many others exiled to remote regions."

"Besides, those eunuchs have made the capital a complete mess. Many people are already dissatisfied. We need more time to win over wavering supporters. After all, they are subjects of Great Qi. We should minimize casualties wherever possible."

"What use are these wavering supporters?" Li Huowang frowned, his expression grim. Since learning the truth, he had little interest in Great Qi's affairs anymore.

"These wavering supporters include many military generals. Don't you think that's useful?"

Sensing Li Huowang's mood, Zhu Ge Yuan continued softly, "Don't worry, Brother Li. I’ll take care of your matter. Once this is settled, I’ll personally help Great Qi find that cultivation technique for you."

While the two exchanged low whispers, a loud call from the distance reached their ears: "The Emperor arrives~"

"The Emperor?" Li Huowang's expression mirrored that of everyone else—shock. If he hadn't misheard earlier, the young emperor of Great Qi should have been nothing more than a walking corpse?

(End of Chapter)