Chapter 409: Departure

Chapter 409: Departure

Hearing Bei Feng’s half-threatening, half-teasing words, Li Huowang glanced at him before turning his head directly toward Zhu Ge Yuan beside him. “Brother Zhu Ge, would you be so kind as to use that artifact to prevent this man from lying?”

He had come to realize that, until he had mastered those so-called cultivation techniques, Zhu Ge Yuan's ancient almanac—capable of forbidding all falsehoods—was the true nemesis of the Forgetful Dao.

As long as he was present, the manipulative tricks of the Forgetful Dao could not possibly work.

“The effect of the almanac hasn’t worn off yet. Brother Li, feel free to ask him anything—he cannot lie now.”

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang crouched down and stared into the man’s eyes with a sly smile. “What? Still refusing to speak? Shall I have Brother Zhu Ge write another prohibition against speech?”

“I’m not a three-year-old child; I don’t need threats. They’ve entered the city—the other three Bei Feng have entered the city.”

“Don’t overlook the details! Which city?”

“Heh, which one else? Shangjing, of course.”

“And where are they now?” Li Huowang pressed further.

“When we separated yesterday at noon, we were at the Eastern City God Temple. As for where they are now, I don’t know.”

“What do you Forgetful Dao folks want in Shangjing at this time? This place is the heart of the Heavenly Surveillance Bureau—you’re not afraid of being utterly annihilated?”

“Heh, afraid? The Forgetful Dao plays with heaven, earth, and itself—it has never feared anyone. We didn’t come earlier simply because this place seemed boring.”

“Don’t change the subject. Speak quickly—what is your purpose in coming to Shangjing!” Li Huowang’s tone grew heavier.

Looking at Li Huowang’s face, now completely unrecognizable, Bei Feng sneered with disdain and replied lightly, “The leader of the Dice Gang sent us. He said Emperor of Great Li is up to some mischief behind the scenes, so we came to take a look—see if there’s anything worth playing with.”

“As for what the Emperor of Great Li is doing, heh, you should know better than we do, shouldn’t you? I just arrived myself—I might not know as much as you.”

Emperor of Great Li? Li Huowang recalled—his mission to find someone with a troubled heart, the warships scarred by sea battles, and the former emperor beheaded at the crossroads.

He had long sensed that the entire Great Li nation was stirring, as if something dark was brewing beneath the surface. But now, regardless of what the Emperor of Great Li intended, the Forgetful Dao had clearly heard the wind and gotten involved.

“Along with the three Bei Feng, what other people are there from the Forgetful Dao?” Li Huowang asked patiently, continuing his interrogation.

Bei Feng showed no resistance, listing everything like a scholar reciting his notes. “Among our group, there are three Eight-Tails, two Nine-Tails, four Bei Feng, and... two Red Zhongs. Heh heh.”

When mentioning the Red Zhongs, Bei Feng wore an odd smile, staring intently at Li Huowang.

*Slap!* Li Huowang slapped him across the face. “Cut that nonsense out! The Forgetful Dao has already tried that on me—they don’t work!”

Only after exhausting every possible question that might yield useful information did Li Huowang finally stand up.

“Brother Li, finished asking? You won’t need this man anymore?” Zhu Ge Yuan approached with his folding fan, asking Li Huowang.

Seeing Li Huowang lost in thought, he nodded slightly. Zhu Ge Yuan picked up the scroll in his hand and shook it dramatically. The corpse of the Heart Turmoil appeared in the sky.

The long scroll twirled around Bei Feng’s head several times, and the man on the ground began to look confused and puzzled. Memories of Great Li were rapidly fading from his mind.

At the same time, his features and age began to shift. What should have been a tall figure gradually shrank, eventually transforming into a hunched old woman with bound feet.

She trembled as she stood up, completely forgetting what had happened before. She looked nervously at the strangers before her and waved her hands frantically, rushing toward the door.

“Where am I? Husband, come quickly!”

“Hey hey, dear lady, slow down—no one’s going to eat you.” Zhu Ge Yuan helped her walk toward the gate of the Liang residence.

When he returned, he found Li Huowang still standing in the same spot, frowning deeply in thought. Curious, he asked, “Brother Li, how goes it? Did that Bei Feng’s words prove useful?”

Li Huowang nodded. “Useful, but not entirely trustworthy. I know the Forgetful Dao well—they can even deceive with the truth.”

“What he just said is probably true, but I suspect there are certain details he deliberately omitted or phrased in misleading ways.”

After a moment’s contemplation, Li Huowang turned to look at the Cei people inside the house and lowered his voice to speak to Zhu Ge Yuan. “Brother Zhu Ge, please forgive me—I must leave for a short while.”

Afraid of misunderstanding, Li Huowang added, “I’m not breaking my word. This matter is extremely important. Once I deal with it, I’ll return to help you.”

“No trouble at all,” Zhu Ge Yuan replied with remarkable generosity. “Since you now know Bei Feng is in Youdu, what are your next steps?”

“This whole Forgetful Dao might have come. I can’t possibly fight them alone, so I’ve thought of a plan. Whether it works or not, I intend to try it first.”

Zhu Ge Yuan nodded. “Fine. Do as you will. If you run into trouble, remember to come find me anytime.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang felt warmth in his chest. Among the chaos of this world, Zhu Ge Yuan was one of the few good men left.

“Alright,” he solemnly bowed to Zhu Ge Yuan and then dashed toward the dark exterior of the Liang residence.

Li Huowang didn’t go elsewhere. Instead, he leaped from tile to tile on rooftops, swiftly moving toward the southwest.

His bold movements immediately drew attention, but once he raised his own badge, no one dared to stop him.

In the space of two incense sticks’ burning time, he finally reached the Heavenly Surveillance Bureau. At night, the guards weren’t the ink-stained men with birds on their shoulders from the Mo family, but rather a bony, emaciated woman in a black cloth dress, forehead adorned with a black talisman.

Her skin was dark, and her seven orifices seemed blocked by yellow mud-like substances. Her presence in the empty room was strangely unsettling.

“Let me in quickly. There’s an urgent matter!” Li Huowang urged the strange woman urgently.

She didn’t move. With a *whoosh*, a hidden door opened on its own from the wall.

Li Huowang rushed through it, following his memory to find the previous room.

When he returned to the great hall filled with screens, he noticed many people had already departed. Only flickering candlelight swayed from the corners near the screens.

Without hesitation, Li Huowang passed through screen after screen and arrived before the steward he had met once before. Pretending to be extremely anxious, he said, “Nan Gong Brother, there’s a major crisis! The entire Forgetful Dao has come to Shangjing!”