Chapter 423: Friend

Chapter 423: A Friend

Under Nan Gong Yun’s guidance, Li Huo Wang arrived at the outer gates of the Liang residence where Zhuge Yuan was staying. With his exceptionally keen eyesight, Li Huo Wang could even see Zhuge Yuan sketching a painting on the second floor. As for the other men from the Great Qi, he had not yet spotted them—whether they were in another room or had already left, he couldn’t tell.

"Nan Gong Brother, isn't Zhuge Yuan a wanted man within the Bureau? Why is he still allowed to stay here? Why don’t we just take him down now and seize that powerful artifact of his?" Li Huo Wang voiced his confusion.

Nan Gong Yun frowned slightly and gave a gentle shake of his head. "This isn’t the time to provoke him. The Emperor has issued an edict—the majority of the Bureau's Jia Yi Bing Ding have been summoned to court. We’re already short-handed. If we go after Zhuge Yuan now, and the Sect of Forgetfulness seizes the opportunity to strike, things will become complicated."

"But if we deal with the Sect of Forgetfulness first, those storytellers won’t be able to help those scoundrels who’ve committed such crimes."

Having said this, Nan Gong turned to leave. "Er Jiu, good luck on your journey. Once inside, just don’t provoke Zhuge Yuan too much, and you should return alive. Generally speaking, as long as you bear no ill will toward him, he won’t trouble you. Remember, don’t let even a trace of killing intent show on your person."

"Thank you, Nan Gong Brother!" After expressing his gratitude, Li Huo Wang turned around, his face grave, and walked toward the distant Liang residence.

Just as Li Huo Wang passed through the grand entrance flanked by stone drums, with a sudden *whoosh*, the door behind him slammed shut.

Li Huo Wang swallowed hard, then stepped forward heavily through the courtyard toward the house.

As Zhuge Yuan’s brush gently swept across the paper, the doors and windows crashed shut. The two men exchanged a knowing smile.

"How goes it?" Zhuge Yuan continued painting the emerald landscape on the table.

"Thanks, Brother Zhuge. It’s done. They’ll start fighting soon. Now I’m worried that the Sect of Forgetfulness might hear the news and leave Xijing ahead of schedule."

"Don’t worry, Brother Li. They’re not afraid of death, so what do they fear? When the entire Sect of Forgetfulness is assembled, they won’t leave until they’ve made a shocking move."

"That’s true," Li Huo Wang said, sipping tea from beside him. What the Sect of Forgetfulness would do next didn’t concern him much. If heaven fell, the Celestial Observing Bureau would handle it. As long as the target wasn’t himself, he was fine.

"Brother Zhuge, I’ve already shifted all blame onto the Sect of Forgetfulness. From now on, we probably won’t meet again. There are too many spies in the city, and the Celestial Observing Bureau will surely suspect something."

"No worries, no worries. The matter of Great Qi can be handled by me alone. But what about you? If you really encounter Xin Su Bei Feng, can you manage it?"

"Relax. This time is different from before—I won’t fight alone. The main force against the Sect of Forgetfulness is the Celestial Observing Bureau. I just need to strike when they're injured and kidnap him."

"I see... Then come here, extend your hand. I'll cover it up so it's easier to act later."

"Hmm? How exactly?"

When Li Huo Wang raised his hand, Zhuge Yuan touched his palm with his brush. Three black characters—*Li Huo Wang*—appeared.

With a quick stroke of the brush tip, the *Li* character gained a horizontal line, transforming into *Ji*.

Then, the brush swiftly folded several times over the *Huo* character, adding a cover to make it *Zai*.

Finally, Zhuge Yuan rubbed over *Wang*, completely erasing it and placing it as a signature on the scroll laid out on the table.

"There. Now, as long as you cover your face, no one will recognize you as Li Huo Wang."

This kind of divine ability was something Li Huo Wang had never seen before—he was deeply amazed.

After looking at the characters *Ji* and *Zai* in his hand, Li Huo Wang nodded. "I cannot repay your kindness with words, Brother Zhuge. Rest assured, once I find Bei Feng, I’ll come back to help!"

Looking up at the Li Huo Wang before him, Zhuge Yuan asked, "Brother Li, my affairs aren’t urgent. If you run into trouble in Xijing, remember to consult me with a divination. I can help with anything, just don’t die."

Hearing this, Li Huo Wang froze in place. His expression grew complex. After thinking for a moment, he sat down on a nearby meditation chair.

"Brother Zhuge, to be honest, I’ve encountered something. But you don’t need to get involved. I just want you to use your friend’s role to help me judge how I should proceed."

"Oh?" Zhuge Yuan put down his brush. He had never encountered such a situation before.

Li Huo Wang clenched and unclenched his fists, finally letting out a deep sigh. "Brother Zhuge, tell me—could that world over there actually be real?"

His voice was low as he revealed the doubts hidden in his heart, including his theory that the gold might have been conjured by himself.

Facing the possibility that the other world might truly exist, he wanted to hear others’ opinions.

Or perhaps Li Huo Wang didn’t expect any response from Zhuge Yuan—he simply wanted someone to talk to.

He couldn’t tell anyone else because anyone hearing this would think he’d gone mad. But Zhuge Yuan wouldn’t. Because Li Huo Wang knew they were both in the same boat.

After Li Huo Wang finished speaking, silence filled the room. Zhuge Yuan didn’t speak immediately but thought carefully before slowly replying:

"Brother Li, did you know? I once had a beloved woman—a beauty from the Northern Liang. In the Great Qi, she was merely a concubine of a wealthy man."

"I once tried to change myself, forcing myself to believe that the Great Qi was false and the Northern Liang was real." Zhuge Yuan’s voice carried a slight tremor as he looked toward a painting of a graceful lady on the wall.

"But fate had other plans. She ultimately left me. Because the Great Qi was truly real—it’s impossible for truth to be false, nor can falsehood ever become real."

"But what if it’s true? What if it really is?" Li Huo Wang clenched his fists.

"The fish I desire, the bear paw I desire too; but I cannot have both," Zhuge Yuan resumed painting.

"Brother Li, the sage said: 'You cannot have both fish and bear paw.' Not only do I speak of the Great Qi and Northern Liang, but also of your real and unreal worlds. Even the Celestial Commanders above, down to ordinary people, are the same."

Li Huo Wang stood up from the meditation chair, clasping his hands together. "Thank you, Brother Zhuge. Talking to you helped ease my burden. It’s unbearable to keep everything bottled up inside."

With that, he turned and walked downstairs. "Brother Zhuge, if everything gets sorted out, may we still be able to sit in your bamboo house, drink tea, and play chess as before."

As Li Huo Wang pushed open the door, Zhuge Yuan’s voice echoed from upstairs. "Tea is fine, but chess? Forget it. Calling you a bad player is being generous."