Chapter 427: North Wind

Chapter 427: The North Wind

"What? North Wind the Xinsu? Master Hongzhong, do you have business with him?" a Zuowangdao disguised as an old beggar asked in sheer bewilderment.

"Where is North Wind right now!" Li Huowang’s voice grew heavy, and the purple-tasseling sword in his hand was already pressed against the Zuowangdao's neck.

Beside them, another Zuowangdao dressed as a pretty young bride quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Oh, come now, we're all brothers here. Why pull blades? Master Hongzhong, I know where he is. North Wind and his lot should be at the eastern gate of the Imperial City right now, planning to slip inside and see what the Emperor of Daliang is up to. And it's not just Master North Wind's trio; basically all of the Three Primes and Four Joys are gathered there."

"The eastern gate of the palace..." The grip on Li Huowang’s sword tightened slightly. With a subtle flick of his wrist, the beggar Zuowangdao's head was instantly severed from his shoulders.

Li Huowang shifted his gaze to the last remaining Zuowangdao, repeating his question one measured word at a time: "Now, tell me once more. Where is North Wind?"

The pretty bride stared at the collapsed corpse, her eyes wide, tears even welling at the corners. "Master Hongzhong, why did you do that? We... we really didn't mean to harm you!"

Seeing her tearful, pitiful display only stoked the flames of Li Huowang’s rage. He kicked her squarely to the ground, and the sharp edge of his blade sliced upward from her chin, peeling away her visage to reveal the flesh-and-blood orchid forged from contorted features beneath.

"Heh! The Flower card, is it! Fine! Let's see what other tricks you Zuowangdao can pull! I'll ask you one more time, where is North Wind!" Li Huowang snarled through gritted teeth, his hands already choking her neck in a death grip.

"Master North Wind and the others... really... went to the eastern palace gate, I truly..." The Orchid, struggling for breath, gasped out in fits and starts.

As the strength in Li Huowang’s hands steadily increased, the Orchid began to thrash about. Yet, once the peak passed, her struggles grew weaker and weaker. Even so, she never changed her story to beg for mercy.

At the very brink of death, she gently nudged that orchid-head against the back of Li Huowang’s hand, which was bulging with veins from choking her. Instead of showing the terror and despair of impending demise, her twisted face actually betrayed a trace of lingering, reluctant affection.

With the absolute last shred of her breath, she spoke in a near-whisper: "The hills have trees... and trees have boughs... my heart finds joy in you... yet you know it not..."

As those words fell, Li Huowang felt the body go limp, and the orchid upon her face gradually withered away.

"Huff... huff... huff..." Li Huowang panted heavily. Li Sui's tentacles scooped up the garments from the adjacent corpse and wiped the blood off Li Huowang’s face.

"These Zuowangdao are truly infuriating. Even at death's door, she had to disgust me like this. Acting so convincingly that I actually wavered for a moment!"

Once his breathing evened out, Li Huowang stood up again. He remained half-skeptical of the Flower card's words, but regardless of whether North Wind was at the eastern gate of the Imperial City, he decided to go and see for himself.

The chaos outside was escalating, and he had to hurry. Whether North Wind was killed or managed to escape, neither outcome was what he wished to see.

Li Huowang bent down to pick up the face skin from the ground, preparing to press it back onto his own visage.

But just as he was about to do so, he suddenly paused. "Wait, would it be unwise to keep using Erjiu's face from here on?"

Looking left and right, Li Huowang bent down once more to retrieve the face skin of the Orchid, pressing it directly onto his face like a facial mask.

Then, pulling several nails from his torture kit, he pinned the edges in place. Instantly, Li Huowang’s appearance transformed entirely into that of another person.

Since he was going to play the part, he had to go all the way. Li Huowang swiftly set fire to the red Daoist robe he wore and changed into the clothes of the dead man beside him.

Completely transformed into a new guise, Li Huowang bore six swords looted from the other corpses on his back, and pushed open the wooden door in the wall.

After briefly discerning his orientation, Li Huowang leaped directly onto a riderless horse by the street and spurred it to a gallop, charging toward the gate of the Imperial City. "The Imperial City... since it's the residence of the Daliang Emperor, it ought to be the most heavily fortified place in Daliang..."

Along the way, to verify the accuracy of the information, Li Huowang deliberately captured two other Zuowangdao. One refused to speak, but the other also claimed they were at the eastern gate of the palace.

Just as he was about to arrive at the Imperial City, Li Huowang leaped onto a rooftop, peering into the distance toward the eastern gate.

A battle seemed to have already broken out over there. Amidst the vast, blanketing white snow, figures were occasionally struck and sent hurtling through the air.

Li Huowang crawled low, gradually drawing closer. Although the abilities and appearances of these combatants were bizarre and varied, it was glaringly obvious that those inside the palace were the Imperial Guards, while those outside were the Zuowangdao.

These Zuowangdao possessed disparate appearances and garbs, making it equally difficult to guess who was who, and just as hard to discern whether North Wind the Xinsu was among them.

A few Zuowangdao attempted to sit cross-legged on the ground to chant something, but a flurry of extraordinarily precise arrows pinned themselves directly into their foreheads.

Faced with the anxious stalemate in the distance, Li Huowang did not rush to side with either party, instead silently searching through the ranks of the Zuowangdao.

"Is that person him? No, that's not right..." Li Huowang recalled the records he had previously unearthed at the Monitor Directorate. This Xinsu North Wind possessed the ability to swap bodies with others.

With this thought, Li Huowang shifted his gaze away from the Zuowangdao's side and began to scrutinize the palace instead.

There, the Imperial Guards were fighting back with all their might, aided by a few individuals wearing green masks. Everything appeared entirely ordinary.

As Li Huowang watched in silence, the tightly closed gates of the Imperial City suddenly cracked open. An Imperial Guard wearing a helmet slipped out, waving his arms frantically toward the outside.

Sensing a vulnerability, the Zuowangdao outside surged inward in an instant, throwing the battle into utter disarray.

"Is it him? Is he North Wind the Xinsu?" Li Huowang’s heart thumped wildly against his chest as he locked his eyes onto the Brocade Guard who had opened the gate in the distance.

As if sensing something, that Brocade Guard cast a distant glance back in Li Huowang’s direction before turning to step inside the city gate.

With a sharp rustle, the white snow around Li Huowang was thrown high into the air. He activated his displaced invisibility, swiftly navigating across the roof tiles to close the distance.

By the time Li Huowang reached the eastern gate of the Imperial City, he found that this small-scale skirmish had clearly concluded with an overwhelming victory for the Zuowangdao. The half-opened gate, smeared with blood, stood as testament.

The man suspected to be North Wind had definitely gone inside! Li Huowang quickened his pace and stealthily slipped inside.

Noticing the massive commotion here, it was evident that Li Huowang was not the only one. From time to time, figures would rapidly charge along this blood-soaked path littered with corpses.

As for whether their identities belonged to the Zuowangdao or the Monitor Directorate, there was no way of knowing.

Following closely behind these people, Li Huowang soon arrived inside the palace, which proved to be visibly vast and labyrinthine.

Yet, Li Huowang had no need for a map; the bloodstains and scattered casualties provided all the direction he required.

Just like the exterior of the palace, massive, person-sized masks occasionally materialized against the jujube-red walls. They appeared to be crafted from bronze, with patches of verdigris clinging to them.

They possessed square faces, hollowed-out eyes, triangular nasal bridges, and broad ears. Under their silent surveillance, the entire Daliang Imperial Palace felt exceptionally solemn and majestic.

As he walked on, the bloodstains and footprints grew scarcer, and a golden light shimmered around the corner ahead.

When Li Huowang cautiously rounded the corner, the sight before his eyes struck him with immense shock.

Gold—a vast expanse was entirely bathed in a glittering gold. The distant golden hall, the golden bricks upon the ground, and even the ridge beasts, eaves beasts, and corner beasts atop the roof were entirely made of gold.

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