Chapter 480: New Emperor

Chapter 480: The New Emperor

Half an hour later, the towering vermilion walls of the imperial palace reappeared before Li Huowang’s eyes. Standing at the base of the wall and gazing upward, he was immediately overwhelmed by its imposing presence, like a mountain pressing down upon him.

Li Huowang held no fond memories of this place. All he wanted now was to finish his task as quickly as possible.

Guided by a eunuch, they continued deeper into the palace. Even though Li Huowang had been here once before, the labyrinthine complexity of the inner court still left him slightly disoriented.

This time, they did not see those golden halls. Li Huowang deduced that their destination was not the core area where the emperor resided, but rather some peripheral buildings meant for support functions.

Speaking of the Emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty, Li Huowang recalled from Liu Zongyuan’s information that the emperor was near death. If that report was reliable, then he should have already been buried by now.

While lost in thought, the guide stopped before a round archway. With his androgynous voice, he said, “Here it is. The Grand Eunuch is inside.”

“Big Sister told me that this Grand Eunuch has connections with our people—he used to be part of the Celestial Observing Bureau too. He’s quite approachable,” Lian Zhibei said with the air of someone who knew the ropes, sharing this insider knowledge with Li Huowang.

The two stepped slowly through the archway. Lian Zhibei led Li Huowang further in, clearly familiar with the route.

Soon, they found the so-called Grand Eunuch in a storage room.

Upon learning their purpose, the man with a square face and a nasal tone scolded them with dissatisfaction.

“Oh my! What kind of work do you Celestial Observing Bureau people do? It’s almost three months now, and you only just brought it here. We’re missing this last piece, and the National Master is getting anxious—this has me punished too!”

“Elder Brother Cao, you were also a veteran of the Celestial Observing Bureau. You know how hard it is to get something like this. We’ve worked hard to catch it. Look how fresh it is,” Lian Zhibei, clearly skilled in dealing with eunuchs, quickly coaxed the eunuch named Cao into smiling.

Soon after, a red-stamped document was placed tremblingly into Lian Zhibei’s hands. “You don’t need to waste your breath explaining what to take?”

With these words, the eunuch Cao turned away from Li Huowang and the others, scribbling something on paper and burning it in a bronze basin.

As the ashes rose and drifted toward the window, the eunuch’s expression relaxed considerably.

Then, turning to give orders, he instructed other eunuchs to pack the spirit pestilence into a box using a jade tray adorned with agate.

“Elder Brother, you go ahead and tend to your duties. We won’t disturb you,” Lian Zhibei said with a smile, dragging the paper with her hand and slowly backing out.

“Why can’t we just give it directly to the one with longevity?” Li Huowang whispered.

“Of course not. We must retrieve it from the storehouse. Hurry up. Let’s make another trip to the storehouse. Do you have loose silver? The King of Hell is easy to anger, but the little devils are hard to deal with. Bring some silver to grease the palms of the eunuchs there.”

“This place is full of complications!” Li Huowang couldn’t help but frown.

Just as Lian Zhibei urged him to keep quiet, a long, echoing chant broke through the layers of gates and corridors. “His Majesty the Emperor arrives~!”

Hearing this, Lian Zhibei’s face changed instantly. She hurried to a corner and knelt on both knees, pressing her head firmly to the ground.

At that moment, Li Huowang could barely contain his urge to curse. He didn’t care to kneel before the new emperor of the Great Liang Dynasty. Instead, he walked over to Lian Zhibei, shifted his body to the ground, and vanished into invisibility.

“His Majesty the Emperor arrives~!”

“His Majesty the Emperor arrives~!”

The chant repeated three times before Li Huowang finally saw the main figure. The new emperor of the Great Liang, dressed in black robes and wearing a golden crown, slowly approached under the escort of palace maids and eunuchs.

When Li Huowang, with his exceptional vision, clearly saw the man’s face, his pupils contracted slightly. This emperor of the Great Liang, he had actually seen once before.

Back when he accompanied Miao Miao for the Shangsi Festival, the young man who had been tricked into spending five hundred taels on a fake jade cat was none other than this man!

The emperor’s entourage drew closer. As he passed by, Li Huowang took a careful look and was certain that the person he had met that night was indeed this man.

“He’s the new emperor of the Great Liang?!” Li Huowang hadn’t expected it. The new emperor had snuck out of the palace on the Shangsi Festival to watch unmarried girls!

But then again, it did seem like something a ten-year-old would do.

Though he knew this man was the emperor of the Great Liang, Li Huowang had no intention of climbing the ranks. In just a few months, three emperors had already changed. The throne of the Great Liang didn’t seem easy to sit on.

Invisibility, Li Huowang silently observed. Just as he thought things would proceed smoothly, an old Daoist with white hair suddenly opened his eyes, scanning in his direction. “Who dares to appear here?”

With that shout, the emperor was soon swallowed by the crowd of eunuchs and palace maids. Suddenly, guards surrounded Li Huowang’s position.

As the guards raised their weapons, ready to strike, Li Huowang revealed himself and brandished the Celestial Observing Bureau badge.

The atmosphere froze. The guards hesitated. This man didn’t seem to be an assassin trying to harm the emperor, but if he was truly from the Celestial Observing Bureau, why hide here? They turned to the National Master, waiting for his command.

“Who are you?! Why are you here?!”

A simple question made Li Huowang feel as if he couldn’t breathe. His body felt stiff, unable to move.

This man’s power was absolutely terrifying. Since obtaining the identity of the Red One, such pressure hadn’t been felt in a long while.

Li Huowang looked up at the old Daoist who spoke. During the great battle between the Celestial Observing Bureau and the Forgetful Dao Sect, he had been present. This man was the one wielding the Star Constellation Sword and performing spells.

Lian Zhibei quickly reacted, handing over the document to prove their innocence.

“We came here only to carry out official duties. We apologize for disturbing His Majesty. We deserve death!”

Once the misunderstanding was cleared, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The National Master frowned at an elderly eunuch and said, “How could you let someone from the Celestial Observing Bureau enter the palace?”

Before he could continue, a joyful voice interrupted, “It’s you!!”

The Emperor of the Great Liang stepped forward from the crowd, walking toward Li Huowang.

But naturally, he was stopped by two elderly eunuchs before he could reach him.

(End of Chapter)