Chapter 524: Method

Chapter 524: A Solution

“No, Zhuge Brother, you don’t understand dice. That letter was a warning to me! Anyone connected with him—no matter how many terrible possibilities one might imagine in their heart—the truth is undeniable! It must be real!”

Li Sui opened her mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth and three tentacles that twitched slightly as she yawned.

She stretched her arms forward, her nails extending, then pushed back with all her strength, letting out a long, lazy stretch before settling onto the octagonal table. She rested her slender head on her arms and continued watching Li Huowang muttering to himself in midair.

“Father’s talking to invisible people again? I used to see them, but now I can’t see them anymore.”

“I really want to know what they’re talking about. Just listening to Father, I have no idea what he’s saying.”

Li Huowang frowned deeply, pinching his temples as he paced back and forth for a while before continuing, “Zhuge Brother, Zhuge Brother, let’s stop this argument. Arguing like this is just a waste of energy.”

“Fine. Even if what you say is true—White Lingmiao is safe, and she’ll return on her own soon—then we wouldn’t need to do anything, right? We could just wait and let things resolve themselves. That would be ideal, but… is that even possible? I’ve never had any luck here!”

“If White Lingmiao is truly in the dice’s hands, sitting around waiting will only lead to her death! I can’t gamble with that!”

“And it’s not just about White Lingmiao—it’s about us too. If the dice has already attacked me, if we don’t fight back, this kind of thing will never end!”

The contents of that letter mean nothing! Maybe the letter was really written by White Lingmiao! But don’t forget—they are from the Forgetful Dao! I’ve seen these tricks countless times! Even in my memories of the Red Middle, there were such deceptions! Perhaps White Lingmiao has been imprisoned without even realizing it!”

“The Forgetful Dao doesn’t even need force to trap someone. Just with words, they can make a person willingly stay in one place until death!”

The room fell silent, save for Li Huowang’s rapid breathing. The two opposing possibilities made him anxious beyond measure.

He also hoped White Lingmiao was fine. He didn’t need to get involved in these troubles—he could simply return to Niu Xin Village and live quietly. But he couldn’t afford to take that risk.

After walking in circles several times, his tone grew calmer as he spoke softly toward the distant window, “You’re right. I’ve been a bit impatient lately. But in a situation where there’s no hope at all, it’s hard not to feel anxious!”

“To deal with an enemy whose location and target are unknown, who also holds White Lingmiao hostage—this is really…”

Li Huowang’s voice trailed off as he paused, his anxious eyes suddenly lighting up. He turned to the empty window and asked again, “Zhuge Brother, are you serious?”

“Hmm hmm hmm... This is a question. I need to find a chance to test it. But that’s fine—these are small matters. If what you say is true, then we’ll finally have a way to deal with the dice instead of being helpless like this!”

“Is General Er at home?”

Hearing the voice outside the wooden door, Li Huowang’s face lit up with joy. “Zhuge Brother, look! As soon as we mention Cao Cao, he appears! Opportunity is here!”

“I’m here. The door isn’t locked. Come in!”

As soon as Li Huowang finished speaking, the courtyard gate was pushed open from the outside. A eunuch, his face powdered white and holding a golden-threaded whisk, walked in alone, carrying nothing.

Li Huowang recognized him. He was the same eunuch who had delivered messages to Ji Lin earlier.

“Cough cough.” The eunuch stepped forward, tilting his chin and clearing his throat. “Ear Jiu, receive the imperial edict~”

Before Li Huowang could react, he pulled out a scroll of yellow silk and thrust it into Li Huowang’s chest, then turned and left without another word.

When confused Li Huowang finally opened the imperial edict, embroidered with dragon patterns, Li Sui came over to look with him.

But after only a moment, she stopped reading. There were many words, some she recognized, but when put together, she couldn’t make sense of what it said. “Father, what does it say?”

“Don’t go to the palace. Ji Lin will come out himself,” Li Huowang said. As soon as the words left his lips, the yellow silk scroll in his hand burst into flames, burning away completely within moments.

“Another fight?” Li Sui perked up one ear excitedly. “Father, let me help you peel the skin off!”

“Can’t do that. I have to wait until it grows back. Right now, I only have one layer of skin left. If I peel it off now, I’ll have nothing left.”

“Oh, so that’s how it is. Then shall we go now?”

“No rush. Some things need to be taken care of first.”

Li Huowang walked into the inner room, picked up a jar of pickled vegetables from the corner, and carried it to a hidden cellar beneath the bed. He hadn’t learned how to pickle vegetables himself; inside was the corpse of a previous body he’d killed.

Though the body had no organs or skin, it was still the body of Xin Su—a celestial treasure of earth and heaven. Perhaps it would prove useful someday.

Li Huowang placed the jar in the cellar, then stood up and picked up another jar from the corner.

This one also contained Xin Su’s body—but this one had organs, though no head. It was the headless corpse that had been decapitated by the fake Red Middle to deceive the Heaven-Surveying Bureau.

Back then, things moved too quickly. He had hastily treated it for preservation and buried it somewhere.

Since then, so much had happened, and he’d been too busy to remember where he’d buried it. It wasn’t until now, while dealing with the corpse, that he remembered.

Seeing the two large jars hidden in the cellar, Li Huowang slammed the lid shut firmly. “Let’s go. Let’s see what Ji Lin wants us to do this time.”

The meeting point was at a gambling house. After Li Huowang won three hundred and eighteen taels smoothly, he was invited to the underground cellar in the backyard.

Li Huowang was once again surrounded by eunuchs and saw Ji Lin again. However, Ji Lin looked unwell. Half of his left ear was missing, and deep scars ran down his face, visible to the bone.

“Your Majesty, what happened to your face?”

Ji Lin, holding a fake cat and stroking it repeatedly, gave a cruel smile. “Nothing serious. When I sent someone to kill others, naturally they’d send someone to kill me in return. It’s fair.”

“But I didn’t expect the palace to be so dirty. Looks like I’ll have to clean it up properly.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart skipped a beat. Ji Lin couldn’t die now. “Your Majesty, should I protect you when I’m not on duty?”

“No need. I still have capable people around me. I can take care of myself. You should stick to what you’re good at.” As Ji Lin waved his hand, a eunuch brought over a tray bearing a scroll of painting.

(End of Chapter)