Chapter 525: Ren Prince's Mansion

Chapter 525: The Prince Ren's Mansion

When Li Huowang took the painting from the tray, he discovered it was actually a highly detailed map of an entire architectural complex.

Every room’s layout and purpose were clearly marked, and beneath the map, in small print, three red characters were written: Prince Ren's Mansion.

Li Huowang frowned deeply as he looked up at Ji Lin.

"Prince Ren is my second elder brother," he said. "Be careful. Rumors say his retinue includes many sinister cultivators who are not above the law. It was one of these men under his command who killed my mother and my elder sister."

Upon hearing this, Li Huowang immediately understood what he had to do next. Without saying another word, he bowed respectfully to Ji Lin, took the map, and turned to leave.

"Erjiu, do well!" said the emperor. "As long as you help me ascend the throne, I will not forget your loyalty!" Though Shangjing was vast, finding Prince Ren's mansion would not be difficult.

"Why would a prince's residence be built within the capital rather than in his fiefdom? That's quite strange," muttered Li Huowang, kneeling on a roof eave and gazing silently at the massive plaque far away.

Suddenly, he spoke aloud again. "Indeed, that seems to be the case. Perhaps from the beginning, the royal family intended to raise a parasite."

As Li Huowang spoke, his colored shadow gradually merged with the tiles, while his invisible form slowly approached Prince Ren's mansion.

The towering walls could not hinder Li Huowang at this moment; his tentacles easily scaled over the wall tops.

He sensed several hidden sentries behind the wall instantly, but instead of quietly retreating, he moved toward one of them.

After a candle's worth of time, Li Huowang stood upon a beam, looking down at a eunuch motionless beside a window.

This man stared intently through a tiny hole in the window, watching outside. He was one of Prince Ren's secret agents.

"I'll test him first," Li Huowang thought to Zhuge Yuan, gripping the hilt of his spine sword.

"Cut!" With a swift motion, Li Huowang swung downward from the beam, sending an unseen stroke of history slicing through the air.

But this time, the historical blade did not sever the man like it usually did—it completely enveloped him.

"Wait, it didn't fully cover him. Half of his hand remains on the beam."

"Li Xiong, swing once more. See if he's still alive in the Great Qi," said Zhuge Yuan, no longer calm. His expression was now grave.

This was crucial—whether Li Huowang could confront the dice depended on it.

"Li Sui, I’ll strike again later. Remember to stick your eyeball inside to check, but pull it out before it gets stuck."

"Dad, I know. Don’t worry."

After carefully instructing Li Sui, Li Huowang gripped the spine sword tightly once more and struck with all his might. As the invisible rift between the Great Qi and the beam appeared, a black shadow shot out from Li Huowang, flying into the gap with residual traces.

Just before the rift vanished, Li Sui’s tentacle wrapped around his eye pulled itself out.

"Dad, he’s still alive. He’s holding his severed hand, opened the window, and shouted something outside."

"Excellent!" Li Huowang clenched his fist in excitement.

"This means the sword can kill—but also safely transport people to the Great Qi! Not just others, but even myself!"

"In that case, we can implement Zhuge Yuan’s plan!"

Li Huowang felt eager to rush to the Great Qi right away, yet he restrained himself.

"I’ve come this far. First, deal with Prince Ren. I can’t neglect either side. Otherwise, even if I find the dice, without Ji Lin’s help, I won’t be able to handle it." Thinking this, Li Huowang sheathed his broad spine sword and slid along the beam.

With the map provided by Ji Lin, Li Huowang found no difficulty navigating the maze-like mansion and made straight for the prince's sleeping quarters.

Yet when he arrived, he realized he had been tricked—the prince wasn’t there.

"Where could such a person go at this late hour?" Li Huowang re-opened the map, studied it carefully, then tucked it away again, heading eastward.

He searched several places without success, but eventually, he found him—following the sound of singing.

On a grand stage festooned with lanterns, various operas performed in rotation. Each play involved over a hundred performers, each one a leading role when taken individually. Their skill far surpassed that of the Lu Family Opera troupe led by the top scholar.

All these troupes came and went for one reason alone—to perform for someone below.

Li Huowang saw Prince Ren’s face for the first time—a middle-aged man with pale skin and white lips. If not for the dragon robe he wore, Li Huowang wouldn’t have guessed this man was vying for the imperial throne alongside Ji Lin.

At present, he squinted slightly, lying on a plump woman’s body, his three fingers adorned with golden and jade nail guards tapping rhythmically against his knees in sync with the music.

Li Huowang shifted his gaze from the prince’s face to scan those around him.

He didn’t know what kind of “evil cultivator” the prince’s retinue consisted of, but judging by their appearances, none seemed like evil cultivators.

"It won’t work to act directly here. It's too open, and there are too many people. If Prince Ren’s retinue hides among them, it would be easy for them to ambush me."

"And besides, I shouldn’t suffer the same loss twice. Maybe this Prince Ren, like the eldest princess, is playing dumb to gain strength."

Thinking thus, Li Huowang silently waited for an opportunity.

An hour passed. It was already the second watch of the night. Just as Li Huowang thought the prince intended to stay up all night watching plays, the performance finally ended.

A magnificent twelve-person sedan chair was lifted, and Prince Ren, accompanied by numerous eunuchs, walked toward the sleeping quarters.

Li Huowang followed the sedan until it stopped, but found nothing unusual.

He didn’t believe anyone bold enough to challenge the throne would be careless, especially after killing the Empress Dowager and the eldest princess. He remained vigilant.

Following Prince Ren into the bedroom, the crowd outside gradually dispersed. Seeing a chance, Li Huowang cautiously entered.

To his surprise, even in the sleeping chamber, the sound of singing continued.

Following the voice, Li Huowang located the prince lying on his side, with a woman standing beside his bed singing.

From her makeup, it was clear she was a flower girl (huadan).

Though her face bore theatrical makeup, she wore nothing else at all.