Chapter 532: Shangji Guankou

Chapter 532: The Uppermost Gate of Guan

“I’ve woken up?” Li Huowang’s eyes snapped open in the pitch-blackness, his gaze flickering anxiously around him.

When he realized he was lying in his own home in Shangjing—not on a hospital bed—he let out a long breath of relief.

Struggling to sit up, Li Huowang shook his dazed head vigorously. The world before him lurched violently. Ever since that day when he returned from Daqi to Daliang, finding himself trapped in a stifling barn, he had rushed straight to the Heavenly Observation Bureau to report the matter of Prince Ren’s secret dealings with the Law Sect.

The bureau's reaction was as expected. When Li Huowang learned from Nan Gong that the position previously held by Prince Ren had already been taken over, he knew that Ji Lin’s mission was complete—and now all he could do was wait.

In this brief respite, Li Huowang needed rest, to recover his depleted energy and ease the persistent headache that refused to fade.

It seemed that his forced cultivation of Zhuge Yuan had not only affected his body but also his mind and spirit.

This sensation was unbearable, and worse still, it risked causing the innate vital energy within him to go out of control, forcing him back to the White Tower Prison—an outcome he very much disliked.

After a simple wash, Li Huowang walked to the table and picked up a steamed bun that hadn’t even slightly risen. This bun was clearly Li Sui’s creation. Though using dead dough yielded nothing more than hard, clumpy lumps instead of fluffy buns, it was at least better than before—especially because the bottom wasn’t burnt.

From beneath the floor came the continuous chanting of Li Sui practicing spells downstairs. Li Huowang sat down at the table and enjoyed his breakfast in silence.

After finishing slowly and thoroughly, Li Huowang turned toward the distant Zhuge Yuan and asked, “Brother Zhuge, I have a question troubling my heart. Might you help me resolve it?”

“Speak freely,” replied Zhuge Yuan once again, his demeanor calm and composed, as if the Zhuge Yuan who had appeared in Daqi had never existed.

Li Huowang chewed on his words for a moment before asking gravely, “Brother Zhuge, despite being surrounded and hunted by the Heavenly Observation Bureau, the Dice Master still sent people to interfere in the succession struggle. Could it be that he has ulterior motives regarding the Dragon Vein?”

Having understood the importance of the Dragon Vein, and after being reminded by the doctor, Li Huowang couldn’t help but think along these lines.

Although he strongly opposed Yi Donglai, he had to admit that what he said made some sense. If he wanted to confront the Dice Master, he couldn’t allow Ji Lin to ascend the throne as Yi Donglai had wished.

Zhuge Yuan didn’t answer immediately. He tapped his folding fan four times against his palm before speaking slowly: “That may be true, but Brother Li, how could the Emperor and the Heavenly Observation Bureau possibly overlook such a thing?”

“Brother Li, you must understand this: though the Dragon Vein is of great significance, it does not mean it is weak enough to need protection. The Dragon Vein is placed in the Imperial Temple not to protect itself, but rather to protect the palace. In other words, the emperor being the true dragon son is no mere flattery. Within the imperial palace, the Dice Master cannot defeat him.”

“The Dragon Vein is so powerful? Even the Dice Master can’t beat him?” It was the first time Li Huowang had heard that the Dragon Vein possessed such strength.

Thinking about it, it made sense. If the Dragon Vein was an anchor point of history, then surely it could not be fragile.

“Brother Zhuge, then according to your words, if the Dragon Vein is so mighty, why did the Dragon Vein of Daqi break in the past?”

Li Huowang’s question caused Zhuge Yuan’s expression to darken slightly. After a pause, he shook his head slowly. “I do not know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I have been dead for quite some time. Before my death, Daqi was still in chaos. There was no news whatsoever about the Dragon Vein. As for what happened after my death, there are simply too many possibilities.”

Silence fell over the room. Both men stood in silence.

After a while, Zhuge Yuan finally spoke, his tone solemn: “Brother Li, we shouldn’t dwell on what the Dice Master intends to do. Instead, we should focus on eliminating future risks. If you wish to confront him, we must act quickly on what I told you earlier.”

“Now?” Li Huowang instantly recalled what Zhuge Yuan had said that day—that in Daqi, there was a way to track the Dice Master’s whereabouts!

“With the current situation, who knows what will happen next in Daqi? If we delay, and something goes wrong in Daqi…”

Zhuge Yuan paused significantly. “If something goes wrong in Daqi, finding a way to locate the Dice Master will become far more difficult.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart stirred. Zhuge Yuan had just given them a crucial lead—they couldn’t afford to let it slip. This was far more important than helping Ji Lin seize the throne. “Brother Zhuge, what should I do next?”

“Go to the Uppermost Gate of Guan in Daqi. They have a way to find the Dice Master.”

“Really?” The idea of locating the Dice Master, a seemingly impossible task, was spoken of so casually by Zhuge Yuan that Li Huowang almost doubted his ears.

“That’s the Dice Master! Someone the Heavenly Observation Bureau couldn’t find even with all its efforts—yet the Uppermost Gate of Guan finds him so easily? If it were that simple, why hasn’t the bureau approached the Uppermost Gate of Guan?”

Zhuge Yuan looked at Li Huowang with surprise. “Because only Daqi has the Uppermost Gate of Guan. Daliang doesn’t.”

Li Huowang’s face lit up with understanding. He immediately walked to his pillow and grabbed his weapon. “So that’s it. We must move quickly!”

“Not so fast, Brother Li. First, we must leave the city. If we take the route through here to Daqi, we’ll likely enter Youdu territory. Too many people, too many mouths. Risk of exposure.”

“Right!” Li Huowang grabbed his red robe and draped it over his shoulders, picked up two weapons, and hurried downstairs. “Brother Zhuge, what exactly is this Uppermost Gate of Guan? Is it a person or a sect?”

“Can’t say.”

“Can’t say? Why not?” While instructing Li Sui to put on his raincoat, Li Huowang asked, “To some, it’s a man; to others, a demon; and to yet others, a mountain gate.”

“So mysterious?” Li Huowang was surprised. “Then, will we have to pay something to ask them for help?”

“Don’t worry about it, Brother Li. Leave it to me. Though I am dead, I still hold some influence in Daqi.” Zhuge Yuan’s confidence returned.

“Yeeeh!” Li Huowang cracked his whip, urging the horse forward as the carriage burst through the gate.

“But Brother Li, although the Uppermost Gate of Guan can locate the Dice Master, they won’t be able to help you fight him. You’ll have to find your own allies.”

“I understand!” Li Huowang’s voice carried firm conviction.

At last, there was hope of defeating the Dice Master. No matter how difficult the path ahead, he would give everything he had!

(End of Chapter)