Chapter 545: Bureau of Celestial Supervision

Chapter 545: The Astronomical Bureau

Within the encirclement, Li Huo Wang, seeing that his interlocutors refused to believe him, spoke bluntly: “Let me speak with the Grand Astronomer! As long as he sees my reflection, he will know whether I am speaking nonsense!”

Just as the whip-wielding man extended his index finger to sternly point at Li Huo Wang—who had just begun to speak again—his expression suddenly changed.

He hesitated for a moment before decisively stepping two paces to the left, opening a path through the circle of guards.

"There's hope!"

Li Huo Wang’s spirit lifted instantly; he knew without a doubt that his words had been heard by the Grand Astronomer.

Without delay, he gathered himself, clenched his fists, and walked along the newly opened passage.

After passing through a small grove, Li Huo Wang soon saw a massive carriage parked beside a stream. The horses drawing it were grazing and drinking water.

"Greetings to the Grand Astronomer!" Li Huo Wang bowed respectfully toward the sedan chair. The curtain parted, and the Grand Astronomer, whom he had seen from afar before, reappeared in his sight.

Previously, he had only glimpsed him from a distance. Now, up close, he finally got a clear look at the face of the highest-ranking official of the Astronomical Bureau.

Li Huo Wang observed that this Grand Astronomer was noticeably taller than an ordinary man, not merely a little bit taller—he was broader too, like a person enlarged by one size.

His imposing frame was wrapped in a vast red Daoist robe that concealed his form entirely, giving him an air of mystery.

From afar, Li Huo Wang had thought the robe was simply red, but now, upon closer inspection, he noticed faint deep red characters flowing within the crimson fabric.

Li Huo Wang had excellent eyesight; he could clearly see the strokes of those characters, yet he could not decipher what they meant.

They were more bizarre than the Nüshu script—each stroke formed its own unique system, resembling both characters and pictographs.

"ꈖꉈꊏꊰꋒꋯꌋꌬꏢꏾꐚꐳꑌꑟꑳꇞꉊꊲꋔꏤꐀꑎꑡꑵ....."

After a quick glance, Li Huo Wang dared not look further, as if staring longer would cause his soul to be drawn away by those mysterious symbols.

Regaining composure, Li Huo Wang looked down at the dry grass and quickly began to address the matter at hand.

"Respectfully informing the Grand Astronomer, I have a way to find the hiding place of the dice! The dice is cunning, and with my abilities alone, I cannot deal with it. I pray that the dice, for the sake of all living beings, may be brought to justice."

The Grand Astronomer's voice carried a deep resonance, and it was peculiar in tone—impossible to tell if it belonged to a man or woman, young or old. But right now, Li Huo Wang was too preoccupied to notice such oddities, his mind focused solely on how to respond to the question.

"No need for lengthy explanations—I have already heard something about it. I only wish to ask you: how did you come to know of the Upper Extreme Gorge? And how did you find it?"

If he simply said that Zhuge Yuan’s hallucination told him, who knew if the man would believe him? More importantly, his own mental illusions might be exposed.

"It was sheer coincidence," Li Huo Wang replied.

"Coincidence? Hmph, these young ones no longer know how to lie?" Upon hearing this, Li Huo Wang immediately felt several gazes pierce him, mostly focused on the sword at his back.

Feeling anxious, Li Huo Wang said, "Why do you press so hard on such trivial matters? I truly have a way to locate the dice!"

"You seem quite agitated. Why?"

"Grand Astronomer!" Li Huo Wang raised his voice sharply, his emotions rising. "That day, the Sect of Forgetfulness humiliated us so shamelessly, treating the Astronomical Bureau as nothing!! As a member of the Astronomical Bureau, I simply couldn't bear it!"

"And because of them, countless civilians in the capital city perished! Now that we have the chance to bring the dice to justice, I am utterly distressed!"

"So you wish to use me?"

The Grand Astronomer’s words chilled Li Huo Wang’s heart. This man was far too suspicious. If not for that, he would have simply told the truth. "I dare not use you, Your Excellency. But I believe that when it comes to such a great matter as slaying the dice, we are of the same ilk."

"You’re honest enough. Very well, I indeed wish to destroy the dice."

Hearing this, Li Huo Wang’s heart sank slightly—but a "but" at the end of the Grand Astronomer’s sentence made it rise again.

"But I must attend to some matters now and cannot spare time for a while. It will take some time."

"Wait even longer?" Li Huo Wang instinctively looked up at the sedan chair, staring into the darkness where the robe-covered head sat. "Grand Astronomer, what could possibly be more important than killing the dice at this moment?"

The strange attire of the Astronomical Bureau trembled slightly, as if shaking its head. "You don’t understand. There are many things in this world more important than him."

"Never mind, you wouldn’t understand anyway. In the meantime, don’t idle. Seize this opportunity once more to help me find the Upper Extreme Gorge and obtain secrets from it."

Though Li Huo Wang wanted to refuse, under the current circumstances, if he agreed, the Grand Astronomer had already consented to aid him against the dice. If it was just a short wait, it wasn’t too bad—this situation was far better than he had imagined.

Li Huo Wang didn’t know what other motives the man might harbor. All he wanted now was the dice’s life.

"Rest assured, when you return with the secrets of the Upper Extreme Gorge, I should also be free to deal with the dice."

"Grand Astronomer, I can help you find the Upper Extreme Gorge, but for every secret you give, you must offer one in return. Do you have enough secrets to trade for the Upper Extreme Gorge?"

"Don’t worry, I know far more than you do. Leave now. You should wake up soon."

"Just a moment, Grand Astronomer. How exactly do you intend to give... what... wake up?"

As Li Huo Wang tried to grasp the meaning of those final words, everything around him—trees, stream, even the grand sedan chair—dissipated like mist.

The surroundings shifted completely. Not far to the left stood the city gate of Shangjing.

Li Huo Wang stood motionless, still dazed, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Everything had felt like a dream.

"Calculating numbers to reach transformation, adapting to form and change—such phenomena arise and vanish instantly, called transformation, called illusion. Truly worthy of being the Grand Astronomer of Great Liang. Such a powerful art of illusion," Zhuge Yuan said, looking at the deep wheel tracks on the ground, a rare look of admiration on his face.

"Illusion technique?" Li Huo Wang pondered the new term. So everything he experienced after leaving the city gate had been an illusion—a fabrication.

Realizing this, a chill ran through his heart. He had unknowingly fallen into their trap. If they had harbored ill intentions earlier, he would have had no chance to resist.

Having never witnessed the previous battle firsthand, Li Huo Wang now understood just how terrifying the power of the Astronomical Bureau’s leader truly was.

"Brother Li, don’t panic. Since he is in an illusory realm, and has agreed to your request, he likely won’t change his mind lightly."

Hearing this, Li Huo Wang nodded silently, thinking, "Indeed. If this Grand Astronomer is on our side, then the stronger he is, the better."

With that thought, Li Huo Wang drew his spine sword and addressed a slender girl with a beauty mark on her lips. "We shouldn’t waste time. Let’s go to Great Qi again and search for the Upper Extreme Gorge."

"Mm." The woman smiled sweetly and agreed.

———

Next chapter updates at 00:02

(End of Chapter)