Chapter 352
Chapter 352
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 352
>Chapter Title: Rendezvous
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Listening to Ji Xiang ramble on, Li Huowang stayed silent and kept listening. If this person were just spouting made-up histories from books, it wouldn’t have scared Ji Xiang like that. There had to be another reason.
“This guy’s easy to spot. He carries a fan with four words written on it: ‘Heaven Endowed Me with Talent.’ If you ever run into him, stay as far away as you can. He’s no pushover.” As he spoke, Ji Xiang’s eyes were filled with wariness.
Li Huowang thought for a moment before probing, “Lord Ji Xiang, that day when we left the Buddha Bone Temple, the reason you asked me those questions—was it because Zhuge Yuan’s abilities are so strange?”
“Mm.” Ji Xiang nodded. “This man doesn’t know what method he uses, but he can alter fate.”
“Alter fate?”
“Not human fate—Heaven’s will. He has an old almanac. Whatever he says is ‘auspicious’ for will definitely happen, and whatever he says is ‘inauspicious’ for will definitely bring disaster if you try it.”
“His word becomes law?!” Li Huowang was utterly shocked. He’d seen a lot on his journey, but this was the first time he’d encountered such a divine ability.
If someone like that meant well toward him, it would be like having a massive backer. But if they harbored malice...
After weighing his words carefully, Li Huowang spoke again. “Lord Ji Xiang, does this man use his power more for good deeds or evil ones?”
“How should I know? All I know is that whenever he shows up, nothing good happens! He’s a real jinx.”
With that, the parched Ji Xiang lifted a cup of tea and took a sip.
“Alright, I’ve told you more than I should. Do a good job—you’re not bad, kid. If you pull this off, I’ll put in a word to get you promoted within the department.”
“Thank you, Lord Ji Xiang.” Li Huowang turned and left, his expression still grave as he glanced down at the cloth-wrapped spindle.
Though he’d learned some information about Zhuge Yuan from Ji Xiang, he still had no idea whether the man’s goodwill toward him was genuine or fake.
If it was real... it didn’t make sense. But if it was fake... that made even less sense! What was this guy’s real goal?
“Asking like this won’t work. I need to figure something out from this spindle—first, find out what this thing really is.”
“But that can wait. Helping Ji Xiang find Heart Turmoil and getting info on North Wind is the top priority right now.”
In that simple study, not long after Li Huowang left, an elderly woman with graying hair emerged from behind a nearby screen.
Though her face was now covered in wrinkles, her features suggested she’d been quite beautiful in her youth.
The old woman asked Ji Xiang worriedly, “Dear, is this guy reliable?”
“Sigh, I can’t say for sure. He came all the way from some far-off place to Great Liang—who knows where his loyalties truly lie? Reliable or not, we have to use him. We absolutely cannot let the capital find out I botched this!”
The worried old woman stepped to Ji Xiang’s side and gently cradled the back of his jewel-adorned hand in hers.
“Dear, if it’s really no good, let’s just resign? Living in fear every day—what’s the point of a few extra decades?”
“Sigh... easier said than done. It’s not that simple.”
Ji Xiang, a bitter look on his face, pulled a red handkerchief from his left sleeve and dabbed the sweat from his brow.
“This comes from way up high. It’s work from the National Advisor’s side—maybe even with the emperor’s tacit approval. A small fry like me caught up in something this big is lucky just to escape unscathed.”
The old woman wrapped her arms gently around Ji Xiang, her voice pleading. “Brother, once this is over, let’s go home. Back to Liupan, to that mulberry tree from our childhood, and live out our days there.”
“You said when we left the village that you wanted me to enjoy life. Truth is, wherever we are, as long as I’m with you, I’m the happiest man alive.”
Ji Xiang patted the old woman with his red handkerchief but said nothing.
Ji Xiang seemed in quite a hurry, setting the rendezvous for the next day at the fifth watch, right at Silver Tomb City’s gate.
Thus, before dawn even broke, Li Huowang was already awake. He first went to the stables, pulled back the carriage curtain, and sliced off a chunk of meat from the writhing tentacle monster inside, wrapping it in cloth to eat on the road.
Then, after tossing some dried meat into the carriage, Li Huowang fetched a plank and began nailing it shut.
Who knew how long this trip would take? Better to nail it down tight, just in case.
Before long, under Li Huowang’s hammering, the carriage had been transformed into a large coffin.
With all that done, he loaded his luggage onto the horse’s back, mounted up, and rode toward the city gate.
“Woof woof!” Mantou predictably came trotting after him.
“Stay put and guard that carriage! If I come back and hear you’ve been out fighting other dogs again, I’ll throw you in the pot and stew you!”
In the early morning, aside from a few vendors prepping their stalls, the streets were mostly empty. Li Huowang reached the city gate quickly.
Hong Da and Tuoba Danqing showed up as expected, but to Li Huowang’s surprise, there were two newcomers beside them.
Including Ji Xiang and himself, that made six people in total—a sign of how determined they were.
The two new faces were that Moon Gate kid surnamed Liu, and a jumping shaman.
Li Huowang eyed the drum at the shaman’s waist closely. He was certain it was a shaman’s drum, identical to the one Li Zhi had worn back then.
But unlike Li Zhi, who’d looked like a beggar, this guy was a different breed entirely.
Dressed in black fur, his face full of brutish flesh, with two diagonal black scars slashed across it—a broadsword would suit him better than that hide drum.
After exchanging greetings with the others, Li Huowang turned to the scarred man. “You’re the jumping shaman? Where’s your second spirit?”
The man, arms crossed and leaning against the wall, glared with both eyes. “Who the fuck are you? Mind your own damn business!”
Seeing Li Huowang had already drawn his sword half an inch, the Moon Gate disciple Liu Zongyuan quickly stepped between them to mediate.
“Hey hey hey~ Brother Er, no need for that, really no need. How about giving me some face?”
Glancing at Liu Zongyuan in front of him, Li Huowang pressed his hand down, and the killing intent vanished from him instantly.
“Come on, come on, let’s move over there. Don’t make things hard for Lord Ji Xiang.”
Li Huowang might ignore others’ face, but since Liu Zongyuan had helped him once before, he decided not to stoop to this guy’s level.
Looking at the wooden mask on his face, Li Huowang asked him, “Brother Liu, how’ve you been lately?”
“Same as always. Let’s help Lord Ji Xiang through this first. If he falls, none of us will be okay.”
That was true enough—they were all grasshoppers on the same string now. If Ji Xiang took the fall, the promises made to him would go up in smoke.
“What’s that guy’s deal? Why’d Lord Ji Xiang bring in a jumping shaman? From what I know, those shamans aren’t exactly top-tier.”
“Sigh~, that’s a bit prejudiced of you. Three hundred sixty trades, and every one has its champions. Even jumping shamans have their masters.”