Chapter 403
Chapter 403
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 403
>Chapter Title: Great Qi
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Chapter 403: Great Qi
“Great Qi National Champion?” Li Huowang stared in shock at the masked man before him.
From the black and white strands of hair visible at the side of his face, it was clear this man was not young anymore. But no matter how old he was, he couldn’t possibly be the Great Qi National Champion!
If he had lived from the previous Great Qi all the way until now in Great Liang! That would be over a thousand years!!
Li Huowang slowly retreated two steps, gazing at everything around him. In this moment, he felt as though he had crossed over to some other place again.
Seeing Li Huowang’s actions, the others were clearly very surprised. “Lord Zhuge, this person is...”
“Oh, no matter. This is my friend, Brother Li. He always does things a bit differently.”
Zhuge Yuan turned his head toward the masked old man and asked, “Elder Qin, who were those people just now? Why were they chasing you?”
Hearing this, the man called Elder Qin immediately paid no attention to the Daoist wearing the copper coin mask and said indignantly, “Those are all the eunuch dogs’ lackeys! We were heading to the Three Princes’ Mansion for a secret meeting, but we got ambushed. There’s no way it was such a coincidence—we must’ve been betrayed by someone inside the bureau!”
Zhuge Yuan looked surprised at these words. “Oh? There are even spies from the Eunuch Faction inside the Celestial Surveillance Bureau now? I didn’t realize the court has become such a mess.”
“Hey, tell me about it! The ancestral rules say imperial authority doesn’t enter the Celestial Surveillance Bureau, but with those eunuch dogs rising in power, who gives a damn anymore? Rites abandoned, music in ruins—everything’s fallen apart!”
As they conversed, Li Huowang had unknowingly retreated back to the earlier noodle stall. Seeing the guests still eating their noodles and the husband-and-wife pair still boiling them, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn’t gone anywhere.
With a very grave expression, Li Huowang spoke to the old man boiling the noodles. “Old-timer, could I trouble you to answer something? Is this Great Qi or Great Liang?”
The old man blankly opened his mouth, which held only a few remaining teeth. “Huh? Great Qi? Where’s that? We’ve always been Great Liang here.”
The old man’s words once again confirmed Li Huowang’s suspicions. From the Qingqiu border to Apricot Island at sea, he had crossed the entire Great Liang. Aside from Zhuge Yuan’s mouth, no other place had ever mentioned any Great Qi.
“Yeah, this is Great Liang, so where did that Great Qi National Champion Zhuge Yuan just mentioned come from?”
“I need to get to the bottom of this.” As Li Huowang said this, he prepared to head into the woods, but unexpectedly, their group emerged from within.
Zhuge Yuan was supporting the so-called Great Qi National Champion at the front. Among the remaining survivors, they appeared to hold the highest status. That Miaojiang girl from the Sitting Oblivion Dao was also among them.
“Brother Li, so you were here. I had a hard time finding you. Elder Qin’s injuries are somewhat serious, so we’ll borrow your cart for transport first.”
“Brother Zhuge, come over here for a moment. There’s something I want to ask you.”
After carefully helping the masked elder onto the cart, Zhuge Yuan walked up to Li Huowang’s side and asked, “What’s the matter?”
Gazing at the other’s fair and clean face, Li Huowang recalled everything he had experienced. He still didn’t believe the man was deceiving him. If he were deceiving him, he wouldn’t have slipped up over something so absurd.
“Brother Zhuge, tell me the truth. What’s really going on here?”
“Oh? Brother Li, what do you mean? I, Zhuge Yuan, have always been upright and honorable. I’ve never deceived anyone in my life.”
“Fine! Come here.” Li Huowang led Zhuge Yuan to the noodle stall and posed the same question to the old man once more.
Just as Li Huowang prepared to press Zhuge Yuan further, words completely different from before came from the old man’s mouth. “Huh? Great Liang? Where’s that? We’ve always been Great Qi here.”
“Hmm?!” Li Huowang stared in shock at the old man before him. If this weren’t just an ordinary commoner, he would truly suspect it was the Sitting Oblivion Dao disguised to fool him.
“Old-timer, that’s not what you said just now.”
“Just now? Customer, don’t falsely accuse me. You didn’t even chat with me just now.”
“You!” Li Huowang was just about to say something when Zhuge Yuan’s folded fan reached out, blocking the finger he was pointing.
“Alright, alright, Brother Li. Can we discuss these trifles later? Elder Qin’s wounds are severe. Let’s find a place to treat him first.”
With that said, Zhuge Yuan turned toward the carriage, repeatedly calling out from the corner of his mouth, “Elder Qin, don’t worry! That Black Tai Sui in the carriage is tied up tight—it won’t hurt you!”
Li Huowang watched Zhuge Yuan’s retreating back with a very complicated expression. The doubts in his heart grew even heavier; everything felt utterly strange.
After thinking it over seriously, Li Huowang turned back to the old man beside him and asked once more, “Is it Great Qi or Great Liang now?”
“Great Liang. Didn’t this old man just tell you? Why ask again?”
Hearing the third change in the old man’s words, Li Huowang felt no surprise anymore. He had figured it out—this was definitely caused by the heart anchor’s ability, though he couldn’t yet understand how the other had done it.
“Woof woof!” Mantou poked its head out from under the carriage, barking nonstop at Li Huowang. It seemed anxious that its master’s carriage had been taken away by a group of strangers.
Li Huowang quickened his steps to catch up. This matter was far from over; he needed to find an opening to properly ask Zhuge Yuan just what was going on.
In the time that followed, nothing occurred. The people following this Great Qi National Champion finally caught their breath and began tending to their wounds.
Along the road, Li Huowang silently observed these people. Aside from the Great Qi National Champion and that Sitting Oblivion Dao Miaojiang girl, the others’ clothing and appearances varied greatly—just like the Celestial Surveillance Bureau, since most were gathered from all corners of the land.
While Li Huowang observed them, they observed him in turn. If not for Lord Zhuge vouching that this was his friend, they truly wouldn’t want to lower their guard around someone like him.
With a black bamboo hat on his head, a red Daoist robe soaked in the stench of blood, and a Black Tai Sui bound atop the carriage—he looked extremely mysterious, keeping everyone at a cold distance.
It was clear the two sides were somewhat estranged. Zhuge Yuan tried to mend relations between them, but with little success.
The Great Qi Celestial Surveillance Bureau remained wary of Li Huowang, and naturally, Li Huowang distrusted these so-called Great Qi people just as much. Amid this awkward atmosphere, they pressed on toward the capital.
Moreover, Li Huowang had not forgotten the Sitting Oblivion Daoist hidden among these bureau members.
Though he didn’t know why that woman had infiltrated them or what her goal was.
Since he had discovered she was Sitting Oblivion Dao, there was no need to expose her just yet.
Perhaps through her, he could lure out Bei Feng.
(End of chapter)