Chapter 570
Chapter 570
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 570
>Chapter Title: The Little Emperor of Great Qi
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Chapter 570: The Little Emperor of Great Qi
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> Hearing the old man’s words, Li Huowang almost thought he had misheard. Thirty years ago? How could that be possible?
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> Li Huowang hadn’t believed it at first, but since the other party knew that the Little Emperor of Great Qi even had a wound on his chest, he had no choice but to believe; otherwise, it was far too much of a coincidence.
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> A male infant with a sword wound to the chest thirty years ago, and then another male infant thirty years later? No matter how you looked at it, that was impossible.
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> Even so, there was only one possible conclusion: the Little Emperor of Great Qi, whom he should have sent to Great Liang, had ended up being sent thirty years into the past for some unknown reason!
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> “But... why? Why would such a twist happen? Traveling into the past—is that something an ordinary person could even accomplish?”
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> “Wait...” Li Huowang immediately recalled the scene of his clash with that little emperor back then. It hadn’t just been the two of them—Zhuge Yuan’s good friend Xunnian had been there as well.
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> Her abilities were utterly bizarre; she could drain away other people’s lifespans.
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> But what if it worked in reverse? What if she wasn’t draining lifespans but altering time instead?
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> Li Huowang remembered the changes in his own body during their fight, as well as how the five- or six-year-old Little Emperor of Great Qi had reverted all the way back to being inside the womb.
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> “It was Xunnian’s red afterimages!” Li Huowang immediately zeroed in on the problem.
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> Back then, when he had sent the Little Emperor of Great Qi through the rift to Great Liang, it had happened right amid Xunnian’s red afterimages.
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> An incredulous Li Huowang leaped straight down from the willow tree to stand before him, grabbing the old man by the collar. “That child truly had a wound on his chest?! You’re absolutely certain you didn’t misremember from over thirty years ago?”
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> If this hypothesis held true, then the Little Emperor of Great Qi had been sent to Great Liang thirty years prior—and by now, he was already a grown man!
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> Seeing that Li Huowang was willing to hear his tale, the old man nodded eagerly and grew even more animated in his telling. “That’s right, I was right there on the sidelines—saw the whole thing clear as day.”
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> “Old Man Yan was just about swayed by us to let the baby go back into the woods, but his wife—who couldn’t bear children—went berserk, clutching that baby and refusing to let go no matter what.”
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> “Later on, they fed him rice gruel and dressed his wounds. And guess what? Heh! They actually managed to nurse him through it! Isn’t that spooky? A hole that big, and he pulled through. Everyone in the village figured he had to be some kind of sprite.”
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> “Sure, he lived—that should’ve been good news. A lonely old couple finally had someone to look after them in their dotage. But guess what happened next?”
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> “Stop stalling! Spit it out!” Li Huowang, frantic with impatience, had zero interest in playing straight man.
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> Just then, a woman cradling a child walked past them and tossed in a casual remark. “Turned out he was an idiot. We’ve told that story a hundred times already.”
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> “Shoo! Nobody asked you!”
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> After chasing the woman off, the old man picked up where he’d left off: “Now, where were we? Right, guess what? The kid grew up to be a total fool! Not just cross-eyed and crooked-mouthed, but his brain was like it was missing a few wires—he couldn’t hold onto a single thought! Stumbling around at three years old, and at six, he still couldn’t string two words together.”
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> Li Huowang quickly scanned the crowd but spotted no fools among them. He demanded at once: “So where is he now?”
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> “What’s the big hurry, young fella? I ain’t gotten to that part yet. Anyway, the fool kept on growing, getting older by the year, and not quite so dimwitted anymore—at least he could recognize folks.”
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> “But guess what? One fine day, out of nowhere, the fool lets out this scream and bolts into the woods... and he never came back. What a kerfuffle that caused.” The old man slapped his thigh in regret, a flicker of fear in his eyes.
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> “No.” Li Huowang fixed the old man with a deathly stare, eyes locked on the Ten Emotions and Eight Sufferings clinging to him. Everything the old man had said up to that point was true—but right then, he had lied! The Little Emperor of Great Qi hadn’t come charging into the woods yelling! There was definitely something shady going on!
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> Li Huowang’s mind raced through a few quick turns before he sidled up close to the old man and murmured: “Many thanks, old sir. These ten taels of gold aren’t all yours, but a full tael as thanks is the least I can do. Come along with me to collect your reward.”
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> At those words, the old man perked right up. Who’d have thought spinning old yarns would actually pay off?
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> “Gold’s too valuable to carry on me. Please, follow along.”
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> With that, Li Huowang led the old man out toward the edge of the village. But the moment they ducked into an alley, he yanked the man over, sliced open a rift with his blade, and hauled him inside.
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> The moment they arrived in Great Qi, the pitch-black gloom all around threw the old man into total panic—he flailed about helplessly, not knowing what to do.
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> Li Huowang had no patience for games; he jammed the Purple-Tasseled Sword against the old man’s neck and snarled his threat: “You lied to me just now! Out with it! What exactly did you hold back?!”
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> The drastic change in surroundings had already left the old man utterly bewildered, and he began spilling everything he knew like beans from a ruptured sack.
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> “It’s got nothin’ to do with me! That immortal snatched the fool away! I really didn’t dare say it before—I was scared that real person would come after me!”
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> The response only furrowed Li Huowang’s brow deeper. “An immortal? Who was it that figured out the Little Emperor of Great Qi’s true identity?”
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> “What did that immortal look like?” Li Huowang pressed urgently.
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> “Er... that immortal could fly. Looked like a man, and he was a mangy-skinned wretch.”
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> Mangy head? Li Huowang’s pupils contracted sharply as an unbelievable notion flashed through his mind. He jabbed at the old man: “Was that mangy guy filthy and disheveled all over, with a protruding underbite?”
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> “Right, right, right!!” The old man bobbed his head frantically at Li Huowang’s description.
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> In that instant, Li Huowang pieced it all together—this so-called immortal was none other than his long-dead master, Danyangzi!
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> Back in Clear Wind Temple, he hadn’t abducted many fools—ones that idiotic needed tending to—and only one matched this description: Jian Dun!
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> Now that he had his answer, reasoning backward only made Jian Dun seem stranger by the minute. Several times on their journey, the man should’ve died for sure—yet he’d pulled through every single one.
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> And those halting words he’d mumbled earlier about Huang—they all confirmed it: the Little Emperor of Great Qi was Jian Dun!
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> This revelation blindsided Li Huowang completely; he reeled in shock. The Little Emperor of Great Qi had been right there by his side from the very start.
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> Shocked as he was, even if Jian Dun was the Emperor of Great Qi, Li Huowang still had to track him down fast. Great Qi had been struck by heavenly calamity once more—every moment of delay meant more lives lost.
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> With everything clicking into place, Li Huowang promptly dragged the old man back to Great Liang and prepared to mount up for Oxheart Village.
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> “Sonny~ open wide, here’s some egg custard. Ahh, that’s my good boy.”
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> Qiu Chibao, off to the left feeding her own son his meal, suddenly made Li Huowang realize he’d overlooked something.
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