The Unruly Immortals

Li Huowang looked up to see a black pigeon perched high above him, watching intently. It was a messenger pigeon used by Tuoba Danqing.

As Li Huowang unfastened the message tied to the pigeon's leg and read its contents, he immediately abandoned his meal and headed for the door.

Li Huowang hadn't expected that the Record of Appearance would still be in Yinling City! Not only had he not left, but he had also directly requested to meet Li by name—an opportunity indeed.

What surprised Li Huowang very much was that the place where the Record of Appearance had arranged to meet was not some grand location but a somewhat shabby study.

It seemed his way of doing things was completely different from the ostentatious Tuoba Danqing.

As soon as he entered the room, Li Huowang was instantly drawn to a withered tongue.

It was a somewhat shriveled human tongue, with its base nailed to a Rotten Wood Ruyi by a coffin nail.

The moment he saw this object, Li remembered—it was the Magical Treasure made from the tongue of Xinsu, which Tuoba Danqing had once boasted about to him.

Taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling, Li Huowang bowed slowly to the white-faced old eunuch, who was busy with his abacus.

"I pay my respects to the Record of Appearance, sir."

"Hahaha—We're not in the palace, we're all family here. Why such formality? Come, sit down, sit down."

Following the direction of the Record of Appearance's finger, Li Huowang saw that tea had already been prepared on a side table close by.

Li Huowang didn't sit but got straight to the point and asked, "May I dare to ask, Record of Appearance, sir, if you have summoned me here for some important matter?"

He remembered how flustered the eunuch had been when riding away and yet now he sat here calm and composed. There must have been developments Li was unaware of.

"Oh hoho—no hurry, no hurry. I've heard quite about your capability, young man."

Being scrutinized by an old eunuch left Li feeling uncomfortable all over.

"Hong Da said that even when three of them fought against just you, you managed to escape? Appointing you to such a modest position as a menial soldier really suppresses your talents."

Li didn't take these words as a compliment but instead became more apprehensive. "Record of Appearance, sir, please speak plainly."

"Alright, since you're straightforward, I'll be straightforward too. I reckon you've guessed what I was doing before, haven't you?"

Seeing Li stand silently, the Record of Appearance continued, "That's right, my task was to retrieve the Heart Turbidity hidden in the Buddha Bone Temple, but alas, the mission failed! What do you think I should do now?"

"Obviously, going back and accepting punishment is not an option, so we must find a way to make up for it!"

The Record of Appearance, who had been sitting, suddenly stood up. "I'll be frank with you—the stakes of this matter are high; we cannot afford another failure!"

With that, he dug his finger into the mahogany table and forcefully drew a line.

"If we fail this task, we might all end up like these potatoes on a chopping board—uprooted!"

After hearing such an extensive explanation, Li now understood the other's words, "Are you saying, Record of Appearance, sir... that we shall find another Heart Turbidity to present?"

"Smart! The Astrological Bureau needs such talents!" The Record of Appearance's round face beamed with a smile.

"Never mind where the Heart Turbidity comes from. If the higher-ups want it, we'll give it to them. It's just that the previous one from the Buddha Bone Temple was dead, and this time, what we're after is alive."

Hearing this, Li's heartbeat suddenly accelerated with loud thuds. "A living Heart Turbidity? An entity like me with a living Xinsu?"

Li Huowang didn't know why, but even without knowing the other party's name, he began to feel a trace of sympathy for the Heart Turbidity.

While Li Huowang was still considering, the words of the Record of Appearance resounded in his ears like a bombshell.

"I understand that this isn't an official task from the bureau, there's no reward, and more so, dealing with a living Heart Turbidity is definitely dangerous. If you're unwilling to go, I'd understand."

"According to Danqing, haven't you always wanted to view the texts about the Oblivion Path stored in the Imperial Library? If you can manage this task beautifully, then, even at the risk of getting dismissed, I will personally recite them for you from the library!"

Li Huowang's breathing became heavy. On one side was the Heart Turbidity he had never met, and on the other, information critical to freeing himself from Xinsu. The choice seemed easy to make.

Li Huowang bowed once again to the Record of Appearance, "Yes! Lord Record of Appearance!"

Seeing Li Huowang agree, the Record of Appearance immediately burst into a flower-like smile. At this point, he could only tempt; with a loose practitioner like this, if the other party refused, he had no other way to compel him.

And he had heard this young man was not too easygoing; if he attempted coercion, it would likely backfire, but thankfully, the man had finally agreed, adding a bit more certainty to this operation.

As Li Huowang regarded the eunuch before him, a thought flickered through his mind, "Lord Record of Appearance, previously at the Buddha Bone Temple, our Heart Turbidity was intercepted by someone. This time, won't that person come again?"

"What kind of background does this person have to dare to intercept something from the Astrological Bureau?"

Hearing this, the Record of Appearance appeared indifferent, "Heart Turbidity is not something else; one is enough for our use. Zhuge Yuan won't rob us of this again. If the Heart Turbidity of life and death were to combine, they would pose enough trouble for him to deal with."

"Besides, rest assured, after the previous demise of the Oblivion, before a new opportunity arises, they will definitely not stir up any trouble."

"So this time, other than the living Heart Turbidity, there's nothing to worry about."

The Record of Appearance laughed hee-hee and patted Li Huowang's shoulder, causing his eyebrows to slightly furrow.

The other party talked around in circles, effectively ignoring his question. He still couldn't judge whether Zhuge Yuan was good or bad.

"Lord Record of Appearance, who exactly is Zhuge Yuan? The man is so peculiar, I fear encountering him in the future. Please enlighten me further."

Li Huowang raised his head, looked straight into the eyes of the Record of Appearance, his own eyes filled with persistence and determination.

Now that the other party needed him, it seemed there wouldn't be another chance to ask.

Upon hearing Li Huowang push the issue, the Record of Appearance naturally couldn't pretend he hadn't heard. He sighed deeply.

"Normally, mentioning that man brings bad luck, but since you insist on knowing, I'll tell you."

"Do you know the nickname people have given Zhuge Yuan? Everyone calls him the 'storyteller'."

The Record of Appearance said this and slowly sat down, pinching his Jade Ring between his fingers.

"He's a strange one, dressed as a scholar, yet he never seeks academic honors, instead favoring telling stories in bustling places."

"The stories he tells are neither of romance nor of generals going to war. He only speaks of history books."

"History books?" Li Huowang was instantly taken aback.

"Yes, history books. Moreover, he fabricates them himself, claiming things like, 'Nine hundred years ago, Qi State was not in civil turmoil, the Da Qi Emperor had unified the world, and today a new Emperor of Da Qi ascended with the reign name Yinghui, with prodigious omens from heaven. A hundred birds paid homage to the young ruler, and his chamber shone with red light.'

"It's utter nonsense. If Da Qi hadn't been in chaos, where would Da Liang Kingdom come from? What about Siqi?"