The Unruly Immortals

"Qi Mo? Liang Mo?" Li Huowang was very unfamiliar with these two terms. Were there several types of the Mo Family? Also, what is this 'Evil Cultivation' Liang Mo?"

Looking at the thin man beside him and the black bird on his shoulder, Li Huowang thought for a moment and finally decided to ask, "Brother Sima, what are Qi Mo and Liang Mo?"

Sima Lan was very surprised that Li Huowang didn't even know this. Soon, the blind-eyed black bird on his shoulder spoke up,

"They were originally on the same path, but one person has one thought, ten people have ten thoughts, a thousand people have a thousand thoughts, and each has their ideas. As the ancient giant died, the Mo Family naturally started to branch out."

"Although Liang Mo, like those from the Mo Family, understands the spirits, the will of heaven, and destiny, they have misinterpreted the original giant's meaning. They ultimately took the wrong path, joining forces with Dong Zhen Hall and becoming what they are now... neither human nor ghost...."

Hearing his bird say these words, Sima Lan's expression became much more solemn as if he was thinking about something unpleasant.

He also figured out that whether one is an Evil Cultivation depends on whether it will affect the stability of the Da Liang Kingdom. Otherwise, no matter how disgusting one's actions are, they are still considered a reputable sect.

Li Huowang lost interest in asking any more questions. It was just a matter of a sect splitting up. Compared to other people's troubles, he should be more concerned about his own.

Now that he knew that Bei Feng had the Xinsu that could get rid of illusions, the next step was to figure out where Bei Feng was and how to get the method to get rid of the illusions from him.

Cooperation? This option was the first one he discarded. The Oblivion Path was not trustworthy, and if they found out about his Xinsu identity, then he would never have a day of peace again.

The only thing he could do was to find a way to locate Bei Feng and forcefully pry out the method from him.

As for how to pry it out, the Astrological Bureau was the most important lever he could find at the moment. Otherwise, why would he have gone to the trouble of infiltrating the Astrological Bureau?

As he walked along the corridor, Li Huowang sharply heard some special sounds coming from inside the walls.

It was the sound of wood striking, birds flapping their wings, and the rushed footsteps of people.

Li Huowang ignored it and continued walking forward with Sima Lan. Just then, a man who looked like an eunuch humbly bowed his head and walked past along the wall without making a sound.

Just as he brushed past Li Huowang, with a swipe at the corner of the wall, the wall suddenly opened up,

and in that instant, Li Huowang caught a glimpse of activity inside. In the distance, on the spacious window ledge, birds of various kinds were continuously flying up and down.

An eunuch nearby was untying papers from the bird's legs, placing them into small bamboo tubes, which then slid down along fine lines and fell into a strange bamboo-joined setup. At first glance, this device looked like a spider filled with bamboo tubes.

However, this bamboo spider was clearly moldy, with various sizes of mold spots wrapping around it. Not just on the outside, but the wooden gears inside continuously rotating were also covered with mold spots.

Accompanied by the creaking sounds, the letters taken from the legs of the birds were distributed through the pipes on the "spider" to the eunuchs around.

These eunuchs, with remarkable efficiency, sorted out the papers in front of them, turned around, and placed them inside the small compartmental boxes that resembled medicine cabinets.

The eunuchs, messenger birds, bamboo spiders—their actions were quick and well-organized, each doing their own task efficiently.

Just as Li Huowang was contemplating the information contained therein, Sima Lan in front of him suddenly turned left, following one of the tightly closed doors, heading downstairs.

"Remember this mark, the Door of Rest or the Door of Life, both are fine, just don't take the wrong path." With a push from Sima Lan, a dark and somewhat hazy hall presented itself before Li Huowang.

The hall was filled with many screens, and the reflected shadows, either seated or standing on these screens, proved that there were people behind each one. However, their voices were extremely unclear, to the point where even Li Huowang couldn't make out what they were saying.

Walking through this forest created by dark silhouettes and those weird, indistinct sounds, Li Huowang felt an eerie bizarreness. Was this place really the Astrological Bureau, and not some ghost market?

Truth be told, when he first entered, Li Huowang's heart had quickened considerably, fearing that his identity would be exposed. It was a narrow escape, and Zhuge Yuan's spindle proved to be very useful.

Li Huowang scrutinized everything around him carefully. He noticed that, just like before, the screens and the pillars around the room also had spots of mold, which made the hall, which should have been impressive, seem somewhat filthy and old.

"Brother Sima, does the south wind often return here? Why is there mold everywhere?" Li Huowang asked, feigning casualty.

"Perhaps it does. There was none in the past, it only started at the beginning of this year."

After saying this, Sima Lan pointed forward. "It's your first time here, so go to Lingtai Lang first and check in. After that, I'll explain everything to you in detail."

Li Huowang followed the direction Sima Lan's bird had flown and soon saw a man with his left hand behind his back, his expression serious as he calculated with his fingers.

This man wore a long robe and had an ordinary appearance. He was also standing behind a counter reminiscent of a pawnshop's.

Had it not been for their location, Li Huowang might have mistaken the man for a storyteller from a teahouse.

"Nan Gong, bring a Geng Banner for the shift change," Sima Lan's bird flew to the table and pecked at the surface with its beak.

The man who was calculating didn't even glance at Li Huowang, his composure unshaken as he extended the hand he had kept behind his back. "Hand over your waist token."

The man surnamed Nan Gong felt the ridges on the waist token and then tossed it back. "Hmm... Er Jiu, right? Er Niu told me about you before he left."

Li Huowang remembered that the name of the Record of Appearance seemed to be something like Er Niu.

Watching Sima Lan in conversation with Nan Gong, Li Huowang began to ponder what his next move should be.

Just as Sima Lan finished chatting with the man and was about to lead Li Huowang forward, Li Huowang suddenly spoke.

"Brother Sima, as I am new here, may I ask, from whose hand do I take over tasks?"

Sima Lan was somewhat surprised, but he didn't show it. "Now that your waist token has reached the Banner, it's not about taking over tasks from someone, but rather choosing the tasks yourself."

Sima Lan led Li Huowang back to the hall and pulled back one of the screens to enter.

Behind the screen, there was nothing but a table and a few chairs. Sima Lan's bird pecked at the table surface once again.

Soon a eunuch with delicate white skin entered, bowed deeply to both Li Huowang and Sima Lan. The shadows of all three also reflected on the nearby landscape screen.

"If you want to know what tasks are available, ask him. He just arrived this morning, and he knows everything. You can also find out from him how many at the Astrological Bureau have a lower rank than you, and choose from among them who to assist."

Hearing Sima Lan's words, Li Huowang looked at the eunuch before him, thought for a moment, and asked him, "Is this the usual way to accept tasks?"