The Unruly Immortals

With a spurred horse, Li Huowang quickly found a group of people on the street—the so-called Da Qi people—blending seamlessly with the people of Da Liang, without a hint of discord, and no one around noticed anything amiss.

When he caught up again and returned to the Da Qi group, looking once more at the others who whispered among themselves, Li Huowang felt a very peculiar sensation.

It was as if all these people were actors, simply playing house with Zhuge Yuan.

"Brother Li, where did you run off to just now?" Zhuge Yuan asked curiously, then couldn't help but express his concern, "This place is bustling, so you must be careful. Who knows, one of them might be from the Oblivion Path."

"Don't worry, I'm cautious, and I've had dealings with the Oblivion Path not just for a day or two. Brother Zhuge, where are we headed?"

In the bitter cold, Zhuge Yuan continued to fan himself with a folding fan, "Let's first visit Master Liang's residence. Tonight, with the disciples of Elder Qin and others from the Jiangnan group, we'll all work out a plan, then decide on the next steps."

Li Huowang nodded in understanding and looked at Zhuge Yuan with a hint of pity; Zhuge Yuan seemed so powerful, yet when it came to his own issues, he was as confused as ever, unable to see clearly, just like his past self.

Li Huowang knew that as an outsider, he couldn't be of help with these matters unless Zhuge Yuan had an epiphany. Otherwise, no amount of talking would make a difference.

The carriage continued along the main road toward the city center, and as they almost reached the Imperial Palace, they stopped in front of an imposing residence with two black stone lions, inscribed with the golden words "Liang Residence" on the plaque.

A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties, dressed in an official robe and with a small tuft of black beard on his chin, waited with others, having been there for quite some time.

Upon seeing the arrivals, he immediately gave Zhuge Yuan a grand salute, his eyes brimming with ecstatic tears. "Master Zhuge! I didn't expect you to come too!"

"I'm but a commoner and can't accept such a grand gesture, Master Liang. This isn't a place for conversation, let's go inside to talk," Zhuge Yuan said.

The so-called Master Liang then went over to Elder Qin, greeted him as 'teacher', and helped him walk towards the grand residence, while Li Huowang, standing aside, looked every bit the bystander.

They passed through the porch, crossed the courtyard, and finally arrived at the great hall for guests; not even stopping for tea, they began to passionately discuss matters at hand.

The heart of the discussion was nothing more than comparing the strength of allies and enemies and how to turn the dire situation of Da Qi around.

But all this was unrelated to Li Huowang, who, having nothing better to do, stared at the so-called Master Liang's profile, his thoughts drifting.

"What's the identity of this Master Liang in the Da Liang Kingdom? If I stray from Brother Zhuge's side now, could they treat me as an assassin sent to kill? Wait, couldn't this guy be from the Oblivion Path?"

As Li Huowang's mind wandered, the sun gradually slid westward, and more officials, dressed in their robes, quickly gathered in this hall, arriving by sedan or carriage.

Finally, when there was no room left to stand, Li Huowang couldn't be bothered listening anymore and simply stood outside to catch a breath of fresh air.

"Dad, what are they talking about? I don't understand," Li Sui's voice rang out beside Li Huowang.

"It's okay if you don't understand, it has nothing to do with us anyway," Li Huowang realized that Li Sui had become more and more active; not only did she wheedle him to buy things, but now she even asked him about things she did not understand.

"Dad, you're hungry," Li Sui coiled her tendrils around Li Huowang's shrunken stomach. She originally hid inside it, but now she had crawled out and enveloped Li Huowang's entire body.

Hearing Li Sui's words, Li Huowang added another note in his heart, now they've even begun to care about people.

Although it warmed his heart, Li Huowang knew that this was not a good thing, as it signified his gradual maturation.

At that thought, Li Huowang's mood turned extremely sour. If he couldn't find Bei Feng and force out the method to break free from the hallucinations before Li Sui fully matured, he feared he would fall into the hallucinations once again.

He had never imagined that there would come a day when he would yearn so desperately for the appearance of the Oblivion Path.

With a "tap tap tap" of footsteps, Li Huowang turned his head and saw an old man with a square lantern in his hand, approaching him. Li Huowang had seen him before; he seemed to be the butler of the so-called Lord Liang.

"Lord Li, dinner is ready, please come with me." Upon carefully listening, Li Huowang realized that the previously bustling room had turned deathly quiet; they had all left while he was distracted.

"They're practically on the verge of rebellion, and yet they still find the leisure to eat," Li Huowang stood up, following the man toward a side door.

Soon, Li Huowang sat down in front of a table of exquisite dishes. Feeling very sullen, he couldn't be bothered to listen to what Mr. Qin, who was toasting, was saying; grabbing the chopsticks, he began to eat voraciously.

This so-called Mr. Qin held so much prestige in the Imperial Court, yet went to the Astrological Bureau to court death—truly a case of having more food than sense.

Regarding Li Huowang's unruly behavior, others at the table glared at him angrily, but that was the only action they took.

As the sound died down, everyone in the room began to eat in unison, and by that time, Li Huowang had nearly finished his meal.

Li Huowang got up and went over to Zhuge Yuan, asking, "How are your talks with these people going? When will you act? Who will you kill?"

Perhaps the Oblivion Path was waiting in the shadows, maybe stirring up some major trouble on this end could lure them out.

Zhuge Yuan's long sleeves obscured the lower half of his face; then, he tilted his head back, pouring the wine from his cup into his mouth.

With deliberate slowness, he lowered his sleeve and said softly, "Don't panic, Brother Li. Such a big matter can't be rushed. Many officials who refuse to surrender have been thrown in prison, and many have been banished to remote places."

"Besides, those eunuchs have made Youdu a place of darkness and gloom. Many have long been dissatisfied. We need to take more time to win over some fence-sitters. They are all children of Da Qi, the fewer who die, the better."

"What's the use of winning these people over?" Li Huowang's face grew uglier as he frowned deeply. Ever since he found out what was really going on, he had little interest in the affairs of Da Qi.

"Among these fence-sitters, there are quite a few Military Generals. Tell me, is that useful or not?"

After saying this, sensing Li Huowang's mood, Zhuge Yuan continued softly, "Don't worry, Brother Li, your matter is on me. Once this is over, I'll intervene to have Da Qi help you find that Cultivation Technique."

As the two conversed in whispers, suddenly a nasally voice calling out from the distant doorway pierced the silence. "His Majesty has arrived~"

"His Majesty?" At this moment, Li Huowang's expression turned to shock, just like the others around him. If he hadn't misheard earlier, the young Emperor of Da Qi Kingdom was supposed to be a... walking corpse?