The Unruly Immortals

Hearing Bei Feng's half-threatening, half-mocking words, Li Huowang glanced at him before turning to look at Zhuge Yuan, "Brother Zhuge, would you trouble yourself to use that Magic Artifact to prevent this man from lying?"

He had come to realize that, before he could master the so-called Cultivation Technique, it was Zhuge Yuan's all-prohibiting Almanac that truly thwarted the Oblivion Path.

With him around, those petty tricks of the heart played by the Oblivion Path were utterly useless.

"The effect of the Almanac hasn't worn off yet, Brother Li, just ask away; he can't lie right now."

Hearing this, Li Huowang crouched down, staring into the other's eyes with a playful tone, "What's the matter? Still unwilling to speak? Should I ask Brother Zhuge to write another 'Silence Without Words' for us?"

"I'm not a three-year-old child, there's no need to intimidate me. They have entered the city, the other three Bei Fengs have all entered the city."

"Don't leave out the details! Which city did they enter?"

"Heh, where else, Capital City of course."

"Where are they now?" Li Huowang pressed further.

"We just parted yesterday around noon, we were at the East City God Temple, but where they are now, I have no idea."

"What is the Oblivion Path doing in the Capital City at this time? This place is the stronghold of the Astrological Bureau, aren't you afraid of a total annihilation?"

"Heh, afraid? The Oblivion Path has never been afraid of anyone, not heaven, earth, or even ourselves. We didn't come before only because we found this broken place uninteresting."

"Stop changing the subject, speak up, what's your purpose for coming to the Capital City!" Li Huowang's tone grew more forceful.

Watching Li Huowang's completely changed face, Bei Feng spoke with a particularly contemptuous expression and a light tone, "The big boss Touzi sent us. He said the Emperor of Da Liang has been up to all sorts of things behind the scenes, told us to come take a look and see if there's any fun to be had."

"As for what the Emperor of Da Liang is doing, hehehe, that should be something you're more aware of, right? I only just arrived, likely not as well-informed as you are."

The Emperor of Da Liang? Li Huowang thought of the Record of Appearance seeking Heart Turbidity, the battle ships covered in scars at sea, and the former emperor executed at the crossroads.

He had long known that the entire Da Liang Kingdom was restless, as if something was happening in the shadows. But no matter what the Emperor of Da Liang intended to do, the Oblivion Path had obviously caught wind of it and gotten involved.

"Following the three Bei Fengs from the Oblivion Path, who else is there?" Li Huowang continued to inquire patiently.

Bei Feng showed no resistance, listing the details like a precious trove, "In our group, there are three Eight Bars, two Nine Bars, four Bei Fengs, and... two Hong Zhong, hehehe."

When he mentioned the Hong Zhong, Bei Feng's face wore a strange smile, directly staring at Li Huowang.

With a "smack," Li Huowang slapped him across the face, "Cut the crap! Others from the Oblivion Path have already tried that on me, it doesn't work!"

It wasn't until Li Huowang could no longer glean any useful information that he finally stood up.

"Brother Li, are you done questioning? You don't need this person anymore, right?" Zhuge Yuan came over fanning himself with a Folding Fan and asked Li Huowang.

Seeing the thoughtful Li Huowang nod slightly, Zhuge Yuan took the canvas in his hand and fiercely shook it into the air; the corpse of Heart Turbidity emerged between the mountains and rivers in the sky.

The long paper revolved a few times over Bei Feng's head, and the expression on Bei Feng on the ground began to look confused and doubtful. The memories related to Da Liang in his mind were rapidly vanishing.

At the same time, the features on her body and her age were changing. She, who should have been tall, gradually shrank down until she became a little-footed old crone.

She shakily stood up from the ground, having completely forgotten what had just happened, and looked at the strangers in front of her with panic. She quickly waved her hands and ran towards the door.

"What is this place, oh husband, come quickly!"

"Hey, hey, hey, old lady, slow down, nobody's going to eat you," Zhuge Yuan said as he supported her and walked towards the doorway of the Liang residence.

When he returned after doing a good deed, he saw Li Huowang still standing there, furrowing his brows in thought. Driven by curiosity he asked, "Brother Li, what's the matter? Were Bei Feng's words of any use to you?"

Li Huowang nodded and spoke, "They were useful, but cannot be completely trusted. I am familiar with the Oblivion Path; even if they use the truth, they can still deceive people with it."

"The words he just said must all be true, but I suspect that there are some details he deliberately left out,

or some truths were told using wording that could easily mislead."

After pondering for a moment, Li Huowang turned his head and glanced at the people from Da Qi inside the room. He lowered his voice and said to Zhuge Yuan, "Brother Zhuge, please forgive me, I must leave for a while."

As if afraid that Zhuge Yuan might misunderstand, Li Huowang added, "I'm not going back on my word, it's just that this matter is extremely important. As soon as I handle it, I will come back and help you."

"It's all right," Zhuge Yuan appeared to be especially open-minded, "Now that you know Bei Feng is in Youdu, what do you plan to do next?"

"This time the entire Oblivion Path might have come, and I definitely cannot handle them alone, so I thought of a method. I'm not sure if it will work, but I plan to try it out first."

Zhuge Yuan nodded. "Alright, you do what you have to do. If you run into any trouble, remember to come find me anytime."

Hearing those words warmed Li Huowang's heart; Zhuge Yuan was one of the few good people in this chaotic world.

"Alright." He bowed solemnly to Zhuge Yuan, and then turned and dashed towards the pitch-black exterior of the Liang residence.

Li Huowang did not head for another place but moved across the rooftops, swiftly changing his position and rushing directly towards the southwest.

Such a high-profile movement immediately drew some eyes, but when Li Huowang held up his own waist badge high, no one stepped out to stop him.

After moving swiftly between buildings for the time it takes two sticks of incense to burn, he finally arrived at the Astrological Bureau. The person watching the door that night was not the one from the Mo Family with a bird on his shoulder but had been replaced by a woman in a sackcloth dress, her forehead pasted with a black talisman and skinny as a rail.

Her skin was dark as though her seven orifices had been stuffed with a clay-like substance, and her presence in the empty building was particularly eerie.

"Let me in quickly. It's important!" Li Huowang said urgently to the strange woman.

The woman did not move; with a "whoosh," a hidden door appeared of its own accord on the wall.

Li Huowang rushed inside and, using his previous memories, began searching for the room he was in before.

When he returned to the hall filled with folding screens, he found that many people were gone, and only the candlelight at occasional corners flickered behind the screens.

Li Huowang didn't have time for anything else and walked straight through the folding screens to the manager he had met once before, feigning great urgency as he said, "Brother Nan Gong, there's trouble! The entire Oblivion Path has rushed to the Capital City!"