The Unruly Immortals

"What did you just say?" Nan Gong looked at the terrifying man before him with astonishment. Although the man's skin was gone, the copper coin mask on his face and the waist tablet in his hand had already revealed his identity.

Several months had passed since this man's last visit, and he hadn't appeared again since. Nan Gong thought something must have happened to him.

Yet, unexpectedly, just back today, the man claimed that the entire Oblivion Path was in the Capital City.

"Er Jiu, you can't just say anything. Do you realize the weight of your words? If what you're saying isn't true, you could well end up in prison!" Nan Gong said to Li Huowang with a cautious tone.

"Of course! Brother Nan Gong, I swear it's true. Not long ago, I personally saw Bei Feng!" Li Huowang said with a very solemn expression.

If what Bei Feng said was correct and the entire Oblivion Path had come to the Capital City, then in addition to the Ten Thousand Cakes and one hundred and eight ordinary cards, there were also sixteen more cards representing the East, South, West, and North winds - Sixi, and twelve representing the Three Elements. In total, that made one hundred and thirty-six cards of the Oblivion Path!

Forget about dealing with the mysterious and unpredictable Three Elements and Sixi; even the most ordinary Oblivion Path, when united, would be extremely difficult to handle.

More importantly, Bei Feng had mentioned that the leader of the Oblivion Path, Touzi, was also here.

Li Huowang wasn't very good at Mahjong, but as a child during the New Year, he watched his mother Sun Xiaoqin play. As far as he knew, Mahjong typically required two dice for play!

Facing so many powerful enemies alone would be a fool's errand; the only hope for success was to bring the Astrological Bureau, this behemoth, to his side.

Only then, seizing the moment while they clashed, could he, a loner, profit as the fisherman.

Having joined the Astrological Bureau with great difficulty, it was finally time to reap the rewards.

"Brother Nan Gong, this matter is of great importance; how could I possibly be joking! Now that the entire Oblivion Path has come to the Capital City, they clearly won't just take a stroll and leave. They're surely plotting something big! You know that they've caused the downfall of an entire nation for their entertainment before!"

Li Huowang's words made Nan Gong, who was still hesitating, make up his mind instantly. "This issue is too significant. I will report it. You wait here in the meantime."

With that, his brows furrowed and his expression grave, he immediately walked out from behind the wooden cabinet and hurried towards the side door on the left.

Watching Nan Gong leave, Li Huowang let out a slight sigh of relief, but he knew the matter was not yet settled. He also knew that Nan Gong was just a messenger and couldn't handle such a big issue himself. The key was whether he could persuade the major figures of the Astrological Bureau to take action.

Li Huowang paced back and forth in the empty room, continuously pondering what reasons he could use to persuade the other party.

"The entire Oblivion Path is here?" a deep voice suddenly came from behind the screen on the left.

Li Huowang turned his head towards the large shadow reflected on the screen, but he did not respond. He had no friends within the Astrological Bureau.

The voice from behind the screen spoke again. "Heh... It seems the Capital City is indeed fraught with troubles now. Looks like we might have to hide in Huo Shu for a while. Luckily, there's still time."

The tone of these words reminded Li Huowang of Tuoba Danqing and Record of Appearance, and their actions. Reflecting on it now, it seemed these old foxes had sensed the omens earlier on.

Back when they caught Heart Turbidity, he had mentioned that he planned to take refuge in Qingqiu to avoid disaster after wrapping up that job. But he never returned.

As for that old eunuch, Record of Appearance, he outright gave his house in the Capital City to him and simply decided to take off - the best plan is often to leave.

"Brother, do you know why the Oblivion Path has come to the Capital City with such a grand procession?" Li Huowang asked toward the screen.

"Hehe...you don't know what the Official is up to? Not knowing might just be for the better—in this world, it's a rare blessing to be confused." After saying that, there was no further sound from behind the screen.

But Li Huowang was not one to give up so easily. He saw the storm brewing yet had no idea what lay within the clouds.

Just as he stepped forward toward the screen, he discovered that there was nobody behind it at all, only a short table upon which sat a wood carving of a fat Monk the size of a human head.

The upper half of the Monk was extremely jovial, with a constant smile on his face and a protruding belly that made him look especially comical. But the lower half was not carved at all, revealing the twisted and thick black roots exposed underneath.

The order of the upper half and the chaos of the lower half came together to form a particularly awkward joint.

"Er Jiu! Where are you?"

Hearing Nan Gong calling from outside, Li Huowang took another glance at the Monk carving, then turned and walked out from the screen. "Brother Nan Gong, I'm here!"

"Hurry and follow, the Astrological Bureau's Vice Director wants to see you!" Upon hearing Nan Gong's somewhat anxious words, Li Huowang's spirit immediately lifted, and he quickly nodded and followed.

He did not understand the job rotation within the Astrological Bureau, but since someone was dealing with the whole affair of the Oblivion Path, this so-called Vice Director must be of no ordinary status.

"Here, put this on. Meeting the Vice Director in such a state is unseemly." Nan Gong handed a grey robe to Li Huowang, whose own clothes had been burned away.

Li Huowang took it and wrapped his body, covered in scars, tightly.

"When you see the Vice Director, say what you need to say and don't fabricate anything. He will be able to see right through you."

These words startled Li Huowang. Could the other party directly look into a person's heart?! If he were to let his thoughts wander in front of him, wouldn't he see through his Xinsu identity? "May I ask, from which school or sect does this Vice Director hail?"

"The Vice Director is different from you and me. He is a disciple of Confucianism, and Confucians respect but keep their distance from ghosts and deities, not cultivating any Divine Ability Techniques."

"Just an ordinary mortal?!" Li Huowang almost thought he had heard wrongly. The high-ranking official overseeing the Astrological Bureau of the entire Da Liang was merely a common man.

"Do you think that these invisible skills can solve everything? Not enough, not enough. Some people are born extraordinary and can solve problems by solely understanding the human heart, even without these skills. The Vice Director has even deceived the people of Oblivion Path."

Li Huowang had encountered the Oblivion Path many times and naturally understood that deceiving such a deceptive group required being extraordinarily astute and almost demonic.

As he was about to meet such a person, Li Huowang began to feel nervous and started considering how to converse with him.

Following Nan Gong through the wooden underground corridors for a while, they arrived at a large door flanked by stone drums. Two Guards, dressed like door deities, stood silently to the left and right.

The strong Evil Qi emanating from their bodies confirmed their identities.

After following Nan Gong through the austere interior of several doors, they finally stopped at the entrance of a study.

"To report to the Vice Director, Er Jiu has been brought here." Nan Gong bowed and paid respects to the wooden door.