The Unruly Immortals

Li Huowang sat in a corner of the guest room, silently watching the discussions of the Da Qi people.

To successfully eliminate those around them, they seemed to be arguing about whether to rally a portion of the eunuchs in the palace.

One side believed that all palace eunuchs were of the same sort, while another group thought that connections from the past could still be utilized.

Li Huowang's attention wasn't focused on these people but was mostly on Zhuge Yuan, who was sitting quietly by the side.

He sat there calmly sipping tea like an onlooker, expressing no opinion whatsoever.

Even with his lofty status in Da Qi, he could quell this dispute with just a word.

Li Huowang walked over and sat beside him, lowering his voice and asked, "They're making such a fuss, won't you try to calm them down? Without a leader at this moment, things won't work out."

"No worries, with Old Qin here, they won't argue for long. I estimate that by tomorrow at the latest, they'll make their move. The little Emperor is not key; it's the Empress Dowager, who's listening from behind the curtain, who matters most," Zhuge Yuan replied.

"Hopefully. I'm going out for a breather," Li Huowang said as he stood up and walked outside the house.

Once he reached the deserted courtyard, Li Huowang didn't wait; he directly left the Liang residence.

As soon as Li Huowang left the Liang premises, a somewhat faded human-shaped window lattice nearby suddenly spoke.

"Why haven't you acted yet? All of us are waiting outside, enduring hardships, even including the Astrological Bureau's official."

Li Huowang furrowed his brows and responded to the overlapping window lattices, "I still haven't figured out where Zhuge Yuan put that ancient Emperor's calendar, what's the rush?"

"Moreover, acting hastily now would only alert the enemy. You know as well as I do the extent of Zhuge Yuan's strength."

"Try to be quick. At such a crucial time, we cannot afford to be slow," the voice urged.

"I know, be at ease. The perfect opportunity for us to move is when Oblivion Path troubles Zhuge Yuan again. Faced with Oblivion Path, Zhuge Yuan will definitely use that ancient Emperor's calendar," Li Huowang assured.

"Are you so certain that Oblivion Path will act?" the voice questioned.

"Absolutely. Zhuge Yuan and Oblivion Path are already at loggerheads – it's a fight to the death. Oblivion Path has already laid ambushes twice; there will surely be a third time. All right, I need to get back before Zhuge Yuan becomes suspicious."

After addressing the person behind the lattice, Li Huowang didn't wait for another response and turned, heading quickly back towards the Liang residence.

As the window lattices went still, ten miles away in a certain estate, a plump woman holding a pair of scissors with a red string threw a window lattice she had been holding into the fire. She then turned and reported everything that had just transpired to the Astrological Bureau official.

The official's eyes appeared half-closed, allowing two flower-like young girls to massage his legs and shoulders.

Noticing that a piece of sandalwood had burned out, the plump woman immediately went over to grind a fresh one, diligently lighting it.

As a new wisp of white smoke began to rise, the official spoke.

"Order them to release those two from Oblivion Path in the prison, and have them send a message to the other Wind and Arrow Tokens that at the third quarter of Noon tomorrow, we'll act together to besiege the storyteller. Aside from those six unique books from the Astrological Bureau, nothing else matters."

The plump woman seemed stunned by the official's command; Oblivion Path had always been the sworn enemy of the Astrological Bureau, and now the official planned to deal with them!

"Will they do it, sir?" she asked the official.

"I understand these swindlers; you all think they're reckless madmen who don't consider the consequences, but in truth, they too have things they care about. It's just that they hide it well most of the time."

As he spoke, the Supervisor seemed to feel tired and stood up to walk towards the bed.

Hearing footsteps, the two young girls in the bed, clad only in bellybands, quickly threw off the bedding.

Once the Supervisor had lain down, the two girls immediately moved to the end of the bed, embracing his cracked and peeling feet in their arms, pressing them tightly to their softness above.

The Supervisor let out a sigh, struggling to turn over in bed, "Go now, and remind this old man when it's time to take action tomorrow. This matter is of great importance; I shall oversee the battle myself."

"Yes, as your servant commands."

The plump woman picked up the ribbon scissors and cut towards the direction of the oil lamp with a snap; the room plunged into darkness at once. She bowed slightly toward the Supervisor's bed and slowly backed out of the room.

The next day, Li Huowang awoke early, skipped breakfast, and paced restlessly in the courtyard, with a nagging feeling that something was going to happen today.

The people around him, the Da Qi people engaged in animated discussions, were initially ignored by Li Huowang, who regarded them as nothing more than a background.

After all, the affairs of Da Liang were undoubtedly far more important than those of Da Qi.

But as a carriage arrived, Li Huowang's gaze was involuntarily drawn to it, especially when a eunuch alighted from the carriage.

This eunuch was fat and pale, looking younger than the Record of Appearance, holding not gold or silver in his hands but a string of Buddha Beads.

He didn't even go inside upon arrival, but stood in the yard and began speaking immediately.

"Gentlemen, don't bother anymore; Godfather said he can't help you with this. Pretend you didn't see anything; this is enough to repay the favor."

Qin Mengzhe of Qi State, obviously unwilling to let go of this opportunity for imperial assistance, pressed on, "Eunuch, Zhuge Yuan is here too. Are you truly not going to think it over? If this succeeds, it would be a feat worthy of a dragon!"

The eunuch, upon seeing Zhuge Yuan, quickly performed a respectful greeting, then with a self-mocking look said, "Mister Qin, what do you think is most important to us servants in the palace, hmm?"

This question silenced everyone momentarily, until the woman from Miaojiang ventured uncertainly, "Gold?"

"Wrong! It's sons! You can't help with that, but Buddha Master can!"

With those words, the eunuch opened his clothes, revealing his belly covered in blue veins.

As if showing off, he excitedly said, "Who says that we eunuchs, once deprived of our treasures, are doomed to have no descendants? See for yourself! Do you know what's inside here? My son!"

The eunuch, his palm wrapped with Buddha Beads, repeatedly stroked his blue-veined belly, which then seemingly responded as a small handprint appeared faintly on the taut skin.

Li Huowang felt a chill down his spine at this spectacle; what in the world was going on with Da Qi? How exactly did the monks of Zhengde Temple manage to impregnate this eunuch, and was that really a living person inside the belly?

Compared to Zhengde Temple in Da Liang, the Zhengde Temple in Da Qi was clearly much more powerful.

Watching this, Qin Mengzhe trembled with anger, "Those monks in Zhengde Temple are all evil! You won't have a good end by colluding with them!"

"Who else can help us rootless folk to carry on our lineage? Who cares if they are evil monks, or even demons for that matter?!"

After saying this, the eunuch carefully wrapped his belly with his clothes again.