The Unruly Immortals

Li Huowang was currently in the small courtyard residence left for his use by the Record of Appearance, and it must be said, having such a place in the Capital City was very convenient, at least it spared him the trouble of staying at an inn, and Black Taisui could be kept in the courtyard without fear of being seen by others.

At the moment, he stood with his hands behind his back, frowning as he watched the desolate, snow-drifted streets outside; there were hardly any people left on the streets because the Capital City had imposed a curfew earlier today.

Li Huowang stood silently by the window, seemingly waiting for something.

Suddenly, the crisp sound of horseshoes, "clippety-clop," rang out as a group of strapping men in fur clothing rode their horses, charging into the Capital City.

This was already the third group in the past few days; their aura and the waist tablets they intentionally wore on their belts let Li Huowang know that these men were from the Astrological Bureau and had been stationed in the other six paths of Da Liang.

After receiving their orders, they had all come to the Capital City.

Though by Hours it was only dusk, the dark, snow-laden skies almost turned it into night already.

Not only were there few people around, but the entire Capital City also had an air of a storm brewing, like a heavy stone pressing down on his heart.

"Swoosh!" A black bird swept past in the sky, then after circling far away, it landed steadily on the windowsill in front of Li Huowang.

Li Huowang recognized the bird; it belonged to the Mo Family's Sima Lan. At the moment, the bird held a folded piece of paper in its beak.

When Li Huowang unfolded the paper and clearly saw the content, his expression suddenly became excited, "It's finally going to start!"

Hearing his master's hurried footsteps descending the stairs, Mantou, who was curled up under the chair, immediately perked up; just as he began to wag his tail and draw near, he was pushed away with a slap.

"Behave and stay home! No matter what you hear later, don't go out to see!!"

Li Huowang commanded, then swung himself onto a horse in the courtyard and sped off toward the direction of the Astrological Bureau's Government Office.

When he passed the Government Office gate guarded by two stone lions and subsequently arrived at the dimly lit hall framed by screens through the secret passage, he found that the screens had been removed and replaced by people.

However, whether intentionally or not, the oil lamps on the walls were not lit, leaving the entire space incredibly dim.

Even with Li Huowang's excellent vision, he could only discern the scattered figures in the darkness, unable to see their faces clearly, having to approach closely in order to see the faces of these individuals.

Passing through this crowd gave Li Huowang a feeling akin to returning to a school playground.

But these people were unlike vigorous students; whether standing or squatting, the crowds with their various odd auras made the keenly perceptive Li Huowang feel decidedly uncomfortable.

Their indistinct and solemn murmurs from the Astrological Bureau intertwined, and coupled with the oppressive atmosphere within the hall, made everyone present feel somewhat suffocated.

In the Astrological Bureau of the Capital City, Li Huowang knew not many people. After glancing around, he walked over to Sima Lan, whom he had met once before, and the bird that had previously delivered the message was once again perched on his shoulder.

This distinctive feature also made it easy for Li Huowang to find him in the crowd.

"You're here?" The black bird turned its head and nodded at Li Huowang.

"Brother Sima, are all these people transferred from the other six paths?" Li Huowang looked around at the others.

"Not only that," came the reply. "I heard that through connections, we even borrowed some experts from the Qingqiu Astronomical Bureau. Heh, this time the bureau really means business."

"Qingqiu?" The image of the old lama with the black flock of sheep flashed through Li Huowang's mind. He looked around and spotted a figure in the corner that was wearing a lama's headgear, but whether it was the same person, he couldn't tell at the moment.

"Since everyone is here, what are we waiting for?" Li Huowang asked again.

"We're waiting for the deputy director of the Heavenly Observatory, as he's in charge of this matter."

"Oh? So, this deputy director of the Heavenly Observatory is the biggest official in the Astrological Bureau?" Li Huowang apologized. "I'm really sorry, I've been outside all this time, and I'm somewhat unclear about these matters."

"It's okay, we're all the same. When I first arrived in the Capital, it took me a while to understand as well. Actually, there are five deputy directors of the Heavenly Observatory, and they're not the biggest officials in the Astrological Bureau. The biggest official is the Director of the Astronomical Bureau."

"The Director of the Astronomical Bureau..."

After pondering over the term for a while, Li Huowang spoke again, "For such a significant case against the Oblivion Path, isn't the Director of the Astronomical Bureau, as well as the other four deputies, coming?"

"Normally, they should be coming, but they've all entered the palace. Perhaps there's some urgent matter," the response was.

A crisp "clang" suddenly rang out, drawing everyone's attention in the direction of the sound.

Out of nowhere, a gentle glow like moonlight emerged, illuminating a grand Taishi Chair, on which a person was sitting perfectly still.

This was an old man dressed like a scholar-official, with white hair and broad sleeves that fell right to his feet. His earlobes were as extraordinary as his sleeves, hanging heavily on his shoulders like earrings.

He had a powerful presence, sitting there silently with an air of natural authority, causing the chatter in the great hall to fade significantly.

Only now did Li Huowang closely examine the figure and realize that behind the seated man on the Taishi Chair, a row of people stood neatly. Due to the dim light, he couldn't make out their features.

"Today, the Heavenly Observatory has summoned you all here. I need not elaborate on the purpose, right?"

As soon as the deputy director spoke, an overwhelming aura pressed down like a mountain, silencing the entire hall in an instant.

"Thud! Thud! Thud!" Periodically, some in the crowd stiffened and fell straight to the ground.

Just when Li Huowang thought they were fainting from fear, he noticed someone walking over with an iron hook and flipping their faces open. The pattern on their faces, resembling mahjong tiles, revealed their identity—members of the Oblivion Path.

It was indeed a summoning to deal with the Oblivion Path, and yet there were five from the Oblivion Path trying to infiltrate their ranks. But thinking about it, it seemed reasonable—after all, the Oblivion Path would surely have realized that the Astrological Bureau was targeting them.

The deputy director's gaze swept over these members of the Oblivion Path with an air of unsurprising indifference.

"It's not difficult to deal with the Oblivion Path, the real challenge is that these deceivers hide among the common people and don't show themselves. However, it doesn't matter; the Capital City is still our Capital City, not theirs."

"They think they are flawless, but that's all just self-deception. They even dared to brazenly kill our Bureau's chief clerk! Hmph! They truly think we are too occupied to deal with them!"