Chapter 415 - Hong Zhong
“And that's why the officials are so close to the Righteous Monastery and the abbot. You're asking the wrong group of people for help. Of course, the exception is if you can give us sons as well.”
The chubby eunuch returned to the carriage.
Right as he was about to enter the carriage, he stopped and looked back. “I almost forgot to say this, but Stepfather said that we will not interfere if you do make a move. If you're capable of imprisoning the empress, we'd be more than happy to deal with the aftermath for you.”
With that, the chubby eunuch left, leaving behind a gloomy group of people.
Li Huowang had no intentions of getting involved, but he still couldn't help but remark, “The difference in power between your group and the enemy group is too large. I don’t think you'll have many allies here for your cause. This is a lost cause.”
“Don't worry; everything isn't set in stone. There are no permanent allies, only permanent interests; the result is still up to the heavens to decide,” said Zhuge Yuan. He then put his fan away and continued, “We have the justification as well. The empress ruling the kingdom is unprecedented.
"I'm sure everyone knows that, and they're not going to bother us at all.”
Li Huowang nodded.
Zhuge Yuan looked at Li Huowang and asked curiously. “Junior Li, are you okay? You’ve been quite unfocused recently.”
“No, I’m fine,” Li Huowang replied rather quickly.
“If you need my help, don’t hesitate to ask me for help. I can still help you with some minor issues.”
Glancing at the window sticker, Li Huowang shook his head. “No, it’s fine. Let’s just work together and deal with the issue here in the Great Qi. Your problems are more concerning than mine.”
Clip, clop, clip.
The sound of horse hooves echoed from outside, and the combined volume was so loud that it sounded like an army was converging on their location. There was even the sound of drums, which grew louder by the second.
“Wait, why are the soldiers here?! I thought they were guarding the borders?!” someone shouted. The crowd inside the residence immediately got worried.
“Don’t panic,” Zhuge Yuan said calmly, calming down everyone. He picked up a few scrolls of art and walked outside.
Li Huowang frowned upon seeing the window sticker split into four pieces, briefly revealing Jian Zheng’s face.
When Zhuge Yuan walked out, he saw rows of soldiers ahead of him. The combined killing intent of the soldiers was so thick that it was palpable. The people nearby failed to escape in time, and some of them were so frightened to the point of swooning.
“Hoho.” Zhuge Yuan sat on the ground and unfurled one of the scrolls. A black Guzheng[1] appeared in front of him.
Ding~
Zhuge Yuan plucked on the string lightly, and the powerful drum noises were washed away.
The soldiers growled and ran toward them. When their killing intent reached its peak, a pool of blood appeared from underneath Zhuge Yuan’s Guzheng, melting it into a puddle of blood.
The buildings in the four cardinal directions peeled away; the wooden tiles fell off, and four altars covered in talismans emerged.
Several purple-robed Daoists brandished their swords at the same time and started a ritual. Someone shouted just then, and a barrier sprang up, covering everything.
“Junior Li, don’t you think this is interesting?” Zhuge Yuan waved his hand, and the old almanac appeared. He used his brush and pointed at the four altars. The four Daoists disappeared, and Zhuge Yuan’s brush was suddenly covered in something.
Zhuge Yuan raised his hand and got ready to write when Li Huowang shifted his illusion and used his invisible right hand to snatch the old almanac. Li Huowang immediately somersaulted and dashed toward the window sticker.
“Li! Huo! Wang!” Zhuge Yuan’s enraged voice echoed.
The tiles around him quivered violently.
“Stop watching and stop him for me!” Li Huowang shouted.
The people of the Surveillance Bureau appeared and surrounded Zhuge Yuan, but they weren't Zhuge Yuan's enemy at all. Several mahjong tiles appeared in the army just then, and they ran toward Zhuge Yuan with the same towering killing intent as the army!
Li Huowang was so busy escaping that he had no idea what was happening behind him. However, he could hear incessant cries. The voices echoed closer and closer the faster Li Huowang ran.
Upon reaching the rendezvous point, Li Huowang saw Jian Zheng waiting for him on horseback. No one else was around Jian Zheng, as the people of the Surveillance Bureau were doing their best to stop Zhuge Yuan.
“Give me the Six Divinations Almanac,” Jian Zheng said, extending his arm.
“Here it is!” Li Huowang handed over the old almanac.
When Li Huowang’s skinless hand and the wrinkled hand made contact, a sharp glint burst out of the almanac and flew toward Jian Zheng’s neck.
Jian Zheng failed to react in time, but the jade pendant on his waist flashed once and shattered. A white smoke appeared from the jade pendant, and it enveloped Li Huowang’s arm that was holding the dagger.
Li Huowang’s arm was corroded until only the bone in his arm was left.
However, Li Huowang wasn't done just yet.
Li Huowang spat his molars, but he was caught off guard when his teeth failed to pierce Jian Zheng, merely getting stuck in the latter's chest. Clearly, Jian Zheng's purple robe had strong defensive capabilities; it wasn't just an ordinary robe!
“How dare you?!” Jian Zheng glared furiously at Li Huowang.
Li Huowang took to the air and sat on Jian Zheng before thrusting his corroded arm into Jian Zheng’s neck. His attack finally worked, and Jian Zheng's blood dyed his beard red.
Li Huowang leaned forward and whispered. “Why do you think I did this? Because I’m fucking Hong Zhong! Do you really think I'd be friendly with you guys?!”
Li Huowang stabbed Jian Zheng once more, and the latter's head tilted sideways.
Jian Zheng was dead!
“HAHAHAHA! THIS FEELS AMAZING!” Li Huowang roared madly and turned around. Then, he raised his corroded arm while sweeping his gaze across the people who had surrounded Zhuge Yuan.
“Hahaha! I tricked you guys too! Did you guys really not think that I may be a member of the Sitting Oblivion Dao?!” Li Huowang tore off his face, revealing the flesh underneath.
Moments later, black tentacles burrowed out of his facial muscles and skull. The black tentacles moved together and transformed Li Huowang’s head, making the latter's head appear rectangular.
grotesque noises echoed incessantly, Li Huowang’s face distorted in pain.
“Father...!”
“Don't stop! Do it! Do it like what I taught you yesterday!”
Li Sui could only proceed, and Li Huowang’s facial features became even more distorted. Li Sui popped out Li Huowang's eyeballs, and the latter's face finally resembled a Hong Zhong mahjong tile.
The Sitting Oblivion Dao members amidst the army cheered and whistled at the sight.
“Hahaha! Hong Zhong is amazing! To think he'd actually transformed into that brat!”
“Elder Hong Zhong is amazing!”
“Hong Zhong is unbeatable!”
Li Huowang laughed boisterously at their cheers. He even lifted Jian Zheng’s corpse and shook it at them.
1. A musical instrument ☜
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢