Chapter 340: Zhuge Yuan

One of the people from the Forgotten Dao, Facai, was dead, murdered.

"Could it be..." Li Huowang instantly recalled the scholar Zhuge Yuan's shadow in his mind. "Is it possible? How could this be?"

"You're not the only ones from the Forgotten Dao who are after the Corrupted Heart! Now, tell us! Who took the Corrupted Heart?!"

As soon as he spoke, Jixiang's demeanor instantly changed. His eyes seemed about to pop out of their sockets, and the white powder on his face cracked inch by inch.

He glared at the three pairs of identical twins in front of him.

However, the entire hall was silent; no one responded to his question.

"You won't talk, huh? Fine! Then all of you will come back with me to Shangjing! Once we're at the foot of the Imperial City, we'll see if you talk!" Jixiang threw the severed head he was holding and angrily turned to leave.

At that moment, no one dared to delay and quickly followed, fearing they might be mistaken for members of the Forgotten Dao.

The carriage couldn't fit so many people, so the rest mounted horses and followed Jixiang's carriage towards Shangjing.

On horseback, Li Huowang felt anxious. He only had this copper coin mask; what if it wasn't enough and he was recognized in Shangjing?

However, it was clear that someone was even more anxious than Li Huowang and solved this problem for him.

Suddenly, one of the mounted Li Huowangs dismounted and dove straight into the nearby forest.

The moment he left, another Hong Da and Monk Xinchen also leaped away at the same time.

The next moment, the carriage roof burst open, and Jixiang, holding a golden abacus, charged first towards one of the Forgotten Dao members.

"Go catch the other two! I want them alive!"

With a whoosh, the previously gathered group quickly dispersed, scattering to pursue the fleeing Forgotten Dao members.

Xinchen, chasing with long strides, quickly headed into the distance.

He was very tall, which made it inconvenient in the forest, so he was the slowest in pursuit.

Suddenly, his ears twitched, and he tilted his head, dodging a cold gleam.

But immediately after, Xinchen felt his body tremble and realized he was floating.

Feeling intense pain, he looked down and saw an arm covered in sharp bone spurs plunged directly into his stomach.

"What in the..." Xinchen's mouth barely opened when his pupils suddenly constricted. He had spoken!

Just then, a red rope, strung with copper coins, wrapped around his neck and instantly tightened.

A gnashing voice sounded in Xinchen's ear, "You think you're narrow-minded? Well, I'm not much better!"

The red rope and copper coins were very thin; as Li Huowang exerted force, they dug directly into the flesh.

The severely injured Xinchen opened his mouth, making coughing sounds, and desperately reached back, clawing repeatedly.

But even as he clawed his hand raw, it remained ineffective.

Veins pulsed on Li Huowang's forehead as he gritted his teeth, fiercely tightening the copper coin thread in his hand around Xinchen's neck.

Tendrils emerged from various parts of Li Huowang's body, firmly wrapping around Xinchen's limbs.

The more Xinchen struggled, the more intensely he fought. When he reached his peak, his body stiffened rigidly before suddenly going limp. He was dead.

Li Huowang flicked the hilt of his copper coin sword, and the copper coin rope embedded in Xinchen's hand quickly retracted, reforming into the sword's blade.

Shaking off the blood, Li Huowang had just slung the copper coin sword onto his back when Hong Da emerged from the side, looking at Li Huowang, whose body was covered in writhing black tentacles.

Looking at the unexpected arrival, Li Huowang blinked and pointed to Monk Xinchen's corpse nearby. "This person is from the Forgotten Dao."

After glancing at the monk Xinchen, whose features were distorted, Hong Da slowly nodded.

"But Lord Jixiang said these Forgotten Dao members were to be captured alive. Why did you kill him? You've put me in a difficult position."

"I apologize; I lost control."

Li Huowang pulled out the gourd from his waist and shook it. The gourd's mouth opened, revealing sharp fangs, and it spat out a large pile of Longevity Pills.

Hong Da swept his wide robe like a sack, covering all the Longevity Pills, then nodded in approval.

"It's normal for young people to make mistakes. Besides, there are two others; Lord Jixiang won't blame you."

Hearing this, Li Huowang nodded with a faint smile, and the tentacles covering his body slowly writhed and retracted.

"Let's go. We should quickly catch the next one." Hong Da said, turning and leaving.

Li Huowang suddenly began to understand the relationships between colleagues in the Bureau of Celestial Monitors.

The Bureau of Celestial Monitors was just a place for them to earn extra income; they weren't true colleagues, at best nodding acquaintances.

When performing duties, whether they tripped each other up or cooperated depended entirely on sufficient personal gain and their existing relationship.

When Li Huowang and Hong Da returned with another Forgotten Dao member, they saw Tuoba Danqing and Jixiang had already come back.

The ground was covered in blood, and enveloped by it were a human skin, a skeleton, and a pile of flesh.

Seeing Tuoba Danqing covering his mouth in disgust, it was clear that one person had been tortured into this state.

Jixiang paced back and forth with a solemn expression, hands behind his back, occasionally muttering to himself.

"Brother Tuoba? What's wrong?" Li Huowang asked, walking up to Tuoba Danqing.

"Lord Jixiang tortured a name out of the captured Forgotten Dao member: Zhuge Yuan. He's been like this ever since hearing it. I don't know why."

"Zhuge Yuan?! Did he really kill Facai?"

Li Huowang's pupils instantly constricted.

The few words the other person had said to him echoed repeatedly in Li Huowang's ears.

The Bureau of Celestial Monitors, the Forgotten Dao, and now Zhuge Yuan. Since neither the Forgotten Dao nor the Bureau of Celestial Monitors obtained the Corrupted Heart, he must have taken it. Who exactly is this person?

The pacing Jixiang suddenly stopped and looked at the other three with a grave expression.

"Let me ask you, when you went to the Buddha Bone Temple, did you notice anything strange? Did anyone do anything that seemed ridiculous yet made perfect sense?"

As Li Huowang recalled his experience at the Buddha Bone Temple, his brows gradually furrowed. What did he mean by that question?

"Lord Jixiang, what exactly happened? Who is Zhuge Yuan?"

For some reason, Li Huowang felt as if he had become entangled in something significant.

Jixiang, however, did not answer, instead muttering anxiously to himself.

"I should have guessed it earlier. This must be Zhuge Yuan's divine ability. Yes, it's him. If even he is after the Corrupted Heart, I fear the world is about to change drastically."

After pacing for a while, Jixiang directly swung onto his horse, ignoring the other three, and galloped away.

"Lord Jixiang! Lord Jixiang!!" Tuoba Danqing, whose calls went unanswered, helplessly turned to Li Huowang and Hong Da. "Let's go back. Sigh, what kind of mission was this? I doubt we'll get paid."

Once Tuoba Danqing also rode away, Hong Da looked at Li Huowang. "Shall we go together?"

"Thank you, but no need. I prefer to travel alone."

Hearing this, Hong Da nodded, swung onto his horse, and rode away.

After waiting for a while, when there were no living people left around, Li Huowang turned and walked in the direction of the Buddha Bone Temple.