Chapter 374: Da Liang Emperor

While chewing on a guokui, Jixiang said, "You don't understand. This young man is extraordinary. I went through all the books from the first to the fourth archives to finally figure out what he did to save us. It was the secret technique of Mazdakism — 'Dung Beetle Ascent'!"

"Brother, what is that?" Sensing his solemnity, the old woman's tone softened considerably.

"Our family isn't qualified enough to know much, but the only thing I found was that most people who used this secret technique died. Those who survived were far from ordinary."

"More importantly, think about it. What does 'ascent' mean? What was he ascending to become? Anyone who uses this secret technique even once is no longer a mortal! Do you think we can afford to provoke such a person?"

Hearing Jixiang's words, the old woman nodded with lingering fear. "Then you were right to do so, brother. We can't owe a favor to someone like that."

"I suspect this young man joined the Directorate of Celestial Investigations for another reason entirely, not just to seek revenge on the Forget-Me-Not Sect as he claimed."

The old woman, with a touch of heartache, pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead. "It's all right, brother. Let's not concern ourselves with these trivial matters. They have nothing to do with us anyway. Let's go home."

Jixiang, his expression solemn, nodded slightly as he watched the approaching gate.

As Jixiang presented his Directorate of Celestial Investigations' waist token, the heavy city gate slowly opened a crack. Once Jixiang's carriage left Shangjing, the gates closed heavily, like two colossal mountains coming together.

Li Huowang woke early the next day. After preparing everything he needed, he got out of bed and walked towards the prison through the morning mist.

To Li Huowang's surprise, he wasn't the only one there. A half-grown child leading a blind man had already arrived.

"Is it just to escort a prisoner? Why would the military invite other outsiders?" Li Huowang waited in silence.

Soon after, another man arrived, riding a cow backward. Li Huowang had never seen anyone dressed like him. He sat cross-legged on the cow's back, cradling a four-armed, bluish-green female Buddha clay statue, head bowed, muttering something softly.

Perhaps the citizens of Shangjing knew something, as they turned away from a distance, and there were no shops nearby. Even though it was broad daylight, the prison entrance remained eerily deserted.

As they waited, the heavy prison gate soon opened, and an iron prisoner cart slowly rolled out.

The prisoner was somewhat different from what Li Huowang expected. He wore a golden mask on his face.

It was a very peculiar mask: a square face, large hollowed-out eyes, a triangular nose bridge, and wide ears.

If not for the more intricate, winding patterns on the mask, Li Huowang would have almost thought he was looking at a Sanxingdui mask.

"The few of you just need to escort him to the Meridian Gate for execution," the accompanying military officer ordered Li Huowang and the other two.

"The Meridian Gate? Without even leaving the city?" Li Huowang almost thought he misheard. From here to the Meridian Gate, even walking slowly, would take at most two hours. This task was completely different from what Li Huowang had imagined.

"Yes, that's right," the military officer said, seemingly in a hurry, before quickly ducking back into the prison.

As the prisoner cart began to move, driven by a white-haired old jailer, Li Huowang glanced at the other two and then walked alongside the cart towards the Meridian Gate.

Whatever their intentions, as long as it helped Bai Lingmiao alleviate her ominous aura, he was willing to do it.

As the cart slowly entered the bustling area, the sounds around them grew louder. The citizens of Shangjing pointed and laughed at the man in the prisoner cart. They didn't seem surprised by the golden mask, or perhaps they had simply grown accustomed to it.

The noise seemed to rouse the man in the cart. He suddenly pressed the golden mask against the bars and frantically shouted at the onlookers, "You—you can't do this to me! I am the Emperor! I am the Emperor of Daliang!"

Li Huowang's heart tightened upon hearing this, but when he looked back, he saw that no one else reacted, except for himself.

At that moment, the hunchbacked blind man beside him began to chant repeatedly, like someone reciting scriptures, "No offense, no offense to those carrying out orders. No offense, no offense to those carrying out orders."

Seeing this, Li Huowang stopped paying attention and focused on his duty as a prison escort.

He could already guess why the military needed outsiders like them to escort this man to his execution, and why this task could impact one's career.

The wheels of the prisoner cart slowly rolled along the wide road, reaching the side of the grand crimson palace walls.

The observant Li Huowang noticed eyes watching from the city wall, but he didn't complicate matters, as the gazes were directed at the man inside the cart.

"Ji Song! Do you think you've won? Not necessarily! One day, you will suffer the same fate as me!" The prisoner in the cart screamed hysterically, craning his neck to shout at the top of the city wall.

Those on the city wall did not respond, merely watching in silence.

The cart moved slowly, but no matter how slow, it would eventually reach its destination. The executioner had been waiting for a long time, and it was precisely noon. A crowd of commoners had gathered around the execution ground, eagerly anticipating the event.

"Ji Man! Conspiring to rebel! Guilt undeniable! Deserving of execution!"

A red token was cast down, and the masked man was dragged from the prisoner cart. His body was now limp as a noodle, and his prison clothes were soaked with yellow urine.

As the executioner dragged him, Li Huowang noticed something peculiar about the man's body. His belly was distended, yet his limbs were exceptionally emaciated.

And the distension of his belly wasn't due to obesity; it looked as if various objects, large and small, were crammed inside, making it bulge.

"Pfft!" Strong liquor was sprayed onto the broadsword. The burly, pot-bellied executioner raised the blade high and brought it down with force. The large head, gushing blood, tumbled and fell to the ground.

The executioner removed the bloody golden mask from the head and presented it with both hands to the execution official's table.

After the official wrapped the head in yellow silk cloth and rode off towards the palace walls, the nearby soldiers began to withdraw. Soon, not a single one remained, leaving the body to grow cold.

No sooner had the officials departed than the spectators swarmed around the body like buzzing flies. Holding steamed buns, they frantically dabbed them into the blood on the ground.

Two women even started arguing over who managed to get more blood on their buns, a scene Li Huowang found utterly ironic throughout the journey.

"Is that it? So simple?" Li Huowang frowned and turned to leave.

However, just as he was about to depart, he suddenly remembered something. He pushed through the crowd and approached the headless corpse.

When he took out a small dagger and gently cut open the swollen belly, large and small spheres squeezed out from within.

"Hmm," Li Huowang picked up a fist-sized sphere and examined it closely.

"This 'Emperor of Daliang' had a belly full of elixirs. His stomach was distended by so many pills."