Chapter 402: Da Qi

“Grand Master of Great Qi?” Li Huowang stared in shock at the masked man before him, his eyes wide.

From the black and white strands of hair at his temples, it was clear the man was old. But no matter how old he was, he couldn't possibly be the Grand Master of Great Qi!

To have lived from the time of Great Qi until the current Great Liang! That would be over a thousand years!

Li Huowang slowly took two steps back, scanning his surroundings. At that moment, he felt a strange illusion, as if he had once again traveled to another place.

Seeing Li Huowang's reaction, the others were clearly very surprised. “Master Zhuge, who is this…?”

“Oh, it's nothing. This is a good friend of mine, Brother Li. He has a unique way of doing things.”

As he spoke, Zhuge Yuan turned to the masked old man in front of him and asked, “Elder Qin, who were those people just now? Why were they chasing you?”

Upon hearing this, the man called Elder Qin immediately disregarded the Daoist wearing the copper coin mask. He said with extreme indignation, “Those people are the eunuchs’ lackeys! We were on our way to the Third Prince's residence for a secret meeting, but we unexpectedly got cornered. It couldn't be such a coincidence; someone inside the bureau must have sold us out!”

Zhuge Yuan looked surprised upon hearing this. “Oh? So even the Bureau of Celestial Observation has eunuch faction spies now? I didn’t expect the imperial court to be in such turmoil these days.”

“Exactly! It’s just as you say! Our ancestral teachings state that imperial power should not interfere with the Bureau of Celestial Observation, but with the eunuchs’ growing influence, who cares about such rules anymore? Propriety and music are ruined; everything is in chaos!”

While they were talking, Li Huowang had unconsciously retreated to the noodle stall. Seeing the customers still eating noodles and the old couple cooking, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he hadn't gone anywhere.

With a very serious expression, Li Huowang turned to the old man cooking noodles and asked, “Excuse me, old sir, could you tell me if this is Great Qi or Great Liang?”

The old man opened his mouth, showing only a few remaining teeth, looking a bit confused. “Huh? Great Qi? Where’s that? This has always been Great Liang.”

The old man’s words once again confirmed Li Huowang’s suspicions. He had traveled across the entire Great Liang, from the border of Qingqiu to the apricot island in the sea. Nowhere else, except from Zhuge Yuan, had he ever heard of a Great Qi.

“Exactly, isn’t this Great Liang? So where did the Grand Master of Great Qi, as Zhuge Yuan just called him, come from?”

“I need to get to the bottom of this,” Li Huowang muttered, preparing to walk towards the forest. But unexpectedly, the group emerged from within.

Zhuge Yuan was at the forefront, supporting the so-called Grand Master of Great Qi. It seemed their status was the highest among the remaining survivors. The Miaojiang girl from the Zuowang Dao was also among them.

“Brother Li, so you were here! I’ve been looking all over for you. Elder Qin is somewhat severely injured, so let's use your carriage for now.”

“Brother Zhuge, could you come over here for a moment? There’s something I’d like to ask you.”

After carefully helping the masked old man into the carriage, Zhuge Yuan walked over to Li Huowang and asked, “What is it you wish to discuss?”

Looking at Zhuge Yuan’s fair face, Li Huowang recalled everything that had happened. He still didn't believe the other man was deceiving him; if he truly were, he wouldn't expose himself with such a ridiculous excuse.

“Brother Zhuge, tell me the truth, what exactly is going on?”

“Oh? Brother Li, I don’t quite understand what you mean. This humble one, Zhuge Yuan, has always lived an honorable life, and has never deceived anyone.”

“Fine! Come here.” Li Huowang led Zhuge Yuan to the noodle stall and asked the old man the same question again.

Just as Li Huowang was about to confront Zhuge Yuan again, the old man spoke words completely different from before: “Huh? Great Liang? Where’s that? This has always been Great Qi.”

“Hmm?!” Li Huowang stared at the old man before him in shock. If the man weren't an ordinary citizen, he would have truly believed this was a Zuowang Dao member impersonating him to deceive him.

“Old man, that’s not what you said just now.”

“Just now? Sir, don’t accuse me wrongly; you haven’t chatted with me until now.”

“You!” Li Huowang was about to say something, when Zhuge Yuan’s folding fan extended, blocking Li Huowang’s pointing finger.

“Alright, alright, Brother Li, how about we discuss these trivial matters later? Elder Qin is seriously injured; we should find a place to treat him.”

With that, Zhuge Yuan turned and walked towards the carriage, shouting repeatedly, “Don’t worry, Elder Qin! The Black Grand Duke in the carriage has been securely bound; it won’t harm you!”

Li Huowang watched Zhuge Yuan’s retreating back with a very complex expression. The doubts in his heart grew stronger; everything about this was peculiar.

After thinking it over carefully, Li Huowang turned to the old man beside him again and asked once more, “Is this Great Qi or Great Liang right now?”

“It’s Great Liang. Didn’t I just tell you, old man? Why are you asking again?”

Hearing the old man’s words change for the third time, Li Huowang was no longer surprised. He realized that this must be caused by the capabilities of the Heart Knot, but he couldn't yet figure out how the other party was doing it.

“Woof woof!” Mantou poked his head out from under the carriage. He kept barking at Li Huowang, seemingly anxious that his owner's carriage was being pushed away by a group of strangers.

Li Huowang quickly followed them. This matter wasn't over; he had to find an opportune moment to properly ask Zhuge Yuan what was truly going on.

For a while after that, nothing else happened. The people accompanying the Grand Master of Great Qi had a chance to catch their breath and began tending to their injuries.

Along the way, Li Huowang quietly observed the group. Aside from the Grand Master of Great Qi and the Miaojiang girl from the Zuowang Dao, the other people's attire varied greatly, which was typical for the Bureau of Celestial Observation, as most of its members were gathered from all corners of the land.

While Li Huowang observed them, they were also observing him. If Master Zhuge hadn't said that he was a friend, they really wouldn't have wanted to lower their guard and stay with such a person.

He wore a black bamboo hat, and his red Daoist robe reeked of blood. A Black Grand Duke was bound to his carriage. His appearance was extremely mysterious, giving off an aloof and unapproachable vibe.

It was evident that the two groups felt a bit awkward around each other. Zhuge Yuan attempted to bridge the gap between them, but his efforts had little effect.

The Bureau of Celestial Observation of Great Qi was wary of Li Huowang. Naturally, Li Huowang also distrusted these so-called people of Great Qi. In this strange atmosphere, they continued their journey towards the capital.

Furthermore, Li Huowang hadn’t forgotten about the Zuowang Dao member among the Bureau of Celestial Observation personnel.

He didn’t know why the woman had infiltrated them or what her purpose was.

But since he had discovered she was from the Zuowang Dao, there was no need to expose her immediately.

Perhaps through her, he could lure out Beifeng.