Chapter 429: North Wind

An old beggar-like Zuowang Daoist asked, greatly surprised, "What? Xin Su Beifeng, Boss Hongzhong? Are you looking for him?"

"Where is Beifeng now?!" Li Huowang's voice grew sterner, his purple-tasseled sword already at the Zuowang Daoist's throat.

A Zuowang Daoist, dressed as a pretty young wife, saw this unfold and quickly interjected, "Oh, we're all comrades, no need for blades! Boss Hongzhong, I know this. Beifeng and his group should be at the East Gate of the Imperial City right now, planning to go in and observe what the Emperor of Daliang is doing. And it's not just Boss Beifeng's group of three; the other Sanyuan and Sixi are basically all there too."

"The East Gate of the Imperial City," Li Huowang repeated. His grip on the sword tightened slightly, and with a flick of his wrist, the beggar-like Zuowang Daoist's head was instantly severed from his body.

Li Huowang turned his gaze to the last Zuowang Daoist and deliberately spoke again, word by word, "Now, tell me again, where is Beifeng right now?"

The pretty young wife looked at the fallen body, her eyes wide, tears welling in their corners. "Boss Hongzhong, why did you do that? We... we really didn't mean to harm you!"

Seeing her tear-filled, pathetic look, Li Huowang immediately became enraged. He kicked her to the ground, and with a sharp blade, starting from her chin, he peeled back her facial skin, revealing the grotesque flesh-and-blood orchid beneath, twisted from her features.

"Ah-ha! A 'Flower Card,' are you?!" Li Huowang gnashed his teeth. "Fine! Let's see what other tricks you Zuowang Daoists can pull! I'm asking you again, where is Beifeng now?!" His hands were already clamped tightly around her neck.

"Boss Beifeng and them really went to the East Gate of the Imperial Palace, I really..." the struggling orchid gasped out, intermittently.

As Li Huowang's grip tightened, the orchid began to struggle, but past the peak, her struggles grew weaker and weaker. Yet, even so, she did not change her story or beg for mercy.

Just as she was dying, she gently brushed her orchid head against the back of Li Huowang's hand, which was bulging with veins from his grip. Her twisted face showed no sign of pre-death fear or despair, but rather a hint of reluctant affection.

With her last breath, she almost silently whispered, "The mountains have trees, the trees have branches; my heart desires you, but you do not know." After saying this, Li Huowang saw the person's body go limp, and the orchid on her face gradually withered.

Li Huowang gasped for air, huffing. Li Sui's tentacles curled up clothes from a nearby corpse, wiping blood from Li Huowang's face. "These Zuowang Daoists are truly annoying," he thought. "Even at death's door, they try to sicken me. They put on such a convincing act that my resolve actually wavered!"

Having caught his breath, Li Huowang stood up again. He remained skeptical about the "Flower Card's" words, but regardless of whether Beifeng was at the East Gate of the Imperial City, he decided to go and see for himself.

Things were getting more chaotic outside, and he had to hurry. He didn't want to see Beifeng dead, nor did he want to see Beifeng escape.

Li Huowang bent down and picked up the facial skin from the ground, ready to reattach it to his face.

But just as he was about to, he suddenly paused. "Wait," he mused, "would it be wise to continue wearing this 'Ear Attacker' face?" He looked around, then bent down again and picked up the "Flower Card's" facial skin, pressing it onto his own face as if applying a mask.

Then, from his toolkit, he took out some nails and secured the edges. Instantly, Li Huowang's appearance completely transformed into another person.

Since he was acting, he might as well go all out. Li Huowang quickly set his red Daoist robe ablaze and put on the clothes of a nearby corpse.

Completely transformed with a new appearance, Li Huowang, carrying six swords he had scavenged from other corpses, pushed open the wooden door in the wall.

After quickly discerning the direction, Li Huowang leaped onto a stray horse on the street and spurred it towards the Imperial City gate. "The Imperial City," he mused, "since it's where the Emperor of Daliang lives, it must be the most heavily guarded place in Daliang, right?"

Along the way, to verify the information, Li Huowang deliberately captured two other Zuowang Daoists. One refused to speak, and the other claimed it was at the North Gate of the Imperial Palace. Just as he was about to reach the Imperial City, Li Huowang leaped onto a rooftop and gazed towards the East Gate in the distance. A battle seemed to have already erupted there; in the vast expanse of white snow, figures occasionally crashed down from the sky.

Li Huowang crouched low and slowly approached. Although the abilities and appearances of those fighting were bizarre and varied, it was clear that those inside the Imperial Palace were the Imperial Guards, and those outside were the Zuowang Daoists.

These Zuowang Daoists had diverse appearances and attire, making it difficult to discern who was who, and equally difficult to determine if Xin Su Beifeng was among them. One Zuowang Daoist attempted to sit cross-legged and chant something, but an incredibly precise arrow directly pierced his forehead. Facing the tense situation in the distance, Li Huowang didn't rush to either side, silently searching among the Zuowang Daoists.

"Is he a subordinate?" "No, that's not right." Li Huowang recalled the information he had seen earlier at the Jintian Division: Xin Su Beifeng had the ability to swap bodies with others.

With this thought, Li Huowang's gaze left the Zuowang Daoists and instead shifted to scrutinize the Imperial Palace side.

The Imperial Guards were fiercely resisting, and among them, some people wearing green masks were also fighting the enemy. Nothing seemed unusual.

As Li Huowang silently observed, the tightly shut Imperial City gate suddenly opened. An Imperial Guard, wearing a helmet, emerged and vigorously waved towards the outside.

The Zuowang Daoists outside saw an opening and instantly rushed in. The battle instantly devolved into chaos.

"Is that him? Is he Xin Su Beifeng?" Li Huowang's heart pounded. He stared intently at the Jinyiwei who had opened the gate in the distance. The Jinyiwei seemed to sense something too, and after glancing in Li Huowang's direction from afar, turned and walked inside the city gate. With a whoosh, the white snow around Li Huowang was thrown high into the air as he instantly displaced himself into invisibility, moving swiftly across the rooftops on the tiles.

By the time Li Huowang reached the East Gate of the Imperial City, he found that this small-scale skirmish had clearly resulted in a complete victory for the Zuowang Daoists, with the wide-open, blood-stained half-gate serving as proof.

The person suspected of being Beifeng must have gone inside! Li Huowang quickened his pace and swiftly moved inside.

Noticing the commotion here, it was clear Li Huowang wasn't the only one. From time to time, others quickly rushed along the blood-soaked path littered with corpses.

As for whether they were Zuowang Daoists or Jintian Division agents, there was no way to tell.

Following behind these people, Li Huowang soon found himself inside the Imperial Palace. It was clearly vast and labyrinthine.

But Li Huowang didn't need a map; the bloodstains and scattered bodies pointed the way.

Just like outside the Imperial Palace, giant, man-high masks occasionally appeared on the deep red walls. Their texture looked like copper, and some areas were covered in verdigris.

With their square faces, hollow large eyes, triangular noses, and broad ears, under their silent gaze, the entire Daliang Imperial Palace appeared exceptionally solemn and majestic.

As he walked on, the bloodstains and footprints became sparser. Golden light shimmered around the corner ahead. When Li Huowang carefully reached the corner, everything before his eyes left him utterly stunned.

Gold—a large area was entirely shimmering with gold. The Golden Palace in the distance, the gold bricks on the ground, and even the roof's ridge ornaments, eaves decorations, and corner elements were all gold.