Chapter 526: Method

"No, Brother Zhuge, you don't understand Dice. That letter was a warning to me! If anyone is connected to him, no matter how remote the worst possibility seems, it will undoubtedly come true!"

Li Sui opened her mouth, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs and three tentacles, then yawned. She stretched her arms forward, her nails extending, and pushed the rest of her body back forcefully. After a vigorous stretch, she coiled herself onto the Eight Immortals table, resting her slender head on her arms, and continued watching Li Huowang talk to himself in mid-air.

"Is Dad talking to those invisible people again? I used to see them, but I can't anymore."

"I really wish I knew what they were talking about. Just listening to Dad, I can't make heads or tails of it."

Li Huowang, his brow tightly furrowed, rubbed his temples. After pacing back and forth for a moment, he spoke again, "Brother Zhuge, Brother Zhuge, let's stop here. Arguing like this is just a futile waste of energy.

"Alright, even if, as you say, Bai Lingmiao is fine and will be back on her own soon, then we don't have to do anything, do we? We just wait, and the problem resolves itself. That would be great, of course, but is that truly possible? I've never had good luck in this wretched place!

"But what if Bai Lingmiao really is in Dice's hands? If I sit by and do nothing, she'll only end up dead! I can't afford to gamble with that!!

"Moreover, this isn't just about Bai Lingmiao; it's about us. Since Dice has already made a move against me, if we don't fight back, this will never end!

"The content of that letter doesn't really mean anything! Maybe the letter *was* written by Bai Lingmiao! But don't forget they are the Zuo Wang Dao! I've seen too many deceptions like this! My Hong Zhong even has some! Bai Lingmiao might already be imprisoned, but she might not even realize it!!

"The Zuo Wang Dao can trap a person without even using force! They can use mere words to make someone willingly stay in one place until they die!"

The room fell silent, with only Li Huowang's rapid breathing audible. The two starkly contrasting possibilities made him incredibly anxious.

He also hoped Bai Lingmiao was fine and that he wouldn't need to get involved in these troubles. He wished he could just return to Niuxin Village and live a quiet life. But he truly dared not gamble.

After pacing a few circles, his tone softened as he quietly addressed the distant window. "You're right, I am a bit agitated right now. But in a situation where there's no chance of winning, it's truly hard not to be!

"To deal with this person—whose location and goals are unknown, and who holds Bai Ling as a hostage—I really, I really..."

Li Huowang's words were cut short. He paused, and a sudden light ignited in his anxious eyes as he asked the empty window again, "Brother Zhuge, is that true?"

"Hmm, *if*... that's a question. I'll need to find an opportunity to test it out! But it's alright, those are minor details. If what you say is true, then we won't be as helpless against Dice as we are now."

"Is Master Ears at home?"

Hearing the voice from outside the wooden door, Li Huowang's face instantly lit up with joy. "Brother Zhuge, you! Speak of the devil! The opportunity has arrived!"

"I'm here, the door's not closed! Come in!"

No sooner had Li Huowang finished speaking than the courtyard gate was pushed open from outside. An old eunuch, his face powdered white and holding a golden whisk, walked in alone, carrying nothing else.

Li Huowang recognized him; this was the same eunuch who had delivered messages to Ji Lin previously.

"Cough, cough." The old eunuch walked up to Li Huowang, clearing his throat with his chin raised. "Master Ears, receive the imperial edict."

Before Li Huowang could even react, the eunuch pulled out a yellow scroll, handed it to him, and then surprisingly turned and left immediately.

As a puzzled Li Huowang unrolled the imperial edict, which bore dragon patterns, Li Sui also leaned closer and began to read along. But after reading for only a short while, Li Sui stopped. There were many characters, and she recognized quite a few, but strung together, she couldn't understand what they meant. "What does it say?"

"It tells me not to enter the palace; Ji Lin will come out himself." No sooner had Li Huowang finished speaking than the yellow scroll in his hand spontaneously combusted, quickly turning to ash.

"Is it a fight again?" Li Sui excitedly perked up her half-ear. "Shall I help you peel their skin?"

"No, I can't peel it. I have to wait for the inside to fully grow back. I only have one layer of skin left now; if I peeled it off, there'd be nothing left."

"Oh, I see. So, are we going now?"

"Don't rush, there are some things I need to take care of first."

As Li Huowang spoke, he walked into the inner room and picked up a pickling jar from the corner. He didn't pickle vegetables; instead, the jar contained the corpse of his previous self. Although this corpse had no internal organs or skin, it was, after all, a Xinsu body. Xinsu, a divine spiritual treasure, might prove useful in the future. Li Huowang carried the jar to a hidden cellar under the bed, opened the hatch, placed the jar inside, then stood up again and picked up another pickling jar from the corner.

This second jar also contained a Xinsu corpse. However, this one, though it had internal organs, was headless—it was the one whose head was chopped off when he pretended to be Hong Zhong to deceive the Censorate.

At the time, things were rushed, so after a brief anti-corrosion treatment, it was simply buried somewhere. So many things had happened since then that he had been too busy to remember. If he hadn't thought of it while handling the corpses this time, Li Huowang might have completely forgotten where he buried it.

After seeing the two large jars hidden in the cellar, Li Huowang firmly closed the cellar lid. "Let's go. Let's see what Ji Lin wants us to do this time."

The meeting point was a casino. After Li Huowang successfully won three hundred and eighteen taels, he was invited to a cellar in the back courtyard.

Li Huowang saw Ji Lin again, surrounded by a group of eunuchs. Ji Lin's condition, however, looked grim: half of his left ear was missing, and a scar so deep it exposed bone marred his face.

"Your Majesty, what happened to your face?"

Ji Lin, who was continually stroking the fake cat he held, showed a hint of a cruel smile. "It's nothing major. I sent people to kill others, so naturally, others will send people to kill me. It's only fair.

"I just didn't expect the palace to be so dirty. It seems it needs a thorough cleaning."

Li Huowang's heart sank upon hearing this. Ji Lin absolutely could not die now. "Your Majesty, do you need me to protect you when I'm not on assignment?"

"No need. I still have capable people around me; self-preservation is no problem. You should stick to what you're good at." As Ji Lin waved his hand, a eunuch nearby presented a rolled painting on a tray.