Chapter 543: Activate

As Li Huowang spoke, the expressions of the people surrounding him varied. While they were willing to help Lord Jixiang deal with the person who took the item, this didn't mean they were willing to get involved in the troublesome succession struggle.

"You!" Foyulu was so furious she felt like spitting blood, yet she couldn't make a move. The Celestial Monitoring Department strictly forbade its members from getting involved with the imperial court. It wasn't that explicit consequences were stated, but once involved, a person's future within the department would be completely ruined. This was a rather troublesome matter.

The other party continued to utter threats, but once Li Huowang realized they genuinely feared this connection, the initiative returned to his hands. Half an hour later, their encirclement of him dispersed.

"Brat! Don't even think about running! I'll be watching you closely! The day the new emperor ascends the throne will be the day you die! Let's go!" The woman immediately turned and, extremely angrily, led the others away. Just as Hong Da, who was nearby, was about to leave, Li Huowang stopped him.

"Brother Hong, it's been a long time. How can you leave just like that? Why don't I host, and we have a good drink!" Li Huowang understood that temporarily forcing her back wasn't difficult, but if he wanted to completely resolve this trouble, it wasn't enough.

Fifteen minutes later, in Sky-level Room Number One of Yangquan Restaurant, Li Huowang observed the exquisite dishes and the silent Hong Da. He picked up his wine cup, filled it, and said, "I'll toast you three cups, Brother Hong." As the cup was raised to his mouth, Li Huowang stared at the strong liquor, repeatedly muttering to himself, "It's water! It's water!" After three cups, a smiling Li Huowang picked up some vegetables with his chopsticks to settle his stomach.

"Brother Hong, don't just sit there, eat! Why be polite with me? If it weren't for your recommendation back then, I wouldn't have been able to enter the Celestial Monitoring Department."

Hong Da sighed lightly. He wasn't a fool; the other party was inviting him to drink for no reason, and being caught in the middle of this situation was uncomfortable for him. He also wanted both sides to resolve the conflict. "Alright," he said, "I'll do you a favor and be the peacemaker, since we know each other. You return the Grand Void Sword to her, and I'll put in a good word for you; then this matter will be over." "Return it to her?" Li Huowang touched the Spined Bone Sword on the adjacent stool and immediately shook his head.

"How could I return such a useful weapon? Besides, I cannot tolerate Zhuge Yuan's corpse being desecrated by others."

"Brother Hong, please convey a message to that young lady. We are all colleagues from the Celestial Monitoring Department, and I don't want to make things too ugly. The sword cannot be returned to her, but I can exchange it for something of equal value." Seeing Li Huowang say such a thing, Hong Da frowned, and his chopsticks, which had been holding a dish, were put down.

"How can you exchange it? This Grand Void Sword was forged by a Heart-Mushroom! Do you know how much it's worth in the inner treasury? Foyulu originally rented it!"

"If you keep this up, don't blame me for disregarding our old friendship. The department knows the full story of this matter; you can run to the ends of the earth, but you won't escape!" Li Huowang picked up his wine cup again and placed it between himself and Hong Da. "A magical artifact forged by a Heart-Mushroom... What if I offer a Heart-Spirit in exchange?"

"Heart-Spirit?" Hong Da's body subtly leaned back. After a few breaths, his expression returned to normal. He took a sip of wine and casually asked, "A whole Heart-Spirit? Is it alive or dead?" Hearing the question, Li Huowang felt a sense of relief. He knew that he had finally managed to turn this deadlock around.

"Haha, come, eat some food first, or it'll get cold." Rushing doesn't make a good deal. Seeing Hong Da relent, Li Huowang was no longer in a hurry. After exchanging toasts and probing each other at the table, Hong Da finally agreed to go back and ask.

After all, this was a personal dispute between Li Huowang and Foyulu; Hong Da was only a mediator and couldn't decide anything. However, judging from Hong Da's attitude, Li Huowang felt that the problem wasn't big. If it still didn't work, he'd add another Heart-Spirit. After finishing the main business, the two began to chat idly.

Their relationship wasn't particularly close; they had only worked together. But under the influence of the strong liquor, they began to put their arms around each other's shoulders.

"Erjiu, how did you get involved with the royal family? Why didn't you ask me clearly before you did anything? Let me tell you, this path isn't easy. If it were truly easy, it wouldn't be your turn."

"Serving a monarch is like serving a tiger. Not to mention, he might be emperor today and not tomorrow. No matter how grand the promises, they're empty. It's better to be stable within the department. This path you're taking is narrow." Li Huowang smiled and said nothing. How could Hong Da know that he was forced by the dice? If he hadn't been compelled, he would never have come to the capital and made such a commitment in his life. "Brother Hong, let's not talk about me. How about you? How have you been lately?"

"Heh, what else? A pile of messed-up things. The Law Sect is causing trouble every day; it's so annoying. Fortunately, the rewards are quite high. I've been running around for the past few months. If it weren't for you, I might still be out there chasing the Law Sect around."

"Is the Law Sect spreading so widely in Daliang now? Can the department still handle it?" Li Huowang asked with some concern, glancing at Qiu Chibao.

Hong Da picked up a tender, slippery chicken mushroom with his ivory chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and said groggily, "We're managing. After all, the Siqi Celestial Monitoring Department has now been merged into our Daliang's, so we have a bit more manpower than before."

"How did the Siqi Celestial Monitoring Department suddenly merge into our Daliang's?" Li Huowang was very surprised by this news. "Haha, Brother Er, you still don't know? Siqi... its kingdom has fallen."

Li Huowang sobered up instantly. He knew he had come from Siqi. Although that country was relatively small, its sudden fall was too abrupt. Li Huowang thought of the abbess he knew in Siqi and Zhengde Temple, and couldn't help but ask, "How did it suddenly fall for no reason?"

"For no reason? They've been fighting for so long! Only Daliang is stable; other places are fighting tooth and nail. It's just that they're far from us, so we didn't feel it." "Then why doesn't the new court want a Celestial Monitoring Department? Isn't it said that any court, no matter who is in power, must have one? The Celestial Monitoring Department is for dealing with natural disasters. As long as they're not brain-damaged, no ruler would ever try to abolish the Celestial Monitoring Department. If natural disasters are left unchecked, even the most robust dynasty would be as fragile as paper."

Hong Da shook his head, picked up his wine cup, and took a sip. "I wouldn't know that. If I knew that much, I'd be the Celestial Supervisor. Anyway, these past few years haven't been easy; there's been constant warfare."

For some reason, when Li Huowang learned that Siqi had fallen and the new court hadn't established a Celestial Monitoring Department, he felt an inexplicable unease. This didn't seem like a good sign. He glanced at Qiu Chibao beside him, who was making whistling sounds as he gnawed on chicken, and thought to himself, "Is there a connection? Please, don't let everything from Daqi repeat here."