Chapter 545: East Gate

Li Huowang stood in the grand hall, gazing at the dimly lit dragon throne, silently pondering how to answer the question that slowly drifted from behind the bead curtain.

"Er Jiu, where have you been lately?" Ji Lin's voice was casual.

"I was busy with some personal matters," Li Huowang replied.

"Heh, you're quite audacious, aren't you? Attending to personal matters while working for me."

"But didn't the Benevolent King die already, Your Highness? Who's next?" Li Huowang asked directly.

With his right hand, which had only two fingers remaining, Ji Lin slammed it hard on the dragon throne's armrest. "Good, you're straightforward, and so am I. There's one last imperial sister remaining; you can finish her off."

"The last one?" Li Huowang's pupils contracted slightly, and he stared wide-eyed. He only remembered killing three people. How little time had passed? How could the Gu worms in this jar be cultivated so quickly?

Ji Lin seemed to sense Li Huowang's surprise and chuckled softly. "Er Huan, it had to be you. You stirred up this storm; otherwise, how could I have ascended the throne so quickly? Also, your blade is good, but I always need a few spares. So, heh, don't get too complacent."

As soon as he finished speaking, several people emerged from the shadows behind the dragon throne. Among them were eunuchs and some unfamiliar faces.

Li Huowang didn't recognize any of these individuals, but he felt a sense of extreme familiarity toward one of them, who was holding a gold ingot. That was the Benevolent King's Scholar God of Wealth; he hadn't expected him to now be Ji Lin's subordinate! Looking at Ji Lin in the darkness, Li Huowang's heart sank slightly. The vastly changed Ji Lin was far more formidable than before. While Li Huowang was helping him open up opportunities, Ji Lin had rapidly expanded his power in places Li Huowang couldn't see.

"Er Jiu, are you taking this assignment or not? Say something. Or do you have other private matters to attend to?"

A eunuch with copper coins hanging from his eyes carried a golden imperial decree on both hands and presented it to Li Huowang. "I'll take it," Li Huowang said, reaching out to grasp it, then turned and left the great hall.

Standing beneath the gloomy sky, Li Huowang opened the imperial decree. It recorded the target's identity: Princess Anping. As if afraid Li Huowang wouldn't recognize her, it even thoughtfully included a portrait. The so-called Princess Anping was a fresh-faced, innocent young woman, even appearing younger than Yang Na. A beauty mark on the upper right corner of her mouth added a hint of charm.

However, Li Huowang had no intention of underestimating this woman. Of the nine Gu worms, only two remained cultivated. This woman was certainly not to be underestimated.

After leaving the imperial palace, Li Huowang first bought a pigeon, then immediately began searching within his own body. When he saw a full moon appear within his flesh, Li Huowang extended a finger and plucked it out. This object was for contacting Liu Zongyuan of the Moon Gate. Since Liu Zongyuan was well-informed, it was a good opportunity to ask him about the Directorate of Astronomy.

Tying the moon and a piece of paper to the homing pigeon's leg, Li Huowang gripped his weapon tightly and slowly approached Princess Anping's palace.

"What do you plan to do about this princess?" Zhuge Yuan drifted over and asked.

Li Huowang's expression hardened. "Do nothing. Delay as much as possible. If necessary, I can even help Princess Anping weaken Ji Lin's power."

"Ji Lin has grown much faster than I expected; he's becoming somewhat uncontrollable. I'm not sure if he'll still help me deal with the Dice now."

Hearing this, Zhuge Yuan nodded in satisfaction and withdrew. Li Huowang never forgot his true objective: to kill the Dice and save Bai Lingmiao. Who ascended the throne to become emperor was secondary. He just needed to buy enough time to resolve the Dice situation.

That very day, Li Huowang infiltrated Princess Anping's palace. When he saw that Princess Anping had placed a decoy there, his heart immediately eased. The princess was smarter than he had anticipated, which was good. He could use the opportunity of searching for her true self to deceive Ji Lin for a while.

For several days, Li Huowang continued to visit Princess Anping's residence, but he consistently delayed taking action. Occasionally, he would even clear out unknown spies lurking around.

On the third day, a new development occurred: Li Huowang received a reply from Liu Zongyuan.

"Brother Er Jiu, the Grand Astrologer is not someone you can just summon at will; people of our status aren't qualified to meet him. However, you can go to the East Gate and wait on the twenty-third of this month. I heard the Grand Astrologer will be leading many people out of the city then. As for whether you'll actually meet him, that's up to your own ability. I can only help you this much."

Li Huowang, who was in a tree, put away the letter and immediately jumped down without hesitation, heading towards the East Gate with Li Sui. At this moment, the Grand Astrologer was far more important than any princess.

Currently, there were two Grand Astrologers in the Great Liang Kingdom. Li Huowang now knew the Dice's location; if he could convince both of them to act together, half the battle would be won!

He soon arrived at the East Gate of Shangjing and sat anxiously by a herbal tea stall, waiting. According to Liu Zongyuan's intelligence, the Grand Astrologer would be accompanied by many people, making for an impressive procession that should be easy to spot.

Time passed bit by bit. As the sun in the sky gradually shifted, Li Huowang's heart grew increasingly anxious. "Why aren't they here yet? Could Liu Zongyuan's information be wrong? Didn't he say Moon Gate's intelligence was the most reliable?"

"Senior Brother Li! Senior Brother Li!! I finally found you!!"

Suddenly feeling someone hug his leg, Li Huowang almost instinctively swung his blade, but Gouwa's grating voice saved his life. It wasn't just Gouwa; after getting the news from a beggar, the entire Lu Family Troupe had arrived.

Seeing this, Scholar Lu, not to be outdone, tried to hug his other leg but was kicked away by Li Huowang.

"Why are you here?" Li Huowang lifted Gouwa up like he was a little chick.

"Senior Brother Li, of course, we came to find you! You said you were taking Junior Sister Bai to get her eyes treated, but it's been so long, and we haven't seen you return. My heart feels so empty. You can't imagine how awful it's been." Gouwa theatrically took out a piece of ginger hidden in his sleeve and rubbed it on his eyes.

"Get back! Did you hear me?! This isn't where you should be! Do you have any idea how dangerous Shangjing is right now?!" Li Huowang said quickly, his eyes anxiously scanning the intersection.

"That's right, Master! Shangjing is too dangerous! You wouldn't believe how badly we've been bullied by the people here recently. You must stand up for us!" Scholar Lu, who had run back, once again hugged Li Huowang's leg, complaining indignantly.