Chapter 861: Responding

Li Huowang stopped, looking at Li Sui in disbelief. It was hard to imagine Li Sui saying such a thing. His lips trembled slightly before he opened them again. "This is adult business; you, a junior, should stay out of it!"

He continued on his way for a bit, then suddenly stopped again. "Whether she appreciates it or not is her choice. My priority is to use this opportunity to challenge the Wusheng Old Mother, to make sure she *has* that choice."

"Alright, you decide," Li Sui said, gradually sinking into the ground. "Father, don't blame me for being blunt, but it's better to resolve some matters sooner rather than later. Procrastinating never leads to good results."

Li Huowang flickered slightly and gradually vanished into thin air, turning invisible.

The imperial city of Shangjing wasn't far, and Li Huowang arrived quickly. This time, he found Gao Zhijian in the imperial study, reviewing memorials.

Li Huowang made a long story short, quickly explaining the entire sequence of events to him.

Half an hour later, seeing Gao Zhijian deep in thought, Li Huowang quickly reminded him, "Your Emperor shouldn't think of driving out wolves by inviting in tigers. The White Lotus sect has countless followers; they are already deeply intertwined with the common people."

Gao Zhijian looked at him impatiently. "I'm not that foolish. Letting other factions' soldiers run rampant in Daliang is no different from handing over the throne."

"That's good. I understand the conflict between you and the White Lotus Sect. Don't worry, there will always be a way to resolve it."

Gao Zhijian scratched his forehead, a headache brewing. He simply didn't want Li Huowang involved in this matter, as he didn't understand how to handle it himself.

"Then, with Senior Brother Li's wisdom, how can such a matter be resolved?"

"I have no methods. I will simply sit between both sides, preventing you from killing each other. As for everything else, we can discuss it slowly!"

"Whichever side dares not listen, I'll deal with *that* side!"

After saying this, Li Huowang suddenly looked up at the ceiling. "Stop playing dead! This is for you too! If you dare to pull any tricks, I will definitely come to Baiyujing to find trouble with you!"

"Oh, Senior Brother Li, aren't you just being unreasonable? Never mind, let's not discuss it further. With a major enemy before us, let's put this matter aside for now. How about we deal with it after this other issue is completely resolved?"

"Fine! Let's do that." Li Huowang's expression softened slightly. As long as it was effective, he didn't mind continuing to be unreasonable.

"So what will you do next?" Li Huowang asked.

"Such an important matter requires careful handling. We cannot make hasty decisions. Let's wait until the other officials arrive."

After saying this, Gao Zhijian pondered for a moment, then spoke to Li Huowang: "Senior Brother Li, are you still sending grain to Daqi?"

"Yes, I am. What about it? Do you also want to meddle with the grain cultivated by Oxheart Village?"

"No, I won't interfere. Not only will I not interfere, but I'll also instruct the Ministry of Revenue to open the granaries and release half a year's worth of provisions." Seeing his completely opposite attitude from before, Li Huowang felt a sudden surge of doubt.

What was up with this guy? If he didn't know the Dragon Vein wasn't susceptible to such things, he would have thought Gao Zhijian had been tricked by the Zuowang Dao's schemes.

However, Gao Zhijian's next sentence immediately made Li Huowang understand his true intentions.

"Not just grain, but also weapons, armor, and even the magical artifacts, elixirs, and talismans from the Imperial Observatory's treasury can be transported there. Just return them after they're used up."

Li Huowang looked at him with a complex expression for a moment, then slowly said, "I know what you're trying to do. You want Daqi to be Daliang's shield."

Previously, when Daqi suffered greatly, this guy wouldn't even give a single grain of rice. His current generosity definitely had a reason.

From the Emperor's perspective, the only plausible explanation was to arm Daqi and use them to block the people of Tianchen Kingdom outside Daliang.

If such a huge problem could be solved by just providing some grain and supplies, without a single person dying, it would be an enormous gain.

"Why not? This benefits both sides," Gao Zhijian said, spreading his hands. "Of course, if Senior Brother Li doesn't want it, then I naturally won't give it."

Li Huowang still felt something was off, yet couldn't pinpoint what. "Enough talk. Hurry up and prepare the supplies. I need to return to Daqi immediately to supervise them, in case they cause trouble."

As he spoke, Li Huowang pulled out his Spine Sword, preparing to cut open a rift.

"Senior Brother Li." Li Huowang lowered his hand and looked at Gao Zhijian.

"Senior Brother Li, humans are ultimately human, and Siji are ultimately Siji. Those not of our kind are sure to have different intentions."

"So, that's what you all think? What if someone is both a Siji and a human? How do you account for that?"

Li Huowang didn't wait for Gao Zhijian's answer. He simply cut open a rift and stepped through.

Gazing at the empty imperial study, Gao Zhijian sighed. One wave hadn't settled before another rose. Daliang, riddled with holes, was about to endure more hardship. He wondered when the common people would finally live in peace. "There will be another war. Let's increase this year's agricultural tax by another ten percent."

"No, that won't do. The supplies sent to Daqi cannot solely come from Daliang. Other regions must also contribute. Inform the other officials that there's an important matter to discuss."

"Yes, Your Majesty, this old servant understands." A line of old eunuchs respectfully emerged from behind a screen.

Gao Zhijian thought for a moment more, then spoke again: "At a time like this, it's not unreasonable for me to know Li Huowang's every move, is it?"

"Hmm." Xuannv's body emerged from the ground.

Gao Zhijian, feeling a bit unsettled, pondered again and issued another imperial decree. Soon, an old man with a white banner and pale eyes was led into the imperial study by a eunuch holding a stick.

Gao Zhijian had met this man once before; he was the one who performed divination on the eve of the war with the Dharma Sect. He looked even older now.

"Master, how will Daliang fare in this catastrophe?"

The old man nodded silently, then knelt and took out a palm-sized, empty tortoise shell from his satchel. It was covered in red crisscrossing lines.

He tremblingly pulled out eight copper coins, dropped them into the tortoise shell, and began shaking it above his head.

As he shook it, he murmured to himself, "Ziwu Maoyou by the roadside, Yinshen Jihai returning to foreign lands, Jia Zhen Yi Li Bing Xin Kun, Ding Qian Wu Kan Ji Xun Men..."

He had barely finished half the chant when the tortoise shell in his hand suddenly cracked open. The broken shell cut the old man's hand, and the eight copper coins inside, now stained with blood, scattered across the floor.

This sight made Gao Zhijian frown, and the atmosphere in the imperial study became oppressive.

The old man wiped the blood from his hand with his clothes, then tremblingly reached for the coins on the floor. When his hand touched the splattered blood, his body suddenly jolted.

He said nothing, but after trembling as he felt the position and orientation of all the coins, he bowed his head to Gao Zhijian. "Your... Your Majesty, it is an auspicious omen."