Chapter 908: Goodbye

At once, the expressions on everyone’s faces surrounding Li Sui turned solemn. As a horn blast echoed, some military personnel in the distance began to gather towards their location. Everyone started preparing their ultimate moves.

"Enough, stop!" An androgynous voice rang out, and the tense atmosphere on the scene gradually eased.

As the crowd parted, Li Sui saw a round-faced man, appearing to be around thirty years old and dressed in green silk, emerge from their midst.

He looked at the injured Li Sui, extended a finger, twirled a lock of hair from his left temple, and spoke unhurriedly, "Black Grand-Taisui Heart-Essence? Hmph, how interesting. So articulate, a rare sight in a thousand years."

He was said to be a man but didn't quite look like one; he had a certain feminine quality. Looking at him, Li Sui was reminded of the palace eunuchs, yet he was even more feminine than them.

"Sir… are you a eunuch serving the Emperor in the palace? Do you know the Emperor?" Li Sui believed the Emperor of Great Qi must know her father.

"Hmph," the seemingly androgynous person scoffed before speaking, "An androgyne isn't necessarily a eunuch. Back when I was six, I did want to serve in the palace, but unfortunately, they didn't take me, saying I wasn't qualified. What could I do? A person has to eat. Now, I can only make a living as an Administrator in the Bureau of Celestial Observations."

"You're the Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi? Are you really the Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi?" Li Sui immediately grew excited. After running for so long, she had finally found someone she could communicate with.

"Then quickly go help my father! He's in great danger right now!" Li Sui then quickly recounted the entire sequence of events to the person.

After listening to Li Sui's words, the Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi looked at her doubtfully, scrutinizing her constantly. This was a bit too strange.

After about half an incense stick’s time, he glanced at the messy streets around them, drew a scented handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe non-existent sweat from his forehead, and turned to walk down a small path to the left. "Come with me," he said. Li Sui quickly followed.

Following him through winding paths, Li Sui eventually arrived at a small courtyard. The courtyard wasn't large; besides a grape arbor, there was only a rocking chair and a stone table beneath it.

Compared to the bustling outside, this place was exceptionally quiet. The Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi reclined on the rocking chair with his legs crossed, narrowing his eyes as he carefully scrutinized Li Sui again, wondering about the true origin of this "thing."

If she were fake, how would such a Black Grand-Taisui know about Great Liang and speak with such clarity? But if she were real, she claimed her father was helping Si Ming. Could there be anything more preposterous?

"Can you send me back to Great Liang first? I really have something urgent there; Father is waiting for me," Li Sui couldn't wait any longer.

"Don't rush. The more details you provide, the better I can think of how to help you. Let's start with that Fa Jiao. Did they really destroy Great Qi?"

Through their brief interaction, the Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi had recognized Li Sui's innocent, childlike mindset. In such a situation, it was natural to ascertain more information.

"But my father, he…"

"What is there to fear when your father is in heaven? As the saying goes, one day in heaven is ten years on earth. Put your mind at ease. I guarantee your father will be fine."

Hearing this, Li Sui felt a little reassured. She meticulously told him everything she knew, including Great Qi, Great Liang, and the Fa Jiao.

After listening to Li Sui's reply, the Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi's heart could not calm down for a long time. If this truly happened, it would be too outlandish. Yet, the more he asked, the more real everything she described seemed.

He suddenly raised both hands, and as his fingers intertwined, two white threads appeared between them. Then, with a beaming smile, he said to Li Sui, "Li Sui, my dear girl, look how dirty your face is. Don't move, I'll tidy it up for you."

The two intertwined white threads rapidly slid across Li Sui's bloody and mangled, dog-like face. Tiny bits of granulation tissue and scabs were swiftly twisted off by the threads. When he retracted the threads, they were stained red.

The Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi retracted the threads and thought to himself, "Alright, at least it's not Zuowang Dao." He believed her a bit more now.

"Li Sui, tell me, what year was it in Great Qi when the Fa Jiao caused trouble?"

"What year? I don't know. My father never taught me that."

"Hmm, then, when you were there, what was the Emperor of Great Qi called? You must know that, right?"

"I know that. His name was Gao Zhijian."

"Gao Zhijian? Good, a fine name."

The Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi immediately began to divine with his fingers. He calculated for a long time before stopping, his brows furrowing. "Strange, why can't I figure it out? Could it be that this name wasn't chosen according to the birth characters, Five Elements, and trigrams?"

Li Sui looked at the quiet and peaceful surroundings and asked with some hesitation, "Sir, may I ask something? Great Qi was previously occupied by the Yu'er God. Why is everything completely back to normal now?"

Ever since falling from the sky, Li Sui had been pondering this question but had never found anyone to ask.

Now that the Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi was right in front of her, Li Sui naturally wanted to ask for clarity.

"Well..." The Administrator of Celestial Observations of Great Qi hadn't quite understood either. Her words were too outlandish. The entirety of Great Qi destroyed? How great a calamity would that take? "Don't worry, I'll find the Grand Imperial Tutor of Great Qi. We'll both help you save your father."

Li Sui had barely been sitting there for a moment when an elderly man wearing a Nuo opera mask was carried in on a rattan chair. He looked very, very old; his hands seemed to be nothing but skin over bones, and the veins beneath his skin were almost transparent.

Before Li Sui could react at all, the Grand Imperial Tutor of Great Qi's hand suddenly rose, gripping Li Sui's hand tightly. A Nuo opera mask was then directly pressed onto Li Sui's dog-like face.

Li Sui struggled frantically for a long time before she finally managed to pull the mask off.

The instant she pulled it off, she heard the Grand Imperial Tutor of Great Qi, who was on the rattan chair, speak. "What she says is true, but it's not now. It's after three Jiazi cycles."

Hearing this, Li Sui's body trembled violently.

She knew what a Jiazi was; she had once heard Scholar Lu say that she had already lived one Jiazi. One Jiazi was sixty years, so three Jiazi cycles would be one hundred eighty years! She was currently one hundred eighty years in the past…

She didn't know why this was happening, nor did she want to know. The only thing she knew was that she might never see her father again.

Li Sui was stunned for a long time, slowly coming back to herself. She trembled while continuously comforting herself. "It's alright. It's alright as long as Father is safe. I have enough time. As long as I wait one hundred eighty years, I'll be able to see my father."

But as she spoke, tears kept welling up, and no matter how much she wiped, they wouldn't stop.

Li Sui gazed distractedly at the anxious and flustered Li Huowang before her, recalling that memory that was almost forgotten.

"Li Sui! Li Sui! I'm talking to you! Are you even listening?"

"Huh?"

"Huh what? The sky is about to fall today! And you're still spacing out!"