Chapter 521 - Zu Yi

“Go and investigate this thoroughly! That criminal and their family must be executed! And they must suffer a slow death!“ Ji Lin roared so loud that his voice echoed throughout the palace.

None of the civil and military officials below uttered a word. They stood silently in a row as they held crescent-shaped boards and stared at the spotless ground.

“Are you deaf? Huh?! My mother! And my sister!! That criminal has ignored their noble statuses and killed them like they're game!“

“

Hahaha!

Am I in the kingdom of our Ji family or not?! Am I in the territory of the Great Liang?!” Ji Lin yelled, tossing the thick memorials away.

The memorials landed on the heads of the officials.

Finally, a chubby military officer stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, witness accounts state that murder was an evil cultivator!”

“I don’t care what kind of cultivator he is! I only want his head! I need to see his head within three days!”

The morning court ended amidst the oppressive atmosphere. Ji Lin walked through the palace toward his chambers with a furious look. All the eunuchs and palace maids were silent, afraid of incurring his wrath.

When Ji Lin reached his chambers, the anger on his face disappeared instantly and was replaced by a bloodthirsty joy.

“Er Jiu, you did great! Your sword is indeed fast and sharp! Your sword is much better than those that are all bark and no bite! Tell me, what reward do you want?”

Li Huowang emerged from the giant golden sandalwood on the left and said, “Your Majesty, I don’t want titles or money. I just feel that Your Majesty is the destined ruler.“

Dressed in imperial robes, Ji Lin pushed his sagging left cheek with his hand. He circled around Li Huowang with his hands behind his back, “

Hehehe,

you don’t want titles or money? So, does that mean you want me to owe you a favor?“

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Li Huowang did not reply.

Since he had already demonstrated his value, the next step was to figure out how to use Ji Lin to deal with Shai Zi.

Ji Lin patted Li Huowang’s left shoulder. Then, he waved to the old eunuch holding a tray in the corner.

Ji Lin picked up a golden token engraved with a dragon pattern from the tray and handed it to Li Huowang. “This is a death pardon token. You can use this to atone for any heinous crimes you commit in the future.”

Li Huowang immediately discerned the implied meaning behind Ji Lin's words, and he felt like the weight of the golden token in his hands had increased significantly. The death pardon token was only going to be effective during the ruling of the same emperor who had handed it to the receiver. Otherwise, the death token would become like jewelry—only good for pawnshops.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Ji Lin took a step forward and looked closely into Li Huowang’s eyes. “I know that this cannot compensate for your contributions. Rest assured, you will become my most distinguished aide once I've ascended the throne."

“Your Majesty, do you hate the Sitting Oblivion Dao?”

Ji Lin was taken aback by Li Huowang’s sudden question about the Sitting Oblivion Dao.

“Your Majesty, do you hate the Sitting Oblivion Dao?” Li Huowang asked once again.

“Of course! My father died because of the Sitting Oblivion Dao! They murdered him!” Ji Lin spoke through gritted teeth.

Li Huowang nodded, feeling reassured. He raised both hands and bowed to Ji Lin, “Your Majesty, I understand. Who should I kill next?”

It was enough to start off like that. Those two heads probably weren’t enough to ask for Ji Lin’s help.

“There’s no hurry. I need to see everyone's reaction first. This is a tricky matter as well. You’re good at killing people, but you can’t help me get more supporters. Anyway, you're free to go and rest. I’ll inform you again when it’s time to act.”

Soon, Li Huowang found himself outside the red walls of the palace under the lead of a group of imperial guards.

On his way back, Li Huowang solemnly pondered over Ji Lin’s reaction. He was considering the implications behind every minute change in his expression.

In the past, Ji Lin was straightforward and had always said whatever came to his mind. Now, Li Huowang wasn't so sure whether he was still the same Ji Lin during that festival or not.

The Emperor of Great Liang himself was at odds with the Sitting Oblivion Dao. Li Huowang was once convinced that the emperor wouldn't refuse to help him against Shai Zi. After all, that decision made the most sense—both logically and emotionally.

But now, Li Huowang doubted it. Why did Shai Zi specifically want Ji Lin to ascend the throne? What profit would he reap?

Even if Ji Lin was willing to use the power of the Great Liang to deal with the Sitting Oblivion Dao, Li Huowang dared not reveal everything to him until he was sure of everything.

Could Ji Lin be a pawn of the Sitting Oblivion Dao?

Alarm bells rang in Li Huowang’s mind.

“Brother Li, rest assured. Ji Lin is not a pawn of the Sitting Oblivion Dao. The Surveillance Bureau is incompetent, but they're not incompetent enough for the Sitting Oblivion Dao to replace such an important figure with their own under the Surveillance Bureau's gaze." Zhuge Yuan said, his words dispelled Li Huowang’s worries.

Li Huowang nodded thoughtfully and pondered over his next move. This was a difficult endeavor. For every possibility considered, he had to backtrack to think whether Shai Zi had already anticipated it or not.

“Dad, you’re back? I made some steamed buns for you!”

Li Huowang had just entered the house when he was intercepted by Li Sui, who proudly displayed the results of her cooking. Li Huowang turned and saw lumps of dough in the pot. A few buns had been scorched black, and some hadn't risen at all. Li Huowang smiled wryly at the sight, but he still reached out and bit into one of the buns.

Li Huowang knew that dealing with a powerful enemy like Shai Zi couldn’t be rushed at all. However, how could he not feel anxious when Miaomiao was in Shai Zi's hands?

Li Huowang patted Li Sui's white skull and felt a bit relieved.

“Dad, are they delicious?”

“No. Don’t make them next time.”

“Why not? I think the steamed buns I made are delicious.”

Just then, there was knocking on the door.

“Zu Yi greets Grand Elder.”

Li Huowang immediately stopped chewing. He and Li Sui looked at the door together.

“The door’s not locked; come in,” Li Huowang said indifferently, as though he wasn’t surprised that the other party had followed him here.

When Li Huowang saw Zu Yi betraying the princess, he knew that he'd meet Zu Yi again.

The wooden courtyard door was pushed open by a man wearing a black veil and a wide coat. The man was covered thoroughly, and the only information Li Huowang could gather from the man was the pungent smell of charcoal emanating from him. Li Sui's keen nose also allowed her to reach the conclusion that the man before them was the same burning man from that battle not too long ago.