Mutated Tao

Everyone frowned upon hearing Li Huowang’s words.

Qing Qiu’s Khan wanted to say something but was stopped by Gao Zhijian.

“Senior Li, a divination before the battle has always been our tradition. The man standing before us is the famous Half-Immortal Fu Su. His divinations are known for always being accurate. While he may not be able to help us defeat the Dharma Sect, a divination of great fortune could greatly benefit us.”

“Hoh.” Li Huowang stared at the old man. “You can do divinations to see whether we’re lucky or not? Which Siming do you follow? Which Siming’s strength do you borrow?”

Half-Immortal Fu Su, who had been respectful towards Gao Zhijian, showed a prideful look on his face. “We fortune tellers do not borrow anything from other beings. Everything has its cause and effect, including the Simings. I calculate the fate of the heavens and find the cause and effect of the Simings!”

“So you’re saying you can calculate the fates of the heavens when you yourself are already one foot into the grave? Are you saying that you can observe constantly changing fates? Are you stronger than a Siming?”

Li Huowang had seen too many things and was very skeptical.

Fu Su replied, “You’re also a Daoist, so why don’t you believe in fate? What is a Siming? As their name implies, while they control fate, they also have their own fate. Everything they do and will do is set in stone. Isn’t that right, Li Huowang?”

Li Huowang felt surprised when the old man called out his name without ever hearing it before, but he soon calmed down.

Surprisingly, Fu Su shook his head. “I cannot calculate that.”

“Haha! So just like that, you can’t tell me my fortune? Why don’t you join the Sitting Oblivion Dao and become a Shai Zi if you’re so great at lying?”

“I cannot calculate because someone else has done it for you. It’s up to you to believe me or not, but the sign of great fortune is real. Unless… You want me to calculate great misfortune instead?”

“I—” Li Huowang shut up. The old man was right. He wanted to win, not lose.

Gao Zhijian sat down on his throne and looked at Li Huowang with a complicated expression. “Senior Li, now is not the time to fight. Could you stop fighting for the sake of my honor right now?”

Li Huowang remained silent and sat back down.

Fine. Let them be superstitious. I suppose it’s not bad for him to come up with a sign of fortune. Might as well consider it a good start.

Li Huowang believed in divination, but he didn’t believe that the old man could predict the end just like that.

Fu Su left and Li Huowang remained silent. Gao Zhijian then took the chance to announce, “A sign of great fortune. The heavens are helping us!”

Gao Zhijian glanced at Li Huowang, who was drinking tea. “Let’s put that aside for now. We have more important matters. A kingdom cannot lose its ruler for even a single day, and the same thing can be said for the Liang Kingdom’s Surveillance Bureau. Now that Xuan Pin has passed away, we need a new chief. We cannot leave that position empty.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. They were about to fight the Dharma Sect, so the position was critical.

“I thought you wanted me to masquerade as Xuan Pin to calm the hearts of others? Wouldn’t we reveal that Xuan Pin is dead if we have a new chief now?”

“Senior Li, you will continue to masquerade as Xuan Pin. On the outside, you are still the Chief of the Surveillance Bureau, but on the inside we have someone else using Xuan Pin’s name to operate everything.”

Gao Zhijian had just answered when someone suggested, “Your Majesty, you have the highest status here. Whoever you nominate will become the Chief!”

Gao Zhijian glanced at Li Huowang before looking at everyone else. “This isn’t about just filling the position but about finding the most suitable person for the role. We are now at war. In addition to managing all the affairs within the Surveillance Bureau, the person also needs to help us defeat the Dharma Sect. If the new Chief makes a single mistake, it could cause irreversible damage.”

Gao Zhijian looked at the Deputy Chiefs of the Surveillance Bureau. According to the law, the royal family couldn’t partake in the matters of the Surveillance Bureaus.

However, the Liang Kingdom’s Surveillance Bureau lacked a leader. Despite his lack of knowledge regarding the affairs of the Surveillance Bureau, he needed to appoint a new leader.

“I can give it a try, at least until everything blows over,” said Zhang Tan, the Chief of Hou Shu’s Surveillance Bureau.

Li Huowang said nothing as they continued their discussion. He wasn’t someone perfect. While there were things Li Huowang excelled in, the things that Xuan Pin did were not something he could replicate.

In order to defeat the Dharma Sect, it was important for everyone to focus on their individual strengths and do what they do best.

Li Huowang was actually thinking about something more important. When he snapped back, he noticed that everyone was already paying their respects to the four emperors before leaving.

Gao Zhijian approached Li Huowang and bent down slightly. “Senior Li, you cannot go to Nanping or An Xi to fight alone. The Dharma Sect took over a long time ago. The only ones alive in those two kingdoms are undoubtedly the people from the Dharma Sect.

“Master Xuan Pin said that the Dharma Sect was aiming for you. The moment you go, they will do everything in their power to ensure your demise. The safest option is for you to go when we send our soldiers down to Nanping. You can follow them.”

Li Huowang shook his head lightly. “No, the Dharma Sect is not the pressing matter here. It’s the Simings that are supporting the Dharma Sect!”

“Senior Li, what are you talking about?”

Li Huowang looked at the familiar giant in front of him. “Do you remember what Xuan Pin did? He borrowed the strength of the other Simings to kill god Yu’er. This means that we can affect the heavens above with our meager strength. If we can kill the Simings supporting the Dharma Sect, we will naturally eradicate the Dharma Sect.”

Gao Zhijian wanted to persuade Li Huowang against doing something so dangerous. “But Senior Li, have you forgotten that Master Xuan Pin died because of this? It’s too dangerous!”

Li Huowang waved his arms in annoyance. “He died because he didn’t prepare thoroughly and got ambushed by the Dharma Sect. It doesn’t matter to me.”

He stood up and headed outside. “Since we already found out that there are Simings supporting the Dharma Sect, it’s only natural for us to try and destroy them, isn’t that right?”

It was a chance to end the war. Xuan Pin’s success had pointed him towards the direction that he should take, especially since they had managed to kill god Yu’er.