Departure

Li Huowang, who had stood in the stable all night, rubbed his stiff neck and looked again at the letter in his hand.

No matter what, his earlier guess had been correct—the Supervisory Heavenly Office contained a great deal of knowledge he didn’t have access to.

He had only just joined, and already he had obtained so much information. Once his position within the Office stabilized and grew higher, he could search carefully and surely find more clues about North Wind.

And even if the North Wind lead fell through, he might be able to use the Office’s massive organization to find a way for a Heart-Element to escape Bewilderment.

Besides, joining the Office meant he no longer had to stumble around this chaotic world like a headless fly.

Whenever he encountered something he didn’t understand, there would be a place to ask.

Thinking this, Li Huowang, who had not slept all night, felt no fatigue at all. Excited, he strode briskly toward the main building.

But that was for later. The immediate task at hand was to complete the commission from that big-headed doll.

“Ganyuan Village… Ganyuan Village…”

Li Huowang sat at the marble round table, tracing his finger across a paper map, searching for the location mentioned in the envelope.

He found the place, but it was nowhere near the direction Bai Lingmiao needed to go to return home. In fact, it would require a significant detour.

Now the problem was clear: he either dealt with the Zuowandao first, or he accompanied Bai Lingmiao home first and then came back to handle it.

But if he chose the latter, Li Huowang didn’t believe the Zuowandao would wait for him. If he arrived too late, the situation would likely end up like that Piji County mess.

In that case, it would probably be difficult to explain himself to that big-headed doll.

Just as Li Huowang was frowning, trying to think of a solution that would satisfy both sides, Bai Lingmiao walked in, holding a steamed cake wrapped in a lotus leaf.

The white cake looked very soft. It had been shaped like a rabbit with red eyes, both beautiful and appetizing.

She blew on it a few times, took a small bite of the cake, and a look of pure happiness spread across her face as she tasted the sweet, sticky texture.

Seeing her like this, Li Huowang suddenly remembered that Bai Lingmiao wasn’t really that old. She was still just a young woman.

“Senior Brother Li, do you want some? It’s sweet and delicious.” Bai Lingmiao smiled and held the rabbit-shaped cake, now missing one ear, out to him.

Li Huowang shook his head. He took her hand and pulled her down to sit beside him. “Miaomiao, I have some things to take care of. Why don’t you take the others home first? Once I’m done, I’ll catch up right—”

Before he could finish, Bai Lingmiao cut him off.

“No!” She said it with absolute finality, none of her usual easygoing demeanor showing. Her expression was stubborn.

“Whatever you’re doing, I’m going with you! Don’t even think about leaving me behind again!”

Li Huowang let out a wry laugh. “What do you mean by that? When have I ever left you behind?”

“You haven’t? Back at Anci Nunnery, you said the exact same thing—said you had things to take care of and would catch up! And what happened?! The next time I saw you, you were dead!”

“I buried you with my own hands! Do you have any idea how much that hurt me?” As she spoke of the past, Bai Lingmiao’s eyes began to redden.

Looking at the soft young woman before him, Li Huowang felt a pang of guilt. “I just thought, since you were almost home, there was no need for you to come. Besides, this time it’s just a small matter. Nothing too dangerous.”

“If it’s not dangerous, then why won’t you let me come along? And even if you run into something you can’t handle, the Immortals can. Me and Sister can help!”

“Sister? You’re calling the Second Spirit ‘Sister’?” Hearing this, Li Huowang remembered how that Li Zhi guy had called his own Second Spirit ‘wife.’

“Senior Brother Li, please let me come. If you really don’t want the others, let them go on ahead. I’ll follow you alone.”

Li Huowang looked at the girl’s face. He knew in his heart that although those Immortals were unreliable in some ways, they could handle all sorts of situations one way or another. Bringing her along might actually help.

But this time it was the Zuowandao. She was so close to going home; he didn’t want anything to happen to Bai Lingmiao again.

While he was turning these things over in his mind, a knock came from outside the door.

“Master, are you in there?” It was that Xiucai’s voice: Lü Xiucai.

“Come in.” Li Huowang pulled his hand from Bai Lingmiao’s grip and looked at the door as it opened.

The former young scholar was now covered in black charcoal dust from head to toe. Even his face bore several black smudges. Judging by the color, it was definitely charcoal.

“Master, that thing you asked me to write the day before yesterday, I’ve finished it.” The Xiucai presented the rice paper respectfully with both hands.

Li Huowang took it and looked at the paper, his frown deepening the longer he stared. “Xiucai, I remember I only taught you how to practice characters. I didn’t teach you how to draw talismans, did I?”

Hearing this, Lü Xiucai perked up, unable to hide the joy on his face. “Master, are you going to teach me talismans? Thank you, Master!”

Li Huowang slapped the crumpled paper onto the table. “Talismans my ass! I’m saying your handwriting looks like a ghost drawing talismans! Can’t you hear that?”

“Is this supposed to be the ‘wood’ character? Why did you add a twist in the middle of that left stroke? And this ‘mouth’—why is it a circle? I didn’t even ask you to use a brush! Can’t you even draw a straight line with charcoal?”

“Also, how did you manage to get your face dirty just by writing?”

In order to redirect Lü Xiucai’s focus, Li Huowang had genuinely poured out everything he knew onto him, meager as his own knowledge was.

But despite Lü Xiucai’s incredible diligence and Li Huowang’s earnest teaching, the results were poor.

Looking at the dejected Xiucai, Li Huowang sighed and waved his hand. “Alright, go get your father. I have some instructions for him.”

Bai Lingmiao coming along was fine, but he absolutely could not take this dead weight along.

Not just him, but the Lü family troupe, Yang Xiaohai, and those women who hadn’t left yet—none of them could follow.

They were all liabilities. They could be split off first to avoid casualties when the fighting started.

This time was different. Before, trouble had come looking for him. This time, he was looking for trouble. So of course, he needed to prepare in advance.

Once Lü Zhuangyuan arrived, Li Huowang instructed him to take the Lü family troupe, along with the few junior disciples who had no combat ability, to Ox-Heart Mountain.

As for himself, he would take Bai Lingmiao, Gao Zhijian, Chun Xiaoman, and Gouwa to Ganyuan Village.

“Little Daoist, rest assured! I’ve traveled north and south for so many years. This little stretch of road, I’ll deliver them safe and sound, with not a hair out of place!”

At a bustling crossroads outside Silverpeace City, Lü Zhuangyuan, gripping his unwilling, dejected son by the arm, gave Li Huowang his solemn oath.