The Great Qi National Champion

Li Huowang’s eyes flew wide as he stared at the masked man before him. “A Great Qi National Champion?”

The streaks of black and white hair at his temples suggested the man was no longer young. But even so, how could he be a National Champion of Great Qi? If he had lived from the days of Great Qi all the way to the present Great Liang, that would mean over a thousand years!

Li Huowang took two slow steps backward, sweeping his gaze across his surroundings. For a moment, he felt as if he had been transported to some other place entirely.

Seeing Li Huowang’s reaction, the others seemed quite taken aback. “Lord Zhuge, this is…”

“Oh, no need to worry. This is a friend of mine, Brother Li. He has a unique way of doing things.”

As he spoke, Zhuge Yuan turned to the masked old man and asked, “Elder Qin, who were those people? Why were they chasing you?”

At this, the man called Elder Qin immediately forgot about the Daoist with the copper-coin mask and spoke with great indignation. “Those men were the running dogs of the eunuch faction! We were heading to the Third Prince’s manor for a secret meeting, but we were ambushed. This cannot be a coincidence—we must have been sold out by someone within the Office itself!”

Zhuge Yuan’s face registered surprise. “Oh? Even the Supervisory Heavenly Office has been infiltrated by eunuch spies? I never imagined the court’s infighting had grown so fierce.”

“Ai, that’s exactly what I’m saying! The ancestral precept says imperial power must not enter the Supervisory Heavenly Office. But as those eunuch dogs grow more powerful, who still pays attention to such rules? Ritual is abandoned, music is destroyed—everything is in chaos!”

While they spoke, Li Huowang had quietly retreated to the noodle stall. Watching the diners still slurping their noodles and the old couple tending the pot, he let out a quiet sigh of relief. He hadn’t gone anywhere—he was still here.

With a grave expression, Li Huowang addressed the old man boiling the noodles. “Uncle, could I ask you something? Is this place Great Qi or Great Liang?”

The old man looked confused, opening his toothless mouth. “What? Great Qi? Where’s that? This has always been the Great Liang nation here.”

The old man’s words confirmed Li Huowang’s suspicion. He had crossed the entire Great Liang—from the border of Qingqiu to Xing Island in the middle of the sea—and not once, except from Zhuge Yuan’s lips, had he ever heard mention of a Great Qi.

“Right. This is Great Liang. So where did Zhuge Yuan’s ‘Great Qi National Champion’ come from?”

“I need to get to the bottom of this.” Li Huowang turned to head into the grove, but before he could, the group emerged from within.

Zhuge Yuan was supporting the so-called Great Qi National Champion at the front. Judging by their positions, they held the highest rank among the survivors. The Miao woman from the Zuowandao was also among them.

“Brother Li, here you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. Elder Qin is seriously injured—let’s use your cart for him.”

“Brother Zhuge, could you come over here for a moment? There’s something I need to ask you.”

After carefully helping the masked old man into the cart, Zhuge Yuan walked over to Li Huowang. “What would you like to discuss?”

Looking at the man’s fair, honest face, Li Huowang thought back over everything that had happened. He still didn’t believe Zhuge Yuan was deceiving him. If he were lying, he wouldn’t give himself away with such an absurd mistake.

“Brother Zhuge, tell me honestly: what is going on here?”

“Oh? Brother Li, I’m afraid I don’t understand what you mean. I have lived an upright life; I have never deceived anyone.”

“Fine. Come with me.” Li Huowang led Zhuge Yuan back to the noodle stall and asked the old man the same question again.

Just as Li Huowang was about to confront Zhuge Yuan, the old man’s answer came out completely different from before. “What? Great Liang? Where’s that? This has always been Great Qi here.”

“Hah?!” Li Huowang stared at the old man in shock. If this man were just an ordinary civilian, Li Huowang would have been certain he was a Zuowandao imposter sent to fool him.

“Uncle, that’s not what you said just now.”

“Just now? Guest, don’t you go accusing me falsely. You never asked me just now.”

“You—” Li Huowang started to say something, but Zhuge Yuan’s folding fan interposed itself, gently pushing Li Huowang’s pointing finger aside.

“Alright, Brother Li. Shall we discuss these trivial matters later? Elder Qin is badly wounded. We need to find a place to treat him first.”

With that, Zhuge Yuan turned and walked back toward the cart, calling out as he went, “Don’t worry, Elder Qin! The Black Tai Sui in the cart is securely tied. It won’t hurt you!”

Li Huowang watched Zhuge Yuan’s retreating back with a deeply conflicted expression. The unease in his heart grew heavier. Everything about this was strange.

After a long moment of thought, he turned back to the old man. “Now, is it Great Qi or Great Liang?”

“Great Liang, sir. Didn’t I just say so? Why are you asking again?”

Hearing the words change for the third time, Li Huowang no longer felt surprised. He had figured it out. This had to be caused by a Heart-Pupil’s ability. He just couldn’t understand how Zhuge Yuan had pulled it off.

“Woof woof!” Mantou poked his head out from under the cart, barking anxiously at Li Huowang. It seemed he was worried that strangers were taking his master’s cart away.

Li Huowang quickened his pace and caught up. This wasn’t over yet. He needed to find an opening to press Zhuge Yuan on what was really going on.

Nothing else happened in the following stretch of time. The people accompanying this Great Qi National Champion caught their breath and began tending to their wounds.

Along the way, Li Huowang quietly observed them. Aside from Elder Qin and the Zuowandao Miao woman, their dress varied widely. This was typical of the Supervisory Heavenly Office, since most of its members were gathered from all corners of the realm.

While Li Huowang observed them, they observed him too. If not for Lord Zhuge vouching for him as a friend, they wouldn’t have been willing to relax their guard around someone like him.

With a black bamboo hat on his head and a crimson Daoist robe reeking of blood, and a bound Black Tai Sui in the cart, he cut a mysterious and unapproachable figure—warm to none and cold to all.

It was clear the two groups were wary of each other. Zhuge Yuan tried to bridge the gap, but with little success.

The Great Qi Supervisory Heavenly Office was guarded against Li Huowang, and Li Huowang naturally didn’t trust these so-called Great Qi people either. In this strange atmosphere, they continued their journey toward the capital.

Moreover, Li Huowang hadn’t forgotten the Zuowandao woman among these Office people.

He didn’t know why she had infiltrated them or what her goal was.

But now that he had spotted her as Zuowandao, there was no need to pull her out.

Maybe, through her, he could lure out Bei Feng.