The Truth of Da Qi

The moment Li Huowang saw the shadow-puppet play, he knew something was wrong. A whistling sound came from behind him.

He spun around. Li Sui’s tentacles, clutching various torture implements, blocked a massive changdao—a huge, heavy blade.

The floorboards, unable to withstand such force, splintered beneath Li Huowang’s feet. The sheer weight of the blade drove him downward, crashing through the broken wood.

When Li Huowang stood up on the lower floor of the building, two Zuowandao, their faces covered in bloody mahjong tiles—one Eight Strip, one Nine Strip—flanked him, one on each side.

Like Li Huowang, they were ablaze, their skin rapidly blistering and blackening. But their faces showed no trace of pain.

Perhaps because of Zhuge Yuan’s almanac, they didn’t speak a single word to Li Huowang.

These two Zuowandao were tall and broad-shouldered, carrying a changdao over a zhang in length between them. They stood like a pair of door gods come to life.

“Where did you con that weapon from?! Military path, is it? Which military family?!”

With Li Huowang’s roar, the two Zuowandao stomped the ground and charged at him in a fury.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Li Huowang was sent flying, but when he saw the large chip in their changdao, a smile broke across his flame-wreathed face. Their weapon was nowhere near as sharp as his Purple-Tasseled Sword.

“Li Sui, catch!” He shoved the Coin Sword into Li Sui’s tentacle.

Then, gripping the Purple-Tasseled Sword in one hand, he charged at one of the Zuowandao.

Just as they were about to clash, Li Huowang swung his blade and cut off three of his own fingers.

The momentary shock on the enemy’s face as the fingers flew was all the opening Li Huowang needed. He swung his sword.

Seeing his comrade in danger, the other Zuowandao tried to intervene, but Li Sui’s tentacles, wielding the Coin Sword and the torture implements, kept him at bay.

Even when some tentacles were severed, more black tendrils pushed out of Li Huowang’s riddled body.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Sparks flew in the flames. On the final blow, Li Huowang severed the changdao cleanly in two. He twisted his wrist and slit the man’s throat in a single, fluid motion.

Li Huowang turned slowly, his eyes locking onto the remaining Zuowandao. “Put down the sword. I’ll spare your life.”

At that, the Zuowandao stood still for a moment, his massive blade held high. Then he fell backward in a straight line.

Li Huowang rushed over, only to find the man had burned to death. These two weren’t immune to the fire. They had simply made a desperate, final gambit before being consumed.

Frustrated at losing a source of information, Li Huowang kicked the corpse viciously.

He had thought the Zuowandao impersonating the Da Qi emperor was the highest-ranked one. But if these two died so easily, they must have been mere pawns in their sect.

Clang.

The Coin Sword, now glowing dull red from the heat, fell to the floor. Li Sui’s burning tentacles shrank back into Li Huowang’s body in panic.

“Dad… it hurts… it hurts so much…”

“I know. Good work. Next time I’m on fire, try not to come out.”

He snatched up the Coin Sword and hurried back. He had to finish off the remaining Zuowandao before the fire went out.

But when he reached the Liang estate, he was stunned to find it empty. The eunuchs and the brocade guards were gone without a trace.

If not for the massive bonfire still roaring behind him, Li Huowang might have thought he was hallucinating.

When he found Zhuge Yuan, the man was rolling up a landscape scroll.

“Brother Li, how did you know they were Zuowandao? From so far away, I was almost fooled myself,” Zhuge Yuan said, genuinely surprised.

“I didn’t. In that situation, there were only two possibilities: either they were Zuowandao, or they were the walking corpse emperor of Da Qi you talked about. Either way, calling them Zuowandao was a safe bet. The Da Qi emperor already knows you’re plotting rebellion. You think he was going to let you off easy?”

“Ah, I see. Brother Li is so quick-witted. I am truly impressed.” Zhuge Yuan clasped his hands in salute, still holding the scroll.

Li Huowang took another look around. There really was no one else. He frowned. “Brother Zhuge, where did the Zuowandao go?”

“Them? They left.”

“Left? We finally get our hands on some Zuowandao, and you let them go? You could have at least kept one alive!”

At that, the fire in Li Huowang’s heart and the fire on his body both flared up.

“Brother Li, please calm down. Why don’t you put out your miraculous flames first? It looks rather painful.” Zhuge Yuan’s face was red from the heat as he took a cautious step back.

Li Huowang, too furious for words, looked around and jumped into a nearby pond.

When he surfaced, his body charred and dripping, Zhuge Yuan was holding out a hand to him.

Li Huowang looked like a drowned rat. He let out a long sigh and reached out.

Zhuge Yuan pulled him up.

“Talk. Where did the Zuowandao go?” Li Huowang asked, his voice sour. He glanced toward the gate. There was no one outside either. Not a soul in sight.

“I used my Heart-Turbid scroll to make them forget everything about Da Liang. They remembered their identity in Da Qi and have gone back there.”

“Huh?” Li Huowang stared at him in shock. “What did you say? Where are they now?!”

“Yes. I told you, it’s curfew in Youdu now, but they insisted on leaving. I imagine they’ve reached the West City Gate by now.”

Li Huowang looked around, then stomped off a wall, his body shifting position as he landed on top of it.

He ran along the wall to a rooftop, using his ability to blink a few more times until he stood on the highest roof in the area.

The night was dark, but his excellent vision clearly showed the distant, massive city gate and the wide, empty streets. They were completely silent.

There was no one at Da Liang’s West Gate. Zhuge Yuan had been right. Those people had really gone to the so-called Da Qi!

“Brother Li, what are you looking for?” Zhuge Yuan’s voice suddenly appeared beside him.

Li Huowang jumped back several steps, staring at Zhuge Yuan in utter disbelief. “Is Da Qi not just something near you? Is it a real place?! They just have to forget everything about Da Liang, believe your nonsense, and then they can go to your so-called Da Qi?!”

Zhuge Yuan, fanning himself, looked a little offended.

“Brother Li, what kind of talk is that? ‘Nonsense’? I have been telling you all along that Da Qi exists. I’ve said so much—did you not listen to a word of it?”

“But…” Li Huowang’s mind was a mess. If Da Qi was real, where was it? A parallel world? Was a Heart-Entity the key to another dimension?

But if it was a parallel world, then why were the male prostitutes of Da Qi twisted versions of the Da Liang prostitutes, instead of being independent?

He truly couldn’t understand the strange nature of the Heart-Entity.

As his thoughts spiraled, Zhuge Yuan spoke up. “Is this so hard to understand? I’ve told you: Da Qi is real. Da Liang is the fake one. You just can’t tell the difference.”

“No, no, no.” Li Huowang shook his head and took another step back, forcing himself to stay patient. “Brother Zhuge, you don’t need to explain. Even if Da Qi is real, next time, try to hold onto the Zuowandao for a moment. After I interrogate them, you can send them off to Da Qi.”

“What’s there to interrogate about?” A playful smile spread across Zhuge Yuan’s face.

“To find out where Northern Wind is, and what his true strength is!”

Realizing he was getting loud, Li Huowang took a deep breath and suppressed his rising irritation.

“Brother Zhuge, don’t blame me for being impatient. I still don’t have a single lead, and my time is running out.”

Zhuge Yuan nodded in understanding. Then, with a casual flick of his wrist, he unfurled the scroll in his hand.

Rustle.

The white cloth spread open, and a man on the verge of death tumbled out.

“Brother Li, this is Northern Wind.”