Red Center

“Now you know why we eunuchs are so close with those merciful Buddha lords of Zhengde Temple, don’t you? So you approached the wrong people from the start. No deal—unless you can give us sons too.”

Having said this, the stout eunuch turned to climb back into his sedan chair. But just as he was about to bend over, he seemed to think of something and lifted his head to look at the people before him.

“Oh, right. Foster Father also said: when you start your move, the men at his side definitely won’t interfere. But if you really do have the skill to get the Empress Dowager back to the inner palace—then Foster Father will follow you all in.”

The eunuch departed, leaving the others with grim expressions.

Li Huowang hadn’t wanted to get involved in Great Qi’s affairs, but after a moment’s thought he couldn’t help himself. He came up beside Zhuge Yuan and asked in a low voice: “The difference in strength between us and them is too vast. It feels like hardly anyone in Youdu is on your side. Completely a mantis trying to stop a chariot.”

“Don’t panic. In this court, don’t take alignment too rigidly. Who is whose faction-mate or fellow townsman, who is whose student—the connections are tangled,” Zhuge Yuan said, raising his folded fan. “And what’s more, there is a scholar’s integrity. Do not mistake our apparent weakness for true weakness—we occupy the moral high ground.”

“An Empress Dowager holding power is already an affront to Heaven. Everyone in the court knows it. They are in the wrong and will not trouble us.”

Li Huowang listened and nodded thoughtfully, as though chewing over something.

Zhuge Yuan looked at Li Huowang, a trace of curiosity in his expression. “Brother Li, are you all right? You’ve seemed absent-minded these past few days.”

“I’m fine. Perfectly fine,” Li Huowang answered quickly.

“If something is troubling you, do not hesitate to tell me. Some small matters I can still spare the energy to help with.”

Li Huowang looked toward the red window-sashes in the distance and shook his head. “No need. It’s nothing. Let’s resolve Great Qi’s business first—your side is more urgent.”

“Clop clop clop—” The sound of hooves rose without pause, as if a thousand troops were charging toward the Liang estate. The war drums pressed down on the heart, each beat louder than the last.

“How can the Trap-and-Smash Camp be in Youdu! Those butchers are supposed to be guarding the border!” At the panicked shouts from outside the gate, the atmosphere in the Liang estate became suffocating.

“Do not panic.” Zhuge Yuan’s light voice stilled everyone. He picked up several scrolls and strode toward the gate.

Li Huowang saw the distant window suddenly shatter into four pieces, the Supervisor’s face flashing through it for an instant. His brow furrowed, and he immediately followed.

When Li Huowang stepped into the street, he saw rank after rank of motionless soldiers before him.

Their killing intent had almost condensed into substance. All around them lay commoners who had failed to dodge in time and been scared to death on the spot.

“Heh heh.” Zhuge Yuan sat down cross-legged as if nothing were amiss. He unrolled a painting, revealing an ink-colored zither before him.

“Ding—” The zither strings were plucked lightly, and the anxious war drums dissolved into the sound of music.

“Hah!” A low growl rang out, and the distant Trap-and-Smash Camp began to advance step by step, faster and faster.

Just as their murderous aura reached its peak, a stream of stinking blood seeped up from underground and swiftly dissolved Zhuge Yuan’s zither.

At that very moment, the wooden tiles and rubble of the buildings to the east, west, south, and north peeled away, revealing four altars plastered with talismans.

Several Daoist priests in purple robes raised their swords in unison and began to perform rites.

At the same time, a low Buddhist chant emerged from nowhere, covering everything like a dome.

“Brother Li, don’t you find this quite interesting?” Zhuge Yuan flipped his hand, and the old almanac appeared in his palm.

He took out a wolf-hair brush and dabbed it at the four altars. The four Daoists vanished instantly, and the tip of the brush was now covered with something that could write.

Just as Zhuge Yuan was about to set brush to paper, Li Huowang’s body twisted sharply, and his invisible hand snatched the almanac away.

The moment he got it, Li Huowang threw all his strength into flipping and spinning through the air, racing toward the window.

“Li Huowang!” Zhuge Yuan’s voice was filled with boundless fury, so fierce it made the roof tiles around them tremble.

“What are you waiting for! Block him, now!” Li Huowang shouted.

Various agents of the Supervisory Heavenly Office emerged from all directions and swarmed toward Zhuge Yuan.

But they were clearly no match for him. Meanwhile, the Trap-and-Smash Camp showed mahjong-tile faces beneath their helms and charged at Zhuge Yuan with murderous momentum.

In his frantic escape, Li Huowang could not see what was happening behind him. All he could hear were the endless screams.

As the screams grew closer, Li Huowang ran even harder.

When he finally reached the building beneath the window, the Supervisor was already waiting atop a tall horse.

By now, few men remained at his side—most had been sent to hold off Zhuge Yuan.

“Give me the Six-Luminaries Almanac, quickly!” The Supervisor reached out his hand toward Li Huowang.

“All right!” Li Huowang immediately handed over the almanac.

As a hand without skin met an aged hand, a cold gleam shot out from within the almanac, aimed at the Supervisor’s neck.

Before the Supervisor could react, the jade pendant at his waist flashed and shattered into pieces. A plume of white smoke instantly emerged from the jade and coiled around Li Huowang’s arm, which held the dagger.

Within two breaths, the arm gripping the dagger was corroded down to a stump of broken bone.

But it wasn’t over. Li Huowang opened his mouth, and several of his back molars flew out, striking the Supervisor’s chest. Unexpectedly, they did not pierce—the Supervisor’s official robes, unremarkable in appearance, had astonishing defensive power.

“How dare you!” The Supervisor’s eyes bulged in rage.

Li Huowang stamped one foot on the ground, leaped onto the Supervisor’s body, and drove the broken bone shard deep into his neck.

This time, it finally penetrated. Crimson blood sprayed from the Supervisor’s mouth and neck, staining his goatee red.

Li Huowang leaned forward, pressing his full weight onto the Supervisor, and brought his mouth close to his ear. “How dare I? I’m Zuowandao’s Red Center. Did you think I was here to make nice with the Supervisory Heavenly Office?”

He stabbed once more. The Supervisor’s head lolled to the side, dead beyond any doubt.

“Hahaha haha! Damn, that felt good!” Li Huowang raised his severed arm and turned to face the agents of the Supervisory Heavenly Office near Zhuge Yuan.

“Hahaha! You were all fooled by me! Never expected I’d be Zuowandao, did you?”

Li Huowang tore open the barely healed scar on his face, revealing his bloody, mangled features to everyone.

But that wasn’t the end. Slender black tentacles squirmed and drilled into the flesh beneath Li Huowang’s skull.

Tentacles of all sizes arched and pushed, forcibly reshaping his head into a square block.

Then, accompanied by the sound of cracking bone, Li Huowang’s features began to warp.

“Dad—”

“Do what I taught you the other night! Now!”

Li Sui obeyed. Li Huowang’s features twisted and stretched.

As both eyeballs were squeezed out of their sockets, Li Huowang’s features on his square face finally formed into a large central character—中.

Seeing this, the Zuowandao members disguised as the Trap-and-Smash Camp burst into whistles and cheers.

“Hahaha! Boss Red Center, that was amazing! I never guessed you could impersonate that kid!”

“Boss Red Center, that was a great trick!”

“Boss Red Center! Undefeated under Heaven!”

Li Huowang listened to these voices and laughed wildly, hoisting the Supervisor’s corpse and waving it back and forth toward them.