The Gambler's Dilemma

Li Huowang paced the room, his brow furrowed so tightly it seemed carved there. "No, Brother Zhuge, you don't know the Dice. That letter—it was a warning! If anything has even the faintest connection to him, no matter how unlikely the worst-case scenario seems, it is absolutely true! There’s no doubt!"

Li Sui opened her mouth wide, revealing a full set of sharp teeth and three writhing tentacles before letting out a yawn. She stretched her arms forward, extending her claws, then pushed her body backward in a long, languid stretch. Finally, she coiled herself onto the table, resting her long, slender head on her arms, and continued to watch Li Huowang talk to the empty air.

"Dad is talking to those invisible people again?" she mused silently. "I used to be able to see them, but now I can't. I wonder what they're talking about. Listening to only Dad's side, I can't understand a thing."

Li Huowang pinched the bridge of his nose, resuming his restless pacing. After a few turns, he spoke again. "Brother Zhuge, let's stop here. Arguing like this is just a waste of energy."

"Fine. Let's say you're right. Suppose Bai Lingmiao is safe, and she'll be back on her own soon. Then we don't need to do anything, do we? We just wait, and the problem solves itself. That'd be great, but... is it possible? In this godforsaken place, nothing has ever gone my way!"

"What if she really is in the Dice's hands? What then? If I just sit here and do nothing, she'll die! I can't take that gamble!"

"And it's not just about her. This is about us! The Dice has already made his move against me! If we don't fight back, it will never end!"

"That letter doesn't mean anything! Maybe Bai Lingmiao did write it, but don't forget—this is the Zuowandao! I've seen this kind of trick before! Hong Zhong's memories are full of them! Bai Lingmiao might already be imprisoned and not even know it herself!"

"Zuowandao can trap a person without even using force! Just with words! They can talk someone into willingly staying in one place until they rot!"

The room fell silent, filled only with Li Huowang's ragged breathing. Two opposing possibilities tore at him, his heart burning with anxiety.

He, too, wanted Bai Lingmiao to be safe. He wanted to wash his hands of all this and just go back to Niuxin Village for a quiet life. But he truly could not take that gamble.

After pacing a few more circles, his voice calmed slightly. He spoke softly toward the window across the room. "You're right. I am getting anxious. But when you're in a no-win situation like this, how can you not be anxious?"

"An enemy I can't find, whose target I don't know, who has Bai Lingmiao as a hostage... I really... I really..."

He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes snapping wide. A sudden light flickered in his gaze, cutting through the desperation. He turned back to the window. "Brother Zhuge, are you serious?"

A pause. "Hmm... that's a problem. I need to find a chance to test it. But it's fine, it's a small thing. If what you say is true, then we're not completely helpless against the Dice anymore!"

"Is the Ear Adjutant at home?"

The voice came from outside the wooden door, and Li Huowang's face lit up with joy. "Brother Zhuge, speak of the devil! Here's our chance!"

"I'm in! The door's open! Come in!"

The courtyard gate swung open, and an old eunuch stepped inside. His face was powdered white, and a golden horsetail whisk was looped over his arm. He came alone, carrying nothing else.

Li Huowang recognized him. This was the same eunuch who had delivered Ji Lin's message before.

The old eunuch cleared his throat, tilting his chin up. "Ear Nine, receive the decree…"

Before Li Huowang could react, the eunuch pulled a roll of yellow silk from his robe, thrust it into Li Huowang's chest, turned, and walked straight out.

Puzzled, Li Huowang unrolled the imperial edict, its fabric embroidered with dragon motifs. Li Sui leaned in to look as well.

She only watched for a moment before giving up. The scroll was full of characters, many of which she recognized, but strung together, they meant nothing to her. "Dad, what does it say?"

"He's telling me not to come to the palace. Ji Lin is coming out himself."

Even as the words left his mouth, the yellow silk in his hand began to spontaneously combust. Within moments, it had burned to ash.

"Another fight?" Li Sui perked up, her single ear standing straight. "Dad, I'll skin you!"

"Can't do that yet," Li Huowang said. "Need to let the inside grow back first. I'm nothing but skin right now. If you flay me, there'll be nothing left."

"Oh. So, are we going now?"

"Not yet. There are some things to take care of first."

Li Huowang walked into the back room and hoisted a pickling jar from the corner. He wasn't making pickles. This jar held his own former corpse.

It had no organs and no skin, but it was still a Heart-Element's body. Such a rare, precious material might be useful someday.

He carried the jar to a hidden cellar beneath his bed, opened the hatch, and placed it inside. Then he stood up and retrieved a second pickling jar from the corner.

This one also held a Heart-Element's corpse, only this one had internal organs but no head. It was the headless body of the man who had been beheaded while impersonating Hong Zhong to deceive the Supervisory Heavenly Office.

Back then, with everything happening so fast, Li Huowang had given it a quick preservative treatment and buried it somewhere. After all that had happened since, he had completely forgotten about it. If he hadn't needed to deal with the first corpse, he might not have remembered where he'd buried it.

Looking down at the two large jars in the cellar, Li Huowang slammed the hatch shut. "Let's go. Let's see what Ji Lin wants us to do this time."

The meeting point was a gambling house. After Li Huowang cleanly won three hundred and eighteen taels, he was invited to the courtyard cellar.

Surrounded by a cluster of eunuchs, Li Huowang saw Ji Lin again. The Emperor did not look well. Half of his left ear was missing, and a deep scar was carved across his face, the bone visible beneath.

"Your Majesty, what happened to your face?"

Ji Lin was holding a fake cat, stroking it compulsively. A cruel smile twisted his lips. "Nothing major. I sent someone to kill someone else, so naturally, that someone sent someone to kill me. It's only fair."

"I just didn't realize the palace was so dirty. It seems a thorough cleaning is in order."

Li Huowang’s heart skipped a beat. Ji Lin could not die now. "Your Majesty, would you like me to stay by your side as a guard when I'm not on duty?"

"Unnecessary. I still have some capable people around me. I can handle myself. You just focus on what you do best." Ji Lin gestured, and a eunuch approached with a tray bearing a rolled-up painting.