The East Gate

Chapter 546: The East Gate

Standing in the great hall, Li Huowang stared at the darkened dragon throne, his mind racing as he calculated how to answer the man’s question.

“Erjiu, where have you been all this time?” Ji Lin’s casual voice drifted out from behind the beaded curtain.

“I was busy with some personal matters.”

“Ha. You’ve got some nerve, doing personal business while working for me.”

“The Prince of Ren is dead, isn’t he? Your Highness, who’s next?” Li Huowang asked directly.

Ji Lin slammed his right hand—now missing three fingers—hard against the armrest of the dragon throne. “Good. You’re direct, so I’ll be direct too. There’s one last imperial sister left. You’ll finish her.”

“The last one!?” Li Huowang’s pupils contracted sharply as his eyes went wide.

He remembered killing only three people. How long had it even been? How were the gu worms in this jar breeding so fast!

As if sensing Li Huowang’s shock, Ji Lin let out a soft chuckle. “Erjiu, I have you to thank for stirring up the storm. If not for you, I wouldn’t have been able to take the throne so quickly.”

“And besides—this blade of yours is fine, but a man needs more than one knife in reserve. So, heh, don’t get too full of yourself.”

As his words fell, figures emerged from the shadows behind the dragon throne. Among them were eunuchs, but also some unfamiliar faces.

Li Huowang didn’t know any of these people. But he felt an overwhelming sense of recognition when he saw one of them clutching a gold ingot to his chest.

That was the Prince of Ren’s Wen Cai Shen—the Civil God of Wealth. And now he was Ji Lin’s subordinate!

Looking at Ji Lin in the darkness, Li Huowang’s heart sank. The Ji Lin whose nature had changed so drastically was far more formidable than before. While Li Huowang had been opening doors for him, Ji Lin had been expanding his own power in places Li Huowang couldn’t see.

“Erjiu. Will you take this job or not? Say something. Or do you have more personal business to attend to?”

A eunuch with copper coins hung over his eyes carried a golden-threaded imperial edict on both hands and presented it to Li Huowang.

“I’ll take it.” Li Huowang reached out, grabbed the edict, turned, and left the hall.

Under the gloomy sky, Li Huowang unfurled the edict. It recorded the target’s identity: Princess Anping.

As if worried Li Huowang wouldn’t recognize her, they had helpfully included a portrait.

The so-called Princess Anping was a shy, delicate young girl—she looked even younger than Yang Na.

The beauty mark at the right corner of her mouth added a touch of allure.

But Li Huowang didn’t underestimate this woman for a second. Of the nine gu worms in the jar, only two remained. This woman could not be taken lightly.

After leaving the palace, Li Huowang first bought a pigeon, then immediately began searching inside his own body.

When he saw a round moon appear among the flesh and blood, Li Huowang reached in and pried it out.

This object was a way to contact Liu Zongyuan of the Yue Liang Men. Since that man’s intelligence was so good, he could ask him about the Si Tian Jian.

He tied the moon-object and a letter to the pigeon’s leg, then gripped his weapon tightly and slowly approached the Princess Anping’s residence.

“What do you plan to do about the princess?” Zhuge Yuan drifted over and asked.

Li Huowang’s expression hardened. “Nothing. Stall as long as possible. If I have to, I’ll even help Princess Anping weaken Ji Lin’s power.”

“Ji Lin has grown faster than I expected. He’s slipping out of control. I’m not sure if he’ll still help me deal with the Dice now.”

Hearing this, Zhuge Yuan nodded in satisfaction and withdrew.

Li Huowang had never forgotten his goal. Killing the Dice. Saving Bai Lingmiao. That was the point.

Whoever sat on the dragon throne was secondary. He just needed to buy enough time to deal with the Dice.

That very day, Li Huowang infiltrated Princess Anping’s residence. When he saw that she had placed a double in her own chambers, he felt a brief wave of relief.

She was smarter than he’d expected. Good. He could use the search for the real princess as an excuse to string Ji Lin along for a while.

And so, for several days, Li Huowang visited the Princess Anping’s estate every day but never made a move. He even occasionally eliminated the scouts lurking nearby.

On the third day, something changed. Li Huowang received a reply from Liu Zongyuan.

“Brother Erjiu, you want to see the Si Tian Jian? The Jian Tian Si isn’t your family business. People like us don’t have the standing to meet him.”

“But—you can wait at the East Gate on the twenty-third of this month. I hear the Si Tian Jian is leading a large group out of the city.”

“Whether you actually get to see him is up to you. This is all I can do.”

Li Huowang pocketed the letter from his perch in a tree, then immediately jumped down without hesitation, heading for the East Gate with Li Sui.

The Si Tian Jian was far more important than some princess now.

The Great Liang had two Si Tian Jian. Now that he had the Dice’s location, if he could convince both of them to act together, he’d be halfway there!

The capital’s East Gate soon came into view. Li Huowang sat down at a cold tea stall and waited anxiously.

According to Liu Zongyuan’s intelligence, the Si Tian Jian was leading a large entourage. It should be easy to spot.

Time passed. The sun in the sky gradually shifted, and Li Huowang’s anxiety grew.

“Still not here? Could Liu Zongyuan’s information be wrong? Didn’t he say the Yue Liang Men had the best intelligence?”

“Brother Li! Brother Li!! I finally found you!!”

Suddenly feeling someone grab his leg, Li Huowang nearly brought his blade down—but Gouwa’s grating voice saved him.

It wasn’t just Gouwa. After getting word from a beggar, the entire Lü troupe had come.

Seeing this, Lü Xiucai, not to be outdone, moved to grab Li Huowang’s other leg, but got kicked away.

“What are you all doing here?” Li Huowang picked Gouwa up by the scruff like a chicken.

“Brother Li, we came to find you, of course! You said you were taking Sister Bai to get her eyes treated, but it’s been so long! You never came back. My heart’s been empty. I can barely stand it.”

Gouwa made a show of pulling a piece of ginger he’d hidden in his sleeve and rubbing it against his eye.

“Get back! Right now, you hear me!? This isn’t where you’re supposed to be! Do you have any idea how dangerous the capital is right now!?”

Li Huowang’s words came out in a rapid stream as he anxiously scanned the road.

“Right! Master, this capital is way too dangerous! We’ve been getting bullied so badly by the people here! You have to stand up for us!”

Lü Xiucai scrambled back over and latched onto Li Huowang’s thigh again, indignant.