The Supervisory Heavenly Office

1,401 words

Chapter 548: The Supervisory Heavenly Office

Surrounded, Li Huowang saw that the other party simply did not believe what he was saying, so he cut straight to the point. “Let me speak with the Superintendent! The moment he sees my reflection, he’ll know whether or not I’m spouting nonsense!”

The whip-wielding man raised his index finger, his expression severe as he prepared to say something more to Li Huowang, when his face suddenly changed.

He hesitated for a single breath, then decisively took two steps to the left. The encirclement opened a path.

“There’s a chance!”

His spirits surging, Li Huowang understood immediately that the Superintendent had heard his words.

He pulled himself together, clenched his fists, and walked forward through that path.

Passing through a small grove of trees, Li Huowang soon saw the enormous carriage parked by the stream. The draft horses were lowering their heads to graze and drink.

“Greetings, Superintendent!” Li Huowang performed a Daoist salute toward the carriage. The curtain flipped up, and the Superintendent—whom he had only glimpsed from afar once before—appeared before him once more.

That earlier glance had been from a distance. Now, so close, Li Huowang could finally see the appearance of the highest authority in the Supervisory Heavenly Office.

He observed that the Superintendent was distinctly taller than an ordinary man. Not just taller—his frame was broader as well, like a person scaled up by one size.

Such a massive body was wrapped in a wide red Daoist robe that concealed his form entirely, giving him a very mysterious air.

From a distance earlier, Li Huowang had assumed the red robe was only one color. But now, looking closely, he noticed that within the red, faint characters of a deeper crimson were flowing.

His eyesight was excellent—he could clearly see the strokes of those characters. But he could not understand what kind of writing they were.

It was stranger than Nüshu. Every stroke and line was a system unto itself. They looked like characters, yet in some ways resembled pictures.

He cast a quick glance, then dared not look any longer. It felt as though a few more looks would have his very soul sucked into those characters.

Steadying himself slightly, Li Huowang fixed his gaze on the withered grass at his feet and quickly began to state his purpose.

“Reporting to the Superintendent, I have a way to locate the hiding Dice! The Dice is treacherous and resourceful—someone of my meager ability truly cannot handle him. I implore you, for the sake of all the common people under heaven, to slay that villainous ringleader!”

The Superintendent’s voice carried an echo. It was a very peculiar voice, neither male nor female, neither young nor old. But Li Huowang had no time to dwell on its strangeness. His mind was entirely occupied with how to answer the man’s questions.

“No need for more words. I have already heard something of this. I only wish to ask you this: Where did you learn of the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass? And how did you find it?”

If he said Zhuge Yuan’s hallucination had told him, not only would this man not believe it, but it would likely expose his Heart-Element hallucinations directly.

“I stumbled upon it by sheer chance,” Li Huowang explained.

“Sheer chance? Heh. Youngsters these days can’t even tell a proper lie, can they?” As these words fell, Li Huowang immediately felt several gazes land on him, most of them converging on his spine-sword.

Hearing this, a surge of anxiety rose in Li Huowang’s chest. “Sir, why must you press such trivial details? I truly have a way to find the Dice!”

“You seem very anxious. Why?”

“Superintendent!” Li Huowang’s voice suddenly pitched higher, his emotions becoming agitated. “That day, the Zuowandao humiliated us so, treating the Supervisory Heavenly Office as if it were nothing! As a member of this Office, I simply cannot stomach it!”

“And because of them, the common people of the entire Upper Capital suffered grievous casualties! Now that there is a chance to bring the Dice to justice! Naturally, I am burning with impatience!”

“So, you wish to use me?”

The Superintendent’s words chilled Li Huowang’s heart. The man’s wariness toward him was far too high. Otherwise, he would just tell the truth directly. “I would not dare to use you, sir. I simply believe that on this great issue of right and wrong—in slaying the Dice—you and I are on the same side.”

“At least you are forthright. Very well. I do indeed wish to kill the Dice.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang’s heart had just begun to settle when a single word from the Superintendent lifted it back up.

“However, I have some matters to attend to at present. I cannot spare the hands for now. It will take some days.”

“Days?” Li Huowang involuntarily raised his head again toward the Superintendent within the carriage, staring at the darkness within the robe’s hood. “Superintendent! At a time like this, what matter is more important than killing the Dice?”

The Superintendent’s strange vestments rustled slightly, as if he were shaking his head. “You do not understand. In this world, there are many things more important than him.”

“Enough. You wouldn’t understand even if I explained. But you won’t be idle during this time. Use these days to have another ‘sheer chance’ for me—find the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass and bring me some of its secrets.”

Though Li Huowang very much wanted to refuse, in this situation he had to agree. In any case, the Superintendent had already consented to help him deal with the Dice. If it only meant waiting a few more days, that was acceptable. At the very least, it was far better than he had imagined.

He did not know what other schemes the man might have. Right now, his only desire was to see the Dice dead.

“Rest assured. Once you return with the secrets of the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass, I should also be free to deal with the Dice.”

“Superintendent, I can search for the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass for you. But one secret in exchange for another—do you have enough secrets to trade?”

“Rest easy. I always know far more than you do. Withdraw now. You should be waking up.”

“Wait—Superintendent, how are you supposed to give me those secrets… Waking… up?”

Just as Li Huowang was about to grasp the meaning of those last words, everything around him—the trees, the stream, the enormous carriage—dissolved like smoke and clouds.

The surroundings had changed. To his left, not far away, people were queuing. That was the gate of the Upper Capital.

Li Huowang stood rooted to the spot, completely unable to collect himself. He had no idea what he had just experienced. It had all been like a dream.

“Exhausting the counting of changes, shifting forms as the body is moved—arising and perishing in an instant. This is called transformation, called illusion. Truly worthy of the Great Liang Superintendent of the Heavenly Office. What a formidable art of illusion.” Zhuge Yuan stared at the deep carriage tracks in the earth, a rare look of admiration on his face.

“Art of illusion?” Li Huowang mulled over the new term from Zhuge Yuan’s mouth. So everything he had experienced from the moment he left the city gate—all of it—had been an illusion. None of it was real.

Understanding this, a chill spread through Li Huowang’s heart. Without even realizing it, he had fallen under the other man’s spell. If the man had borne him ill will, wouldn’t he have had no chance to resist at all?

He had not been present for that great battle earlier. Only now did he truly feel how terrifying the strength of the highest authority in the Supervisory Heavenly Office really was.

“Do not panic, Li. Since he agreed with you within the realm of illusion, he should not casually change his mind.”

Hearing this, Li Huowang nodded and thought to himself: That is true. Since this Superintendent is on my side, the stronger he is, the better.

With that thought, Li Huowang drew his spine-sword and said to the slender young woman beside him, who had a beauty mark at the corner of her mouth, “Let’s not waste time. Let’s search for the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass in Great Qi again.”

“Mm.” The woman’s face carried a smile as she replied sweetly.

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Reading Guide Decoding

The Horror of a Polite Conversation

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Art of Illusion (幻化之术): In xianxia and Chinese folk magic, “illusion arts” (幻术) are a standard power—but rarely at this tier. This isn't a parlor trick. The Superintendent created a full sensory world in real-time, with dialogue, physical sensation, terrain, and a timeline. This is the level of cultivation where the borders between “internal imagination” and “external reality” have become purely optional. For a Heart-Element like Li Huowang, that’s a terrifying mirror.

Superintendent (司天监): The head of the Supervisory Heavenly Office isn’t a bureaucrat with a stamp. The title Sitian Jian historically involved observing celestial omens, but in this novel, it implies a figure who measures heaven—who can reach into the fabric of reality itself. His red robe with flowing characters is a visual callback to the corrupted scriptures and forbidden texts of the Dao-Twisted World, marking him as a being who reads the world as if it were a book.

The Translation of Strange Characters: Li Huowang notes the characters on the robe are stranger than Nüshu (女书), a genuinely historical script used exclusively by women in parts of Hunan. This specific reference grounds the horror: the Superintendent isn't babbling nonsense; he's using a complete, illegible system of meaning, which is far more unsettling. It suggests a civilization of language that exists just beyond human cognition.

Chapter Overview

Chapter 548, “The Supervisory Heavenly Office,” is a masterclass in psychological horror through bureaucratic reasonableness. After the visceral battle of the previous chapters, Li Huowang finally gets his audience with the highest authority of the Supervisory Heavenly Office—but nothing is as straightforward as a plea for help. The Superintendent doesn't appear as an ally; he appears as an incomprehensible, reality-bending question mark who treats Li Huowang's desperate vengeance quest like a minor work assignment. The chapter pivots on a single, devastating twist: the entire conversation was an illusion. Li Huowang didn't walk into the Superintendent's camp; he was caught in a spell so seamless that he couldn't tell the difference between negotiation and hypnosis. And yet, a deal was still struck. It’s the kind of horror that doesn't come from a monster, but from realizing that a power so great it can fabricate entire conversations exists—and that it's on your side only as long as it’s convenient. Buckle up, fellow Daoists—this is how you do cosmic political horror.

Key Plot Points

Li Huowang, surrounded by Office agents, demands to speak to the Superintendent directly, claiming his reflection will prove his truthfulness.
The Superintendent finally reveals himself: an unnaturally tall, broad figure wrapped in a red Daoist robe with flowing, alien crimson characters.
Li Huowang pitches his case: he can find the Dice, but he needs the Superintendent's power to finish the job.
The Superintendent agrees in principle but says he has "more important things" to do first, ordering Li Huowang to infiltrate the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass again and bring back its secrets as a down payment.
Before Li Huowang can question the logistics of this arrangement, the scene dissolves. He is left standing outside the Upper Capital’s gate, having never actually left.
Zhuge Yuan confirms: the Superintendent’s “art of illusion” fabricated the entire conversation, down to the carriage tracks in the mud.
Li Huowang processes the chilling implication: he was completely at the Superintendent’s mercy without even knowing it. But since the man agreed to the alliance, he resolves to trust the deal and immediately sets out to search the Upper Pole Pouring-Pass again.

Reading Guide

This chapter is a breather chapter in a dread suit. There's no combat, no monster, no blood. But the conversation is one of the most unnerving in the arc, because the Superintendent treats Li Huowang’s grand revenge quest—the thing he’s sacrificed everything for—as a minor side task. The horror here isn’t a knife; it’s a polite smile and a deadline. Pay close attention to the way the Superintendent’s dialogue doesn’t have a gender or age—it’s a void speaking through a form. And that line, “You should be waking up,” lands like a sledgehammer because it reveals that Li Huowang was never in control of the scene. He was a dreamer inside someone else’s dream. If you’re a fan of horror that works through tone and implication rather than gore, this is your chapter. It also sets up a new arc: Li Huowang heading back to the heart of the mystery, not as a victim this time, but as an agent of a power he doesn’t fully understand.