Storyteller

A recurring immortal archetype in the Dao-Twisted World, not a single person. They always appear during great upheavals, and their tales are considered a threat by the empire.

Definition

A recurring immortal archetype in the Dao-Twisted World, not a single person. They always appear during great upheavals, and their tales are considered a threat by the empire.

Story context

All right, fellow survivors of the Dao-Twisted World, this chapter is a pure *negotiation chamber* special—and I don't mean that in a boring way. After the chaos of the Buddha Bone Temple fiasco, Li Huowang gets a summons from the one person he least expected to still be in town: the Chief Recorder. That pale-faced, sweet-smelling eunuch who bolted like a spooked rabbit last time? Yeah, he's back, sitting in a shabby study like he owns the place, abacus clicking, withered human tongue on display like a *conversation piece*. The old fox lays his cards on the table: the Office failed to retrieve the dead Heart-Mud, so now they're going after a *live* one—and he wants Li Huowang on the team. The bait? Access to the Four Repositories' Zuowandao records. The catch? Everything about this screams *trap wrapped in opportunity*. Buckle up, because this is the kind of chapter where a single conversation redraws the entire map of the story.

Why it matters

So here's the juicy bit: this chapter is a masterclass in *the deal you can't refuse but shouldn't take*. Li Huowang is being offered a direct path to the one thing he craves—knowledge about the Zuowandao—in exchange for hunting down a creature that is basically his mirror image: a Heart-Mud, alive, somewhere out there. The Chief Recorder is smooth, using flattery, camaraderie, and the ever-present threat of "uprooting" to pressure him. But watch how Li Huowang's sympathy flickers the moment he hears about a *living* Heart-Mud. That's not sentiment; that's a crack in his armor. He sees himself in the prey.