Ten

Story context

Let’s be real for a second: Li Huowang has a *terrible* poker face. When Tuoba Danqing hands him a mission slip, the poor guy practically shouts “YES, FINALLY” with his eyes. But here’s the kicker—Tuoba is no fool. A mid-level bureaucrat in a supernatural enforcement agency who didn’t survive by being dense, he sees the eagerness and immediately suspects an ulterior motive. What follows is a razor-thin tightrope walk where Li Huowang must weaponize his genuine trauma into a believable lie, pass a loyalty test, and secure a fast track to the Office's classified archives. All while a certain domino-wielding trickster snarks from the sidelines. Get ready for a masterclass in bureaucratic intrigue, wrapped in a drunken dinner.

Why it matters

This chapter is a masterful display of Li Huowang’s evolution from a reactive survivor to a proactive schemer. The core tension lies not in a monster attack or a ritual gone wrong, but in a *polite dinner conversation*. Every question from Tuoba is a landmine; every answer from Li Huowang must be calibrated to within a hair’s breadth of believable. The highlight is his improvised confession about the Ao-Jing Sect massacre—a lie built on a foundation of real, unfiltered rage. It’s a perfect example of the novel’s core theme: boundary erosion. Is he lying, or has he simply re-framed his own trauma to serve a new narrative? The Office, meanwhile, is revealed as a deeply political beast—slow, bureaucratic, and requiring a long grind. For a reader accustomed to protagonists who level up in weeks, this six-month prospect is a refreshing dose of gritty realism. Watch how Li Huowang decides to hack the system, and ask yourself: at what point does the mask become the face?

Quick facts

Appears in chapters

Jump back into the novel from the exact chapter references used to build this glossary page.

Related terms

Explore connected lore, concepts, and glossary entries from the same novel.

Source novel

Dao Gui Yi Xian