Chapter 650 - Smoke Signals Rising

Chapter 650 - Smoke Signals Rising

Li Huowang stared at the figure in the red robes. “Xuan Pin? Why are you here?”

Xuan Pin’s robes fluttered as he walked towards the two. “With the world in chaos, we need the combined strength of the Surveillance Bureau to get through these difficult times. As the Chief, why shouldn’t I be in the palace?”

Li Huowang scrutinized him for a moment and then turned back to Gao Zhijian. “The Dharma Sect is likely to make a move soon. I’m worried, so I came to check things out.”

Li Huowang suggested, “How about this? I’ll stay in the palace to protect you more closely.”

Before Gao Zhijian could respond, Xuan Pin interjected. “No.”

“I wasn’t asking you.”

“We’ve received your information. Rest assured. The Imperial Preceptor, the military, and the Surveillance Bureau protect the emperor's safety. You can leave.”

Li Huowang slapped his knees and stood up. He angrily said to Xuan Pin, “What are you worried about? I’m Ji Zai’s Twisted One. You learned your illusion techniques from him. Who exactly are you guarding against?”

The gazes he received when he entered the palace, the attention from the Imperial Preceptor, and the Chief's sudden appearance all made Li Huowang realize they didn't trust him.

Li Huowang exclaimed, “If it weren’t for me, Shai Zi would have seized the Dragon Vein long ago! If I had ulterior motives, why would I have saved it? I could have just watched it all happen!

“And now you’re guarding against me? What does this mean? Aren’t you Ji Zai’s follower? Didn’t he say he’s hunting down the Dharma Sect? Doesn’t that include you?”

“First,” Xuan Pin said, pausing briefly. Then he continued, “I’ve confirmed that if it weren’t for you, Shai Zi wouldn’t have nearly seized the Dragon Vein. Saving it was the least you could do to offset your demerits.

“Secondly, my knowledge comes from enlightenment. I know someone named Ji Zai, and that person is you.”

Li Huowang almost laughed. “Xuan Pin, are you pretending to be confused, or do you genuinely not understand?

“In front of you, I used my ‘Truth’ cultivation method to conjure the Siming that controls bewilderment. Don’t tell me you didn’t see that!”

Xuan Pin said nothing. Instead, a strange gaze shot out at Li Huowang from beneath his robe.

What’s going on? Does he really not know? Is he deceiving me, or has the past changed again? Li Huowang thought.

Li Huowang was taken aback, and he looked up at the sky.

The Chief began to drift away, but Li Huowang grabbed him.

He entered the second door and saw his wife lounging on a chair. She was listening to the show being performed on the stage as she gently tapped her long nails.

Two young maids massaged her legs and shoulders beside her. Few people in Shangjing could enjoy such luxury.

Lu Juren said, “Juan’er, you should move around. You’ve gained weight since coming to Shangjing.”

“So what if I’m fat? Only the wealthy can afford to be fat,” Luo Juanhua retorted as she opened her eyes.

When she saw the pastries in Lu Juren’s hands, she asked with surprise, “Juren, what’s that?”

Embarrassed, Lu Juren dismissed the maids and sheepishly placed the pastries on Luo Juanhua’s slightly bulging belly.

Luo Juanghua was a little confused. Nevertheless, she opened the box and found the long, white cakes within.

Her face lit up with joy. “Wick cakes[1]!”

Luo Juanhua picked up two of them and placed them in her mouth, savoring their flavor.

She said, “Delicious, I haven’t seen these since we left Si Qi! You specially bought these for me?”

Lu Juren scratched his head. “I didn’t plan to. A new pastry shop run by a refugee from Si Qi opened in the market. I just saw them and bought some.”

Sweetness permeated Luo Juanhua’s mouth and heart. She knew that these things were not easily found in the Great Liang.

Back then, they couldn’t afford such treats, except for their wedding when they had scraped together six taels for them. She had eaten them all then.

Luo Juanhua had not expected her husband to remember that after all these years.

Lu Juren told his wife, “About the harsh words I said on the road, don’t take them to heart.”

Luo Juanhua tried to cover her laughter when she saw her husband’s embarrassed expression and recalled the young man who would blush as red as a monkey’s bottom.

Lu Juren blushed. “What’s so funny?”

He set his daughter down and headed towards the theater house.

1. a traditional Chinese snack of steamed rice cakes, typically filled with red bean paste ☜