Chapter 472 - Official Business
Bai Lingmiao was shocked by the boy’s actions, and she hurriedly hid behind Li Huowang.
“I’m married,” said Bai Lingmiao.
Li Huowang swept his gaze across the tall servants and got ready to fight.
However, the boy’s reaction caught him off guard.
“Oh, I’m sorry for startling you, then. I hope you're not offended,” the boy said, sounding slightly disappointed as he bowed toward Bai Lingmiao before turning around to leave.
The boy walked past a nest of beggars; he gave them some silver before he turned and bowed to another girl. He was so flippant that there was no way he was going to attract any girls, but the boy did not get frustrated by the multiple rejections.
He simply moved on to greet other girls.
Li Huowang stared at the boy's back profile for quite a while before shouting, “The jade cat in your hand is fake. It’s made out of three broken pieces of jade!”
“Oh?” The boy turned around in shock with the jade cat in hand. “Sir, I think you're mistaken. A jade shop owner even told me that the cat is worth five thousand.”
“It was a lie. Look at the left leg of the cat; there are three vertical lines and two horizontal lines. A seller who has touched the mark will know that they have to tell you that it's worth five thousand, even though it's not.
"In reality, no one would buy the jade cat even for two thousand taels.”
“Really?!” The boy was outraged. He carried the jade cat with him and rushed back to the shop.
Li Huowang held Bai Lingmiao's hand and left the scene. “Let’s go. I think they're going to fight soon.”
Once they were some distance away, Bai Lingmiao looked at Li Huowang in shock, asking, “Senior Li, how did you know that it was fake even without taking a closer look at it?”
LI Huowang didn't answer her. The majority of scams were similar to each other, and the members of the Sitting Oblivion Dao even often used the same technique. They'd leave a mark on someone so that another Sitting Oblivion Dao member would know what to do upon meeting the marked victim.
Every marked victim had a scam technique that was the most suitable for them, and the Sitting Oblivion Dao member would adjust their techniques accordingly.
In the boy's example, one would think that someone was a liar if only one person had determined the price, but if everyone else said the same thing, then it'd be a different story.
It was just like how a Sitting Oblivion Dao member told Li Huowang that they were Hong Zhong, even though both the individual in question and Li Huowang had never met each other before.
However, Li Huowang didn't expect that he'd become Hong Zhong for real.
Soon, both Li Huowang and Bai Lingmiao ended up forgetting the boy as they immersed themselves in the festival.
Bai Lingmiao was so happy that she even drank some wine.
It was only when the lanterns were slowly snuffed out on the streets did Li Huowang carry the drunk Bai Lingmiao back home. Bai Lingmiao was limp in Li Huowang's arms, and Her eyes were closed as she drew circles on Li Huowang’s back.
“Senior Li. The festival is fun. I really wish that the Double Third Festival comes every day."
“Yes, we can celebrate it every day if you want,” Li Huowang said, pampering her.
Li Huowang quietly walked down the streets when he felt water on his back. The next moment, he heard Bai Lingmiao's sobs. Her sobbing eventually became crying, and Bai Lingmiao tried to stop herself from crying by covering her mouth, but her cries only got louder as time ticked by.
In the end, tears and snot covered her face as she cried like a child on Li Huowang's back. Bai Lingmiao pounded on Li Huowang’s back with both hands.
***
Even though he slept late last night to accompany Bai Lingmiao, Li Huowang woke up very early in the morning. However, he didn’t leave immediately and gouged out his left eye first with a fierce tug.
“Once she wakes up later, tell her that I’m looking for ways to heal her eyes," said Li Huowang while catching his breath. He placed his eyeball in the Second Deity's hand.
The Second Deity nodded quietly.
Li Huowang hugged her before taking his two swords with him. It was still too early in the morning, and the people had just woken up to put away their lanterns. Many of them were yawning, as they had stayed up late.
Li Huowang ate a simple breakfast on the way to the Surveillance Bureau. He reached the place just as he was finishing his meal. He wiped his oily hands on the stone lion statue on the right side of the entrance before walking inside.
Today’s guard was Sima Lan with his signature black bird, and he was surprised to see Li Huowang.
“Er Jiu, to think that you're still alive! I really thought that the Sitting Oblivion Dao managed to kill you. It's been a while since you last appeared, after all,” said Sima Lan’s black bird.
“I guess my time isn't up yet. I hope you've been doing great, Senior Sima."
Li Huowang had gotten closer to Sima Lan after meeting the latter a few times. The two of them chatted and cursed at the Sitting Oblivion Dao for a while before Li Huowang finally told Sima Lan the reason for his visit.
Li Huowang pointed at his empty left eye socket and said, “Does the Surveillance Bureau have anything that can heal my eye?”
“Your eye?” Sima Lan shook his head and explained, “I'm not sure about that, Brother Er Jiu. The Surveillance Bureau’s vault is massive. I don’t know whether they have something like that or not, but you should go ahead and look for it yourself.
"Anyway, haven't you visited that place before?"
Li Huowang shook his head.
Sima Lan then told him where the vault was located.
Li Huowang walked down the extensive maze-like hidden corridor before finally finding the vault. After showing his identity plate, Li Huowang was granted entrance into the vault.
For some reason, Li Huowang felt like a rat that had entered an apothecary. The vault was vast and massive, containing rows after rows of wooden drawers. There were so many of them that they reached all the way to the ceiling.
Every wooden drawer had its own unique items inside of it. Some wooden drawers had talismans attached to them, while some wooden drawers were covered in chains.
Clearly, the Surveillance Bureau's treasures were in this vault, and their treasure stash was the reason behind everyone's decision to work for the Surveillance Bureau.
However, not everything was in drawers; there were some items sprawled haphazardly all over a long table. There were so many weird things, and Li Huowang had no idea what they were or what to do with them
“Wait, isn’t this mine?” Li Huowang saw a bronze coin veil on the table and picked it up. The veil had fallen into the Surveillance Bureau's hands when they had decapitated him during that encounter.
Li Huowang had the black spindle, but he wouldn't say "no" to an extra layer of protection. Having made up his mind, Li Huowang was about to make a move when a eunuch approached him from the side.
The eunuch in the vault was different from the eunuch outside. He was all smiles, but he had no eyes. However, his eye sockets weren't empty and had been replaced by bronze coins, which were sewn directly into his bones.
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