Mutated Tao

Chapter 649: Return

Li Huowang hadn’t felt much before he stepped out of the hospital. However, the moment he walked outside, a belated sense of joy suddenly spread from within and washed over him.

He was free; he was no longer a psychiatric patient. He could go back to school and live a normal life!

Sun Xiaoqin said, “Come on, let’s ride home. Your dad brought his old taxi just to pick you up.”

Once in the car, the first thing Li Huowang did was take his mother’s phone from her bag and log into his WeChat[1] account.

Then he hesitated for a moment as he held the phone with the cracked screen, seemingly lost in thought. Eventually, he opened the chat with the familiar rabbit avatar. He typed words and then deleted them, repeating this loop for half an hour.

Li Huowang looked at the hundreds of words he’d typed out and hovered his thumb over the send button for a long time before ultimately deleting all of them.

I want to surprise Yang Na. Telling her over WeChat won’t do. I’ll wait for her outside her school!

As he imagined the scene, his gaze fell on the “smartwatch” on his ankle.

I’ll wait for her 500 meters from the school gate!

He rolled down the car window, and a smile gradually spread across his face as he looked at the unfamiliar scenery outside. He felt incredibly happy, happier than he had been in years.

As they passed an intersection, a fruit vendor on the roadside stared at Li Huowang, and Li Huowang waved gently at him.

Throughout the long journey from Kangning Hospital back to his home, Li Huowang never stopped smiling.

It felt surreal to finally see the gate of his neighborhood again.

“Shangjing, I’m finally back.”

Li Huowang looked up at the imposing city walls, took a deep breath, and pulled on the reins.

Once inside, he slowed the horse’s pace and silently observed everything within the city. He was relieved to see that the bustling crowds and everyday life remained the same.

There was a bridal procession with music and fanfare nearby. It proved that people were still going through life events, celebrating as well as mourning.

Though the Dharma Sect caused great turmoil outside, it seemed it hadn’t affected the imperial city.

Li Huowang circled the inner and outer cities of Shangjing, finding no traces of the Dharma Sect. Then, he finally galloped towards the imperial palace.

Around ten meters from the palace, he felt a numbness between his brows and a sharp tingling sensation all over his body. He pulled on the reins sharply, causing the black horse beneath him to rear up before stopping.

Li Huowang realized that the palace guards might have attacked him if he had charged straight in.

“What’s going on!? It’s me! Have I been gone for so long you don’t recognize me?” Li Huowang shouted at the palace guards.

The guards, both inside and outside the walls, remained silent like statues.

“What kind of game are you guys playing!?”

As Li Huowang pondered how to bypass these brutes, an old eunuch wearing a purple robe and white shoes glided out from a side gate.

The eunuch said, “Lord Li, the emperor has summoned you to see him in the palace.”

Li Huowang was rather irritated as he dismounted. He was about to follow the eunuch when he glanced back at the bustling street, as if searching for something.

“Lord Li? What’s the matter?” the eunuch asked.

The eunuch’s voice caused Li Huowang to turn back. “Nothing, let’s go.”

Li Huowang had been to the imperial palace many times and had nothing more to say. He quickened his pace and followed the eunuch to see Gao Zhijian.

As Li Huowang walked, he could feel numerous gazes on him, from both obvious and hidden sources. It appeared that the security had been heightened since his last visit, perhaps due to the aftermath of Shai Zi’s incident.

“Imperial Preceptor, long time no see,” Li Huowang shouted to an old man inside the imperial palace.

Huangfu Tiangang did not say anything. He just stood there with hands behind his back and stared silently at Li Huowang.

“Father, he doesn’t look happy,” Li Sui said from behind Li Huowang.

“Ignore him. He’s never happy,” Li Huowang replied, holding onto Li Sui’s tentacle while they walked.

In the imperial bedchamber, Li Huowang was startled by Gao Zhijian’s appearance.

Gao Zhijian used to be a burly man who had been as sturdy as a wall. But now, he looked frail and pale, as though he was on the verge of death.

“What happened to you? Did the Dharma Sect send assassins to ambush you? Are you hurt?” Li Huowang asked.

Gao Zhijian waved off Li Huowang’s concern. “It’s nothing. Being emperor isn’t easy.”

Unlike before, Gao Zhijian spoke more fluently. He had made significant progress in overcoming his stutter.

“What’s going on? Give me more details. You’re the emperor now; you can’t afford any mishaps.”

Gao Zhijian’s face flushed with embarrassment, seemingly finding it difficult to speak. Eventually, he approached Li Huowang and whispered into his ear.

“Three a day? That many?” Li Huowang uttered in surprise.

With a sigh, Gao Zhijian pulled Li Huowang to the front of the hall and sat on the jade-white stairs.

“Senior Li, I’m going to be a father. Sixteen concubines are pregnant.”

After finding out that Gao Zhijian was fine, Li Huowang let out a sigh of relief. “Then that means there’s an heir to the Dragon Vein. You can rest a bit; you don’t need to overexert yourself.”

He had made it in time to prevent any threats the Dharma Sect would pose to Gao Zhijian.

“Senior Li, how is Cowheart Village? Is everyone alright?” Gao Zhijian asked wistfully.

“Everyone is fine. Thanks to your generous gifts, the village is now very wealthy.”

“That’s good to hear. Sometimes, I dream of returning to the village,” Gao Zhijian said as he stared at the empty courtyard.

“It’s not possible now, with the Dharma Sect causing so much trouble,” Li Huowang stated seriously. “Did you get my message from before?”

A voice came from behind. “Of course, but don’t worry. The Surveillance Bureau will protect the emperor from those with ill intentions.”

Li Huowang turned to see Xuan Pin, the towering Chief of the Surveillance Bureau, behind them.

1. a mobile messaging and social media app that is very popular in China ☜