Mutated Tao

The iron wheels of the carriage rolled slowly, leaving deep tracks in the yellowed grass.

Li Huowang sat in the carriage and gazed at the grasslands, recalling his last visit to this place.

He didn’t know much about Qing Qiu other than that most of its people were nomads, generally lean, and dark-skinned.

He also remembered two unique factions in Qing Qiu: the Antrabhara Temple, which worshiped death, and the bizarre Lion Dance Palace.

The grass in Qing Qiu really has turned yellow. Is this some premonition? Li Huowang leaned slightly to the left and ran his fingers through the yellow grass.

He then thought about the recent Natural Disaster that caused loss of taste and smell, which had lasted only three days. This wasn’t comforting. The recent Natural Disaster had been minor, but what if the next one was extremely severe?

Li Huowang wanted to understand what was happening, but nobody outside the Baiyu Capital would know what was happening in the heavens.

At this point, his sharp eyesight spotted a small black dot on the yellow horizon in the distance. As the carriage drew closer, the small black dot became larger as they approached and eventually revealed the outline of a city.

“This should be Qing Qiu’s Bintie City?” Li Huowang muttered to himself.

He had made some preparations before he came. This was the only city in Qing Qiu and also the capital.

Building a city seemed impossible in a place without wood or stone. Bintie City was an exception that rose starkly in the barren land.

The Great Khan of Qing Qiu and the Surveillance Bureau of Qing Qiu were also located here.

Since Hou Shu was battling the Dharma Sect, rushing into Hou Shu to kill the Dharma Sect members wasn’t feasible. It would be inefficient and alert the enemies, resulting in minimal casualties to the Dharma Sect while harming some civilians. It was better to first contact Qing Qiu’s Surveillance Bureau to gather more information.

Additionally, the Imperial Preceptor mentioned that the Chiefs of the Surveillance Bureau from the Great Liang and Si Qi should also be here.

As Li Huowang pondered, the distinctive smell of sheep and horse dung gradually filled his nostrils.

Perhaps due to Qing Qiu's suitability for breeding livestock, the outskirts of Bintie City were littered with cow and horse dung. Sparse patches of grass were interspersed with piles of dung from both livestock and humans.

When Bai Lingmiao saw the carriage wheels roll over a fresh pile of cow dung, smearing them greenish-brown, she frowned. “This place is filthy, almost as bad as the Benevolent Nunnery.”

“Endure it. It’s clear there’s no sewage system here,” Li Huowang said and lightly shook the reins.

The carriage sped up towards the city. They winded through cattle, sheep, and horses, then finally squeezed into the city. It wasn’t much better inside.

There were buildings of all kinds inside—tents, wooden houses, and stone houses. They were haphazardly arranged without any signs of planning.

Countless feet trampled cow and sheep dung, which formed a dense black carpet that covered the roads, just like the stone pavements in the Great Liang city.

The streets were very crowded. Although there weren’t many humans, almost everyone herded some livestock, which made it incredibly congested.

Children squatted and defecated by the roadside, which made the smell even more unbearable.

“Let’s continue inward! The inner city should be better!”

The carriage slowly moved inward. The initially grim faces of the group gradually improved over time.

It was not because the environment improved—it was because their noses had slowly gotten used to it.

“Dad, what’s that?” Li Sui pointed to a luxurious white building against the city wall in the distance.

The building was enormous and could be considered the largest in Bintie City. However, it didn’t look like it belonged to royalty.

Li Huowang surmised that the Great Khan of Qing Qiu might not be the highest authority, as there were others who seemed to hold an even higher status.

“That should be a temple, right?” Li Huowang guessed as he saw the high spire and thought of the Antrabhara Temple.

He scanned the surroundings and noticed some Lamas wearing black sheepskins and cockscomb hats.

All the Lamas were elderly, frail, and had dark spots that covered their bodies, much like psoriasis.

Li Huowang noticed their bone ornaments, then gripped the reins and urged the carriage to move faster.

Despite the filth, security was tight. Before they could approach the royal palace, they were surrounded by light cavalry with bows and swords. There were even falcons on their shoulders and dogs following the horses’ hooves.

Li Huowang did not want to waste time, especially when it came to potential communication issues. He directly tossed his Surveillance Bureau waist badge over. “Is Xuan Pin here? Tell him I’ve arrived!”

Li Huowang was not brought to see Xuan Pin, but he was led through an underground tunnel.

Though Bintie City looked filthy outside, its inner city was surprisingly clean. For some reason, all Surveillance Bureaus were located underground.

The sheep oil lamps on the walls burned slowly and crackled. Li Huowang observed a peculiar woman remaining silent before him.

He couldn’t discern her origins. Though he had seen many strange people, this was his first time seeing someone whose face was covered in white powder with red patterns.

This Qing Qiu lady dressed revealingly. Cloth was used to cover the important areas, but everything else was exposed and intricately painted with floral and complex designs.

A row of people wearing large bamboo hats stood behind her. The hats almost entirely covered them, and only their legs were visible.

They stood there silently, which added a layer of mystery in the dim environment.

“Why are you seeking the Surveillance Bureau of Great Liang?” The woman questioned Li Huowang coldly.

Li Huowang replied bluntly, “Send someone qualified to speak. You’re not qualified.”

The woman’s response caught him off-guard. “I am the Chief of Qing Qiu’s Surveillance Bureau. Am I qualified enough now?”