Return of the Celestial King

Qin Tuo froze, completely clueless as to what these people meant.

He asked coldly,

”Master Long, what is the meaning of this?”

His expression turned hostile as he sized up Long Wu and his group of bodyguards.

He seriously suspected they were putting on some kind of act.

Long Wu lifted his head, his eyes filled with fervent adoration.

”Celestial King! The Celestial King Order is the personal token of the Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall. Since you hold the Order, you are, of course, the Palace Master of our Celestial King Hall!”

Qin Tuo was floored.

He had been wearing this ring for nearly two years.

The old lunatic had given it to him when they first met, saying the thing would bring him a great fortune.

Qin Tuo hadn’t paid it any mind at the time, assuming the old man was just spouting nonsense.

’I can’t believe this ring has such an incredible story behind it.’

’Could it be? Was that old lunatic really the Palace Master of this so-called Celestial King Hall?’

’With such a badass identity, how did he end up in prison?’

In an instant, a million questions flooded Qin Tuo’s mind.

Seeing that the men before him were still kneeling, Qin Tuo gave a casual wave of his hand.

”All of you, get up. There’s no need to keep kneeling.”

”Yes! As the Celestial King commands!”

Long Wu and the bodyguards slowly rose to their feet, every one of them staring at Qin Tuo with utter reverence.

After a moment’s thought, Qin Tuo finally decided to clear things up.

”You’ve misunderstood. Someone gave me this Celestial King Order. I’m not the real Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall.”

But to his surprise, Long Wu only shook his head firmly and said with grave sincerity,

”Celestial King! The Celestial King Hall has an ancestral decree: whoever holds the Celestial King Order is our Celestial King. You now possess this ring, so you are naturally the Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall—the current Celestial King!”

Qin Tuo wanted to explain further, but he saw the resolute expressions on the faces of Long Wu and the bodyguards in black. They looked like fanatical believers.

He knew it was useless to argue.

And so, Qin Tuo could only accept the fact that he was now the Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall.

”By the way, is your Huaiyi Hall also part of the Celestial King Hall?”

Qin Tuo inquired curiously.

He had only known that Huaiyi Hall *was* the Southwest Underground Emperor; he never imagined it had this kind of connection.

Long Wu nodded and said,

”Yes, Celestial King. In fact, Huaiyi Hall is simply a very ordinary branch of the Celestial King Hall!”

Qin Tuo asked again,

”So, besides Huaiyi Hall, how many other branches does the Celestial King Hall have?”

This stumped Long Wu.

He furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment.

”Celestial King, I... I truly don’t know! My rank within the Celestial King Hall is too low. I don’t have the clearance to know about such things!”

He finished with a wry smile.

But deep within him, a fire began to burn!

’My God, this is the current Celestial King, right here in the flesh. If I can get on his good side, my status in the Hall will definitely skyrocket.’

At this thought, Long Wu grew incredibly excited.

If Qin Tuo were to ask him to climb a mountain of knives or plunge into a sea of fire, he wouldn’t even bat an eye.

”Celestial King, it seems you aren’t too familiar with the Hall’s affairs. Allow me to give you a proper introduction!”

Noticing Qin Tuo’s predicament, Long Wu offered considerately.

Long Wu then gave Qin Tuo a brief overview of the Celestial King Hall’s current situation.

It turned out the Celestial King Hall’s reach was vast, with numerous branches not just domestically, but internationally as well.

Qin Tuo was secretly astounded as he listened.

’An organization this massive... is now mine?’

’Wait, if the Celestial King Order is so important, why did that old lunatic give it to me?’

Qin Tuo was puzzled.

Suddenly, he remembered what the old lunatic had said to him that day.

”Kid! After you get out, remember to find a place called Peach Blossom Island before the Mid-Autumn Festival. In return, I’ll give you a great fortune...”

Back then, Qin Tuo had been completely oblivious. He’d put on the ring without giving it much thought.

The old lunatic’s face and voice seemed to materialize before him. ’This ”great fortune” must be the title of Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall!’ Qin Tuo couldn’t help but think.

’This really is a ridiculously huge fortune...’

Qin Tuo couldn’t help a wry laugh from deep inside.

”Celestial King?”

Long Wu called out softly, seeing Qin Tuo spacing out.

That snapped Qin Tuo out of his stupor, and he waved his hand.

”Right. This identity of mine as Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall—don’t announce it to outsiders. Understand?”

Going from an ordinary person to Palace Master of the Celestial King Hall in an instant, Qin Tuo hadn’t yet adjusted to his new role. This had to be kept secret.

Long Wu nodded heavily.

”Yes, Celestial King, I understand!”

Then, with a pained smile, he bowed low.

”Celestial King, I was ignorant and offended you earlier. Please be the bigger man and don’t hold it against me. I beg you not to take it to heart!”

Beside him, Lao Liu, the leader of the men in black, also looked terrified and apologized profusely.

Qin Tuo waved his hand and said,

”There’s no crime in ignorance. You can’t be blamed for this.”

Despite this, Long Wu still felt guilty.

He remembered what Qin Tuo had said earlier.

”By the way, Celestial King, did you say you were going to buy medicine?”

Qin Tuo nodded helplessly.

”I was on my way to get medicine for my mother. I’ve already been held up, and I need to get back quickly before it’s too late.”

Hearing this, Long Wu’s face lit up, and he eagerly thumped his chest.

”Celestial King, that’s simple! I have the best pharmacy in the city under my control. It has every herb imaginable. From this day forward, allow me to personally deliver your mother’s medicine!”

”You’ll deliver the medicine?”

Qin Tuo quickly waved his hands.

”Never mind. It’s just some common herbs. I wouldn’t want to trouble you!”

’If I let a ferocious character like Long Wu deliver my medicine,’ he thought, ’the story alone would scare half the city to death.’

”Oh, and Celestial King, I don’t know where you’re currently living, but some of the elders in Huaiyi Hall are also old-timers from the main Hall. I’m sure they would be overjoyed to see you.”

Long Wu added, his excitement renewed.

They had been leaderless for years. Now that they had met the current Celestial King, they were all incredibly emotional.

This put Qin Tuo in a difficult position. He really didn’t want a character like Long Wu barging into his life.

So Qin Tuo said,

”Let’s do this: I’ll meet with everyone else when I have time in the future. And remember, you are not to disturb me or the people around me without my permission. Understood?”

”Yes, Celestial King! Rest assured, your subordinate understands!”

Long Wu nodded with the utmost respect.

At the same time, he couldn’t help but marvel to himself...

’This Celestial King... he’s certainly a low-key person!’