The concert had ended.
People were slowly waking up.
The performance was like a dream... ushering one into its midst, time passed unnoticed, and upon awakening, reality seemed surreal.
Pierre was no exception.
He suddenly came to his senses, realizing that he had completed an entire performance in a daze... There was applause from the audience below, the stage curtain was slowly drawn, and most of the musicians seemed to be in the same state, their expressions blank as they looked at each other.
After Dissolving Dream shattered, Xiao removed all Spiritual Control.
For him, without Dissolving Dream, controlling these people... lost its meaning.
People woke up one after another, then started to applaud; to them, the performance was truly exquisite and astonishing.
"I’ve never been to a classical music concert that could put me to sleep so soundly."
Jiang Wan slowly awoke as well, rubbing her sore and swollen forehead, her consciousness gradually returning from the chaos. Taking a couple of seconds, she fully sobered up and then looked towards the "target person’s" seat.
Coming to the Freedom Dance was mainly about Zhao Qi.
However... Zhao Qi’s seat was empty.
Subsequently, an elderly man with a somber expression beckoned, and more and more people gathered around.
Lu Nanzhi, the symbol of Da Du’s women’s glory, bowed her head slightly, appearing to be asleep as she sat in her seat.
And at this moment, when everyone else had woken up, she alone remained in deep slumber, her breathing faint. Rather than sleeping, she seemed more like... she had died.
Because Lu Nanzhi was too quiet, even when gently and carefully shaken, there was still no response.
Chen San hastened to the front row. His expression was tense as he watched several professional medical personnel conducting their examinations.
"She’s still breathing... the heartbeat is normal..."
"All her vitals are normal... but she cannot be awoken..."
Hearing the medical staff’s conversation, Chen San felt a nameless rage surge within him. He spoke coldly, "What is going on here?"
Zhao Xilai frowned slightly but didn’t respond.
Cui Zhongcheng took the conversation, "Lu Nanzhi ’fell asleep’."
"I know that, I’m not blind," Chen San said in a low voice. "She just finished talking with South Bay, and it was your turn... then this accident happened. And what was that music about?"
Most people inside Freedom Hall were still unaware of what had happened.
But not them; these few were wearing high-quality Spirit Seals and had vaguely perceived something... It seemed an irresistible force had pulled them into a Dream.
Until the music ended, the dream was dispelled.
"I have reason to suspect that this was your doing," Chen San said emotionlessly. "Just because Lu Nanzhi disagrees with the Awakening Bill, doesn’t mean you had to go this far, right?"
Finally, Zhao Xilai broke the silence.
"If I were to make a move... would it be now?"
"What advantage would there be for Flower Banner if she met with trouble while talking to me?"
After the two rhetorical questions.
Chen San restrained himself a bit, taking a deep breath, he said, "You’d better not be involved in this... Otherwise, I will apply to the council for sanctions, and accuse you of murdering a soon-to-be-elected alternate council member."
"...Heh." The elderly man paid no attention to this powerless verbal warning.
The ball erupted into turmoil.
Attendants rushed over, but were quickly held back... The Transcendents from the Three Schools swiftly established order at the scene, and, upon Zhao Xilai’s request, relayed a warning message.
The entire main hall of the concert venue was cleared.
Soon after, several figures arrived in a flurry.
Song Ci, covered in dust, jogged his way over, and seeing the situation, his eyes immediately reddened. He came up to the lady, where a temporary medical staff member had already been replaced by a Transcendent capable of healing.
He hurried over to the lady’s side, his expression frantic.
"What happened here?"
No one at the scene answered the young man. The Transcendent responsible for sensing Lu Nanzhi’s physical condition slowly opened his eyes and whispered, "The lady’s bodily functions are still normal, but she’s now in a very strange state... It’s as though she ’fell asleep,’ but unlike common hypnosis, this seems more like..."
As the words "Spiritual Exile" were spoken, the expressions on all their faces visibly stiffened.
What exactly had happened?
"The incident at Freedom Hall earlier..." Zhou Jiren, along with the two councilmen and Cui Zhongcheng, briefly recounted what had happened.
Everyone had lost consciousness.
But it was only Lu Nanzhi who experienced Spiritual Exile... this did not fit with normal understanding. If Xiao had the power to inflict Spiritual Exile, then with his personality, he would not have limited this action to just one person.
Everyone in the entire hall would have fallen into a deep slumber.
"Zhou Jiren... In this situation, does your ’Sacred Wood’ have a solution?" Zhao Xilai, seated in his wheelchair, slowly spoke up.
"The Sacred Wood can only heal physical wounds," Mr. Shu shook his head and said, "I’m powerless when it comes to damage to the spirit... and this is Spiritual Exile we’re talking about, not a normal awakening."
A normal awakening is when the spirit is still present, merely requiring a stimulus to the consciousness.
But Spiritual Exile is... the person’s ’sleeping’ is merely superficial, her soul has already drifted off to some unknown place; you need to find the spirit first before you can ’call it back.’
"Although I’ve considered resolving the Awakening Bill from its root..." Zhao Xilai looked at Chen San, explaining earnestly, "This was not my doing, and I hope that Lu Nanzhi can awaken."
"She’s already ." Chen San was especially angry, his ten fingers clenched until they turned blue, he said coldly, "As long as she continues to sleep , what does what you’re saying now matter to anyone... Who will believe it? What significance does it have?"
The atmosphere became somewhat tense.
Zhao Xilai fell silent, as he knew... Chen San was right.
"Spiritual Exile... Elder Gu, do you have a way?" Councilman Chen asked anxiously.
The old man shook his head, indicating his inability to help.
A faint voice rose from an inconspicuous corner.
"May I give it a try?"
Zhao Xilai, Cui Zhongcheng, and Chen San all turned their gaze toward the youth who had spoken.
It was not until this moment that Song Ci realized his oversight, remembering that there was a Great Bodhisattva present, who, despite his unremarkable appearance, possessed vast mystical powers.
Crow shooed away the Transcendent responsible for healing, unapologetically making room.
Gu Shen approached the seat where Lu Nanzhi lay.
He stared at the lady who had fallen into a deep sleep... lost in thought.
At Lu Nanzhi’s brow, a faint aura of death was emanating.