The increasingly turbulent waters of the Blood River collapsed building after building and were about to destroy the tavern beneath their feet.
Li Ang took a deep breath, ready to forcefully crush the black Jade Pendant.
A deafening explosion rang out high in the sky. A huge tear was ripped open in the blood-red firmament, and vague white light shone through the crack. Within the light, a blurry, burly figure could be seen slowly descending.
"Go back. This is not a place for the three of you."
The cold, deep voice arose beside their ears. The next moment, the three were dragged up by an inexplicable force and tossed into the sky.
When Li Ang opened his eyes again, he found himself lying on his bed. A strong feeling of weightlessness and dizziness, caused by the terrifying acceleration, lingered in his mind.
What happened just now in the Blood River Illusion wasn’t a dream.
Li Ang clenched his fist. His muscles didn’t ache, and the black Jade Pendant was still on his person, but a portion of his Spiritual Energy had genuinely been consumed.
Chai Cuiqiao was still sleeping on the other bed in the bedroom. Li Ang pondered for a moment, then got up, dressed, left a note on the table, and sat in the living room, waiting for someone to knock on the door.
Just as he expected, in less than a quarter of an hour, there was a knock outside the courtyard. Opening the door revealed a group of garrison soldiers holding lanterns and a carriage bearing the garrison’s emblem.
The soldiers bowed respectfully. "Are you Mr. Li from the Academic Palace? Our Commander requests your presence."
Li Ang nodded, closed the courtyard gate, boarded the carriage, and pondered silently.
The Commander of the garrison, Lin Hongbo, a Martial Arts Grandmaster. Was it him who appeared in the Blood River Illusion just now?
Li Ang wasn’t surprised by the garrison’s swift reaction. Jianyue Theater Troupe was located in the bustling West Market of Chang’an. Should the Blood River act up and cause a commotion, it would be easily discovered by the garrison, known for their numerous spies and methods.
The carriage traveled eastward to Banzheng Square.
The garrison headquarters were located just south of the Right Army Patrol Institute. The overall layout of the building was not much different from that of the Yizhou Garrison; only it was larger, the towers were taller, and it had a more somber air.
Li Ang was led into the courtyard where he saw Yang Yu and Li Wei, who had also been brought by carriage. The three exchanged glances.
"Was it Commander Lin who saved us just now?" Yang Yu whispered. "When I came, I saw that a corner of the Luoyang Building in the West Market had collapsed. The Imperial Guard and Chang’an County officials were evacuating the area."
"The disturbance from the Blood River must have spread to reality and attracted the garrison," Li Wei spoke softly. "Since Commander Lin took action, the Blood River should be suppressed by now. They might have summoned us to inquire and gather evidence."
"It’s good that there wasn’t too much damage."
Li Ang nodded. The Blood River was considered a second-class Mutated Object, enormously harmful. If it were released in the wild near ordinary residential areas, it could cause serious disasters.
It was quite fortunate that it broke out in Chang’an City and was suppressed immediately.
But the question remained: how did the Blood River appear inside the elderly woman in grey? Was it through some form of Sealing? Or could Jianyue Theater Troupe be spies sent by the Zhou Kingdom, intending to release a massive Blood River in Chang’an? Regardless of the potential harm such a tactic could cause, neither the garrison nor the Academic Palace were to be trifled with. Chang’an City wasn’t small, but it wasn’t vast either; any significant anomaly could instantly bring Cultivators from the Candle Cloud Realm rushing to the scene.
As Li Ang was lost in thought, two soldiers approached, inviting him and the others to the side hall.
People were already waiting there: Lin Hongbo, the Commander of the garrison; Shen Tuyu, the Taiji Palace Tribute; and Chen Danqiu, the Academic Palace Sacrificial Official.
It wasn’t surprising to see Lin Hongbo and Shen Tuyu here. The former was the Commander of the garrison, and the latter was an Imperial Palace Tribute holding the official position of Observatory Junior Director, tasked with ensuring the safety of Chang’an on behalf of the Saint. As for Chen Danqiu... it seemed he lived in Yanshou Square, east of the West Market. Perhaps he had also heard the disturbance from the Blood River and came representing the Academic Palace.
"Disciples pay their respects to the Sacrificial Officer, Commander Lin, and Junior Inspector Shentu," Li Ang and the others said, bowing in greeting.
Lin Hongbo waved his hand impassively and went straight to the point. "You three were just trapped in the Blood River Illusion, weren’t you? Tell us everything you saw and experienced."
Since the three were Academic Palace Disciples and had been unexpectedly caught in this misfortune, the garrison did not use their routine for interrogating suspects to record testimonies.
Li Wei and Yang Yu dared not conceal anything and recounted everything as it happened. Li Ang, however, omitted the part about Mo Si. He only mentioned leaping between the walls and rooftops of the workshop buildings and seeing the elderly woman in grey’s skin breaking apart on its own, among other things.
Lin Hongbo thought for a moment, tapped his fingers a few times on the ebony table, then instructed his subordinates outside to bring in two bodies on stretchers. He asked, "Are these the two people you saw in the Illusion Realm?"
On the stretchers were two corpses: one of a middle-aged man dressed in brocade, and the other of the elderly woman in grey. The former had no wounds, but his face and seven orifices were bleeding. The latter’s arm skin was fragmented, exactly as it had been in the Illusion Realm, but a rust-covered bronze nail was inserted obliquely into her chest.
Li Ang nodded, his mind quickly piecing together the entire incident. The elderly woman from Jianyue Theater Troupe had somehow been possessed by the Blood River Mutated Object. He, Yang Yu, Li Wei, and the brocade-clad man had come into contact with the Blood River’s water while watching a Jianyue Theater Troupe performance. That was why they were dragged into the Illusion Realm tonight.