At Wei Dayong's home, the oil lamp burned like a bean, its flame flickering restlessly and casting warped shadows across the walls. Lingling lay on the kang, breathing rapidly, her little face flushed with fever and her lips cracked and dry. From time to time, she let out vague, broken mutterings, fragments of "black shadow," "don't come over," and "cold," her voice filled with fear.
Sister Xu sat beside the kang, repeatedly wiping her daughter's forehead with a damp cloth as tears slid silently down her cheeks. Wei Dayong, meanwhile, paced back and forth through the cramped room like an agitated beast trapped in a cage, his fists clenched tight. His gaze kept sweeping toward the deep darkness outside the window before falling back onto his daughter's anguished little face. The Soul Guiding Incense in his arms burned against his chest like a branding iron.
Time crawled by in torment. At last, as midnight approached, all sounds fell silent, and even the wind seemed to have stopped. Just then, Lingling suddenly began convulsing violently on the kang. Her hands and feet went rigid, a strange wheezing noise came from her throat, and her eyes rolled back until only the whites showed. Her condition was more dangerous than ever before!
"Now!" Wei Dayong growled. He abruptly pulled out the Soul Guiding Incense marked with cinnabar Runes and held it to the oil lamp's flame.
The tip of the incense glowed a dim red. A strange scent, mingling herbs with a fishy tang, spread through the room. Instead of drifting upward like ordinary smoke, it hung motionless a few inches above the incense for an instant. Then, as if drawn by an invisible hand, it became an extremely thin, nearly transparent gray line. Trembling, yet unshakably firm, it pointed toward somewhere outside the window!
Wei Dayong's pupils contracted sharply. After quickly telling Sister Xu, "Lock the door and wait for me to return!" he pushed open the door without hesitation and melted into the heavy night, following closely behind the smoke trail that was almost impossible to make out in the darkness.
The smoke trail wavered as it passed through silent, deserted alleys and crossed piles of discarded objects, always pointing toward the western part of the city.
Inside the General of the Middle Army's residence, candlelight illuminated the study. Li Chongshan had not gone to bed. He stood with his hands behind his back before the window, gazing toward the pitch-black western part of the city, his face expressionless. Behind him, a vigorous-looking man dressed in black knelt on one knee.
"My lord, the three Shadow Guard members are in position. This time, we sent one at the Mortal Transformation Perfected Realm. That is the strongest force we can deploy."
Li Chongshan gave a soft "Mm," his fingers absently caressing a warm, lustrous Jade Pendant. "The test subject exceeded expectations. This time, I want it alive. Keep it as intact as possible." His tone was flat, as though he were giving orders for an ordinary official matter.
"Yes! This subordinate understands!" The man in black acknowledged the order, then melted into the shadows like a ghost and disappeared.
The corners of Li Chongshan's mouth lifted by the faintest degree. He murmured, "Blood Qi Beacon, showing its first strange signs. What an absolutely perfect vessel. I hope you can hold out a little longer."
Following the smoke of the Soul Guiding Incense, Wei Dayong moved through the maze-like alleys. The smoke grew fainter, while the direction it indicated became increasingly clear. In the end, it stopped outside a back alley beside a large compound enclosed by high walls. After circling for a moment, it slowly dispersed. The incense had burned out. At that moment, a trace of Evil Qi similar to the aura on Lingling, but far more intense, seemed to drift through the crack beneath the gate.
Wei Dayong hid beneath the shadow of a ruined eave, staring fixedly at the unremarkable yet heavily guarded side gate nearby. There were no markings on the lintel, but two sturdy men in fitted clothing stood before the gate, their eyes sharp and their temples bulging high. Simply standing there, they radiated an aura that warned strangers to keep away.
Wei Dayong's chest heaved violently. His daughter's mutterings and the direction of the Soul Guiding Incense were tightening around his throat until he could scarcely breathe. Reason told him that forcing his way in meant certain death, but when he looked at that gate and thought of his daughter's suffering face, an uncontrollable fury suddenly surged into his head!
"Damn it! To hell with it!" Blood vessels stood out in Wei Dayong's eyes as the last trace of hesitation was crushed. He sprang from the shadows like a mad bull and charged straight toward the side gate!
"Stop! Who goes there? How dare you trespass into a forbidden ground!" The two sturdy gate guards reacted with lightning speed. They shouted harshly while stepping across the path in unison. With a clanging sound, they drew their waist sabers several inches from their sheaths and blocked the way, their synchronized movements carrying the ferocity of seasoned soldiers.
"Forbidden ground?" Wei Dayong stopped abruptly several steps from the gate. His eyes were bloodshot, and anger rasped through his voice. "When you used Evil Qi to harm my daughter, did you ever think that I also draw a government salary? Get out of my way!"
The two guards exchanged a glance. One sneered. "Evil Qi? There's no Evil Qi here. So what if you work for the government? Heh, in Anping County, the General of the Middle Army is the law! No matter how hard your fists are, can they really be harder than the lord's?" He looked Wei Dayong up and down, taking in his ordinary uniform from the guards' station, his tone full of contempt. "Get lost! Otherwise, you'll be killed without mercy!"
"I have no intention of making an enemy of the General of the Middle Army!" Wei Dayong growled. His right hand had already closed around the hilt at his waist, his knuckles turning white from the force. "I only want to save my daughter! Hand over the method for breaking the Evil Qi!"
"I told you, there's no Evil Qi here, you lunatic!" The other gate guard spat impatiently. "Take him down!"
Before his voice had even faded, the two men attacked at once. Blades flashed like bolts of silk, viciously slashing toward both of Wei Dayong's shoulders from left and right, intending to cripple his ability to resist. Their coordination was flawless and their blades fierce—clearly, they were skilled soldiers.
Seeing the blades coming, Wei Dayong neither dodged nor retreated. Instead, he let out a beastlike roar and drew his waist saber with a ringing cry! He used no intricate technique, merely unleashing to the fullest the desperate blade art he had honed over years amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. His blade swung wide and forcefully, carrying the tragic determination of mutual destruction as he lunged forward!
Spurt!
Wei Dayong dodged aside, while his own waist saber darted out like a venomous snake, stabbing into the right-hand guard's heart from an extraordinarily tricky angle!
The man's eyes widened in disbelief before he collapsed limply.
"Old Zhang!" The remaining guard was shocked and furious, never imagining that this man would actually dare to kill. He drew his saber and tried to retreat, but Wei Dayong clung to him like a bone-deep affliction. Throwing himself forward without caring that his own defenses were wide open, he brought his saber down again! The man hurriedly raised his blade to block.
Clang!
Metal rang against metal! Wei Dayong's web split open, but with sheer brute force and the weight of his body, he forcibly pressed the other man—and his saber—down until he was half-kneeling on the ground! Seizing the opportunity, he raised his knee and smashed it viciously into the man's face!
Crack! The sound of the bridge of his nose breaking rang out clearly. The guard let out a miserable howl and fell backward.
Wei Dayong panted heavily. Blood streamed from his left shoulder as he gripped the blade, its edge rolled and battered, and staggered toward the side gate.
Boom!
The gate shuddered violently but did not open. There was clearly a crossbar secured from within. Urgent footsteps and shouted calls were already coming from inside the compound. More guards had been alerted and were rushing over.
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