Yes.
They set off early the next morning.
The journey they'd spent all day and night traveling two days ago took Lan Qingyou just one morning to complete, thanks to her talent.
By the time lunchtime was approaching,
the group had arrived at the Imperial Capital.
As usual, the guards at the city gates stood at attention, ready to welcome everyone coming and going.
Most of them were commoners,
but one shouldn't forget that this was the Imperial Capital.
A place where you could toss a stone at random and have a good chance of hitting an official or even a noble.
So no matter the weather or their mood, the guards greeted everyone entering or leaving the city in the best condition they could manage.
Today, however, was a little different.
The weather was rather gloomy, as if rain were on the way. It wasn't exactly pleasant.
The guards had put on their rain capes early to keep from getting soaked.
The atmosphere was off, too.
On ordinary days, people came and went, chatting and laughing.
The city gates were especially bustling, since everyone had to be inspected.
But today, everyone spoke with great care,
as if raising their voices might disturb someone.
The guards knew why, of course.
The meteor shower two evenings ago.
Everyone in the Imperial Capital had seen it, as had those who'd arrived over the past two days.
If it had been an ordinary meteor shower, there wouldn't have been much to it.
At most, it would've been something to talk about over tea.
But this time was different.
Word was that the emperor had even sent Nikola, one of the Imperial Twin Moons, to investigate.
Who was Nikola?
He was one of the rare Title Holders,
a figure who'd made outstanding contributions to