The Client

"Old man has come to confirm something with the Great Protector. Was there anything unusual about the Sacred Fire tonight?" Qi Ziyue asked, gazing at the pure white flame atop the altar.

Chi Yu crossed his palms and raised them before his forehead, palms facing inward. He bowed devoutly toward the altar, answering without addressing the question. "Flame Venerable above, cleanse the world of all evil spirits."

"Senior Inspector, your question just now was blasphemy against the Flame Venerable. Forgive me, but I cannot answer."

Qi Ziyue was somewhat helpless. After a brief thought, he changed the way he phrased it. "Great Protector, you misunderstand. What I mean is, was any evil spirit purified by the Sacred Fire earlier?"

This time, Chi Yu finally nodded...

"Senior Inspector, your timing is fortunate. Just half an hour ago, the Flame Venerable bestowed a divine oracle: at the second quarter of the hour of Xu tonight, Buried Moon came."

The instant those words fell, Qi Ziyue's pupils contracted sharply, and his fingers trembled involuntarily. "Buried Moon... With the fire seed here, how could It dare?"

"The Flame Venerable did not make it clear. Winter is drawing near, and the long night has no light... Flame Venerable above, protect all living beings!"

As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of believers fell to their knees in unison, declaring with one voice, "Flame Venerable above, protect all living beings!"

Qi Ziyue let out a long sigh and cupped his hands toward the altar, bowing three times. "Old man takes his leave."

The spell formation glowing with fluorescent light lit up once more, and the white-robed elder had already vanished.

After dinner, Xiao Fan returned to his room and forced himself to endure in anxious suspense until midnight.

[Midnight has arrived. Calamity Poison Value has been cleared]

[Calamity Poison Value: 0/100]

Sure enough, the system was still functioning normally.

"Ah... Tomorrow, I'll go ask Ji Xuanyuan about the mystery of this jade pendant."

He muttered to himself, wrapped the fragments of the jade pendant in cloth, and lay flat on the bed.

In the dead of night, whenever Xiao Fan closed his eyes, he recalled that terrifying "nightmare" from earlier. He simply could not fall asleep...

It left him feeling unprecedented unease. After all, the capital was without question the safest city in the entire Great Liang Empire.

The Bureau of Celestial Observation was in the capital, the headquarters of Great Liang's state religion, the Sacred Fire Sect, was in the capital, and even the original fire seed of the pure white Sacred Fire was in the capital.

Yet it was precisely in this safest of cities that Xiao Fan had experienced a suspected "Night Erosion" anomaly.

"If even the capital isn't safe, then in this vast world, where could possibly be safe..."

Xiao Fan sighed helplessly. Surviving in this bizarre world was truly too difficult. He had to raise his rank as soon as possible. Only by becoming strong could he gain the ability to withstand crises.

"Once Father comes back, eighth-rank Iron Bone Realm, here I come!"

After that, the night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, before dawn had even broken, Xiao Fan was already up. He climbed onto the roof of his home and waited for sunrise.

He was not there to admire the beauty of the morning sun, but to confirm something!

At sunrise the day after encountering Wang Mazi, he clearly remembered seeing fine "cracks" on the sun!

He had always been concerned about it. He thought perhaps he had seen it wrong, but it did not seem likely that he had...

Now that he had encountered last night's "nightmare" as well, no matter what, he had to confirm it again.

Gradually, fiery red rays spread along the edge of the sky.

"It's coming."

Xiao Fan gazed into the distance with some tension. He sincerely hoped he had merely been overthinking things...

The red sun slowly rose from the horizon, a point of pure yang breaking through the dawn!

In an instant, golden light split the clouds, casting the mountains and rivers for thousands of miles in a clear orange glow as darkness fled in disarray!

That blazing sun... was flawless. Where were there any cracks?

Facing the rosy glow and feeling its warmth, Xiao Fan finally let out a long breath and revealed a long-lost smile. "That's great... I really was overthinking it."

Witnessing the sunrise once more left him feeling invigorated and filled with hope.

Thump!

Xiao Fan leaped down from the roof, hurriedly washed up, then ran outside his mother's room and called out, "Mother! I'm heading out!"

"Hey! Where are you going so early in the morning?" By the time his old mother opened the door, he was already nowhere to be seen.

Ye Shu yawned. "This child... He came back and still won't rest properly for a few days."

In the northern district of the capital stood a spacious courtyard, its banners fluttering in the wind. A large "Di" was emblazoned upon the fiery red flags.

Above the gate hung a plaque bearing the words: Di Yun Escort Agency.

So early in the morning, the sounds of training were already rising in waves from within the courtyard.

The escort agency's guards all had a habit of morning practice, and they were already training in the courtyard at this time.

Xiao Fan stopped before the entrance and paced back and forth. At last, he made up his mind and walked in.

"Well, if it isn't Brother Xiao! You're finally back!" A bearded escort guard was the first to approach him.

"Morning, Brother Qian." Xiao Fan greeted Qian Zhong. "Is Master Di here?"

Qian Zhong pointed toward the inner courtyard. "He's inside. I hear a big deal's come knocking!"

"A big deal? What do you mean?"

Qian Zhong grinned. "Early this morning, a woman came by. She said she wanted us to make a trip to the Northern Plains Wilderness!"

"The wilderness?! That's Great Wilderness Demon Kingdom territory. I'm afraid we can't take that job." Xiao Fan felt it was far from reliable.

"Heh heh, I say, as long as the price is right, what's the harm in making the trip?"

At that, Qian Zhong suddenly remembered something. "Right, how come you're the only one back? Where's the escort caravan that left with you?"

At those words, Xiao Fan's expression immediately darkened. "That's exactly why I came today."

"Hey! Did something happen?" Qian Zhong sensed that something was wrong from Xiao Fan's expression and pressed him.

Xiao Fan did not answer directly. "Brother Qian, don't ask just yet. This matter... I need to speak with Master Di first."

With a long sigh, he headed for the inner hall.

Two people sat inside, conversing. One had tiger eyes, a white beard, and the build of a bull. He was none other than Di Jintian, the second-in-command of the Di Yun Escort Agency.

The other was a seductive woman in a pink silk dress, graceful in figure, with a white veil covering her face.

The woman extended her delicate hand and spread her five fingers. "Five hundred taels."

"Mm... We've never set foot in the heart of the wilderness. We'll need to consider this matter." Di Jintian did not agree outright.

"Very well. Consider it carefully, then. I'll come again in a few days."

With that, the woman rose to leave.

"I'll see you out, miss." Di Jintian made a welcoming gesture.

The woman waved a hand. "No need to trouble yourself."

Just as she crossed the threshold, Xiao Fan hurried over, and the two brushed past each other.

That faint, secluded fragrance...

Suddenly, Xiao Fan froze in place, his pupils contracting. He turned to look at the woman's graceful retreating figure, and cold sweat instantly broke out across his body.

Perhaps sensing Xiao Fan's gaze, the woman stopped as well and looked back. Her alluring eyes were like silken threads, as though ten thousand charms swirled and flowed within their rippling depths.

Yet Xiao Fan felt nothing but bone-deep cold. This woman reminded him of someone.

The black-clad woman from Golden Glow Mountain!

"Oh my, what a handsome young gentleman. Could you be an escort master here as well?" The woman's voice was as enchanting as spider silk, seeming to creep through one's ears and into one's heart, leaving it unbearably itchy.

Her voice was different... Could she not be the same person? Xiao Fan had no mind for such restlessness now; he only felt his scalp prickle.

"My name is Xiao Fan. I'm not an escort master, merely acquainted with Master Di. I came to pay him a visit," Xiao Fan said.

"May I ask who you are, miss?" Xiao Fan steadied his emotions and asked in an even tone.

At that moment, Di Jintian walked over. "This is Miss Gong Su. She's here to commission an escort shipment."

"So you're a client. It's still early, and there are few people on the streets. It may not be safe for a lady to walk alone. As the saying goes, meeting is fate—how about I see you off on Master Di's behalf?"

This time, Gong Su did not refuse. Instead, she agreed readily. "Then I must thank you, sir."

Di Jintian shook his head with a sigh. "Ah... to be young again!"