Armament Hall

At a thought from Xiao Fan, he tried to stow the Miao saber steeped in Sha Qi at his waist into the bag as well, but a problem quickly arose!

He could clearly feel a powerful rejection and drag coming from the bag, as though it might tear apart at any moment.

"What's going on? Looks like this saber's Sha Qi is too heavy. Putting it together with the Soul-Capturing Porcelain would be more than this lousy bag can bear."

Xiao Fan understood at once and could only sheath the Miao saber at his waist again.

By now, the deadly white mist had vanished, and Hidden Valley's terrain had returned to normal.

Night was black as ink... this was no place to linger!

Xiao Fan gritted his teeth and hoisted his unconscious father onto his back. The wound in his chest and the Calamity Poison churning within him left him staggering; enduring the piercing agony brought by every step, he raced madly toward the capital.

The scales on his chest were still growing...

I'm going to die...

Blood from his chest had already soaked his clothes red. The pain was about to make him lose consciousness.

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

[Calamity Poison Value: 0/100]

The instant the Calamity Poison value was cleared, that strange force within him—bone-chillingly cold, corrosive, and capable of spawning mutations—receded like a tide and vanished without a trace.

The golden scales finally stopped growing...

"Whew... I'm saved..."

He let out a muffled groan, stumbled, and nearly fell.

Yet clearing the Calamity Poison value had only stopped the scales from growing; it had not made them disappear... The pain had lessened, but it was still unbearable.

Xiao Fan felt like crying without tears... He could only grit his teeth through the agony and continue onward.

Before long, Xiao Fan carried his father back to the capital's northern gate. At last, he had entered the range covered by the Sacred Flame barrier—at least he no longer had to worry about Night Erosion!

"Halt! Who goes there?!" the gate captain shouted sternly. Blades and spears were drawn as the guards went on high alert.

Curfew was already in effect. Under normal circumstances, no one was permitted to enter the city.

"Armament Hall... Xiao Wu's... son... Xiao Fan!" Xiao Fan panted heavily, his voice hoarse as though he had exhausted his last shred of strength.

With difficulty, he raised his father's Armament Hall badge. "Escorting... the Imperial Consort Dowager's coffin... ambushed... My father is gravely wounded... Open the gates, quickly!"

By torchlight, the gate captain Zou Hua saw the badge clearly. Then he saw Xiao Wu unconscious on Xiao Fan's back, his armor shattered and stained with blood, as well as Xiao Fan's horrifying chest wound and strange scaled armor. His heart jolted violently.

He knew about this mission. When the convoy escorting the Imperial Consort Dowager's coffin had left the city, he had been the one on duty!

An attack on the Imperial Consort Dowager's coffin was a matter of heaven-shaking importance! He did not dare delay. While urgently ordering his men to open the gates, he also dispatched someone to report to the Armament Hall and Shadow Pivot Court at once!

After entering through the gates, Xiao Fan had no time to rest. Carrying his severely wounded father on his back, he endured the agonizing pain of the scales on his chest rubbing against flesh and blood as he raced all the way toward the Armament Hall, droplets of blood scattering across the bluestone street.

The night-duty soldiers at the Armament Hall spotted the two bloodied figures rushing toward them from afar and immediately sounded the warning whistle.

The heavy doors were thrown open with a boom. From the brightly lit hall, a hulking man nine feet tall, like an iron tower, strode out at the sound—it was Cavalry Captain Duan Yifei.

"What happened?!"

Duan Yifei's voice boomed like a great bell. When he saw the person on Xiao Fan's back clearly, his eyes, round as bronze bells, flew wide open, erupting with terrifying brilliance and towering fury. "Master?!!"

He rushed forward in a single stride. Yet his fan-sized hand was exceptionally gentle as he took the unconscious Xiao Wu from him. The icy coldness and sticky blood beneath his touch made even this man of iron tremble slightly.

"Quick! Fetch every medical officer and sorcerer on duty! Hurry!!" Duan Yifei roared, his voice shaking dust from the rafters.

His soldiers scrambled out in a panic. They placed Xiao Wu on a stretcher and carried him into the inner courtyard for treatment.

The Armament Hall had sorcerers assigned specifically to healing, and they were most skilled at treating battlefield wounds.

Then there was the other "bloodied man," Xiao Fan...

"Brother Xiao! What happened to you...?"

Xiao Fan did not want anyone to know about the golden scales on his chest, so he hurriedly waved a hand. "I'm fine, just a few injuries. Save my father first!"

Duan Yifei could tell that Xiao Fan was at his limit as well. Steadily supporting him with one hand, he pressed him onto a chair nearby and roared at those beside him:

"Bring wound salve and bandages! And ginseng soup!"

His heart was burning with anxiety. His benefactor and master hovered at death's door, while Xiao Fan, whom he regarded as a younger brother, had also been wounded this badly.

Taking the wound salve and bandages, Xiao Fan went to a corner of the room, turned his back, removed his shirt, and swiftly bandaged himself.

"Need help?" Duan Yifei asked.

Xiao Fan deftly wrapped the wounds around the scales on his chest and pulled his bloodstained shirt back on. "I'm a martial artist too. There's no need to trouble you over something so minor."

"Brother Xiao, what exactly happened tonight?" Duan Yifei voiced the question weighing most heavily on his heart.

Xiao Fan picked up the bowl and took a fierce gulp of the hot medicinal soup. "It's a long story..."

Then Xiao Fan let out a long sigh and recounted how he had been ambushed on Everpeace Street in the capital's southern district that night, as well as what happened afterward when he left the city to save his father.

But when it came to Mist Gorge, he said not a word about encountering Xun Huan afterward or sealing the Soul-Capturing Porcelain.

In truth, he had already prepared every part of his story on the road back to the capital. To keep his account consistent with his father's, he decided to truthfully recount everything his father had experienced before falling unconscious.

That way, father and son would not need to rehearse their stories; their accounts would naturally align.

As for what happened after his father lost consciousness, Xiao Fan decided to gloss over it. He would simply say the mist had dispersed—if asked, he knew nothing.

After hearing the whole account, Duan Yifei listened with grave attention. "You're saying Master was harmed by Shi Ping?! That bastard deserves a thousand cuts!"

"That's what my father told me at the time. I was just about to ask—has Shi Ping returned?" Xiao Fan asked.

Duan Yifei shook his head with a sigh. "No... He joined the coffin escort alongside Master, and neither has returned to this day."

"But that is only to be expected. That bastard betrayed Master—how could he still have the face to return? If I run into him, just watch how I deal with him!"

Xiao Fan reminded him, "Brother Duan, if you find any trace of Shi Ping, remember—you must capture him alive! He is only a minor player; the mastermind behind him is the key!"

"Mm! I understand! Put your mind at ease. I know what to do." Duan Yifei thumped his chest several times with his bear-paw-like hand.

"Hm? Little brother, where did you get this Miao saber?" As Duan Yifei spoke, his gaze unconsciously shifted to the Miao saber tucked at Xiao Fan's waist.

"It's rather strange, really. I found this thing inside the belly of a bear demon."

As he spoke, Xiao Fan drew the Miao saber and handed it to Duan Yifei for inspection.

"A fine blade... though its Sha Qi is rather heavy. If you carry it for too long, it may affect your mind. You need to get a suitable scabbard and have an array placed on it to suppress the Sha Qi."

Xiao Fan took back the Miao saber and cupped his hands. "Thank you for the reminder, Brother Duan. First thing tomorrow morning, I'll go to the Bladesmith Studio and have a scabbard made."

Afterward, Duan Yifei sent someone to fetch a standard-issue sword from the armory. He removed the black-gold nameplate from its scabbard and handed it to Xiao Fan.

"When weapons draw too much blood, they inevitably become tainted with Sha Qi. This nameplate contains an array from the Bureau of Celestial Observation. Set it into your scabbard, and it will suppress the Sha Qi within the blade."

This was truly help in the snow! Xiao Fan was moved to tears. "Big Brother!!!"

Duan Yifei laughed heartily, his voice like thunder. "Enough... I lost my parents when I was young. Your father saved my life and taught me martial arts; he is no different from a father to me. From now on, you are not to stand on ceremony with me!"

Just then, a rapid yet orderly set of footsteps drew nearer from afar, stopping outside the doors of the Armament Hall.

Then, a cold, familiar voice pierced the tense air:

"Liu Jiashan of the Shadow Pivot Court's Black-Clad Guard. By order, I am investigating the attack on the Grand Imperial Consort's coffin! Those inside, come out and answer!"

Duan Yifei whirled around, the fury in his eyes blazing even hotter. Those blackhide curs came sniffing after the scent!