Dazzling

"...No, Little Mute is dead. I buried her myself..."

"No, those were Little Mute's eyes! I saw them clearly!"

"But she's dead!"

"Maybe she came back to life. This is the world of Baseline Reality 0.7. Supernatural powers and extraordinary abilities are perfectly normal!"

"But even if she came back to life, it's impossible for her to have so many guards and maidservants attending her. Wake up—that isn't Little Mute!"

"I need to make sure!"

"You're asking for trouble! Who knows what that girl's identity is? She looks either wealthy or noble. You're still on guard duty, and this is an ancient world where you don't know anyone."

"I need to make sure!!"

"What about Yamadai and Xu Shilan!?"

It was as if two voices were arguing inside Wu Pifu's mind. Just as he was about to step forward, the faces of Yamadai and Xu Shilan flashed through his thoughts.

At that moment, he pulled back his foot. He merely gave the sedan chair one long, deep look before turning and leaping down from the high wall.

Jiujiu circled in midair, crying mournfully for a long while, but the person inside the sedan chair never emerged. It could only fly back toward Wu Pifu.

At the same time, atop an inner-city gate tower some distance from the temple, a middle-aged man in red and yellow casual robes sat in a rattan chair. He narrowed his eyes slightly, then smiled and pointed toward the temple. "What a lecher."

Beside him, a stern-faced middle-aged man in purple said, "He dared spy on the Imperial Princess! What nerve! There are more and more rogues in Kaifeng Prefecture! Your Majesty, I will immediately send men to seize him!"

His Majesty neither agreed nor objected, merely smiling. On his other side, a man in Daoist robes laughed heartily. "Why make such a fuss? Today is the Lantern Festival. We must not spoil Your Majesty's enjoyment. Let this poor Daoist handle it."

His Majesty nodded slightly. Smiling, the Daoist-robed man extended a hand and drew a sheet of yellow paper from his sleeve. Using the tea before him, he traced something across the paper with his finger. Then he tossed the yellow paper forward. It flew several meters out from the gate tower, then actually transformed into a crimson bird about half a meter long, its feathers scarlet and wreathed in flames. With a clear cry, it flew toward the temple.

There were more than thirty people atop the gate tower. Aside from the pale, beardless eunuchs and maidservants, there were over a dozen officials dressed in purple or crimson. Their expressions changed slightly, and shadows filled their eyes.

There were also several young men who were clearly not officials, yet had seats among them. Most regarded the crimson bird with meaningful looks.

Only His Majesty's eyes were filled with admiration.

Elsewhere, Wu Pifu jumped down from the high wall in dejection, lowering his head as he walked back. But after only ten or so meters, he suddenly looked up toward the inner city and saw a crimson bird swooping straight at him. The closer it came, the larger it grew. In the blink of an eye, it covered an area ten meters above him. The crimson bird transformed into a gigantic firebird and spread its wings as it dove down.

"Ah!"

Wu Pifu was shocked and enraged. As the enormous firebird plunged toward him, its surging flames already reaching above his head, Jiujiu was the first to succumb to the intense heat and fell from his shoulder. He had no time to worry about anything else and let out a wild, roaring howl.

In the next instant, all the qi and blood of his martial arts gathered in his dantian, while the qi and blood of the Human Immortal martial path filled his flesh. He crouched slightly, his hands hanging naturally at his sides. In an instant, qi gathered in his dantian. Though he did not assume the Lotus-Seated Force stance, all the strength in his body had already converged at that single point. The instant the firebird reached him, his furious roar erupted along with all his strength. His palms struck through the air, slamming into the firebird's head in an instant.

The imagined explosion of bursting flames never came. The firebird was actually nothing but a paper tiger. At the touch of his palms, it immediately scattered into countless sparks, and the sea of flames that seemed capable of sweeping through dozens of meters vanished outright.

Wu Pifu's simultaneous palm strike had poured nearly all his strength into it. Whether it was his martial arts or the Human Immortal martial path, every ounce of power in his body had been condensed within. He had even used Lotus-Seated Force to unleash it in the manner of simulated dantian force. The power of that instant was immense. When the firebird scattered, his palms continued forward with the momentum and slammed directly into the high wall.

The wall was nearly five meters tall and two palms thick, yet Wu Pifu's blow blew it apart, blasting a huge gap through it. The force had not even dissipated. Shattered bricks flew dozens of meters away. Though they had lost most of their force, they still sent the guards around the sedan chair crying out in panic.

Wu Pifu stood there in a daze. He could not understand it. That firebird had looked so terrifying, as though a miniature fuel-air bomb were dropping on him. Yet when it reached his palms, it had merely felt slightly hot before vanishing like that?

He blankly stood there for several seconds, then saw attendants in the distance closing in with sabers and spears. Dozens more guards ran in through the temple's front gate, also surrounding him as if facing a great enemy. At a loss, he hurriedly said, "A fire demon just attacked me. No, a bird demon—no, a firebird demon. I was forced to fight back. I..."

The guards did not listen to a word Wu Pifu said. All of them remained on high alert. Wu Pifu even saw guards armed with crossbows rushing in from farther away. He did not dare delay any longer. He turned, scooped up the dazed Jiujiu from the ground, and ran back the way he had come.

The guards were all stunned. They had prepared for a bloody battle, but who would have expected this fierce man who had shattered a high wall with one palm strike to turn around and run?

After several stunned seconds, the guards began shouting and chased after him.

Inside the sedan chair, however, the girl sat stunned for a long while before suddenly letting out a soft laugh.

Meanwhile, more than ten people atop the inner-city wall remained silent. After a long while, the Daoist-robed man suddenly clasped his hands toward His Majesty and said, "Your Majesty, I sense demonic aura on that man. Please permit this poor Daoist to pursue him and investigate."

His Majesty nodded in agreement, then said, "Imperial Preceptor, do not be too hasty. If it is merely some wild mountain spirit, spare its life. A small punishment and a stern warning will suffice."

The Daoist lowered his head, turned, and left the gate tower.

A short while after the Daoist departed, an official in purple suddenly said, "Your Majesty, that Daoist is lowborn and exceedingly rude. Furthermore, Guo Jing is narrow-minded. He truly should not be allowed to stand in court."

His Majesty did not become angry. He simply chuckled. "It is enough to use his talents... Gentlemen, have any of you discerned that man's origins?"

The ministers all fell into thought. An official with a resolute expression said, "His qi and blood are so abundant that he scarcely seems human. Though he carries a trace of demonic aura, it does not originate from within his body. His bloodline should undoubtedly be that of a pure human. Yet what shattered the Daoist art was not the baleful aura of the army. It is truly difficult to fathom."

His Majesty looked up at an old eunuch beside him. The eunuch said nothing, merely nodded slightly before walking behind the gate tower.

His Majesty, the princes, and the high ministers said nothing. They simply watched the bustling splendor of Bianliang. Before long, the old eunuch returned and whispered several words into His Majesty's ear.

"One of the strange men from the Mud-Buddha Yasha case?" His Majesty asked in surprise.

The ministers were all confused. Only two officials in crimson robes froze for a moment. At His Majesty's gesture, they recounted the strange case on the spot.

"Mud-Buddha... Yasha?" the ministers murmured. One official in purple said, "That man has short hair and close-fitting clothes, quite unlike our customs. Yet he speaks with the accent of our Song people. Could he be some strange man from overseas?"

The ministers all had their own guesses, but none could be certain. At that moment, His Majesty said, "Let us see how the Imperial Preceptor fares. Though that man was somewhat improper, he merely looked from afar. It is no grave offense. He is young as well—young men are naturally drawn to beauty. If his background is clean, such a brave warrior should not be left to drift among the common folk."

The ministers all nodded in agreement.

They were extremely wary of Daoist arts and demonic arts, but if it was merely the courage of qi and blood, then it did not matter. The north was in need of brave warriors now. If this strange man possessed the will to serve his country, pardoning him for spying on the Imperial Princess would be no great matter. After all, he had merely looked at her from afar within a temple.

Elsewhere, Wu Pifu ran swiftly through the crowd, moving fast and smoothly. In just two streets, he had shaken off the guards. The guards had not pursued too fiercely in the first place. For one thing, Wu Pifu had only broken down a temple wall and had neither injured nor killed anyone. For another, if such a fierce man who could smash through a wall decided to turn ruthless, they did not dare press him too hard. As they chased him, they gradually slowed to a halt.

When Wu Pifu sensed that there were no pursuers behind him, he slowed to a run toward where Yamadai and Xu Shilan were. Before long, he saw the two standing amid the crowd, watching street performers with great interest.

When they saw Wu Pifu return, both asked about Little Mute.

Wu Pifu hesitated before saying, "I only saw her from afar. I only saw her eyes... They looked very much like Little Mute's, but I can't be sure whether it was really her. And I buried Little Mute myself, so... I don't know either."

Yamadai said bluntly, "Why didn't you go up and get a better look?"

Wu Pifu shook his head. It was not the place to explain in detail, so he said, "Let's exchange the gold first. Then we can find an inn or something and settle down."

The two nodded. Just as they were about to follow Wu Pifu onward, all three felt someone pat their shoulders. They turned at the same time and saw a youth carrying a sword case on his back smiling at them.

Every hair on Wu Pifu's body stood on end. With a twist of his feet, he moved in front of the other two. He whispered, "Run into the crowd. This person is very..."

Xu Shilan, however, stepped forward first in surprise. "Chu Minghao, why are you here!?"

Only upon hearing Xu Shilan's voice did Wu Pifu slowly lower his guard. His entire body was already drenched in cold sweat.

Chu Minghao gave a bright, hearty laugh. "It has been a long time, Miss Xu. And greetings to the two heroes of humanity. I am Chu Minghao."

Yamadai asked bluntly, "Who's that? A maintenance worker from another district?"

"No, he is no maintenance worker."

Xu Shilan's expression was complicated. "A Level Seven citizen, qualified to use the auxiliary systems of humanity's three great Superbrains, a war hero of the Fourth War, the ace among aces of the Unified Human Government's mech forces, the Dragon Rider System's strongest user, and the youngest presidential candidate... Chu Minghao."

Wu Pifu asked quietly, "Friend? Enemy? Or... an enemy with a grudge?"

Xu Shilan froze. She looked at Wu Pifu, then smiled with both happiness and a hint of frustration. "No, he is not really an enemy, much less an enemy with a grudge. He is an idealistic fool, barely counts as a good person, and he was my university classmate. He was also the man I nearly entered into a political marriage with..."

She then asked Chu Minghao, "Why are you here? No, what I want to ask is, how were you able to awaken? Didn't they say that all citizens had fallen into the dream world, and only maintenance workers could awaken?"

Chu Minghao looked seventeen or eighteen. His smile was sincere and bright. "It is a long story, and this is not the place to talk. Come, let us find a restaurant and discuss it in detail... Rest assured, you two. I came to help you."

Xu Shilan seemed to trust Chu Minghao greatly. She nodded at Wu Pifu and Yamadai as well, so the two naturally agreed to go with him.

But after only two steps, Chu Minghao suddenly stopped. He looked at Wu Pifu, then toward the distance, and smiled. "Wait a few seconds for me."

The others were confused. Then they saw Chu Minghao suddenly slap the sword case on his back. In an instant, heaven and earth turned black and white. Everyone froze in place. Even falling leaves hung motionless in the air. Their very thoughts vanished. Only the Sleepless Spirit-Sense within Wu Pifu's sea of consciousness suddenly blazed with light. At the same time, the Yellow Lotus Fragment around his neck shone brightly as well. The two combined, allowing him to see everything clearly within that black-and-white world.

A sword light so dazzling it defied description surged from the sword case. In the blink of an eye, it flashed into the distance and returned. Amid the ringing of the sword case, color returned to heaven and earth.

Xu Shilan and Yamadai were completely bewildered. Only Wu Pifu wore an expression of utter shock and disbelief.

On the Imperial City's main street in the distance, the Daoist who was galloping toward them on horseback suddenly screamed and tumbled from his horse.

In terror, he felt his head and neck. After checking for a long while, just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, the Daoist crown atop his head suddenly split apart and fell to the ground.

The Daoist looked at the crown.

The crack was smooth as a mirror.