Su Ziji rode an ox cart toward the city. The people on the road had yet to recover from their fright; some shut their doors, while others gathered to discuss what had happened. The streets were naturally deserted, with many abandoned stalls left in utter disarray.
Su Ziji had no heart to look closely. He merely sat lost in thought, easing his headache. This time did not seem as bad as the last; he could likely get through it without falling unconscious.
But with matters in such a hopeless tangle, how could he possibly sort out the threads? Even if he isolated everyone who might have leaked the information, could Bu Hui safely make it through this year?
...As his thoughts ran wild, the ox cart entered the Capital City. There were gradually more and more people, and the cart slowed further and further, swaying along. Before he knew it, Su Ziji suddenly felt his body go weightless and float high into the air. Dark specks flew past him—they were birds that had returned after spring warmed.
"Eh, what's happening to me?" He seemed to be hovering in the air, even flapping his wings, with a flock of birds around him. Suddenly, the birds' feathers bristled as they let out cries of "Chirp! Chirp-chirp!"
"What is that?"
Something below had alarmed even these birds with little intelligence, making them cry out in terror.
Su Ziji froze. Looking down from above, his expression changed as well.
The Capital City below lay like a board scattered with stars, dotted with temples and Divine Shrines. It had seemed entirely ordinary, but suddenly, with a boom, a bright flame erupted in one place.
"Eh, that's Liu Zhan's Daoist temple from earlier." He had barely recognized it when another boom sounded. The nearest Divine Shrine