Dock
In the dusk, the gray towers of the distant Capital City stood faintly visible, "wind-killing" lamps lit everywhere. Boats lay moored across the water, while the bustling crowds onshore had vanished without a trace. An's quiet now prevailed. Armored soldiers stood sentry every few paces, hands resting on their sword hilts as they coldly surveyed anyone attempting to approach.
The people of the Capital City immediately knew something had happened. Quite a few hid in the distance, especially in taverns and tea houses, peeking out from time to time.
"What happened?"
"I heard some noble person was assassinated!" A middle-aged man mysteriously glanced around before saying in a furtive voice, "Several people died."
"How did you know?"
"My nephew was on the pleasure boat and just sent word down!" The speaker sighed repeatedly. "Oh my, the pleasure boat is a river of blood right now!"
Everyone's eyes widened, yet they listened with relish. A young man dressed as a Cultivated Talent tapped his palm with a folding fan and sneered. "Stop making things up. The pleasure boat isn't even allowed to dock—how could your nephew send word down? Long-distance voice transmission?"
The middle-aged man saw that he was a Cultivated Talent and did not directly refute him. He merely said, "Maybe I am making things up, but look at all these armored soldiers. Could such a display be for some trifling matter? ...Look, the people from Shuntian Prefecture have arrived."
The crowd was startled and could not help pressing toward the windows to look. On the broad dock, an ox cart arrived. The whistling wind swept past, yet the straight-backed soldiers did not move an inch. The atmosphere was grim and murderous, making everyone shudder. One person sighed. "Something truly has happened."
Although Great Zheng had entered a period