How events unfolded

In a small town not far away, Huo Hai slept until the sun was high before waking. Yesterday had been truly thrilling; only after everything was done had he felt utterly exhausted. Without even realizing it, he had become capable of going this far.

Huo Hai smiled faintly, got up, and went downstairs. He ordered an entire tableful of dishes and began wolfing them down in the dining hall.

"Hey, have you heard? The Imperial Capital is under complete lockdown. Apparently, people can get in but can't get out." Suddenly, Huo Hai heard a middle-aged man at the next table speaking quietly. The fellow was dressed as a mercenary, but he looked like an ordinary mercenary rather than an underground one. Come to think of it, the two kinds really were hard to tell apart.

"Bah, your news is already outdated. I just came out of the Imperial Capital myself. It was getting late when I left, though, so I had to stop here for a rest. You have no idea what a huge incident happened in the Imperial Capital today."

The man wore a smug expression after saying this, keeping everyone hungry for more. His words attracted not just that one listener, but everyone nearby. "Come on, tell us! What happened?"

After waiting a long while without hearing another word, the middle-aged man suddenly understood and shouted, "Innkeeper, bring me a jar of your best wine! Hey, can you tell us now?" This fellow had been waiting for him to offer something in return.

The man did not mind at all. Fully satisfied, he said, "Of course. Why wouldn't I tell you? Actually, early this morning, people discovered a whole lot of papers. What was written on them was no ordinary stuff. They listed all the jobs involving major