Cao Cao had delivered an impassioned speech at Wang Yun's residence, but with the star's fall and the sudden news that followed, the banquet came to an abrupt end.
On the way home, he could think of nothing but the report that the Grand Tutor's residence had been destroyed by the falling star. As soon as he reached his own residence, he sent someone to investigate and finally received confirmation.
"That Dong villain truly committed so many evils and turned all right and wrong upside down that even High Heaven could bear it no longer. It sent down a great star to strike him dead! Now that the chief villain is gone, I must rouse myself and uphold the Han House!"
Cao Cao was far from the only one to hear. Before long, officials and powerful families throughout Luoyang, great and small, knew the news. Talk of the mandate resting with the Liu clan and the Han Dynasty enduring forever filled the city. Even Dong Zhuo's troops, remembering the strange sight that night, grew uneasy when they heard. Niu Fu, Li Jue, Guo Si, and the others could not make up their minds and did not immediately march on Luoyang.
But with the Western Liang Army stationed outside, Luoyang's dignitaries could hardly rest easy. All sides began plotting. Beauty traps, sow discord, counter-espionage stratagems, provocation tactics—schemes both covert and overt sprang up one after another around the ancient city.
The Cultivation World was another matter entirely. On the night the star fell, cultivators from every quarter had raised flying swords and treasures to search the skies. But the star's aftershock soon shook their minds. Many Fourth Realm True Persons even suffered grievous injuries, their blood running backward and their divine senses wavering!
After that, no sect dared investigate again. Chen