The Winds and Clouds Changed

The sound was so terrifying that it made the hairs on Xu Qi'an's back stand on end, and he reflexively turned his head to look at Sangbo Lake.

The night Nightwatchers responsible for guarding the surroundings were not allowed to turn around to watch the ceremony; Xu Qi'an had already overstepped that line.

He saw Emperor Yuanjing, who was slowly ascending the stage, bowing every three steps, wearing a bright yellow imperial robe. He also saw the civil and military officials, princes and princesses watching the ceremony on the shore, and Wei Yuan and his two adopted sons.

I saw a magnificent temple, I saw the imperial guards, and I saw eunuchs.

The sound disappeared the instant he turned around.

Are you hallucinating?

I haven't looked for Fuxiang for three days, and my eyesight isn't blurry at all.

Xu Qi'an took a deep breath, not daring to look any longer, and turned his head back, asking, "How much do you know about Sangbo?"

Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng replied, but there was no valuable information. It was nothing more than the things that Xu Qi'an already knew, such as "the place where the founding emperor proved his Dao," "the place where Xuanwu bestowed the sword," and "the place where the royal family worshipped their ancestors."

"Help me, help me!"

The voice came again, like an evil spirit crawling on your back and whispering in your ear.

Xu Qi'an stiffened his neck and slowly turned his head, seeing the sacrificial scene again. But the sound disappeared the moment he turned his head.

An invisible fear filled his heart, and goosebumps rose all over his body.

At Sangbo Lake, where the Great Feng Dynasty attained enlightenment and where the royal family held annual ancestral worship ceremonies, came eerie cries for help. In the cold wind, Xu Qi'an slowly shivered.

"Help me, help me!"

"Help me, help me!"

Xu Qi'an felt a chill run down his spine, and the thought of running away and getting far away arose in his mind. He forced himself to calm down, no longer caring about his colleagues, and took out the small jade mirror.

[Three: How much do you know about Sangbo? Tell me immediately, this is very important.]

[Two: Oh, Number Three replied! You were really at the sacrificial site, in Sangbo?]

Xu Qi'an ignored Number Two and waited a few seconds before seeing Number Four's message.

[4: Sangbo is where the Great Feng Dynasty attained enlightenment. After the establishment of the Great Feng, he chose Sangbo as the capital. However, the legend of Xuanwu is unverifiable and not very credible.]

But the divine sword truly exists; it is enshrined in the temple on the high platform in the middle of the lake, the very sword once used by the founding emperor.

After Number Four finished speaking, Master Jinlian added:

[Nine: That is a divine weapon symbolizing the Great Feng of the Feng Dynasty.]

[Four: Indeed, during the Battle of Shanhai Pass, Emperor Yuanjing went to a temple to summon divine weapons, which he personally presented to the Prince of Zhenbei. The victory at Battle of Shanhai was due not only to Wei Yuan's formidable military prowess, but also to the undeniable fighting strength of the Prince of Zhenbei.]

Is there a divine sword enshrined in the temple?

Was the sword calling for my help?

Putting aside whether the sword has self-awareness, why is it asking me for help?

"Save me, save me!" The voice suddenly became shrill, seemingly dissatisfied with Xu Qi'an's indifference.

The cries for help echoed in his ears, shaking Xu Qi'an's mind and causing him to feel slightly dizzy and his consciousness to become confused.

He took a deep breath and typed: [Three: Anything else? I need more comprehensive information; I want to know everything recorded in history, whether true or false.]

After delivering the message, he glanced back, hoping to quell the whispers in his ear.

But this time it didn't work. He turned back, and the cries for help still lingered in his ears.

"Help me, help me!"

The veins on Xu Qi'an's forehead bulged; the voice was like a steel needle piercing his mind.

[Four: You stirred up my memories, reminding me of a passage I read when I was revising history books.]

Sangbo is now surrounded by the military camps of the Five Guards of the capital, with tight security. No one is allowed to approach it without permission. Yes, no one.

Five hundred years ago, the then-crown prince was boating on Sangbo Lake when he accidentally fell into the lake. After being rescued by his guards, he fell seriously ill and developed hysteria. Six months later, he was found drowned in Sangbo Lake.

The royal family believed that the crown prince had angered the spirits of their ancestors, thus incurring punishment. To prevent such incidents from happening again, they sealed off Sangbo Lake, opening it only during ancestral worship ceremonies.

The prince fell into the lake and developed hysteria. Was he like me, hearing cries for help? Will I also suffer the same fate and eventually be found drowned in Sangbo Lake?

Thinking of this, Xu Qi'an felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar, and his face turned pale.

There must be some secret hidden in Sangbo Lake, something that could not possibly offend the spirits of our ancestors, but that unfortunate prince was unaware of it; otherwise, he would never have gone boating on Sangbo Lake.

It's easy to imagine that this secret was probably known only to emperors throughout history.

However, why didn't the emperor, who knew the inside story, ban Sangbo until the crown prince died?

Xu Qi'an, who was good at reasoning, had a series of questions flashing through his mind.

[Six: Why did Number Three ask this?]

At this moment, Xu Qi'an had no energy left to answer their questions. He shakily stuffed the fragments of the Earth Book back into his arms, then knelt down helplessly, holding his head, his expression pained.

"Help me, help me!"

The cries for help echoed in his ears, layer upon layer, making his brain go blank, as if a steel needle had been pierced into his skull.

My head is throbbing.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao noticed their colleague's unusual behavior and were startled by Xu Qi'an's bloodless face.

"What's wrong with you? Can you hold on? We can't afford to mess this up now. If we interrupt or disturb His Majesty's ancestral worship, it's a capital offense." Song Tingfeng was anxious.

Zhu Guangxiao shifted his feet, intending to come over and check the situation.

At this moment, Emperor Yuanjing had already ascended the high platform. The drums and music stopped, and the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices knelt to read the prayer. After he finished reading, the music resumed.

Emperor Yuanjing personally burned the prayer text and performed the ritual of three kneelings and nine prostrations to his ancestors.

The ancestral worship ceremony is only halfway through.

Wei Yuan withdrew his gaze and looked at the Empress not far away, who was graceful and elegant with natural poise.

As the birth mother of the eldest princess, the two women did not resemble each other, but the empress was still a stunning beauty, and even now, she remains elegant and noble.

One can only imagine how stunningly beautiful she was back then.

But as time has passed, her youthful beauty has faded, and she is no longer the pretty, innocent girl she once was.

She herself remained the same as before, dressed in a blue robe.

Wei Yuan appeared dazed.

As if sensing something, the empress, who was the mother of the nation, turned around gracefully, and the two looked at each other across the distance.

The Empress's gaze softened for a moment.

Wei Yuan averted his gaze as if struck by lightning, and hurriedly bowed. All emotions had subsided in his eyes, leaving only a profound sense of vicissitude.

"Godfather, something's not right over there," Yang Yan said in a deep voice.

Wei Yuan followed his gaze and saw a gong player kneeling on the ground, while two other gong players beside him turned their heads and spoke to him.

Many experts have already noticed Xu Qi'an's situation.

There was no immediate crisis, so he refrained from interfering. As long as there were no assassins, he would wait until His Majesty finished his ancestral worship ceremony, no matter how big the problem was.

This includes settling scores with that little gong later.

Wei Yuan recognized the young man he had his eye on at a glance, and raised his chin. "Go check on the situation and take him away."

This is to protect Xu Qi'an.

"Help me, help me!"

The incessant, death-dealing shouts tore at Xu Qi'an's mind, making him feel like a detective living in a new era one moment and a native of Beijing the next.

The throbbing pain in his brain intensified, and he was on the verge of a breakdown.

"My head hurts so much, please stop shouting, please stop shouting! "Xu Qi'an covered his head, large beads of sweat rolling down his face.

In fact, he was already drenched in sweat.

The eerie cries for help were directed at his Primordial Spirit, not his body, but the pain they caused was no less than physical torture.

Amidst the eerie cries for help, Xu Qi'an finally broke down. He didn't care about the emperor's ancestral worship, the strict rules, or anything else.

When facing certain death, nothing else matters.

He clenched his fists and pounded the ground, roaring hoarsely:

"Shut up!!"

In an instant, the weather changed dramatically.

On the high platform in the lake, the temple suddenly trembled, and then a golden Sword Qi shattered the eaves and shot into the sky.

Within this sword light, the lake water suddenly rippled, surging in layers, as if Sangbo had come to life.

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