Nightwatcher

# 97. The Clouds Change

The voice was terrifying enough to make Xu Qi'an's hairs stand on end, causing his head to turn toward Sangpo Lake.

The Nightwatchers in charge of guarding the surrounding area weren't allowed to turn around to observe the ceremony. Xu Qi'an had already overstepped the rules.

He saw Emperor Yuanjing, wearing a bright yellow uniform, kowtow every three steps to slowly reach the platform. He also saw the officials, imperial princes, and imperial princesses who were watching the ceremony from the shore. He also saw Wei Yuan and his two adopted sons who were watching the ceremony.

He saw the magnificent temple, saw the imperial army, and saw the eunuchs too.

The moment he turned his head, the voice disappeared.

*Am I hallucinating?*

*I just haven't seen Fuxiang for three days, my eyes haven’t got hazy?*

Xu Qi'an, after taking a deep breath, didn't dare to look further, turned his head before asking, "What do you know about Sangpo?"

Zhu Guangxiao and Song Tingfeng replied to him but didn't have any valuable information to give him. They didn't say anything beyond, "The place where the founding emperor attained his dao", "Divine sword presented by the Black Tortoise", "The place where the royal family worships their ancestors" and other things Xu Qi'an already knew.

"Save me, save me..."

The voice sounded again, like a ghost lying on his back, whispering to his ears.

Xu Qi'an stiffened his neck and turned his neck inch by inch until he came to observe the scene of the sacrifice again. The voice had, yet again, disappeared after he turned his head.

Fear of the invisible filled up his mind, and goosebumps appeared all over his body.

*In Sangpo Lake, the place where the founding emperor attained his dao, the place where the royal family worships their ancestors, a cry for help appeared...* Xu Qi'an shivered slowly in the cold.

"Save me, save me..."

"Save me, save me..."

Xu Qi'an became even more terrified and thought of running away and staying away from this. He forcibly calmed himself down, and took out the jade mirror, without paying any attention to his colleagues nearby.

【THREE: What do you know about Sangpo? Tell me quickly. It's very important.】

【TWO: Oh, You actually replied, THREE. Are you actually in the Sacrifice Site in Sangpo?】

Xu Qi'an ignored Number Two and waited a few minutes when he saw Number Four's message.

【FOUR: Sangpo is the place where the founding Emperor of the Great Feng attained his dao. After Great Feng was established, he chose Sangpo as his capital. However, there is no evidence of the legend about the Xuanwu black turtle, so it isn't very credible.

【But, the divine sword really exists. The sword of the founding emperor is enshrined in the temple in the middle of the high platform in the lake.】

After Number Four had finished speaking, Daoist Jinlinan added

【NINE: It is a Divine Weapon that symbolizes Great Feng's National Destiny.[^1]】

【FOUR: Indeed. In the Mountain and Sea Campaign, Emperor Yuanjing went to the capital to get the divine weapon and present it to the Zhenbei King. Among the reasons for the victory at the Mountain and Sea Campaign, Wei Yuan's military might is regarded as a major reason. However, the Zhenbei King's combat prowess couldn't be ignored as another reason.】

*The divine Sword is enshrined in the temple.*

*Was the sword the one calling for help?*

*Let's not mention the possibility of the sword developing self-awareness. Why would it seek my help?*

"Save me, save me...!" the voice suddenly became shrill, as if it was dissatisfied at Xu Qi'an's indifference.

The cry for help echoed in his ears, and shook Xu Qi'an's spirit, making him feel dizzy, and his consciousness confused.

He took a deep breath, after which he inquired for more information:

【THREE: Is there any more information? I want more information about it. As long as they are in the historical records, regardless of their authenticity, I want to know them all.】

After passing a message to the Earth Book, he took a glance back, trying to calm the whispers in his ears.

But he wasn't successful this time. Even if he turned his head, the cry for help still echoed in his ears.

"Save me, save me!"

Veins bulged in Xu Qi'an's forehead, as the voice pierced his mind as a steel needle would.

【FOUR: You reminded me of something, A record I had read back then when I was revising the history books.

【Sangpo is now guarded by the troops from the five armies in the capital. The defences are tight. No one is allowed to approach without permission. I do mean anyone.

【This is because, five hundred years ago, when the crown prince of that time was playing in Sangpo by boat, he accidentally fell into the lake. After being rescued by the guards, he fell into serious illness and suffered from Hysteria. Half a year later, his drowned body washed up the shores of Sangpo Lake】

【The royal family believed that the crown prince had offended the heroic souls of his ancestors and provoked such punishment. To prevent such incidents from happening again, they sealed Sangpo's doors and only allowed them to be opened for the reason of Ancestor Worship.】

*The prince fell into the lake and fell into hysteria... Was he the same as me and heard a cry for help... Will I also make the same mistake and my drowned body be found on the shores of Sangpo?*

*There should be some secret in Sangpo. So, the crown prince didn't die due to offending the heroic souls of his ancestors. The out-of-luck crown prince didn't know the secret, otherwise, he wouldn't have gone boating to the Sangpo.*

*It may be theorized that only the Emperor and past Emperors know of this secret.*

*However, Why didn't the Emperor who knew about the secrets of this place, wait for someone to die before taking action?*

Xu Qi'an, who was good at reasoning, had doubts flashing in his mind.

【SIX: Why are you asking this, THREE?】

At the moment, Xu Qi'an didn't have any energy left over for answering questions. He tremblingly stuffed the fragment of the Earth Book back into his pocket, then knelt down powerlessly on the ground holding his head, with a painful expression on his face.

“Save me, save me…”

The cries for help still reached his ears, echoing time and time again, grinding his head to paste. He was feeling as if a steel needle was being pierced into his cranial cavity.

He felt as if his head was about to crack open.

Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao noticed the abnormality of their colleague, and were taken aback by Xu Qi'an's pale face.

"What's the matter with you? Can you still hold on? You can't mess up at this time. If you interrupt or disturb his Majesty in his Ancestor Worship, You would have committed a capital offense." Song Tingfeng became anxious.

Zhu Guangxiao moved a little bit, trying to get closer to check the situation.

...

At the time, Emperor Yuanjing had already climbed onto the high platform. The drums and music had already stopped. The Minister of Rites knelt to read the offering prayer, after which the music rose again.

Emperor Yuanjing personally burnt the prayer, and then performed the three kneels and nine prayers.

The ancestor worship was only halfway done right now.

Wei Yuan withdrew his gaze to take a look at the Empress, who wasn't too far away. She was graceful and elegant, her elegance feeling as if it was granted by the heavens.

Even if she was the biological mother of the Eldest Princess, the Empress's appearance wasn't that similar to the Eldest Princess. However, she had beauty capable of felling nations, as back then, and her grace and elegance hadn't diminished a bit from her youth.

One can only imagine how beautiful she was back in the old days.

It's just that the years have passed, and she was no longer the young and innocent girl with delicately carved eyebrows and bright eyes.

But he was still the same as before, still dressed in Bright Azure Clothes.

Wei Yuan became dazed.

Feeling something, the Empress, the mother of the nation, took a light look at him, and the two looked at each other across the air.

The empress's eyes softened for a while.

Wei Yuan looked away as if he had got an electric shock, and hastily bowed. All the emotions in his eyes precipitated, only leaving some abstruse vicissitudes on the outside.

"Father, the situation over there isn't right." Yang Yan said, in a deep voice.

Wei Yuan followed his gaze and saw a Bronze Gong kneeling on the ground, and the two Bronze Gongs beside him talking to him with their heads turned.

Many Higher ups had noticed the situation over on Xu Qi'an's side.

It's just that there wasn't any crisis for the time being, so they endured this. As long as no assassins appeared, they could wait for his majesty's ancestor worship to finish to complete other affairs.

Including settling accounts with this small bronze gong.

Wei Yuan noticed that he was the young man he appreciated, and raised his chin, " Go and check the situation, then take him outside."

This was done to protect Xu Qi'an.

...

“Save me, save me…”

Hearing this ghostly sound, Xu Qi'an's spirit was being torn apart. Sometimes, he felt like he was a criminal policeman of the modern era, and at others, he felt that he was a native of the capital.

The throbbing pain in his head had begun to increase in severity, pushing him to the edge of collapse.

*My head hurts, Don't shout, Don't Shout, Please Don't shout...* Xu Qi'an covered his head, as sweat flowed down.

He had been sweating profusely already.

The strange cry for help was aimed at his soul, not his body, but the pain it brought was no less than physical torture.

Amidst the strange cries for help, Xu Qi'an finally collapsed. He didn't care about the emperor's ancestor worship, the strict rules, or anything else for that matter.

On the verge of death, nothing else mattered.

He clenched both his hands into fists, and pounded the ground heavily before he roared hoarsely,

"SHUT UP!"

Suddenly, the clouds changed.

On the high platform in the lake, the temple suddenly shook, immediately after which, a golden sword qi shattered through the eaves, and rushed into the expansive sky.

With the ray of sword qi, the lake suddenly burst into waves, surging layer by layer, causing Sangpo Lake to come alive.

---

[^1]: The original Chinese could be read as luck, destiny, fortune, fate, or anything in that vein.