535: Chapter 86 Great General 535: Chapter 86 Great General Five cups of wine depleted, the sixth cup of wine hung suspended in midair in front of Xie Xuanyi.
The aroma of the wine overflowed.
The whole bamboo forest stirred with a sudden gust of wind, yet the scent of wine lingered on.
Drunken Immortal Brew, Duanchang Powder…
at this moment, it no longer mattered whether the porcelain bowl held wine or poison.
No more words were necessary.
Xie Xuanyi lifted the porcelain cup, tilted his head back, and drank it all, not a drop remaining, the liquid spilling over the corner of his lips and dampening his clothes.
Deng Baiyi, Mi Yun, silent and voiceless.
The scholar in green attire simply narrowed his eyes, quietly waiting for what would follow.
…
…
The Divine Sea swayed, Heart Lake rippled.
Xie Xuanyi closed his eyes, letting the potency of the Drunken Immortal Brew disperse in his blood.
The “Undying Spring” seemed to morph into a vortex, drawing in every drop of the brew, and with it, his divine thoughts, his consciousness, turning this brilliantly fleeting life into but a dreamlike illusion.
And then with a final “boom,”
It exploded like fireworks.
He glimpsed a shard of shattered memory.
[“Hiss, hiss, hiss!”]
The great fire spread everywhere.
Xie Xuanyi reopened his eyes, no longer surrounded by the swaying Lin Ye, nor by the killing intent that filled Qixia Mountain.
But by collapsing buildings, screaming crowds, and the Imperial City Guards in the scale armor marked with Emperor Chu’s dragon pattern.
This was…
The Imperial City.
To be precise, the Imperial City from ten years ago.
The death of Emperor Chu, the chaos in the Imperial City, this was a piece of forbidden history that was sealed away, with nobody knowing what had truly transpired in the Imperial City that year.
“Back off!
Back off!”
A sudden blast sounded in front of Xie Xuanyi.
The noise was like thunder, striking a chord in people’s hearts.
He instinctively moved back.
Just one step, and darkness enveloped him…
it turned out he was hiding in a small alley.
After making this move, Xie Xuanyi was stunned for a moment.
Under the influence of the Drunken Immortal Brew, he had indeed stumbled into this lost memory.
Everything happening now was merely a “replay” of the past, his instinctive step back was merely coincidence.
Retreating into the shadows,
Xie Xuanyi looked up at the horrific scene unfolding before him.
Fire ravaged, wails filled the sky.
A teahouse was on the brink of collapse when suddenly, a towering figure in black armor burst forth from the end of the street, a long spear in hand, his presence commanding.
With a sweep of his spear, he flung a massive burning beam into the air and then reached out his arm, scooping a little girl who had fallen to the ground into his arms.
The horse neighed loudly as they shot dozens of feet away from the inferno, and after escaping the sea of fire, the towering Iron Cavalry gently set the terrified child down, returning her to the crowd.
“Please be assured, the Imperial City Department is doing its utmost to extinguish the Demon Fire and apprehend the fugitives!”
The Iron Cavalry shouted in a loud voice: “Within an hour, peace will be restored to everyone here!”
Demon Fire?
Fugitives?
Xie Xuanyi was once again stunned as he stared intently at the towering Iron Cavalry.
His stature was imposing, his face concealed by the helmet, not easily discernible, but Xie Xuanyi felt an inexplicable familiarity…
as if he had seen this Iron Cavalry somewhere before.
Soon, the Imperial City Law Enforcers appeared under the Iron Cavalry’s command, extinguishing the fire in the alley, then on the parched, charred stone walls, they posted a wanted poster that was all too familiar.
On the wanted poster, prominently depicted, was himself.
“Sir, you must flee now!”
A voice of urgent concern came from behind him.
The term “Sir,” dropping into the Heart Lake, struck Xie Xuanyi profoundly…
had someone already addressed him in such a way more than a decade ago?
“He” slowly turned his head and saw a delicate face veiled by a large hemp robe.
The one calling him “Sir.”
Was a young woman with a pretty face, short red hair scattered about, and hints of the Imperial City’s black Scale Armor visible beneath the coarse hemp robe.
Was she one of the Imperial City…
Special Enforcement Officers?
Xie Xuanyi was uncertain.
“All the Imperial City Envoys have been mobilized, not to mention the Sandalwood Clothes Guard, the Black Scale Guards, the Book Tower Investigators…”
The woman bit her lip, “The news from the Moon Hidden Realm has been sealed, but it will eventually get out.
Fortunately, you’re in luck, somehow all the Great Demons from the Ren Shou Palace have escaped.
That Pure Blood Phoenix has sparked a great Demon Fire inside the Imperial City.
Now in these tumultuous times, if you don’t leave the city soon, you may never get out!”
“…”
Xie Xuanyi stood there, stunned, hardly able to believe these words.
As she spoke,
The woman tugged at his sleeve, leading him through the alley to the dark side, taking quick steps and speaking softly: “You don’t have much time left, at most half an hour.
In half an hour…
Once the one in the palace takes hold of the Dragon Token, the city will be completely under martial law.
When the Eight-direction City Gates are shut, not even the ‘Pure Yang Sect Leader’ would be able to take you away.”
[“Who are you?”]
Xie Xuanyi really wanted to ask this question aloud.
But regrettably…
this was not an illusion, but an actual memory unfolding.
Back then, he stumbled along as one severely ill, weakened to the extreme.
Just like that, he was led by the red-haired woman through the alleys until the shadows dispersed, and Xie Xuanyi saw a shabby horse-drawn carriage covered with straw thatching.
“Sir, I’m afraid the following journey will be somewhat inconvenient.
Due to my unique status, I cannot continue to escort you, so I’ve hired a Coachman.
In a quarter of an hour, under the pretense of transporting supplies, he will take you out of the city.”
“But you need not worry about your safety.
I have a dear friend who, despite his modest rank, is extremely honorable, and happens to be the North Gate Guard.
I have already spoken to him about this, and when it’s time to leave, he will not check this carriage…”