A Sudden Attack

"Understood." Nailuotian added, "I have divined your lifeline; there are no ill omens." He Chunhua breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Nailuotian truly understood human nature and knew precisely what concerned him most right now. "As for He Lingchuan—" He Chunhua pricked up his ears. "His destiny remains somewhat obscured, but in general, it follows a pattern of misfortune followed by fortune, aligning with our expectations," Nailuotian said indifferently. "The fate of a divine descent vessel is intertwined with that of a celestial god, making it inherently difficult to divine." He Chunhua asked, half-comprehending, "Does 'misfortune first' refer to the divine descent?" "You could put it that way." The descent of a celestial god was naturally a catastrophe for the physical vessel. "And what of the subsequent fortune?" Did the subsequent fortune refer to Nailuotian's successful descent? After all, both fortune and misfortune applied to He Lingchuan's body. From the boy's own perspective, the agony, uncertainty, and loss of control brought by a divine descent were indisputably misfortune. But after the god descended, could the enhancement of the body be considered fortune? Perhaps they would succeed in seizing the Dafang Pot and escaping the Panlong Ruins because of it? Or did this fortune mean that once their journey into the Panlong Desert concluded, everything would go smoothly thereafter? He Chunhua's mind was in turmoil, accompanied by another lingering worry: Could Nailuotian be deceiving him? Foretelling future good fortune for He Lingchuan merely so that He Chunhua would summon the god without hesitation? Yet how could a "divine descent" ever be considered a blessing for Chuan'er? Before Nailuotian could answer, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. Dawn had not yet broken in the east, but He Chunhua heard frantic footsteps outside the inn and someone shrieking, "Help!" Having just left the front lines, he was exceptionally sensitive to the sounds of battle. He took two strides toward the window and reached out, only to remember he was still communing with a deity. Turning back, he saw that the incense on the table had gone out, and the gray smoke in the air had dispersed. Nailuotian was already gone. Only then did He Chunhua push open the window and look out. Flames leaped into the sky. Having lived in Blackwater City for nearly twenty years, a single glance was enough to tell him that the fires were at the government office and the armory. His heart sank instantly. Disaster. Who would strike those two locations first? If not rebels, it had to be external enemies! Blackwater City was located in the west; domestic rebels would not attack this far out. Thus, the only possibility— It seemed his eldest son's warning from the night before had not been without merit. He Chunhua quickly threw on his clothes and ran to knock on his eldest son's door. "Chuan'er!" He knocked several times, but He Lingchuan did not answer. He Chunhua simply snapped the door latch with a burst of force and pushed inside. The room was completely empty. Where was he? A surge of panic hit him, but then his eldest son's voice came from behind. "Father, something's happened outside!" He Chunhua spun around to see his son fully dressed, his hair immaculately tied. He couldn't help asking, "Where have you been?" "Catching grasshoppers and frogs with Qiu Hu. We were roasting them in the backyard." He Lingchuan held out his left hand, and indeed, he was holding several bamboo skewers. The plump grasshoppers and long-legged frogs speared upon them were still wafting a savory, charred aroma. Qiu Hu also emerged nearby. In truth, whenever He Chunhua shut himself away in private—whether to sleep or do anything else—He Lingchuan refused to stay too close. He wasn't sure if this cheap father of his would secretly perform some ritual and summon Nailuotian into the mortal realm while his guard was down. As long as He Lingchuan wasn't nearby, the ritual couldn't be carried out. With the situation urgent, He Chunhua did not dwell on the oddity and simply said, "Come with me to find Prefect Hu!" The Mount Rong disciples assembled swiftly, and He Chunhua's personal guards rushed over as well. Over a hundred men gathered and sprinted toward the government office. He Lingchuan held nothing back, offering a reminder: "Send men to protect the North Gate." He Chunhua felt a sudden jolt. Of course. He had already deduced that the attackers had to be external enemies. No matter what chaos they stirred up, as long as the northern gate was held, the unrest inside the city would eventually be quelled. "Zhao Qinghe!" Zhao Qinghe stepped forward at the call and departed with fifty men, rushing toward the North Gate. Meanwhile, He Chunhua arrived at the government office to find petty officials and runners scurrying about like headless flies, with no sign of Prefect Hu. He grabbed a minor clerk and demanded, "Where is Prefect Hu?" He Chunhua had served as prefect of Blackwater City for many years, and this clerk had originally been his subordinate. Seeing his former superior, the man calmed down considerably. "Prefect Hu hasn't... hasn't come!" He Chunhua frowned and jerked his chin toward a guard. "Go to the Hu residence and find him!" The guard acknowledged the order and set off, but before he had gone a hundred paces, a bailiff rushed over, his face drained of color. "Lord He, my lord! Prefect Hu has been slain in his home!" Less than three shichen after parting at the tavern, Prefect Hu was dead? He Chunhua's heart tightened. "Who did it?" "His family identified them as several burly men who scaled the wall and killed him in two strikes!" He Chunhua immediately drew a command token from his robes and barked in a resonant voice, "I am temporarily taking command of Blackwater City's affairs! Where are the patrol guards?" Behind them, the fire at the government office had yet to be extinguished. Yet He Chunhua had served as an official here for more than a decade; everyone from the clerks to the common folk recognized him. After he shouted three times, the crowd's panic subsided considerably, and they began following orders. In less than half a quarter of an hour, the chaotic situation had vastly improved. The commander of the city defense garrison also came to report, welcoming the return to power of his former superior with open arms. He Chunhua immediately issued an arrest warrant on the spot for the assassins who had murdered Prefect Hu. Yet there was no sign of relief on his face. Those perpetrators hadn't infiltrated Blackwater City to set fires and murder on a mere whim, had they? Just then, the rapid clanging of a bell rang out from the north: *Clang, clang, clang, clang!* The panic that had barely subsided inside the city flared up once again. In a border fortress, that bell had only one meaning: An invasion by external enemies! The warning bell of Blackwater City had not tolled in nearly ten years. He Chunhua immediately led his men toward the North Gate. Blackwater City was less than half the size of the secondary capital, Shihuan City. Running from the government office to the North Gate took less than a quarter of an hour. The battlements had just come into view when shouts erupted ahead. Everyone looked closely to see He Chunhua's personal guards pursuing several men into a residential district. Their chase sent chickens flying and dogs jumping, amidst endless cries of alarm. With a glance, He Lingchuan found the men being pursued somewhat familiar. "Qiu Hu, leave one alive." Qiu Hu nodded and crooked a finger. Three Mount Rong disciples followed closely behind him as they darted into a side alley. He Chunhua advanced another hundred paces or so to reach the North Gate, where another scene of chaos unfolded: The city gates were still shut, but they were being pounded with booming crashes. Several dozen of He Chunhua's personal guards were bracing their bodies against the gates to prevent the crossbar from giving way under the strain. The remaining dozen men, alongside the newly arrived city defense troops, stood atop the gatehouse shooting arrows downward. The enemy was already at the city gates? So fast! Zhao Qinghe strode over to greet him. "My lord, several scoundrels took advantage of the confusion to attack and kill the gate guards, attempting to throw the gates open. We arrived just in time to cut them off." With that, he pointed toward the gatehouse. Everyone saw more than a dozen corpses lying on the ground—some belonging to guards, others to the assailants. Fresh blood splattered the walls, evidence of how ferocious the clash had just been. "The remaining seven or eight fled into the streets." He Chunhua was inwardly startled. If Zhao Qinghe hadn't arrived in time, Blackwater City's gates would already have been wide open, allowing the enemy army to march straight in.