The major attack case at No. 1 High School finally came to an end. Facing public pressure, Tang Chengping had to hold a press conference. Unfortunately, National Security couldn’t catch Jing Huan, so the content of the press release was half true and half false. This incident involved more than two thousand teachers and students, which was quite a burden for Dou Zhang, the head of the aftermath department. He called over a hundred people to work with memory erasers for a whole day to replace everyone’s memories with system-set content. As a result, Director Dou raised the flag of ‘salary increase’ and prepared for an unprecedented ‘struggle’, only to be kindly pushed back to his office by the understanding Tang Chengping. A shout came from the inpatient department of the city hospital, startling a flock of small yellow birds from the treetops. Wu Wenyan sat by Sheng Feng’s hospital bed, narrating with great emotion: “Just in the nick of time! Our Director Dou Zhang took a swift step forward to stop Tang Chengping. But think about it, our Director Tang is famously stingy! Who else could it be…” After a few days, Sheng Feng slowly opened his eyes on a sunny morning, only to be ‘bombarded’ by the entire Group 7. Sheng Feng’s empty bedside was now piled with fruits and dairy products. He looked disdainfully at the large bag of milk powder Wu Wenyan brought. Did this guy get his head caught in a door to think he would drink this stuff?! Little Mayfly quietly peeled an apple with a fruit knife and handed it to Sheng Feng. Huang Rongxin sat by Sheng Feng’s bed, scolding him: “You’re not young anymore. Can’t you be more stable in your actions? If you take risks again, handle it yourself, don’t come to me!” Sheng Feng munched on the apple, letting the words go in one ear and out the other, responding perfunctorily. He recovered quickly. Although he still coughed, he no longer needed the ventilator. Apart from weakness in his limbs, there was nothing else. He could be discharged after another week of observation. Wu Wenyan was like a storyteller. From the moment he entered the ward, his mouth didn’t stop, amusing the elderly patients in the neighboring beds. Huang Rongxin found him noisy and grabbed him by the neck, dragging him out for some intense brainwashing. Sheng Feng signaled to Little Mayfly: “Have you seen Shen Yan recently?” Little Mayfly shook their head like a rattle. Sheng Feng sighed, thinking that perhaps his fate with Shen Yan had come to an end. Maybe it’s for the best, clear boundaries like in the beginning. Huang Rongxin returned alone, picked up the metal lunchbox to get Sheng Feng some food, then turned back, glaring at Sheng Feng. He mercilessly opened the third drawer of the bedside table and pulled out an ordinary notebook. “Hey, hey, hey! Shifu, don’t!” It was easy for Huang Rongxin to search Sheng Feng’s hidden items. He casually flipped through the notebook and, sure enough, found a few cigarettes inside. He pulled them out and snapped the notebook shut. Huang Rongxin said, “I see you’re not coughing much. From now on,” he waved the cigarettes, “say goodbye to these!” Sheng Feng watched as his cherished treasures were swept clean by Huang Rongxin and mercilessly destroyed in the dirty trash can, feeling a chill in his heart. It’s all Jing Huan’s fault! And that ungrateful Shen Yan! Little Mayfly made a bowl of oatmeal for Sheng Feng, who angrily shoveled it into his mouth with a spoon. Little Mayfly said, “Brother Sheng, eat slowly. I have some intelligence from Seventh Lord. Do you want to hear it?” Sheng Feng perked up his ears: “What intelligence?” Little Mayfly said, “While you were in a coma, Nugu Realm extended an olive branch to the Ghost King Du Guqian. Ten Directions Eye tore up the Heavenly Pivot Ghost Scroll and threw it by the Forgetting River, officially declaring war on the Underworld. I’m wondering if Nugu Realm will ally with Du Guqian to attack Xiyi Realm together?” These days, the human world was relatively calm, but the Underworld was in chaos because of Ten Directions Eye, and the judges were overwhelmed. Sheng Feng thought for a moment and said, “Since Gou Louyang was schemed against and Nugu Realm got a new ruler, both the Underworld and the human world have suffered to varying degrees. It seems the main issue lies with this new Nugu Realm Ghost King. Have you found out the identity of this new Ghost King?” Little Mayfly hesitated for a moment: “He claims to be… Su Jingran, the King of Mengliang.” Sheng Feng found this answer somewhat surreal. Even if ordinary people didn’t know Su Jingran, they should know the title ‘King of Mengliang’. He was a famous monarch of Mengliang, and one of the entrances to Xiyi Realm was set in the tomb of the King of Mengliang. Could it be that this historical figure from over two thousand years ago has not reincarnated and instead went to Nugu Realm to kill the old Ghost King Gou Louyang and usurp the throne? Little Mayfly said, “I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s indeed what Seventh Lord told me. He specifically asked me to tell you to be careful of Su Jingran. He’s not an ordinary ghost.” Indeed, not an ordinary ghost. To earn a line in the history books as ‘heartless and ruthless, truly a tyrant, skilled in manipulation’, he certainly wasn’t a simple fierce ghost. Nugu Realm went from being ignored to being feared in just a week. If the Ghost King is truly the infamous tyrant Su Jingran, Xiyi Realm is in for a lot of trouble. Sheng Feng asked, “Su Jingran wants to ally with Du Guqian. What’s Du Guqian’s attitude?” Little Mayfly said, “There’s no response yet. If the alliance succeeds, Xiyi Realm will be in great danger.” The sky outside began to darken, and it rained intermittently all afternoon. But Sheng Feng’s cough didn’t improve, and he coughed after every few words. After lunch, Sheng Feng picked up his phone to look up information. These days, except for going to the bathroom, he spent almost every moment in bed. He feared he would soon become one with the bed. Since he had no strength, he decided to use his brain. That person, the one who repeatedly appeared in his dreams, who exactly was he, and what connection did he have with the prematurely deceased Shen Zhuyao? Or perhaps, that person was Shen Zhuyao. But why would such a master-level figure send him dreams? These were the answers Sheng Feng wanted to pursue. However, things didn’t go as planned. The figure that haunted Sheng Feng’s dreams never appeared again, as if the last encounter was just a game arranged by the gods. The game ended, and everything turned to bubbles. No clues. Sheng Feng searched through all the historical stories about Su Jingran, the King of Mengliang. Shen Zhuyao was likely a historical figure from the same period. But the records were too vast, from Su Jingran’s birth, fratricide, ascension to the throne, to becoming a tyrant, spanning decades. And there was not a single mention of Yucheng Road in the official history. Sheng Feng’s head began to ache again. He planned to sleep and deal with these messy matters later. Accompanied by the sound of the elderly neighbors cracking melon seeds, he wrapped himself in the quilt and gradually fell asleep. … Swords and blades flashed before his eyes, carrying a spray of blood. A red horse neighed, breaking the sky. Iron hooves trampled the muddy ground, and the pouring rain mercilessly pounded on the cold armor. …Here it comes again. This was the fantastical dream Sheng Feng experienced daily. He could see the men in ancient armor talking in the dream, but he could only see their mouths moving, unable to hear what they were saying. The rain here was excessively heavy, washing over the horse’s body. Sheng Feng felt as if he were on horseback, swaying with each step, the armor clinging uncomfortably to his body. A warrior rode up from behind to report: “Sir! The army is assembled! Ready to attack the city!” Huh? He could hear them talking now! Sheng Feng’s perspective didn’t move, only nodding slightly. He gazed at the towering city walls in the distance, lost in thought. “Sir! It’s pouring rain now. The city’s soldiers will surely let their guard down. If we don’t attack now, when will we?! I hope you make a decision soon!” The soldier’s eyes seemed to blaze with urgency. Sheng Feng heard ‘himself’ ask, “Where is Shao Jiang?” This person was calm and composed, exuding a sense of tranquility in the face of change. As soon as he finished speaking, someone rode out from the woods behind: “Sir, were you looking for me?” The newcomer was different from the other soldiers, not wearing armor, holding an oiled paper umbrella, with a smiling face that seemed to hide a murderous intent. “Is your intelligence from inside the city accurate?” Sheng Feng heard ‘himself’ say. Shao Jiang smiled: “Sir, you’ve been in the court for years. Don’t you know the city’s troops better than I do? If I were to deceive you on this matter, wouldn’t I be humiliating myself?” From the moment Sheng Feng saw this Shao Jiang, he felt uncomfortable all over. That deliberately ingratiating smile always gave Sheng Feng goosebumps. “Alright then, gather the troops! Prepare to attack the city! Remember, our goal is to capture the King of Yan. No one is to harm the city’s civilians!” This was the first time Sheng Feng dreamed of such a clear battlefield scene. The city gates were easily breached by the troops, who advanced like a hot knife through butter, heading straight for the imperial palace. The rider moved like the wind, leading hundreds of generals swiftly into the palace. As he rushed in, Sheng Feng noticed that the palace was like a dead palace, gloomy, with all the splendid palace lanterns extinguished, plunging the entire royal city into silence. The stone-paved roads showed no sign of palace maids or eunuchs. The rider first reined in his horse, the red horse neighed, stopping on the oppressive stone road. “Sir, why is it so quiet?” The soldier also reined in his horse. Sheng Feng and the rider almost simultaneously realized something. He shouted, “It’s a trap! Retreat quickly!” As he spoke, he was about to turn his horse around and run back. At the same time, countless arrows rained down from the towering walls, instantly killing several slow-reacting soldiers. Even though the red horse ran fast, it was still no match for the arrows. Sheng Feng felt something hit his back, and the next second, both he and the horse fell onto the rain-soaked stone road. Sheng Feng saw blood flowing with the rain in front of him, thinking that the dream’s protagonist was about to fail. In less than two minutes, nearly a hundred people perished on Yellow Springs Road. Horse and human corpses lay scattered on the ground, blood flowing like a river. Sheng Feng felt someone grab his collar and lift him into the air, a cold ring brushing against his face. “My dear minister, this is not how you stage a coup. How does it feel to be deceived?” “I valued you so much, and if you had begged for mercy, I might have spared your worthless life. But you refused. Shen Zhuyao, you’re wasting such a face! Who are you trying to impress with that lofty demeanor?!”