From Fanwu to Xinghai

Chapter 14 Shocking Changes in the Imperial City

Liuhe Town.

Lin Chen woke up to the scent of medicine.

The room that came into view was small, with a wooden structure and translucent paper pasted on the window frames. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting dappled shadows on the walls.

He lay on a wooden plank bed, covered with a coarse cotton quilt. Beside the bed was a wooden shelf filled with bottles and jars, various pills, ointments, and herbal powders, all neatly arranged.

"woke up?"

An old voice came from the side.

Lin Chen turned his head and saw an old man with gray hair sitting on a small stool by the bed, holding a bowl of dark medicinal soup in his hand.

"You've been unconscious for two whole days." The old man handed over the medicinal soup. "Drink it."

Lin Chen struggled to sit up and took the medicine. The medicine was bitter, but after swallowing it, a warm current slowly spread along his meridians, making him feel much better.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome." The old man took back the bowl. "Brother Chen asked me to take care of you."

He called himself "Brother Chen," which clearly indicates that he had a close relationship with Uncle Chen.

"My name is Zhou Quan, and I'm the manager of Wanbaozhai," the old man introduced himself. "You can just call me Uncle Zhou."

Lin Chen nodded.

"Uncle Zhou, where did Uncle Chen go?"

"He didn't say." Zhou Quan shook his head. "He left you three days ago, only saying he'd be back in three days at most."

Three days ago... that's today.

Lin Chen looked down at his hands.

He tried circulating his spiritual energy and found that it had indeed recovered considerably, but it was still far from its peak. The damage from that day's overdraft of lifespan had far exceeded his expectations; not only was his spiritual energy depleted, but even his meridians had developed fine cracks.

"Your injuries are healing faster than expected." Zhou Quan looked him over, his tone tinged with surprise. "Three days of overdrafting your lifespan would have taken at least half a month for an ordinary person to recover."

"You have a special constitution."

Lin Chen did not explain.

He got up, walked to the window, and opened it.

Liuhe Town is small, but very lively. People come and go on the streets, and the cries of vendors rise and fall. It looks like an ordinary border town, not much different from Qingshi Town.

But Lin Chen knew that beneath the calm surface, turbulent undercurrents were brewing.

The Dark Blade Pavilion will not let this go. Although Shadow Seven is seriously injured, he is just an assassin, and there are even more powerful members of the Dark Blade Pavilion behind him.

Those forces that covet the fragments of the River of Time—the royal family, the major clans…—will not stop their efforts either.

"Brother Chen wants you to stay here and recover from your injuries. Don't go out," Zhou Quan's voice came from behind. "It's not safe outside."

Lin Chen nodded.

But he knew he couldn't hide here forever.

evening.

Lin Chen was meditating in his room when he suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

"Uncle Zhou! Uncle Zhou!"

A young man's voice, urgent and flustered.

Zhou Quan pushed open the door and went out, but quickly returned, his face extremely grim.

"Lin Chen," he said, "I might have to go out for a bit."

A body has been found outside the town.

Lin Chen was taken aback.

"A corpse?"

"The body of a royal guard," Zhou Quan said in a low voice, "and... there was something on that body."

He paused.

"A letter. It mentions your name."

Lin Chen's heart sank.

Half an hour later.

In the dense forest outside Liuhe Town.

Lin Chen and Zhou Quan stood in front of a big tree.

In the grass beneath the tree, a corpse dressed in black lay on the ground. The body was already stiff, the face was contorted, and the death was gruesome. A sharp weapon had pierced the chest, killing the victim instantly.

"They're from the 'Shadow Guard' unit of the Royal Guard." Zhou Quan crouched down to examine the body. "Elites among the Royal Guard, specializing in secret missions."

He turned the corpse's palm over and looked at the lines on it.

"Number 037... Shadow Guard No. 037"

Lin Chen looked at him.

"Uncle Zhou, do you know these bodyguards?"

Zhou Quan remained silent for a moment.

"I used to...do some less-than-respectable jobs," he mumbled. "Later, I quit and opened this Wanbaozhai."

He didn't explain further.

Lin Chen didn't press further. Everyone has a past they'd rather not talk about.

Zhou Quan pulled a blood-soaked leather envelope from the corpse's arms.

The envelope was unsigned, with only a simple drawing—a soaring eagle.

"A royal token." Zhou Quan's expression turned serious.

He opened the envelope and took out a neatly folded letter.

By the moonlight, the two looked over together.

The letter was very short.

Secret Report: Shadow Seven of the Dark Blade Pavilion ambushed a defector surnamed Chen and the target youth, Lin Chen, in a valley outside Cloud City. The defector's strength far exceeded expectations, and with the intervention of a third-party expert, Ye Jiuge, Shadow Seven was severely injured and forced to retreat. The target youth appears to possess time-related abilities; the pursuit level must be increased. Additionally: Abnormal spiritual energy fluctuations have been observed in the Imperial City, suspected to be related to the energy of ancient ruins. The Emperor's health is deteriorating, and the Crown Prince's faction is stirring. This is a matter of great importance; please return to the capital immediately to report.

At the end of the letter, there was no signature, only a line of small print.

If this letter is intercepted, it will be destroyed.

Zhou Quan closed the letter and looked up at Lin Chen.

"The Emperor's health is deteriorating..." he muttered to himself, "The Crown Prince's faction is stirring..."

Do you know what this means?

Lin Chen pondered for a moment.

"The dynasty is about to change."

"That's right." Zhou Quan nodded. "If the emperor dies and the crown prince ascends the throne, the first people to be purged will be all those who might threaten the throne."

"The awakening of spiritual veins, the appearance of cultivators, the covert activities of the Dark Blade Pavilion... the Crown Prince will definitely take advantage of these things."

"You possess fragments of the River of Time, which have triggered the awakening of your spiritual veins. In the Crown Prince's eyes, you are a pawn that must be controlled."

Lin Chen remained silent.

He never imagined that he would be drawn into the struggle for imperial power.

"There's one more thing." Zhou Quan turned the letter over and pointed to a line of very small print on the back.

The words were so small they were almost invisible, but Lin Chen's spiritual cultivation level allowed him to clearly perceive them.

The awakening of the spiritual veins is no accident; the ancient civilization has been revived. Dimensional rifts are spreading, and within fifty years, this civilization will face a test of dimensional ascension. Those who fail to break through will be eliminated by the river of time.

This is top secret and is only for the observer's successor to read.

Lin Chen's pupils suddenly contracted.

Fifty years...

Dimensional rifts...

The test of dimensional ascension...

This wasn't the first time he'd heard these words. Shi Ying had told him that the ancient civilization had perished ten thousand years ago because it had failed to ascend to a higher dimension.

But at this moment, he saw a specific time for the first time—fifty years.

"Who wrote this?" he asked.

Zhou Quan shook his head.

"I don't know. But this letter was sent via a secret route controlled by the royal guards. Anyone who could slip information along this route is either a core member of the royal family or..."

He paused.

"Either they are beings of a higher status than royalty."

Lin Chen clenched his fist.

He recalled what Shi Ying had said: "You bear the mission of an observer."

"This mission is more important than your life."

It turned out to be the case.

Fifty years.

He only has fifty years.

Within fifty years, we will either propel our civilization to a higher dimension, or be eliminated by the river of time along with the entire civilization.

He is currently only at the Qi Induction stage of the Spirit Cultivation Realm.

There are eight major realms separating the two dimensions.

"Are you scared?" Zhou Quan asked.

Lin Chen remained silent for a long time.

"It would be a lie to say I'm not afraid," he said, "but being afraid is useless."

"Fifty years is fifty years. It's better than not having a chance at all."

Zhou Quan looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Not bad. He has the style of Brother Chen."

He patted Lin Chen on the shoulder.

"Take good care of yourself in town these next few days. I'll go and inquire about Brother Chen."

"Oh, right—" He walked to the door, then suddenly turned back, "Burn that letter. Don't leave a single word behind."

"Remember, in this town, you're just an ordinary passerby."

"No matter who asks you, you won't know anything."

Lin Chen nodded.

He watched Zhou Quan's departing figure, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Then, he looked down at the letter in his hand, and a wisp of spiritual energy flame gathered at his fingertips, igniting the letter.

The flames devoured the letter, and also the words about dimensional rifts and the trials of dimensional ascension.

But those contents were already etched into his mind.

Fifty-year countdown.

starting today.

Late at night.

Lin Chen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Fifty years.

It sounds like a long time, but he knows that fifty years is just a blink of an eye for a challenge of this level of civilizational advancement.

He needs to become stronger.

It's not just about increased skill level, but also about enhanced understanding.

He needs to understand the complete framework of the cultivation system, comprehend the underlying logic of technological development, and find the true path to integrate cultivation and technology.

He needs... allies.

One person cannot bear the fate of an entire civilization.

He recalled the people he had met during the martial arts exam: Murong Xue, Zhao Wuji…

Thinking of Uncle Chen, Ye Jiuge, Zhou Quan...

I think of Shi Ying, that mysterious being from the depths of the river of time.

There's also the "crown prince's lineage" mentioned in the letter.

If the Crown Prince truly intends to exploit the awakening of the spiritual veins for his own purposes, he must make arrangements in advance.

But now, he is finding it extremely difficult even to protect himself.

"Take it slow," he told himself.

"Take it one step at a time."

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water.

The nights in Liuhe Town are exceptionally quiet, so quiet that you can hear the sound of the river flowing in the distance.

Lin Chen closed his eyes.

In the darkness, the Time River mark between his brows flickered faintly.

In a very, very far place, the river of time flows silently.

It doesn't care about anyone's fate.

It just flows quietly.

It flows on forever.

Lin Chen is but a drop of water in this river.

But what he needs to do is be that pebble that can change the course of the entire river.

The next morning.

Lin Chen was practicing the Qi Induction Technique in the courtyard, his spiritual energy slowly flowing through his meridians, repairing the damage caused by the overdraft of his lifespan.

Just then, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

Zhou Quan is back.

But there was another person who came with him.

The man was tall with a square face, and wore a blue Taoist robe. His demeanor was completely different from ordinary people; he was calm and solemn, like an ancient pine tree in the deep mountains.

His cultivation level...

Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat.

He couldn't perceive it.

The opponent's realm must be far beyond the Spiritual Cultivation Realm.

"Lin Chen." Zhou Quan's expression was serious. "And this is...?"

The man bowed slightly.

"Lu Qinghe, outer sect steward of Qingyun Sect."

His voice was calm, but Lin Chen could feel an invisible pressure emanating from him.

Qingyun Sect.

Cultivation sects.

coming.