Seeking Truth with a Sword-Chapter 657 - 594: Nonsense

Luzhou City’s constables rushed over after hearing the shouts. The city’s Town Patrol Office also heard the commotion and arrived urgently.

Next, the situation was handled according to the standard procedures for supernatural disasters.

The inn’s ruins were cleared, and fragments of the bronze box were collected.

Jin Wusuan and his followers were arrested and taken away. Chen Wanyi of Taihao Mountain and the others, designated as "visitors," were escorted to the Luzhou Town Patrol Office. Lu Qingya, Li Ang, and others were also asked to give statements to assist with the investigation.

This anomaly was no small matter. An ancient demon had appeared in the heartland of Yu Country, driven by the country’s wealthiest merchant, targeting a Candle Cloud Cultivator and the Mountain Master of Lu Li Academy.

Moreover, the presence of "friends" from Taihao Mountain at the scene lent a strong conspiratorial air to the entire incident. The Town Patrol Office did not dare to be negligent and was determined to investigate thoroughly.

Therefore, after their statements were taken, the surviving guests of Yuelai Inn were not allowed to leave. Instead, the Luzhou Town Patrol Office placed them in a farmstead outside the city under round-the-clock surveillance, awaiting the investigation results.

"Master, it’s time to eat."

Chai Chai’s voice rang out in the living room. Li Ang, in the study, responded offhandedly and closed his book.

The temporary residence provided by the Luzhou Town Patrol Office was naturally much more modest compared to the Golden City Mansion. However, waking up to the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs in the morning, and falling asleep to the chirping of insects outside at night, brought a sense of childhood nostalgia.

Dinner was a simple meal of three dishes and one soup. Chai Chai, holding her bowl, excitedly shared the latest village gossip she had heard. Li Ang nodded and smiled in response, his thoughts unintentionally drifting away.

It was the fourth day of their quarantine. The Town Patrol Office and the Academic Palace had likely investigated the full extent of the incident by now.

After destroying the bronze box, Li Ang had managed to retrieve Mo Si while the gravitational turbulence had not yet dissipated. He was confident no one had seen him do it.

What really worried him was the Dream Eater.

It was a demon capable of manipulating memories and altering reality. Neither Li Ang nor Lu Qingya had ever seen its true form.

Was it killed too... hastily by the Dragon Fall Spear?

And then there were the dreams. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Li Ang clearly remembered those two dreams, both real and illusory. Whether it was conjuring the Fusang Divine Wood with Mo Si in Tokyo City Center, or pointing a hand crossbow at his own temple in the sanatorium, all the memories were incredibly vivid, as if they had truly happened.

After hesitating for a moment, Li Ang put down his chopsticks and slowly said, "Back at the inn..."

Chai Chai, puzzled, replied, "Hmm? What’s wrong?"

"Did you call out to me?" Li Ang asked. "Right when I was falling."

"At that time, I was worried about your safety, Master, hoping you were unharmed, but I didn’t shout out."

Chai Chai thought for a moment and said, "That Dream Eater... it’s the kind of demon that a cultivator at the level of an Academic Palace Director should handle, right? When I saw you, Master, rushing into the middle of the battlefield, I was really scared."

"Is that so..."

Li Ang fell silent for a moment. He vaguely remembered that before being affected by the Dream Eater, he had thrust the Dragon Fall Spear to within just an inch of the copper box.

But after hearing Chai Chai’s call and waking up, he found himself back in mid-air, repeating the process of falling.

Was it a memory error? Or had the Dream Eater’s ability to alter reality taken effect?

Could it be that I am still inside the lifelike dream created by the Dream Eater?

Could everything before me still be false, and the real me is still at the Yuelai Inn, clutching the Dragon Fall Spear while descending slowly?

A chilling sensation crept up his spine, and the food he was eating suddenly tasted like wax.

Chai Chai sensed the slight hesitation in Li Ang’s movements. She gently set down her bowl and chopsticks and took Li Ang’s hand.

Warmth transferred from her palm to his. Li Ang looked at her in surprise.

He saw Chai Chai looking at him with utmost seriousness. "Today, I met Aunt Song," she said. "She told me that Brother Song has been very down lately, locking himself in his room and refusing to come out. Many other travelers who lost loved ones feel the same. Everyone lost a great deal in this anomaly. Although I don’t know what happened at the center of the battlefield, I believe, Master, that you must have made a tremendous effort to eliminate the Dream Eater. So, it has been tough on you."

Chai Chai’s gaze was incredibly clear, reflecting Li Ang’s face.

Li Ang paused for a moment, then smiled and released her hand. He used his fingertips to scrape two grains of rice from the corner of Chai Chai’s mouth. "You still get food on your face, just like when you were a child."

"Hehe."

Chai Chai chuckled innocently. Her legs, growing slender as she approached adulthood, swung back and forth under the long bench, her skirt fluttering with the movement.

THUMP! THUMP!

An ill-timed knock came from the door, followed by a familiar voice from outside. "Li Ang, are you home?"

Just by the voice, Li Ang knew it was the Imperial Palace Tributor, Shen Tuyu.

Li Ang set down his bowl and chopsticks and walked to the door to greet them. He found not only Shen Tuyu outside but also Qi Ji, the Vice Commander of the Town Patrol Office. Confused, Li Ang asked, "What brings you two here?"

Shen Tuyu smiled. "The investigation results are out. You can go home now."

Li Ang was slightly surprised. "That was quick? I thought we’d have to wait another two or three days."

"Jin Wusuan confessed clearly," Qi Ji stated calmly. "He revealed everything: from how he learned about the Dream Eater from ancient texts, to secretly funding a fleet to search for the hidden bronze box containing the Dream Eater, to how he planned his revenge against Lu Qingya."

Qi Ji continued, "His statements were verified as true. Furthermore, a prepared confession letter was found within the Jin Family Mansion. It appears there was no significant involvement with other forces, such as the Zhou Kingdom or Jing Country."

"And him now...?"

"He died last night."

Qi Ji stated calmly, "According to the Doctor, he had been critically ill for a long time and was only surviving by sheer willpower."

"Is that so."

Li Ang paused for a moment and sighed, a complex mix of emotions stirring within him. Using demons to attack Candle Cloud Cultivators of his own country was a capital offense.

After Jin Wusuan’s death, his wealth would undoubtedly be confiscated. His relatives and associates would face exile, collective punishment, or imprisonment as deemed appropriate.

"There’s one more thing," Shen Tuyu said. "It’s about those mad ravings Jin Wusuan uttered before he died. You know what to do, right?"

The "mad ravings" naturally referred to Jin Wusuan’s claims about the truth of the Demon Disaster over thirty years ago. He alleged that the former emperor desired the Immortality Technique. To achieve this, certain individuals from the Academic Palace, the Town Patrol Office, and the Imperial Palace Tributors had searched for heavenly materials and earthly treasures in the Ten Thousand Desolate Mountains. This search, he claimed, inadvertently triggered the Demon Disaster. The disaster resulted in over a hundred thousand of Yu Country’s citizens being killed or injured, and hundreds of thousands of people from various nations being displaced.

Li Ang waved his hand dismissively, an air of weariness about him. "What ravings? I can’t seem to recall."

The imperial power needed to maintain its dignity, as did the Town Patrol Office, the Academic Palace, and Lu Li Academy. Therefore, what Jin Wusuan had said must be treated as mad ravings—it could only be mad ravings.

After sending away the pair—who seemed satisfied and were representatives of Emperor Yu’s will—Li Ang felt a strong sense of fatigue and annoyance well up inside him. He turned and offered Chai Chai a forced smile. "Let’s go home."