Chapter 1666
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Chapter 1666 Establishment of the Evil Suppression Bureau
The turmoil in Chang’an city had subsided. As the morning sun shone upon the palace walls, the vermilion palace gates opened, and a group of dozens of cavalry galloped out, sweeping through the ravaged streets and heading straight toward the city gates.
As their hooves crossed the shattered ruins of the city wall, they saw a massive willow tree corpse lying on the ground. A young man holding a broken sword gently waved it, causing the dense pustules on the trunk to burst open, and many unconscious figures flowed out.
“How’s the situation?” asked the badly wounded Huo Qubing, sitting on a boulder.
“It’s fine. Chloe killing this tree first was the right decision. If we had waited any longer, they would have been drained completely,” Lin Qiye examined these people’s bodies. “All those who were replaced are here. Judging by the numbers, the army of thirty thousand hasn’t lost any personnel.”
Hearing this, Huo Qubing’s expression relaxed, and he let out a long sigh.
Lin Qiye’s gaze swept over each of the unconscious figures: Zhan Yuwu, Yan Zhong, Gongyang Wan, Wu Quan… Perhaps because they had been separated from that liquid, Wu Quan’s eyelashes trembled slightly as he lay on the ground, and moments later, he slowly opened his eyes.
“What is…” Wu Quan stared at the azure sky above for a long while before slowly sitting up. Seeing the large number of unconscious people around him and Kusuen’s corpse nearby, he froze in place.
“Brother Qiye, what happened?”
Looking at Wu Quan’s bewildered face, Lin Qiye smiled helplessly. Just as he was about to speak, a voice came from behind him:
“Hmm… why am I here?”
Gongyang Wan sat up from the ground while shaking her head. Seeing the blood-covered Huo Qubing opposite her, she immediately frowned. “Huo Qubing, what did you do to me?”
Huo Qubing glanced at her, seemingly too lazy to explain.
Following their awakening, Zhan Yuwu, Yan Zhong, and others also regained consciousness. Seeing the willow monster and the broken Chang’an city wall before them, they were completely dumbfounded.
“Report—!!”
The sound of galloping horses came from within the city. Lin Qiye and the others turned to look and saw a group of armored soldiers arriving at the ruins. The leading general’s gaze swept across the surroundings, finally resting on Huo Qubing, and respectfully announced:
“By His Majesty’s decree, the Champion Marquis is permitted to establish the Zhenyesi, independent from the imperial court, responsible for suppressing and eliminating supernatural evils in the world. Personnel within the bureau shall only be subject to the Director’s authority!”
“Champion Marquis Huo Qubing is appointed as Director, and along with the meritorious officials who quelled last night’s turmoil, shall immediately enter the palace for an imperial audience!”
As the words fell, Zhan Yuwu, Yan Zhong, and others present were stunned for a moment before their faces lit up with wild joy!
His Majesty actually agreed?!
When Huo Qubing had previously proposed that Zhenyesi be independent from the imperial court, Zhan Yuwu and Yan Zhong thought he was insane. They believed the Emperor would never agree to such an absurd condition… but now, the Emperor had actually agreed?!
Joy appeared on Lin Qiye’s face. The successful establishment of Zhenyesi meant that history hadn’t been rewritten by his presence, and everything was still on track… Did that mean his appearance was actually part of history?
Thinking carefully, without his appearance, [Chaos] wouldn’t have brought Kusuen to this era… Without this calamity in Chang’an, Emperor Wu of Han might not have agreed to Huo Qubing’s request, and Zhenyesi might never have been established.
Was his return to this era predestined? Was it precisely because of his existence as the “cause” that all subsequent “effects” occurred?
Lin Qiye seemed to realize something as he looked down at the two orbs of light in his palm, his eyes brightening slightly.
“Cause and effect, cause and effect… Could it be…”
While Lin Qiye was deep in thought, Huo Qubing’s perpetually furrowed brow finally relaxed. He stood up and bowed to the messenger:
“I shall depart for the palace immediately.”
“Marquis, we have prepared several swift horses for you. Please don’t keep His Majesty waiting,” the commander said politely.
Huo Qubing nodded and looked at Lin Qiye and Chloe beside him. “Would you two accompany me?”
Lin Qiye and Chloe didn’t refuse. Lin Qiye was simply curious about what Emperor Wu of Han looked like, while Chloe was still thinking about establishing a religion in the Han Dynasty. They mounted their horses alongside Huo Qubing.
“Hya—!”
The three figures galloped across the ruins, along Chang’an’s widest and most magnificent road, heading straight toward the palace gates. The cold winter wind swept across the land, making their robes flutter loudly.
“It’s the Champion Marquis!”
“The Marquis has returned! The Marquis killed those monsters!”
“Thank you, Marquis, for saving our lives!”
“Thank you, Marquis, for saving our lives!!”
“…”
Seeing Huo Qubing enter the city, surviving citizens knelt on both sides of the street, shouting while heavily knocking their foreheads against the ground. Their voices surged like waves across the entire city!
Seeing this, Huo Qubing’s expression became complex. He turned to look at Lin Qiye riding beside him:
“I didn’t help much last night. Chang’an’s survival through this calamity is all thanks to you… Lin Qiye, rest assured, after the audience with His Majesty, I will report truthfully and let all people know of your achievements.”
“The Marquis needn’t do so,” Lin Qiye smiled. “I don’t belong to this era, so what use are these empty honors? Actually, I must ask the Marquis to claim those merits for yourself and ensure my name isn’t known to more people.”
“Why?” Huo Qubing asked, puzzled.
Lin Qiye raised his hand, pointing to the sky above. “Above the world, there is an eye searching for me. Although I’ve hidden my cause and effect, if too many people know of my existence, the entangled causality will grow and become harder to conceal… So, from today onward, the fewer connections I have with the world, the better.”
Huo Qubing nodded and said seriously, “I understand. I will take on all causality for you, though this seems unfair to you.”
“It’s just a small matter, how is it unfair? I’ll need the Marquis’s help for what I’m planning in the future.”
As they spoke, the three had already passed through the palace walls. They dismounted and, led by Steward Li, walked directly toward one side of the imperial palace.
Contrary to Lin Qiye’s expectations, their meeting with Emperor Wu wasn’t arranged in the main hall for state affairs. The three of them passed through a garden and were finally invited into the imperial study.
“Your subject Huo Qubing, reporting as commanded,” Huo Qubing, wearing his blood-stained armor, bowed on one knee to the person behind the desk.
