In the dark, rain-soaked night, the people standing both inside and outside the barrier had no idea what this “Path of Light ” truly was.

Ashis felt a flicker of doubt. “…Why can I… see that far away… “

He suddenly fell silent, a strange distortion in his own voice catching him off guard.

Yang Zicang’s heart tightened into a knot of anxious focus.

His friend also seemed to sense something amiss. The others, dazed, clutched their heads. “Ashis, you… why do I feel that you shouldn’t be here… “

-｛Distributor February. Di’an marked a new node for me in the Prelude of Radiance.｝

A bizarre timbre escaped Ashis’s throat. Those tremulous sounds were already impossible to decipher. The men draped in oilcloth cloaks, who had already walked away, now drew near the barrier once more. A chill crept into everyone’s hearts as they watched…

Wisps of mist were rising from Ashis’s rain-soaked body—from his hair, his shoulders, his legs, his waist and abdomen…!

Yang Zicang watched in utter shock as the man dissolved like vapor.

Dissolving along with him was the Bloodline Statue in Yang Zicang’s own hand! A spark of terror ignited in his heart as he suddenly recalled the name “Li Qian “!

Panic! Awe! Helplessness! Terror!

“What’s happening…! “

He Yishu, Lianna with her face as pale as paper, Ebiser, and the others all felt their thoughts growing hollow, as if something they had just been thinking of had suddenly vanished from their memory.

Yang Zicang’s gaze upon the empty space grew icy, and silence enveloped the surroundings.

It seemed as if everyone had collectively fallen silent in the face of the imminent crisis.

The young man slowly raised his head, scanning the five people who had rushed out around him, then shifted his gaze to several figures shrouded in rain cloaks—Mr. Ben and his men—standing outside the barrier. Yet, echoing in his mind was Lianna’s hopeful question to him.

But did he have a way? He still knew nothing about the situation. What dangerous thing had the enemy buried within the barrier, something capable of even killing “Fogfolk “?

And all while keeping the “Secret Box ” intact?

Moreover, why was this rain even occurring?

Was its sole purpose to prevent the carriage from leaving this town?

“You’re the ones trapping us here! ” the people around shouted angrily at Mr. Ben, who stood outside wearing a smug smile.

Yang Zicang studied the postures of these five newcomers, uncertain whether they were passersby or experts poised to strike. Though their physical strength was decent, it was no match for someone who had undergone long-term, professional training.

“I’ve said it before: hand over the Secret Box, and all of you will have a way out alive. ” Mr. Ben smirked with smug satisfaction.

The newcomers had no idea what that thing was.

“That’s impossible. ” Ebiser’s face showed no trace of fear. “The ‘Secret Box’ can never be handed over to scum like you. “

“How dare you curse me, huh, ” Mr. Ben’s face shifted slightly, but he quickly suppressed it. “I don’t want to haggle with those about to die anyway. Sir Knight, even if you don’t care about yourself, do you want your daughter to die here with you today? Hand me the ‘Secret Box,’ and I promise she will have a very pleasant time in her final days. “

Lina watched the window nervously. Yang Zicang raised his hand to signal her not to worry. He spoke:

“Although I don’t know what exactly that thing you’re after is, you people want to head to the next continent, don’t you. “

Mr. Ben’s gaze met his.

Yang Zicang smiled faintly. “Once you get that ‘Secret Box’ and reach the next continent, I’ll hunt you all down, shattering every limb, then string you up to air-dry—or sun-dry, either works. “

“Look at you, one man trying to take us all on alone, ” Mr. Ben mocked up a faint smirk in the face of the threat, and a few men around him laughed lowly under their breath.

“Hunting me down, is it? Fine, let’s make it mutual: You hand over your ‘Void Zero Chrono Weapon,’ and I’ll give you this chance to come after me. That’s the ‘second claim.’ “

Yang Zicang and He Yishu’s faces clouded instantly.

Anyone who knew he had the Void Zero Chrono Weapon must have stayed at the inn…

The rain slammed down without warning, so dense it seemed to choke the air itself.

“How the hell do you know that? ” Yang Zicang’s voice was icy. “Who told you? Or have you kidnapped someone? You filthy rats from the sewer. “

“Ha. ” A cylindrical ring pull appeared in Mr. Ben’s hand. “Sewer rats? Why get so upset all of a sudden! ” His voice rose. “Weren’t you just coming after me? Haha, look at the face on you. Really, thank you for giving me this chance, our ‘hero’! “

“You must be some kind of noble, but your character… are you sure you’re their real child? Or are you the product of inbreeding? What shady deal did your father pull to make your genes so rotten? “

A string of such “inquiries ” spilled from Yang Zicang’s lips.

Lianna’s eyes went wide in shock. She couldn’t believe such crude, venomous curses could flow so calmly from the mouth of a hero.

“You! Bastard! Damn drifter! Beggar! Homeless stray dog! “

Mr. Ben tore off his hood, exposing his entire, rage-contorted face. “So what if I’m nobility? You, born a lowlife wretch! ” The man’s face was flushed crimson with fury, twisted with the hatred of someone about to butcher his enemy.

“Sir! Chief! ” The men around him, seeing his behavior, immediately moved to hold him back, signaling for him not to get riled up with his temper suddenly flaring.

But they could barely restrain him. Mr. Ben, now consumed with a single thought of tearing Yang Buchen limb from limb, just wanted to vent, to teach this bastard who cursed him and his family the most agonizing lesson.

“Do you have any idea, you animal, how much money your stunt has cost us?! “

“Don’t say it, Mr. Ben. The Big Boss will be furious if he finds out. “

Slap!Mr. Ben backhanded the attendant who was tugging at his arm trying to pull him away, the blow landing on their rain robe hood with a loudthump.

He spun his head around, his steely finger pointing at the man in the barrier field who was sneering with contempt. He wanted to make him despair, to make him regret, to make him realize before he died that he had provoked the one person he absolutely should not have!

“Every loss the Prisoner Exchange Special Affairs Bureau has suffered, I will extract from your hide, ” he snarled hatefully, pointing at Yang Zicang. “Your weapon, your wealth, your flesh and bones, and even your… Hmph, clever ploy. Enrage me, and go to your death! “

-｛Distributor Loki Tata Mingqi signals “Tapping Throat “｝

-｛Distributor Tata Mingqi signals “Watch and Learn. “｝

With awhoosh,Mr. Ben yanked a cylinder from his hand. A signal flare shot straight into the sky, exploding like a firework a hundred meters high, flashing like thunder and illuminating the water-logged streets of the little town below.

“That’s… the Prisoner Exchange Special Affairs Bureau! “

Something shattered within Ebiser. No wonder, ever since his grandfather’s time, he had only heard vague whispers of misfortune befalling a few families…

Now, it was his turn.

Yang Zicang’s Musing Night spread and permeated the entire area trapped by the barrier, while also guarding against the few people around him who were shocked by his earlier performance. However, they did not make any unusual moves; instead, the surprise and confusion on their faces had already turned into admiration and disbelief amidst the other’s furious venting.

Suddenly, Yang Zicang turned his head to look at the town center. Without him needing to say anything, everyone—including the residents in the town—felt a strange aura emerging from an area half a street away.

“Ahhh…“

A miserable cry rang out.

“My daughter! Shirley!” Carden’s terrified scream, along with a heart-stopping aura, spread through the rain curtain. “Help me! Is there anyone who can help? Daughter, what’s wrong with you?!“

“Urghhh, aah!“

Boom! A horrific storm of rain and blood surged, instantly expanding to the surroundings.

The entire barrier world turned into a dazzling, bizarre flicker of light.

Yang Zicang’s gaze locked onto the energy storm at the center, which was gathering the surrounding raindrops like a tornado.

｛I sense the aura of Chaos Bloodline.｝

Countless transparent “phantom raindrops” were separated from the rain.

“This is…” The people by the carriage stumbled back in fear. “Could this be… Miasma Pollution!“

An aura of terror and fear instantly permeated everyone’s hearts. The azure illusory raindrops began to swirl around the town, striking each person again and again, as if resonating within the very souls of all living beings.

“Quick, get inside the buildings! ” a voice emerged from somewhere in the town. “This is the miasma pollution of the Rushing Current and Corroding Thought Bloodlines—don’t expose yourselves directly to the water! “

The townsfolk rushed to shut their doors and flee into their houses.

Travelers passing through also took shelter in places like inns and restaurants, avoiding contact with these azure translucent energies that were, as it were, the “souls of raindrops ” being stripped from the rainwater.

……

The momentum of the energy storm grew denser and more intense with the unrelenting rain.

Beneath the eaves of a restaurant, several travelers passing through the town had taken cover.

“It’s terrifying! ” said a woman, slightly damp, staring at the rain before her. “I really regret coming here. I told myself I shouldn’t have hit the road today, shouldn’t have come today. “

No sooner had she spoken than the people beside her looked at her with astonishment.

“What are you all staring at? ” The woman, unnerved by their gazes, took a couple of nervous steps to the side.

“No, it’s nothing, perhaps my imagination, ” said the man next to her. “I thought I just sensed your thoughts for a moment, as if I could empathize with your fear firsthand. “

All across the town, people watching the rain and the strange phenomenon were in a noisy uproar.

In front of a stone building, a little girl playing with her puppy by the doorstep was picked up by her father. He closed the door, and the puppy, dripping with water, scurried back inside, shaking beads of moisture from its fur.

Wisps of dim blue energy, flickering from the blurry candlelight, were set loose by the puppy’s shakes. Swiftly drawn by the invisible currents sweeping through the town, they arced in a tremendous curve and slammed into the wall.

Most of the energy was blocked by the thick earthen wall, yet a small portion managed to seep through, charging toward a rundown abandoned iron shelter that once served as a bus stop next door.

Beneath the shelter, amid the tangled, overgrown grass, lay scattered remnants of scrap ship parts once piled here awaiting transport. The blue energy drifted onto a traveler who had nowhere to flee. He shook his head and body reflexively, then froze, suddenly realsing—why had he made that motion of shaking water?

A black cat, dazed and disoriented, shot across the road from the street before disappearing into an alley.

Plodding through the muddy road, the horse raised its hooves high at every step when, suddenly, a look of deep pondering crossed its face, as ifmulling over some profound mystery. Just as abruptly, its limbs convulsed out in a four-paced motion mirroring a cat’s stride.

Behind it, the coachman snapped both hands into frantic pawing gestures and nearly let out an unconscious, horse-like whinny from his throat.

In the carriage behind the coachman, faint glimmers of crystalline energy collided with Lianna, and a sudden surge of intense panic and dread welled up in her heart.

“What if I die here? What would happen to my newly rented house and the Marry next door? ” Lianna said, anxiety thick in her voice.

“What are you talking about?Cough… Why do I keep thinking about horses and carriages? “

Lianna snapped out of her daze with a jolt. “It’s nothing, Dad. I just zoned out a bit… meow… ” The young girl stared wide-eyed before quickly covering her mouth.

—｛Distributor May Valkyrie, drawing from her vast experience, marked a new node in the glorious prelude now brewing within me.｝

—｛Distributor Valkyrie sends me a powerful sense of protective determination.｝

“Protection… “

Yang Zicang, struggling to push the cart, shook his head. He had begun to realize the probable aftermath of this rain and the enervated energy storm laced within the downpour.

All it takes is getting splashed by a raindrop; the energy it carries is stirred up. The next person or creature it touches becomes infected by the ‘conscious impulses’ of the being the storm came into contact with before.

For now, only a small number are being rained on, but as time goes on, the danger will grow… until, in the end… he dared not even imagine it.

By the side of the road, a sizable house glowed with the rare sight of lamplight. He walked up and knocked on the door. “Hey there, neighbor, could we stay here for a bit? I’ll pay for the lodging. “

“Get lost, ” came an old man’s voice from inside.

Bam!The door panel was split open with a single palm strike from Yang Zicang. Inside, the old man gripping a hunting rifle trembled all over as he watched the door swing open, the words in his throat swallowed back down into his stomach.

“Sorry, but these are special times. Consider this as the room fee. ” Yang Zicang pulled out a handful of copper coins, confiscated from the bandits, from his pouch and placed them on a small table against the wall beside him.

“You all… “

“We are Fogfolk, ” He Yishu said, bursting through the door with Ebiser, his daughter Lianna, and the five people who had been following the carriage. They quickly stripped off their clothes and wrung out the rainwater, while the coachman and the steward remained out in the rain, untying the horses’ reins.

The old man, as if resigned to his fate, pinched the bridge of his nose and said, “There’s a fireplace upstairs. Go warm yourselves by it. ” As soon as he finished speaking, the trembling head of an old woman poked out from the upper floor.

Within a couple of minutes, everyone in the group, including the two horses, had been ushered inside the house.

At the doorway, Yang Zicang and He Yishu stood in their damp clothes, staring at the storm’s center in the distance.

“Did you sense who it was? I thought I heard Carden’s shout earlier. “

“I felt it. It’s his daughter. ” Yang Zicang’s eyes were full of thought and suspicion. “Earlier, there were two of Carden’s luggage trunks I couldn’t inspect. Now his daughter suddenly meets with an accident. “

“Are you saying they are the ones guarding the demonic aura? “

“But just as the ‘log’ launched the signal flare, something seemed to appear there—only to be instantly dealt with by Caden. “

The more complex the illusion, the greater the interference The Musing Night’s detection faced. Yang Zicang hadn’t drawn the “Memory Rune ” at the time, leaving him utterly unable to grasp what happened on Caden’s end in that split second.

“Hey, you two, how about changing into some dry clothes? ” came the old man’s voice from behind. In his hands was a faded, old-fashioned knitted sweater, likely made by his wife years ago for him to wear during spring and autumn against the chill.

The scent of unwashed, year-old sweat hit them both, and they shook their heads in unison.

“Standing around all wet like this, the demon’s breath will drain your life away, ” the old man admonished them. “Go on, put it on. Don’t be scornful—I never even dare to wear it myself. “

He Yishu’s lips twitched.

Yang Zicang glanced at the handsome mixed-race man beside him and said, “Yishu, why don’t you change into it? Guard this place well. I’ll go check over there. “

“What? At a time this dangerous, you still want to go out? ” the old man exclaimed, startled.

“Staying here won’t lessen the danger either. Whatever you do, make sure to protect Ebiser and that chest. “

On that note, Yang Zicang’s form rushed into the rain. He wasn’t worried the five men would try to snatch the chest then and there—if they really made a move, it would only prove they had a way out.