Chapter 153: The First Tribulation Descends, the Internet in an Uproar

The passage of time in the real world and the time within the fragment of ages differ; the sky within the fragment of ages remains a hazy mist, the black clouds not yet fully dispersed.

The shock transmitted from the divine soul only intensified, as if countless mountains pressed upon Ye Qin's body; for the sensation of the divine soul, even a high cultivation level is of no use.

Ye Qin felt an unprecedented fatigue; his originally emerald pupils grew slightly dim, and even the scales on his body were likewise affected.

After resting a moment, he barely recovered.

This tribulation came too suddenly; Ye Qin had made no preparations, but fortunately it occurred within the fragment of ages—had it been in the real world, who knows what turmoil it might have caused.

The river of ages surged again with giant waves; this tremor was especially pronounced, the surrounding scenery gradually blurring, as if two invisible hands slowly wiped everything clean.

When Ye Qin opened his eyes again, he had already returned to reality; before him lay a somewhat dim Mother Goddess Temple.

Not far off, voices seemed to approach, drawing ever nearer to his location.

"Everything at the construction site is normal; the foreman said repairs to the Mother Goddess Temple here must be prioritized, lest the spirits be displeased."

"Everything is ready; Professor Zhang specifically instructed that items inside the temple be preserved as much as possible, best to send a dedicated person to maintain them."

"Rest assured, I've already notified the workers; they work meticulously and will certainly cause no trouble."

"If we anger the spirits again, none of us can bear the consequence."

As they talked and walked away, no one noticed in the dark corner a fleeting shadow of dark green, like a ghost.

Ye Qin swiftly left the Mother Goddess Temple to avoid being seen; upon exiting, he noticed many workers near the gate.

"It seems I stayed unusually long in this mottled fragment of ages; much must have happened in the outside world."

From the earlier battle with the faceless ones, to later discussing the Dao with Zhang Bozhen, then wandering Yangzhou, and returning to Shangqing Observatory to undergo tribulation, Ye Qin felt as if he had lived through another lifetime.

At the same time, he discovered his body seemed injured, several conspicuous marks appearing on his cyan scales.

Ye Qin surmised this should be due to the tribulation's arrival within the mottled fragment of ages, which also fed back into the present world; fortunately, the issue was not serious.

He walked around the vicinity and only then discovered a large construction site nearby; after inquiring, he finally learned the full story.

It turned out the government planned to build a large structure here, requisitioning nearby land, so the Mother Goddess Temple fell within the demolition zone; yet no one expected that during the demolition, many strange events occurred, and in the end, the matter came to nothing.

At that time, Ye Qin was still within the fragment of ages, and the strange occurrences in reality could faintly correspond to those within the fragment.

"Could it be because of me."

Ye Qin pondered thoughtfully.

The Mother Goddess Temple here contains the mottled fragment of ages; Ye Qin entered it, thereby gaining insight into breaking through his Realm, which invisibly bestowed upon him an opportunity—this counts as the cause.

The government sought to erect a new building, the Mother Goddess Temple lay within the demolition zone; who would have thought Ye Qin's insight leading to breakthrough attracted tribulation, affecting the real world as well.

Thus the Mother Goddess Temple revealed its numinous nature: the whirlwind was due to tribulation, the swarm of snakes drawn by Ye Qin, the lights failing to illuminate due to breakthrough—all such phenomena were regarded by people as divine manifestations, leading them to abandon the original demolition plan in favor of repair and preservation; this is the fruit Ye Qin bestowed.

Causality intertwined, giving rise to harmony; all this is causality, and also complete causality.

Ye Qin felt myriad emotions in his heart; interlocking cycles constitute the complete Dao—this may be the Dao's charm, seemingly formless yet actually countless, as if arranged.

An inadvertent gesture may alter the entire course of events; many things seem accidental yet are necessarily existent; cultivating while engaged in the world is also a journey of spiritual tempering.

Ye Qin's state of mind loosened once more, rising by a small step.

At this very moment, a familiar pressure again enveloped him, yet not as obvious as before.

Ye Qin slowly raised his head; wind and clouds converged in the sky, black clouds drifting in at some unknown time, shrouding above him, as if nurturing something.

Only in his location did such abnormality appear—a patch of dark clouds overhead; gazing into the distance, it remained sunny and bright, the weather clear.

Ye Qin extended his spiritual sense to perceive, yet it was like an unfathomable black hole, mixed with the force of thunderous might, instantly devouring his spiritual sense.

"What immense power."

Ye Qin hastily severed the connection of his spiritual sense; had he been a moment slower, even he would have been affected; even so, his heart still trembled with fear.

Unlike the previous tribulation, this is a power more terrifying than tribulation, causing Ye Qin's divine soul to tremble.

Yet strangely, this power is not obvious; strictly speaking, it has not yet fully coalesced, but Ye Qin can be certain it is directed at him.

"Could this be heavenly tribulation? Has it finally come!"

Earlier, it was merely an ordinary tribulation; strictly speaking, it does not count as true heavenly tribulation, merely a heavenly awe.

Now Ye Qin has cultivated to the Divine Spirit Realm; one can say quantitative change led to qualitative change, so producing heavenly tribulation is no surprise.

This also corroborates Ye Qin's earlier speculation: the reason the Qi Dan and Golden Dan produced no tribulation is likely because they were brewing this heavenly tribulation!

Ye Qin examined the black clouds above; he tried it—wherever he went, the black clouds followed, precisely locked on.

Otherwise, no other abnormalities remained; he estimated the heavenly tribulation would not descend for a while yet, as it needs to condense, thus giving him some preparation time.

For the arrival of this day, Ye Qin had long prepared, having endured many tribulations before.

Now finally facing it, he instead breathed easier, for this is better than daily anxious waiting.

However, when the heavenly tribulation arrives, he still needs to visit the research center; Ye Qin has not forgotten his original purpose in coming to the capital—to see what the bronze ancient sword is all about.

Ye Qin headed toward the research center; as he moved, the black clouds above shifted with him, as if possessing their own life, or perhaps harboring the will of heaven and earth within.

Since this place is not far from the construction site and the Mother Goddess Temple, many people noticed that black cloud on the horizon.

Unconsciously recalling the earlier dust whirlwind, their hearts skipped a beat, instantly feeling as if facing a great enemy.

The foreman's expression was like mourning his parents: "We've already protected the Mother Goddess Temple, and even hired specialists to repair it—could the spirits still be dissatisfied?"

If another dust whirlwind comes, none of us can endure it; the entire construction site would again fall into paralysis.

Just as everyone felt anxious, that black cloud instead drifted farther away, not moving toward them.

The workers then breathed easier; no blame on them for being jumpy—after all, the previous lesson was too severe.

With this, the construction crew became more diligent, daring not to slack, lest they anger the spirits again.

Not only the construction crew, but the abnormal celestial phenomenon soon attracted the attention of Kyoto's citizens.

Cloud movement is normal, but moving this frequently and being so conspicuous a black cloud makes it hard to ignore; after all, the weather forecast shows these days are all clear skies.

Moreover, the sky is indeed azure and cloudless, save for this one patch of mottled black, truly jarring—like a blue sky grown a spot.

For this, soon netizens posted discussions.

"How strange—today passing through the northern district, the weather suddenly changed; I thought it would rain, but after a moment the sun came out; looking again at the sky, a black cloud drifted by, as if playing a prank."

"You mentioned the black cloud—I think I've seen it too. At home, I was in a hurry to collect the laundry, but the black cloud didn't linger at all; it shot straight to the south in an instant."

"I've seen it as well. It's really strange. Can the meteorological bureau come out and explain what's causing this weather? It was supposed to be clear skies, so why did a patch of black cloud appear?"

"This black cloud seems alive—sometimes it drifts this way, sometimes that way, and occasionally it spins around nearby. It's left me dazed."

"The supervisor asked me why I wasn't at work, staring out the window at whatever this thing is. Then he ended up standing with me at the window, watching it for an hour..."

Above the blue sky and white clouds, this black cloud stands out distinctly, looking as if it might rain—but not a single drop fell. It moved from Kyoto's northern district all the way south, as if guided by some purpose.

The meteorological bureau also conducted specialized research, but found no useful clues.

Although people were astonished, the black cloud had no major impact on their lives, so they remained undisturbed and eventually stopped paying much attention to it.

After all, the black cloud didn't linger long—it would soon move on—and thus became a unique scenic sight.

At this time, after the workers' overnight efforts, the exterior of the Daughter's Temple had been repaired, including the red walls, which were repainted, and the damaged eaves tiles were all replaced, making it look completely renewed.

Because of its age, the artifacts inside also require maintenance and cleaning, but the workers are unable to do this themselves, so they can only request professional help.

Recently, a series of events has occurred, and the higher-ups dare not be negligent, so they directly invited the most authoritative personnel—namely, the Kyoto Research Center—to come assist.

Logically, for a place like the Daughter's Temple, which is small in scale and contains few valuable artifacts, sending general cultural relic maintenance staff would suffice.

Having the Research Center personnel come feels like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Professor Song An received this notice with some surprise.

After all, his current focus is entirely on the bronze ancient sword, but since the higher-ups have spoken, and the Daughter's Temple is in Kyoto and not far away, maintaining it would take at most a day—so it's no great burden.

Soon, he led personnel and tools to the North Peak Daughter's Temple to begin cultural relic maintenance and restoration work.

On the way, the Research Center staff were puzzled: "The cultural relic restoration work here isn't difficult, and it's not especially valuable—why do we need to come?"

"We haven't even found any clues about the bronze ancient sword, and I'm not in the mood."

Professor Song also doesn't know the reason for this; the higher-ups didn't explain it clearly, so he instructed everyone: "Since we're already here, let's get the work at hand done—future funding still depends on the leadership above."

Hearing this, no one felt like saying anything more.

The changes at the Daughter's Temple have also drawn attention from many people. Although it's not in a bustling commercial district, passersby still come by occasionally.

As the saying goes, "A person relies on clothing, a horse on its saddle." Now, after renovation, the red walls and gray tiles shimmer with rippling light under the sun, combined with the temple's ancient simplicity, making it look quite proper—so much so that it quickly attracted the attention of several passing young people.

"A few weeks ago, when I passed by, this place looked rather dilapidated. I heard it was even slated for demolition—how is it now freshly repainted?"

The temple keeper, Wang Daya, hearing this, revealed a mysterious smile: "It's because the deities inside the temple have manifested their presence."

Several passersby clearly expressed disbelief: "Uncle, stop teasing us—if the deities truly manifested, the temple threshold would have been worn down by footsteps by now, and I don't see many people coming to worship here."

Wang Daya shook his head, his eyes filled with reverence.

"You wouldn't understand this: the government planned to build an Eagle's Nest nearby, and this place was originally slated for demolition. But during the demolition, strange events occurred, so the government abandoned its original plan and chose to protect the site instead."

Indeed, it's been reported that the government intends to construct new buildings here, modeled after a major international event to be held in a few years, and this news has already spread among many residents.

Upon hearing Wang Daya speak with such conviction—seeming not like baseless rumor—several people became interested: "Uncle, tell us—what exactly happened?"

"Earlier, all the flowers near the temple bloomed, then a dust whirlwind struck, causing heavy damage around the area—but the Daughter's Temple remained unharmed. Later, at the construction site, they discovered a snake den and an unexplained power outage."

People had heard of the earlier dust whirlwind—after all, Kyoto hasn't seen one in decades—but they hadn't realized there was such a layer behind it.

"I recall now—the earlier reported dust whirlwind did indeed occur in the northern district."

At the time, the reports weren't detailed and didn't mention anything about the Daughter's Temple, so few people knew, and thus the matter didn't gain traction.

Several people wore expressions of doubtful uncertainty—this was the first time they learned there was more to the dust whirlwind than met the eye—but Wang Daya's account seemed too mystical, making it hard to believe at first.

"Uncle, are you not joking? Who's ever heard of such miraculous things?"

Wang Daya's expression turned solemn: "How could this be a joke? If you don't believe me, go ask the workers at the nearby construction site—when these strange events happened, they were so frightened they halted work."

The several people stared at one another, each seeing shock reflected in the others' faces.

The cultural relic restoration work was nearly complete, and Professor Song and his companions were just heading out when they happened to overhear Wang Daya and his companions talking, causing ripples to stir in their hearts.

On this matter, they couldn't say whether they believed or not—after all, they hadn't seen it with their own eyes.

"I never imagined such a thing would happen inside the Daughter's Temple—no wonder the higher-ups insisted we come personally to carry out the repairs."

At that moment, they saw Wang Daya clasping his hands together and bowing toward the interior of the temple: "All of this is thanks to the blessings of the deity enshrined within the temple."

Seeing Professor Song approach, Wang Daya added: "Professor Song, you're a learned man, an archaeologist by specialty—you say this Daughter's Temple is so ancient; surely it must have stories?"

Professor Song fell into thought, as if recalling something, and replied: "Hearing you say that, I'm reminded of a story about the Daughter's Temple's predecessor."

Upon hearing this, everyone felt a bit puzzled and couldn't help but ask: "The predecessor of the Daughter's Temple? Is there any account of that?"

Professor Song explained: "The predecessor of the North Peak Daughter's Temple was actually a Earth God's Temple."

"The original Earth God's Temple was ordinary and unremarkable, but it's said that one day, the True Man of Purple Yang passed through this place, wandered and attained enlightenment, and thus added extraordinary color to it."

Seeing everyone's confused expressions—clearly unfamiliar with the True Man of Purple Yang—Professor Song continued:

"Speaking of the True Man of Purple Yang, his background is quite significant: his original name was Zhang Berduan, courtesy name Pingshu, pseudonym Ziyang, and he was the grand synthesizer of internal alchemy in the Northern Song Dynasty.

He advocated internal alchemy as the path to immortality, with 'cultivating both nature and life' as the central principle of his internal refinement, and also promoted 'the unification of the three teachings,' seeking to blend the Daoist practice of cultivating nature and life with Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

He is revered by the Quanzhen Dao as the 'Founding Ancestor of the Southern School,' and together with the Jade Grove and Emerald Mystery True Man Shi Tai, the Radiant Purple Virtue True Man Xue Shi, the Jade Hollow and Emerald Void True Man Chen Nan, and the Jade Radiance and Purple Void True Man Bai Yuchan, he is honored by the Quanzhen Dao as one of the 'Five Ancestors of the Southern School.'

Furthermore, he left behind numerous classics for posterity, powerfully advancing the development of Daoism in the Great Xia, and can be said to have exerted a profound and lasting influence.

The work he left behind, *Wuzhen Pian*, together with Wei Boyang's *Zhouyi Cantong Qi* from the Han Dynasty, are jointly known as the 'King of Elixir Classics.'"

Speaking of this, Professor Song paused, gazing at the Daughter's Temple before him with emotion: "The reason the True Man of Purple Yang was able to write *Wuzhen Pian* is precisely because he received some kind of inspiration while at this Earth God's Temple."

Because too much time has passed, later generations have left no detailed records, so this point cannot currently be verified—but one thing worth affirming is that the True Man of Purple Yang once visited this place in his early years.

However, later, due to the vow made by the mother of the Ming Emperor Shizong, a Daughter's Temple was built here to give thanks for the heavenly-bestowed prince, and the original Earth God's Temple was replaced by the North Peak Daughter's Temple, and this history has been submerged in the river of time.

Therefore, it can be said that this Daughter's Temple and the True Man of Purple Yang still share a deep connection."

Upon hearing Professor Song's popular science explanation, everyone wore expressions of sudden realization—no one had expected such a link.

Several young people expressed confusion: "Professor, but this has nothing to do with the earlier strange events—the Earth God's Temple and the True Man of Purple Yang are matters from ancient times."

Professor Song did not directly answer their question; his gaze fell on Wang Daya: "You previously said that during the demolition of the temple, the deities inside and even the surrounding flowers all bloomed, didn't you?"

Wang Daya nodded repeatedly, and upon mentioning this, he became enthusiastic: "Exactly—besides me, those workers and nearby residents all saw it."

Professor Song truly is learned and knowledgeable, able to cite classics and precedents for everything, pulling them out effortlessly—"Actually, this matter can indeed find a precedent.

It is said that in ancient times, when Zhenren Ziyang was traveling to Yangzhou, he once discussed the Dao with someone, and then agreed to spiritually tour Yangzhou together, bringing flowers along. And this precedent is actually quite similar to the strange thing you mentioned.

However, this is merely a legend, impossible to verify in later ages—just treat it as a story to listen to."

Professor Song smiled, then walked away with the people from the research center, leaving behind the thoughtful Old Wang and several young people.

These young people also enjoy surfing the internet, and quickly posted their experience online today.

The heat of the dust whirlwind has not yet subsided; upon learning that the Goddess Temple remained completely unharmed in the storm—let alone the many strange events afterward, the talk of divine manifestations spread widely.

"I said that dust whirlwind coming was strange and mysterious—turns out it was because demolishing the temple provoked the wrath of the spirits."

"Can't you stop believing every rumor? Didn't the meteorological experts say this situation is rare but still exists?"

"Then let the experts explain why the Goddess Temple, right in the storm's center, was dug out unharmed, while over forty workers at the adjacent construction site were injured."

"I've heard of the Goddess Temple before, but it wasn't particularly famous—never expected it to be so miraculous; I should find time to go pay my respects."

"I think it's less about divine manifestation and more due to Zhang Bodu's influence—he is none other than the renowned founder of the Southern School, Zhenren Ziyang!"

"Isn't the Zhenren Ziyang who punishes evil and promotes good in Journey to the West modeled after him?"

"I also greatly admire Zhenren Ziyang—his Awakening to Reality is an epoch-making work in the history of Daoism in Xia, honored as the ancestor of all alchemical classics!"

Originally, everyone was discussing the Goddess Temple matter, but somehow the conversation gradually veered onto Zhang Bodu, spiraling out of control, attracting more netizens to discuss, even once pushing his name onto the hot search list.

Netizens unaware of the truth saw it and thought it was some pretty boy buying a hot search—only after clicking in did they realize it was a famous Daoist figure.

The power of netizens is vast; they quickly dug up Zhang Bodu's biography, which can be described as full of ups and downs.

Intelligent and studious from youth, he served as an official in Taizhou Prefecture in his later years, but due to guilt was exiled to Lingnan, embarking on the path of seeking the Dao and cultivating immortality; after leaving the mountains, he migrated to Qin and Long, cultivating in Han Yin Mountain; in his later years, he returned to Taizhou, residing in the Chongdao Observatory on Tongbai Mountain, widely instructing Daoist disciples, and passed away at Bubuxi.

However, netizens discovered something interesting: the claim about Zhang Bodu's "spiritual tour."

This netizen first posted the article, instantly gaining countless likes.

【According to historical records:

Since Zhang Bodu received guidance from a renowned master and himself diligently cultivated, his elixir skill deepened; later, he by chance met a Daoist friend capable of entering stillness and exiting the body, traveling hundreds of li in an instant, and their aspirations aligned.

The two agreed to tour Yangzhou to view flowers, proposing each pluck one flower as a token; thus, Zhenren Ziyang and this Daoist friend entered a quiet room together, sat facing each other with eyes closed, and entered stillness for spiritual travel.

When Zhang Zhenren's spirit reached the Qionghua Observatory in Yangzhou, the Daoist friend's spirit had already arrived first; the two spirits wandered left and right, circling the flowers three times. Zhenren Ziyang suddenly said righteously: "We each pluck one flower as a token." Thus, each plucked a flower and returned.

Shortly after, Zhenren Ziyang and that person stretched and awoke. Zhenren Ziyang asked: "Where is your Qionghua flower?" The Daoist friend spread his hands—empty—while Zhang Zhenren took out a Qionghua flower from his sleeve and handed it to the friend to play with.】

After reading this account of the story of a famous ancient Daoist figure, netizens in the comment section discussed heatedly.

"This must be fake—how could spiritual travel really happen, especially to ancient Yangzhou City? Isn't that practically becoming an immortal?"

"I also think it's fake—let's just treat it as a myth."

"Whether it's fake or not, I don't know, but there's another version!"

Time has long passed; regardless of whether Zhang Bodu truly had supernatural abilities or could spiritually travel a thousand li, under netizens' continuous digging and exploration, another version of this story was discovered.

And this version records an even more miraculous story!

In this version, Zhang Bodu indeed discussed the Dao and spiritually traveled with someone, but the flower brought back was not his own—it was brought by the person he discussed the Dao with.

Moreover, this person brought back not a single flower, but all the flowers of Yangzhou City!

On that day, the entire Yangzhou lost its color!

Such a miraculous story naturally needs to be even more bizarre, sounding even more unbelievable.

This netizen specifically went to the place where ancient Yangzhou City once stood—now Anyang City—searched through ancient texts and histories, and indeed found relevant records.

Historical records state:

【Yangzhou flourished with flowers, people came in high spirits. Suddenly, one night, no trace remained—some said: This is the work of immortals.】

These few words indicate that indeed, the entire city's flowers disappeared at that time, and it occurred during the same period as Zhang Bodu, becoming a contemporary mystery.

Unfortunately, official histories do not record it—after all, the vast history of Xia spanning thousands of years, with vast lands and abundant resources, sees too many events across regions to be fully recorded.

However, in local unofficial histories, such a folk story has been passed down, though it has gradually faded in modern times, leaving only a few scattered lines in countless documents.

The netizen quickly posted his findings online.

And he is precisely the 'Qi Xueqing' who previously exposed the 'Drilling a Hole to Seek a Sword' story!

He is also the first to propose the existence of historical doubts!

Now, this historical doubt has spread again to Zhang Bodu!

"Big shot, how is it you again? Please accept my knee."

"Previously it was 'Drilling a Hole to Seek a Sword,' good fellow—this time you've reached out to Zhenren Ziyang, aren't you afraid someone will come to your door seeking revenge?"

"Originally, the one who brought back the flowers wasn't Zhenren Ziyang—who is that person? With such great power, he emptied all the flowers of ancient Yangzhou City."

"Although what you said earlier about 'Drilling a Hole to Seek a Sword' makes sense, I think based solely on this we cannot yet conclude—don't blindly believe, alright? We should still rely on solid evidence."

"I think you've all been blinded by Zhenren Ziyang's filter—what if historical records contain errors? Anyway, I don't believe in spiritual travel at all."

"You say the one who brought back the flowers was someone else—then tell me exactly who it is. I see you're just seeking attention."

Online, people split into two factions: one does not believe, thinking that for someone as famous as Zhang Bodu, how could historical records be wrong?

The other faction thinks Qi Xueqing makes sense, and they argue incessantly over this.

Moreover, there are even admirers of Zhang Bodu who think Qi Xueqing is insulting, rushing to his private messages or comment sections to spew vulgarities, making it hard to look directly at their words.

Qi Xueqing saw that people still didn't believe, so he threw out more of his investigated content and evidence, leaving only one sentence, without further explanation.

【I say these things not to attract attention, nor to make myself famous—only to let everyone see the truth of history, and this does not mean disrespect toward Zhenren Ziyang.】

This sentence was liked and forwarded by many netizens, all expressing support for Qi Xueqing.

"So well said—the blogger just wants to restore the truth; what's wrong with him? Some online trolls are really enough."

"Although I greatly admire Zhenren Ziyang, I think the blogger is right—keyboard warriors are meek in reality, but strike hard online."

"The blogger supports you; since the time of 'Drilling a Hole to Seek a Sword,' I've been following you—I think what you say is very reasonable, restoring historical truth—this is truly respect for Zhenren Ziyang."

The evidence and materials cited by Qi Xueqing prove that Zhang Bodu's "spiritual travel" claim indeed has another version, to the extent that more and more netizens have turned against the original belief, choosing to trust what he says.

After all, the facts are right before our eyes.

But as for who debated the Dao with Zhang Bendu and who had such great ability to empty the flower markets of Yangzhou City, no one knows, or perhaps this was merely a coincidence.

The mystery of the vanished flowers of Yangzhou, whether in the ancient Yangzhou of a thousand years ago or in the present time-space a thousand years later, has never been clarified, and the truth remains unknown.

Earlier generations could not investigate it, let alone after a thousand years, when worldly affairs have long since changed.

People also cannot confirm whether there truly were extraordinary individuals back then capable of making flowers vanish overnight.

Yet there is one thing they can be certain of: Zhang Bendu's tale of spiritual wandering is not as recorded in historical texts, just like the story of carving a boat to seek a sword, there still lingers a vague historical doubt, awaiting exploration and discovery by later generations.

And Qi Xueqing has now discovered two stories that differ from the historical records.

One is the earlier tale of carving a boat to seek a sword, the other is the current tale of spiritual wandering.

He has combined these two historical events into one and released a special feature titled:

【Historical Mist Mystery Tales Series】

The popularity of the spiritual wandering tale has not yet faded, while the tale of carving a boat to seek a sword has been brought up again; the two have collided, sparking much discussion among netizens and attracting many like-minded individuals.

Qi Xueqing said: "I have discovered that the history we know today contains many hidden and strange aspects. I publish these things merely to dispel the layers of mist and restore the truth of history, so that everyone may see a more genuine history."

Many netizens expressed agreement, feeling that Qi Xueqing's actions are highly meaningful.

"It is not necessarily true that everything left behind by the ancients and recorded is correct; I support the blogger's actions."

"All at once, the pattern has completely opened up—this kind of genuine popular science is what we want, not some empty, hollow expert talk."

"The blogger must continue this series; it feels quite interesting, the language is plain and easy to understand, very enjoyable, even someone like me, a poor student, can keep reading."

"If our history teacher had taught this way back then, I would not have failed history."

"Historical mystery tales—I like them."

"The more I think about it, the more terrifying it becomes!"

After this column was posted, many netizens clicked like to show support.

Seeing so many people silently supporting and encouraging him, Qi Xueqing also said he felt quite motivated.

Qi Xueqing said: "Rest assured, I will continue this series; later I will find even more related historical doubts and mist events, publish them for everyone to discuss together, and of course, if anyone has something, they can also bring it out to share, after all, one person's strength is weak."

……

Kyoto Research Center.

After settling the matter of the Daughter's Temple, everyone once again turned their attention to the bronze ancient sword.

The ancient sword had become a thorn in the side of Professor Song and others; unfortunately, after searching around outside, they found no clues about the sword.

In the end, they decided to hand this matter over to professionals for resolution.

Professor Song pondered for a moment: "If the police cannot handle it, then we can only ask them to come over."

For handling such special incidents, the 749 Bureau is the most capable; after receiving the assistance call from the research center, they immediately dispatched personnel to deal with it.

"Hello, Professor Song, I am Wang Xuehao, and I hope you can give me a detailed introduction to the basic situation."

Coincidentally, the personnel handling this case are precisely Wang Xuehao, Xu Tiancheng, and Yao Ruotong, among others.

Professor Song brought them to the place where the bronze ancient sword was originally stored.

"The ancient sword was lost here; the scene left no fingerprints or traces, and even the police said this was a perfect locked-room crime."

The security system of the research center is very thorough; at the time, it did not trigger any alarm, and the possibility of an outsider committing the crime can be said to be as difficult as climbing to heaven.

If it was an inside job, after the police conducted a thorough investigation, they found no suspicious personnel.

Wang Xuehao seemed to think of something: "What about the surveillance? Did the surveillance capture any footage?"

Professor Song showed a faint bitter smile: "Strangely enough, the surveillance did not capture anything; when the bronze ancient sword was stolen, a sudden thick fog arose, obscuring the footage, and by the time the fog dissipated, the bronze ancient sword was gone."

Xu Tiancheng blurted out instinctively: "Why is it fog again!"

They could not help but recall the case they had previously encountered—the Longyuan Mountain incident!

Fog had also been mentioned multiple times in that case!

Professor Song found it strange that Xu Tiancheng reacted so strongly: "What's wrong? Is there something special about this fog?"

Xu Tiancheng shook his head: "Nothing."

He was just saying it casually, feeling it was merely a coincidence, and did not even think to connect the two matters.

After all, one is in Wu Du, the other is in Kyoto—eight poles cannot reach each other.

Although the surveillance video was of no use, the personnel of the 749 Bureau still carefully examined it, just as Professor Song said: everything was fine beforehand.

At around midnight, fog began to rise, obscuring the video feed, and when the fog cleared, the bronze ancient sword had also vanished.

"It has already been examined; the video shows no signs of editing or splicing, and later the police conducted tests in the air, also detecting nothing; we do not know where this fog came from."

Professor Song took out the earlier police report and some documents, handing them all to Wang Xuehao.

"We have tried every possible method, yet found no clues about the bronze ancient sword; the sword is of great significance to us, and we hope Captain Wang can help us find it."

Wang Xuehao knows little about history; in his view, the loss of a bronze ancient sword is not worth the research center making such a fuss.

After all, there are truly too many cultural relics in the research center; compared to them, the bronze ancient sword seems insignificant.

"May I ask boldly, why does Professor Song value this ancient sword so highly?"

"The bronze ancient sword itself may not be important, but behind it lies profound significance; this is our ultimate goal of exploration. We discovered its existence in the ancient temple on the riverbed, and it is deeply connected with the eminent monk Zhidun."

After hearing Professor Song's full account of the events, the personnel of the 749 Bureau also gained clarity, and this place is also a good entry point.

"Tiancheng, you start from the aspect of Zhidun, gather all related materials."

"Ruotong, you re-examine the earlier statements recorded by the police, investigate the personnel of the research center, and see if they have any subsequent suspicious behavior or traces."

"Xiao Zhang, you pose as a buyer to investigate those smuggling organizations of cultural relics, and see if they have recently received any bronze ancient swords."

After receiving Wang Xuehao's instructions, everyone quickly began to busy themselves.

Although this case is not as troublesome as the previous one, its difficulty is not low.

Currently, there are no useful clues; they must follow the faint traces and continuously dig, like searching for a needle in the ocean.

According to the materials mentioned by Professor Song and the police, Wang Xuehao kept analyzing, but so far there are still no clues.

Soon, Xu Tiancheng and Yao Ruotong also sent back news, with no findings for now.

Since this incident is related to historical artifacts, they have investigated a large amount of related materials.

Xu Tiancheng looked at the books thicker than turning a page, and sighed heavily, "Captain Wang, you might as well let me go out and catch bad guys instead of reading these books—my head hurts from reading them."

Yao Ruotong's patience is quite good; she read ten lines at a glance and spoke thoughtfully, "Do you still remember the historical fog in the story of 'Cutting the Mark to Seek the Sword'?"

Xu Tiancheng didn't understand why she suddenly asked this, "I remember, but what's the connection between the two?"

Yao Ruotong gently tapped his head with the book, somewhat helplessly saying, "I think you've read yourself stupid—the bronze ancient sword comes from 'Cutting the Mark to Seek the Sword,' and the person who talked with the old man back then was not recorded in detail by later generations.

And on Zhidun's side, the person who discussed the Dao with him was also not recorded, which is quite interesting, and later this sword fell into Zhidun's hands—do you think there might be some connection in between?"

Xu Tiancheng's expression immediately became hard to describe, and he asked knowingly, "What connection?"

Yao Ruotong spoke thoughtfully, "Could the mysterious person who spoke with the old man in 'Cutting the Mark to Seek the Sword' be the same as the mysterious expert who discussed the Dao with Zhidun?

Was it him who fished up the ancient sword that fell into the river, and then, a hundred years later, gave it to Zhidun?"

(End of chapter)