# 1649
Chapter 1642: Dead Star
Lin Qiye frowned slightly. He pulled back the corner of his collar and saw the two remaining [Covenant] marks on his chest, both emitting a faint glow.
The [Covenant] is reacting?
Lin Qiye was stunned. He immediately stood up. At that moment, a figure knocked on the door and walked in:
"Gentlemen, the guests next door have left. Shall we move to the adjacent room before the refreshments arrive?"
"Oh? That sounds good."
Yan Zhong's face lit up with delight at this suggestion.
Under his direction, the other dancers filed out of the private room toward the next one. Meanwhile, the burning sensation on Lin Qiye's chest gradually faded, as if everything just moments ago had been merely an illusion.
What's going on? Confusion filled Lin Qiye's eyes.
The [Covenant] had suddenly shown signs of activity, and he'd expected the second [Covenant] to activate. But before he could brace himself, the intense sensation simply vanished.
Lin Qiye's peripheral vision caught several foreign-looking men leading a figure in a straw hat toward the exit. His pupils contracted sharply the moment he spotted that silhouette.
Her?!
"Seven Nights, shall we relocate then—" Yan Zhong began, but Lin Qiye had already spun around and rushed down the stairs!
"Seven Nights? Seven Nights?!"
"You take Wu Quan and go ahead! I have something to deal with!"
Lin Qiye's voice rang out as a blur shot across the dance hall, the fierce wind it generated lifting the edges of nearby dancers' clothes and drawing gasps from the patrons.
Yan Zhong stared blankly at Lin Qiye's retreating figure. After a long hesitation, he turned to Wu Quan and asked:
"What kind of person is Seven Nights' wife, anyway? To make him run off like that... Alright, I wasn't thinking carefully. I've caused him trouble."
Wu Quan: ...
...
On Chang'an Street.
The dusky sunset light fell upon the ancient rooftops. The once-bustling crowds on the street had gradually thinned out, and the shops along the road were already closing up. Several missionaries walked on one side of the street, already getting ready to head back.
"This grand city of Chang'an would surely be far more lively if there were no curfew, don't you think?" One missionary cast his gaze across the increasingly quiet street, letting out a long sigh.
"Once we leave Chang'an, who knows when we'll encounter such a prosperous city again?"
"Unfortunately, this place was never meant to be our haven."
As the missionaries lamented among themselves, the red-haired girl slightly raised her head, her eyes fixed on a certain crimson star in the dusky sky that was becoming increasingly dazzling... Her brow furrowed.
"That star... it seems to be getting closer."
Whoosh—!!
A blur shot through from behind. The red-haired girl's face beneath the straw hat changed. She sharply turned to look behind her.
"Who's there?!"
Several missionaries quickly gathered around the red-haired girl, their muscles tense, their eyes filled with vigilance!
The blur racing across the street came to a halt. Lin Qiye gazed at the figure in the straw hat, walking toward them with an expressionless face.
"What a powerful aura..." Sensing the terrifying fluctuation emanating from Lin Qiye, the red-haired girl's expression hardened. "Who are you? What do you want?"
"Chloe."
Lin Qiye pulled down his collar, revealing the two [Covenant] marks emitting a faint glow. He spoke slowly:
"We need to talk."
...
The Imperial Palace.
Inside the main hall.
After listening to Huo Qubing's account, the figure seated upon the dragon throne slightly curved his lips upward.
"To pacify the border unrest within two months—you truly are my Marquis of Champion!" Liu Che, the Emperor of Han, laughed. "With this accomplished, those petty schemers won't dare collude with the Xiongnu anymore. Our Great Han can enjoy peace for another few years... Tell me, what reward do you desire?"
"This is merely my duty, Your Majesty. No reward is needed." Huo Qubing paused for a moment. "Moreover, with the world still in turmoil, I cannot in good conscience accept such honors..."
"Oh?" The Emperor of Han's eyes narrowed slightly. "You've noticed it too?"
"To be honest, the reason I led my troops back to Chang'an without rest, racing across a thousand li, was that we were beset by a large number of evil spirits along the way." Huo Qubing raised his head, his gaze extremely grave. "Your Majesty, what exactly is that demon star...?"
The Emperor of Han fell silent for a moment, his gaze shifting to the side as he spoke slowly:
"Cai Yuan, repeat to him what you just told me."
In this grand hall, aside from the Emperor of Han and Huo Qubing, there was another figure in official robes. He had already been present before Huo Qubing entered the hall.
"Yes." Cai Yuan took two steps forward and spoke respectfully. "Cai Yuan, Director of the Bureau of Astronomy, greets the Marquis."
Huo Qubing glanced at him in surprise. "I remember the Director of the Bureau of Astronomy... was Fang Yi not?"
"Lord Fang... hanged himself in the Bureau of Astronomy fifteen days ago." Cai Yuan replied with a bitter smile.
"Hanged himself?"
"Fifteen days ago, Lord Fang was observing the night sky with us when he noticed an additional crimson star in the heavens. Filled with doubts... Lord Fang used secret divination techniques to deduce the celestial signs, then suddenly began speaking nonsense, thrashing his limbs about, as if possessed by madness.
We barely managed to restrain Lord Fang. When we saw him fall asleep, we assumed he had returned to normal, but we never expected that late at night he would wake again and go mad, hanging himself with a rope..."
Hearing this, Huo Qubing's expression darkened. He had known the previous Director of the Bureau of Astronomy, Fang Yi, and the two had some rapport. Fang Yi's character was well-known to him. How could such a steady and composed old man suddenly go mad and hang himself at home?
"He was speaking nonsense? What exactly did he say?"
"After Lord Fang went mad, his speech was incoherent, so I couldn't make out much of what he said... I only caught a few phrases: 'They're coming,' 'Harbinger of Destruction,' 'Precursor,' 'Dead Star,' 'The barrier between... something.'"
Huo Qubing looked at the Emperor of Han with confusion. The latter's face was somber as he gave a slight nod.
"So those evil spirit disturbances were caused by the 'Dead Star' Lord Fang mentioned? That crimson star is the 'Dead Star'?" Huo Qubing asked.
"That's correct." Cai Yuan continued, "At dawn today, a meteorite split off from the crimson star and fell to the earth... Lord Chen, who had temporarily taken over as Director to replace Lord Fang, deduced the celestial signs once more. The result was..."
"What was the result?"
"His fate was identical to Lord Fang's." Cai Yuan's face was somewhat pale, his eyes filled with bitterness. "Two consecutive Directors of our Bureau of Astronomy died violently under that crimson star. It is precisely for this reason that I have taken over both lords' positions and serve as Acting Director."
"Before Lord Chen passed away, did he say anything?"
Cai Yuan opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then still spoke in a hoarse voice:
"Besides everything Lord Fang had said... Lord Chen also declared that the crimson star splits the sky, great chaos is certain to follow, and within a day, all living things will be destroyed!"
Cai Yuan's voice echoed through the vast hall. Huo Qubing's pupils contracted violently.