In the year 627 of the Haoli Calendar, deep winter, the fifteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, Imperial Capital Yingshui City.
The annoying heavy snow had already fallen for three days, with accumulation reaching up to an adult’s knees, but fortunately, it finally stopped that night.
Yet people’s faces showed not joy but fear, because everything in sight had been coated with a thick, viscous red glow—battlements, houses, sheds… everywhere bore ominously heavy colors. Citizens sitting in their homes, looking at the similarly reddened faces of their loved ones, felt uneasy and terrified.
Looking up, a red moon hung in the sky, as round as a plate and as crimson as blood.
The day of legend had finally arrived!
The streets and alleys, normally bustling with carriages and horses, were now empty, without even the barking of dogs or crowing of roosters. Yingshui City had become an isolated fortress seven days ago, voluntarily cutting off external communications, and no longer allowing entry or exit. Today’s curfew had been moved up to the hour of Shen (3-5 PM). Before the sun had even set, shops and restaurants had all closed, and everyone had been driven back into their homes, with every household tightly shutting their doors.
Only soldiers in grim armor were permitted to remain on the streets, patrolling back and forth.
Whoever dared step half a pace outside their home would doom their entire family to death with them! This was an iron decree, beyond question.
Gradually, the hour of Hai (9-11 PM) arrived. The blood moon grew increasingly red and brilliant as if the entire Yingshui City had been dipped in a vat of dye. The light from the sky gradually dimmed, and the city dwellers sat in their homes, necks craned toward the sky, their uneasy gazes quickly filling with terror.
The sky was filled with wisps of red smoke, originally inconspicuous in the same-colored moonlight, but growing increasingly massive until it blocked more than half the light shining down on Yingshui City. Fortunately, a transparent dome had somehow been erected above the city, keeping the red smoke outside. Ordinary people shouldn’t have been able to see it, yet the red smoke seemed alive, coiling and twisting as it tried to penetrate the dome, probing everywhere as if searching for a breach.
Those with good eyesight could see faces formed from the red smoke on the dome—some ferocious, some beautiful, some with horns on their heads, some with green faces and fangs—each different, but all resembling masks from nightmares.
Some laughed, some scowled, some raged, some wept.
Bizarre and grotesque, like falling into purgatory.
The spectators’ teeth chattered, making clicking sounds before they stammered, “Ce-celestial demons!”
It was no baseless rumor—the celestial demons had truly come.
The prophecy had come true.
Even the most stubborn people now had to cut their last thread of doubt and admire His Majesty’s foresight.
Fortunately, the transparent dome proved remarkably effective; no matter how the red smoke tried to infiltrate, it remained impenetrable. Black and white mists appeared in the sky, entangling with the red smoke in a manner that strangely brought to mind a phrase:
Fight to the death.
These affairs in the sky were too distant for ordinary people; commoners only saw that the red smoke’s assaults on the transparent dome became increasingly obvious, its force seemingly growing stronger.
They roared in rage, appearing to burn their lives completely, releasing all their remaining energy recklessly, even if their ultimate fate was to crash against the barrier and shatter, vanishing into nothingness.
They came in waves, violent and frenzied.
Eventually, almost every impact made the entire Yingshui City tremble unceasingly; each blow felt like a muffled hammer, striking heavily on the hearts of all citizens.
This level of confrontation fully displayed the insignificance of human power. Countless mortals could only kneel on the ground, facing east in reverent worship, praying for Yingshui City’s safety.
Perhaps heaven was moved by the people’s sincerity. The transparent barrier, seemingly fragile and often appearing on the verge of collapse, miraculously persisted until the end without being breached.
Each second felt like a year.
Thankfully, time eventually passes. Within the bitter endurance of the people, the Hour of Zi (11 PM-1 AM) arrived.
“Dong—”
Just as the bell signaling the third watch of the night sounded, the sky above Yingshui City suddenly cleared completely.
The red smoke was gone, the faces were gone, the trembling was gone.
Their disappearance was as abrupt as their arrival.
Then the moonlight shed its blood-red hue, returning to its clear, watery brightness, coating the surviving capital with a warm glow.
Silent and peaceful, as always.
A new day had arrived, and all the strange phenomena people had just experienced seemed never to have existed.
Heaven and earth were clear, the universe bright and open.
This meant the celestial demons had retreated, and the Haoli Kingdom… was saved.
In Yingshui City, some let out long sighs of relief, some had their doubts dispelled, some smiled through tears, and some stared blankly with raised heads before cheers nearly lifted the entire capital!
Crackling and popping, the sound of firecrackers seemed contagious, quickly growing from few to many, from scattered to intense.
Though people still couldn’t go outside, this didn’t prevent the overjoyed citizens from lighting some firecrackers to celebrate. The air gradually filled with the smell of gunpowder, even stronger than during the New Year.
Surviving a brush with death was a cause for celebration.
Amid this clamor, there came the sound of wheels on Baishi Avenue, approaching from a distance—a large black carriage heading straight for the city gate. The soldiers guarding the gate quickly went to meet it. Seeing the insignia on the carriage, the reprimand they were about to utter was swallowed back. After hesitating, one still raised his hand and said, “The city gates are closed; this road is blocked. Noble one, please turn back!”
The carriage curtain lifted, revealing a young man in brocade clothes with delicate skin and handsome features, though his eyes were red and swollen. He shouted, “Open the gate! I have urgent business outside the city!”
The gate officer came running, bowing to him. Though his gesture was respectful, his intention to refuse was obvious: “The curfew has not ended. Please return after the morning bell rings at the fifth quarter of the Hour of Yin (3-5 AM).”
“You dare deceive me? The celestial demon attack has passed—what danger remains?” The young man’s expression changed instantly, while he waved a black token in his hand. “Quickly open the city gate! If you delay my important matters, you slave will pay with your dog head!”
The gate officer knew the tokens of various mansions well. Seeing this, he was stunned for a moment, his face showing difficulty. But by now, several people had galloped over on horseback. The leader spoke, drawing out the word “Oh” with exaggerated inflection: “What important business could outweigh the current imperial decree?”
Hearing this shrill voice, the gate officer’s expression changed. He lowered his head and stood at attention, not daring to utter another word. He knew this was no longer his affair.
Even the brocade-clad youth, seeing the newcomers, put away his arrogant manner and called out loudly, “Eunuch Cai, my great-grandmother is resting at an estate outside the city. A few days ago, we received bad news that her health was declining… Now that the celestial demon attack has passed, I must hurry to see her!”
“News from a few days ago?” Eunuch Cai gave a sharp laugh. “By now she is probably…” He was very old, his face as wrinkled as tree bark. This laugh seemed to split a crack in his face, looking not warm but adding a touch of eeriness.
“You… you!” Not expecting such impertinence, the brocade youth was genuinely stunned, and then his face darkened with anger: “How dare you speak such evil words to our Prime Minister’s household! Her ladyship is Consort Mei’s…”
“She is also Consort Mei’s great-grandmother, I know,” Eunuch Cai interrupted. “Yingshui City has been sealed off from the outside for seven days. How did you receive this news?”