The dark sky was torn apart by pale lightning bolts, and thunder rumbled like the beating of war drums.
In the torrential rain, a dark figure, riding on blazing lightning, sped past.
As they were about to arrive in Ningcheng, Li Yu suddenly felt the temperature of the surrounding air rising abnormally and rapidly, and even the rain felt unusually warm on her body.
"Stop." Li Yu gently patted Xiao Hei's neck.
Little Black's four hooves swiftly subsided, and it came to a steady stop on a slope.
After stopping Xiao Hei, I looked up.
In the distance, amidst the rain, the outline of a city appeared and disappeared in the rising mist, bearing an eerie resemblance to Kangcheng, like a mirage.
"Fog?" Li Yu wondered.
He activated the Soul-Devouring Triple Eye and looked again, but the distance was too far, and the "mist" seemed to distort the light, so he still couldn't see very clearly.
"It's not fog, it's steam," the Nightmare Beast suddenly interjected, its voice echoing in his mind. It clearly knew what was obstructing its vision.
"Steam?" Li Yu became even more curious after hearing this.
How could such a large area of steam form around Ningcheng?
Feeling the warmth in the air around her, Li Yu suddenly had a strange thought: Could it be that someone was constantly heating up the rainwater?
But this requires an enormous amount of energy.
Just as Li Yu was about to question the Nightmare Beast in detail, a patrol of soldiers wearing uniforms with the character "Ye" printed on them came from the flank and quickly surrounded him.
"Who goes there?!"
The captain, who was in the lead, shouted sternly, but his eyes were immediately drawn to the exceptionally handsome little black dog, and his greed was undisguised.
He suppressed the urge to immediately seize the horse and proceeded with the questioning according to procedure:
"Where are you from? What brings you to Ningcheng?"
Li Yu looked at him silently, taking in the greed in his eyes.
"The captain is asking you a question! Are you deaf?!" A patrolling soldier next to him cursed, clearly used to being arrogant.
Seeing that Li Yu had no reaction and no sense of propriety, the patrol captain lost his patience and stopped being polite.
You should know that every Awakened person and merchant caravan traveling to and from Ningcheng who was stopped by him was politely offered benefits and flattered before being allowed to pass.
The patrol captain didn't take Li Yu seriously at all, and he didn't care at all whether Li Yu was an Awakened or not.
After all, the "Ye" emblem on his body is not just an embroidered decoration; it's the source of his confidence to walk sideways in Ningcheng!
However, it's rare to see such an ungrateful and headstrong young man as Li Yu. I wonder how he managed to get so high up in Zhongzhou.
The captain snorted and stepped forward, trying to forcefully grab Xiao Hei's reins, but Xiao Hei nimbly dodged by turning its head.
"Hey, this beast is quite clever!" The captain laughed instead of getting angry, becoming even more fond of the glossy-coated horse, and already imagining himself riding the black horse on patrol.
Little Black's eyes were wide open. If Li Yu hadn't been holding it back, it would have rushed up and smashed the person to death!
This patrol captain was used to being domineering and was completely unprepared.
He seemed convinced that no one in Zhongzhou would dare to lay a hand on the patrolling soldiers.
Unless this person doesn't want to live anymore.
Even if a conflict does occur, and even if they are only slightly injured, they will be arrested and dealt with jointly by the Thunder Bureau and the law enforcement team.
Moreover, this is in Ningcheng, where the Ye family holds absolute power. They will handle this kind of "trouble" even faster and with a more disastrous outcome.
The patrol captain glanced at Li Yu discreetly, knowing that now was not the time to make a move.
Li Yu is clearly an Awakened One; if we forcefully take the horse, we might not be able to keep it.
If Li Yu rides away again, they definitely won't be able to keep up at their speed, and that would be a loss.
The captain stared at the horse, then suddenly an idea struck him.
It would be better to lure it closer so that we can make a move.
Thinking of this, the patrol captain suddenly put on a fake smile, and his tone became enthusiastic:
"Welcome to Ningcheng, outsider."
"We Ningcheng people are the most hospitable. We all have a pure heart and will welcome every guest who comes to Ningcheng."
"It looks like this is your first time here. Why don't we take you back?" The patrol captain said, leading the way in the manner of a warm and hospitable tour guide.
Li Yu remained silent, but gently squeezed her leg together, and Xiao Hei followed at a leisurely pace.
They had only walked a short distance when they encountered another patrol escorting three Awakened individuals, their clothes tattered and their bodies covered in wounds. The three men were bound hand and foot with specially made shackles, their expressions listless, and they were being forced to head towards Ningcheng.
When the patrolling soldiers saw Li Yu still riding his horse, their eyes also revealed undisguised greed and envy.
The patrol captain's smile widened.
Li Yu followed quietly, getting closer and closer to Ningcheng, carefully observing the surrounding environment.
Just as the Nightmare Beast said, this is not fog, but steam.
As they passed through the humid, steamy zone where it was difficult to breathe, a sudden burst of intense light pierced their eyes. Li Yu was momentarily blinded by the sudden glare, and even Xiao Hei couldn't help but turn its head away.
Activating his Triple Eyes and looking up again, Li Yu was shocked by what he saw!
High above Ningcheng, there stood a colossal, strange boulder radiating terrifying heat!
It is like a man-made miniature sun, continuously radiating light and heat.
Large amounts of rainwater fell on it and instantly vaporized, making a hissing sound and forming a huge amount of steam that enveloped the city!
This illogical scene carries a strong sense of incongruity.
"How about it? Young man, you've never seen anything like this before, have you?"
The patrol captain noticed Li Yu's reaction, smiled smugly, and secretly gave his subordinate a wink.
Several soldiers immediately called for backup at the city gate, and silently moved behind Li Yu, blocking his retreat.
Upon seeing this, the captain's tone instantly changed, becoming full of threat:
"Being able to come to Ningcheng is a blessing you've accumulated over many lifetimes."
"If you know what's good for you, hand over this horse now so we can 'keep it safe,' and you can obediently go into town and find a place to stay."
“Otherwise…” he sneered, “you’ll have to stay in another way.”
The surrounding soldiers also joined in the laughter, as if they had Li Yu completely under their thumb.
"Aren't you going to dismount? Do we have to ask you to come down?"
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