"WHAT?!"
Hao Xuan shot up from his seat, hitting the carriage roof.
"When exactly did this happen? Where did they get captured? What is the military doing about it?"
"About 3 days ago. They were on a mission but something went wrong, and as far as I can tell, only the Red Legion is taking the matter seriously."
Hao Xuan punched the side door, blowing it to smithereens.
"Goddamnit. How could this happen?!"
Baracus remained silent for a few seconds, contemplating whether or not telling Hao Xuan would be a good idea, but he decided to tell him anyway.
"….I'm pretty sure there are spies within the military."
Hao Xuan who was already on the verge of exploding suddenly calmed down, which surprised even Baracus himself.
"Explain."
"The mission they were on was a simple scouting mission. But from the data I got from their spirit bands before they were disabled, there was a whole regiment waiting for them at the designated location…."
The more Hao Xuan listened, the calmer he became for some reason. It felt like all the anger inside him was being absorbed by something else.
Large thick veins could be seen moving around his tightly clenched fists like they were alive. Every single muscle on his body was moving in a rhythm. With every heartbeat, his body trembled like never before.
Expressions of Green and Red who were sitting in the front hardened like stone.
They couldn't control their own heartbeats just now. Every other beat sent hot blood pumping through their veins. Even though they had no idea what was going on, a strange energy was forcing their Qi to circulate on its own, making them want to rip their skin off and turn back to their original appearances.
The small pool of divine blood within their body reacted to this energy, seething with every heartbeat.
*Ssssshhhhh*
Streams of mist could be seen coming off their bodies, making them look like candles that had just been put out.
Green opened the compartment door separating them from Hao Xuan, "M-Master, please calm down. Your power is leaking out!"
Hao Xuan was sitting in the compartment with closed eyes. A minuscule cloud of black smoke hovered in front of his face.
He abruptly opened his eyes. The air itself manifested as an invisible shockwave rippled outward with him as the center.
*Whoosh*
The entire carriage that was reinforced with multiple formations shook like a boat in a storm.
"I'm good. Everything is….good," he replied calmly, completely in contrast to the beastial energy he was giving off.
His eyes were shining like lanterns in the dark. When Green met his gaze, his heart almost stopped. Every single hair on his body stood up straight and out of pure instinct, his body recoiled in defense.
He could see that the person in front of him was the Hao Xuan he had always known, but his animal senses were telling him there was more to it.
It felt like a bloodthirsty monster was standing behind him, hiding in his very shadow, sharpening its claws, ready to strike out at a moment's notice.
Green nodded absentmindedly and closed the compartment door once again.
"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Red asked curiously.
"Yeah, everything is….good," Green repeated Hao Xuan's words. His throat was bone dry for some reason while his neck ached like he had just been strangled.
In Hao Xuan's mind palace the gate on the right that had been locked for so long finally creaked open. Zhurong who was sleeping on the podium in the middle of the palace lifted his head, staring at the door threateningly.
Inside the room Hyde was sitting in his chair, looking outward with squinted eyes and a mirthful smile.
"Interesting…there is something else taking shape," he mumbled to himself before closing his eyes once again. The door closed and all the light vanished, with just his voice echoing in the darkness.
"Interesting indeed…."
The carriage came to a stop outside a small house. There was one person standing at the front like a statue.
Hao Xuan got off from the carriage and started walking towards the front door. The person didn't even bat an eye at his arrival and kept his gaze straight.
Hao Xuan knocked on the door and a maid opened the door. Same as the man outside her expression saw no change. She simply nodded once and led Hao Xuan inside.
They passed through a few corridors and came to a stop in a small courtyard. The maid turned around and left without making a noise.
Hao Xuan walked in and bowed from the waist towards the old man in front who was reading a printed newspaper, "General."
"Hmm, you're up early. I thought it would take you some time before you managed to return to this world."
Hao Xuan stood back up, "Pardon?"
The general put down the paper and met Hao Xuan's gaze with a raised eyebrow, "You don't know where you were?"
"No," Hao Xuan shook his head.
"Well, that's surprising," the general smiled amusingly.
"You're a strange one. Yue Fei brought you here more than 2 years ago in hopes of making amends with me, but you never asked about him once. You seem to have one bad encounter after another, being on the verge of death every few months, and now this…"
"This?" Hao Xuan tilted his head sideways in confusion.
The general waved his hand dismissively, "It doesn't matter. Just know that if you return to that place again, it won't be easy to return without gaining some understanding."
"…..yes…"
Hao Xuan had no idea what he was talking about but he nodded anyway.
The general raised the newspaper once again, covering his face.
"You heard about Third and Fourth?"
"Yes."
"First is in charge of finding them, go to him. Your "Mad Saints" are with him as well."
"Yes."
Hao Xuan turned around and saw the maid blocking his way out. There was a silver tray in her hand with a ring on top.
"Take the ring, it has everything you need to break through to the spirit realm. Don't come back without Third and Fourth, alive or dead."
Hao Xuan looked at the ring for a second before picking it up. The maid turned around and Hao Xuan followed after. He had only taken a few steps when the general's voice echoed in his head.
"Careful of the other units. Do not trust them completely, especially the Spearhead, the Ten thousand and the Valkyries. Our goals are not aligned."
Hao Xuan froze mid-stride.
'So the rumors are true…' he thought.
"Yes," he repeated once again and walked out of the house.
