After hearing the conversation at the nearby table, an ominous feeling crept into Lin Yun’s heart.
“Something’s off, not quite right!” he murmured, holding his wine cup.
Where there’s anomaly, there’s trouble.
He thought back to Earth—before the beast war erupted, subtle oddities had surfaced, seemingly trivial yet signaling chaos, like a butterfly effect.
Finishing his wine, he left the inn for a walk.
On the street.
An open carriage rolled past, trailed by a troop of soldiers.
A middle-aged man in armor sat aboard, eyes closed, exuding stern authority.
Pedestrians parted to let it through.
Lin Yun stepped aside, glancing at the man.
“Hm?”
His brow furrowed.
“This guy… something’s not right? This feeling…”
“A beast? It’s got a beastly vibe!”
The realization hit him hard.
The man showed no beastly aura, yet Lin Yun’s instinct screamed beast!
Having crossed the Demonic Beast Mountain Range and faced countless beasts, he trusted this gut sense.
He looked up again, but the carriage had vanished down the road.
“Excuse me, old man, do you know who was in that carriage?” he asked a nearby elder.
“That’s a Dongyuan Prefecture general, you can tell by the armor, I’ve lived here centuries, no mistake,” the old man replied.
“A general?” Lin Yun muttered, more shocked.
If his instinct held, a beast had infiltrated Dongyuan’s army—the fallout could be catastrophic!
Unless he’d misread it.
He could shrug it off—it wouldn’t harm him personally.
But as a human, he couldn’t ignore it, not from a species standpoint.
Especially after fighting demons on Earth.
That disaster—he wouldn’t let it repeat.
After weighing it, he decided to visit the Prefecture Lord’s Palace.
The Palace.
Home to Dongyuan’s Prefecture Lord, it sat at the city’s heart, sprawling wide.
At the gate.
“Who goes there?”
A tall, armored soldier blocked Lin Yun.
“I’m Lin Yun, here to see the Prefecture Lord,” he said politely.
“Lin Yun? Got an appointment?” the soldier asked.
“No,” Lin Yun answered.
“No appointment? Back off then, the Lord’s swamped, you think you can just waltz in?” the soldier sneered.
A veteran gatekeeper, he knew the Lord’s VIPs and Dongyuan’s big names.
Lin Yun? Never heard of him.
“I’ve got urgent business to report in person, please notify him, thanks,” Lin Yun stayed courteous.
The soldier’s patience snapped.
“Get lost!” He drew his blade.
“No wonder you’re stuck guarding gates,” Lin Yun shook his head.
That stung—the soldier flared.
“Kid, looking to die?” His sword cleared its sheath.
A richly dressed young man with an air of poise stepped out from the palace.
“What’s all this racket?” he asked.
“Young Master, this guy’s causing trouble!” the soldier said.
“Trouble? Someone dares stir things here? That’s novel, quite the bold one,” the young man chuckled, eyeing Lin Yun.
“I’m not here for trouble, I’ve got vital news for the Prefecture Lord,” Lin Yun said calmly.
“Countless folks in Dongyuan clamor to see my father daily, endless riffraff claiming urgent reports,” the young man shook his head.
He waved dismissively, “Off you go, this isn’t your place, take issues to the magistrate, not the Palace.”
Lin Yun saw he wouldn’t meet the Lord today.
And he couldn’t blurt this out—if it reached that maybe-beast general, it’d spiral!
“Fine, I’m off.”
He turned and left.
He couldn’t help a wry smirk—him, unworthy to see the Prefecture Lord?
Fair enough—he was a nobody in Fire Cloud Empire, who’d know ‘Lin Yun’?
Yet the matter gnawed at him.
He could think like others—let the tall ones handle a falling sky, it didn’t touch him.
But beasts? He couldn’t let it slide!
Walking, he mulled it over, mood heavy.
“Move!”
A carriage barreled toward him, braking hard, nearly hitting him.
“Kid, you blind?” the driver yelled.
The curtain lifted, a young man stepped out.
“No need to shout, it’s not a big deal,” he told the driver.
He looked at Lin Yun.
“Hero, it’s you!” His face lit up.
Lin Yun looked up—Zhu Xu, from the Zhu Clan.
“Zhu Xu, eh,” Lin Yun nodded.
They’d vied with Mo for the lotus at the contest, Zhu Xu by his father’s side.
“Over a month later, meeting you again—fate! How about a drink at my estate?” Zhu Xu gestured invitingly.
“Sure!”
After a moment’s thought, Lin Yun agreed.
The Zhu Clan was a Dongyuan heavyweight—maybe through them, he’d reach the Prefecture Lord.
Zhu Xu seemed delighted.
“Hero, hop in!” He lifted the curtain again.
Lin Yun boarded.
The carriage sped off.
Inside.
Spacious—ten could sit comfortably.
“Hero, last time at the contest, I never got your name,” Zhu Xu smiled.
“Lin Yun,” he said.
“Hero Lin Yun, you went toe-to-toe with the Mo duo, never backing down—impressive! Hardly anyone in Dongyuan dares cross Mo, let alone like that, you’re a real man!” Zhu Xu gave a thumbs-up, full of admiration.
