Seeing Xing Yue finally regain consciousness, Zhao Qianjun visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
He nimbly pulled out a key, unlocked the specially made shackles on Xing Yue's hands and feet, and then channeled spiritual power to break the seal set by Cheng Zhishan’s personal guards.
The spiritual power within Xing Yue’s body resumed its flow. He looked at Zhao Qianjun in astonishment. "Deputy commander, what is...?"
"Don't talk. There’s no time to explain."
Zhao Qianjun interrupted him, quickly pulling a uniform and a standard-issue waist blade from the bundle he had brought and thrusting them into Xing Yue's hands.
"Put these on and get out of here!"
Xing Yue froze, instinctively asking, "Did the commander... change his mind and let me return to the Blackwater Guard to report for duty?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Qianjun kicked him and cursed in a low voice.
"Report for duty? Like hell you are! Just get out, and don't go back to the Blackwater Office. Better yet... leave Lantao City entirely."
These words made Xing Yue realize instantly that Zhao Qianjun was secretly letting him escape.
"Deputy commander..." Xing Yue's throat tightened; he wanted to say something.
"Don't be so damn wishy-washy!"
Zhao Qianjun interrupted him impatiently, his eyes warily scanning the corridor outside the cell.
"Move fast. This damn Blackwater Dungeon is no place to linger. Change your clothes and get lost immediately. Take Secret Passage No. 3; you should know the route."
Xing Yue said no more. He quickly stripped off his brand-new prison clothes, changed into the uniform, and tucked the blade into his belt.
He looked at Zhao Qianjun, wanting to ask more.
Zhao Qianjun seemed to see through his thoughts and gave him another impatient, feigned kick.
"Scram. I'll find a way to arrange for someone to look after your wife and daughter; I'll do my best to keep them safe.
"Since you're still willing to call me deputy commander, then as a deputy commander, I have to be responsible for the soldiers who actually do their jobs to the end.
"Go. Once you’re out of Lantao City, the world is vast; you’ll find a way to survive."
In truth, Zhao Qianjun also knew the reality.
Lantao City at least had high walls and arrays for protection. In today's world, where could Xing Yue go once he left the commandery capital?
Looking across Thousand Isles County and beyond, where wasn't in dire straits?
But he could not bear to see a man like Xing Yue die senselessly in the Blackwater Dungeon.
To die so miserably, so pointlessly.
A warrior can return wrapped in horsehide, dying on the battlefield, but he must never silently rot away in a prison.
Everyone in the Blackwater Dungeon was a sacrificial offering.
Xing Yue gave Zhao Qianjun a deep look, etching this favor into his heart.
He no longer hesitated. Turning around, he skillfully slipped into the shadows of the cell and opened a secret passage, his figure quickly disappearing within.
The exit of the Blackwater Office's secret passage connected to a corner of a marketplace in the outer city district.
It was a seedy area with sewage flowing everywhere, extremely inconspicuous.
It was now late at night. Xing Yue emerged from a dry well in an abandoned courtyard.
The night wind blew against his face with a chill, but Xing Yue's heart was a mess.
On one hand was the commander's strange attitude, and on the other were the absurd scenes from his dream.
How could he dream of the City Lord?
What was that? A case of thinking about something by day and dreaming of it by night?
Xing Yue didn't know where he should go; Lantao City clearly had no place left for him.
Zhao Qianjun was right—he had to leave first.
The night in Lantao City was terrifyingly quiet.
It wasn't just silence; it was a form of dead stillness.
Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone road, outlining the grim silhouettes of buildings but failing to illuminate a single person.
There were no soldiers on night patrol, no sound of wooden clappers from night watchmen, and not even the sound of a stray cat or dog barking.
The entire city seemed to have fallen into a deep slumber at night.
He didn't even need to hide intentionally because the streets were completely empty.
Xing Yue stepped through the cold moonlight, quickly crossing several streets, trying to find the remote path he remembered that led out of the city.
Just as he turned a corner, his gaze froze.
In the distance at a crossroads ahead, dozens of white figures were gathered, flickering like shadows.
They stood there silently, moving only occasionally, appearing like ghosts under the moonlight.
Xing Yue was instantly alert and instinctively wanted to retreat and find another way.
However, just as he took half a step back, a pair of small hands suddenly reached out from a side alley.
The hands were filthy as they grabbed his arm and pulled him in forcefully.
Xing Yue was startled. His spiritual power surged instantly, ready to counterattack.
But when he saw the person who had pulled him, his movements stiffened.
It was just a few children in rags. The oldest looked to be no more than eight or nine years old.
"Who are you?" Xing Yue asked in a low voice, not immediately breaking free.
Jiu'er immediately covered Xing Yue's mouth, holding a finger to his own lips with his other hand to signal for silence.
He cautiously peeked out, looking at the flickering white figures outside the alley, then quickly pulled his head back and lowered his voice.
"Shh, you can't talk. Don't let them find you."
After saying that, Jiu'er looked warily at the uniform on Xing Yue's body and added.
"I saved you, okay? You can't catch me and kick me out of the city.
"Oh, and them too. They’re all cultivators now, not mortals, so you can't catch them either."
He pointed at the other equally nervous little beggars behind him.
Xing Yue was stunned for a moment, then realized Jiu'er was worried about his identity as a member of the Blackwater Guard.
He shook his head with a bitter smile and whispered, "I won't catch you. I'm... no longer with the Blackwater Guard either."
Hearing this, the wariness in Jiu'er's eyes lessened slightly, but he still gripped Xing Yue's arm tightly, pulling him deeper into the alley.
He and the other little beggars hid in the shadows, using piles of junk for cover.
"When you said 'them' just now, were you referring to those white shadows outside?"
Xing Yue followed Jiu'er's gaze toward the alley entrance.
Jiu'er nodded vigorously, his voice extremely low. "Those are the sleepwalkers. You can't go out at night. If you run into them, you'll be dragged in too. It's terrifying!"
Only then did Xing Yue realize with a start that throughout his journey here, he truly hadn't seen a single patrolling soldier or even a night watchman.
He hadn't expected that in the few months he had been away from Lantao City, the city he once protected would turn into this at night.
How could so many sleepwalkers appear all at once?
"How do you know all this?" Xing Yue asked.
Jiu'er shrunk his neck and whispered, "Because I've seen it with my own eyes, of course.
"I've seen it several times. If someone accidentally runs into those sleepwalkers face-to-face at night, they'll immediately act as if they're possessed. They'll close their eyes and walk with them. No matter how you call them, they won't wake up."
Just as he spoke, a white figure slowly walked past the entrance of the alley where they were hiding.
Jiu'er and all the little beggars instantly held their breath, not even daring to blink.
The alley entrance wasn't narrow, but the sleepwalker seemed to instinctively ignore the alley's existence, showing no intention of entering to investigate.
He simply maintained a steady pace and walked past slowly.
By the dim moonlight, Xing Yue caught a quick glimpse.
It was a man who looked like an ordinary middle-aged merchant. His cultivation was only at the first-stage qi induction stage, and his appearance and clothing were unremarkable.
However, a strange halo shrouded the merchant's entire body.
The texture and color of that halo were almost identical to what he had seen in his nightmare.
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