My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

The cold rain poured down, with large raindrops hitting the raincoats and splashing up tiny water droplets. The drill ground was flooded, and the mud was churned up by countless pairs of boots. A smell mixed with the stench of grass and rust filled the air.

The soldiers at the back couldn't see what was happening ahead, and they anxiously stood on tiptoe to look. One of them couldn't help but nudge the person in front with his elbow: "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Lord Lin is missing! General Wang and the eldest princess are also gone!" The man in front turned around, his face full of shock, and his voice changed.

"In the blink of an eye, all three of them disappeared!"

"Huh?" The person behind him opened his mouth wide, and the cold raindrops hit his tongue. He then abruptly closed his mouth, but he couldn't hide the shock on his face.

The news spread like wildfire through the ranks. The buzzing among the crowd grew louder and louder, the astonishment and whispers of eight thousand people mingling with the sound of rain, drowning out the patter of raindrops hitting the tent roof.

The entire drill ground was like a boiling pot, with waves of sound surging from the front of the command platform to the back, and then rebounding from the back, creating a chaotic and disorderly scene.

Some people craned their necks, peering around anxiously, as if trying to burn a hole through the rain curtain ahead. Others paced anxiously in circles, their new rain boots splashing mud everywhere. Still others whispered to the person next to them, "Has Lord Lin gone back to heaven?"

The question caused a moment of silence in the surrounding area.

The soldier who had been beaming with joy just moments before because of the rain boots was now pale-faced and stammered, "No, no way... Lord Lin said we should stay put and that he and General Wang would be right back, so... so they'll definitely be back..."

He said "inevitably" but his voice was very weak and trembled at the end.

"Yes, yes, Lord Lin said it himself, that we should wait! Don't panic!" another soldier quickly chimed in, raising his voice and nodding vigorously, seemingly trying to comfort others or convince himself.

"But this way of going is too shocking... Are Lord Lin and the others alright...?" Someone couldn't help but start to worry. The person speaking unconsciously gripped the sides of the raincoat, squeezing the slippery material until it was crumpled and their knuckles turned white.

He stood in the puddle, his shoes already half an inch deep in the soft mud. A gust of wind came and made him sway.

Just as chaos erupted, a sharp-eyed soldier suddenly pointed to the sky and shouted at the top of his lungs, "The sky! Look at the sky!"

The sound, like a thunderclap, exploded above the crowd, instantly bringing everyone back to their senses.

Yes! The sky is still bright!

Eight thousand heads were raised in unison, looking straight up at the sky.

Suddenly, a white light flashed across the sky, so bright it made one's eyes dazzle.

Unlike the lightning we usually see, this light was as gentle as the moon, yet several times brighter, illuminating the entire training ground in a bright white light, making the rain seem to freeze for a moment.

The light fell into the puddles and instantly shattered into countless silver scales, or like a thin layer of frost, spreading out in a white expanse.

Some people instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, while others squinted and forced themselves to keep their eyes open, afraid of missing something.

Then, the image gradually became clearer.

The environment inside the canopy has changed.

The hazy rain and the familiar training ground disappeared, replaced by a spacious and bright palace.

The surrounding area is decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and warm yellow light shines through the scene, as if blocking out the overwhelming cold rain outside into another world.

The vermilion-lacquered beams and pillars support the caisson ceiling painted with cloud patterns. One after another, bronze lamps hang from the beams, their bodies polished to a shine and engraved with delicate intertwined vine patterns. The wicks are straightened, and the candle flames burn steadily, illuminating the entire room warmly and brightly.

The four sides were lined with rosewood medicine cabinets, their surfaces gleaming and reaching all the way to the ceiling. The small drawers on top were arranged side by side, each with a neatly labeled medicine name; the edges of the paper were slightly yellowed, but the ink was still clearly visible.

Several small brass scales sat on the corner of the cabinet, their pans polished to a shine. Next to them were a pestle and several pieces of cut mulberry paper, with fine powdery residue on them.

In the center of the hall stood a long rosewood table, on which lay several medical books, their pages slightly curled. Beside them sat a slender bamboo or wooden bookmark. At the corner of the table was a celadon incense burner, from which rose an extremely fine wisp of white smoke, coiling and unfurling in the warm light, seemingly ethereal.

The lattice windows were tightly closed, the paper so translucent in the candlelight that it resembled gauze, keeping the torrential rain out. Raindrops struck the paper, leaving only tiny watermarks, as if someone were gently tapping on them with their fingers, yet unable to get in.

A fine layer of moisture condensed on the edge of the window frame, and occasionally water droplets would gather and slowly slide down the wooden frame, eventually seeping into the ground in a dark color.

From this angle, one can also see the screen wall on one side of the main gate, where the three powerful characters "Imperial Medical Academy" clearly indicate to everyone—

This place is the Imperial Hospital of the Great Flame Emperor!

"This...isn't this the Imperial Hospital?" A soldier recognized it and exclaimed in a low voice, his tone full of disbelief.

"Why did Lord Lin suddenly go to the Imperial Hospital?"

"They were just on the drill ground a moment ago, and in the blink of an eye they're in the palace. What else could this be but divine intervention!" The person next to him swallowed hard, his voice filled with unspeakable awe.

When he said the word "immortal," he unconsciously lowered his voice, as if those two words themselves were extraordinary and could not be spoken loudly.

"Great! Lord Lin didn't go back to the heavens, he's still in Da Yan!" The soldier who had been so scared that his face turned pale had finally calmed down. He wiped the rain off his face, put his raincoat hood back on, and grinned like a fool.

"I knew it! Lord Lin is practically a god descended from heaven! He said he would come back, and he definitely will!" someone chimed in, their tone full of certainty.

"That's right! We'll just wait and obey!" someone else chimed in.

A buzz of excitement returned to the drill ground, but this time it was no longer the panic of before, but rather amazement and curiosity. Everyone felt a warmth in their hearts; the initial fear had been transformed into boundless awe for Lord Lin under the warm light.

Eight thousand people huddled in the rain, their eyes all fixed on the sky. The warm yellow candlelight emanating from that scene seemed to dispel some of the chill in the training ground.

The raindrops continued to patter against their raincoats, but no one cared about feeling them now; they just wanted to stare a hole through the sky.

……

Meanwhile, in a residence somewhere in the capital city.

The house was a three-courtyard complex with blue bricks and gray tiles. A heavy plaque hung above the door, and the main hall door was wide open at the moment. Raindrops were swept in by the wind and rushed into the house, wetting a small patch of the ground. The water reflected the flickering lamplight inside the hall, giving it a dim glow.

The interior was dignified and elegantly furnished, with landscape paintings by famous artists from previous dynasties hanging on the walls and official kiln vases on the tables, but no one had the mind to even glance at them at the moment.

The goatee stared at the all-too-familiar Imperial Hospital in the sky, his face even more gloomy than the sky outside.