History Has Fallen Ill

Chapter 48: Edge of the Old Days, Taisui of the Book Mountain

Third floor of the Qing Shi Tower, Director’s Office.

Ba Lie had changed into a Ming-style Flying Fish Uniform. Coupled with his oppressively imposing physique, he resembled a Chief Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard from a historical drama.

He looked at Jiang Yan and curiously asked, “How was the experience at the Five Madness Dharma Assembly last night? I heard there was a monster attack—are you alright?”

Jiang Yan nodded. “Of course I’m fine. The Dharma Assembly was quite fun.”

The one who wasn’t fine was Fly Boy.

“If it weren’t for the message you sent before returning, I almost went to HQ to round up people to search for you.”

A hint of lingering fear surfaced on Ba Lie’s face as he warned, “Next time, let Zhao Yinman accompany you. It’s too dangerous to go alone.”

Jiang Yan laughed silently in his heart. Old Ba was clearly a Modu native, raised in the desert, yet his style was more like that of a local parent from Jiangnan Province.

A child going out for just a bit would already make him anxious.

Originally, Ba Lie had wanted to chat about Sima Luoshui, but Jiang Yan said it was nothing—assuming he had hidden during the incident at the Dharma Assembly and escaped unscathed—so Ba Lie didn’t probe further.

Otherwise, he’d come off as too nagging.

Besides, Jiang Yan hadn’t taken the matter of reporting under a fake name to Commander Lu seriously. On the surface, he had just gone through his first instance, still a newcomer.

Meanwhile, Sima Luoshui could instantly kill someone at the Foundation Establishment Stage, clearly a veteran History Walker.

No normal person would link the two together.

‘This guy can one-shot a Foundation Establishment stage Fly Boy. Even among the top-tier talents from major clans, he would rank in the first echelon. But this external incarnation is related to Xiangliu, making it easy for those pursuing the Xiangliu path to mark him.’

‘Still, with that kind of strength, he must come from some major force. Nothing to worry about. Especially that name… Could it be that he has a grudge with the Sima Clan? Otherwise, who would choose such an in-your-face username!’

Old Ba grumbled inwardly, then pulled something from the drawer and tossed it to Jiang Yan, saying:

“This is your ID. I also renewed your social security. Keep it safe—if you lose it, reissuing it will be a hassle.”

Jiang Yan took the ID. Opening it, he saw the photo from when he first started working, eyes full of hope for the future. Unfortunately, after a few years on the job…

He had only grown more masculine.

He discovered that Ba Lie, unexpectedly, hadn’t tricked him—he had genuinely been granted the title of Deputy Command Envoy.

Jiang Yan asked, “So are we heading out now? Is the headquarters in Hangzhou?”

From Pan’an County to Hangzhou, the highway drive would only take two hours.

If they left early, they could be back by the afternoon.

“No need for all that hassle.”

Ba Lie waved his hand and pointed at the ID in Jiang Yan’s hand, smiling as he said, “If not, would HQ have rushed to deliver it from Hangzhou early this morning? That’d be redundant, wouldn’t it?

Keep in mind, extraordinary knowledge has a certain degree of transmissibility and can easily cause mutation. It’s not safe to store it in the real world.”

“Therefore, they’re usually placed in locations easily accessible to us History Walkers!”

“In the Diseased Domain!”

Jiang Yan immediately caught on.

As for the method of use…

He didn’t hesitate. Closing his eyes, he began to summon the Long River of History.

Aside from being passively pulled into the Diseased Domain, History Walkers could also choose to actively descend.

But without coordinates, it was easy to get lost within.

“Talking to smart people is always easy!”

Ba Lie laughed heartily and also began to descend voluntarily.

Splash—!

The sound of flowing water echoed in his ears.

When Jiang Yan opened his eyes again, he was still in the Director’s Office, but everything had started to grow old and worn. Countless specks of Historical Dust floated in the air.

In an instant, the entire world regressed from full color to a black-and-white era.

The dust gathered and formed a massive river, flowing slowly.

In the depths of that river, a barren land could faintly be seen. Tens of thousands of blurry silhouettes walked across it. Their forms were thin and distorted, flickering like mosaic glitches as they wandered aimlessly.

This is... Shade of Refugees!

Above their heads, massive black shadows swept across the sky.

Among them, one avian shadow seemed to have located its prey. It swooped down, and just as it approached, its body suddenly split in two. Each side was lined with sharp teeth, which instantly clamped together, devouring the prey, before it continued flapping its wings and flew on.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Giant pillars descended one after another, splashing the river with countless waves.

Looking up, one would realize these were not pillars, but...

Legs!

A giant with over a dozen legs was wandering in the tributary. Dressed in ornate official robes, it had a massive hollow cavity in its abdomen. Historical Dust floated midair, forming a cloud layer that encircled its shoulders and neck, obscuring its exact appearance.

At a glance, it was at least twenty zhang tall.

Beneath its feet was an ancient, pitch-black city. Thousands of people howled and fled. With one step, the giant crushed a large group. The hollow in its abdomen resembled a bottomless abyss, absorbing the corpses.

Jiang Yan watched silently, a flash of killing intent passing through his eyes.

The Ash Lamp shimmered, calming his emotions and centering his mind.

"That’s the Many-Legged Mountain-Eating Official. It’s said to be a mutation born from greedy and violent high-ranking officials of certain dynasties. It's believed to be capable of devouring Mountains of Gold, Mountains of Silver, and the Corpse Mountains of commoners.

Historical celebrities and figures from folklore, if they leave even a few words in the history books, already surpass countless others—and are particularly dangerous."

Ba Lie’s voice came through, continuing:

"They seem very close, but in reality, they each exist in different Diseased Domains, separated by unknown worlds. These are just refracted projections.

Here, it’s like standing on the muddy banks of the Yellow River—one careless step and you’ll fall in.

So it’s best not to keep thinking about them. Don’t let them know... that you can see them. Otherwise, a special anchor point may form, pulling them into the real world."

At this, the burly man gazed at the distant, wailing humans and couldn’t help but curse:

"This is still just the far end of a tributary of the Long River of History. If it were the core of a tributary or even the main river channel, who knows how many bizarre things have spawned there?

Even the real world is on the brink. The number of Diseased Domains descending on Jiangnan Province this year has increased by thirty percent compared to last year. Looking nationwide, the number is even more terrifying. But behind us lies our homeland—we can’t retreat, or we’ll become like this too."

Jiang Yan nodded, his gaze deep.

Perhaps the Diseased Domain he would experience next was one of these.

As for the Edge of the Old Days, it had been mentioned in Zhao Yinman’s notes—it was where the reflection of the real world and the Long River of History converged.

Boundless and endless, all mutated monsters surged up from here.

Since the Diseased Domain wasn’t suited for bringing in the real world, most things would be suspended here.

The Long River of History was constantly changing, and therefore required corresponding coordinates. Otherwise, one would get lost within—or even... be dragged into the depths of the Old Days.

When Zhao Yinman wrote about this, she especially marked it with emphasis:

[Inside the Long River of History, there are things even stranger than the Diseased Domain.]

While Jiang Yan recalled this, Ba Lie’s voice rang in his ear:

"Take out your ID."

Jiang Yan pulled out his Command Envoy ID, only to find it had come alive. It broke free from his hand, dragging a comet-like tail as it flew forward.

"Follow it!"

The two of them followed closely. Along the way, they encountered many more strange Diseased Domains and bizarre Diseased Domain creatures, making Jiang Yan feel a bit... hungry.

The Dark God Embryo was crying out for food!

The Coffin Spirit also needed corpses for burial, not to mention the Shadow-Eating Serpent and others...

There were too many gold-eating beasts at home!

He didn’t know how long they had walked before the two of them arrived before a peculiar "mountain."

It was called peculiar because it was entirely made of paper and books, stacked together in overlapping layers like towering ridges and steep cliffs.

Moreover, its surface gleamed with an oily sheen, looking just like... flesh?

A mountain of flesh?

Just as Jiang Yan formed that thought, Ba Lie beside him bowed and said:

"Your Excellency, Taisui of the Book Mountain, it’s me, Ba Lie. I’ve come today to bring a newcomer to choose a cultivation method."