Elevator Dimension Line

After the spherical ball left Tantai Ye's hand, it headed straight for the river surface. It circled in the air, then shot out a fan-shaped blue light downwards, covering the entire river surface, and then flew away into the distance at an extremely fast speed along the river.

Gennosuke Koga, Kagerou, and Josuke Udono were all stunned by what they saw.

"What, what is that?" Udono Josuke asked instinctively.

Tantai Ye did not answer, but simply stared at the river, as if waiting for something.

Before long, Tantai Ye raised an eyebrow.

"found it!"

"What?" Yang Yan, who was standing next to him, asked in confusion.

“I said, we’ve found Hu Yi,” Tantai Ye said.

"Where is it?" Yang Yan asked hurriedly.

“10 kilometers downstream from here!” Tantai Ye said.

"So far!" Udono Josuke exclaimed in surprise. "They must be almost at Igawa Village by now!"

“Let’s go find her now…” Gennosuke began, but was interrupted by Tantai Ye.

"No need, I'll go. You guys are too slow... Hu Yi is, after all, a good friend of my wife."

Tantai Ye was about to leave when Yang Yan stopped her.

"I'll go with you!"

Tantai Ye glanced at Yang Yan, said nothing, nodded, then put an arm around her waist and took a step forward...

The two of them glided across the river as if skimming the ground, and then shot forward at a speed of almost ten meters per step, skimming the water's surface.

Gennosuke Koga and Josuke Udono, standing on the shore, were dumbfounded. Someone was actually walking on water, and at such a fast speed!

"What kind of ninjutsu is this?" Udono Josuke muttered to himself.

Koga Gennosuke's expression was serious. "We underestimated this person. He seems to be even more mysterious than we thought."

On the other side, Tantai Ye and Yang Yan walked faster and faster along the river, breaking a line in the surging water beneath their feet.

Yang Yan was at a loss for words to express her astonishment. The more she got to know this man, the more mysterious he became. His speech, behavior, identity, and even his skills were constantly redefining her understanding of the world.

Wow~~~

The sudden stop caused a splash of water to erupt from the river beneath our feet.

Tantai Ye had already put away her umbrella, but the heavy rain still didn't wet the two of them. The raindrops would automatically separate and slide off to the sides when they landed about a meter above their heads, looking like an invisible shield that enveloped them.

"Have we arrived?" Yang Yan asked instinctively.

Tantai Ye pointed to a spot by the river and then took her arm and led her there.

Yang Yan then saw Hu Yi lying motionless on a piece of driftwood in a patch of reeds.

Tantai Ye walked over, and with a single palm inhale, Hu Yi slowly rose from the water.

He was then taken to the shore by Tantai Ye.

Finding a flat rock, she placed Hu Yi on it. Then, with a gentle wave of her hand, Hu Yi's damp body and the rock beneath him instantly dried.

Yang Yan glanced at Tantai Ye again, then looked up at the rain curtain that had parted automatically above their heads, and the open space where they were stood instantly became as clear as a sunny day.

This man must be some kind of deity incarnate!

As Yang Yan thought to himself, the other party had already raised his hand and placed it on Hu Yi's chest. With a slight white light, Hu Yi spat out a mouthful of dirty water and then coughed violently.

"You saved her life!" Yang Yan said.

"No, she didn't die. She just choked on water and passed out. I just forced all the dirty water out of her body so she won't get sick easily," Tantai Ye said.

As he said this, he raised his hand again, and a metal ball flew from not far away, the same one he had just released.

"What is this?" Yang Yan couldn't help but ask curiously.

"It's nothing, just a little gadget for detecting life!"

Tantai Ye smiled, flicked her wrist, and the metal ball disappeared from her hand.

At this moment, Hu Yi stopped coughing and sat up. Although he still seemed a little dazed, he should be alright now.

"How did I get here? Ah! I think I'm drowning..."

Hu Yi, realizing what was happening, exclaimed in surprise, then saw Yang Yan looking concerned and Tantai Ye smiling beside him.

What are you all doing here?

"You were swept away by the flood, but Lord Tantai found you and saved you," Yang Yan said.

"Ah! I..." Hu Yi patted his head, seemingly recalling what had happened, and then looked anxious as he said, "What about the people who were with me? It seems they were also swept away by the water."

Tantai Ye shook her head. "They might not be as lucky as you. I only found your vital signs just now. The others must have drowned."

Tantai Ye's words were very direct, but neither of them doubted them.

After a brief silence, Hu Yi seemed to accept this reality, and then she was drawn to her own strange state.

It was pouring rain all around, but there was no rain around her, and her body and clothes were still dry.

Seeing Hu Yi's surprised expression, Tantai Ye smiled.

"Alright, let's go back. They must be getting impatient."

Without waiting for Yang Yan and Hu Yi to react, he grabbed them and headed straight back along the riverbank.

……

Kyoto.

Outside the main entrance of the Emperor's Imperial Palace.

Zhu Juan and the fireflies that followed her emerged from the rain-soaked streets.

The samurai guarding the gate became wary when he saw the two women walking straight towards them.

"This is the Emperor's residence. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to approach. Leave this place immediately," a samurai shouted.

Zhu Juan stepped forward herself and said, "I'm looking for Lord Tantai Ye. Please inform him."

"Tantai Ye? We've never heard of him, nor do we know anyone like him," the warrior shouted.

"No!" Zhu Juan was taken aback for a moment, then said, "His wife is named Xing Jianya. She said I could come here to find her if I needed anything."

"Lady Hoshimi!" The samurai was taken aback. "You mean Lady Hoshimi from the Imperial Household Agency!"

Zhu Juan paused for a moment and nodded. She remembered that Tantai Ye's other wife, Arisa Kōhōin, must be the one being referred to.

"Please wait a moment!"

The samurai dared not be negligent; even the Emperor himself held the Kōhōin in the highest esteem within the Imperial Palace. Anyone connected to them was certainly no ordinary person.

The samurai went inside for a short while and then hurriedly ran back, respectfully leading Zhu Juan and Yinghuo inside.

Arriving at the residence of Hoshimi Miyabi, they entered the hall and saw Hoshimi Miyabi and Arisa already waiting there.

"Zhu Juan... this must be Yinghuo, right? Why did you come all this way in such heavy rain?" Arisa said with a smile.

"You must have something on your mind!" Hoshimi Miya smiled.

Zhu Juan and Yinghuo straightened the wet hems of their kimonos before kneeling down.

Zhu Juan said, "We've come here seeking help!"