Safety

Chapter 28

I was startled and instinctively lunged backward. The pressure points on my body had been released, and Elder Huang had let go of my grip. Although my feet were still bound by the golden silk rope, there was still room to move. I was confident that with this leap, even if I couldn't escape the manor, escaping this hall would be a piece of cake. Unexpectedly, a white shadow circled around me like a ghost in mid-air before landing with me, standing in front of me. It smiled and looked me up and down—it was Elder Bai, the one whose smile always brought him good fortune.

"Young lady, your lightness skill is quite good."

During my three years in Qingcheng, I didn't mention anything else, except for my dedication to mastering lightness skills. Qingcheng's Cloud Soaring Technique is unparalleled in the world. Although I've learned it to a great extent, it's still a speed that most martial arts masters can only dream of. I never expected that this old man, at his age, could actually spin around me once in mid-air, and after landing, he could still speak to me calmly. I could clearly see the meaning hidden in his smile.

He was saying, "Run! Let's see where you can run to."

While someone clapped and laughed, it was none other than that disrespectful Elder Huang. Overwhelmed with sorrow, I thought that rather than letting them play cat and mouse like this, I might as well speak up myself and have a quick end. So I simply closed my eyes and said, with a death wish, "I'm going to die."

"In short, today I am at their mercy, like a fish on a chopping board. Tell me, what do you want to do with me?"

Wen Su spoke in the hall, "Elders, this woman is a disciple of Qingcheng, Wen De's last disciple, yet she has never appeared in the martial world before, which is truly strange. After being taken by the Right Envoy, the two have had a very ambiguous relationship, spending several secret moments together, entangled with each other..."

Wen Su paused slightly at this point, and Elder Huang chuckled, "I didn't expect that the Right Envoy would also be tempted by worldly desires. This is indeed interesting."

Wen Su's face darkened slightly, and Elder Qing also spoke up, "I heard that after the Right Envoy learned of this woman, he rushed to bring her to the main altar to meet the sect leader. He even clashed with Wen De, the leader of the Three Villages and Nine Sects, on her behalf. The sect leader has been in seclusion for a long time, and the Right Envoy has never interfered in the affairs of the sect or the martial arts world for the past three years. However, he has made many exceptions for her sake."

Elder Bai, who was standing in front of me, looked at me and said, with a smile that seemed to always be on his face, "Isn't it all because of the sacred object inside her body? It's been three years, and the Right Envoy still hasn't given up. He can be considered loyal."

Elder Lan snorted coldly, "A dog raised for three days will serve its master for life."

I was about to turn on him when I heard his harsh words, but when I looked up, I caught a glimpse of Wen Su, whose face suddenly darkened, clearly angered by his words as well.

Elder Bai sized me up and said, "Whether this woman truly possesses a sacred artifact or not needs to be confirmed before we can proceed."

Elder Huang laughed loudly, "Third Brother is right, we must verify his identity first." After saying that, he threw down the melon seeds in his hand, laughed loudly, and rushed to me, reaching out to reach into my chest.

I was terrified. It was too late to use my Cloud Leap Technique. I could only clasp my hands together, cover my chest tightly, close my eyes, and retreat hastily.

"Fourth brother, this is the main hall!" Elder Qing said softly. Someone else hooked their arm around my shoulder and lifted me up. I straightened up, still hugging myself. Standing beside me was the stern-faced Elder Lan, whose hand was on my shoulder. Elder Qing also came over and glanced at Elder Huang, his eyes filled with unspoken words.

I spoke on his behalf, saying, "You old lecher surnamed Huang, how could you do such a despicable thing in broad daylight? You're worse than a beast."

Elder Lan withdrew his hand and finally spoke, "Take her into the inner room."

I had a feeling that disaster was about to strike me. Just as I was about to struggle, my body went numb. I don't know which old man had struck my pressure points from mid-air, and I lost consciousness again.

...

I even dream about waving a pen...

Chapter 71

I woke up to a soft, rustling sound. Before my eyes flickered a flame, and above my head was a lamp being held in someone's hand. If it were to fall a little further, it would almost set my hair on fire.

In the sealed stone chamber, I lay flat on the central stone platform, my body limp and my consciousness drifting. For a long time, I couldn't remember why I was there.

Several people of different heights and builds stood by the stone platform, conversing from time to time. Their voices seemed to float in the air, impossible to catch.

I stared at the flickering light with my eyes wide open. The door opened, and someone else came in, walking hurriedly. They stopped by the stone platform and began to speak.

A little further away, an old man covered me completely with a large black cloth. As I was wondering why I was there, everything before my eyes turned pitch black, with only that flickering, hazy light remaining.

The sound started again. I heard someone speaking urgently, as if they were talking about something very urgent, but I was in a daze. The sentences floated past my ears, turning into difficult and awkward words, none of which I could grasp.

After that person finished speaking, the stone chamber suddenly fell silent. Then someone else spoke, but only briefly, mentioning a name.

Mo Li

I felt as if I were struck by a boulder, unable to move, yet my mind was violently shaken, and the flickering flames before my eyes suddenly gathered together.

Mo Li! They're talking about Mo Li!

In that instant, I recalled everything: why I was here, who stood before me, why they had placed me in the secret room, and Mo Li—those two words concealed everything.

What did they say? Is he safe? Has he come to rescue me?

I suddenly felt elated, even in this environment.

My body was still unable to move, but not because my acupoints were sealed; it was more as if I had been drugged. Even my mind was affected. Fortunately, I was awake and lay there calming myself, waiting for them to continue so I could learn more about Mo Li. Unfortunately, those old men left with Wen Su, while Elder Lan went to the door and gave a single instruction, though I couldn't tell who it was addressed to.

"First, send her to the dungeon, the ninth one."

Someone responded, the stone door opened and closed, and I heard their footsteps fade away. Then someone else came in, walked to my side, reached out and lifted the black cloth off my face, looked down at me, as if to verify my identity.

My eyes were still open, and I didn't have time to close them. I made eye contact with the person who came in. The dim light in the stone chamber made the person standing in front of me appear even more ashen-faced.

It turned out to be Chang Ling.

I was eager to speak, but my tongue was still sore and numb, and I choked before I could utter a single word, coughing hoarsely.

Chang Ling was stunned when he saw my eyes move, and when he saw me coughing, his expressionless face immediately turned full of surprise. Without turning around, he spoke to the person behind him, "Chang family, did the elders not administer any medicine to her?"

No one answered.

Chang Ling turned around and glanced at me. He was probably looking for the person named Chang, but he didn't know where that person had gone. He didn't want to leave me here alone and went out to find out himself. When he looked at me again, there was some hesitation in his eyes.

I realized that those old men must have drugged me before I entered this secret room, rendering me unable to move and making me delirious. But for some reason, the drug suddenly stopped working, and I woke up on my own halfway through.

Chang Ling reached out to me, and I was afraid he would use his acupoint technique again. I panicked and managed to utter a hoarse voice, "No, no, I'll tell you, I'll tell you..."

My tongue was numb, my voice was muffled, and I didn't even know what I was saying. But Chang Ling understood me. He lowered his raised hand, lowered his head, and spoke in a muffled voice.

"Speak."

I blinked, unable to express what was on my mind—how could I just tell you such a secret so casually? Of course, it had to be exchanged.

I tried one last time, struggling to speak, "I want to see Mo Li..."

He stared at me with a stern face, not saying a word. I looked back at him expectantly, almost as if I wanted to clasp my hands together and bow to him.

"No." He finally spoke, those two incredibly curt words making my vision go black.

Before I could say anything more, Chang Ling had already wrapped me in that black cloth, picked me up and carried me away. I was limp and powerless, and even if I had the strength, I couldn't fight him. I was carried away by him without being able to resist at all.

The thick black cloth made it difficult for me to breathe, making my steps heavy. Dim light and shadow passed evenly on both sides, as if I were walking on a deep, narrow, and long stone path.

I sighed inwardly. Although I knew the chances of him letting me go in order to hear the truth were slim, I still felt sad to be rejected so thoroughly.

What saddens me most is that Mo Li might already be here, might already be at this manor, but I can't see him.

No, I can't just sit here and wait to die. If I don't save myself, I can't save others. Those elders are so strange and terrifying. In comparison, Chang Ling, who said to me, "Chang Xian is my own brother. He died in my place that day," at least seems like a normal person.

I endured the tearing pain in my throat and continued speaking to him.

“Your brother wasn’t killed by Mo Li, I saw it all.”

He paused for a moment, but didn't stop. The passage was long and winding, gradually descending, and the air grew increasingly cold. I felt a sense of foreboding and spoke again, "It was one of your men. He was killed by one of your own."

He took a heavy step, remaining silent as his chest heaved. His fingers, which were holding me, suddenly tightened, and I heard my bones scream. I couldn't help but groan, fearing that he had already broken my bones.

Suddenly, the sound of an iron lock opening came from ahead, followed by muffled voices, as if they were coming from a small hole.

"Always in charge?"

Chang Ling loosened his fingers slightly and replied, "Yes, Elder Lan asked me to escort her down."

Which room?

"Nine of the Earth Characters".

The man took a breath. "Earth character number nine? That's been empty for over ten years. Who is it that matters so much?"

Chang Ling remained silent. The other party, who seemed to be of a lower rank, immediately stopped speaking. The sound of the iron gate being pushed and pulled came, and the voice became much clearer. "I was too talkative. Chief Chang, come with me."

Chang Ling started again. He didn't know which underground level this was. It was cold and damp, and the air was filled with the smell of blood and rust, which was terrifying. Although he was somewhat prepared, he was still terrified. In addition, it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. The darkness intensified his fear. In an instant, all the most terrifying prison scenes he had ever heard of rushed into his mind. Suddenly, he heard a faint sound. It turned out that he was trembling. He was trembling violently. The sound of his clothes and black cloth rustling was heard.

If I were locked up in a place like this, would Mo Li still be able to find me? The stone chamber was already so terrifying, let alone the dungeon, which sounds like a place of no return.

...

Hai: I returned to Shanghai on Monday, exited Pudong Airport at 9 pm, rushed to Hongqiao Airport with my luggage, met up with Li Zi, and shared an incredibly delicious Chaoshan fish slice and scallop congee. We ate, drank and chatted, and after arriving home I slept like a baby (the kind that doesn't cry in the middle of the night). So refreshing!

P.S.: This is my first time writing in classical Chinese, please bear with me. Thank you.

Chapter 72

Chang Ling led me forward. No one spoke; only the sound of footsteps echoed in my ears. After a moment, the sounds of locks opening and iron gates moving rang out again. The man from before stepped back. "Chief Chang, this is a forbidden area. I..."

"Wait outside," Chang Ling said, taking another step forward. The heavy sound of the iron gate moving echoed behind us, the air seemed to freeze, as if the whole world had been shut out.

Fear made it hard for me to breathe, my fingers trembled, and I tried to break free of the black cloth covering me, but Chang Ling held me down.

"Believe me, you don't want to see all this." His voice rang out above my head, and then my body was lowered down. My feet touched the ground, but I couldn't stand steadily. I stumbled and fell, my hands hitting the hard stone wall, which was icy cold to the bone.

The effects of the medication were still lingering; I couldn't stand steadily and could only lean against the wall to slowly sit down, speaking incoherently, "You, you..."

He didn't leave; his breathing was still above my head. I knew he still wanted to know everything, but he didn't want to speak.

I grabbed the edge of the black cloth and used the last bit of strength to pull it open. The darkness made me realize that my previous actions had failed, but suddenly endless blood light appeared in the darkness. It turned out that countless strangely colored blood flowers were blooming on the wall, violently intertwined. Just one glance made me feel nauseous. When my gaze paused for a moment, all the blood flowers turned into blood-red skulls, shrieking as they pounced on me.

I screamed, and everything went black as Chang Ling covered my head with that black cloth again, preventing me from seeing the scene inside the cell. I was breathing heavily and curled up in the cloth. If it weren't for a little bit of pride left, I would have almost grabbed Chang Ling and begged him.

“This cell was once used to imprison my former priestess. On the wall are ghostly drawings she made with her own blood. They glow in the dark and are extremely hallucinogenic if viewed for too long, driving people mad and causing them to self-harm until death. Even those with some internal strength cannot withstand it for long. You are currently weak and have low energy, so it’s best not to look at them.” Chang Ling squatted down and spoke to me, his voice steady and solid.

I was trembling all over, the horrific image still flashing before my eyes, and I couldn't utter a word. He slowly finished speaking, then remained silent in front of me for a while. Finally, I heard the sound of fabric rubbing together, which meant he had stood up and was about to leave.

I panicked and blindly reached out with both hands, managing to grab the hem of his shirt. "No, don't go."

I grabbed Chang Ling's clothes, but my fingers were weak and I couldn't hold on tight. He was about to leave, and he could easily break free if he took just one more step forward. But he stopped again. My head and face were buried under the black cloth, and I could only hear his voice above me.

"What you ask of me is indeed difficult to do. It is easy to enter but difficult to leave this place. Please take care of yourself."

I was stunned.

At this moment, he must be able to see that I have been overwhelmed by fear. He only needs to ask a few more questions to get the secret he is so eager to know out of me. Moreover, he reminded me not to take off the black cloth earlier, and he saved me when I was almost defeated by the ghost picture on the wall. He has been so kind to me, how could he not ask for anything in return?

I always thought he was going to ask me who killed Chang Xian, but he didn't. He just told me to take care of myself.

This person doesn't want to owe me anything, does they?

I suddenly laughed to myself, a self-deprecating laugh. What was there to owe him? In his eyes, I was probably already a dead man.

You can't judge a book by its cover. Chang Ling may look burly, but he turned out to be a gentleman.

The hem of his coat came loose from his hand. He turned around, and with a clang of an iron lock, I suddenly spoke.

"It was Chang Bao. He attacked from behind. Your brother was caught off guard and was killed with a single blow."

All sounds ceased, and after a long while, his reply came, incredulous and hoarse, "Impossible. Chang Bao was like a brother to us, and besides, he died on that very day."