Chapter 108 – A Familiar Face

  The next morning, Mei Lian stood in front of the gates to the City Lord’s Mansion. She had changed back into her Tranquil Mountain Sect robes. The blue, flowing fabric was embroidered with the Sect symbol prominently on the front and back, catching the sunlight and marking her identity unmistakably to everyone who saw her.

  She had even added her jade Sect token on her waist so that it added to the image and revealed her status as an Outer Sect Disciple. It wasn’t that she thought that her cultivation was insufficient for what she had planned, but she needed to be seen by everyone as being on official Sect business.

  The guards stationed at the entrance to the mansion stiffened the moment she approached. Her Qi shimmered in the air around her like a quiet tide, its depth and firmness distinguishing her as being at the 4th Level of Qi Condensation.

  Although they were well-trained and disciplined, the guards here were only at the 1st level of Qi Condensation, and they could barely keep their knees from shaking under the pressure she was exuding. Their hands tightened on their spears, but their eyes immediately widened as they saw the symbol of the Sect on her waist and robes.

  “I am Mei Lian of the Tranquil Mountain Sect.” She declared, her tone firm and loud enough to be heard clearly, and with a weight that expected no argument for what she wanted.

  “I have come to interrogate the prisoner you captured outside the city. Stand aside.”

  The guards exchanged uncertain glances before the older one with a thin scar across his cheek, cleared his throat nervously.

  “Honoured Disciple, forgive us, but we must inform the City Lord before allowing anyone access. The prisoner practices forbidden techniques and has enough strength to be a threat to the entire city if he were to somehow escape.”

  Mei Lian’s gaze sharpened, and she took a single step forward. She released her whole aura as she did so; the intense increase of her Qi rolled over the two men like a sudden wind, and they felt their skin prickly while their legs struggled to keep them upright.

  “Are you suggesting that my strength, and that of my Sect, is inadequate against this prisoner?” Mei Lian whispered theatrically, and her eyes were like cold stars as she stared daggers at the two men.

  “There is no time for hesitation. If this prisoner possesses forbidden knowledge, any delay in the interrogation only increases the danger. Would you delay the will of the Tranquil Mountain Sect over procedure?”

  The younger of the two guards swallowed hard as he glanced nervously at his companion. Both men felt the crushing disparity between their own cultivation and hers. The scarred guard hesitated only a second longer before stepping aside and bowing deeply.

  “Of course, Honoured Disciple. Please, follow me. The prisoner is held in the lower cells.” The scarred guard said, and his voice faltered slightly due to his unease at being stuck between the City Lord’s orders and this arrogant Disciple from the Sect.

  Mei Lian nodded her head at his words and breathed an internal sigh of relief while she kept her expression smooth and unreadable. Her pulse was racing with fear of being discovered by the City Lord as a fraud.

  The City Lord was a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and while he wasn’t a part of the Tranquil Mountain Sect, he was connected to it due to the city’s proximity.

  But all she could focus on right now was how each step she took was bringing her closer to the goal she had been chasing after for months.

  ‘If this prisoner knows the secret to the Crimson Rebirth Sutra, I won’t let him slip through my hands.’

  The guard brought Mei Lian through the wide corridors of the City Lord’s Mansion, past the lacquered wooden doors and the quiet courtyards until they came to the rear of the compound, where a reinforced stone stairwell wound its way downward into the earth.

  They only passed a few servants along the way, and they wisely kept their heads down as she passed for fear of offending an expert from the Sect.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  The air cooled with each step Mei Lian took into the underground prison. The only light came from flickering lanterns along the stone walls that cast long shadows as she descended deeper.

  At first, the cells they passed were crude and mundane. There were iron bars on the doors, straw bedding for the prisoners to sleep on, and the place smelled like urine and unwashed bodies. Here, the City Lord kept criminals that were too important for the regular jail but lacked the cultivation for special treatment.

  They all shrank back at the sight of Mei Lian’s Sect robes and the oppressive feeling emanating from her Qi. They stared at her with wide eyes that were filled with fear and a hint of reverence.

  But the deeper Mei Lian travelled, the more the atmosphere changed. The walls became lined with warding sigils that pulsed faintly from embedded spiritual stones, their light giving off a pale, cold glow that had replaced the lanterns.

  Mei Lian had heard from her father that these were Qi-draining wards that were linked to an array designed to sap the ambient spiritual energy and prevent it from being useful to the cultivators contained within.

  She could feel it the moment they had crossed the boundary to the lowest levels of the prison. It was like a subtle pull of invisible hands that were tugging at her Dantian, attempting to leech her Qi with every breath she took.

  Thankfully, the effect was minimal in the stairwell, and they soon reached the lowest level with a short hallway that ended with a reinforced stone door that was covered in layers of talismans to keep it sealed.

  Mei Lian could hear the sound of laboured breathing from within.

  “Honoured Disciple. The unorthodox cultivator is within, and while he is bound, I would caution you not to approach him.”

  Mei Lian turned her eyes toward the guard and nodded.

  “You may leave me. You are not required to attend the interrogation.”

  The man hesitated for a fraction before bowing.

  “As you command.”

  The guard's footsteps retreated up the stairwell, and Mei Lian waited until they had completely faded before she walked through the short hallway and opened the door at the end. When she pressed her hand against the cold wood of the door, the talismans shivered slightly before dimming to allow her entry.

  Inside the cell, the dim light from the wards showed a single figure that was shackled in iron and seated within another suppressive array. His breathing was quick and rasping, but she could sense there was a dangerous aura around him.

  When Mei Lian stepped across the threshold of the cell, the door closed behind her, sealing her within. The wards caused the air to be still, and it pressed against her skin uncomfortably. The cold seeped into her bones, and the draining effect of the array gnawed at her Qi.

  Trying to ignore her discomfort, Mei Lian focused on the prisoner. His arms were wrenched painfully behind him, and his black robes were ragged and stained. They were charred in places, torn in a dozen places, and the fabric was stiff with dried blood and grime.

  His black hair hung over his face, filthy and matted, half-hiding his appearance. Dried blood streaked from his forehead and down one cheek, and his lips were split and chapped.

  Despite the prisoner's broken state, Mei Lian felt her chest tighten. She knew this man, even through all the filth and blood.

  ‘Ren Sihan!’

  The name rang through her mind like a gong, as she recalled the wanted posters in Tranquil City. His likeness had circulated through the city, proclaiming him a Demonic Cultivator who had betrayed the Ren Clan and was wanted for murder, along with his grandfather, the former Patriarch of the Ren Clan.

  More than that, the Task List within the Outer Sect had his name as well. Mei Lian had stared at the task more than once, since the reward was substantial and Jun De had been present when Ren Sihan had fought his brother, Ren Qiu.

  And now here Ren Sihan was, beaten and chained. Yet even in this state, Mei Lian was unsettled by the young man. She now knew why his aura was so disturbing. He had cultivated the Crimson Rebirth Sutra, killing people and spiritual beasts to enhance his own cultivation.

  ‘I finally found it!’

  Mei Lian stepped closer.

  “Ren Sihan.” She tried to say softly, but her voice boomed in the unnatural silence of the cell. Ren Sihan stirred slightly before finally lifting his head just enough to look at her with bloodshot eyes through the tangle of his matted hair.

  “The Tranquil Mountain Sect has finally come for me. I expected to see my brother, but they have sent someone I don’t know.” Ren Sihan’s voice cracked from thirst and disuse, and his face formed a frown as he studied her.

  “Who are you?”

  Mei Lian’s eyes hardened, and she leaned forward to bring her face closer to his.

  “Shut your mouth. I didn’t come to take you back to the Sect. Tell me everything you know about the Crimson Rebirth Sutra.”

  Silence filled the room again as Ren Sihan looked at her quietly, almost as if he were stunned by her response. Then, a weak laugh spilled from his lips.

  “The Crimson Rebirth Sutra?” His tone was full of scorn as he shook his head slightly.

  “Why do you want to know anything about it? You Sect Disciples are all the same, looking down on those who lack talent. You’re nothing but a dog, begging for scraps from your Elders. I have nothing to say to you.”

  Mei Lian’s eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer to him. She had come too far not to get what she wanted. Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible even in the silent cell.

  “I’m not here for the Sect’s sake. If you tell me everything you know about the Sutra, I’ll help you escape.”

  Ren Sihan’s head snapped up, and for the first time since she had entered the cell, life seemed to come back to him. His lips curled into a smile, and his eyes gleamed.

  “Free me and I’ll teach you everything I know.”