The old jailer had grown cunning with age. Although he seemed enthusiastic toward Lin Shuguang, many of his words stopped just short of the point. Whether Lin Shuguang could understand them depended on his own insight.
It was not that the old jailer was malicious.
It was simply that he had experienced far more than Wang Erfa from yesterday could ever compare with.
He knew exactly how much effort to put into any given matter.
"Everyone locked up here is an utterly vicious demon. Best not to pay them much attention." The old jailer clutched a handful of keys and led Lin Shuguang to a room for resting. "There's a small formation here. When you're guarding this place, you can stay here and cultivate. But be careful. There are many demons imprisoned here, and some of them know beguiling arts. They may use the opportunity to disturb your mind. The slightest carelessness could make you deviate into cultivation madness. That's why hardly anyone cultivates here. Most people bring a book to read instead.
"You're new and don't know the situation yet, so that's normal. You can borrow my book for now. Bring your own next time.
"Someone will deliver food at noon. If there are any ingredients you avoid, remember to mention them. In the afternoon—"
The old jailer took a yellowing booklet from inside his robes and placed it on the table. He did not care whether Lin Shuguang read it or not. In any case, Lin Shuguang was a "big shot" personally appointed from above to gain experience here and would surely become their superior in the future.
"Thank you."
Lin Shuguang thanked him. The old jailer waved indifferently, the keys and bells on his body jingling. "It's nothing. I'll leave this place to you, then. The prisoners on my side were all captured in recent years, so they're extremely rowdy. They're not like the ones here, who've been locked up so long that they've fallen silent. When people get old, they like to ramble a little. Don't take offense."
"Of course not. You're too polite, Senior." Lin Shuguang remained calm, unlike those lofty scions of great clans who made others feel a sense of distance.
The old jailer's wrinkled face broke into a smile. Then, hunched over, he left the resting room.
Lin Shuguang looked around.
Calling it a resting room was actually less accurate than calling it a cell: a simple wooden bed, a chair, and a pitted table. Everything was extremely crude.
Lin Shuguang sat down, reached out, and picked up the booklet the old jailer had left on the table...
He flipped through it once. It was more or less a record of the author's travels through the Great Gan Dynasty, describing its beautiful mountains and rivers. Aside from that, he found no details worth noting.
He had thought the old jailer was some mysterious figure like the sweeping monk from legends. It seemed he had placed his faith in the wrong person.
After reading the travelogue for a while, Lin Shuguang put it to one side of the table. After a moment of silence, he secretly sensed the Spirit-Gathering Formation embedded in the resting room.
The formation was not very advanced.
After absorbing spiritual energy for roughly a dozen seconds, his overall attributes slowly increased by one point.
Since he had nothing to do at the moment, he could give it a try. After all, even small gains accumulated over time could become a considerable harvest.
More than an hour passed.
Lin Shuguang's cultivation seemed utterly ordinary amid the screams all around him. He slowly opened his eyes and felt nothing amiss. He could not help thinking of the "beguiling arts" the old jailer had mentioned.
"Old Man Chen mentioned before that the Black Prison holds vicious people of formidable strength. It even has people from the Taiyi Immortal Sect..."
Gathering the stray thoughts in his mind, Lin Shuguang closed his eyes and resumed resting his spirit.
Noon arrived without incident. The food server was extremely polite. He said his surname was Song and even smiled as he told Lin Shuguang to simply call him Song the Foodie.
After asking whether Lin Shuguang had any food taboos, Song the Foodie took his leave.
One meat dish and two vegetable dishes... Lin Shuguang tested them first. Fortunately, they were not poisoned, and only then did he set about enjoying the meal.
Only after eating did he suddenly realize that the food could actually replenish his blood and qi.
He could not help feeling surprised.
"The Black Prison's food is something else..."
About ten minutes later, just after Lin Shuguang finished his meal, Song the Foodie came looking for him again. His chubby face poked around the door, and his smile held a trace of ingratiation. "Brother Lin, did today's food suit your taste?"
Lin Shuguang calmly took out a tissue and wiped the corner of his mouth. "The food was good. What ingredients did you use?"
Song the Foodie hurriedly replied, "The meat dish was Cloud Cotton Chicken, and the vegetables were Soul Grass. According to the Black Prison's rules, these dishes are changed every three days. If you have any preferred ingredients, you can tell me, and I'll keep an eye out for them."
"Thank you." Lin Shuguang nodded.
Song the Foodie watched him with a smile plastered across his face. He seemed to have something he wanted to say to Lin Shuguang, but in the end, under Lin Shuguang's gaze, he merely nodded politely, smiled, and left.
The door closed, and his footsteps gradually faded away.
Lin Shuguang lowered his gaze. "One shouldn't accept gifts without giving something in return. I just got here. What does he want me to do for him?"
Song the Foodie only appeared around noon each day.
When afternoon arrived, Lin Shuguang ignored Qiao Shanheng's furious glare, signed his name like clocking out, and left the Black Prison.
His nine-to-five life had begun.
He did not care who took over his shift. The nine-to-five schedule was conducted within the Black Prison's designated hours. If the replacement arrived late, that was the replacement's problem. He would not concern himself with it.
Lin Shuguang could roughly guess two reasons for Qiao Shanheng's anger.
First, on his very first day, Lin Shuguang had talked back to this temporarily appointed "shift leader."
Second, the identity of the Baojian Sect had probably attracted unusual attention. Some troubles could not be avoided simply by hiding from them.
For nearly half a month in succession, Song the Foodie often appeared in Lin Shuguang's resting room. His smile seemed never to fade. It was even a week ago that Lin Shuguang learned his meals were far more sumptuous than everyone else's.
This was likely because of Song the Foodie.
But why was he treating him so well?
Lin Shuguang could not afford to let down his guard.
"Brother Lin, today we have braised fish. This Dao Pattern Fish came from the Sacred Mountain. It was caught by the True Fate Realm powerhouses on the mountain. Eating it can enhance one's Martial Dao comprehension..." Song the Foodie poked his head in again with a broad smile.
After Lin Shuguang signaled for him to enter,
Song the Foodie's plump body squeezed through the doorway. He placed the food container on the table before Lin Shuguang.
When the lid was lifted, a rich fragrance immediately filled the room.
Song the Foodie earnestly began introducing the Dao Pattern Fish to Lin Shuguang.
The moment he heard the words "Dao Patterns," Lin Shuguang's heart leaped.
But when he saw the envy in Song the Foodie's eyes, he could not help asking, "You've never eaten it?"
Song the Foodie shook his head. "I'm only a servant. How could I be worthy of such precious food?"
"Then sit down and eat with me." Lin Shuguang invited him.
Song the Foodie froze, seemingly not expecting someone of Lin Shuguang's status to invite him to share such precious food. He hurriedly said, "No, no, no. This is special precious food prepared for you by those above. I appreciate your kindness, Brother Lin, but if anyone mentions Dao Pattern Fish again in the future, you really shouldn't say something like that, or you might end up suffering for it.
"The Dao Pattern Fish comes from the ancient Sacred Mountain. I heard that the fish pond was left behind by a Sacred Mountain powerhouse from the ancient era. A stone stele formed from Martial Dao Will suppresses it, and it naturally generates a field of will. That was how the Dao Pattern Fish came into being..."
Lin Shuguang remained impassive. "You know quite a lot."
Song the Foodie's expression paused. He smiled sheepishly. "After staying in the Black Prison for so long, I've naturally heard a lot of things. Brother Lin will surely learn far more than I have in the future... I won't delay you any longer. I still have food to deliver to several other places."
After hesitating, Song the Foodie finally added, "Brother Lin, if you have nothing to do this afternoon, would you have time to chat with me here for a while?"
Lin Shuguang looked at him first, then slowly nodded with composure.
Song the Foodie seemed to let out a sigh of relief. After gently closing the door to Lin Shuguang's resting room, he quickly left.
Before Lin Shuguang, wisps of steam drifted from the food container along with the fragrance of the meal. Yet his gaze passed through the iron door and fixed on the figure pushing the food cart rapidly away down the corridor.
"Interesting..."
A sinister voice reached his ears.
Lin Shuguang acted as though he had not heard it at all. He withdrew his gaze from Song the Foodie, silently took out the wooden chopsticks from atop the food container, and once again tested the food for poison.
Only after confirming that it was not poisoned did Lin Shuguang pick up his chopsticks and lift a piece of fish.
"Dao Pattern Fish. I hear it tastes incredibly fresh. You're quite lucky, boy..."
The fish meat entered his stomach.
It truly was delicious.
What concerned Lin Shuguang even more, however, was that the Sacred Dragon Body Dao Patterns he had obtained from Meng Jun of the Five Thunder Sect had yet to refresh. Now, the Dao Pattern Fish caused the Gray Seal to stir faintly.
Fortunately, Lin Shuguang's senses were extraordinary enough to accurately catch that subtle change.
Ignoring the voice coming from the void, Lin Shuguang selected only the Dao Pattern Fish. In a few bites, he devoured it like a whirlwind, and the Gray Seal of the Sacred Dragon Body diminished by one-tenth.
It was a pity there was so little fish meat. Otherwise, Lin Shuguang was absolutely confident he could refresh the Sacred Dragon Body.
"The Sacred Mountain..."
The moment he murmured those words, the strange voice in the void immediately returned, carrying a hint of beguilement. "Come to me, and I can tell you the secrets of the Sacred Mountain... Come to me..."
Lin Shuguang's eyes seemed to be veiled by a layer of white mist. His stiffening body slowly rose. Like a living corpse, he stood up, his movements devoid of agility. He knocked the table aside, then walked toward the iron door with stiff steps and opened it wide.
The damp, dim corridor echoed with the heavy sound of Lin Shuguang's footsteps.
Chains rattled inside the cells on either side of the passage. Vaguely, countless evil auras seemed to surge. Fortunately, the will of the Great Gan Dynasty suppressed the Saber Prison, preventing those evil auras from erupting completely. For a moment, many noisy mutterings drifted over like people whispering into one another's ears.
"Another newcomer..."
"What tender flesh and blood..."
"A newcomer, hahaha..."
Just then, a children's rhyme faintly floated over:
"Left-hand road, right-hand road, which road leads back home..."
The moment the nursery rhyme began,
the chattering whispers around them instantly withdrew like a receding tide. It seemed no one dared to act recklessly before the rhyme's owner.
Following the sound of the nursery rhyme, Lin Shuguang moved stiffly like a living corpse.
Twenty minutes later,
Lin Shuguang continued down the steps, heading deeper and deeper, all the way toward the earth's core...
The chaotic aura around him grew increasingly dense.
Countless Saber Intents permeated the area, tyrannically suppressing every corner of the entire prison.
Five enormous golden pillars carved with golden dragons stood throughout the Saber Prison in a particular formation. One of those Golden Dragon Pillars stood in the place Lin Shuguang passed.
The entity that had beguiled Lin Shuguang seemed wary of the pillar and deliberately made him take a detour.
Along the way, the white mist in Lin Shuguang's eyes dispersed considerably.
Yet he remained under the other party's control.
After dragging his feet along, Lin Shuguang finally arrived before an iron door wreathed in lightning.
The deeper one went into the Saber Prison, the quieter it became, as if no living creature existed there at all.
The more so it was, the more terrifying this place proved to be.
The Lightning Rays on the iron door slowly opened a crack. A hoarse voice carried the laughter of a scheme succeeding. "Come in."
Lin Shuguang took one step across, half his body entering the cell.
A withered old woman leaned on a black cane. Green light shone from both her eyes, making her seem utterly gloomy and sinister. When she smiled, the wrinkled skin of her face bunched together like crumpled leather. "Come in, child."
"Didn't you say you were going to tell me about the Sacred Mountain?"
Lin Shuguang maintained his posture, one foot still halfway across the lightning gate, his expression cold and indifferent.
There was no trace of the appearance he had shown while under the spell.
"You actually broke through my beguilement..."
The green light in the old witch's eyes blazed brighter, yet she showed no sign of anger. She merely cackled. With a slight movement of the cane in her hand, countless masses of black mist suddenly shot out from it, like countless hissing black snakes. They instantly wrapped tightly around the leg Lin Shuguang had moved across the lightning gate...
The old witch's voice carried a strange, cackling laugh. "It's been a long time since I've seen flesh as delicious as yours. To break through my beguilement, you must have already cultivated a divine soul, and your realm is not low. Many divine-soul arts in this world have long been lost. It seems you have quite a background, boy... Then again, to cultivate your body to the Perfect Realm, you must have some ability. If I eat you, I won't be able to heal my injuries, but I can still gain another hundred years or so of life... Hehehe."
Lin Shuguang raised his head and looked at the old witch.
He had not expected her to see through his physical realm at a glance, or even judge his divine-soul realm. This old witch truly had some ability.
Although he had been beguiled along the way, he had used his divine soul to clearly observe this region of the Saber Prison.
The old witch's location was not yet the deepest part of the Saber Prison. That gloomy path seemed to have no visible end, and even Lin Shuguang's divine soul felt oppressed by it. The true old monsters were likely imprisoned there.
As for this old witch...
Lin Shuguang's expression remained indifferent. "At most, you're in the True Fate Realm. After being imprisoned for so many years, your strength has long since fallen far below its former level. Looking at that old body of yours, the only thing you can probably bring to bear is spiritual magic... Do you really think you've got me cornered?"
Thunder!
Two of the mediums Lin Shuguang wielded best, and the Saber Prison had an inexhaustible supply of both for him to draw upon at will.
The old witch shrieked furiously, "Boy, if you alarm the old monsters inside, you won't be able to escape unscathed either!"
Rumble!
The entire stone chamber held only Lin Shuguang's decisive roar:
"Lightning Punishment—kill!"
Before you continue