Arin, I'll Take You Away-Gun, I Don't Want To

"Lin Shuguang, I was wrong. Could you—" The Ninth Prince was probably apologizing so humbly to a Baojian Sect disciple for the first time in his life.

He had forcibly swallowed far too much fury.

If not for the Nine Demon Scroll, he would rather die than admit fault to a nobody like Lin Shuguang.

What the Ninth Prince had not expected was that even after he apologized, Lin Shuguang looked utterly impatient to listen. The rest of his words once again died in his throat.

The Ninth Prince's entire face turned livid.

He had already lowered himself, yet what he received in return was Lin Shuguang's almost insulting disregard.

"Lin! Shu! Guang!"

The entire great hall suddenly erupted into an immensely powerful storm beneath the Ninth Prince's roar. In an instant, the glass in countless windows shattered into fragments.

The guards responsible for protecting the palace were caught off guard and groaned as they vomited blood, yet they still knelt on one knee, not daring to act recklessly.

"I! Will! Kill! You!"

The Ninth Prince had truly been driven mad with rage this time. He wished he could lead the Demon-Suppressing Army to Black Prison right now and tear Lin Shuguang limb from limb. But in the end, he did not dare. First, he feared Sima Tingwei and that madman Ji Feng. Second, he was stationed at Demon Cave under His Majesty's orders. Without His Majesty's decree, he could not leave on his own.

For a time, the Ninth Prince was both furious and resentful.

Especially when he sensed that his connection with the Nine Demon Scroll was faintly beginning to loosen, the Ninth Prince inevitably grew anxious.

On one hand, he hoped all of this was merely his own overthinking and sensitivity, causing him to mistakenly believe that Lin Shuguang had tampered with the Nine Demon Scroll.

But on the other hand, he still could not convince himself that the Nine Demon Scroll would definitely return safely to his hands.

"That brat is extremely strange. Who knows what dirty trick he still has up his sleeve..."

When he recalled how, back at the inn, Lin Shuguang had merely waved his hand, and the Nine Demon Scroll had vanished before his eyes... It had disappeared incredibly quickly. Even with his True Fate Realm perfection cultivation, he had not sensed the slightest trace of rule power.

Thus, for a time, he could not determine whether Lin Shuguang had used some kind of storage ring.

If it really had been a storage ring, he should at least have sensed it when he searched him back then. Yet he clearly remembered that during his investigation, he had found no trace of any storage ring on Lin Shuguang.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Where the hell has Lin Shuguang hidden my Nine Demon Scroll?!"

The Ninth Prince roared wildly, his hair disheveled.

Then he stopped, leaving only his heavy panting behind. His eyes were bloodshot, making him look like a deranged demon who had gone berserk and wanted to tear someone limb from limb.

"Shi Wenliang should be arriving soon... Recover the Nine Demon Scroll and capture Lin Shuguang!"

At the inn outside Black Prison, the sky was darkening. Shi Wenliang pretended to be at ease as he sat beside a window on the second floor. The peanuts before him had already been replaced for the third plate... Shi Wenliang anxiously watched the distance. Through the inn's window, he could keep a close eye on everyone traveling between the residences and Black Prison.

He had stood guard for three whole hours.

Yet there was still no sign of Lin Shuguang.

Shi Wenliang frowned, weighed down by worry, and put the last peanut on the plate into his mouth. Perhaps because he was too exhausted, the peanut actually tasted somewhat moldy.

He frowned, but with his mind in turmoil, he did not think much of it.

During these three hours, he had changed inns five times and eaten twenty plates of peanuts by himself, yet he still had not discovered any trace of Lin Shuguang.

"Where the hell did this guy run off to?"

Lin Shuguang seemed to have vanished from this world. With all his methods, Shi Wenliang had actually been unable to find him.

"Could he have left Black Prison? That shouldn't be possible. If he really had left Black Prison, how could His Highness have no clues at all?"

Shi Wenliang himself sank into confusion.

He had already guaranteed success to the Ninth Prince, and he had heard that an esteemed lord would be sent over as well.

Shi Wenliang wanted to earn the Ninth Prince's recognition. This was an excellent opportunity, so of course he wanted to spare no effort and perform well in this operation.

Touching the knockout drug he had prepared in advance inside his robes, Shi Wenliang frowned and paused for a moment before rising to leave.

"Clack."

Who could have expected that the instant Shi Wenliang stood up, the world would suddenly spin before his eyes? His vision went black, and he fainted on the spot.

At the very moment he fainted, three or five customers from the two neighboring tables stood up and walked over.

They scooped Shi Wenliang up.

"Is it him?"

Another person took out a portrait and compared it with the unconscious Shi Wenliang. He nodded. "He's the man the Marquis wants."

"Take him away!"

The waiter personally led the way. As night deepened, he opened a hidden door on one side and waved. "Quick."

The group quickly carried Shi Wenliang into the secret passage.

Lin Shuguang himself had no idea that, through this twist of fate, not only had he avoided being ambushed, but the assassins secretly sent by the Ninth Prince had instead fallen into someone else's trap.

If Lin Shuguang learned of this, he would probably find it both hilarious and exasperating.

A few minutes later, Lin Shuguang appeared at the inn.

"Master, what would you like to eat?" The waiter personally came over to greet him, his face piled with smiles.

"Bring me a bowl of small noodles."

Perhaps he was missing home. Lin Shuguang subconsciously blurted out those words, then froze after saying them. When the waiter left, he could not help giving a silent chuckle, seemingly reminded of his younger sister, Xiao Xi.

Perhaps he had stayed here too long, bearing too many storms alone. The last trace of softness and tenderness left in his heart had all been reserved for his family.

"Damn, why am I getting sentimental?" Lin Shuguang chuckled and went to a seat on one side of the second floor, pulling out the chair and sitting down.

While waiting for the large bowl of noodles, he turned his head toward the street below. By coincidence, he noticed that this place was actually extremely close to Black Prison.

After a few minutes, the waiter brought Lin Shuguang's noodles over with a beaming smile. "Master, your noodles."

With Lin Shuguang's current cultivation, he did not need to eat at all. It was probably because he truly missed home that he could not help wanting to taste the small noodles here.

But after picking up his chopsticks and taking a bite, he found them far inferior to the flavor of the noodles Father Lin made at home. He sighed inwardly.

"Buzz."

The void trembled.

Ji Feng's figure appeared. "I finally found you."

His ghostlike appearance did not attract the attention of anyone else in the little shop.

Lin Shuguang remained calm on the surface, but when he put down his chopsticks, his mind was filled with one thought: when he had emerged from the Spatial Altar, had he left behind any clues?

The Spatial Altar was one of his trump cards. He absolutely could not expose it!

Ji Feng pulled out a chair and sat across from Lin Shuguang in a carefree manner. "You made me search high and low for you. If I hadn't just been wandering around the entrance to Black Prison, I might really not have noticed you eating here. Here, take this."

He reached out and handed over the jade pendant Sima Tingwei had given him.

Lin Shuguang did not immediately take it. Instead, he asked hesitantly, "What is this?"

Ji Feng poured himself a cup of water and said casually, "A protective talisman Sima Tingwei gave you. If you encounter someone like the Ninth Prince again who you can't defeat, just crush it. It's roughly equivalent to ninety percent of Sima's strength, so it should help you out of some trouble. Of course, if you offend some major figure, even Sima Tingwei won't be able to save you."

Lin Shuguang's face was full of suspicion. He did not seem to be particularly familiar with that Black Prison Envoy. Even if it was because the Ninth Prince had appeared, there was no reason for him to receive such special treatment...

While he hesitated, Ji Feng stuffed the jade pendant into his hand and reminded him, "Put it away quickly. There are too many eyes here. Be careful someone steals it."

"Thank you, sir." Lin Shuguang flipped his hand, and the jade pendant vanished into his possession.

Ji Feng then asked, "How does it feel?"

The question came out of nowhere, leaving Lin Shuguang unsure how to answer. How does what feel?

Still, he patiently replied, "What are you referring to, sir?"

Ji Feng glanced around and even added a spell to establish a formation. Then he leaned over furtively. "Come away with me."

Lin Shuguang: "..."

After a long moment, he forced out a stiff expression. "Sir, are you joking?"

Ji Feng earnestly tried to persuade him. "Although Black Prison is controlled by His Majesty and looks infinitely glorious, there are actually undercurrents surging within. Not to mention that you haven't reached the True Fate Realm yet—even if you had, the Baojian Sect still couldn't protect you completely. Come with me. With me personally protecting you, at least ordinary Nirvana Realm cultivators wouldn't dare touch you."

In the end, he still could not help wanting to preserve this last sapling of the Baojian Sect.

Ji Feng had once received Old Man Chen's favor, so he had a certain fondness for the Baojian Sect as well. Lin Shuguang had been personally sent in by Old Man Chen. In Ji Feng's eyes, Lin Shuguang was practically the Baojian Sect's last surviving flame. For emotional and rational reasons alike, he wanted to protect Lin Shuguang.

He sighed quietly. "If you ask what my Dao is, then what I'm doing now is my Dao. I know you have many things you don't understand, but I have to say this. Black Prison is a place all the princes are fighting over. If you stay here, not only will it fail to protect you, your identity will instead drag you into all kinds of trouble."

This was something not only Ji Feng, but even Ji Wufeng, currently suppressed within Saber Prison, had said to Lin Shuguang.

Their advice was not without reason.

But not one of them had been able to offer Lin Shuguang a useful solution.

Ji Wufeng had warned Lin Shuguang that the Great Gan Dynasty would descend into troubled times. But what was his conclusion?

He had merely told Lin Shuguang to follow him and join the Taiyi Immortal Sect.

The Taiyi Immortal Sect had already been destroyed by the Great Gan Dynasty countless years ago. No matter how powerful Ji Wufeng was, he was still only one man. For the Taiyi Immortal Sect to reclaim the peak, its path was even harder than the Baojian Sect's, especially while bearing the stigma of a crime.

Naturally, Lin Shuguang was unwilling to choose that path.

He did not want to spend his days hiding and fleeing.

As for Ji Feng...

Lin Shuguang looked up at him. "Where would I go if I followed you?"

Ji Feng lowered his voice and explained, "I have two choices for you. First, you can go to my Ji family. My Ji family is a prominent lineage in the imperial capital. Once you enter my family, we can seal off all news. I doubt anything will happen.

"The second choice is that I actually have another identity: I'm a Grand Scholar of the Inspection Bureau, responsible for supervising the Great Gan Dynasty. I can bring you in. The Inspection Bureau isn't like Black Prison. You can already tell from the Ninth Prince's attitude—Black Prison only has a great reputation, but when it encounters royal descendants, it still has to show respect. The Inspection Bureau is different. If you make me unhappy, I'll submit an impeachment memorial. So what if you're a prince? If you violate the rules, I'll immediately write you down in my little notebook. That's why our Inspection Bureau is generally hated throughout Great Gan.

"But for you, it would be a good destination. Our Inspection Bureau is an organization that sticks together. If someone bullies one of us, the hundred or so people left behind can write hundreds of memorials. We can impeach him to death."

Lin Shuguang chuckled. Ji Feng was quite interesting. His strength was frighteningly powerful, yet his way of conducting himself was so down-to-earth. Lin Shuguang could not help feeling a little more favorably toward him.

He asked, "You know my identity is special. Aren't you afraid I'll bring you some adverse consequences?"

Ji Feng shamelessly pretended not to care. "I'm not afraid for myself. My life is tough, after all. As for your special identity, I don't know anything. I'm merely introducing you. As for the karma or whatever, the Inspection Bureau is large enough to bear it for you."

To be honest, Lin Shuguang was indeed tempted by what Ji Feng had said.

But the Inspection Bureau was in the imperial capital, where eyes and ears were everywhere.

Besides, his identity was unusual to begin with. Once he went there, every action he took would certainly be watched. If he wanted to rely on killing and sacrifices, it would probably be extremely inconvenient.

The cultivators in the imperial capital would inevitably be stronger than those elsewhere, and they would know the most techniques as well.

Lin Shuguang did not dare gamble. If the Spatial Altar were exposed, he was afraid he would lose even his life.

"I'll think about it." He did not completely reject Ji Feng's good intentions.

Ji Feng fell silent for a while. He was not used to persuading people, so he simply stopped and changed the subject. Looking at Lin Shuguang with complete sincerity, he asked, "Do you want to become the sect master of a sect?"

"Huh?" Lin Shuguang looked strange.

Ji Feng said sincerely, "You're quite unsafe traveling alone. I'll give you a sect. You'll have experts protecting you whenever you go out. How about it?"

Lin Shuguang shook his head. "That's too conspicuous."

Ji Feng paused, then slowly nodded. "True. The more conspicuous you are, the faster you die. Forget it, then. I'll wait for your answer. I'll be leaving in three days. You must think it through."

"I will." Lin Shuguang nodded.

Ji Feng had just taken a step when he suddenly remembered something. "Have you found a place to stay?"

"Not yet." Lin Shuguang answered honestly.

Ji Feng took out a key and threw it over.

Lin Shuguang caught it easily, and Ji Feng said casually, "There's a small courtyard in Nanshan Garden. You can stay there... whether or not you plan to come with me."

"Thank you." Lin Shuguang rose and cupped his fists.

Ji Feng waved his hand, and his entire person had already vanished from the spot.

Clutching the key, Lin Shuguang smiled silently. "He's not a bad person."

After leaving money for the meal, Lin Shuguang took the key and went to Nanshan Garden.

Meanwhile, inside Black Prison.

Sima Tingwei understood Ji Feng's intention and could not help asking, "You gave him the house, so where are you going to stay?"

Ji Feng replied as if it were only natural, "Sleep with you."

Sima Tingwei's face darkened. "...Get lost."

It was deep into the night at Nanshan Garden.

"Come find me... True Fate Realm... breakthrough..."

A faint voice drifted over.

Lin Shuguang stopped cultivating and slowly opened his eyes. Beneath the night sky, his eyes gleamed brightly. He rose and walked step by step toward the ancient well from which the voice had floated...