Out of Prison

After Yue Chi left the Detention Center, Chen Yan sat alone in his cell, lost in thought for a long while.

The sect was riddled with factions, locked in open and covert power struggles.

But based on the information Chen Yan had gathered so far, it was hard for him to tell who was right and who was wrong.

Yet who was right and who was wrong didn't matter to Chen Yan at all.

What did all these messy power struggles have to do with a lowly Outer Court Disciple like him?

Oh, he was a Kongyuan Mountain disciple now.

Still, if he died once more, whether he would be an Outer Court Disciple or a Kongyuan Mountain disciple in his next Reincarnation remained to be seen.

What mattered to Chen Yan was the conspiracy brewing in the deep waters behind all this.

The calamity that would strike the Outer Court in a little over two years was surely the result of that conspiracy.

That calamity had led to Cheng Ziying's death.

He had lived through twenty Reincarnations for the sake of saving Cheng Ziying from that death. It had even become an obsession of his.

And just as Chen Yan had decided to give up and distance himself from Cheng Ziying, he had made a new discovery.

Qingchan Peak, Caiyun Tower, the Black Flood Dragon Remnant Soul, Steward Song's list...

Chen Yan believed he was gradually getting closer to the truth.

"Click!"

A crisp sound came from the door of the cell.

The lock had been opened from the outside.

The familiar Law Enforcement Hall disciple stood at the cell entrance, bowing obsequiously toward Chen Yan, who sat inside.

"Senior Brother Chen, you may leave now."

The Law Enforcement Hall disciple said.

Chen Yan said nothing, only giving his leg a slight shake.

The shackles around his ankles clanked.

"Oh, please forgive me, Senior Brother Chen. Look at how forgetful I am. Hahaha..."

The Law Enforcement Hall disciple hurried over to Chen Yan, knelt on one knee, and unlocked his shackles.

Chen Yan stood up and loosened his limbs.

They felt so stiff, so heavy.

The shackles were made from a special kind of iron and engraved with the Qi Suppressing Art to disrupt the wearer's circulation of true qi.

Perhaps the effect wasn't as pronounced on cultivators above the Spirit Realm, but for those at the Qi Sea Realm and below, wearing these shackles was tantamount to having their cultivation crippled.

True qi surged from his Martial Spring and flowed through every meridian in Chen Yan's body.

As his meridians quickly filled with true qi, the limbs that had grown stiff from so long without exercise gradually regained their normal sensation.

"Thanks for putting up with me these past few days."

With his back to the Law Enforcement Hall disciple, Chen Yan spoke slowly.

"Not at all. It was only my duty."

The Law Enforcement Hall disciple rubbed his palms together, still wearing an ingratiating smile.

"Mm. I'll tell Steward Wu your name later and ask him to look after you."

Chen Yan said.

Steward Wu's full name was Wu Kuan, and he was a steward in the Outer Court's Law Enforcement Hall.

"Oh, there's no need to trouble yourself, but I'd be grateful for your help, Senior Brother Chen."

The smile on the Law Enforcement Hall disciple's face widened.

"It's nothing."

Chen Yan said, then stepped out of the cell.

Only after Chen Yan had disappeared into the distance did the Law Enforcement Hall disciple suddenly remember something important:

"Senior Brother Chen doesn't even know my name..."

After leaving the Detention Center and retrieving his Po Bing Needle, Chen Yan headed straight for his quarters.

Dusk had already dyed the mountains dark blue. According to Uncle-Master Yue Chi, Zhao Bin would come to fetch him before sunset.

There wasn't much time.

Chen Yan returned to his quarters and went to the tea table by the window. He lightly brushed the dust from its surface with his fingertips, then carefully checked for any changes in the room.

No one had entered during the half-month he had been locked up in the Detention Center.

Then Chen Yan began packing his things.

He had nothing he particularly needed to take with him. The only useful items were probably the Superior Qi Guiding Pills and the leftover Ice Soul Grass.

"Senior Brother Chen."

A familiar young man's voice came from outside.

Chen Yan walked to the door and opened it. The smiling man standing there was Sun Lu, a disciple of Zheng Fuyue, the steward of the Outer Court's Spirit Herb Workshop.

"I heard that Senior Brother Chen was leaving the Detention Center today, so I came especially to pay you a visit."

Sun Lu said.

"You're well informed."

Chen Yan said.

"Senior Brother Chen, what are you saying?"

Sun Lu laughed and shook his head. Then his tone turned somewhat meaningful.

"Still, I know both what I should know and what I shouldn't."

"Is that so?"

"For instance, isn't Senior Brother packing to head to Kongyuan Mountain right now?"

Sun Lu said slowly.

"...That's right."

Chen Yan had no choice but to admit it.

"I also know that Elder Lin was stripped of his position as an Outer Court elder, and that Steward Xue is temporarily acting in his place."

"Sorry."

Chen Yan said:

"My master is already struggling to protect himself, so I'm afraid he won't be able to fulfill what he promised Steward Zheng back then..."

"Senior Brother Chen, there's no need to apologize. My master and I completely understand."

Sun Lu smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't come here today to talk about that."

"Then what did you come to talk about?"

"Song Mingde. Steward Song."

Sun Lu said.

Chen Yan's breath caught slightly, and his heart began to beat faster.

"What did you find out?"

He asked.

"Good."

Sun Lu replied:

"It was a coincidence, really. At the Outer Court Grand Competition a few days ago, a group of disciples were gambling in a corner of the viewing stands. One of them happened to bet on Senior Brother Chen winning the second round, which caught my interest.

"Later, while chatting with him, I accidentally learned something astonishing."

Chen Yan raised an eyebrow.

"What did you learn?"

"That disciple had once seen Steward Song at the Immortal Gambling House in Taiyun City. It was at that gambling house that Steward Song lost all the funds belonging to Shang Gong Hall."

"Then what?"

"That disciple said that after Steward Song lost all his Spirit Stones at the gambling house, he went into the inner hall. He didn't know what happened in there."

Sun Lu said:

"After Steward Song left Taiyun City and returned to the sect, it wasn't long before he turned himself in to the Law Enforcement Hall and was imprisoned."

"You mean..."

"Senior Brother Chen could make a trip to Taiyun City. Maybe he'll be able to uncover more of the truth."

As he spoke, Sun Lu paused briefly.

"At your rate of cultivation, Senior Brother Chen, you'll probably break through to the Qi Condensation Realm soon."

According to the rules of the Empty Mountain Sect, Body Tempering Realm disciples were not permitted to leave the sect unless accompanied by a cultivator at the Martial Spring Realm or above.

"Thank you."

Chen Yan clasped his hands toward Sun Lu.

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid I won't be able to do what Steward Zheng and you asked my master and me to do."

"No matter!"

Sun Lu said.

"What my master and I have always wanted was never just the position of Outer Court elder. We'll be counting on you to look after us in the future, Senior Brother Chen."

As he spoke, Sun Lu bowed toward Chen Yan once more.

As for what he truly thought, only he knew.