Xiao Tiance was dragged away by Iron Bull. The shrill scream went deeper along the corridor, going farther and farther, and finally even the echo disappeared into the stone wall of Block C, Room Shen prison.
Fang Mo sat back down Grand Tutor Chair, put the empty tea bowl upside down on the armrest of the chair, and closed his eyes.
There was no wind in the yard, and the morning light filtered through the cracks in the Cloud Layer, casting a messy shadow on the Ruins on the ground.
"Old Yan, Imperial Clan Court, can you feel the breath over there?"
He didn't open his eyes, and his tone was casual and determined, as if he was asking what the weather was like today.
Old Yan shrank his neck and turned his gaze away from the skyline in the direction of the Imperial Palace. The Cloud Layer there was much heavier than the one next to it, weighing down something that had not yet come out, making people feel as if their chest was tight just looking at it.
"I feel it, but I haven't moved yet. It's that kind of urge to move but not move, which is holding people back."
"It's best to hold it in until you panic. The more you hold it in, the harder it will be to control yourself when you come out later."
Fang Mo opened his eyes and moved his gaze to Old Yan's face.
"Are you afraid?"
Old Yan opened his mouth, let out a sigh of relief, shook his head with a wry smile, and pushed down the old cloth hat that was about to fall apart.
"I'm afraid it's useless. After working like this with you, the boss, there's no way out. Old man, even if my legs are weak, I won't go back."
Jie Se Monk sat cross-legged on a broken stone, throwing the string Human Bone Prayer Beads up and catching it again, humming some strange tune in his mouth.
Qian Dagui was next to Jie Se, holding a box of candied preserved fruits from the storage in his arms. While eating, he looked in the direction of the Imperial Palace, with an expression that could not be concealed.
"Master, the old Monster in Imperial Clan Court, is he really as powerful as Half-step Dharma Aspect?"
"Three, and more than just Half-step Dharma Aspect, they are the top ones among Half-step Dharma Aspects, the ones just shy of becoming the real Dharma Aspect Realms." Fang Mo answered unhurriedly.
Qian Dagui put down the preserved fruit in his hand and lost the thought of eating it.
"Then let's..."
"Don't worry." Fang Mo patted his knees, stood up and stretched his shoulders, "I have a way to pick them up when they come out, but that will happen later. There is something ahead of those three old Monster right now."
Old Yan tilted his head and followed Fang Mo's gaze towards the courtyard door.
The sound of footsteps came from deep in the corridor. They were neither urgent nor slow, and the steps were evenly spaced, but with a slight drag. It was the rhythm deliberately controlled by someone who was still injured.
Li Mingyue pushed open the old wooden door of the yard, stood on the threshold, and did not come in immediately.
The Demon Suppression Division style black-bottomed outfit she was wearing had been washed, but the different shades of old blood on the material could not be washed away, which were traces brought back by Western Desert.
Spring Embroidered Saber was held in her hand, with the scabbard facing down and the handle of the knife facing her direction. This holding method made her draw the knife slower than anyone else.
Fang Mo looked at this detail and said nothing.
"Come in."
Li Mingyue stepped in and stood about three steps away from Fang Mo. If there were no unnecessary words, just look at him.
The Prayer Beads in Jie Se's hand stopped spinning.
Old Yan coughed and tugged on Qian Dagui's sleeves. The two quietly moved a few steps to the side to free up the space. Jie Se also looked away as if nothing had happened.
"You come to me, it means you have thought it through clearly." Fang Mo didn't beat around the bush.
"I've thought about it clearly." Li Mingyue replied, her voice was steady, but it didn't have the condescending coldness she used to have. It was something else, and I wasn't sure what it was for a moment.
"Tell me what you want to know clearly."
"I want to draw a clear line with Demon Suppression Division, return this knife to them, and have nothing to do with them from now on."
The wind in the yard blew the gravel on the ground and rolled it several times.
Fang Mo didn't answer immediately. He looked around her from head to toe, and his eyes stopped on the Spring Embroidered Saber on her waist.
"You are Demon Suppression Division Battalion Commander. Resignation is not something you can do just by taking it off. Mr. Commander, how do you explain it to me?"
"No need to explain." Li Mingyue's tone was surprisingly calm, "I am alone in Western Desert and Fang Mo to break into Great Thunderclap Temple and defeat Dharma Aspect Realm Old Ancestor's Demon Suppression Division Battalion Commander, there is no way to go back and explain anything. They will only think that I died in Western Desert, or that I was bewitched by a monster Qi Deviation. Anyway, it is more convenient to say it than to admit the matter in front of me."
"So you came to me now because it's more cost-effective to join me instead of being cleared by them?"
"No."
Li Mingyue took Spring Embroidered Saber off his waist, held it in both hands, and handed it over.
"It's because my eyes are not broken and I can see some things clearly."
Fang Mo didn't reach out to pick it up.
"See something clearly."
"I have seen clearly what Blood Pool is under the Buddhist Kingdom, I have seen clearly what Li Fuguo did to those believers with Evil Dragon Curse, and I have also seen clearly how your brothers cut off the queen for you at Western Desert."
She paused.
"I also saw clearly that you took the residual soul of Jie Se into Human Bone Prayer Beads instead of just letting it dissipate."
Qian Dagui covered his mouth and suppressed what he wanted to say.
Old Yan glanced sideways at Fang Mo, but there was no expression on his face.
"Have you ever thought," Fang Mo said, "That I kept Jie Se's remaining soul just because it is still useful, not because of anything else."
"I have thought about it." Li Mingyue answered directly, "But even then, in that situation, you still remember to do this thing instead of giving up and walking away, which is enough in itself."
Fang Mo was silent for a moment.
"Follow me and you won't have a good life. Demon Suppression Division will chase you, the royal family will chase you, and when I mess up the world even more, more people will chase you. I can't guarantee whether you can save your life."
"I know."
"Do you believe me?"
Li Mingyue took Spring Embroidered Saber back to his waist, fastened it again, raised his eyes and looked directly at him.
"I don't trust anyone, but I trust my own judgment. My judgment tells me that it's more worthwhile to stay here than to go back and be a hound that one day will be exchanged for a bowl of wine by its owner."
Fang Mo looked at her and suddenly curved the corners of his mouth, either mockingly or simply smiling.
"Okay, keep it."
He reached into his arms, took out something, and put it in her palm.
It was a drop of deep red Blood Bead that had been solidified into a solid bead shape. It was extremely thick in texture, with a faint golden luster on the surface. The tentacles were slightly hot, and there was a fine, living vibration coming from the fingertips.
"God King's Essence Blood." The voice of Old Yan next to him became hoarse, "This master's handiwork..."
"You damaged your foundation in Western Desert. Those Sarira are only enough to extend your life. The damage to your foundation is still there." Fang Mo pressed the Blood Bead into her palm and pushed her He closed his fingers together and said, "If you drag it on any longer, you will save your life and lose most of your cultivation. Let's refine this first and burn the rotten meridians in Dantian again. I will pay you your wages in advance. When you get better, I will slowly pay off the debt you owe."
Li Mingyue held the drop of Blood Bead tightly, and the palm of his hand became warm due to the temperature of the drop of Essence Blood.
She didn't say thank you.
She just bent her knees and bowed her head slightly. That action was not a formal ceremony, but for her, it was all she could do.
"I noted it down."
The sky in the direction of the Imperial Palace changed slightly at this moment. The heavy air pressure deposited above Imperial Clan Court Underground Palace silently revealed a crack. The pressure that was so thick that it could not be broken seeped up from the depths of the ground, and even the air in the yard sank halfway.
Old Yan raised his head and looked over there for a long time, swallowed back all the words he wanted to say, and turned his head.
"Master, Imperial Clan Court, there's something moving."
Fang Mo withdrew his gaze from Li Mingyue and turned his gaze to the sky in the direction of the Imperial Palace. The Cloud Layer there had turned from black to deep purple, as if something was pressing inside. It had been pressing for a long time and it could no longer be suppressed.
"Come out, come out."
He picked up God Slaying Saber from the ground, put it on his shoulders, and walked towards the door of the yard, walking slowly and leisurely.
"Those who come out first will die first. Let them line up and come one by one."