You'll Pay with Your Life!

Li Sanshun grabbed his outer robe and followed Zhao Rui out of the duty room.

Gu Qinghe was already waiting beneath the corridor.

"How many people came?"

"One. He's wearing the main peak's messenger uniform, carrying Qi Shouxuan's Dharma Seal, and has a temporary interrogation order." Zhao Rui lowered his voice. "The Cold Prison checked it. The seal is genuine."

Gu Qinghe didn't slow her steps.

"What about the disciples on duty?"

"They're stalling for time. But the interrogation order says that if they delay even a moment, the disciples on duty will be dealt with for obstructing the Sect Master's investigation."

The other side had prepared thoroughly.

The main peak's Dharma Seal, the interrogation order, Zhao Chong's cell—nothing was out of place.

If they hadn't transferred Zhao Chong ahead of time, the intruder would have succeeded tonight.

The three of them circled around to the rear of the Cold Prison and entered the underground array chamber through the narrow door used to transport medicinal herbs. Xiong Baichuan was already waiting inside, with a Prison Observation Mirror set on the table.

In the mirror, only two lamps illuminated the Cold Prison corridor.

A messenger disciple stood outside the prison cell, a main peak token hanging at his waist and gray cloth covering his face. Two Cold Prison guards stood beside him, both on duty that night.

The duty steward held the interrogation order and was still stalling.

"Zhao Chong is a serious offender in the Imperial City congratulatory-gift case. He can't leave his cell without the joint authorization of the Law Enforcement Hall and the main peak."

The messenger disciple produced the Dharma Seal and pressed it against the interrogation order.

Golden seal patterns spread across the paper, and Qi Shouxuan's spiritual aura poured from it.

"The Sect Master has authorized it. Deputy Hall Master Xu knows as well."

"Where's Deputy Hall Master Xu's seal?"

"This case concerns Gu Changyue. People from the Law Enforcement Hall shouldn't interfere. Keep blocking me, and I'll deal with you under the interrogation order."

The duty steward turned the document over and checked the Dharma Seal once more. He had no choice but to hand over the cell's Array Tablet.

In the array chamber, Xiong Baichuan rapped on the table.

"This Dharma Seal's a fine piece of work. Even Old Qi himself might not spot the problem at a glance."

Gu Qinghe stared at the mirror.

"The Cold Prison's Seal Verification Array didn't catch it either."

Li Sanshun leaned toward the Prison Observation Mirror and drew in a breath of the air leaking through the array's aperture.

[Main peak Dharma Seal residue detected.]

[Source of spiritual aura: rubbing.]

[Time of rubbing: within the past two hours.]

[Seal imprint can only be used once.]

Li Sanshun looked at the secondary transfer order on the table.

Two hours ago, Qi Shouxuan had signed an authentic transfer order, sending Zhao Chong to Zhen Yue Peak. Anyone who had handled it could have copied the Dharma Seal while its spiritual aura lingered.

"The seal was rubbed off the authentic transfer order."

Gu Qinghe took out the personnel register.

The authentic transfer order had passed through four people on its way from the main peak to the Cold Prison: a main peak messenger disciple, the steward of the Law Enforcement Peak duty room, the Cold Prison disciple who checked the order, and Zhao Rui, who was in charge of the transport cart.

Zhao Rui tossed his Storage Bag onto the table.

"Search it all you want. The seal on the order had already been broken once by the time it reached me."

"Who broke it?"

"Du An, the duty room steward. He said he had to register it."

Gu Qinghe drew a line through Du An's name.

He answered to Xu Zhenchuan.

Inside the Cold Prison, the outer array gate had already opened.

The messenger disciple retrieved the interrogation order and walked toward the cell at the very back. The two guards followed. One took out a key, while the other carried a Spirit-Locking Shackles.

Li Sanshun looked at Xiong Baichuan.

"Can the puppet take a beating?"

"You think Zhen Yue Peak's Mountain-Moving Puppet is made of mud?" Xiong Baichuan picked up the Array Disk. "I dressed it in Zhao Chong's prison clothes, stuffed a blood bag into its belly, and put a Breath-Simulating Talisman inside. From outside the cell, even its own father wouldn't recognize it."

"If Zhao Chong had a father like you, he'd have reincarnated a second time already."

Xiong Baichuan was about to retort when the messenger disciple in the mirror stopped in front of the cell.

A figure lay inside with Spirit-Locking Chains on both hands, an old blanket covering him and only half his face showing.

The guard unlocked the first lock.

The Breath-Simulating Talisman began to work, and the puppet's chest started to rise and fall.

The messenger disciple didn't go inside.

He watched through the iron bars for a long while, then took a copper bell from his sleeve.

There were no characters engraved on it, but several fine needles protruded from its base.

Gu Qinghe recognized it.

"The Soul-Severing Bell. Three rings will shatter the soul of anyone below Foundation Establishment."

This man had never intended to take Zhao Chong away.

He'd come to the Cold Prison to silence him.

The messenger disciple shook the copper bell.

At the first ring, the Breath-Simulating Talisman inside the cell faltered.

After the second, the blood bag around the puppet's neck split, and blood ran to the edge of the stone bed.

The two Cold Prison guards recoiled in fright.

"Sir, wasn't the Sect Master going to interrogate him?"

The messenger disciple put away the bell.

"Zhao Chong resisted arrest and has been executed. Just record what happened."

He turned and started to leave.

Xiong Baichuan pressed down on the Array Disk.

"Should we grab him now?"

"Wait." Li Sanshun stared at the mirror. "He hasn't touched the body yet."

Even a corpse could be real or fake.

If the intruder didn't examine the body, he'd grow suspicious once he got back.

The messenger disciple took two steps, then stopped, just as Li Sanshun had expected. He sent the two guards away, then returned to the cell alone.

The cell door swung fully open.

He stepped over the blood, lifted the old blanket, and pressed a hand to the puppet's neck.

The Mountain-Moving Puppet had no pulse.

The messenger disciple's hand froze.

The next instant, he yanked off the puppet's prison clothes and lunged for the cell door.

"Activate the array!"

Xiong Baichuan pressed down on the Array Disk.

The stone walls around the Cold Prison rose all at once, and eight Mountain-Suppressing Steles sealed off both ends of the passage. The messenger disciple fired an Array-Breaking Talisman. Its flames had barely touched the stone walls before the mountain patterns on the steles snuffed them out.

He drew a short blade and charged at the nearest guard, hoping to take a hostage and force his way out.

Li Sanshun rushed in through the side entrance and kicked the blade away.

The messenger disciple flung three poisoned spikes backhanded. Li Sanshun leaned aside to dodge two, then caught the last one in his hand. Earth-Element Qi surged along the floor and wrapped around the man's legs.

The stone bricks flipped up, trapping him in place.

The messenger disciple tore the token from his waist. A streak of fire burst from it and shot toward the rock overhead.

Xiong Baichuan swung an iron rod and smashed the fire back into the prison.

"Setting off a blast talisman inside Zhen Yue Peak's Mountain-Locking Array? You're still wet behind the ears!"

The messenger disciple abandoned his short blade and formed the Law Enforcement Hall's Spirit-Binding Seal with both hands.

Gu Qinghe arrived from the other end of the passage. With a slash, she cut through his sleeve, then pressed her sword's back against his wrist.

The Spirit-Binding Seal failed to take shape.

Li Sanshun grabbed the man by the collar and slammed him onto the stone bed.

The Mountain-Locking Array tightened.

Four stone cords wound around his arms and legs, sealing his dantian as well.

Zhao Rui charged into the cell with his men and searched the man, finding three things.

A one-use main peak Dharma Seal, a Soul-Severing Bell, and a map of the Cold Prison's interior.

The map marked Zhao Chong's cell and three escape routes. Even the names of the disciples on duty tonight were written on it in meticulous detail.

Gu Qinghe unfolded the fake transfer order.

"Did Du An give this to you?"

The messenger disciple kept his mouth shut.

Zhao Rui pulled off his face covering. The man looked to be around forty, and part of his left ear was missing. The Cold Prison guards quickly recognized him.

"Fang Shao?"

Six years ago, Fang Shao had been a prison guard in the Law Enforcement Hall. Not long after Zhou Huai fell off a cliff, he was wanted for secretly releasing a prisoner.

The Law Enforcement Hall searched for him for three years and found only a burned corpse.

Gu Qinghe took out the old case register. Fang Shao's death report was still tucked inside. The man who had authorized the case was Xu Zhenchuan.

"Xu Zhenchuan faked your death and kept you out there to kill for him."

Fang Shao lay on the stone bed, his shoulders twitching a few times.

Li Sanshun pinched his chin.

"Don't play dumb. Bai Cheng has confessed, and the three miners from the Ding-Character Furnace are alive too. Everything your master hid for six years has fallen into my hands."

Fang Shao finally raised his head.

"The miners are still alive?"

"That old bastard didn't tell you?"

Fang Shao paused, then suddenly pressed his tongue behind his teeth.

Li Sanshun grabbed his jaw, but he was still half a beat too late.

A wisp of black smoke seeped between Fang Shao's teeth.

Zhao Rui snatched up a mouth opener, but Fang Shao looked at Gu Qinghe.

"Steward Gu, the person you told me to kill didn't die. This time, you'll have to pay with your life for me."