The wind rose in gusts, howling, and a sheet of paper wedged in a crack between the stones made a strange flapping sound. The man carrying an umbrella turned his head toward it, and the paper flew free, drifting before him and turning over for his inspection.
It was the paper of a third-grade immobilization talisman. The breach in the spellwork on it showed that it had already been used.
Once he had examined it, the talisman paper flew back on its own and wedged itself into the crack again.
The man with the umbrella continued walking and stopping to inspect the scene. He passed corpses and weapons, finally coming to a halt before Qi Ziru.
The talisman and black cloth pouch clutched in the corpse's hand also flew free on their own. After turning briefly before the man, the pouch's mouth suddenly loosened, and enlarged skeletal frames flew out, wheeling through the sky above the wilderness. They fitted themselves together, piece by piece, until they formed a bone dragon dozens of yards long.
The bone dragon seemed to come alive. After shaking its head and swishing its tail in the air, it flew toward the man on the ground, its fearsome serpent's head leading the way. It stopped just before him, allowing him to inspect it.
Confusion showed on the man's face. Only after a long while did the bone dragon move again, plunging headfirst into the tiny black cloth pouch. In moments, it shrank along its entire length and vanished, slipping wholly into the pouch.
The man reached for the pouch, but stopped just as his fingertips were about to touch it. His gaze flickered slightly, and he withdrew his hand, abandoning the idea of taking it.
Then the pouch's mouth tightened, and it tucked itself back into Qi Ziru's hand along with the talisman.
The man with the umbrella suddenly vanished into thin air, then reappeared an instant later at the mine entrance in the valley.
From the entrance, he could see that the mine had collapsed. There was no need to go inside. He raised his hand toward the opening in a grasping gesture, and ripples through empty space spread into the mine, seeping into the cracks between the fallen rocks.
A little later, he swept his sleeve and lowered his hand. With no further attachment to the place, he rose into the sky like a phantom and vanished beyond the horizon in an instant, leaving only the clear radiance of the moon...
Twelve cities stood throughout the land of exile. The one nearest the Eastern Nine Plains was called Zhixu City.
Each of the twelve cities had a different design. Beneath the night sky, Zhixu City was not large and even looked somewhat crude, well suited to the atmosphere of the land of exile. Only the palace tower at its center possessed the splendor of carved beams and painted pillars, its imposing grandeur setting it apart.
Armored soldiers bearing halberds and spears stood atop the walls, and the words "Zhixu" above the gate exuded stern authority.
Despite the late hour, the gates remained wide open. Under the moonlight, people still came and went both inside and outside the city. Some traveled empty-handed, while others carried heavy loads. Most came to make exchanges and accumulate "merit," though some came for supplies needed to survive.
There was only one shop in the city-or rather, only one shop across all twelve cities in the land of exile. It was also the only establishment permitted to trade there, and its name was Wangbo Tower.
Apart from the district allotted to Wangbo Tower for its business, the city's other areas were closed to the public. Thus, nearly everyone entering the city gathered and dispersed within Wangbo Tower's district. Only those who had accumulated enough "merit" to leave the land of exile could use that opportunity to enter the other areas.
Outsiders wishing to enter the land of exile also had to pass through these cities, and the entry requirements were extremely strict.
At that moment, an outside visitor was staying temporarily in a room within one of the city's restricted areas.
A luminous pearl brightly lit the room, whose furnishings were simple but tasteful. Its occupant was a rather attractive woman, with an air of aloof refinement about her brows and eyes that seemed to come from her very bones. Dressed in splendid brocade, her pendants tinkling, she paced slowly back and forth through the small space, looking deeply troubled.
The woman had come to visit prisoners: her younger brother and her son.
Her younger brother and son were none other than Qi Ziru and Shen Youkun. Her name was Qi Yueru.
Normally, prison visits were not permitted here, but there were always people who could obtain extraordinary permission.
Even those coming to visit prisoners were not allowed to remain long. To arrive just as the dragon bones in the mine were about to be unearthed showed exquisitely precise timing.
Sudden footsteps outside made her stop and tilt her head to listen. Soon, a knock sounded at the door.
"Please come in," Qi Yueru answered at once.
The door opened, and a man with a brocade sash around his waist walked in. His expression was grave. He studied the woman, then glanced back outside the door, clearly taking extra care.
The designs on his sash held significance: they denoted his rank within the Heavenly Court's hierarchy.
Qi Yueru immediately smiled and dipped in greeting. "You've come in person, City Lord. Have my son and the others been summoned here?"
Visitors could not simply leave the city to find the prisoners. Not only were they strictly confined to designated areas, they were even forbidden to contact others at will. They could only wait for the prisoners to be brought to them.
The man was Ba Yingshan, the lord of Zhixu City. Lowering his voice, he demanded, "Tell me honestly. Just what is your Qi Household trying to do in the land of exile?"
Qi Yueru gave a soft laugh and shook her head. "That question goes a little too far, wouldn't you say?"
Ba Yingshan drew a deep breath, seemingly struggling to suppress his anger, and changed his approach. "Did you stir up something in the Eastern Nine Plains?"
Qi Yueru answered with a faint smile. "You're not a three-year-old. You should know not to ask what you shouldn't. Knowing too much won't do you any good."
Ba Yingshan was clearly growing desperate. He seized her wrist and yanked it upward, keeping his furious voice as low as possible. "Just tell me whether you're stirring up trouble in the Eastern Nine Plains. Otherwise, if something happens later, you won't escape either!"
Qi Yueru, who had been trying to pull her hand away from the pain, froze. She caught the deeper implication, and her expression turned grave. "What happened?"
Ba Yingshan concealed nothing. "The Prison Inspector came. He said something happened in the Eastern Nine Plains and that quite a few people died. He specifically named the ravine district in the south and ordered me to take men there personally to investigate. People fight and kill each other all the time in this damned place. Nobody cares. Since when has that warranted a personal order from the Prison Inspector? Whatever this is, explain it to me now. Once it's too late, nobody will be able to cover for it."
Hearing him identify the location, Qi Yueru's heart pounded with alarm. She asked urgently, "Why would the Prison Inspector be paying attention to that deserted corner of nowhere?"
Ba Yingshan laughed in sheer fury. "You're asking me? I should be asking you! What exactly did you do to attract the Prison Inspector's attention? Explain yourself quickly. I'm leaving immediately. There's no time to waste."
Qi Yueru shook off his grip and said quietly, "Don't concern yourself with what it is. As I said, don't ask what you shouldn't. I need to go to the scene now. Arrange for me to leave at once."
Ba Yingshan was aghast. "Are you mad? Do you know where you are? Outsiders are forbidden to leave the city without authorization. Doing so violates heavenly law! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"
Qi Yueru's temper flared. "I don't care. You must get me out there. This is your territory. I know you have a way."
She had already realized that something might have happened to her son and younger brother. Otherwise, how could the Prison Inspector have learned of their secret operation?
The thought that her son might be in danger left her heart hanging in suspense. Her own younger brother was there too, and with the responsibility she bore on this trip, she could not keep herself from going to confirm what had happened.
Anxious and furious, Ba Yingshan truly wished he could strangle this wretched woman. He glanced outside the door, not daring to raise his voice, and warned her viciously through clenched teeth, "Do you know who's in the city? Do you know whom the Prison Inspector usually attends? That 'Jailer' is in the palace tower at this very moment. I don't have the nerve to play tricks right under his nose!"
At the word "Jailer," Qi Yueru's expression also changed dramatically. She could not conceal her fright.
"Jailer" might have sounded unimpressive, but it was merely a nickname. In fact, he was the supreme authority over the land of exile.
Perhaps to natives like Shi Chun, the land of exile truly seemed unremarkable, a place of no standing whatsoever. In the eyes of cultivators, however, it was a place of extreme terror.
A different frame of reference might make its terrifying authority easier to understand.
The land of exile's official name was the "Prison of Life." Its counterpart was another great prison called "Dead Hell"-the hell or underworld known to everyone!
Hell was universally known because it applied to everyone, whereas the Prison of Life was intended only for cultivators.
Dead Hell was for the dead; the Prison of Life was for the living.
The saying "a life worse than death" could also vividly describe the fate of being cast into the Prison of Life. Not everyone could get by as comfortably as Shen Youkun. He was, after all, one of a very few.
Qi Yueru had never seen what that "Jailer" looked like either. She had heard that after being demoted to this place, he often carried an umbrella. Whether there was wind or rain or neither, he opened it whenever he went out.
Rumor had it that someone once asked why he did so. His answer was: "I will not let Heaven look down upon me. If it wishes to see me, let it come face-to-face!"
How could Qi Yueru possibly defy a legendary figure like that? Yet she bore a heavy responsibility and was desperate for her son's sake. She had no choice but to put away her fear and steel herself. "City Lord Ba, you must help me, whether you want to or not. This isn't just helping me; it's helping you too. I'm going to the scene to clean things up. If anything there is amiss and the implications spread, you won't escape them either. Once I've put everything in order, your arrival will be much simpler. Don't you agree?"
"You..." Beside himself with rage, Ba Yingshan pointed at her nose. Her words were tantamount to admitting that the incident was indeed connected to her people.
But what else could he do? In the end, he swept his sleeve and left.
Soon, having removed every trace of feminine dress, Qi Yueru successfully left the city in a black robe, her head wrapped in a scarf.
Only after she was far from the city and beyond all watching eyes did she dare rise into the air and fly straight toward her destination.
Zhixu City was close to the Eastern Nine Plains, after all. It did not take her long to find the scene, but she dared not approach directly. Instead, she first circled around, furtively investigating.
Before she even found the mine entrance, however, she collapsed to the ground, covering her face and sobbing.
While circling the area, she had first discovered the bodies, then found her son and younger brother among them. Both had actually been beheaded. She could not accept this reality, yet dared not cry too loudly and covered her mouth. She was utterly heartbroken.
Eventually, she faced reality. She did not dare linger either. Ba Yingshan had given her little time and would soon arrive with his men.
Only after calming down did she notice the Heaven-and-Earth Bag clutched in her younger brother's hand. She immediately pulled it free and examined it. After looking inside, she could not help breaking into another bout of muffled sobbing. The target item had already been secured. Her younger brother and son had actually been killed after completing their task. Why had this happened? They had already succeeded!
She wiped her tears again and again, but could never wipe them dry. With the situation unclear, she did not even dare collect the bodies of her two closest relatives. Putting away the Heaven-and-Earth Bag, she turned to leave.
A gust of cold wind struck her face, and she suddenly stopped. In an instant, all grief vanished. She slowly lowered her gaze to the Heaven-and-Earth Bag in her hand as a question dawned on her. With its owner dead, why had such a treasure been left here? How had the Prison Inspector learned that something had happened?
At that thought, she nearly broke into a cold sweat. Someone was probably waiting at the exit from the land of exile for this item to leave. If she dared take it away with her, she might never be allowed to leave.