In the pitch-black passage, the Sandalwood Gold they had just received proved its worth, its purple flames illuminating the space around them. Along the way, faint ripples flickered through the passage from time to time, though it was hard to tell whether they were an illusion. Wu Jinliang's booming voice echoed through the darkness.
"I hear the girls outside are all as fair as Miss Miao..."
With his bundle on his back and his saber over his shoulder, Wu Jinliang strode forward, head high and chest out. Despite his ragged appearance, nothing could hide his wildly excited ambitions. He went on and on about women, declaring that he would visit a brothel once he got out.
Thinking of the seductive delights of those legendary brothels, Shi Chun nearly joined in. Fortunately, excitement had not completely gone to his head, nor had he lost all vigilance. He remembered just in time that everyone around them belonged to Wangbo Tower. He was, after all, courting Miss Miao. How could he discuss such shameless subjects?
He could not tear down the bridge after crossing the river, especially when he had not even finished crossing yet.
Still, the women in the Land of Exile really were too dark, just as dirty, dark, and unkempt as the two of them.
In front of the Wangbo Tower party, Shi Chun not only avoided Wu Jinliang's vulgarity but also displayed his refinement. He stressed that the first thing he would do outside was buy books to read. Buying himself a decent outfit would only come second.
Just look at that lofty outlook: he loved books more than himself. He could do without a respectable appearance, but not without books.
Wu Jinliang felt nothing but contempt, though outwardly he still looked utterly admiring of their chief. What could he do? The other man had the bigger fists.
Once they started discussing books and clothes, they realized there were a great many things they would need to buy to establish themselves outside. Cultivation resources in particular were a bottomless expense. Suddenly, money felt tight.
Only now could natives of the Land of Exile like them appreciate that tiny measure of kindness the Prison of Life showed them. The money they received upon leaving mattered a great deal. It could keep them from taking desperate risks out of poverty and give them some time to adjust.
Even if they had earned that money by risking their own lives.
As the white light at the exit grew larger, until they could even see the scenery outside, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang became too excited to utter a word. Their hearts trembled, and so did their hands. They feared they were dreaming, feared waking from this beautiful dream.
The Wangbo Tower party had already left the tunnel and stopped to look back.
The armored guards on either side of the entrance also turned to look inside. They took it in stride; they had seen this sort of thing many times and were used to it.
The Wangbo Tower leader called out, "It's too late even if you don't want to come out. They won't take you back in there. Even if you commit a crime in the future, you won't necessarily be sentenced to this place."
The words had barely fallen when a guard barked, "Come out!"
Only then did the ragged pair hold their breath and slowly step into the sunlight, their faces filled with unease.
Before them were blue skies and white clouds, rolling green mountains, and a distant waterfall roaring down. The fragrance of grass and greenery assailed their noses. Everything widened their eyes and brought on an unpleasant dizziness.
They really were dizzy, swaying as though drunk.
The guards knew this was normal. The air in the Land of Exile was relatively thin, and those unused to the outside world did indeed feel drunkenly dizzy upon emerging.
Fortunately, both men were cultivators and soon adjusted. Looking back, they discovered a gatehouse embedded in the mountaintop. Above its entrance were the large, chillingly skeletal characters "Twelve Cities." A contingent of guards was clearly stationed atop it.
"Are you coming or not?" the Wangbo Tower leader urged again. They had no interest in standing around admiring scenery they had seen countless times before.
Of course they were coming. The two hurried after them, sweeping down the mountain in their rags.
But the pair made painfully slow progress down the mountain. One moment they would embrace a roadside tree and lovingly stroke it; the next, they would grab a handful of grass and stuff it into their mouths, chewing before spitting it out from the bitterness. Who knew how many times they ate and spat along the way? Even when it tasted awful, they could not resist experiencing it with their tongues. Sometimes they picked a flower and went wild with joy; sometimes they jumped into a stream and roared with laughter.
Mist veiled the distant mountains, deer called softly, ethereal birdsong rang in their ears, insects and ants scurried about, and bees and butterflies adorned the flowers. Everything was so beautiful.
Too beautiful, so beautiful that they repeatedly lost control. At the slightest provocation they went like mad dogs, and even the Wangbo Tower people could not rein them in. Every so often, they would run wild again.
After jumping into a clear pool and splashing water at each other, their eyes happened to meet. Suddenly, they embraced, buried their heads, and sobbed.
Pounding his fist against Shi Chun's back, Wu Jinliang complained through his tears, "We should've come out ages ago. I told you to come out sooner. How many times did I tell you? But you just wouldn't leave."
Shi Chun sobbed too. "It's not like I stopped you. You could've left long ago."
"I couldn't stop worrying about you while you were still there."
"Pah! As if I need you worrying about me! I still..."
Before he could finish, two figures flashed over, pulled them apart, and hauled them straight out of the pool, carrying them away at speed.
The two kept dawdling and let every word go in one ear and out the other. The Wangbo Tower party could no longer stand it. Their low cultivation also meant they could not travel fast to begin with and were holding everyone up, so the others simply decided to carry them.
If Old Tan had not left instructions before their departure, they would have gladly abandoned the pair.
For a moment, the entire world seemed peaceful and pleasant to the party.
That peace did not last long before someone shouted from behind, "What do you need such a huge saber for? Are you a beast of burden?"
It was the man at the rear who had picked up their luggage. He discovered he had saddled himself with a tremendous burden. Wu Jinliang's saber was far too heavy, weighing at least as much as two or three people. Regulations also prevented him from packing it with Wangbo Tower's cargo. Carrying that weight over a long distance was bound to be unpleasant, and he could not help cursing. If not for Old Tan, he would certainly have thrown it away.
Wu Jinliang shrank his neck and said nothing.
Shi Chun, however, asked the leader carrying him, "Where are we going?"
The leader replied, "We'll drop you in the nearest city, and that'll be our job done."
Shi Chun asked again, "Where are you going?"
The leader said, "Back to Wangbo Tower to report, of course."
Shi Chun said, "I hear Wangbo Tower has branches all over the world. Isn't there one in the nearest city?"
The leader replied, "The nearest city is too small to take all the goods we're carrying. We have to deliver them somewhere they're needed."
Shi Chun blinked. "We'd like to go with you and broaden our horizons too, and learn a little more from you along the way. Old Tan promised us. Didn't he tell you?"
In truth, he was afraid the Qi Household had not yet received the news from the Prison of Life, and that leaving their protection now would put them in danger.
After some bargaining, and repeated assurances from the pair that they would no longer disobey or run off, the party finally changed course.
These Advanced Martial cultivators could launch themselves two or three li through the mountain forests in a single leap, leaving Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang filled with longing.
They stopped occasionally to rest along the way, and in the blink of an eye it was the next morning.
A complex of towers and pavilions hidden deep in the mountains suddenly burst into view, striking their senses. A gorge joined a lake, and signs of everyday life filled the jade palaces and jeweled towers. Mist rose over the shimmering water. The people coming and going seemed to walk within a painting, while figures soared into the sky and spirit birds rose and alighted. It was a vision of an immortal realm, and the pair stared in a daze.
This was the Wangbo Tower party's destination: Skyward City.
Still dumbstruck, Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were hauled into the gorge by the others, landing in a waterside pavilion beside a waterfall pool.
"All right, we're here."
The leader left those words behind and walked away.
With a clatter and a clang, someone tossed down the pair's weapons and bundles. Everyone turned and left, plainly unwilling to waste any more words on these two burdens.
Throughout the journey, they had even refused to give the pair their names. Whether they could not be bothered or had some other reason was unclear.
Never mind. Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang were not angry and had no attention to spare for that. Brimming with curiosity, they picked up their ragged belongings and set off.
Several rivers wound through the middle of the gorge, with numerous bridges spanning the valley floor. Many buildings towered high, and more pavilions and towers stood along the cliffs on either side. Stone stairways of every size zigzagged across the rock faces. Shops of all kinds filled the valley, and many shabby wooden, tiled-roof houses stood among the jade palaces and jeweled towers. From time to time, people took to the air and flew about.
A young woman walked out onto an open terrace, then suddenly flipped over and transformed into a huge, brightly patterned snake. She rolled onto her back to sun herself.
A giant rat climbed onto the eaves and reached out a paw to hang a bell.
People of every description filled the place, bustling and lively.
Smack! The startling crack of something striking a table nearly made the pair jump as they stood by the roadside, gazing about in a daze. What was going on?
They turned to look and saw a hall atop a short flight of steps. Inside, an old man lifted his hand from the storyteller's block he had struck against the table. Facing a crowd of leisurely patrons, he intoned in a lilting, theatrical cadence, "The Ten Hall Yamas formed a realm of their own, sealing hell shut for eight hundred years. The Jailer of the Twelve Cities toyed with heaven's laws, ruling the Prison of Life, obeying orders but refusing summons. And on the Four Continents, mighty powers amassed, offering obedience in public and defiance in secret. The Empress took her throne without rightful claim and sought to establish anew the true order of heaven and earth, yet her grand ambition remained unfulfilled..."