Book 13: Chapter 28
“Open the last door.”
There were roughly 30% more people than before gathered at the dungeon.
There was a casual man in his forties brooding away. Despite being famous, he didn’t like to go around blowing his own trumpet and was seldom seen in the pugilistic world. He only spoke to people at the new headquarters out of necessity, otherwise keeping to himself just as he usually preferred; as a matter of fact, it was Ouyang Xiucai’s first time meeting him.
The dashing man and classy woman who stayed together were known as the Guxian Deities husband and wife duo. Ever since their union, their reputations only elevated one another. For an unknown reason, they were helping an unorthodox organisation when they aligned with orthodox sects.
Kuanggu Sheng, one of Fiends’ Genesis Seven Stars, had an uncanny smile on his face and sat at the bottom of a squat when everybody else was standing. Thing was, he was so “out there” most of the time that it had become normal to everyone who knew him.
Zero had Fiends’ Genesis’ remaining members stand behind the adepts, ensuring nobody could escape from the dungeon. Tian Gou was the only person left outside. Although Zero was cognisant of the fact that it would take a while for any trespasser to bypass all the secret contraptions, it was better to be excessively cautious inside because, if they escaped from the dungeon, then there was no way of catching them. Zero wasn’t as willing to take risks as Jiang Chen.
“Open up.”
Yuan Kou added, “What are you waiting for? What are we worried about with Mr. Zero here?”
The answer to Yuan Kou’s question was, the infiltrator. They witnessed Ming Feizhen defeat Elder Lianhua in four attacks, when the infiltrator unilaterally demolished Ming Feizhen. Nevertheless, they hurriedly opened up once they met with Zero’s glare.
Yan Jiangnan could hear his heart beating in his head. If the fake scene was seen through, then death was the most desirable outcome for him and Ming Feizhen. He’d rather a swift death than endure all manner of torture before being sent to hell. He looked to Ming Feizhen to find the latter with his eyes shut as though he wasn’t bothered. Unable to contain his anxiety, Yan Jiangnan stepped forward and shouted, “Wait! I have something to say!”
Zero looked to Yan Jiangnan out of his peripherals. “Speak.”
“He’s not…” Yan Jiangnan suddenly felt a sick feeling in his stomach that shut his entire body down.
“He’s not what? Hey, don’t just leave us hanging,” griped Yuan Kou, scrubbing his head vigorously.
When Yuan Kou went to grab Yan Jiangnan, he heard Kuanggu Sheng yell, “Pull back!” Yuan Kou instinctively pulled his hand back, then questioned. “What are you shouting about now?”
Kuanggu Sheng coldly responded, “He’s been poisoned. If death is your wish, touch him.”
Until then, Zero didn’t pay attention to Yan Jiangnan, deeming the dungeon’s status quo more important. As soon as he heard what Kuanggu Sheng pointed out, Zero pulled Yan Jiangnan into his grip. Yan Jiangnan’s body was as cold as a block of ice. When Zero moulded internal energy to suppress the poison, chilly smoke whisked out of Yan Jiangnan’s body, turning even the interior of the building chilly. Moments later, a rosy tinge was restored to Yan Jiangnan’s pallor face, but his teeth continued chattering uncontrollably.
Yuan Kou exclaimed, “What the flying flip is that poison? I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”
“… Snow silkworms.” Zero lifted up Yan Jiangnan’s collar. “What did the assailant look like?!”
Yan Jiangnan was fully aware that Ming Feizhen evoked the chilling sensation to punish him for trying to spill the beans, so he answered, “It was… was… was a lanky person in black garments… I did not get a clear look at their face.”
“Was it a woman?” questioned Zero.
“I… I… Uh…” As Yan Jiangnan didn’t know what profile he gave the intruder, he tried to answer as vaguely as possible.
As furious as Zero was with Yan Jiangnan, he could understand the reason for the incoherent speech – the brush with death just now. Hence, he turned to Ming Feizhen. “Wu Ping, you tell me.”
Ming Feizhen pretended to ruminate prior to replying “They were so fast that I was too busy defending to check their appearance. In saying that… I did smell a feint smell of perfume on them. It is possible they are a woman.”
“Perfume? What perfume?”
“Mm… Flowers, I think, but I don’t think it’s a flower from the Central Plain…”
“Roses?”
“Yes, that’s it. I knew I had smelt it somewhere before. Yes, it was the smell of roses from the Western Regions. You, too, have met people from the Western Regions, Mr. Zero?”
“… What was their fighting style like?”
“They didn’t have a lot of strength in their arms, and their techniques weren’t very polished. That said, they were inconceivably fast, and I still have no idea what weapon they wielded despite how long we fought for. It could have been a broadsword or sword. Sometimes it felt like a whip, and sometimes it felt like an axe.”
Following a long thinking session, Zero remarked, “Could it have been Xue Yanjun?”
Everyone who heard the three words reactively took one step back and raised their hands. While Xue Yanjun didn’t have as many underlings as Blade Demon or Sword Demon, she was considered someone who rivalled both of them. She wasn’t one of Demon Sect’s three Great Guardians for no reason.
“No, Wen Wudao and she perished at Lawless Cliff six years ago; I saw them die with my own eyes, but she’s a slippery one, and I wouldn’t put it past her to fake her death.” Zero didn’t care that anyone else heard him for it was a topic spoken about exclusively between Divine Moon Cult members.
Ming Feizhen simultaneously monitored zero and the prison next door. Once he heard what he wanted to on the other side, he asked, “If it really is her, doesn’t that mean she is your ally? D-does this not make it an internal struggle?”
“If it is her, this is going to be troublesome because she’s always been on good terms with the man inside, so she will rescue him. Let’s go check. Open up.”
As soon as the doors were open, they heard a body of water mobilising with haste.
The dungeon was flooded once every few fixed days, and today was one of those days.
