The assault was launched 1 hour after nightfall. The fortress of Qingdao overlooked the sea. The cultivators had gathered to free those of their own who had been taken prisoner in the past 6 months.
Taking advantage of a moonless night, Lan Xichen...
Lan Xichen and Nie MingJue looked around. There were only five of them left standing. They were joined by the survivors of the two rear guard groups. There were not many more of them. In all, there were only a dozen or so of the 50 farmers left. Xichen looked at the man in black. He still couldn't see his features.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Have you come to free prisoners? I'm here to free prisoners too. I'm looking for someone.
He looked towards the passage where Xue Yang had escaped.
"The dungeons are over there, if I'm not mistaken? So let's go.
Without a backward glance to check if he was being followed, the man in black stepped into the passage.
After a glance at MingJue, the survivors of the attack followed him. The vaulted passageway led into the bowels of the citadel. At the bottom, they saw the man in black facing five guards.
"An advice, if you value your life! Tell me what I want to know and know that at this moment, I'm not very patient!
Seeing that they were no longer outnumbered, the guards lowered their weapons.
"What do you want to know?
"Where are the prisoners?
"In the dungeons just behind," said the one who seemed to be the leader.
"Guide us to them.
The soldiers turned and led them to a corridor where there were about twenty grills on either side. The man in black looked at the prisoners.
"Free them!"
The chief guard took a bunch of keys that were hanging in a recess in the entrance and went to open all the gates. The prisoners hesitated to come out, but when they saw Lan Xichen and Nie MingJue, they rushed out. The man in black looked at them and then went to the chief guard who was standing next to Lan Xichen.
"Where are the other prisoners?" he asked.
"They're all here!" the chief guard exclaimed.
The man in black grabbed him by the neck and lifted him off the ground.
"I said ... where ... is... he?".
The leader of the guard jiggled at the end of the man in black's arm like a fish at the end of a fishing rod.
"Think carefully, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you like I did the others. Where do you keep the most dangerous prisoners?"
"In the lower pit!" the man in black released him, and the chief of the guard fell holding his neck. He had half strangled him.
"But the prisoner there must be dead, he hasn't moved for days and he doesn't eat either!".
"If you believe in any god, pray that he is still alive. If not, nothing and no one will be able to stop my vengeance and I will destroy everything in my path!" the man in black turned around. In the corridor, silence reigned.
"Where do you get to the pit?
"The man in black took the direction indicated. Lan Xichen followed him.
"I'm coming with you!
"You'd better get your friends out of here. Because this place will turn into hell as soon as I find the one I came for." He spoke loud enough for everyone to hear.
"Nie MingJue will take care of it," said Xichen.
After nodding to MingJue, the evacuation of the prisoners began. Xichen followed the man in black. When he entered the guard leader's workroom, he saw him grab an object from the table and slip it into his sleeve. He turned slightly and walked up the stairs to the lower pit. Xichen followed him again.
The place was damp. Rats were chasing each other and insects of all kinds were crackling in the cracks of the walls. A stench had invaded the place. The man in black approached the first door and then the second. The one he was looking for seemed to be locked up there. Xichen had remained near the stairs. He immediately located a recess similar to the one on the upper floor. As he expected, the keys were hanging on a hook. He took them and went to give them to the man in black.
The man in black opened the door and entered, with Xichen on his heels. At first , they saw nothing. Then the man in black shouted angrily and rushed to a dead body. At the bottom of the dungeon, a man was lying. Well, a man, that's a quick way of putting it. It was more like a shapeless, bloody mass. Shreds of what must have been a white robe were visible. His body was covered with infected wounds. His long black hair was matted and covered his face.
The Man in Black removed his cloak, tucked his flute into his belt and covered the inert body in front of him. Then gently he put his arms under the prisoner and lifted him into his arms.
When he turned around, Lan Xichen could not hold back a cry of horror!
"Wei Wuxian! It's impossible, you're dead! My brother killed you!
"I know, I've been told that before! Why don't we postpone the explanations? We have to leave this place as soon as possible.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
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