Jun You Ji Fou

Chapter 62

The moon cast a clear radiance, and the ground was white with frost, yet the dungeon remained dark and damp, with not a sliver of light penetrating it.

In the corner of the pitch-black cell, something lay prostrate, its breath faint, trembling occasionally, barely recognizable as human. Long, tangled hair draped over its form, obscuring the face.

The door of bluestone thundered open, light flooding in overwhelmingly, causing him to shudder violently and bury his head even deeper. But the visitor did not allow him to hide, tapping the thick iron bars lightly and calling out his name:
"Luo Xin."

He slowly lifted his head, his complexion pale and wan, so thin that the roundness of his face was no longer discernible, his cheekbones jutting out as if they would slice through the thin layer of skin, giving him a ghastly, inhuman appearance. After a long murmur in his throat, Luo Xin managed to utter two indistinct syllables, "...Your Highness."

Li Chenghua, the Prince of Xiling, looked down upon him from above and asked, "Have you remembered where the military token is?"

"I will not... give it to you..." Luo Xin's breath was failing, "...no matter how many times... you ask... it will be the same."

"You will hand it over eventually," Li Chenghua said, undiminished in his mirth. "Was that military manual given to you by Chu Mingyun? I've read it; his annotations are excellent, and you've learned well. The breakout that day was truly spectacular."
Luo Xin remained silent.

Li Chenghua sighed, his tone reminiscent of old friends catching up, "Your troops have been doing well hiding in the mountains; I truly have no way to deal with you, except to surround you to prevent escape. But you must realize, this past month is about the limit. Luo Xin, summer is passing, and autumn will bring falling leaves. Can you remain so concealed then? Even if you can hold out, what about when winter comes? The weather will be very cold, and without food or drink, you can only die on the mountain."

"The change of seasons is swift, just like life. Decades pass in the blink of an eye. Whether a loyal subject or a traitor, who will care in the end?" Li Chenghua looked at Luo Xin, "What do you say?"

"...Not so," came a voice so low it was almost inaudible.

"No wonder Su Shiyu valued you; you're as stubborn as he was," Li Chenghua said with a smile. "But in the eyes of others, you are already a traitor."

"You disappeared along with the rebels, causing the imperial reinforcements to vanish. The people in Chang'an are cursing you, and the Imperial Censor and the Grand Commandant have personally come to Huainan just to capture you. You alone remain pitifully loyal here, but who are you being loyal to?"

Luoxin shuddered, closed his eyes, and spoke with difficulty, "Lord Su... has been kind to me... Lord Chu, I... admire... I... the nation... will not..." His body suddenly convulsed, his fingers clawing bloody furrows in the ground, emitting only broken, suppressed groans of agony.
Li Chenghua raised his hand, and someone opened the prison door. "It seems the drug has worn off," he said, taking out a porcelain bottle and slowly uncorking it, "Do you want it?"

Luoxin lunged forward, the chains clanging loudly, and he was yanked back to the ground, stretching out his hand desperately, his expression nearly mad, "I... give it to me!... Quickly give it to me!"

"Where is the military token?" Li Chenghua asked in a deep voice.

   The hand he stretched out was trembling with bulging veins, and Luo Xin, lying on the ground, gasping for air, stubbornly shook his head with the last bit of consciousness he had left, "You... will never find it... give up..."