The Emperor secretly imprisoned the group of Tian Yan realm experts to prevent any leaks of information. He specifically transferred his chief guard to tighten the security, ensuring that no one could escape.
The only people free to come and go were Fu Yujin and Fu Yuhao.
So, when the chief guard suddenly spotted the Empress at the entrance of the dungeon, he was momentarily stunned. The Emperor had repeatedly ordered to keep this matter a secret from the Empress.
"Empress, please halt!"
Seeing the Empress attempting to enter, the guard quickly stepped forward, raising his hand to stop her, his voice filled with tension, "This place holds dangerous criminals. How can the Empress, with her esteemed status, set foot here? Please return to the palace at once!"
The Empress was draped in a dark cloak. Seeing the guard blocking her path, she slowly raised her hand to pull down her hood. Her hair was as white as clouds, tinged with a light frost, "I am aware of who is imprisoned here. There's no need to hide it from me. They are merely the Tian Yan realm experts from the Four Realms."
The guard's face turned awkward, not knowing how she had heard about it, "The core of Master You Yunxian was stolen, and the culprit is still at large. The Emperor did this to uncover the truth. Once everything is revealed, they will naturally be released."
Sang Feiwan, disguised as an attendant, followed behind the Empress with a sword in his arms. Upon hearing this, he subtly shook his head at the Empress, indicating not to believe his nonsense.
They needed to go in now and find a way to rescue those people. Otherwise, if the Emperor failed in his breakthrough to the Tian Shen realm tonight, he would soon come for the second core.
Fu Yuhao had always held a grudge against Baili Duyue. Sang Feiwan strongly suspected he would seek revenge and torture Baili Duyue first.
The Empress seemed to be aware of this too. Her expression grew cold as she sternly said to the chief guard, "If it's just to uncover the truth, there's no need to stop me. They are esteemed guests of high status. Now that the Emperor has imprisoned them here, they are bound to harbor resentment. I am here to offer words of comfort and consolation."
The guard hesitated, "But..."
Seeing him still obstructing, afraid that she would be discovered by the Emperor if they delayed any longer, the Empress slapped him across the face and scolded, "Nonsense! How dare you stop me! Speak another word, and I will report to the Emperor that you are insubordinate and have your cultivation stripped!"
The Emperor was capricious but deeply cherished the Empress. This was a well-known fact. Hearing that he might lose his cultivation, the chief guard became even more hesitant. Seeing this, the Empress forcefully pushed him aside, took Sang Feiwan who was disguised as an attendant, and broke into the dungeon, leaving behind a cold warning:
"Without my orders, none of you are allowed to enter! Anyone who dares to take a step inside will face the consequence of having their cultivation stripped and their entire family punished!"
At that moment, the imprisoned cultivators in the dungeon were just waking up. Seeing themselves trapped and feeling weak, they were shocked and bewildered, unsure of what had happened.
"It's the Emperor! It must be the Emperor! Why did he imprison us here?!"
"Could it be that he suspects us of stealing Master You Yunxian's core?"
"It can't be that simple! Fu Yujin is cunning and ruthless. His methods during his ascension to the throne were exceptionally brutal. There must be another reason for imprisoning us here!"
"What kind of medicine did he use on us?! My Qi is flowing backward in my dantian, and I can't gather my spiritual energy. It's as if my cultivation has been stripped!"
"Me too…”
"Fu Yujin really deserves to die! He thinks he can act recklessly just because he controls the Cloud Realm, clearly not putting the people from our four domains' immortal mansions in his eyes!"
As soon as Sang Feiwan entered the dungeon, he heard the furious curses from the people inside. Instead of stopping them, he hoped they would curse more fiercely. The angrier they were, the harder they would hit Fu Yujin later.
Thus, he just cast a soundproof barrier spell to prevent the guards outside from hearing the commotion inside and did nothing else.
The Empress, upon hearing the conversation inside, was momentarily stunned and murmured in surprise, "It really is the Spring Drunk..."
Sang Feiwan instinctively asked, "What is the Spring Drunk?"
Empress paused before explaining, "It's an extremely rare poison. Ordinary people who smell it become weak all over, and cultivators lose all their spiritual power, feeling drowsy as if heavily intoxicated. This fragrance requires dozens of celestial treasures to prepare, hence it's very rare. Only the Emperor has a few traces left. Those cultivators must have been affected by this fragrance..."
What she didn't say was that Baili Qingdu was also affected by this fragrance, which led to his death due to Fu Yujin's hidden scheme.
Sang Feiwan frowned, "How can it be resolved?"
The Empress took out a thumb-sized white jade incense burner from her sleeve and said with a heavy tone, "I suspected he would use the Spring Drunk. Spring Drunk lingers and does not dissipate. Using the Hua Liang fragrance can neutralize its effects..."
After speaking, she quickly walked into the depths of the dungeon with Sang Feiwan. The imprisoned cultivators inside were also shocked to see her and exclaimed:
"Empress?!"
"Empress?! Why are you here?!"
Most of them suspected that the Empress was in league with Fu Yujin, so they looked wary and unfriendly.
As the Empress opened the incense burner, she explained to everyone, "You were affected by the Spring Drunk that the Emperor released during the banquet. This fragrance can neutralize its effects, and you will recover in half an hour."
Hua Qinyi was surprised and approached, frowning in confusion, "Why would the Emperor do this?!"
Sang Feiwan looked at her and whispered, half-truthfully, "The Emperor is practicing a wicked technique and needs the inner cores of Tian Yan experts for cultivation. Master You Yunxian died because of this. He imprisoned you all to conveniently extract your inner cores. Tonight, he will choose another person from among you to remove the inner core."
Upon hearing this, the crowd's expressions changed dramatically. Especially when they heard the last four words, they instinctively covered their dantians, as if they could already feel the pain of having their inner cores forcibly removed.
The Empress also looked at Sang Feiwan in surprise, seemingly puzzled by how he knew so much.
Hua Qinyi's face turned pale, and she fell to the ground in fear, "But... but the Imperial City is heavily guarded. Even if we regain our cultivation, we won't be able to confront so many guards..."
Sang Feiwan squatted down, leveling his eyes with hers, "The troops from the four domains are stationed outside the city. Does Lady Hua have a token to communicate with them? I can help. Half an hour later, when you regain your spiritual power and break free from the cell, I will immediately find a way to notify the troops outside. With internal and external cooperation, you will naturally be able to escape."
Hua Qinyi hesitated and frowned, "Why are you helping me?"
Sang Feiwan replied, "I am Lord Baili’s Dao companion. He is now trapped, and I naturally want to find a way to save him. Strength in numbers. If Lady Hua doesn’t believe me, I won't force you. Just be careful tonight. If you're unlucky and get caught by the Emperor and have your inner core removed, don't blame me for not warning you."
Removing the inner core is akin to destroying a cultivator's foundation. Hua Qinyi, being a pampered girl, couldn't handle the fright. Upon hearing this, she gritted her teeth and took out a signal flare made of colored glaze from her sleeve, passing it to him through the bars, "This is my Tianxiang token. Find an open place, light the fuse, and send the fireworks into the sky. The troops outside will naturally come when they see it."
There was no other way now, so they could only take desperate measures.
Si Wujiu was locked in the adjacent cell. He usually dabbled in poisonous insects and toxins and unexpectedly got pecked in the eye by a goose. He looked terrible after being affected by the Spring Drunk released by Fu Yujin. When he saw Sang Feiwan approaching, he acted very straightforwardly and took out a small bone-carved tube from his chest and threw it to him, "This is my White Bone token."
The other Immortal Mansion masters, though not accompanied by many private soldiers, had numerous disciples. Helplessly, they all handed over the signal flares used for communication, placing their bets on Sang Feiwan.
Baili Duyue was imprisoned in the innermost cell, right at the corner. For some reason, Sang Feiwan's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He slowly approached the cell door, held his breath, and saw that the cell was dimly lit and he didn’t know what had happened inside. The bars were covered in scattered bloodstains, as if someone had struggled violently. The dark iron bars were slightly deformed.
Baili Duyue was lying on the ground in such a disheveled state.
His fingers were covered in blood, his frost-white long hair was messy and scattered, and his face and hair were splattered with mottled crimson. His pitch-black hollow eyes stared fixedly at a spot, like a demon crawling out of hell, ready to devour anyone at any moment.
Seeing Sang Feiwan approaching, he showed no reaction.
"..."
Sang Feiwan had never seen Baili Duyue in such a state and was instantly alarmed. He half-knelt on the ground, quickly grabbed Baili Duyue's cold and blood-streaked hand through the bars, frowned, and called out in a low voice, "City Lord? City Lord?"
Baili Duyue didn't respond.
Seeing this, Sang Feiwan pursed his lips and stuttered, "You... you mustn't believe Fu Yuhao's words. He's deceiving you. I was silenced by him earlier, that's why I couldn't speak... I... I don't like him at all…”
Baili Duyue remained unresponsive. He seemed to be unable to hear the noises from outside, his crimson eyes darkly fixed on Sang Feiwan, sending chills down one's spine.
Sang Feiwan tightly held his hand, subconsciously saying, "Duyue, can you say something? Seeing you like this... it hurts in my heart..."
The words shocked even Sang Feiwan himself.
Unconsciously, he covered his heart with his hand, his brows furrowing as he tightly gripped his fingertips, as if through a layer of flesh and skin, he held his own restless and agitated heart.
The pain was so intense that it made him close his eyes, yet the sensation was so real and clear.
So, Sang Feiwan knew that his words just now were not lies; he genuinely felt hurt. But for whom? For Baili Duyue...
Sang Feiwan didn’t delve into those thoughts. He hastily took out the Snow Soul Bead from his chest and placed it into Baili Duyue’s palm, whispering persuasively, "Duyue, listen to me, Fu Yujin wants to extract your inner core to break through the bottleneck, beyond the Tian Yan is the Tian Shen Stage..."
"Consume that inner core and the Snow Soul Bead together, and you can break through to the Tian Shen Stage with a 70% chance. Even if it doesn't succeed, your cultivation will still greatly benefit..."
"Trust me just this once, I never wanted to harm you..."
Sang Feiwan tried hard to place the cold bead into Baili Duyue’s palm, attempting to persuade him. The latter finally seemed to react, slowly focusing his eyes, finally seeing the bead in his hand and then clearly seeing Sang Feiwan—
Baili Duyue suddenly smiled, a curve forming at the corner of his lips. But because of the bloodstains on his face, it sent shivers down one's spine for an inexplicable reason.
Sang Feiwan was momentarily stunned.
Baili Duyue was too severely injured to stand; he moved bit by bit, slowly approaching the railing, then tightly gripping Sang Feiwan's hand with all his strength.
His fingertips deeply dug into the flesh.
As if wanting to crush his bones.
As if wanting to drag him to hell.
Baili Duyue lowered his head, his frost-white hair obscuring his expression. A low, sickly laugh emanated from his throat. He tightly gripped Sang Feiwan’s hand, his eyes bloodshot, but with a soft, seductive tone, he whispered, "You lied to me..."
He said, "Sang Feiwan, you lied to me..."
A hot liquid dropped to the ground.
Baili Duyue's cracked pale lips approached Sang Feiwan's wrist and directly bit down, deep and ruthless, drawing blood. His eyes were filled with intense hatred.
Sang Feiwan closed his eyes, unable to bear the pain, furrowing his brows intensely, suddenly feeling pain but unable to pinpoint where. Not just his hand, but his heart was hurting even more. He tried to steady his breathing, reaching through the bars to touch Baili Duyue's cheek. He gently brushed away the stray hairs on his face, his movements as tender as ever, his tone sincere, "My lord..."
His palm pressed closely against Baili Duyue's pale, thin face, unable to understand how someone could suddenly lose so much weight overnight. He suddenly wanted to kiss him, to hold him, but separated by the cell, he could do nothing.
Sang Feiwan said, "How could you believe Fu Yuhao's words? He hates you, he's jealous of you…”
Sang Feiwan smiled slyly, as he used to, deliberately acting in front of Baili Duyue, his smile resembling that of a fox, as if he had everything under control. "Do you know why he's jealous of you?"
He seemed to always know things that Baili Duyue didn’t, like kissing, embracing, and most importantly...
His heart.
Sang Feiwan coaxed him like one would a child, "Because I've only been good to the Lord, I've only embraced the Lord, I've only kissed the Lord, and I only love the Lord. That's why Fu Yuhao is jealous of you."
After saying this, Sang Feiwan held the other hand of Baili Duyue, which was covered in bloodstains, and gently pulled it out from the railing. Ignoring the dirt, he slowly pressed it against his own face.
The feeling of the hand was warm and lively.
The feeling on the face, however, was cold and lifeless, marked with mottled scars.
Sang Feiwan tightly held Baili Duyue's hand, seeming to want to say something but ultimately saying nothing. He closed his eyes, lowering his head deeply, the curve of his lips slowly fading away, the veins on his forehead visible as he seemed to be suppressing something, unable to speak for a long time.
At this moment, Sang Feiwan truly felt distressed. Perhaps it's true that a liar should swallow a thousand needles.
He used to think genuine affection was cheap, just because he had never received it. But now, when someone has bared their heart and treated him with warmth and sincerity, why couldn’t he hold onto it properly, causing it to fall into the dust, battered and bruised?
Sang Feiwan had never seen Baili Duyue in such a pitiful state, not even described in the original text. Now, seeing it before his eyes, it seemed he had become even more despicable than Duan Yang.
He had intended to save him from the fire and water, but why did he end up causing him to fall into the dust and mud, behaving wildly and crazily, neither human nor demon?
In a daze, it seemed like something hot fell from Sang Feiwan's eyes, but it couldn’t be seen in the dim dungeon. Only the hand pressed against his cheek felt a hint of salty warmth, which slowly turned cold.
"......”
Baili Duyue paused, seeming to notice something. He slowly released his grip on Sang Feiwan's wrist, leaving behind a bloody mark and a deep bite mark that seemed to penetrate the bone. He looked up at Sang Feiwan, his lips stained with blood, his face pale. Though battered and bruised like a ghost fallen into the dust, there was a fleeting look of confusion in his eyes, as if they were blank sheets of paper.
He seemed to not understand why Sang Feiwan was crying.
Sang Feiwan lowered his head, ignoring the dirt, and gently kissed each of Baili Duyue's fingertips, tender and soft, his voice hoarse as he whispered, "In the future, the Lord and I will die together."
This was a phrase that Baili Duyue often said. He didn’t know how to express his love, only having heard that ordinary people often said that dying together was a good thing. Even if Sang Feiwan's lifespan wasn’t as long as his, he was willing to die with him.
Sang Feiwan used to think this phrase was too foolish, but now he felt it was beautiful. He finally looked up at Baili Duyue, his eyes slightly red, and although separated by the bars, he couldn’t tell who had fallen into this dust trap: "If the Lord hates me, then come out soon..."
"To kill or punish, to confine or imprison,"
Sang Feiwan paused, almost willingly saying the next two words:
"Both are fine..."
Both are fine...
Because Sang Feiwan suddenly realized that he couldn’t live without Baili Duyue…