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Chapter 1: The Underground Slave
In the cell where Ji Zichen had previously been with Gu Diao, the Warden struck the iron bars with a metal rod, looking down at Gu Diao with disdain. "There's an order from above," he said. "It's time for your execution. Be happy; you can leave here and reunite with your brothers."
A guard stood behind the Warden, holding a set of shackles that weighed twenty pounds. The shackles consisted of a square iron block with a circular opening in the center to lock around the head, and chains on either side that ended in handcuffs.
The Warden opened the cell door. "This is a specially made shackle for you, Gu Diao. Put it on obediently, and I'll give you a quick end at the execution ground."
Gu Diao did not resist and allowed the guard to put on the shackles. He thought of Ji Zichen and said, "My wish has been fulfilled; I have no regrets in death."
The Warden did not understand what Gu Diao meant but saw his compliance and said, "Follow me then. If you don't cause trouble, I won't bother you."
---
After passing through a broken wall, Ji Zichen and Gu Diao found themselves in a long tunnel where they had to bend down to move forward. At the end of the tunnel was a dark staircase leading downward. Ji Zichen took out the Firestarter and blew on it; a small flame flickered to life, barely providing enough light to see. They descended the stairs, which led to another long tunnel. At the end of this tunnel was yet another broken wall. After passing through it, Ji Zichen realized they were in a small house.
The house had a table and a bed, but most of it was broken and dilapidated. There were also many spider webs hanging inside. Directly opposite the broken wall was yet another broken wall. Lin Chuyu then said, "It should be getting light soon."
Deep underground, Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu could not tell the time since there was no sunlight. However, they had been traveling through the tunnels for quite some time, so it must be close to dawn. Ji Zichen replied, "Maybe."
Lin Chuyu sighed. "Once it gets light, the second batch of slaves will start being sold."
Ji Zichen understood Lin Chuyu's feelings and slowly said, "There's no time to think about those slaves now; if I get caught, I'll become one too."
Lin Chuyu sighed deeply again and moved toward the broken wall directly in front of them.
---
Xiang Yan and his group successfully entered the inner city and headed toward Lord's Mansion. One of the generals asked, "General, what will you do when you see Lin Kou?"
Xiang Yan scanned his surroundings and noticed there were pedestrians but no soldiers nearby. He replied, "I'll go meet him to buy some time. Once I'm inside the mansion, everyone else should follow me. Li De, you're quick on your feet; once we're inside, make an excuse to go to the restroom and leave the group to check if Second Sister is in her room. If she's not there, she must have already left."
"Understood, General," Li De replied.
Xiang Yan was familiar with Lord's Mansion by now and soon arrived at the main entrance. Before entering, he said to everyone, "Alright, let's go."
As soon as Xiang Yan's voice fell, two guards emerged from the door. Recognizing Xiang Yan, one of the patrolmen said, "General Xiang, the city lord has ordered that only you may enter after disarming."
Xiang Yan's expression darkened, sensing something was amiss. "What if I refuse to disarm?"
Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from within the door. To Xiang Yan's surprise, it was not more guards but members of the Ghost Brigade. Each member wore a conical hat and was shrouded in black gauze. The Ghost Brigade had surrounded Xiang Yan with twenty Yu Ren.
Having fought many battles, Xiang Yan could not hide his shock at this situation. He shouted, "Lin Kou! What do you intend to do?"
No one answered. One of the Ghost Brigade members shook off their hat and veil, revealing a face that sent chills down one's spine. The members of the Ghost Brigade were all Demons—humans who had perished in accidents or storms and could not find peace. Their skin was bluish-green and emaciated, with eyes that bulged like tumors.
Xiang Yan had rarely dealt with the Ghost Brigade and had never seen their true faces before; seeing them now left him momentarily breathless.
However, he quickly regained his composure and ordered, "Fall back! We need to break out of the inner city!"
With a fierce swing of his blade, he shattered a Demon’s skull. The creature's neck sprayed foul-smelling pus as Xiang Yan discarded his weapon and drew his bow, firing three arrows that struck down a line of Demons. Seeing an opening, he shouted, "Go!"
The soldiers followed him as they fought their way to the inner city gate. However, when they arrived, they found it tightly shut, guarded by a line of steel shield soldiers. Each soldier held a massive shield that could completely cover their body. Xiang Yan halted abruptly and cursed under his breath, "Damn it! It's a trap! Lin Kou deliberately lured me into the city!"
Lin Kou appeared atop the inner city wall, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at Xiang Yan with a cold smile. "Xiang Yan, I gave you a chance to leave the city out of old friendship, but you squandered it. You betrayed my goodwill. I have received reports from the Ghost Guardian that you still harbor treacherous intentions and plan to use force at Corner Lodge to seize people. Do you really think I'm blind?"
Xiang Yan took a deep breath to calm his nerves and replied, "Do you not understand? If the Western King obtains Ruins Wealth, both our cities will face annihilation!"
Lin Kou turned slightly to glance at him from the wall. "You have been blinded by your own desires, Xiang Yan. I have promised the Ghost Guardian that today he can take his people away. Safe travels, Brother Xiang."
As soon as Lin Kou finished speaking, archers filled the wall above them, drawing their bows and unleashing a rain of arrows toward Xiang Yan and his men.
Before Lin Kou could take more than a few steps away from the wall, he heard the anguished cries of Xiang Yan and Yu Ren below. Without looking back down from the wall, Lin Kou raised his hand and summoned a soldier. "Go inform the Ghost Guardian to prepare; within half an hour he can take Second Sister out of the city."
"Yes," the soldier replied as he knelt to accept the order.
Just as this soldier stood up, another rushed forward to report urgently, "City Lord! Second Sister is missing!"
Lin Kou's expression changed dramatically!
Ji Zichen and Lin Chuyu passed through the broken wall of a house and entered a long corridor. On either side of the corridor were rows of cages. Ji Zichen raised Firestarter, illuminating the area, revealing that the cages were empty. He led the way, but suddenly stopped in his tracks. Lin Chuyu, noticing his abrupt halt, asked, "Why aren't we moving?"
Kiko furrowed his brows and looked up. "Did you hear those screams coming from above?"
Lin Chuyu also glanced upward and shot him a look. "I didn't hear anything. We're underground; how could we possibly hear sounds from above?"
After a moment of contemplation, Kiko slowly replied, "Maybe I misheard."
He resumed walking, noting that despite the desolation around them, there was a strong, unpleasant odor. "It's stuffy here; the smell is terrible."
Lin Chuyu's expression turned serious. "You don't know? Many prisoners used to commit suicide in these cells. A lot of them lived among the corpses without anyone to take care of them."
Suddenly, a clanging sound echoed through the air. Kiko heard it coming from a cell on his left. His expression shifted sharply as he approached the cell and extended Firestarter through the iron bars.
Inside were more than ten slaves, barefoot and bare-chested, their faces expressionless and eyes vacant.
Lin Chuyu followed the light and gasped, "Why are there people locked up here? There weren't any last time!"
Kiko's face changed dramatically. "This is bad! These must be the second batch of slaves! There has to be guards nearby!"
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