"Why is she imprisoned in such a place?"

Shang Xinlei looked at the magma prison in the sand table projection and suddenly felt puzzled: "If True Man of Locking Dragon really valued Little Rabbit, why not imprison her closer to himself?"

Although they couldn’t reveal that Rabbit Heroine was the secret Heir of Calamity, since they were all about to break into the prison to rescue her, they naturally had to somewhat explain the ins and outs, which included intelligence related to True Man of Locking Dragon.

Pharmacist’s Wish was very nervous when narrating the situation. After all, [saving someone during a theft] and [offending a Foundation Establishment Zhenren] were two completely different concepts. If Red Snake and White Fox backed out or even opposed because of this, it would be quite reasonable. She was already prepared for a massive payout to bribe these two companions, even if it meant having Yellow Dog contribute a bit.

However, Shang Xinlei and Ying Rushi were indifferent to this. Shang Xinlei was the daughter of the Chancellor of Liang, Ying Rushi a member of the Qi Kingdom’s royalty. They didn’t rely on the Court, so how could they fear the ancients of the Yao Family? They might even feel a bit excited, thinking they were performing a righteous act by causing trouble for Zhou Kingdom’s Foundation Establishment.

"Indeed." Ying Rushi was also a bit puzzled: "If True Man of Locking Dragon had a compelling reason to imprison her, why in this dungeon? Could it be that he is in Chang’an City?"

Hearing this, Yan Qing recalled the encounter with Layman Yu Li in the Jiangnan Imperial Palace. He turned to glance at Shang Xinlei, only to find her intensely staring at the iron hammer falling in the sand table projection, seemingly fascinated by its smithing, giving no chance for Yan Qing to mock her—apparently, she remembered it too.

"Impossible," Pharmacist’s Wish stated confidently. "True Man of Locking Dragon has returned to Lishan. Very few Foundation Establishment practitioners would choose to stay in Chang’an Main City... Even mortal messengers feel constrained there, let alone those who control the celestial phenomena."

"It’s more troublesome to have her by his side," Yan Qing calmly analyzed. "True Man of Locking Dragon needs Rabbit Heroine alive. Keeping her close would only give others a chance to assassinate her. Imprisoning her in a place so hidden that ordinary people could never reach it is indeed the safest choice."

"The magma prison is likely the secret location of a dungeon secret realm. Only a Foundation Establishment Messenger might cross the magma river and discover this place. If this secret realm always belonged to the Yao Family, then perhaps only their Foundation Establishment are aware of this prison."

Pharmacist’s Wish immediately added, "Now, the only remaining Foundation Establishment of the Yao Family is True Man of Locking Dragon."

Ying Rushi felt a twinge in her heart; so Pharmacist Changqiu really did die.

She had reached this conclusion upon hearing of Yao Shi Moke’s execution and submitted a memorial to the Court. Generally, the death of a Foundation Establishment Zhenren could take six months to a year to confirm. This unexpected joy at the Thief’s House, however... unlikely that Your Majesty would bother with such a small matter.

"A concealed cell known only to oneself, surrounded by a magma river that blocks all mortals, located in a military mansion of the Main City where even Foundation Establishment practitioners dare not act recklessly, with prisoners in perpetual sleep, unaware and unknowing." Yan Qing glanced at Pharmacist’s Wish: "True Man of Locking Dragon has indeed arranged things thoroughly."

Pharmacist’s Wish remained silent; such a meticulous setup by True Man of Locking Dragon suggested she truly believed Pharmacist’s Wish would one day come to claim the little girl.

However, Pharmacist’s Wish would still disappoint her. Rather than accept the path arranged by the Foundation Establishment Zhenren, she preferred to trust Yan Qing’s judgment, to trust in this mysterious, ill-mannered, cowardly, lustful thief.

"Then what exactly is this ore?"

Shang Xinlei enlarged the image within the dungeon secret realm, pointing to the piece of ore that hadn’t worn down despite being hammered day and night: "This is the secret realm in the Main City, yet it’s entirely used to temper this ore... it seems too extravagant."

In some sense, secret realms are similar to real estate, where value is tied not only to yield and difficulty but also to location. The best example would be the Wolf Cave Secret Realm in Shu Dao Mountain—good yield, but due to its remoteness, almost nobody visits except Demonic Messengers.

What constitutes a good location?

Closer to the Main City is better.

Because any Military Town could be obliterated by war, while the Main City remains untouched despite external chaos. Thus, secret realms near the Main City are more likely to be fully developed, like the Xuanwu Lake Military Town, a few hours from Jiangnan City, boasting three secret realms in total, making it a must-visit recommendation for Liang Kingdom’s messengers. You can’t go wrong at Xuanwu Lake Military Town. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

In Shang Xinlei’s opinion, if this dungeon secret realm were developed, it would surely surpass Xuanwu Lake Military Town as a messenger haven because it’s located within the Chang’an Military Mansion, where there are so many people.

As her father put it, this secret realm could transform Chang’an City’s surplus population into more useful messengers, a shift significant enough to tilt the balance of national power!

"I haven’t uncovered any specific intelligence about this secret realm either," Pharmacist’s Wish said. "The only certainty is that this secret realm is under direct Foundation Establishment jurisdiction, known to only a very few."

Today, Pharmacist’s Wish sought detailed information on secret realms near Chang’an from the Six Ministries, and the Ministry of Accounts delivered national secret realm details, including those controlled by other families. Although lacking detailed guides, all hidden information such as specific yields and demon intelligence was included. Even so, there was not a single mention of the dungeon secret realm. Given Pharmacist’s Wish’s current status, there was no reason for the Court to hide this, suggesting perhaps few within the Court itself knew of its existence.