Imperial Treasure-Chapter 986 - 591: Heart of the Northern Prison (Dou Hanling’s Spirit Beast Affinity +7)
At the foot of Mountain Hua, it was only three to four in the afternoon, not too late, but not early either. The sunshine, though bright, was already tinged with signs of the evening glow. Many tourists idly strolled down the mountain and most saw several very attractive young men and women standing under the trees at the mountain’s base, each with a worried expression.
"Three times the time discrepancy means while we’re waiting for an hour outside, three hours pass inside. So if we wait one or two hours, we’ll surely know the outcome inside, right?"
Gong Jiu thought about it like this.
Because according to their understanding of Sui Yi, since Sui Yi asked them to come out at this critical moment, it was evidently because a "war" was about to erupt inside.
And not participating in this war was the best option for them.
But...
"Wait to see which people actually come out, and who stays inside. Among those who stay, which ones might be Sui Yi’s enemies..."
Gong Jiu and the others weren’t just waiting idly, they were all waiting and recording together. And as they waited, it was almost dusk.
The results came out.
"Those two brutes from the Forbidden Forest didn’t come out, apart from Beauty Rui and Handsome Luo, no one from that place came out either, Flirty Wolf, Strong Sister Yun, and that weird psychologist all didn’t come out. Oh, and the two ghosts with Ghost Teeth and their old patrons... that Innocent in White didn’t come out, Meng Fang, Gao Jin, Elder Bai, Natasha, none of them came out."
Gong Jiu muttered, spitting out nicknames one by one, just as Zhong Lang’s siblings heard her.
Zhong Buli glanced at them and said to Zhong Lang, "The situation inside..."
"Ninth Uncle said Mount Hua is not peaceful; naturally, it’s very dangerous inside."
"What about Ninth Uncle..."
"He wouldn’t get involved in these matters, you know he’s in Mount Hua because...."
Zhong Lang didn’t reply, just sighed, "Let’s go."
The two of them left.
Yhan Qingwu glanced at their backs and suddenly said to Gong Jiu and the others, "This generation of the Zhong Family is very low-key."
"I can tell, even though Miss Zhong’s temper isn’t exactly low-key," remarked the Flower Demon blandly, suddenly raising an eyebrow. "Why, does the Zhong Family have secrets?"
"Yes," Yhan Qingwu nodded. "Actually, within martial arts, the Zhong Family ranks in the top three in terms of power, not beneath Mount Hua, possibly even above."
What!
Gong Jiu and the others were quite astonished, even Ye Zixu was taken aback.
That can’t be right; Mount Hua is a Great Sect, while the Zhong Family is just one family. How could they be so strong...
"Actually, in our nation’s history, the quickest to decline are always Great Sect powers, as their strength depends entirely on their disciples. And during the Republic of China, life was unbearable, the livelihood difficult and compounded by several wars greatly diminished the reputation of sect powers. So many sects fell in wretched times, whereas, in contrast, some noble clans preserved better due to close familial ties, some going into seclusion overseas, others hiding deep in the mountains, thus preserving well, particularly the large noble clans like the Zhong Family. But five years ago, an incident occurred in the Zhong Family."
Yhan Qingwu looked at the gradually distancing Zhong Family siblings, "During an ancestral worship at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, Zhong Family’s Laojiu was assassinated. It was a vicious assassination, with five S-level masters dead or injured, and Zhong Family’s Laojiu’s dan tian was shattered, seemingly causing some health issues. Afterward, he barely showed up in public, and rumors persisted in the circle he had died, yet unexpectedly he resides in Mount Hua... and seemingly has been for quite some time."
"Seems so; I just saw the clothes he was wearing, they looked like casual wear, not for attending Mount Hua Swordsmanship Conference..."
"Turns out he is Zhong Family’s Laojiu."
Gong Jiu had some curiosity toward Zhong Family’s Ninth Master who shared the same "nine" in their names, as she had heard of him when she was young.
"Considered, this Zhong Family’s Laojiu was the most dazzling star of the previous generation, reaching S-level at just 25, now should be around 30, though looks more like in his early twenties."
But his demeanor was rich indeed, a gentleman, refined and mild.
"By the way, Qing Wu, what are you trying to say with all this?"
Upon Gong Jiu’s inquiry, Ye Zixu reminded, "Zhong Jiu’s aura seems weak, like an ordinary person. If he’s an ordinary person, staying at Mount Hua for so long obviously means either his condition’s so severe that he can’t leave Mount Hua later at any cost, only Mount Hua can save him, or Mount Hua holds something he desires."
"No matter which, there must be Zhong Family people inside Mount Hua."
So, are these people enemies or allies?
Gong Jiu and the others waited one or two hours outside Mount Hua, but inside "Mount Hua," it was already deep night.
The mountain cold and solitary, the clock’s hand neared twelve, the fireplace crackled with warm light. Sui Yi sat in front of the stove, not dressed much, perusing an antique book...
"That person has been asleep for three hours now."
Yi, also well-dressed, approached.
"So, you’ve been watching someone sleep in the dark for three hours?"
"No, I also spent an hour making you a cup of tea."
"...But you used a disposable tea bag."
"Must you be so picky?"
Yi looked at Sui Yi indifferently; Sui Yi accepted the hot tea, whispering, "It’s almost midnight, yet still very quiet."
"But you haven’t wavered in your heart," Yi looked toward the window with curtains open, through the night sky, one could faintly see the Mount Hua Sect buildings’ sparse dim lights.
That was the bronze lamp in front of the courtyard.
The only light in this mountain.
"This spot is quite far from the Northern Prison," Yi clasped the cup with both hands, gazing at Sui Yi, "Time’s up."
Sui Yi stood, grabbed the coat hanging on the chair, looked at Yi, "Yi, I’ll have to trouble you to pose as me in the room...."
"I hope to see you return before dawn."
"Alright"
Sui Yi donned the coat, paused suddenly, looked at Yi, and said: "If I don’t return like Liu, I hope you can quietly wait as you are now..."
"We will always return."
"If bored, read this book."
Yi did not speak, taking the ancient book handed over by Sui Yi.
Sui Yi vanished.
The fire in the furnace remained.
Yi lowered her eyes, and the shadow at her feet blurred, detaching from her legs, coalescing into Sui Yi’s form, landing on the sofa where Sui Yi previously sat.
"If I were a bit stronger... I definitely wouldn’t agree to your shoddy plan..."
Yi intertwined her hands, gripping the cold ancient book tightly, her brows furrowed.
She had a bad feeling.
Northern Prison, that remote forbidden prison land in Mount Hua’s north.
The moon was bright, the stars sparse.
The prison gates were wide open, and the gravel by the creekside was stained with a bloody scent, which was quite piercing to one’s nose.
The martial artist’s senses were too keen.
So keen they could already smell the stench of blood emanating from inside the prison.
"Ah, fresh and delicious..."
This person saw the prison gates in the moonlight.
Previously, Mount Hua must have resealed these prison gates.
This person paused, turned their head to glance at the temple within the mountainside.
His hand landed on the lock of the door, and a wisp of black energy spilled from his palm, which spat out a key. With a low chuckle, he inserted it into the keyhole—click.
The lock opened.
The person slipped into the prison.
Bang, the door closed, a plume of black gas leaked from the crack, manipulating the key to relock the door, and after a clicking sound, the black gas, with the key, slipped into a window seam.
After a while, three people emerged from behind a tree in the hidden forest on the mountainside, one person’s finger sketched on a piece of paper, soon completing a blueprint of a key on the white paper—it’s a one-to-one scale blueprint. Another person glanced at it, then removed an iron badge hanging on their waist, letting it hover on their palm, where it melted and transformed, eventually morphing into the shape of a key. The person next to them stabilized it with ice qi.
The key was completed.
"Let’s go!"
The three followed the same procedure, opening the door and entering, then using ice qi to lock and unlock the door.
Leaving no trace.
Subsequently, someone appeared where the three had just stood, slender fingers waved in the air.
"Night vision simulation talent... metal smelting... freezing technique."
This person leaned against a tree for a good while, then approached the prison door. Without any key, their hand merely brushed the lock—click—the lock opened.
After entering, they couldn’t even be bothered to shut the door.
————————
The air inside the prison was heavy with a bloody odor, corpses lay everywhere, three shadows moved through the cells, magnetic sensation continuously permeated, allowing them to avoid the extensive network of secret passages.
Until reaching the depths of Northern Prison.
It must have been quite deep inside, the distribution of the stone on the prison walls indicated to Sui Yi that the core was still far off.
What was the depth of Northern Prison like?
The heart of the mountain?
What was inside the belly of the mountain?
"Why is it so hot?"
"It’s getting hotter."
"Are the prisoners inside all asleep?"
"They were definitely drugged unconscious by that person from earlier."
Although the three spoke with easy familiarity, there was a hint of suspicion. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
Their gaze fell upon the ragged, filthy people before them.
"Let’s go."
They passed through this prison area, yet felt increasingly stifled, and though there were clearly no lamps ahead, there was a fiery red glow.
Was there a fire inside?
The three exchanged glances and quickly rushed in.
The core was the Land of Flame and Magma.
Below was magma, this path led to a cliff platform like a tongue of fire, the platform extended over twenty meters, the tip was rounded, with a pedestal atop, upon which sat an iron-colored sphere, looking like a bead on the tip of the tongue at first glance.
As soon as the three entered, they saw the person who had entered before them standing in front of that sphere.
Back facing them.
"Ha, I was wondering, who is this person who plotted for so long, using every trick to find the key from Mount Hua’s Laoqi, stirring unrest among the Mount Hua people~~~"
"A man, a man with very strong martial arts, none of us alone could match him, only together could we possibly contend with him."
The three each drew their weapons, gathering their strength. (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)
