Zhou Chunfeng chuckled. "You’re the sharpest one, aren’t you? By the way, the Demon Hunting Bureau has confirmed it. Tomorrow afternoon, your Team A9 will follow their squad for a Demon Hunt."
"Oh? I just learned how to make Thunder Talismans. I haven’t even drawn that many yet," said Li Qingxian.
"After we get back from the Imperial Prison, go and draw more Thunder Talismans to protect yourself. Every year around this time, the Demon Race’s resources run low. It’s not just lone demons you see, but whole packs of them that band together to raid everywhere," said Zhou Chunfeng.
"Can’t we stop them?"
"The Old Great Wall and the Great River are meant to stop a full-scale demon army, not small bands. What we fear most is these small bands suddenly merging to assault a city," said Zhou Chunfeng.
"It seems like every year, some small city gets overrun by one of those merged demon groups and is completely wiped out."
"It can’t be helped. The highest-ranking official in a typical small county is just a Seventh-Grade Official."
Instead of taking their usual route through the South Gate of the Imperial Prison, the three left the Night Guard headquarters and walked around the exterior to the Imperial Prison’s West Gate.
The West Gate of the Imperial Prison was far grander and wider than the South Gate. Two rows of soldiers stood guard at the entrance, clad in gleaming armor and holding sharp weapons.
Li Qingxian knew that the Imperial Prison’s West Courtyard and East Courtyard were two entirely different worlds.
The East Courtyard was essentially the Night Guard’s private jail. The West Courtyard, however, was a joint prison for four departments: the Night Guard, the Eastern Depot, the Western Depot, and the Internal Factory. The West Courtyard was managed by a dedicated Imperial Prison Envoy, who also served as an Imperial Prison Director. This position was a Senior Fourth-Grade Official, personally appointed by Emperor Taining, placing them above an ordinary Director and on par with Zhou Chunfeng.
Zhou Chunfeng took a Cyan Jade Carved Flood Dragon Pattern Paperweight from his Qi Fortune Silver Fish Pouch and handed it to Li Qingxian.
"The Lower Demon-Locking Maze beneath the West Courtyard holds countless Great Demons and Great Fiends in its seal. Even a wisp of their leaked aura is like a deadly poison to anyone below the Middle Grade. This treasure has been refined by my Vast Righteous Qi for many years; it’s no less potent than an ordinary Fifth-Grade Magical Artifact. You take it for now. It will protect you from evil influences."
"Can it defend against Deceitful Demons?" Li Qingxian asked, examining it.
Zhou Chunfeng shook his head. "Nothing can truly defend against a Deceitful Demon."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhou. I’ll return it to you after the Demon Hunt." Li Qingxian said, carefully tucking it inside his robes.
Zhou Henn’s eyes went wide. ???
Zhou Chunfeng was exasperated. "You’ve been hanging around Luo Jing for too long. You’ve perfectly learned all the worst habits from the Ministry of Revenue."
"It’s about putting resources to their best use. Besides, you’re brimming with Vast Righteous Qi and about to advance to the Third Grade; you don’t need this thing. I’m not so fortunate. For me, this is a lifesaver," Li Qingxian said.
Zhou Chunfeng considered this for a moment. "Fine. But remember to seal it with a Spirit Awakening Talisman. Just peel off the Talisman Paper when you need to use it."
"Alright."
When the three reached the gate, a guard took out a palm-sized Hann White Jade Golden-beaked Immortal Crane and touched it to the back of each of their hands. After a moment, seeing that the jade crane had not changed color, he let them pass.
At first glance, this West Courtyard seemed no different from the East Courtyard—black paths, black walls, black buildings. But an indescribable aura permeated the air, making the hair on Li Qingxian’s neck stand up. The Thunder Dragon Fire Seal in his Spirit Platform automatically sped up, churning out Magical Power.
As they walked, Zhou Chunfeng explained, "This place is protected by layers upon layers of Arrays. You can only walk on the black paths. Do not step on the yellow dirt paths or the grass. There are no White Roads here. If you see a White Road, you either stand perfectly still and wait for rescue, or you find a way back to a black path. No one in the West Courtyard is allowed to wear yellow. If you see someone wearing yellow, run. And don’t call for help while you run. Remember this: if you see someone in yellow, you *must* run. Understand?"
As he finished, Zhou Chunfeng stared intently at Li Qingxian, a bizarre light glinting in his otherwise clear eyes.
"Alright." A chill ran down Li Qingxian’s spine.
Li Qingxian stuck close behind Zhou Chunfeng.
After numerous twists and turns, the three of them arrived at the entrance to an above-ground cell block.
"The Upper- and Middle-Grade prisoners are kept underground," Zhou Chunfeng said. "The Lower Three Grades are in these surface-level cells."
The three entered the cell block, finding themselves in a small, tidy hall. The unmistakable stench of a prison immediately assaulted their senses.
Jingg Guan, the Eunuch from the Inner Treasury Bureau involved in the brewery affair, was already inside. Recognizing them, he wasted no time on pleasantries, simply ordering his men to haul Ge Dynasty out of a cell.
Ge Dynasty’s hair was a mess, hanging loose. His skin was gone, leaving his entire body a canvas of raw, dark-red flesh.
His hands dangled uselessly, finger bones shattered, all ten fingernails missing.
Iron bars as thick as a man’s thumb pierced through his chest, abdomen, and shoulders.
He slowly raised his head, and Li Qingxian’s heart lurched.
The skin on Ge Dynasty’s face was completely gone, leaving it a bloody, mangled ruin.
His eyes, like white stone spheres, turned slowly. His gaze was deathly still, devoid of any spark of humanity.
He didn’t seem to recognize Li Qingxian at all.
Only a day had passed since they had last seen each other.
The Prison Guards forced him to the ground, pinning him by stomping hard on his shins.
Li Qingxian let out a small sigh. He glanced over at Zhou Chunfeng and Zhou Henn, but their expressions were impassive.
Li Qingxian found a chair and sat. "Uncle Zhou, I’m going to start Observing Fate and Qi now."
Zhou Chunfeng nodded.
Li Qingxian activated Seeing the Dragon and Gazing at Qi.
Above Ge Dynasty’s head appeared several images: crossed swords, completely decayed; a small pile of bone dust; and an ancient tomb sealed by rock, utterly devoid of life. Above it all was nothing but a dark void.
Defeat, Death, Tomb, and Severance—the four great calamities—had all converged. His Qi Fortune was utterly extinguished.
A Destiny Image materialized overhead. It showed him collapsing onto the straw in his cell, his body slowly going rigid, his breathing ceasing.
Ge Dynasty would be dead in three days.
Li Qingxian sighed internally and entered Ge Dynasty’s Life Mansion.
Li Qingxian felt a strong sense of unease and looked up at the sky.
High in the center of the black void, a massive, bright yellow star pulsed like a great sun. It radiated an immense pressure, suppressing Ge Dynasty’s Fate Grid.
A dense cluster of countless smaller stars surrounded the bright yellow star, protecting it and moving as one with it.
On the far periphery, another cluster of stars flickered faintly, barely visible.
’This is... Emperor Star’s Fate Suppression. Ge Dynasty is a dead man for sure.’
A faint smile touched Li Qingxian’s lips.
’With the Emperor Star’s Fate Suppression active, all of Ge Dynasty’s Benefactors, his worldly momentum, the power of his Fate Grid—everything—will be crushed. The Life-Hunting process will be incredibly easy. It’ll be about as hard as fishing for Shenn Goudan’s fate.’
Li Qingxian took a closer look at Ge Dynasty’s Life Mansion.
Faint black smoke was rising from all of his Destiny Stars.
Li Qingxian hurried back to his own Life Mansion and began reciting the incantation for the Life-Hunting Skill.
"Life and death, long and short, that is Fate; rise and fall, rich and poor, that is Fortune..."
A Qi Fortune Fish leaped out, transforming into a long, pure-white bridge that pierced through the void to connect with Ge Dynasty’s Life Mansion, revealing his six Destiny Stars.
Fine Steel Sword, Stream Bottom Flashing Gold, Outcast Horses, Gray Sparrow’s Nest, Microscale Submerged Grass, and Chameleon Hideaway.
’Fine Steel Sword and Stream Bottom Flashing Gold are useless to me, but Gray Sparrow’s Nest, Microscale Submerged Grass, and Chameleon Hideaway are incredibly valuable. If I had these three Destiny Stars in my Life Mansion, the upcoming Demon Hunt would be ten times safer. Even a Deceitful Demon wouldn’t be able to completely ignore the influence of such a powerful Fate Grid. As for Outcast Horses, it’s not very useful at the moment, but its impact could be immeasurable if used at the right time.’
After some quick mental calculations, Li Qingxian swung his Destiny Fishing Rod, aiming for Gray Sparrow’s Nest.
Ge Dynasty had a stable, four-star configuration in his Middle-Aged Life Land, which should have made his Fate Grid far harder to fish than Pang Mingjing’s. Yet, with a single cast, the hook drew within half a foot of the star. It was frighteningly easy.
Li Qingxian continued to fish, taking careful mental notes.
Barely half an hour later, the hook landed squarely on the Gray Sparrow’s Nest Destiny Star.
Li Qingxian glanced up at the Emperor Star above Ge Dynasty’s head and continued hunting his fate.