The guards at the palace gate waved us through without any hassle. The place was ridiculous, bigger than any building I’d seen save for the larger pavilions and halls back at the Cloudy Falls Sect.
I didn’t get much time to admire the palace. Captain Kang dragged me through the hallways quickly, not letting us stop.
It was rough treatment and I wasn’t sure what had happened in just a week to make the city lord want me arrested. As far as I knew we hadn’t done anything after the run-in with Mu Shan and Elder Fei.
If there was something that the city lord might want me arrested for it would be… what happened in Nine Paddy Village. But it was so soon after the events that unfolded and there had been no survivors to report our appearances, so how could we possibly be connected to it?
Unless…
The only way was if there was an unseen member of the administrator’s group who had watched everything that happened after the spirit bear slaughtered the soldiers and reported back to Three River City. To escape my detection they would’ve had to be extremely skilled in stealth arts or a higher level of cultivation.
Which was definitely possible. I wasn’t exactly a master of stealth and had no idea what kinds of mysterious arts were out there. And after seeing Captain Kang I was sure there were at least a few other Qi Gathering cultivators working for City Lord Teng.
We stopped suddenly. Captain Kang barked some orders and two guards dispersed to push open a set of towering doors made of gold.
While admiring the display of obscene wealth, I felt myself being dragged forward as soon as the doors opened enough to let us through. They didn’t need to open them all the way, even a sliver was plenty for a few grown adults to pass through the gap.
As we walked I realised this was the throne room. There were stands along each side with rows of benches. I assumed that was where the other civil servants and lords in the city would sit when Teng Shi held meetings.
Today they were empty. The only people in the room other than the guards and I were a man sitting on a silver throne who I assumed was City Lord Teng, a boy who looked similar to Teng Shi standing next to the throne—probably his son—and another man who looked really familiar standing on his other side.
The city lord was sitting straight, perfect posture as he glowered at me with barely restrained fury. I’d never met him before, so why did he seem to hate me already?
It wasn’t a good start to my life in Three River City, I had to say. Hopefully I could find out what was going on here and resolve it so I could continue healing people, making money, and start setting up my hospital.
Captain Kang dragged me down the length of the throne room. I refused to let him break my spirit even with the rough treatment and held my head high. The two men stared at me with hatred but I noticed the city lord’s son seemed quite indifferent to everything going on.
We reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the dais the throne was resting on. Suddenly Captain Kang kicked the back of my knees and pushed me down to the ground.
I couldn’t resist him. He was far stronger than me. Even though the difference was just a few stars, there was an insurmountable gap between nine-star Body Tempering and an early Qi Gathering Realm cultivator.
I was sure he wasn’t in middle stage Qi Gathering, beyond the third star, because otherwise that would make him even stronger than the city lord. And in this world where power dictated everything, the strong serving the weak wouldn’t make sense.
However, I couldn’t tell the exact level of his cultivation. It didn’t matter, because I wasn’t in any position to break free right now. I stared defiantly at the city lord anyway, not letting the man know he had the upper hand.
“Insolent!” cried the man on the city lord’s right. “How dare you look at Lord Teng with such violent eyes. Captain, show our prisoner what it means to defy the lord’s authority,” he ordered.
Captain Kang didn’t move a muscle, ignoring the man’s outburst and looking to the city lord for instructions.
“Hmph,” Teng Shi snorted. “It doesn’t matter, Councillor Gao. I’m not so insecure that I need a prisoner to show me face. Especially a treasonous bastard like this.”
Captain Kang took a step towards me and slammed his palm into my back. I tried to resist but couldn’t. My brain rattled as my forehead slammed into the cold marble floor.
“When you hold a position such as this, you can get face with the snap of your fingers,” the city lord taunted. “Now, Zhao Dan, I believe your name was? Did Captain Kang tell you why you are here?” he snarled, rage creeping into his voice.
I tried to look up but felt Captain Kang’s boot on my head, pressing my face into the floor. So much for the righteous captain… I cursed inwardly. I’d actually thought the captain was a decent guy until now.
The city lord chuckled as he watched Captain Kang restrain me. “Since you don’t seem to want to talk, I’ll tell you,” he sneered.
“You and some irrelevant ants decided to challenge my authority. To kill men collecting taxes under MY. ORDERS!” he roared, loud enough that I winced.
Fuck. It really was about that… I had no idea how he found out so quickly but now that he knew there wasn’t much I could do about it.
The villagers would probably be safe with the spirit bear protecting them unless the city lord himself or Captain Kang went out to subjugate it, but I had no such luxury. I was stuck in a room with both of them.
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“And then,” he said softly, catching me by surprise. “AND THEN YOU DARED TO START FLAUNTING YOUR FRAUDULENT SERVICES IN MY CITY?!”
I winced, not because I was scared of the man, but because he had spat on my head during his ranting. Why were all cultivators like this…
In the first place it was his greed that had led to the situation at Nine Paddy Village. If he’d just kept the taxes at a reasonable rate the village head would’ve paid them and everyone would be happy.
Instead he decided to try and squeeze them for everything they had and his men ended up dying. And now I was here facing a grown man throwing a tantrum like a brat.
“So, because you dared to challenge my authority, I must make an example of you,” he sighed. “But first there’s someone else who needs to understand their place.”
I heard footsteps behind me and then muffled shouting. A few moments later someone was thrown onto the ground beside me.
Even under Captain Kang’s boot I was able to turn my head just enough to see them and when I saw who it was I burned with rage. They had chained up Xiao Cui and she had bruises on her neck and arms.
She met my gaze and I could see she was angry and confused. I tried to soften my eyes to let her know I would do my best to fix this but it was difficult to communicate while restrained.
A guard planted his foot on her back and I grit my teeth, promising vengeance on the bastard. I heard Councillor Gao snorting. Even the name was familiar… Where had I heard that before?
“I’m bored of this already. There’s no satisfaction to be had in taunting a stubborn fool like you,” the city lord muttered. “Captain, throw them in the prison cells. They will be executed in three days' time in front of the citizens as an example of what happens when you dare to defy me.”
“As you wish, Lord Teng,” replied the captain, before grabbing me by the neck and hauling me to my feet.
I glared daggers at the city lord but he just smiled. The guard handling Xiao Cui was rough and I saw her wincing when he lifted her up. I made sure to remember his face clearly.
Looking towards the throne, I saw the annoying guy, Councillor Gao, seemed to be even angrier than the city lord—as though I’d personally insulted him. At that moment, the city lord’s son started coughing.
City Lord Teng suddenly looked worried and reached out to grab his son’s hand. “Are you okay, Sheng’er?” he asked.
I was almost too far away to see them, but as I looked at the boy I saw something that made my eyes widen in shock. A few purple strands of energy flickered in his body, looking almost like my blood essence.
I couldn’t see much more than that because Captain Kang dragged me through the huge golden doors. However, I couldn’t help but grin. I knew how to get us out of this mess.
First I needed to find out if I was correct in assuming that the boy was the city lord’s son. “Captain-” I started to speak but Captain Kang slapped me.
“Silence. Prisoners don’t talk.”
This motherf…
I was dragged down three flights of stairs and the air grew colder and staler. I knew we were underground by now.
The city lord had his own private prison underneath the palace. I wondered if all criminals were held here or only the ones sentenced to death like us.
Then again, in this violent world I was sure most crimes were punishable by death, even the minor ones. A guard stood by a studded iron door and he struggled to pull it open.
Perhaps it was because it was thicker than his head!
Captain Kang nodded to the man as we walked in. The first thing to hit me was the stench.
Rotten food, a lingering scent of blood, and… excrement. Clearly the concept of prisoner’s rights hadn’t made it to the Celestial Jade Empire yet.
I could handle whatever they threw at me. I’d been a prisoner more than once in my life and it was a shitty experience, but often quite boring.
However, if they continued to hurt Xiao Cui there would be hell to pay when we were free. And we would be freed, of that I was sure.
The guard behind us stopped and unlocked one of the cells, tossing little Cui inside. She tried to call out to me but he smacked her and she cried in pain. Gritting my teeth, I increased the severity of the revenge I was going to deal out in my mind.
Captain Kang led me down another flight of stairs, going deeper into the prison. Keeping us separated was just another form of mental torture.
He led me to the end of the corridor and only then did he unlock a cell, throwing me inside. I noticed the door of this one was thicker and there was just a single horizontal slit, through which they could watch me.
This must be a cell for holding cultivators. There wasn’t as much need to feed and water a cultivator kept in chains.
“You know, when I saw that you were offering healing to the citizens without extorting their money, I thought you were an upstanding fellow,” Captain Kang said with a frown. “I was disappointed to discover you were a lesser man than I believed.”
I stared back at his melancholy gaze. Inwardly I sneered at his hypocrisy, but I didn’t let him have the satisfaction of seeing that. “I feel the same way, Captain.”
He shook his head and turned to walk away. Before he left I tried to ask the same question I’d attempted earlier before he slapped me into silence.
“Out of curiosity, who was the boy standing beside the city lord?”
“Why are you asking such a thing now?” he replied, narrowing his eyes. “Don’t tell me you-”
“Of course not!” I exclaimed, realising what he was thinking. “I’m not one of those disgusting perverts. I just happened to notice that the boy seemed quite ill. Perhaps I could have a look to see if I am able to treat him,” I suggested.
“You, how could you possibly…” he muttered, seemingly surprised. “Maybe you are as talented as you seemed to be. It is not my place to share such things. The only fate that awaits you is death. Repent and pray the heavens are kinder to you in the next life.”
With that he slammed the door shut and I heard the clinking of a key in the lock, followed by his retreating footsteps. I sighed. I’d given it my best shot.
I supposed I would just have to spend the next three days trying to punch my way out of the cells, though I doubted I would have the strength if these cells were built to hold cultivators even more powerful than I.
For the first time since arriving in this world I felt my faith in the oath I’d made wavering. I had the power to heal the boy—at least I hoped so. Unless his problem was one beyond my means to treat, which was possible given that I knew so little of this world.
However, a small, vengeful part of me felt that even if I was given the chance to heal him I shouldn’t, just to spite the city lord. And yet I would have to heal him if I could, since that was the only chance I had to free Xiao Cui and myself.
There was also the possibility that the boy wasn’t as much of an arrogant asshole like his father. Though they did have that saying—a tiger father will not beget a dog son.
With nothing to do but wait, I decided now was a good time to try and study my body and my techniques.
I wouldn’t be able to practice much or refine my lungs without any resources, but I could at least attempt to figure out more of the mysteries behind them.
So I meditated in silence, my gaze focused inwards as I pondered the profundity of the Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique and my strange blood essence. I wasn’t sure how long the trance lasted, but I hadn’t managed to achieve much despite my intense focus.
My physique was simply that mysterious. Other than the basic knowledge I had obtained upon awakening it for the first time, nothing else was revealing itself to me.
Eventually I was interrupted by the clicking of the lock and the scratching sound of the cell door swinging open.