Chapter Ninety-Three: Of All Things in the World, Only the Human Heart Is Truly Wicked

Lu Yanzhang could not help exclaiming in surprise. “Eh? How did you know that?”

The man gave a snort.

Lu Yanzhang suddenly understood, and his smile turned cold. “So you are a Gold Spirit Root too?”

The man’s voice dripped with disdain. “If I were like them, I would not have been able to get in here at all.”

Hong Jian was already thoroughly confused by the two of them. She frowned and asked, “What are you two talking about?”

Lu Yanzhang cut her off. “Never mind. You tell them.”

The man explained calmly, “It is nothing worth mentioning. In this world, if a cultivator discovers a qi-refining apprentice who has cultivated White Rainbow Piercing the Sun, nine out of ten will not be able to resist following him to whatever so-called hermit’s grotto he came from to see what is there. White Rainbow Piercing the Sun may be a coveted art, but with some effort one can still get it. Yet what if he also possesses the Sword of Insight? Or, even luckier, what if he inherited the legacy of the Heart Sword? Once you seize such a thing, it is yours. Even if you cannot cultivate it yourself, you can still trade it for immense benefits.”

“Lu Yanzhang knew nothing and revealed himself. Of course he drew attention. Those cultivators from the Pattern Talisman Sect, as well as the man and woman surnamed Zhao and Wen, all had the same intentions. He simply lacked the eyes to see it.”

Old Hu shouted, “Surname Lu, you cheated. You deliberately made us misunderstand.”

With the man’s reminder, Hong Jian immediately saw the truth.

That Wen Xuejing, all that talk of affection and devotion—how could she possibly have been the loyal companion through hardship that Lu Yanzhang had described? She had plainly been unwilling to let such a rare prize pass into another’s hands. And when the Core Formation cultivator from the Pattern Talisman Sect killed the one surnamed Zhao, seeing only Lu Yanzhang and a beauty left, he likely hesitated to strike a deadly blow and instead lost his own life.

Had Lu Yanzhang sensed what was amiss at the time? Though he was a newcomer to cultivation, he was by no means ignorant of human virtue and vice; on the contrary, his experience was likely quite rich. After the first part of his story, he somehow soothed Wen Xuejing, not only dispelling all her suspicions but also introducing Lu Yanzhang into the Immortal Gorge Grotto.

But Lu Yanzhang’s good days ended once he formed his golden core. He had no roots in the cultivation world, nor any elder to protect him. Likely after he learned the Sword of Insight, his master discovered it, whereupon Wen Xuejing made her return. If she could not marry him, then she would destroy him.

As Hong Jian was lost in reverie, Lu Yanzhang said, “Old man, it is your turn.” He had said all this merely because life in the black prison was unbearably dull, and he was curious to learn the backgrounds of the others.

Old Hu lost the first round and cried, “Oh no, that won’t do. You’re all too sly. I need to think about it again.”

Lu Yanzhang spat at him. “Old fool, it’s only this little thing and you still want to wriggle out of it. Have you no shame?”

Old Hu laughed and said, “This brother over in the neighboring cell has a sharp eye. Let him go first.”

The man in Cell Twelve had a straightforward nature and spoke directly. “Enough. This gambling is pointless. I’ll just tell you two things; no need to guess. Believe it or not, that is your affair.”

“Hey, then how are we supposed to play?” Old Hu cried.

“Play? I’m not playing along with you anymore, old fossil.” Lu Yanzhang was grinding his teeth with hate.

“You talk. I can keep quiet. As for those I happen to guess right, there’s no need to make me pay any penalty. I’ll start with the thing you care about most. This damned place stopped being the Demon-Refining Black Prison it once was long ago. Aside from stubborn demon cultivators, there are also quite a few loose cultivators and disciples abandoned by the major sects. It is easy enough to get out. Find a chance to pledge allegiance to an elder surnamed Ji in the Demon-Refining Black Prison. As long as you still have value and truly surrender, willing to become his dog from then on, you won’t have to remain inside. I came in late, but as far as I know, even many of the high-level demon cultivators who had been imprisoned here in the early years have been released, changed their names and appearances, and gone to work for that Ji.”

Before the man had even finished, Old Hu was already shouting, “Damn it all, is that true? That Ji fellow is far too bold. If he lets so many people out, how does he control them? Ah, why did I never know about this? No one ever gave me the chance! I want out. Whoever I work for, I can work for anyone—let me out first! If I stay locked up any longer, I’ll even forget my own surname. If I die here and rot until I stink, who would ever know!”

Hong Jian’s heart stirred. She remembered that when the Purple Cliff Sect was in trouble, there were said to be several demon-cultivator corpses on Brocade Peak. Mu Fengshan and the others had therefore believed that the several great disciples of Jin Donglou all died at the hands of demon cultivators. It now seemed quite possible that those demon cultivators had come out of the Demon-Refining Black Prison.

Lu Yanzhang cursed, “What are you shouting for? If they don’t come looking for you, it only means you’re worthless. Go throw yourself at Ji’s leg and cry if you like; at most he’ll kick you aside. He won’t even deign to look at you. No dignity whatsoever!”

After he finished cursing, Old Hu was probably badly shaken. In a feeble voice he said, “Bullshit. If I’m useless, why am I locked up together with you? Surname Lu, you know about this too, don’t you? You used to be over in the White Tiger Prison side; there were many people there...”

Lu Yanzhang sneered. “Yes, I know not only that, I also tried to warn them not to believe it. Pity they would not listen and even betrayed me. So I was moved here to be held in this cell. Do you think Ji is easy to deal with? If he lets you out, he naturally has ways to control you. In prison I can talk, I can make friends, cry if I want, laugh if I want, and if none of that works I can just close my eyes and sleep. Once you get out, you really do become a dog at Ji’s side.”

Old Hu mumbled a few words, likely meaning that if one could get out, then becoming a dog would be becoming a dog.

The man in Cell Twelve gave two rare bursts of laughter and said, “Lu Yanzhang, those two lines of yours were rather pleasant to hear.”

Without waiting for Lu Yanzhang to respond, he continued, “As for this prison now, besides demon cultivators, the most numerous are people like you and me.”

“Am I the same kind of person as you?” Lu Yanzhang asked in surprise. In his eyes, he himself was dashing and elegant, while the man was a cold, hard stone; the two could not possibly belong to the same sort.

The man snorted through his nose. “Gold spirit root. Cultivated White Rainbow Piercing the Sun.”

At his words, Lu Yanzhang also noticed the issue and hurriedly said, “Eh? How did you know? There really were quite a few gold spirit roots over in the White Tiger Prison.”

The man said lightly, “That is the second thing I meant to tell you. Do you know where the legacy of the Heart Sword is kept? I have been in prison for about twenty years, and as far as I know, the Pattern Talisman Sect already possessed a complete inheritance at that time. They were widely recruiting Gold Spirit Root Nascent Soul and Core Formation cultivators among the loose cultivators. I knew one of the Pattern Talisman Sect’s disciples; he went to great lengths to recruit me into the sect and promised me countless benefits, including the Heart Sword. He said that even if I were to form my nascent soul and still not be suited to cultivating that peerless art, their sect master would certainly have a way to let me use it.”

Lu Yanzhang stared blankly. “Such a thing exists? Did you agree? No, you must not have agreed, or else you would not be locked up here. Could it be that the Demon-Refining Black Prison is already under the control of the Pattern Talisman Sect? Da Mingchi and that Ji fellow in league with one another—what are they trying to do? Do they mean to unify the Dao and Demon realms?”

Hong Jian could not help but admire him deeply. With only fragments and scraps of clues, Lu Yanzhang had, in a few words, deduced something that was almost indistinguishable from the truth.

She said, “It seems you still do not know. Da Mingchi reached the Spirit Transformation stage long ago. Two years ago, he joined forces with Xing Wuyai and murdered the Spirit Transformations of Golden Elder and Sect Master Ling of the Purple Cliff Sect. No one outside knows what the world has become now.”

Of the four of them, Hong Jian had been imprisoned the shortest time. Her words naturally shocked the other three greatly. Even Old Hu was suddenly enlightened, saying repeatedly, “Really? Good heavens, the world outside is far too chaotic. I’d better stay in prison for now.”

Lu Yanzhang snapped irritably, “Old man, stop acting mad. It’s your turn. Are you going to talk or not?”

Old Hu replied from his side, “I will talk. Brother in the neighboring cell, you’re not joining in anymore, are you? Then I’ll keep Lu brother and Miss Fang company.”

After the previous round of back-and-forth chatter, the four had gained a rough understanding of one another. Hong Jian could hear that Old Hu had become polite toward the man, as though somewhat wary of him.

“The old man won’t be like certain people who talk about themselves as if they’re plastering gold all over their own faces. I’ll speak plainly.”

“I was born into a minor cultivation family. There were only a dozen or so people in the household, living deep in remote mountains and forests where few ever came. The family’s inherited art was ordinary, and my talent was mediocre. I was nearly fifty before I barely reached perfect qi refinement. Feeling that foundation building was hopeless, I left home to travel, hoping to see whether I might find some opportunity outside.”

“Nothing much happened in the first few years on the road. Later I ran out of spirit stones and started thinking about ways to make money. Coincidentally, I passed through a deep mountain region. Since I knew that terrain especially well, I thought I’d go in and try my luck, see whether I could find spirit herbs or rare treasures.”

“After wandering the mountains for several days, I no longer knew where I was. A strange black bird kept flying around me, as if leading the way. So I followed it here and there until I stumbled into a small village.”

“That village had only a dozen or so households, and even in broad daylight you could hardly see anyone around. Yet the few people I did see drawing water, tending the fields, and working were all without exception high-level cultivators. I was astonished and dared not rashly go up to speak with them, while they seemed not to notice me at all. In the end, someone finally deigned to respond to me—a little girl only as tall as my chest. She asked whether I wanted to stay and cultivate there, and of course I was overjoyed and agreed at once.”

“I lived in that village for several hundred years, and with my talent I actually succeeded in forming my nascent soul. After so many centuries of seeing only two or three people at a time, I grew more and more unable to bear it. At last I found a chance and escaped from that village.”

“When I left home, I was still only a qi-refining apprentice. Several hundred years had passed, and I had finally returned in splendor. Full of excitement, I hurried back, only to find that waiting for me at the gate were the corpses of my relatives, while the little girl from that village sat in the main hall, smiling at me.”