txolops Chapter 23 can still be saved.
Chapter 23 can still be saved.
The dungeon on Kui Xing Island, located beneath the Xing Palace Law Enforcement Hall, is perpetually dark, cold, and damp. A faint musty smell and a lingering stench of blood permeate the air.
This is no ordinary prison; it is specifically used to detain cultivators who have violated the laws of the Star Palace. The walls of the cells are covered with spirit-suppressing runes, rendering even Foundation Establishment cultivators powerless if imprisoned here.
Yu Niangzi, holding Daya, was locked in the same spacious but oppressive stone chamber as Han Xiaoliu.
In the corner, Han Xiaoliu sat cross-legged with his eyes slightly closed, meditating and regulating his breathing using the sparse spiritual energy in the dungeon.
His face was still pale, but his breathing had gradually become steady. He was doing his best to refine the medicinal power in his body and repair his damaged meridians.
Yu Niangzi leaned against the cold stone wall, looking at Han Xiaoliu's thin but stubborn back, and an indescribable sense of guilt welled up in her heart.
If it weren't for protecting her, why would this child be imprisoned?
He should have been safe and sound, but now he has to face an unknown fate with her, this "jinx".
"Young Master..." she called softly, her voice slightly hoarse.
Han Xiaoliu didn't open his eyes, but just hummed in response.
"When...when do we run away?...Do we have to pay compensation?" Yu Niangzi bit her lower lip, feeling completely lost about the future.
Although she was intelligent, she was helpless in the face of such absolute power and rules. She could only place her hopes on Han Xiaoliu.
"What money are you going to pay?" Han Xiaoliu asked lazily, his tone revealing a nonchalant attitude.
"The money for the damaged shops!" Lady Yu cried out anxiously. "I blew up so many shops, and Tingyu Tower too... That old ghost in purple robes will definitely not let this go."
"I already told you I'm out of money." Han Xiaoliu finally opened his eyes, glanced at her, and said with an expression that seemed to say something as self-evident as, "Who wants to bail you out? Who's going to give you the money? I have no intention of getting you out of jail. It's fine here. Food and lodging are provided, and there are people from the Star Palace protecting you. It's much better than being chased by that gray-robed old ghost outside."
"Huh?!" Lady Yu's eyes widened in disbelief. "Isn't that a death sentence? When that person comes, they'll definitely redeem me."
These words surprised Han Xiaoliu.
"That person"?
He personally witnessed Yu Niangzi blow up several shops along the way, including Tingyu Tower. He was afraid that he wouldn't be able to leave without losing tens of thousands of spirit stones.
Who is so extravagant? Willing to spend so many spirit stones for a "runaway slave"?
"Are you sure he'll pay you to get out of here?" Han Xiaoliu sat up straight, looking at her curiously.
Lady Yu remained silent for a moment, her eyes somewhat unfocused, but she finally nodded.
"Compared to that... capturing me and torturing me would better satisfy his twisted psychology. These spirit stones are nothing to him."
Her expression became unusually complicated as she said this.
Those eyes, usually so captivating, were now shrouded in an unyielding gloom, as if they were trapped in some terrible memory.
Her body trembled slightly, and she instinctively hugged Daya tightly in her arms, her fingertips turning white from the force.
It was a deep-seated fear that could not be completely dispelled even when the word "liberation" was mentioned.
"From what you've said, that person is a pervert!"
Han Xiaoliu keenly noticed the unusual tone in her voice. Far from being frightened, he became interested as if he had discovered a new continent.
"Hmm, he's a pervert." Yu Niangzi didn't understand at first and subconsciously replied.
When she looked up and saw Han Xiaoliu's sparkling eyes, as if he had discovered an idol, she immediately understood.
What kind of nonsense is this kid thinking!
Han Xiaoliu opened her eyes wide and leaned closer with a gossipy look on her face: "How perverted is it?"
Looking at his face, which was etched with "insight," Yu Niangzi rolled her eyes at him, then spat out with a seductive air, "You're still drinking milk when you're four years old, even more perverted!"
"..."
Han Xiaoliu's smile froze instantly.
He awkwardly touched his nose, turned around and lay down on the haystack, turning his back to Yu Niangzi, muttering, "Go to sleep, go to sleep. This topic of yours is better left unsaid!"
He was trying to hide his embarrassment and also didn't want to see Yu Niangzi's complicated look anymore.
Only the simple-minded Daya leaned quietly in her mother's arms, looking at the pale-faced young master, then at her mother with a complicated expression, her head full of question marks.
What are you guys saying?! It's so hard to guess!
At noon the next day, a series of steady footsteps echoed through the dungeon passage.
A cultivator dressed in the robes of a Star Palace enforcer arrived in front of Han Xiaoliu and the other two's cell. His gaze lingered on Yu Niangzi for a moment before he said in a calm tone, "Someone has agreed to pay your fine and compensate you with spirit stones. He will come to take you out personally afterward."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lady Yu felt her blood freeze instantly.
"It's over! I'm going to die!"
These words struck her like a bolt from the blue, instantly turning her face pale, her fingertips digging deeply into her palms.
A moment later, she revealed a self-deprecating smile, as if she had already foreseen this outcome.
Han Xiaoliu's heart sank.
He hadn't expected the man to act so quickly. If he were to be pulled out, Yu Niangzi would face unimaginable torture, and as an "accomplice," he would likely be implicated as well.
"We need to find a solution quickly!"
He forced himself to calm down and glanced at the law enforcement monk in front of him—this man had a businesslike expression and was obviously not there on his own initiative, but rather on orders from his superiors.
"Did Elder Gu send you?" Han Xiaoliu suddenly asked, his tone certain.
The law enforcement cultivator was visibly taken aback, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded: "That's right."
"That's good!" A glint flashed in Han Xiaoliu's eyes as he found a way to escape.
Regardless of why Elder Gu specifically sent someone to remind him, this gave him room to maneuver.
With a flick of his wrist, a jade box appeared in his palm. He tossed it casually, and the jade box landed steadily in the hands of the law enforcement cultivator.
"Please pass on a message to Elder Gu, senior, requesting that the ransom be postponed by one day. This three-hundred-year-old spiritual herb is our token of gratitude; we will offer a greater reward upon its completion."
The cultivator instinctively opened the jade box, and a rich spiritual energy rushed out. Inside the box lay a three-hundred-year-old spiritual herb with its entire body emerald green and roots intact.
His pupils contracted sharply, shocked by the other party's skill—such a treasure was not something an ordinary cultivator could easily produce.
He dared not underestimate the pale-faced child in front of him any longer, so he quickly put away the jade box, turned around and left in a hurry.
A moment later, in Elder Gu's quiet room.
The old man looked at the three-hundred-year-old elixir in his palm, his eyes filled with astonishment.
He originally thought Han Xiaoliu was just a disciple of a Core Formation family, but now it seems that this boy must have a powerful family backing him, otherwise he would never have been able to produce such a treasure.
"He who takes money must do his bidding. It's just a matter of delaying for one more day..." Elder Gu stroked the elixir, a playful smile playing on his lips. "Let's see what other tricks you have up your sleeve, kid."
Inside the dungeon, the dim, ever-burning lamps flickered, illuminating the mottled moss on the stone walls.
Yu Niangzi's originally gloomy eyes gradually brightened when they met Han Xiaoliu's calm and expressionless face.
To her surprise, this seemingly cynical young man exuded a reassuring calmness and confidence.
That confidence was not blind arrogance, but a calm composure in controlling the overall situation.
"Young Master... is there a way to save yourself?"
She asked tentatively, her voice still weak but filled with anticipation.
She stared intently at Han Xiaoliu, as if he were the only lifeline in this abyss of despair.
Han Xiaoliu did not answer immediately, nor did she look at her.
He shifted to a more comfortable position, leaning against the cold stone wall, with his hands behind his head, and even comfortably crossed his legs.
In this cold and damp cell, he looked as if he were sunbathing in his own backyard.
"have."
He casually uttered a single word, his tone nonchalant, as if they were merely discussing what to eat for dinner.
Upon hearing this, Yu Niangzi felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. Overjoyed, she leaned forward and eagerly asked, "Really? What's the plan? How do we escape?"
Han Xiaoliu didn't even lift his eyelids, a mysterious smile playing on his lips, and slowly said:
"wait!"
"Wait?" Lady Yu was taken aback, her previously high spirits instantly plummeting to rock bottom, her face filled with confusion. "Wait for what? Are we waiting for reinforcements? But we have no help left, could it be him...?"
He's going to make a big show of it this time; he really likes this kind of short drama format.
Han Xiaoliu finally turned his head, his clear eyes gleaming with cunning. He stretched out a finger and waved it in front of Yu Niangzi.
"Wait for time."