Chapter 77

The newly inducted disciples were witnessing for the first time how interrogations were conducted in the Eighteen-Chamber Dungeon.

Yuan Ye, with his arms crossed, whispered, “This is nothing like what we see in the mortal world.”

Lin Du nodded in agreement, “It’s also completely different from what they show in modern TV dramas.”

There were no beatings, no torture. First, they lit three incense sticks, paying respects to heaven, earth, and the Taoist ancestors. Then the prisoner was politely seated, served a cup of hot tea, and asked for their name, lineage, and background with utmost courtesy.

Shao Fei was still unconscious, so the interrogation started with the cultivator who had been frozen stiff.

The shivering cultivator sipped the hot tea, the frost on his eyelashes melting. He looked at He Gui, the real person presiding over the questioning, who had a particularly kind and gentle expression. Then he glanced at the row of disciples from Wu Shang Sect, standing with their arms crossed, looking down on him. He suddenly felt a strange disconnect.

He Gui had an exceptionally gentle and kindly appearance, and his tone matched that demeanor. “So, fellow Taoist, what is your name, and where do you come from?”

“Li Wei, from Jingji Island.”

He Gui smiled faintly, “Li Wei? Such a simple and honest name, Taoist.”

Lin Du lowered her eyes to hide her thoughts. Such humble names were rare in the cultivation world. There were 260,000 people named Li Wei and 290,000 named Zhang Wei in the mortal world. Who knows how many of those names existed in the cultivation world?

Before the cultivator could respond, He Gui casually asked another question, “What was your purpose for coming to Wu Shang Sect’s territory?”

“Just passing through, wandering.”

He Gui nodded, his gaze becoming even kinder as he casually asked a few more questions, all of which the cultivator answered briefly. Then, the tone of the interrogation suddenly shifted, “So, Taoist Zhang Wei, how exactly did you happen to find yourself at the scene where the evil cultivators were eating people?”

“Just passing by, bad timing,” the cultivator responded, entirely unaware that He Gui had already changed his surname mid-conversation.

He Gui drew out an exaggerated “Ohhh” and a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. He turned to the guard and said, “Take him to the Nether world Pavilion. It seems this Taoist has lost his memory—he can’t even remember whether his surname is Li or Zhang. He’ll need some time to properly recall who he is and what exactly he was doing.”

Jun Ding Mansion always has true disciples from the sect on guard duty. Besides those dispatched for punishment, the true disciple on duty this year is He Gui.

The restrictions on the eighteen chambers of the dungeon need a specific person to unlock them. Lin Du took a look and confirmed that it was indeed her master’s handiwork.

Every formation master has their quirks. For those familiar with them, it’s easy to recognize.

Lin Du was well-acquainted with Yan Ye’s quirks. He liked to integrate his own sword intent into complex killing formations, as if to prove that he was a formation master who could produce sword intent.

The eighteen chambers of the dungeon didn’t actually consist of eighteen individual cells but were divided into eighteen areas, each housing prisoners based on their crimes and danger levels.

Upon entering, it wasn’t the cold, dark, bloody, and howling inferno one might expect, but rather a place with a faint herbal scent. It was a completely isolated and clean space, free of torture devices or even stray bits of straw. It was quiet, occasionally interrupted by the deep snores of sleeping demon beasts and evil spirits.

This was the first time the four new disciples had entered the eighteen chambers of the dungeon. There were many rumors outside, with some saying that there were numerous evil demons and monsters imprisoned here who suffered tortures akin to hell.

After passing through a small path with eternal lamps, they reached a hall.

Before they could enter, they heard a familiar scolding.

“You too, I told you to be careful, but did you hide the sword technique so well that you lost your mind? How could you not… how could you not protect yourself properly? Where’s your spiritual protection? How did you get poisoned by a gu…”

The voice of Ju Yuan came from inside, and Ni Jinxuan quickened her pace.

“Master.”

As they turned into the hall, they saw Ju Yuan standing in front of Mo Lin, holding an account book and an abacus. The ebony abacus was clattering on Mo Lin’s head, with the beads moving along with his arm.

Ju Yuan’s face showed frustration and disappointment, while Lin Du noticed her senior’s hand gripping the account book so tightly that veins were bulging, and the book was even slightly trembling, its pages wrinkled from the tight grip.

Mo Lin, taller than Ju Yuan, hung his head and allowed himself to be scolded, devoid of the handsome and sharp demeanor he usually displayed.

On the side, Xia Tianwu spoke up, “The gu master used gu techniques, and it’s not necessarily due to a lack of spiritual protection.”

“Once I wake up Shao Fei and find out what kind of little poison it is, I’ll prepare the antidote and certainly be able to save Senior Brother.”

“You don’t need to shield Senior Brother. As long as you’re powerful enough, all schemes and tricks are nothing but illusions. He is…”

Before Ju Yuan could finish, Lin Du suddenly spoke, “It’s my fault for not setting up the formation perfectly. If you must blame someone, blame me.”

“It’s my fault for not informing Senior Brother in advance. Master, if you need someone to blame, it should be me!” Ni Jinxuan interjected.

Ju Yuan was momentarily at a loss for words, his mouth opening and closing as he struggled to respond, finally managing to say, “Blame me! If the disciple is injured, it is naturally due to the master’s inadequate teaching. It’s all my fault.”

Lin Du smiled and shook her head. Her smile was faint, tinged with a hint of self-deprecating desolation. “Instead of blaming oneself, it’s better to handle the real culprits properly.”

Rather than blaming oneself, it’s more effective to place the blame on others.

This sentiment wasn’t something one would expect from a righteous cultivator. Lin Du considered this but chose not to say it.

Yuan Ye said, “I know. My father does it this way—rather than blaming himself, he punishes others! Imprison and confiscate everything!”

Lin Du: … It seems it’s really their old Yuan family’s way of doing things.

The young disciples, not knowing what the Nether world Pavilion was, curiously wanted to follow and see.

He Gui, dressed in his light-colored robe, still smiled warmly and said, “Children don’t need to see that, it’s really quite dull and boring.”

And indeed, it was boring. The Nether world Pavilion was a place of absolute spiritual isolation, where all five senses were cut off—one couldn’t see, hear, touch, or smell anything. There was nothing at all.

You couldn’t perceive the passage of time, nor was there anything to occupy your mind. Even one’s spiritual consciousness couldn’t extend beyond their body.

After hearing this explanation, Lin Du glanced once again at the three burning incense sticks.

Before half an incense stick had burned down, a report came from the guards.

“Did he confess?” He Gui, who had been seated calmly, suddenly lifted his head.

A guard appeared from a side passage. “He confessed. He was hired by the head of Fu Si Fang to test the strength of the four new disciples on the Qingyun Ranking. They picked a mountain village in the sect’s territory, lured a tiger demon down to eat cattle, hoping the village chief would seek help from the sect. This kind of minor incident is usually handled by lower-level cultivators.

“While secretly observing, he happened to witness an evil cultivator devouring a person, and he just happened to be walking around with a tiger cub to make the case more difficult for you all. The goal was to secretly assess your strength and intelligence. However, when he tried to sneak away under the cover of night after the test, your junior brothers caught him.”

He Gui smiled faintly, “Fu Si Fang didn’t send their best this year, did they? They got caught alive.”

Lin Du, who had already heard from Yuan Ye and Yan Qing about how newly ranked cultivators on the Qingyun Ranking were often tested and their information sold, gave a slight smirk. “He could release a tiger cub, but also stood by watching as a child was eaten?”

“Maybe it wasn’t about releasing the cub,” He Gui said softly, his amber eyes glinting. “These bounty hunters often find it inconvenient to travel with living creatures. During the day, while you were all busy running around, he couldn’t find a secluded spot to kill the tiger for its skin and bones. So he probably planned to handle it later, thinking you wouldn’t go looking for the cub again.”

“Who could have guessed that you would deliberately search for the cub?”

Seeing that the disciples were feeling somewhat heavy-hearted, He Gui smiled and patted them on the shoulder. “You’re all very smart. The information on you all is worth at least a thousand spirit stones now.”

“That’s a bit low,” Lin Du commented. “Who’s the most expensive one from our Wu Shang Sect?”

He Gui thought for a moment, “Hard to say.

“Among the current generation of disciples, the highest price was for your senior brother Mo Lin. He cultivates the Hidden Edge Sword, and back in the day, seven different groups of people couldn’t get him to draw his sword.

“In my generation, it was Senior Brother Jiang Liang, who never leaves his residence, making his information priceless.

“As for the generation before that, I only know of Uncle Yan Ye. He’s about the same age as Jiang Liang and also rarely goes out. His information once fetched five thousand spirit stones, but like Mo Lin, no one has figured out the limits of his formation skills.”

Lin Du stroked his chin thoughtfully, “Surpassing the old generation, I should be worth at least six thousand spirit stones.”

The four youths exchanged knowing glances, each with a subtle smile of understanding.

No matter what, their value could only go up, not down.

The desire to compete shows itself most clearly in such trivial matters.

“What’s that guy’s real name, Li Wei or Zhang Wei?” Lin Du asked. “Names like that, where you call out in a crowd and a hundred people answer, seem fitting for bounty hunters.”

“Bounty hunters have many aliases, who knows?” He Gui smiled warmly. “It doesn’t matter. We’ll re-educate him here at the Jun Ding Mansion, and later we’ll post his name and picture as a criminal. His employer can come bail him out.”

Zhu Yuan’s abacus clattered in his hands, “Waiting for someone to bail him out means more income. This year’s budget for Jun Ding Mansion is secured.”

Yuan Ye whispered, “How do you re-educate them?”

“For ordinary prisoners like him, if they cooperate, they wake up at the third hour, start their morning recitation of the precepts and compassion sutras at the fourth hour, and then do manual labor. Since the area is spiritually isolated, they do physical tasks that don’t require spiritual energy…”

Lin Du suddenly had a thought: the cultivation world’s version of working on a sewing machine?

“Sewing clothes and fixing umbrellas?”

“That too,” He Gui continued. “But usually, they do bricklaying, wall repairs, and work for the city’s workshops. After all, Jun Ding Mansion is short on laborers.”

“They work until the evening, then recite the precepts again. Every prisoner must then take turns loudly reading their confession and repentance. It has to be sincere, showing they’ve truly understood their mistakes.”

“And if they don’t cooperate?”

“Then,” He Gui’s gaze shifted to the deeper part of the passageway, “we have the Blood Lake, Nether world, and Mount Tai chambers—those rooms weren’t built for nothing. They’ll be locked in there until they’re ready to repent.”

“As long as they cooperate, there’s always a chance for redemption.”

He turned back to the young disciples. “And you all too—make sure you follow the precepts and sect rules. If you commit serious wrongs, there are disciples from the sect in here undergoing re-education as well.”

“Plus, living here comes with daily fees to pay.”

The construction of the Eighteen-Chamber Dungeon wasn’t cheap. A large part of Jun Ding Mansion’s income came from these captured evil cultivators.

The four disciples stood up straight, their faces filled with righteous resolve as they nodded. “We will heed the teachings of the real master.”

Entering prison was out of the question; no one wanted to end up there.

They had entered as a group of proud little saplings and left as disciplined young pines, deeply impacted by the teachings.

Lin Du, still holding onto some lingering resentment, planned to return to his cave near Luo Ze to process everything. However, halfway there, a spatial ripple whisked him away to the icy surface of Luo Ze.

“Hey, you’re back and didn’t come see me? Feeling guilty? Injured?” Yan Ye, still seated on the ice, opened with his usual teasing tone.

For once, Lin Du felt a bit timid. “I didn’t… it was just the situation at the time…”

Yan Ye let out a dramatic howl, “You didn’t~ it was just the situation at the time~”

He mimicked Lin Du’s voice, drawing out the last syllables in an exaggerated, mocking tone.

Lin Du held back, resisting the urge to retaliate. Karma always comes around; no one escapes the heavens’ judgment.

Last time, she laughed at Yan Ye; this time, it was Yan Ye’s turn to laugh at her.

“Come here and sit,” Yan Ye called out to her.

Reluctantly, Lin Du sat cross-legged in front of him, her gaze lowered.

“Where’s this resentment coming from?” Yan Ye frowned slightly, reaching out to press his hand against her forehead.

His deep sea-like spiritual consciousness forcefully surged into Lin Du’s mind, swiftly enveloping her like a tide. Her normally radiant spiritual aura was now faintly tainted with a shadowy gloom.

“Lin Du…”

It was rare for Yan Ye to call her by her full name, and his tone grew serious. “Do you realize that you’ve become too isolated?”