Lu Qingyin looked at Qin Xiu through the iron door, filled with worry and concern. Her sister had been captured for her sake. If she had chosen to leave back then, she could have easily abandoned her and escaped far away; no one could have stopped her at the scene.

Moreover, the national capital had already been breached at that time.

The royal family had long completely collapsed. Partners who are like birds of the same forest fly their separate ways when facing disaster, let alone in such situations. So if Qin Xiu had truly chosen to leave, she would have harbored no resentment, knowing that she had once intended to use scissors to kill her.

At this moment, Qin Xiu didn’t want to reminisce with Lu Qingyin. She spoke sternly and seriously to her, "Qingyin, I’ve already asked this female ruler to help contact a Cultivator. My relationship with this Cultivator is very good, and I’ve already asked her to come and help you escape the Sixth State."

"When the time comes, you’ll follow this Cultivator out of the Sixth State and don’t come back. As for any gold and silver treasures, I’ll make arrangements for you."

Lu Qingyin wept silently. She had so much to say to Qin Xiu, but seeing her determined gaze, she knew she shouldn’t say more. Choosing to leave quietly was the best solution for both Qin Xiu and herself.

Finally, Qin Xiu’s face softened as she extended her hand through the iron bars. Lu Qingyin hurriedly leaned her face close, feeling the coldness of her hands. Trying to calm herself repeatedly, she finally broke down and cried on the ground.

Thank you, truly thank you, sister. I’m leaving. This time, I’m really leaving. I’ll listen to you and won’t come back to the Sixth State, never again to this Sixth State.

The prison guard nearby came over and directly dragged Lu Qingyin away. Lu Qingyin, who was initially able to maintain some composure, began to wail like a little girl once dragged away.

The guard looked at Lu Qingyin and calmly said:

"Alright, alright, you’re already quite lucky that someone is willing to help you at this moment. Otherwise, look at the others in these cells; which of them isn’t from the royal family? They’re either waiting to be beheaded or to die inside these cells."

"Or do you want to trade places with them? You stay here, and let them leave? Do you think any of them will shed a tear when leaving this cell?"

"They would crawl out of the entire cell."

The guard said this and also glanced at the prisoners in the nearby cell. These prisoners sat bewildered and overwhelmed in their cells, expressions varied, some lying against the iron bars peering outside, some squatting silently in a corner, and others burying their heads in the hay, fainting away.

It was truly brutal.

Even the guard had a heart, unable to remain indifferent after witnessing such scenes, but there was nothing anyone could do to change it. He softly spoke to Lu Qingyin: "You’re fortunate this time that you can leave the Sixth State. We don’t even have the chance to leave the Sixth State."

"So this time, listen to the female guard. After leaving the Sixth State, don’t come back. Coming back won’t do you any good."

"Not just these prisoners, but even we guards envy you. We’ve already been tied to the wheel of war, there’s no escaping it for us."

He sighed while speaking.

Looking at the silently weeping Lu Qingyin, he understood that it was too much to ask a solitary girl to endure such things.

Two hours later, Lu Qingyin left the prison with another female cultivator.

The process was simple.

Lu Yi wanted Qin Xiu’s assistance and allowed Qin Xiu to establish contact with the outside. The female cultivator, upon learning of Qin Xiu’s capture, knew she couldn’t help in such matters, so she simply fulfilled Qin Xiu’s request by taking Lu Qingyin away.

Now, watching the dazed Lu Qingyin beside her, the female cultivator calmly said, "Now, you have two choices."

"First, you tell me a place you’d like to go, and I’ll take you there. My relationship with Qin Xiu is decent, and given the gold and silver she provided me, I’ll do my utmost to help you. You needn’t worry about me harming you at all."

"Second, I’ll take you directly to the Third State. There’s an old friend of mine there, and I treated an illness at that friend’s place before. If I take you there, even if they don’t take you in, they’ll help you find a secure place to stay."

Lu Qingyin looked blankly at the female cultivator; she couldn’t hear a word she said anymore. In that moment, she suddenly realized that her life was no longer under her control, faced with this completely unfamiliar female cultivator, and she could only remain silent.

The female cultivator shook her head, looking at Lu Qingyin helplessly, "I assume you have nowhere to go, so you might as well head to the Third State. At least, for a long time, the Third State won’t have any problems, plus there are the Four Major Institutions there, which are much better than our Sixth State."