Xuanqing Guard
Chapter 113: Before the Prison
After Zhou Guangcai and Jia Sheng moved into the dungeon, things got pretty unpleasant with the prison chief.
The prison chief wasn’t happy that there were now two guys watching over him in his territory, felt a bit mistrusted, and even found it difficult for himself and all the prison guards to approach the main convict, Wen Renhai. Every day, other than bringing food and dumping chamber pots, Zhou Guangcai and Jia Sheng blocked everyone in the corridor like a wall, not letting anyone through.
Zhou Guangcai and Jia Sheng weren’t happy about the dungeon staff not cooperating with their duties, grumbled that the prison guards didn’t even know how to use the Cross Pillar, and managed to mess up the array disc on it after fiddling for just a few days. Plus, they always liked to stick around here for no reason, which sparked several arguments.
In the end, the prison chief was annoyed and ordered the guards to stay away from Wen Renhai’s cell in the dungeon unless necessary.
Afterwards, one night, Zhou Guangcai had Jia Sheng pack up the broken Cross Pillar and take it to the Interrogation Chamber, then swapped in a new Cross Pillar that they had reapplied for.
Anyway, after all this fuss, the atmosphere in the dungeon wasn’t good. Even the meals wouldn’t include portions for Zhou Guangcai and Jia Sheng; the two of them had to take turns going to the cafeteria to eat.
"Chief, do you think Zhou Guangcai and Jia Sheng are nuts? The Cross Pillar worked fine when we used it! As soon as they came, they said it was broken and blamed us. Makes me furious."
The Cross Pillar isn’t cabbage; repairing it takes a lot of effort, and the Arsenal will come questioning, which isn’t good news for the prison guards in the dungeon.
"Who knows what’s wrong with those two bastards, just ignore them and keep watch everywhere. With so few convicts right now, we can’t let anything slip."
"Don’t worry, Chief. We’ve got over a dozen brothers on watch, both open and hidden posts. Inside, there are three turns, with arrays and mechanical traps—no way anyone can get close, let alone break in. Nothing bad will happen. By the way, Chief, are the dozen of us in the dungeon still considered the front line of the Black Banner Battalion? Feels like nobody’s in charge of us anymore."
"Heh, you’re only just noticing? Our brothers here come from Team A and Team B, but now neither Wang Xiaoqi nor Zhang Xiaoqi care about us. Even reporting for supplies, we can do it ourselves without going through the teams. Look at the prison structure in the Garrison—haven’t you figured it out yet?"
"Hey! So, do you mean... our dungeon might soon be a standalone branch?"
"Pretty much, that’s what I think."
"Wow! That’s great. If the prison structure in the Garrison is Little Banner Battalion, wouldn’t that mean ten more positions? And you’d become Small Banner Officer! Chief, you’re getting promoted!"
"Hahaha... Don’t get too loud, it hasn’t happened yet. Just keep it in mind, and don’t run your mouth outside."
"Hehe, don’t worry, Chief. I got it."
The two were drinking tea and chatting idly in the prison chief’s little room. It was deep night, and aside from Wen Renhai, there weren’t any other prisoners in the dungeon. Wen Renhai was being guarded day and night by Zhou Guangcai and Jia Sheng, so they didn’t need to watch him themselves. Since he’s inside, where could he run? The little room was cozy, while the cell area stank so much that staying too long made your eyes water.
After chatting a bit more, the two got ready to do a patrol—top to bottom, had to check everywhere, rules are rules.
Just stepping out of the dungeon, they instinctively stretched and laughed, "Chief, tonight the sky feels heavy, all dark with no moon, windy too. Looks like rain’s coming soon."
"Yeah, looks that way. Hurry up and check all the posts, hidden and open, before the rain hits and soaks us."
They didn’t bother with lanterns, since Night Eye Skill is pretty much standard for Warriors in the Xuanqing Guard. Even if there’s no light, they could see just fine with Night Eye Skill.
But the rain hit much faster than they expected. Just a few steps out of the dungeon and the downpour smashed down on them.
"Whoa! This rain is huge!"
"Right, and with thunder rumbling—looks like it’s only going to get worse. Let’s hurry, patrol, and then head back to change clothes."
They quickened their pace; between the pitch-black and the heavy rain making the ground slippery, their vision was limited, but thankfully they had cultivation to rely on, so they could still walk fine.
"Whistle, whistle, whistle..." He blew a strangely patterned whistle.
"Huh? What’s going on? Why didn’t Post Four reply?"
"Probably because the rain’s too loud—get closer and try again."
"Alright! Whistle, whistle, whistle... Tsk, still no reply? Let’s check it out."
Both their faces fell. With the heavy rain drenching them, their moods were surely bad, and the hidden post not responding made their brows furrow even deeper.
"Something’s wrong! Chief, come here quick—Post Four is empty!"
"Impossible!"
There are five hidden posts outside the dungeon, manned around the clock. Rain or shine—even if knives were falling—they would never abandon their post. An empty post is a capital offense in the Xuanqing Guard.
Disturbed and suspicious, but when they got closer and saw for themselves, sure enough, where the hidden post should’ve been manned, now there was nobody.
"Bastard! Deserting your post—this deserves death!"
In Xuanqing Guard, you can be slick or careless, but you must do your job. Slack or skip duty, and you’ll have knives to help you repent.
"Let’s go, check who was in charge of Post Four tonight, and report it!" Rotten apples always spoil the bunch—even former colleagues had to be reported to set an example.
But soon, both sensed something wasn’t right tonight.
On the way back, not only were all the other hidden posts empty, but not a single patrol could be seen despite rain or shine. What the hell was going on?! 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
The danger became clear to them. Though no one had ever dared assault the prison at Li City Xuanqing Guard, life’s unpredictable—no one would guarantee it. They fumbled in their cloaks, trying to pull out a Summoning Talisman. Inside Xuanqing Guard, a Summoning Talisman would bring a Little Banner Battalion within five breaths.
But...
"Why can’t I get my Summoning Talisman out?!"
"Me too! I can feel it there, but I just can’t pull it out!"
"This is bad! Quick, tear your clothes, check if the talisman’s still there!"
The two ripped their clothes to shreds in a panic, and a bizarre scene appeared. Their hands felt like they were holding a piece of talisman paper, and they were sure it was the Summoning Talisman, but to their eyes, their hands were empty. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t take it out, and even their True Qi felt out of control—they couldn’t channel it into what they felt, let alone activate the talisman.
The prison chief reacted fastest, shouting in horror, "It’s an Illusion Array! We’re trapped in an Illusion Array! Someone’s trying to break into the prison!"
But so what if they realized it? Their cultivation was only Qi Refinement second or third layer—against the Illusion Realm, they couldn’t even sense the array’s subtle effects. If it wasn’t for the Summoning Talisman, they might not have realized it for a long time. Getting out now was almost impossible.