The tunnel was narrow and damp, its stone floor dotted with dark puddles of water that reflected the weak light from a cracked skylight.
Rusted chains hung from the ceiling and iron doors lined both sides, each sealed with faintly glowing talismans that pressed down on the air, blocking any cultivator from gathering qi.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!"
An intense scream came from the depths of the hall.
In one of the cells, many important figures were present. Yunxi, the family leader, a few elders at the back. Also the young man torturing the poor soul.
The young man wore neat, pale robes. The sword he held, having faint electric sparks, was dyed with blood.
His dark hair was loosely tied, a few messy strands clinging to his damp face, and his calm eyes watched the prisoner without a hint of guilt.
The prisoner, Zhenyao, his body twitching with fading sparks of sword lightning that crawled over charred skin and burned cuts, finally slumped down.
His robes reeked of smoke and blood, blackened at the edges where the electric blade had shocked him again and again.
"I think that's enough for now Mr. Chen. We've already gotten plenty of information." Yunxi said while slowly walking away from the cell.
"Certainly, Lady Qin." The young man bowed politely. "But I'll question him a little more. I still think he knows the location."
Yunxi not saying anything further exited the cell while the underground prison finally went quiet. Of course excluding the heavy breathing of Zhenyao.
The young man pulled Zhenyao's hair and made him see eye to eye. At the same time, he put down a artifact which formed a barrier around them.
"You really went ahead and spilled everything, didn't you Mr. Han." His expression remained gentle while his body was covered with dark blue killing intent.
"Even after all that preparations, a single Body Tempering brat ruined all your plans. A Golden Core assassin and a Soul Formation elder not including the other pawns and artifacts used."
"This could've been the emergence of our faction, yet it ended in the worst possible way. Do you understand how much this will sting the rest of us." He said, pushing the sword deeper.
Zhenyao had been tortured for days by every method imaginable. He no longer had the strength to answer.
The young man clicked his tongue at his co-worker's pitiful state, retrieved the artifact, and left the cell.
As he walked through the prison corridor, his thoughts grew darker.
'The plan was perfect. Hana steals the artifact. We, having bought it beforehand for an astronomical price, pressure the Qin into compensation. Even if she blamed Zhenyao, his faction would've covered for him, while her own family would've turned on her. Instead, everything fell apart because of one brat.'
He rubbed his temples.
'Even if the tablet was stolen, a demonic outbreak inside a major family will overshadow any dispute over compensation.'
. . . . . . . . . .
While the young man was still fuming, the doors to the medical ward opened.
"So, you've finally woken up. I apologize for questioning you so soon, but we have many questions."
The speaker was Yunxi. She looked at the bandaged boy sitting upright in bed.
Gu Liang, however, stared back as if he'd just seen a ghost.
"I'll answer everything truthfully, to the best of my abilities," he said, not daring to show the slightest disrespect before someone of her status.
Guard Xiao remained outside, letting out a quiet sigh.
He had already heard Liang's account. Parts of it sounded ridiculous. Jin defeating four opponents, then somehow dragging Liang back from the brink of death.
But if it was Jin...
He could believe it.
As Xiao considered the different possibilities, Yunxi stepped out of the ward.
"The assassin's body has already been found," she said, looking at him. "At the moment, all evidence points to Jin fleeing with the artifact. He may have even unlocked its true power." She looked genuinely surprised.
"But the blame won't fall on him. His actions showed he was simply caught in a terrible situation. Even so, we've already sent a search party to find him."
Guard Xiao bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your kindness, my lady. I'm sure that little troublemaker will come back on his own. He has no reason to keep something so important."
"I hope so."
Yunxi said nothing more and left to attend to other matters.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As the Qin household grew busier, news of the incident had already spread thousands of miles.
The reappearance of a demonic faction, something that hadn't happened in hundreds of years, caused a massive uproar. The last time it happened, millions of martial artists had died.
Their goal had been simple.
To reopen the gates to the upper realms.
Rumors spread quickly. Members betraying their own family. Even an organization as influential as Han River Trade being infiltrated by demonic practitioners.
The unease only grew.
But of course, in taverns, with drinks in hand, nobody wanted to talk about gloomy things.
"Hey, did you hear about the boy who defeated a Golden Core assassin and even injured a Soul Formation expert?"
"Yeah. I heard he's only in the Body Tempering Realm. How did he do that?!"
"I think it's all nonsense. The Qin are just spreading rumors to divert attention from their own embarrassment. The betrayal, the stolen artifact..."
"No, it's true. One of my cousins saw the boy being chased by the assassin. He said the kid was the lost young master of the Jin Family."
As the rumors spread, so did Jin Ranyi's name.
The sole heir of the Jin Family. The boy exiled from his home at the age of seven for committing a heinous crime. Some believed he'd died long ago. Other families had long written him off.
Now the truth had resurfaced.
The exiled young master was alive.
And he was growing into a dragon.
The incident at the Qin household had revealed many truths, while raising even more questions. Anyone with a keen eye could tell the whole story had yet to surface.
But one thing was already agreed upon.
The current of the world had begun to change.