When he got off the cart, Yun Qiang was a mess, the stench of sweat and mud followed him. Dust and dirt fell off from his robe with every one of his steps, accompanying the clacking of metal that sounded at every step.
However, Qiang didn't care; he had spent months in prison and he had traveled weeks in a cart with Sun; their noses had become impervious to bad smells long ago. Besides, he felt that all of this was no fault of his own, since the guards refused to stop beside a river even if they had pleaded with them multiple times during the journey.
Resigned to his fate, he took a step forward and followed his guards toward an old man who was writing something on a thick and colorless book. The surroundings were unremarkable: a small paved square with a single entrance, enclosed by tall buildings that blocked anyone from seeing the building behind them. Near the far wall, a row of men stood silently, watching them.
Yun Qiang felt more like a circus attraction that was forcibly dragged to the stage than a prisoner, and the conversation that soon followed only heightened this feeling.
"Sir Inspector, these are the prisoners from the Skyward Pavilion."
The guard who spoke looked rough, with a long scar running down his cheek. Yun Qiang had never seen him during the journey. Judging by how he was the only one talking, while the other two guards stood silently by the cart, patiently waiting, it was clear he was their leader.
Qiang gave him a strange look, this guy had never appeared during their travels and now he only showed up now at the end of their journey.
The old man responded without looking up, apparently the book was more interesting than them.
"What crime did they commit?"
"They stole pills from an alchemist."
Hearing this, the old man looked up while putting on an amused face.
"Old Dan Lee became soft in recent years, usually he directly killed thieves."
Yun Qiang's pupils shrank in shock. He immediately re-evaluated him. The old man dared to call the third elder of the sect by his name, this meant that he was either a friend of his or a contemporary of the same generation. Whatever the case was, the inspector wasn't a simple individual and the soldiers close to the wall clearly weren't there to protect him, someone like him wouldn't need protection.
The soldier slightly bowed, and responded in a respectful tone.
"Sir, they stole them from his disciple, not directly from the third elder."
"Ah, I see. About time the old fool found himself a disciple" He caressed his goatee as he wrote something in the thick book in front of him. "Voss, come here, they will join your team."
One of the men that were staring at them from the wall stepped towards them and saluted the inspector. He was fit, and his long black hair was tied back in a bun, giving him a clean and polished look.
"Yes, sir."
He turned to them, his face was neither serious nor relaxed.
"You two follow me."
He then turned around and started walking towards the exit, clearly expecting them to follow. Being in chains and surrounded by experienced fighters, Qiang thought they would get beaten up by all of the guards and soldiers present in the square if they didn't follow him. So he hurriedly followed him while trying his best to walk in a straight line, since his arms and legs were still tied in chains. Sun followed right behind him.
While the duo followed Voss, Yun Qiang took some time to observe the surroundings. However, he was baffled by how unfamiliar and strange everything appeared. He couldn't quite put it into words, but nothing around him resembled the style of cultivators. Instead, everything gave off a distinct military feeling. From the stone floors to the buildings and the maze-like roads they walked through, even the man they were following, it all felt solid, practical, and built to endure.
Yun Qiang looked at Voss. He could only see his back, but that was enough. The way Voss walked, calm, confident, and efficient, reinforced the imposing presence of the fortress and left no doubt that he was a veteran soldier. Yun Qiang didn't know exactly how to describe it, but it simply gave off a sense of reliability and strength. In comparison, Yun Qiang's awkward steps and Sun's imprecise movements felt clumsy and unrefined. It was like comparing polished silver to rusted metal. There was simply no comparison.
After arriving at the end of another narrow road, they found themselfs in front of the outer walls and Voss guided them inside a guard tower. While scaling the tower, they encountered a few passing soldiers. When they saw them, they would respectfully salute Voss and then made way for them.
It seems Voss is well known around here.
When they reached the top, Voss moved them toward the side so they wouldn't hinder the guards that were doing their patrols on the wall. He pointed at the center of the fortress. His voice was filled with pride.
"Do you know what is that?"
Yun Qiang was suprised by what he saw. He had expected to see the entirety of the fortress from the outer wall, but he was wrong. At the center of the fort, where Voss was pointing, there was a hill that interrupted his view of the fortress.
On its top stood a tall tower, while at its foot the rest of the fortress spread out. Yun Qiang looked down. Even if this wasn't the highest point in the fortress, he could see most of the buildings on the low ground. From here, he could truly appreciate the layout and scale of the fortress. He noticed that from up here the roads weren't truly like a maze but followed some sort of logic. He couldn't completely understand it, but he could clearly see some repeating road patterns.
He turned around to see what was beyond the wall, and once again he was stunned by what he saw. The fort was surrounded only by flatlands and small forests, and even if the walls weren't that high, he could see far away into the unobstructed horizon. If he focused enough, he felt he could even see some soldiers moving around in the far flatlands.
The sound of Voss clearing his throat interrupted his sightseeing session and refocused his attention at the fortress.
"That tower is what I want you to see, more specifically the array on top. That's what keeps us safe in case of attacks and what stops troublemakers from causing chaos." He paused. "Understood?"
The meaning of their walk instantly became clear. This wasn't just to familiarize them with the enviroment, or to reassure them that they were safe, or to flaunt the staunch and solid look of the stone fortress. It was just a way to tell them that they were constantly watched and that they shouldn't do anything stupid or they would be punished.
Yun Qiang didn't mind. It was natural for them to not be trusted. They had arrived here with the identity of criminals, not outer disciples from a respected sect. With an understanding expression, he looked up at the tower that dominated the fortress from the top of the hill.
He froze, his pupils shrank as a stream of information rushed in his head and a horrified expression formed on his face.
His knees gave out while an unrelenting river of information overwhelmed his mind. For a second, his body wasn't his own and he involuntarily stared at the tower. However, he didn't focus on the tall and imposing body nor did he focus on the pulsating blue patterns on it. No, his eyes focused on the top of the tower. There lay an orange crystal that pulsated and intermittently emitted energy in the air. He didn't know how, but Yun Qiang could clearly see every detail of the crystal, every crack, every hole, every pattern. It was all laid out for him. For just a second, the array in the fortress had no secret for him and their relevant information flooded into his mind, drowning him with knowledge.
Unconsciously, he started muttering the names of the arrays that churned in his chaotic mind:
"All Seeing Array"
"Triad Killing Array"
"Turtle Shield Formation"
"Long Ray Formation"
"Punishment Formation"...
He looked like a madman as he muttered to himself under the concerned gaze of Sun and Voss. But while the former only felt concerned, the latter was genuinely shocked by what he heard. As a squad leader, Voss knew about some of the fortress's arrays, and on rare occasions, he had even operated a few of the minor ones. That was why Yun Qiang's words surprised him so much. Yun Qiang wasn't just muttering the names of arrays known only to squad leaders; he was also mentioning arrays Voss had never even heard of, like the Triad Killing Array.
Voss continued to watch, hesitant to interrupt. A part of him knew he should step in and calm Yun Qiang down, but another part was extremely curious about the arrays that were kept secrets even from the other squad leaders.
Yun Qiang continued speaking the names of the arrays he saw, his mouth the only thing he could control about his body. However, when he was about to speak the last name, his mouth stopped moving and the name got stuck in his throat slowly chocking his mind, forcing him to read and internalize all of its information.
Name: Blood sacrificing array
Materials: blood cores, earth roots, yin shards, iron needles
Effect: Absorb the blood and cultivation of those inside the array, killing them in the process.
The bloodlines absorbed this way will be diluted. Special physiques can't be absorbed this way.
Once started the array can't be stopped, breaking or forcing the array to an alt will kill the array master. The status of array master can't be transferred after the full activation of the array.
If someone activates it while the soldiers are sleeping and if the nodes are well hidden, they could sacrifice...
Yun Qiang's pupils shrank even more. If he could speak, he would immediately go look for help. Maybe they didn't know about this, maybe it was a trap set by the enemies to kill all of the soldiers at the fortress. No, creating an array of this scale wouldn't go unnoticed. You can't set up something like this in secret.
Besides, this blood cultivation was a taboo everywhere. Even the evil sects wouldn't consider doing something like this. If someone dared to sacrifice an entire fortress full of cultivators, no organization would accept them. Some would even form a coalition to hunt the culprit down.
He decided to keep this secret for himself. The person or organization that set it up wasn't simple, and they would probably kill him once people discovered his knowledge.
He covered his face with his hand. Even if he lost control of his body for just a few seconds, his entire body was drenched in sweat, and he could feel a sense of drowsiness assault him when he tried to stand up.
He decided to stay on his knees until the dizziness passed, his hands still covering his face, shielding him from the gazes of Sun and Voss, standing nearby.
Yun Qiang wanted to cry. The fort wasn't just a lethal weapon, it was also a deadly trap.
"Qiang, are you okay? Do you need help?"
When he heard Sun's concerned voice, Yun Qiang's urge to cry became stronger. He had messed up big time because Voss was there. Even if he didn't pronounce the name of the last array, Voss would surely report his behavior to those higher in the chain of command, and they would definitely notice. The best case scenario was another prison sentence, while the worst was a death sentence.
"Well, someone knows a lot about arrays, huh?"
Yun Qiang fell even deeper into panic. What could he do? Run, feign madness, or say that it was some kind of sudden enlightenment and hope for the best? His breathing became faster and faster as he tried to craft a decent excuse.
"Sir, that is Qiang's talent. Sometimes he can just understand things, like an inspiration of sorts."
Sun's voice sounded embarrassed, as if it was something he forgot to say or didn't want others to know.
"Inspiration?" Voss sounded skeptical.
Sun didn't skip a beat, and responded almost immediately. His voice was calm and sounded extremely rational, like someone who was stating facts.
"Yes, sometimes he has these little episodes where he recognizes items or things he has never seen. Usually, he only gains superficial information, like the names of things or the materials used to make them, but nothing else." He paused briefly, letting his explanation settle so it wouldn't sound too rushed or frantic.
"I saw him do it with stuff like books made of precious materials, fish, and things like that. One time, he even knew the ingredient used to make a pill but didn't know the use of it."
Yun Qiang breathed a small sigh of relief while his panic slowly disappeared. Sun was covering for him. Now he only had to support him and hope that Sun's story held up.
"Only superficial information?"
Voss still sounded skeptical, but less than before. Yun Qiang used this moment to pitch in, adding details to the excuse.
"Only names, sometimes images of the materials, but nothing more." He paused, then continued, trying to make himself sound eager and convincing. "Maybe when I get stronger, I will see more."
The few seconds of silence that followed felt like an eternity, but neither Yun Qiang nor Sun spoke. They knew that if they sounded too eager or added too many details, they would only attract more questions and suspicion.
"I understand. For the sake of clarity, I will report this to my superiors. Maybe you will attract their attention, but don't get your hopes up. Innate talents like yours aren't very useful in a fight." He paused. "Also, don't say those names ever again. Understood?"
Yun Qiang breathed a sigh of relief before responding in unison with Sun.
"Yes, sir."
"Now get up. I will take you to the baths before showing you the barracks. You guys stink."
Yun Qiang managed to get up with the help of Sun and together they followed Voss toward the common baths. While they walked, Yun Qiang was happy about the outcome, but he knew that he couldn't slip up again. The next time something like this happened, he wouldn't be so lucky to have Sun covering for him.