Immortal of the Nine Realms

For the first time in over ten years, Fang Chen found himself in a prison cell in Stone River County.

The air was filled with the musty, rusty scent of decay and the stench of rot. In the dim shadows, scattered figures sat or lay about. Their eyes reflected various emotions: some were dull, some numb, some filled with despair, and others fierce.

Liu Hao had arranged for him to have a single room, which was relatively clean; typically, one had to pay tribute to stay here.

”Master, here are some healing ointments,” said Liu Hao as he placed the medicine beside Fang Chen. ”The people you killed were under King Wei Nan. This matter is quite difficult to handle, so please don’t blame me.”

Fang Chen picked up the ointment and applied it to his wounds, nodding slightly. ”Go on.”

Liu Hao sighed and left with his men. However, before leaving, he instructed the prison guards to treat Fang Chen well. After applying the ointment, Fang Chen leaned gently against the wall and closed his eyes to rest.

Over the years, everything here felt increasingly real, so real that at times he would forget his origins entirely. Each time he reached this point, he would think back to the time he sought the other shore at the Profound Void Temple.

The bitter sea had yet to be crossed, so how could he forget?

”Zhu Kui has forgotten, Bu Qingchen has forgotten, Bu Qingyu has forgotten, Fang Yunmeng has forgotten; I wonder if Gu Shuai has forgotten everything too. If all of this is just a test from the immortal sect, what is it that they truly want? Do they wish for us to remember the past, or do they wish for us to forget the mundane world?”

”What are you rambling about? Can’t you let me sleep?” someone’s angry voice came from the cell next to Fang Chen’s.

Seeing that Fang Chen was unresponsive, the other person frowned and peered around, looking him over. When he noticed the gruesome wounds all over Fang Chen, he couldn’t help but exclaim, ”How did you get such serious injuries?”

Fang Chen ignored him.

The other person seemed irritated. He slowly stood up, his robust body pressing against the bars on either side. It was at this moment that he clearly saw Fang Chen’s face, and he exclaimed in surprise, ”Ji Liang?”

Fang Chen finally reacted. ”You are... Gu Shuai?”

Gu Shuai looked weathered nowadays. He even had several deep scars on him. However, he was visibly excited to see Fang Chen.

”Yes, it’s me!”

Fang Chen hadn’t expected to meet Gu Shuai again in such a place; they had become inmates.

Through their conversation, Fang Chen learned that Gu Shuai had been captured because he had killed a guard several years ago. The authorities had been pursuing him relentlessly ever since, and he had been hiding for over ten years before finally being caught. He was to be executed in three days.

Gu Shuai bitterly smiled. ”Alas, I only have three days left to live. You’ve also killed someone, but you still have some time before your execution. It seems our paths will diverge here; I wonder if we’ll meet again on the road to the underworld.”

The nearby prisoners, hearing their conversation, secretly gasped.

Who were these two? They were both facing execution!

Fang Chen asked, ”Gu Shuai, do you remember the past?”

Gu Shuai replied, ”The past? Which past? Do you mean when we first arrived in River Stone County? Of course I remember! We went for tea, but we didn’t have any money, so it was Fang Yunmeng who took off her earring to pay the bill for us.”

Fang Chen probed further, ”Further back?”

”Further back…?” Gu Shuai frowned in thought for a moment before shaking his head. ”What else is there? Just those old troubles.”

Fang Chen pondered for a moment and said, ”I won’t be able to see you in three days, but they might come by. You could have a chance to meet them again.”

”They? You mean like Bu Qingchen? Hehe. He visited me not long ago.”

Gu Shuai scoffed, ”Now he’s a big shot, and I’m just a prisoner waiting to die. We’re no longer friends.”

Fang Chen’s brows furrowed slightly. ”Does he know you’ve returned?”

Gu Shuai sneered. ”Of course he knows. What? Didn’t he tell you? I knew this kid had changed; it’s only been a few years, and he’s already turned his back on me. If it weren’t for me back then, would that problem have been resolved so easily? He wouldn’t be at the escort agency if it weren’t for me.”

Fang Chen stayed silent.

Three days later, the officials came to take Gu Shuai away. He didn’t seem scared when he was being led out. He looked puzzled more than anything. ”Ji Liang, did I really forget something?”

”Just hurry up and go; no need for more nonsense!”

Before Fang Chen could answer, the officials had already pushed Gu Shuai out.

”Hahaha! Eighteen years later, I’ll still be a good man!”

A few days later, Blacksmith Zhao and his wife came to the prison to bring Fang Chen some food. Before leaving, Blacksmith Zhao whispered, ”I’ll keep an eye on your yard. I’ve spent some money to smooth things over. I heard there’s been a war outside, so there might still be a chance for you.”

From then on, Blacksmith Zhao and his wife visited Fang Chen every two to three months, bringing him food and giving some silver to the jailers.

It was unknown when, but Fang Chen had started spending his days clutching a piece of withered grass at some point, staring at it with eyes that could see nothing. When the jailers saw this scene at first, they felt rather curious. However, they grew accustomed to it as the days turned into months.

The years passed, and one day, a jailer who had just come on duty excitedly told his colleagues, ”Have you heard? The rebel army led by King Wei Nan has been completely wiped out! The new emperor is incredibly powerful, and peace will return to the world.”

”Ha, what does that have to do with us? No matter how much they fight, it won’t affect our little corner here.”

”That’s true....”

As time flowed by, the years slipped away like a shuttle. Fang Chen’s face became more wrinkled, and his hair gradually turned gray. It didn’t take long for Fang Chen to realize that even standing up and walking a few steps had become a hurdle.

His body felt as if it had completely rusted. During this time, the jailers had changed several times, and the prisoners came and went. Only Fang Chen remained imprisoned, with no sign of change.

He could no longer remember when Blacksmith Zhao and his wife last visited; all he remembered was that the last time, only Blacksmtih Zhao’s wife came, while Blacksmith Zhao himself was nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly, his cell door was opened, and a jailer looked Fang Chen up and down before chuckling. ”Old blind man, you’re in luck! The newly appointed magistrate heard you killed dozens of King Wei Nan’s men and said you committed no crime. You’re free now.”

The surrounding prisoners immediately began to stir, rattling their cells. ”None of us committed any crimes either! Let us go too!”

The jailer sneered and glanced them over. ”This old blind man has been locked up here for forty-four years; you’re all still too early. Just wait.”

”Forty-four years?” a hoarse voice emerged from Fang Chen’s lips as he looked at the jailer with his grayish-white pupils.

”I’ve been here for forty-four years?”

The jailer was startled at Fang Chen’s appearance, but soon regained his composure and said discontentedly. ”Yes, forty-four years. Enough talk, hurry up and get out. We’ve kept you around and fed you for forty-four years; you don’t expect to even die here, do you?”

A smile forced its way onto Fang Chen’s face. ”Give me a stick; a blind old man like me can’t see the road.”

The jailer didn’t waste time and quickly found a wooden stick to hand to Fang Chen. Then, with Fang Chen urging him along the way, he finally left that dark place.

As Fang Chen walked, he murmured to himself, ”Forty-four years... just a little more... just a little more….”

His clothes were tattered and filthy. They hadn’t been washed for many years and had a foul odor. The stench prompted the passersby to wrinkle their noses and avoid Fang Chen.

Before he knew it, he had returned to the entrance of the old courtyard.

A woman stepped out of the courtyard, pinching her nose as she scolded Fang Chen, ”Who’s this beggar? Get lost!”

Fang Chen asked softly, ”Excuse me, is Blacksmith Zhao’s family still around?”

”Blacksmith Zhao?”

The woman paused for a moment. She looked surprised. ”You know that family? They’ve all died; only a bastard child is still alive.”