Chapter 545: Chapter 324: Collapse of Worries, Nine-Orifice Dragon Heart, Wen Caishang’s Whereabouts, Cursing the Harlot (2)

"That day, the minor general Yang Xinqiang from Flying Dragon City led a team to surround us. Yang Xinqiang was quite polite, saying, ’Though you heroes have punished the wicked and killed the thieves, so many lives aren’t a child’s play. If you have no qualms about your actions, please follow me back.’ My master saw this young man being righteous and had no further suspicions."

"The three of us were put into a prison carriage, specially made and very hard to escape from. Yang Xinqiang also said, ’Apologies to you all. Once the matter is clarified, I will personally apologize. For now... bring in three meditation cushions, allow the three to sit and rest!’ Despite being in the prison carriage, the three of us had no doubts. We were transported to the celestial prison and settled temporarily."

"During this time, City Lord He personally came to see us and inquired about the details. At first, he treated us with great courtesy, saying, ’Though I leave you temporarily in the cell, I admire your spirit. I’ve instructed the jailers to be courteous. When the matter clears up, I will personally welcome you out.’ My master laughed and said, ’I’ve always heard that City Lord He is benevolent and magnanimous. Seeing it now, it’s true. Life is at stake, caution is good. City Lord He, take your time investigating. As for us three, we have a clear conscience and can stay even in a celestial prison with peace.’ He Wentian laughed heartily and said, ’As expected of someone from the Sword Sect, indeed graceful. Once clear of this, I’ll invite you for tea.’"

"In the following days, City Lord He came daily to inquire. He asked about the Five Great Sword Sects and my master’s origins, sometimes even discussing mundane topics. In the early days, we didn’t suspect anything, but as time went by, we were not released, and my master began to grow suspicious, sensing something amiss."

"Subsequently, the food sent by the jailers became more and more unpalatable. After a few days, it became moldy and stinky, like swill. I furiously asked, ’Your City Lord said to treat us with respect, how dare you give us such food!’ and overturned all the dishes. The jailers laughed and said, ’Committed crimes, wreaking havoc, and still expect gourmet food? If you did have gourmet food, you’d lose your life soon after.’"

"Afterwards, matters got worse. Not only was the food foul and moldy, but they even spat and threw sand into it. It was truly inedible. My master and the three of us refused to eat a single bite. With our cultivation, not eating for several days was no big deal. My master thought several times of forcing our way out but couldn’t decide if City Lord He was too busy and his servants were acting out, or if it was under his orders. If it was the former, would it not ruin relationships and be needlessly troublesome?"

"Thus, we endured painstakingly for several more days. Only my master’s calm demeanor kept us, while my junior sister and I were already hungry and thirsty. The cell stank, and after so many days, we felt extremely uncomfortable. We wished to leave immediately."

"My master was good at maintaining calm composure, but even he gradually found it hard to sit idly. It was then that City Lord He finally came again, but this time he was cold as ice."

"My master asked, ’City Lord He, what exactly is the situation?’ He Wentian directly shouted with anger, ’What a demon woman, how dare you deceive me? You are clearly murderers! How could you be gentlemen of the Sword Sect?’ My master and we three were at a loss, thinking the case was clear, could it be the direction was wrong? My master said, ’City Lord He, this case is not complicated. It seems you have a misunderstanding about us. Please provide the details, let’s clear up this misunderstanding.’"

"City Lord He said, ’Bold demon woman, facing death, you still dare to deceive the public with false words. Do you take the City Lord for a fool? You obviously murdered merchants out of greed. There’s already a witness who testified in court, how do you explain this!’ Although we were displeased, we never doubted He Wentian. We only thought someone was stirring trouble in between. With a clear conscience, my master said, ’Who is it that falsely accuses like this? City Lord He, why not let my master and us face him in court!"

"City Lord He sneered, ’Face him in court? With your words, who can argue against you? If you wish to face him in court, you must be shackled and face the court one by one. If there is the slightest discrepancy, it means you’re lying and you will be punished by our city’s law!’ At the time, my master and we were eager to prove our innocence and agreed, agreeing to be shackled."

"My master and junior sister were taken out of the celestial prison first. I was taken to court only days later. But before the hearing, they gave me a mute drug, and I couldn’t utter a word. From that moment on, I realized He Wentian was a hypocrite. In court, I suffered in silence, unable to act. All sorts of accusations were forcibly added to me, sentenced to the extreme penalty, and to be beheaded publicly. Just as life was about to end, fortunately two righteous men saved me, allowing me to survive, but my master and junior sister..."

Li Xian asked, "Could it be they were beheaded?" Thinking of the elegant looks of Jing Chun Daoist and Ji Hui, he couldn’t help but feel regret.

Han Qingxiao said, "On the day of the court hearing, Ao Shan and I were observing from the sidelines and detected many suspicious points in the opponent’s speech, so we rescued him. Administering an antidote miracle drug, he regained his voice. From his account, it was clear City Lord He was two-faced, indeed something was amiss."

"We conjectured that Jing Chun Daoist and Junior Sister Ji Hui were doomed, unable to meet us, probably already executed. After execution, the bodies are kept in the righteous public morgue, so we went to find them. Although we found several female corpses of similar build, their faces, mouths, and ears were mutilated by blades, hard to recognize. We guessed it was them."

"We stole them out and found a place to bury them, erecting a proper tombstone."

"But later we heard about the disappearance of female members from various sects. Thinking back on He Wentian’s motives, perhaps it was not a false accusation but actually to capture the two women silently. So we came here to investigate and met brother Li Xian."

Li Xian said, "There’s so much behind this." He thought to himself, "Back then I met these three by chance, who would have thought fate, with its twists and turns, would have our paths cross again here."