...

...

"Creak!"

The heavy iron door emitted an ear-piercing screech.

Two guards roughly shoved Man Xiu into the cell.

Man Xiu lost his balance, almost stumbling.

But he quickly steadied himself, calmly adjusting his crumpled collar, and lifted his head to look around.

In the cell, four women were already detained, all appearing quite young.

They were the four from the Dawn Church who had been captured with him previously, sitting in prisoner robes on a pile of straw in the corner.

"Man Xiu?"

One young deacon immediately stood up.

She quickly walked over, looking Man Xiu up and down,

"Are you alright?"

"Did they torture you?"

The other two deacons also gathered around, concernedly examining Man Xiu.

The female priest opened her eyes and looked at Man Xiu with a gentle gaze.

"Thanks to the Lord’s protection."

The priest said softly, "You finally returned safely."

Man Xiu nodded slightly, brushing off the dust from his clothes,

"No need to worry, everyone."

Man Xiu’s voice was steady, not a trace of panic, "I’m fine, they just asked some questions, no torture."

The three deacons breathed a sigh of relief, "That’s good."

"We heard that those captured meet a tragic end, we’ve been worried about you."

"No, they won’t."

Man Xiu shook his head slightly, casting a cautious eye around.

Then, he lowered his voice and said, "The captain in charge of my interrogation, I know him."

"Know him?"

The three deacons showed expressions of surprise.

Man Xiu nodded.

"Remember when I used to be a merchant in the Northern Territory? I met Sao there, and he’s now the captain of the guards."

"I gave him quite a few gifts before, and we’re on good terms."

Man Xiu said carefully, "He told me not to worry, he would help me."

As he spoke, the four of them stared intently at Man Xiu, their eyes full of disbelief.

"Are you saying we have a chance to get out of here?" The priest asked in a low voice. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"Yes, Priest Laura, I asked him to go to my family, and my mother will give him enough reward."

Man Xiu said, "He will find five scapegoats, but we must leave the Broken Rock Empire."

Man Xiu sighed deeply, "I must leave my family too."

The cell fell silent instantly.

The few of them exchanged glances, and Priest Laura slowly stood up,

"Man Xiu, thank you for your generosity,"

Laura’s voice was filled with gratitude and guilt,

"Rest assured, as long as we successfully escape, as the most loyal servant of our Lord, even if we’re not in the Broken Rock Empire, I can ensure you a prosperous life."

"You, you have a way to escape the Broken Rock Empire?"

Man Xiu appeared surprised, then said somewhat helplessly, "My friend can only help us escape from Riyue City, the rest is up to us..."

"Of course, as long as you’re willing to come with us," Priest Laura said confidently.

"I am willing!"

Man Xiu bowed slightly, "I am willing to devote the rest of my life to serving the Lord!"

"Wonderful."

Priest Laura’s eyes were filled with joy, "A believer as devout as you, the Lord will surely bless you."

"The Lord bless us."

Man Xiu softly echoed, then took a step forward, lowering his voice further, "These days everyone should rest well, maintain your spirits."

The four nodded in unison and sat down in succession.

The cell returned to silence.

Only occasionally the sound of the guard’s footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Time passed quickly.

Four days later.

The sky outside gradually darkened.

Moonlight spilled through the iron bars into the cell, casting mottled shadows on the ground.

Deep in the night.

Heavy footsteps came from the corridor, mixed with the sound of armor clanking.

The footsteps stopped outside the cell door, the sound of a key being inserted into the lock was heard, and the iron door was suddenly pushed open.

The five in the cell were startled awake, groggily raising their heads,

A guard, fully clad in armor, stood at the doorway.

His helmet was pulled low, completely hiding his face.

"Is that you, Sao?" Man Xiu asked softly with a look of surprise.

The guard wasted no time, tossed a bundle to the five, and instructed, "Put these on, follow me."

"Alright!"

Man Xiu wasted no words, immediately opening the bundle.

Inside was a black cloak, which Man Xiu quickly put on.

The other four, not daring to delay, also put on the cloaks.

The guard cautiously surveyed the surroundings, waited until everyone was ready, then gestured for them to follow him.

Man Xiu promptly stood up, pulling Laura along, forming a line with the five as they followed the guard out of the cell.

The corridor was empty.

The guards who were supposed to be on duty were nowhere to be seen.

Only torches burned on the walls, crackling.

The guard led them through corridors, down stairs, through passage after passage.

Finally, they passed through a small door, stepping into a dark alley.

"Follow me."

The guard warned in a low voice, "Don’t make a sound."

The five nodded, walking through the night breeze in the darkness of the alley.

On both sides of the alley were dilapidated wooden houses and stone walls, with various trash and discarded items piled in the corners.

Turning left, then right, passing through narrower and narrower passages.

The four Dawn Church clergy lifted the hems of their robes, carefully avoiding the sewage and trash on the ground.

Finally, the guard stopped at a corner, moved aside a broken box on the ground, revealing a dark hole underneath.

A foul stench wafted from the hole, a mix of kitchen waste and excrement.

Even Man Xiu couldn’t help but cover his nose, and the four young women couldn’t help but retch.