Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 523: People are fake and love is true
After the boat docked, the group changed into horse-drawn carriages and headed towards Taicheng.

Xiao Gang continued to explain to Ren Yuan:

"If I speak recklessly now, even if Father Emperor can tolerate me, the higher-ups will not. So my dear third sister, please don't make things difficult for me. I will agree to anything except this matter."

"Aside from this, I don't ask anything else of you." Ren Yuan said arrogantly, "I won't go to see Father Emperor when I return to the palace."

"Where to go?"

"I'll go check on Chen Qingzhi first and make sure he's safe," Ren Yuan said.

"Sigh, alright..." Although Xiao Gang felt it was improper for her to go to the Heavenly Prison as soon as she returned, she had already compromised. If he didn't agree, there would be no way to talk to her anymore.

He wasn't bragging; once inside the city, he didn't need to ask for permission and led Ren Yuan straight to the prison in the northwest corner.

Now, besides chanting Buddhist scriptures and repairing temples, Xiao Yan doesn't care about anything else. As the eldest prince, he has become the executive vice emperor, having to manage everything. No wonder he covets the position of crown prince. He's doing all the work of the crown prince; if he doesn't become the crown prince in the end, anyone would be unable to hold back.

According to feng shui, the northwest is the "White Tiger position," which governs punishment and killing. Therefore, prisons throughout history have often been located in this inauspicious place to suppress misfortune with malevolent energy, and the Heavenly Prison of Daliang was no exception.

In fact, a criminal as wanted as Chen Qingzhi should have been imprisoned in Qilin City, but perhaps out of fear of the old friendship between Gouchen Division and Chen Qingzhi, he was imprisoned here instead.

The siblings passed through the heavily guarded outer courtyard and arrived at the entrance to the inner prison.

Its name is 'Heavenly Prison', but it is actually a dungeon located deep underground. At the entrance, a bronze 'Bi'an Swallowing Mouth Gate' stands menacingly. Xiao Gang explained his purpose, and the guard officer triggered the mechanism.

With a heavy rumble, the beast's mouth slowly opened, revealing a dark, foul-smelling passage. The beast looked even more ferocious, making one have no doubt that once they stepped into the Heavenly Prison, they would never see the light of day again.

Ren Yuan scanned the area with his divine sense and sensed that behind the Bixie Gate stood a powerful 'Prison Suppression Stele', with a 'Nine Yin Lock' hanging high above the well opening, and the surrounding area was covered with complex mechanisms and formations—this place was clearly a key node of the Jinling Grand Formation, and the strength of the restrictions far exceeded that of ordinary ones.

He estimated that once the restriction was activated, he might not be able to escape for a while.

Ren Yuan carefully observed the terrain while following Xiao Gang down the dark passage to the deepest part of the dungeon.

The two passed through rows of cells holding serious criminals and arrived at the innermost one. In the damp and cold cell, Chen Qingzhi was tightly bound to a rack of torture instruments, his whole body wrapped in iron chains covered with runes.

He was surrounded by 108 demon-revealing mirrors, their surfaces shimmering with divine light and forming a network that prevented anyone from getting close.

“It’s dangerous to go in, let’s talk outside.” Xiao Gang covered his mouth and nose to block out the stench that filled the dungeon.

"Alright then." Ren Yuan nodded, then glanced at Xiao Gang, who tactfully walked away.

He then looked sadly at the bound Chen Qingzhi. To treat such a renowned general, who had once dominated the world, in this way was utterly outrageous.

With a choked voice, she called out, "Commander Chen..."

Chen Qingzhi slowly raised his eyelids, and upon seeing that it was Princess Yongkang in front of him, he couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Princess, what brings you here?"

He quickly searched his memory, but couldn't recall any connection between the two.

“Ling asked me to come,” Ren Yuan replied. “She is very worried about you and is trying her best to rescue you.”

"I see..." Chen Qingzhi suddenly realized, and after thinking for a while, he said in a low voice, "Thank you, Princess. Please pass on a few words to Lingzhi."

“Please speak, Commander Chen.” Ren Yuan nodded. Then he heard Chen Qingzhi slowly say, “Life is short, like morning dew. Once the sun rises, it disappears without a trace. Why think so much? The right thing to do is to live life to the fullest and have a spectacular life.”

Xiao Gang was at a distance, but his ears were perked up, not missing a single word. Upon hearing this, he curled his lip, thinking to himself, "Is this how you teach your daughter? What kind of behavior is this?"

The princess opened her mouth slightly, looking at Chen Qingzhi with a surprised expression, seemingly also shocked by his words.

He was truly shocked, because these were the words Fifth Dimension had said to him when he first arrived in the capital. These words had a profound impact on him, even changing his entire being.

But how could Chen Qingzhi possibly know?
In a flash, Ren Yuan could only think of one explanation—that the other party was not Chen Qingzhi at all, but the Fifth Dimension. And that he knew he was not Xiao Yuhuan either, but Ren Yuan.

With the interference of the 108 demon-revealing mirrors, he was unable to use his divine sense to determine the other party's identity. He could only stare intently at Chen Qingzhi's eyes, and saw the other party slightly lower his eyelids, as if to say, 'You guessed right.'

Ren Yuan quickly suppressed his shock and nodded, saying, "I will pass it on."

"Thank you, Princess. Please leave immediately. This place is too dangerous and not a place for someone of noble birth," Chen Qingzhi said solemnly.

"How dangerous is it?" Ren Yuan pressed.

“There’s deadly miasma and plague in the prison; you can’t resist it,” Chen Qingzhi said calmly. “If you don’t leave now, you’ll be entangled by them and it’ll be a dead end.”

“Chen Shuai is right. Staying here any longer could make us sick. Let’s go out quickly, Third Sister.” Xiao Gang couldn’t help but nod in agreement. He didn’t want to stay in this awful place for another second.

"..." Ren Yuan could understand the other party's implication. The so-called 'miasma and plague that you cannot resist' referred to Wu Yang and Wu Gu.

If this was a trap set by those two, then he was indeed no match for them. He nodded and said, "Alright, take care, Commander Chen."

After giving a bow, he followed Xiao Gang and left the prison.

~~
As soon as the two left, Wu Yang, who was wearing Nangong's face, and Wu Gu, who was wearing Chen Lingzhi's face, appeared in the cell.

This was truly a trap they had set!
"Wasn't Xiao Yuhuan missing? How come she suddenly reappeared?" Wu Yang frowned slightly.

"Reporting to the Lord, it is said that Chen Lingzhi asked her to come back to save people," 'Chen Qingzhi' replied, but his voice belonged to the fifth dimension.

"Keep an eye on your girl!" Wu Yang said, looking at Wu Gu.

Wu Gu said innocently, "I had already cut off her contact with Chen Qingzhi, but who would have thought she would go to the princess for help again."

"I don't care. If she causes trouble again, she must be completely eliminated," Wu Yang said domineeringly.

"Sigh." The witch nodded helplessly.

"What was the meaning of the message you asked her to deliver to Chen Lingzhi?" Wu Yang asked Fifth Dimension again.

"I was just making this up," Fifth Dimension hurriedly explained. "I think that a father would definitely have something to say to his daughter before he died. If he didn't let the princess pass on a single word, he might give himself away."

"You've thought of everything quite thoroughly," Wu Yang snorted.

(End of this chapter)