Old Refining Spirit

It was midnight that night.

The streets of the capital were already under curfew, and the sound of the night watchman's clapper echoed mournfully in the empty streets. Thick clouds obscured the moonlight, and the entire imperial city resembled an ancient beast lurking in the darkness, emitting a muffled panting.

Gu Qingfeng changed into a neat set of night clothes, gripping the fine steel sword of the Great Yuan Dynasty tightly in his hand, and stood outside the gate of the Creation Temple.

His palms were covered in cold sweat.

As a judge in the Dali Temple, he was well-versed in literature and had learned from a young age that "Confucius did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits," and believed in "the emperor's boundless grace and strict laws." But today, the words of that blind Taoist priest were like a poisonous thorn, piercing his heart and tearing a bloody gash in the faith he had upheld for thirty years.

Cannibalistic officials? A blood-soaked water dungeon at the foot of the imperial city?

If this is true, then what kind of place is this Great Abyss Dynasty?

"Squeak—"

The heavy wooden door of the Creation Temple slowly opened inward.

Li Xuangeng, dressed in a moon-white Taoist robe, with his eyes covered by the iconic three-finger-wide white silk ribbon, carrying a paper lantern that emitted a faint blue light, looked like an immortal who had stepped out of a painting, and quietly crossed the threshold.

"Lord Gu's heart is beating very fast, ninety beats per breath. The Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic says that the heart stores the spirit and the liver stores the soul. Your blood and qi are surging and your spirit is restless. It seems that the so-called 'golden age' of the Great Yuan Dynasty will ultimately be unable to protect your pure heart."

Li Xuangeng's gentle voice drifted in the night breeze, carrying a strange, comforting power.

Gu Qingfeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the pounding in his heart, and clasped his hands, saying, "Daoist Master, now that I am here, I disregard life and death. If any official dares to keep children in captivity, I will risk my life to cut him down. Tomorrow at the morning court, I will surely beat the Dengwen Drum and remonstrate with His Majesty to the death!"

"To remonstrate with the emperor to the death?"

Li Xuangeng seemed to have heard an extremely funny joke; a sickly and mocking smile curled at the corner of his mouth beneath the white silk. He didn't offer any explanation, but simply picked up his lantern and turned to walk towards the end of the street.

"Let's go, Lord Gu. Wait until you see with your own eyes how this 'dish' was made before you consider... whether that petition drum is for seeking justice or just a bell to ring before someone else's meal."

The two walked one after the other through the desolate, dark alleys of the capital.

"Where are we going?" Gu Qingfeng followed closely behind, his hand gripping the hilt of his knife.

"Underneath the Ministry of Justice's prison, in the so-called 'Xuanwu Pool'." Li Xuangeng's voice was casual, yet it made Gu Qingfeng gasp.

The Ministry of Justice prison is one of the most heavily guarded places in the capital; not even a fly can get in!

However, when they actually arrived outside the high walls of the Ministry of Justice prison, Gu Qingfeng was stunned.

The outer wall of the Ministry of Justice, which should have been manned every five steps and guarded every ten, was now completely deserted. Only two enormous stone Bixie squatted at the entrance, their eyes gleaming with an eerie, dark red light.

"Master, why are there no Imperial Guards patrolling tonight?" Gu Qingfeng asked in confusion.

"Because the 'head chef' doesn't like to be disturbed by irrelevant people when preparing ingredients." Li Xuangeng stopped and unleashed the [Human Emperor's Aura Observation Technique].

The gate, which appeared empty to Gu Qingfeng, was covered in countless translucent, giant leeches that emitted a strong stench of death in Li Xuangeng's vision! These leeches were like a living barrier, completely enveloping the entire Ministry of Justice dungeon.

"In Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny) analysis, Hai, Zi, and Chou form a Water element combination in the North. Tonight is the Ren Zi night, when the water vapor is at its heaviest, which is precisely when these Yin and evil water elements are most active."

Li Xuangeng shook his head, his tone full of disdain: "It's a pity. Too much water makes the wood float, and the yin energy is too strong. The ingredients raised here have a rotten smell like they came from the sewers."

He didn't even bother to make a hand seal; he simply raised his right foot, clad in white cloth shoes, and lightly stepped on the bluestone slab at the entrance of the Ministry of Justice, seemingly in an extremely casual manner.

"Taoist Gate, Taiji Trembles!"

"Buzz—!"

A pure golden ripple, invisible to the naked eye yet containing the most yang and powerful celestial energy, instantly disappeared into the ground!

"Chirp chirp chirp!!!"

Suddenly, Gu Qingfeng heard an extremely piercing and chilling scream erupt from the air. Immediately afterward, the two windproof lanterns hanging on the gate of the Ministry of Justice exploded with a "bang," and a burnt smell filled the air.

"The barrier is broken, and the door is open. Lord Gu, please." Li Xuangeng, carrying a lantern, took the lead and stepped into the eerie darkness.

We walked through the dark and damp tunnel, descending dozens of feet underground.

The stench of blood and fish in the air grew stronger and stronger, almost solidifying, making Gu Qingfeng gag repeatedly. He could only tear off a piece of his clothing to cover his mouth and nose, forcing himself to endure the churning in his stomach as he followed behind Li Xuangeng.

Finally, the view ahead opened up.

This is an enormous underground cavern, also known as the "Xuanwu Pool," the most secret water dungeon within the Ministry of Justice.

When Gu Qingfeng saw the scene before him, the fine steel sword in his hand fell to the ground with a clang. He was struck as if by lightning, his knees buckled, and he almost knelt down.

"No...impossible...this is impossible!!!"

Gu Qingfeng's eyes were bloodshot and red from extreme fear and anger, and blood vessels even appeared at the corners of his eyes.

In that enormous pool, which was about half the size of a football field, were not any heinous criminals, but hundreds of naked children!

These children were only five or six years old. Some were already deathly pale and had stopped breathing; others were still twitching weakly. The pool water was an extremely eerie dark red, and the stone walls around the pool were covered with nauseating and evil runes. Those runes seemed to be alive, continuously drawing wisps of milky white innate life force from the children's bodies!

In the very center of the water dungeon stood a high platform made of piled bones.

On the high platform sat a fat official dressed in the scarlet official robes of the first rank of the Dayuan Dynasty and wearing a black gauze hat.

He was none other than Yan Shikuan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, who was known as the "Iron-Faced Judge"!

At this moment, this usually benevolent and righteous official, who was known for his brilliant judgment in court, was grabbing the arm of a five-year-old boy, stuffing the boy's wrist into his mouth, and greedily sucking his blood.

"Yan Shih-kuan! You beast! You've been wearing the official's skin of Dayuan in vain!"

Gu Qingfeng's worldview completely collapsed. He let out a desperate roar like a wild beast, picked up the long knife on the ground, and rushed towards Yan Shikuan on the high platform without regard for anything else!