Chapter 182 Out One Dungeon, Into Another
Lian and my elder brother both froze at the same time. Before either of them could figure out whether the other was friend or foe, I suddenly heard a muffled shout from among the drunken men sprawled outside the cave:
“Hey? Who... who blew out the lights...? Get me another jug—glug...”
Oh, no.
Who knew how many people were inside the cave? If the people inside came out and saw this scene...
My heart jumped.
I lowered my voice and shouted as loudly as I dared,
“Coming, coming! Damn it, I only just finished half a bowl of wine!”
I didn't have time to worry about whether we were supposed to “turn hostility into friendship” or anything else. I simply sprang out from behind the rock.
Lian and my brother were both startled when someone suddenly popped out beside them. Almost simultaneously, they said in low voices:
“Why are you here?”
The moment they said it, they both realized they had asked the exact same question at the exact same time.
They immediately turned and glared at each other again, their eyes practically shouting the same question:
Why the hell are you mixed up with him?
Seeing the tension about to rise all over again, I hurriedly waved my hands.
“Stop glaring at each other! There are still people inside! Let's deal with those guys first. We can ask questions afterward!”
My elder brother, Nangong Bo, and Lian both snorted at the same time, but in the end they listened to me.
My brother stared at Lian's face for what felt like half an incense stick before suddenly frowning, as though something had finally clicked.
“It was you...?”
I couldn't tell whether his voice carried surprise, anger, or confusion.
Lian ignored him and simply turned his gaze toward the depths of the cave.
Just then, a coarse roar exploded from inside:
“What are you dragging your feet for?! Get in here! Don't you want your share of the credit?!”
The shout startled me so badly that I nearly jumped.
I hurriedly grabbed my brother with one hand and Lian with the other.
“Quick, quick, quick! Don't blow our cover! Get inside first!”
The three of us scrambled toward the cave entrance.
Inside, there were only two or three torches. Their flames were pitifully small and barely illuminated the passage ahead.
The stone walls were slick with moisture, water dripping steadily from them. The air smelled of rotting wood and damp grass.
The farther we went, the narrower the passage became. The stone walls on either side nearly brushed our shoulders, making it difficult to breathe.
The same voice came again from deeper inside, impatient and irritated.
“This way!”
We continued squeezing forward.
After less than thirty feet, we saw two small side chambers behind iron bars, apparently being used as crude prison cells.
There was only a single small torch inside.
Its light flickered unsteadily.
Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness, the scene gradually came into focus.
And it was horrifying.
The iron bars were covered in rust.
Beside them stood several bizarre-looking torture racks—some designed for hanging people, some for tying them down, and others specifically made to immobilize their hands and feet.
The racks were stained dark red.
I couldn't tell whether it was blood, rust, or both.
Nearby lay several broken clubs and lengths of rotten hemp rope.
One glance was enough to tell that some decidedly “uncivilized” activities took place here on a regular basis.
Inside the cell on the left were the Eighth Prince's personal guards—a group of soldiers in golden armor.
All of them were blindfolded, their hands and feet bound.
They lay scattered across the floor, some leaning against the wall, others lying on their sides.
Every one of them was unconscious.
My heart sank.
Then I looked into the cell on the right.
Hua.
Hua Xiang.
And Mu Cangli.
The three of them were likewise blindfolded with black cloth, their hands and feet tied, sprawled across the floor as though they had been drugged and dumped inside without a second thought.
The dim torchlight flickered against the wall, making the unconscious figures look almost ghostly.
None of them made a sound.
My anxiety only grew.
Standing outside the prison cells was a short, stout man with a shiny, oily face. He was leaning against the cave wall.
The moment he saw us, he waved his hand.
“Why are there only three of you? The others must be slacking off again and didn't bother coming! Whatever, whatever... You three keep an eye on these prisoners. I'm going to report to the Second Boss first.”
He waved his hand again, then added,
“Don't leave this cave! Got it?”
We stepped forward.
Before Lian or I could say anything, my brother cupped his hands and replied,
“Yes, Chief Wang.”
The stout man narrowed his eyes at him.
“So you're the new kid, are you? At least you know how to behave.”
Then he turned to look at Lian and me.
“Huh? And you two are—”
Before he could finish, Lian struck him across the neck with the edge of his hand.
Thud.
The stout man's eyes rolled back.
With a grunt, he collapsed onto the floor, sending a ring of dust into the air.
Me:
“……”
My brother:
“……”
Lian calmly said,
“Too loud.”
I was just about to make a comment when I saw my brother crouch down.
He efficiently searched the unconscious man's waist and pulled out a ring of iron keys.
Without even looking up, he said,
“Bring some torches.”
Lian had already headed toward Hua.
I hurried back outside and brought the two torches inside.
By the time I returned, my brother was already trying the keys one by one at the iron bars.
Of course, he wasn't opening the Eighth Prince's cell.
He was opening the cell where Hua and the others were being held.
I raised the torch toward the Eighth Prince's guards on the left.
I couldn't help exclaiming,
“...We're missing the most important person—the Eighth Prince isn't here!”
In the torchlight, the golden-armored guards were covered in blood.
Clearly, they'd taken quite a beating.
But their breathing was steady enough.
So where was the Eighth Prince?
Why was he the only one missing?
Lian frowned.
“As expected. They took him somewhere separately.”
My brother's expression darkened.
“That's bad.”
Just then, the wind outside the cave suddenly intensified.
“Someone's coming.”
Lian lowered his voice.
I nearly dropped my torch.
“Again?! This cave is busier than a morning market!”
The system suddenly cut in coldly:
“You can choose to play dead.”
“Shut up.”
“Okay.”
Me:
“……”
My brother had noticed the approaching footsteps as well.
He said in a low voice,
“Get the prisoners out first. Wake whoever can be awakened. Carry whoever can't.”
But Lian said,
“Don't move them yet. There are too many of us. It'll be difficult to deal with them.”
The footsteps outside the cave grew steadily closer.
The torches flickered.
The unconscious prisoners behind the iron bars remained completely motionless.
A sudden thought struck me.
I remembered the worst possibility of all.
The Eighth Prince might be on his way here right now.
And if we ran into him head-on...
I swallowed.
“Brother, Lian... what do we do when he gets here?”
The system's voice came again, soft and cold:
“I suggest you don't move for now. If you are exposed later, cry. The more miserable you cry, the better.”
Me:
“？？？”
The system continued:
“Crying can disrupt the enemy's judgment and increase your probability of survival.”
“Didn't you say you were going to stop talking?!”
My brother's hands didn't stop moving.
Just then—
Click.
A faint sound came from the other side.
The cell holding Hua and the others had been opened.
Lian immediately whispered,
“Inside.”
Before I could react, my brother grabbed me and pulled me forward.
The three of us slipped into the cell.
Lian raised a hand, pressed down on my head, and without the slightest hesitation shoved me down behind Hua, who was lying on his side.
Lian himself rolled to the other side of Hua, half-crouching beside him.
His posture looked casual, but he was positioned to spring up and strike at any moment.
My brother also slipped behind Hua Xiang and Mu Cangli.
With a twist of his wrist, he quickly snuffed out the two torches in my hands.
The only light left was the tiny, flickering torch that had been burning against the cave wall from the beginning.
It trembled in the draft.
The entrance to the cave seemed to swallow the light in an instant.
The person outside appeared to hesitate, probably startled by how suddenly everything had gone dark.
He paused at the entrance.
Then he stepped inside.
His shadow stretched unnaturally long beneath the weak torchlight, swaying across the stone wall like a crooked serpent slowly slithering toward us.
My back was pressed tightly against the stone wall.
My heart was pounding so hard it felt as though it might burst through my chest.
My brother's fist was clenched, his knuckles white, as though he might crush something in the next instant.
Lian's shoulders were slightly lowered.
He was so still that he might not have been breathing at all.
The footsteps drew closer.
The torchlight flickered.
His figure finally came clearly into view.
It was the tall, thin man we'd seen by the river.
Gaunt face.
High cheekbones.
His hands were empty.
And the enormous cloth sack that had previously been slung over his shoulder was nowhere to be seen.