It was evening by the time the kidnappers finally reached their base.
The building was surrounded by dense trees on all sides. Situated in a clearing, the base was completely invisible. Even if one had spirit sensing, they wouldn't be able to sense it. The base had once been the mansion of a mysterious demonic cultivator and had many other such perks.
When Qinghe was taken into the base, he noticed the wall of talismans that supported the invisibility spell from the inside. Though they were unbreachable from the outside, they were fragile to attacks from within.
Since he knew for a fact that these talismans weren't made by the Drifting Clouds Sect, he presumed that they must be black market goods, and for the kidnappers to have so many of them could only mean that they were backed by a very influential black marketing gang. The only name that came to Qinghe's mind was the notorious Black Fang organization, the only criminal organization currently able to go toe-to-toe with the Order of Sentinels.
Well, that explained their arrogance.
Qinghe was taken underground, where there were rows of holding cells on each side made of spirit-suppressing material. Once someone was locked in there, even if the effects of the poison wore off after a day, the return of cultivation still wouldn't be of any use.
But Qinghe had already foreseen this.
Spirit-suppressing material rose in its rarity according to its grade. Though Black Fang had inexhaustible access to black market goods, even they couldn't get ahold of large amounts of high-grade spirit-suppressing material—it was that rare. The best they could do was go for mid-grade. And thankfully, mid-grade material could only suppress up to sixth realm.
Qinghe was already in eighth realm, though he disguised his cultivation to look like it was only in the fourth. The kidnappers would obviously think that mid-grade spirit-suppressing material would be enough to contain him.
Seeing his speculations come true, Qinghe was relieved.
The holding cells were fitted with vertical bars, so Qinghe was able to peek into them in passing, finding that most of the cells were empty. The only occupants seemed to be Chen Xiande in one cell and a silver-haired woman in the cell opposite his. The woman seemed to be sleeping comfortably. Chen Xiande, on the other hand, looked terrible.
His face was gaunt, dark bags weighing under his eyes. He looked sickly pale and listless. With just one look, Qinghe could tell that he hadn't been fed for days. Though it normally wouldn't have made much of a difference to a cultivator who had formed their core, locked up as he was in a cell made of spirit-suppressing material, Chen Xiande's body didn't have access to spiritual energy to keep him going in the absence of nourishment, thus needing sustenance in the form of food and water like regular people. And since he had been denied anything to eat or drink like this for several days, though his strengthened body wouldn't die, he was naturally in a dreadful state.
When the cell's door was opened with a creak, Chen Xiande finally lifted his head with effort, only to be greeted with the sight of his junior brother being unceremoniously shoved inside, the door being locked behind him again.
"…Junior Brother?" Chen Xiande sounded disbelieving. Was this a hallucination brought on due to starvation?
Qinghe smiled. "Senior Brother, it's been a while. You don't look very good."
Chen Xiande's mouth opened, his lips cracking. "Is it really you, Junior Brother?"
"Yes, it's me. It seems I've caused you some trouble this time. I apologize." After all, this situation was only the result of their kidnappers' enmity towards Qinghe.
Trying hard to focus, Chen Xiande asked, "What happened? Why are you here?"
Seeing his senior brother struggling, Qinghe rummaged in his sleeves to retrieve a pouch of dried fruits and nuts before handing them over without a fuss. "Please don't eat it all at once, it's not good for your body."
He had much more food in his storage space, but since he had imbibed poison that rendered his cultivation useless and also caused his spiritual power to be frozen, he couldn't use his spiritual sense to access the storage space. Thus, he could only use the food he had on him physically. Thankfully, he always kept some food on him since he'd learned to be prepared to be starved during assignments.
Chen Xiande eagerly received the pouch. Knowing that he was somewhat muddled, Chen Xiande controlled his ravenous hunger and forced himself to listen to his junior brother as he slowly consumed the offered food.
As his senior brother ate, Qinghe recited all that had happened. Apart from frowning, Chen Xiande had no other reaction until he was done eating.
"So you exchanged yourself for my safety? Are you stupid?! It only means they won't hurt me from now on! It doesn't mean they'll let me go or not hurt you!" Chen Xiande burst out after finishing the food. He already felt clearheaded enough to think of these points.
But if he could think of this, how could Qinghe have not?
"I know," he said smiling. "They're probably thinking of permanently crippling my cultivation and selling me off on the black market to take revenge for what happened before."
Seeing him calmly saying this only stoked Chen Xiande's anger higher. "Then why the hell did you give yourself up?! Even if the sect doesn't have me, it won't make much of a difference!"
Qinghe's eyes flashed with anger at those self-depreciating words.
"Why are you all like this?" he spoke heatedly. "What does it matter if you're useful to the sect? Aren't you a person? What difference does it make whether you're useful or not?! As long as you're my senior brother, you are owed this much!"
Chen Xiande stared at him, astonished. He had never seen his junior brother being so…agitated. And to think it was because he was defending him… Chen Xiande felt a faint warmth blooming towards Qinghe. Maybe having a junior brother like this was also not bad.
"So if I said I quit being your senior brother and withdrew from the sect, then you won't care anymore?" Chen Xiande lightly teased. He felt that this situation was becoming surreal.
Seeing his senior brother in a good mood, his anger disappeared as if it had never existed. Smirking, Qinghe declared arrogantly, "As long as I say you're my senior brother, you'll remain my senior brother! There's no way I'm taking on such a cumbersome task as being a sect master. Administrative positions don't suit me at all."
"Hmm, true. You do like to run around," Chen Xiande observed. He felt that bantering like this with someone was a rare delicacy. He smiled happily. If this was the result of the hardships he'd faced from the time he was kidnapped, then he felt it was well worth it.
Seeing that his senior brother was finally opening up to him, Qinghe showed a satisfied smile.
"Junior Brother, do you really have a way to escape?" Chen Xiande was pensive. While he trusted Feng Qinghe, he also knew how dire the situation was.
"Yes, it's a simple plan. I'll just use brute force," Qinghe said tranquilly.
Chen Xiande didn't understand, but let it go. If this plan needed his cooperation, then his junior brother would have told him. Since he didn't, it just meant that he didn't need to know.
"Alright then, I won't ask any more," Chen Xiande relented.
Qinghe looked at him strangely. "It's not that I don't trust you, Senior Brother. It's just that I'm afraid if they use torture, you won't be able to hold on."
Stiffening, Chen Xiande rebutted, "You signed an oath that states that they can't harm me if you surrender yourself. Since you did, for them to torture me is impossible!"
Smiling helplessly, Qinghe clarified, "I meant if they tortured me. If they told you they'd stop tormenting me only if you gave up our plans, I'm not sure you'd hold on."
Chen Xiande paled. Why was he mentioning his torture so casually? He didn't look the least bit terrified! Sure enough, this junior brother of his seemed to have a lot of experience.
Collecting himself, Chen Xiande asked, "How long is it going to take for us to get out?"
Qinghe looked up at the small barred window sitting high on the wall. He could see the sky through it and determined the time before saying, "Around the same time tomorrow. Early evening, perhaps."
Nodding, Chen Xiande was about to ask something else when a melodious laugh interrupted him. It sounded like ringing bells and came from the silver-haired woman who had been sleeping peacefully in the opposite cell.
"See?" she said to Chen Xiande, "I told you that you'd soon have a friend to join you, didn't I?"
Frowning uncomfortably, Chen Xiande grumped, "He's not my friend."
"Yes, we're fellow brothers," Qinghe helpfully supplied from the side.
The silvery peals of laughter could be heard again, sounding cheerful.
Qinghe carefully studied the woman. For someone to radiate joy like she did in such a situation, she must be unique in some way.
The woman looked young, but upon closer inspection, light and barely visible wrinkles lined her face. She had a timelessness to her, as if she could be an old looking twenty-year-old or a young looking sixty-year-old. Or maybe she was thousands of years old, who knew?
Her eyes seemed distant and yet shone with life. Her silver hair flowed down long and curly, trailing to the floor. She was not at all like someone who was being held captive in a dingy cell.
"I thank you for keeping my senior brother company," Qinghe said politely.
Waving his thanks away, she spoke breezily, "It's nothing. Actually, I'm quite sad that you will have to go through so much. But you seemed to handle it well, so I guess I don't have to worry."
Though what she said didn't seem to make sense, Qinghe didn't comment on it. At the sight of her hair, a speculation had already formed in his heart.
"What are you spouting again?" Chen Xiande asked grouchily. This woman kept spewing nonsense and it gave him a headache.
But the woman didn't seem to hear him. Her gaze still focused on Qinghe, she said in a more solemn tone, "Yes, you are strong. You are stronger than most and with good reason. But keep in mind that if you keep being strong like this, you will break your loved ones. Boy, be careful."
Qinghe tilted his head curiously. Though he didn't understand, he'd make sure to remember her words just in case. "I thank you for your guidance," he said in courtesy.
The seriousness vanished from the woman's face and she laughed her tinkling laugh again. "Ah, you're such a good boy!"
The Chen Xiande who felt left out could only pout on the inside as his expression grew gloomier. He had been having such a nice time with his junior brother, why did she have to interrupt them?
Not knowing these thoughts, Qinghe continued to converse with her. "May I ask how you came to be here?"
"Ah, that. I saw a few gentlemen guiding young men and women into a cart and I thought I'd ask them which station the bus was heading to next and if they could save me a window seat." Saying this, she burst out laughing as if she'd just made the greatest joke ever.
Station? Bus? Window seat? What were these unfamiliar words? Qinghe was deep in thought. But putting these strange terms aside, he felt he understood the gist of what had truly happened.
The woman must have seen Black Fang members herding people from one of the slums, gathering them in a cart to be sold off later. He didn't know why, but she must have asked to be included. Well, she seemed eccentric enough to do something like that. And after that…
"Did they put you in this cell when they found out you were a cultivator?" Qinghe asked.
Startled, Chen Xiande looked at the strange woman. "She's a cultivator?!"
The silver-haired woman merely laughed as she nodded. "Yes, yes! Aren't you a clever little young man for figuring it out!"
Qinghe smiled and explained, "If you weren't, then there would be no need to place you in a cell with spirit-suppressing material."
"True," the woman nodded again. She was taking a liking to this little guy!
"Then which sect are you from?" Chen Xiande asked, scowling ill-manneredly.
She winked and returned in a playful tone, "Why don't you try guessing?"
Shaking his head as they bickered, Qinghe relaxed against a wall with a gentle smile. He always liked it most when the people around him were lively.
He looked up and his good mood somewhat decreased when he spotted the metal hook strongly attached to the ceiling above. His eyes darkened in thought, but he shook it away. He'd have to face it soon enough.
Just as night was falling, they came for him.
The silver-haired woman had already started to snooze and Chen Xiande was also beginning to get drowsy. Qinghe was about to suggest that they go to sleep when he heard the sound of turning wheels and footsteps.
A black-robed young man leisurely walked up to Qinghe's cell and gestured for his lackeys to open it. Behind him were the kidnapper boss who'd brought him here, the bald leader from way before, and a couple others who were dragging behind them a wooden wheeled table. Sharp metal glinted on the table's surface.
As the cell door opened with an ominous groan, the black-robed man smiled and said, "Hello, It seems you took really good care of my boy last time. So as repayment, let's have some fun together, shall we?"
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Bonus Scene: Before (Part 1)
The sky was a vast expanse of pale purple, stretching endlessly in all directions. The verdant grass below waved gently in the wind, the bright colored wildflowers that were tucked between the green blades looking especially bright and cheery this evening.
Cutting through the landscape was a shallow stream that slithered like a silver ribbon over the lush land. Standing in its placid waters was a duo of father and son.
The water level reached up to Feng Qinghe's knees as he waded through the stream, splashing in the clear water happily. At the side, Feng Huixin watched with a warm gaze as his four-year-old son played around.
Sunlight glided its gilded fingers over this harmonious scene, turning it into a poignant portrait.
"Father, I caught a fishy!" Qinghe exclaimed proudly as he turned to Feng Huixin with a brilliant smile no less blinding than the sun.
The large fish caught between Qinghe's hands thrashed violently, its silvery scales still glimmering with wetness. Its round eyes swiveled around hysterically as its mouth opened and closed, gasping for life in desperation.
Feng Huixin felt the corners of his eyes tighten in distress, but he hid it well. Bending down, he carefully studied the fish to see if it could in any way harm his little son. Finding it to be exceedingly ordinary, he then met the expectant gaze of his son and calmly advised, "You should put it back into the water."
Qinghe pouted like a spoiled child.
But he'd caught it with so much effort!
Patiently, Feng Huixin explained, "Qinghe, each life is so precious and maintained with so much hard work, ending it carelessly is a sin."
Qinghe tilted his head cutely in response to his father's solemn tone. "I don't understand," he finally declared, puffing up his cheeks. He didn't like it when he didn't understand!
Feng Huixin felt exasperated affection filling his heart. He had to stop himself from reaching out his hands and pinching those two chubby little round cheeks that looked like ripe peaches. His son seemed to be getting more and more adorable with each passing day.
Sighing, he tried to explain it in a way a child could comprehend. "For a fish to live, it has to struggle to find food every day, it has to escape from all the other bigger fishes that try to eat it. It has to put in so much effort just so it doesn't die. If you kill it so casually, all that effort would have been for nothing. It's very pitiful, isn't it?"
Looking down at the flopping fish whose struggles were beginning to weaken, Qinghe vaguely felt like he understood what his father meant. But more than anything, he understood that his father didn't want the fish to die. Qinghe didn't want his father to be sad.
And so, with a heart full of regret, Qinghe lowered the struggling fish back into the stream. The fish thrashed around for a bit more in the shallow water before it gained enough strength to swiftly swim away.
Raising his hand in a wave, Qinghe sadly called out, "Bye-bye, little fishy! I'm sorry I almost killed you!"
A glint of silver flashed beneath the water surface before disappearing.
Qinghe mournfully decided to put the matter to the back of his mind.
On the other hand, Feng Huixin was very pleased with his son's compassionate behavior. Leaning down, he carefully picked up the little boy and held him in his arms as he walked back towards the Feng residence.
Used to being carried and coddled, Qinghe snuggled comfortably in his father's arms, his tender cheek brushing against the hollow of Feng Huixin's throat as he asked, "Father, what does 'sin' mean?"
Feng Huixin remembered that he'd just used the word while lecturing his son. So it turned out that that was what his son hadn't understood.
In his usual dignified and serious tone, he explained while walking, "A sin is something bad that must not be done."
Qinghe looked up at his father in confusion. "Really? It's bad?"
Feng Huixin nodded gravely.
"But," Qinghe protested, "Mother said that I was so cute that it was a sin. Does that mean I'm bad?"
Fen Huixin almost stumbled. As always, his wife's careless words only brought him more problems to straighten out!
Coughing to cover up his temporary discomposure, Feng Huixin solemnly explained once more, "The word can have different meanings in different contexts. The way your mother used it simply means that you're…too cute. It does not mean you're bad."
Qinghe nodded knowingly. Yes, he knew that he was very cute. His parents and all their friends and colleagues kept repeating that, so of course it was a truth he had grown accustomed to hearing.
Sighing like he had experienced the great vicissitudes of life, the little boy complained in his childish voice, "Words are so hard."
Feng Huixin patted his son's small back soothingly. Ah, the worries of a four-year-old. They were so profound.
Still wallowing in the difficulties of learning language, Qinghe continued, "Father, now I know why you don't speak so much." Leaning close, Qinghe whispered into Feng Huixin's ear, "You don't know many words, do you? Don't worry, I'll learn all the words and teach you."
Leaning back again, Qinghe gave his dumbfounded father a reassuring look.
Feng Huixin almost tripped again.
It seemed that the saying was true: Like mother, like son!