In the dark cell, it was impossible to know just how long Hong Zhao had been within Yuan City. Meals came in sporadic intervals. It would seem like they had just delivered food by the time more came by. For the most part, Hong Zhao ignored the gruel they served, instead he opted for the dried rations he kept in his own storage ring. He smiled as he looked at his left ring finger. As he did, it was impossible to see the ring that still lay snugly on the finger. He sent up a silent thank you to Lan for giving him a way to hide the ring in plain sight.
Though he had made dried rations appear out of nowhere, the others within the cell said nothing. They stuck to their side of the cell, and he stayed on his.
The first time the guards came to the cell with food, they noticed the corpse of the man who refused to move. When they asked what happened to the man, the others stayed tight lipped. Yet when he looked over to Hong Zhao, he only saw the boy cultivating. His brows knit, yet he said nothing as he ordered two guards to take the corpse from the cell.
From that time onward, Hong Zhao continued to cultivate. The man whom he had killed had been a first star disciple ranked expert, which was most likely the reason he had been put in prison. And that was also the reason for the guard's confused expression. He was under the impression that the boy was only a ninth star student ranked expert. There was a huge gap in power between a ninth star student ranked cultivator and a first star disciple ranked expert, yet somehow this boy bridged the gap.
When Hong Zhao had killed the man with his devouring qi claws, he had taken the man's qi into himself. After doing so, the cultivation gains increased slightly due to his internal energies melding with the small stream of qi which leaked from the outside world.
Hong Zhao had long since run out of the energy that the man had given him. Instead, he held the qi stone which he usually used to boost his cultivation. If the guards looked at him, they would only see a small stone that could have been in his pocket when he entered, or a small chip off of the stone wall which he decided to focus his cultivation on. They would not assume that such a stone could help bolster the young boy's cultivation.
Whether it was days, weeks, months or years, Hong Zhao stayed seated within his corner of the room. Every once in a while, a newcomer would find his way to the cell. When this happened, they would normally bother Hong Zhao, against the other men's instructions. The hole that the qi shot had left sat a few inches away from the young boy as a shining promise to those who would disrupt him.
Hong Zhao didn't mind much when a new person entered the cell. As soon as they crossed the mark he made, his cultivation would stop. He would activate devouring qi claws and sever the head from the shoulders. After, he would refine the energy the fool had parted with, bolstering his own cultivation.
Not quite knowing how long he had been within the cell, Hong Zhao sighed with appreciation as he felt himself rise above the bottleneck into the ninth star disciple rank. Sweat dripped from his hair, plastering it to his back. He silently thanked whatever god might be watching for making sure he was in his qi blocking uniform when he had entered the dungeon. Even if the guards looked at him, they would only see a void within the qi surrounding the cell. If they didn't see him, they wouldn't even know he existed.
A few meals after his breakthrough, the guards came to the cell door. "Hong Zhao, come to the door." The warrior ranked cultivator that had brought him to the city said in a neutral tone.
Hong Zhao sighed as he got to his feet. As he did, the guards noticed the other men within the cell twitch with nervousness. The man raised an eyebrow as if to say 'really?'
Hong Zhao made his way to one of the doors, which opened slightly upon his approach. Without saying a word, the man turned towards the stairs with him in tow. As they climbed, Hong Zhao became used to the light once more by using the torches that were lining the walls. By doing this, the natural light from the windows of the building didn't blind him as they entered the ground floor of the home.
As they finally left the darkness of the dungeon stairwell, Hong Zhao found himself in the familiar hallway which he had entered the estate through. Hong Zhao then followed the guard through the home leading to the back. The walk itself took around five minutes, which spoke for the size of the estate. As they exited the building, they stepped out to a large lavish garden. Hong Zhao saw a small lake further out, surrounded by flowers. The whole sight reminded him slightly of some of the mansion gardens he had to infiltrate back on earth. 'These rich assholes and their gardens,' he thought deep in his heart. Though the streets were most likely filled with homeless people, the rich could always surround themselves with such lavishness, instead of giving back anything to who they owe their riches to.
Hong Zhao followed the guard on a red brick path which led to a golden bench, where sat an older gentlemen. Stopping a few feet from the man, the guard bowed and announced their arrival. "This lowly guard greets Zheng Guo and presents prisoner Hong Zhao." He looked at Hong Zhao to have him bow as well, but the boy just stood there with a lazy expression on his face.
The Guard's face turned slightly red, but before he could do anything Zheng Guo raised his hand. "Not to worry, please leave us."
The guard bowed once more before he turned on his heel and brushed past Hong Zhao.
"So, we finally meet, Hong Zhao." Zheng Guo said with a small smile upon his lips.