"I should really be practicing for the tournament, brother. Why couldn't you have come here with Brother Tang?" Liu asked, his voice filled with a tinge of disappointment.
Neon, focused on picking the rusty lock, responded, "I sent him out to take care of more important matters. Besides, he also needs to undergo isolation training from time to time, so you're stuck with me." He delivered a swift kick to the lock, attempting to force it open.
"Stop, we need the key," Liu explained, stepping in. "Even cultivators can't easily break through this lock."
From behind the prison bars, Lin Hua began pointing at various places and making gestures. Her lips moved, but no sound reached the two outside. It was evident that she couldn't speak due to some sort of seal placed upon her.
"We're not leaving you here. We'll find a way to break you out," Liu declared, gripping her hands, though it was a challenge due to the thickness of their armor.
Liu understood her gestures perfectly. In fact, they seemed to communicate effortlessly through mere glances, without the need for words.
"Can they really keep an investigator of the Alliance locked up?" the seer asked, eager to move forward with his business while trying to ignore the rather cringeworthy display of the two lovers staring into each other's eyes, holding hands, and acting completely lost. It made him feel uneasy, a tingling sensation creeping up his neck.
"No, they can't. Don't worry. By the way, where did you learn the signing of Black Mamba?" Zhihao replied from behind the prison cell.
The two of them continued their conversation through sign language, specifically using the sign language developed by the Black Mamba House of Excellence. From the looks of it, the seer was much more proficient in the language compared to Zhihao, who struggled a bit but managed to convey his intentions nonetheless.
Murim had become a twisted world over the years, with the presence of various transmigrators, reincarnators, and occasionally, even otherworlders. These powerful individuals influenced the world, resulting in occasional sightings of modern advancements within the medieval era.
Often times you can find grinders and juicers being sold off as heavenly treasures while some heroes have emerged to implement better military systems and some created cuisines. And Sometimes, the protagonists established their own organizations and cults to deal with their issues or various other reasons.
One such organization was the Black Mamba House of Excellence, An ancient organization revived by none other than the seer himself. A notorious organization that used to be well known for its 'into the shadow' plays such as assassinations and information gathering. It is like those unorthodoxies where people know it's wrong but can't punish it due to a lack of evidence and lack of strength.
"It's good that you understand. It would be bad if you didn't, being a member of the Alliance and all," the seer remarked.
The seer then attempted to toss a scroll to Zhihao, but as he threw the scroll, a bluish barrier appeared. At the moment of impact between the scroll and the barrier, the scroll was rejected and propelled away, spinning until it collided with the spear on his helmet, creating a substantial dent.
The armor was made of 100-year cold iron, providing vital protection. If not for its sturdy construction, the seer might have developed a red fountain on his forehead.
The two star-crossed lovers couldn't be bothered by the noise or the barrier, and this worked well for the seer, who now knew that the barrier didn't block family members or guards from entering.
Neon shoved the scroll in with his arm, and the barrier didn't activate as he expected. The barrier recognized the two as family members as they were wearing ai family-made armor.
"What is this?" Zhihao asked.
"Shit that a member of the Alliance would want, and of course, it would help me a lot," replied Neon.
"You could have given it earlier," Zhihao said.
"Nope. I needed them to believe you had it in your possession for quite a while before ending up here, because if I gave it to you outside they would know.so better for me to sneak it in here will." Neon explained.
"Who needs it and why?" Zhihao inquired.
"I'll see you guys directly at the tournament," the seer said as he left.
Then he came back and slammed a rock onto Liu's cold iron-shielded head, disorienting him with the resonating loud sound within the helmet. The seer dragged him away while Liu tried to regain his balance.
"Why aren't we breaking them out? Why are we even here then, brother?" Liu moaned.
"For stuff," the seer replied.
"Why bring me here? You didn't even need me," Liu stated, stabilizing and getting back on his feet.
"I brought you as insurance in case I get detected or something goes wrong. I can't fight off hordes of cultivators, especially ones with good armor," the seer explained.
***
The seer woke up another good morning as all was going according to his plan.
The day of the tournament drew closer. People from different kingdoms had gathered, and the animosity and chaos between sects were high. The tournament provided the perfect opportunity for them to settle their differences and potentially go to war afterward.
This tournament not only allowed them to assess each other's strength but also provided a chance to form alliances, set targets, formulate plans, engage in gambling and match-fixing to gather resources, curry favor with the emperor, make connections, hire and fire, and the list goes on.
It was in everyone's interest for this tournament to take place, and no one stood to lose anything—except, of course, their money if gambling, their lives if participating, or their cultivation if facing an opponent seeking revenge.
People Naturally started to gather in the city for the huge event. They somehow managed to rebuild the entire city in 2 weeks after they heard the emperor himself was going to visit and that he was going to invite emperors of other nations as well.