6. A Knife

“You little beast, it’s time to eat.”

The small hatch at the base of the prison door swung open, and a hand pushed in a bowl of rice mixed with coarse grains. On top of the rice was a cloudy film of sticky mucus.

Lin Guichen sat against the wall inside the dungeon, eyes closed, as if he hadn’t heard a thing, unmoving.

“Turned mute, have you?”

The jailer stood up and kicked the door, his fleshy face appearing in the small window above.

“Hmph, as stubborn as your mute mother. When I discussed with Chen Zhonghai about cutting out her tongue, we should have cut yours out too, you little beast.”

He glared fiercely at Lin Guichen.

Lin Guichen finally opened his eyes and looked at him.

“Eat it or not, your choice.” The jailer sneered, laughed, and turned to leave. “Starve if you want, ha ha…”

His laughter faded away.

Lin Guichen ignored him and took a deep breath. “It’s been about three days.”

He wasn’t sure precisely how many days he’d spent in the dungeon. To judge the passage of time, he relied on changes in the light, the jailer’s rounds, and meal deliveries by the Chen clan. But he had another method as well.

“How long until the next round of alchemy?” Lin Guichen glanced at the little Daoist child sitting beside him and asked in a low voice.

The child, bored, tilted her head and squinted, looking half-asleep like a student dozing in class.

Hearing Lin Guichen’s question, she yawned and muttered without opening her eyes, “Half an hour left. You treat me like a clock, asking and asking, never stopping. If you ask again, I’ll sit on your head, believe me.”

Lin Guichen paid her no mind, and anticipation stirred within him.

Of course, what he looked forward to was the Opening Spirit Pill an hour from now—not being sat on by the Daoist child.

An hour slipped by in the blink of an eye.

“Ah…” The Daoist child finally stood up, stretched languidly, and approached Lin Guichen with the air of a nurse dispensing medicine. “Time’s up. Take your medicine.”

She picked up her pouch at her waist and said, “Same as last time—those five spiritual pills. Pick two, your choice.”

Fasting Pill, Nourishment Pill, Bone Regeneration Elixir, Life-restoring Powder, Opening Spirit Pill.

“One Opening Spirit Pill, one Bone Regeneration Elixir,” Lin Guichen replied without hesitation.

His wounds were stabilized, so he didn’t need the Life-restoring Powder for now.

The Fasting Pill was unnecessary. He’d taken one three days ago, hadn’t moved much since, so hunger wasn’t a problem. If he waited another couple of days, he’d have to choose the Fasting Pill.

No choice. The food brought by the jailer these days remained untouched. Firstly, he feared poison. Secondly, the jailer, apparently a distant relative of Chen Zhonghai, spat in the rice in front of him every time, taunting him to starve.

That cold, mocking hatred—he nearly wished to beat Lin Guichen with a stick.

Fortunately, there were Fasting Pills.

Nourishment Pill was for health and energy, but now wasn’t the time for that.

The most important thing now was the Opening Spirit Pill.

But opening the first spiritual node only required one pill; the second would take two, totaling three. He could only open one now, so he’d rather use a Bone Regeneration Elixir to treat his crippled leg.

Though healing his leg would need six or seven such elixirs, one should still have some effect.

At least it would make his leg more agile, and increase his chances of escape.

“Here.”

The Daoist child drew a stream of strange light from the void into her pouch, soon shaping one green and one white pill, which she handed to him.

The pills melted instantly in his mouth, transforming into two currents of energy, sliding down his throat and vanishing within him.

“By the way, can these pills be given to others?” Lin Guichen suddenly wondered aloud.

“Yes.” The Daoist child grinned strangely. “But only if you forever give up using that type of pill yourself, and you provide the materials for its alchemy.”

“...Forget I asked.” Lin Guichen dismissed the thought and began to sense the effects of the pills.

A cool sensation bloomed in his mind, bringing a peculiar clarity, as if clear spring water washed a dusty mirror, making its surface sharper.

Though nothing seemed to have changed, everything felt subtly different.

The coolness faded swiftly.

Lin Guichen found his senses newly attuned; upon careful examination, he could faintly perceive the broken Escape Talisman hidden on his person.

He sensed a strange power within the talisman. If he focused, he could draw on this remnant energy.

So this was the spirit awakened by opening a spiritual node?

Indeed, merely opening the node brought no martial enhancement. It was like an improved sixth sense, offering no increase to his strength, speed, or reflexes.

“If I can activate the Escape Talisman, that’s enough…”

Meanwhile, he noticed a warm current at the site of his broken right leg, an itch and a peculiar pressure-pain. The muscles pressed against the fracture, exerting force, as if trying to realign the bone.

He knew this was his broken leg beginning to heal.

When Chen Zhonghai broke his right leg, he’d never properly set the bone or taken medicine, forced to work soon after. That was why he limped.

Even with modern medicine, such a recovery would be difficult.

The Bone Regeneration Elixir truly was miraculous. With six or seven, he could be restored?

Lin Guichen became hopeful. Once he escaped, he’d heal his broken leg, then use Life-restoring Powder and Nourishment Pill to regain his health.

“The elixir’s effects will take time,” he mused, “but first I have to escape. Tonight, after the jailer’s rounds, I’ll activate the Escape Talisman and run!”

The jailer made periodic rounds, checking on the prisoners.

The timing varied: sometimes a few hours, sometimes half a day.

But at night, the interval was at least seven or eight hours—time enough for sleep.

And escaping at night was safer; daytime risked swift discovery by the Chen clan.

As long as he waited until evening, after the jailer checked the cells, he’d have several hours before the next round.

That would be the best chance for escape!

Lin Guichen closed his eyes and waited for nightfall.

Meanwhile, the elixir had time to work. In these hours, his leg could heal further, making escape easier.

Time passed, minute by minute.

After several hours, the light outside had dimmed considerably.

Suddenly—

Footsteps sounded outside the cell.

“Is it time for the round?” Lin Guichen was pleased. Based on the alchemist child’s intervals, it should be afternoon, and night was close.

A few more hours, and he could try activating the Escape Talisman.

However—

“Hm?” Lin Guichen’s expression changed.

The footsteps were many—not just one, but at least three, maybe more!

“Are they going to release me…?” He felt uneasy.

His best plan was to escape under cover of darkness and leave Kangle County before the Chen clan noticed.

If they released him early, it would be to transfer him to another place for house arrest, which would complicate things.

Soon, the footsteps arrived at the cell door.

The jailer entered first, holding a lantern, then obsequiously stepped aside.

Following him came Chen Shuxing, the young clan leader of the Chen family.

After glancing at Lin Guichen, Chen Shuxing also stepped aside, respectfully inviting, “Uncle, please come in.”

Lin Guichen’s gaze shifted.

“You’ve been helpful, Shuxing,” came a hoarse, elderly voice as a grey-haired old man in black robes entered, leaning on a cane, supported by a girl of about fourteen or fifteen.

The girl held a lantern in her other hand.

Lin Guichen studied the old man.

This was the Third Elder of the Chen clan?

“A small matter,” Chen Shuxing replied respectfully. “If Chen Zhonghai weren’t a fifth-degree kin, protected by the ancestral gods, I would have brought this boy to you three days ago.”

The Third Elder smiled but said nothing, approaching Lin Guichen slowly, supported by the girl.

“Lin Guichen, isn’t it?” The Third Elder examined him with a gaze of subtle insight. Whatever he saw, his smile deepened, wrinkles at the corners of his eyes growing more pronounced.

“You’re the Third Elder of the Chen clan?” Lin Guichen asked.

Chen Shuxing raised his brows at the attitude.

The jailer burst out, “You insolent little beast! How dare you speak to the Elder like that? Kneel, or I’ll break your other leg!”

Had the young clan leader not forbidden violence, the jailer would have acted days ago, given his ties to Chen Zhonghai.

Lin Guichen ignored him, staring impassively at the Third Elder.

The Elder smiled. “I am.”

He then asked, “Child, do you wish to leave?”

“Does it matter? I’ll die on the fifteenth of next month either way,” Lin Guichen replied.

“Everyone dies eventually,” the Third Elder smiled. “But how you die, how you live before death, and what follows after—all that matters, don’t you think?”

Lin Guichen paused. “You want me to marry your granddaughter in a ghost wedding, to be buried alive with her, right?”

“Yes,” the Third Elder replied gently. “But before your burial, I can give you a bottle of medicine, so you’ll die in your sleep, not suffer the terror of being buried alive.”

“So I’m supposed to thank you?” Lin Guichen laughed bitterly.

He shook his head. “If I wanted to kill myself and ruin your plans, could you stop me?”

“It would be difficult,” the Third Elder admitted. “That’s why I’ve come to talk.”

Lin Guichen considered. “I’ll cooperate, but I have three conditions.”

“You dare make demands, you—” The jailer began to curse, but the Elder shot him a cold glance that made him fall silent.

The Third Elder turned back to Lin Guichen, smiling warmly. “State your terms, child. As long as they’re not excessive, I’ll grant them.”

Lin Guichen breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as he expected.

The Elder needed a living partner with matching birth dates for his granddaughter’s ghost marriage—likely for some special purpose.

Thus, leveraging this point to threaten the Elder was apt.

Still, it only bought him time until the fifteenth of next month.

Now, he had to face the Elder.

“Simple,” Lin Guichen said. “First, give my mother a sum of money and send her back to Yihai.”

The Elder nodded. “Agreed.”

“Second, before the wedding, I want good food and drink, and to enjoy these last days in peace. That’s not too much, is it?”

“Not at all,” the Elder smiled. “And the third?”

“Third, I need a knife. A sharp one,” Lin Guichen said.

“A knife?” The Elder looked at him.

“Don’t worry—I won’t kill myself. Otherwise, my earlier requests would be for nothing,” Lin Guichen replied calmly.

“…Fine.” The Elder seemed to understand, glanced at the girl supporting him, and said, “Zichu, give him a knife.”

The girl drew a short blade over a foot long from her waist and handed it to Lin Guichen.

“Thank you,” Lin Guichen said, taking the knife. He looked at Chen Shuxing, “I hear you’re skilled in martial arts. Would you mind stepping back and watching?”

The others in the cell were puzzled.

Was this youth about to demonstrate some martial skill?

Chen Shuxing said nothing, simply stepping back two paces.

With ancestral martial skill, he feared no frail, untrained boy with a knife—even several such boys.

The Third Elder was even less concerned.

As Chen Shuxing retreated, Lin Guichen turned to the jailer, “Could you help move this straw mat aside?”

The jailer glared, reluctant. But with both the Elder and young clan leader present, he obediently walked over and bent to gather the mat.

“Thank you.”

Lin Guichen gripped the knife and, without warning, stabbed it downward, sinking the blade deep into the jailer’s back.

The jailer’s body stiffened, stumbling backward a few steps, face pale as death, staring at Lin Guichen, hands reaching behind to pull the knife free.

But he felt his blood pouring from the blade’s groove, draining his life.

“No… you…” The jailer glared at Lin Guichen in hatred, howling, then collapsed.

He could hardly believe this youth would dare, in front of the clan leader and Elder, to kill him so openly!

“I’m done.” Lin Guichen looked at the girl beside the Elder. “Thank you for the knife; it’s very sharp.”

He turned to Chen Shuxing. “Thank you, clan leader, for your cooperation. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have dared kill him before you.”

Chen Shuxing frowned deeply.

Now he was certain: Chen Zhonghai had indeed been killed by this youth.

A single, decisive strike. No hesitation.

“You…” Chen Shuxing began, but the Elder chuckled softly, cutting him off.

“All three of your requests have been met,” the Elder said with a faint smile. “Now will you come with me? You can meet your bride.”

Chen Shuxing sighed quietly.

“Of course. I’d like to see my future wife,” Lin Guichen smiled. “May I ask her name?”