Wu Gou raised his hand, and a faint Buddhist light emerged from his palm, illuminating the surroundings.
Rows of prison cells were neatly arranged, their iron bars rusted and pitted. Inside were perfectly ordered, charred black skeletons.
The sight made Nie Chaoxi's skin crawl, and she instinctively huddled closer to Plague Rat.
Plague Rat, however, was unafraid. He looked up at the ceiling.
The roof of the cave was high, lost in a pitch-black void, but one could faintly see undulating humanoid masses of rotten flesh clinging to the rock walls like viscous pus.
“What are those?” Nie Chaoxi whispered.
“Marks of the hundred corpse patchwork,” Plague Rat said. “We purified quite a few of them back in the stone forest. Look, there's a huge empty patch directly above us.”
Nie Chaoxi looked in the direction he pointed. Indeed, a large area of the ceiling was clean and bare.
But further away, those marks were dense and crowded, almost merging into a single, massive jigsaw puzzle of rotten flesh that covered the entire cavern roof.
“So many...” Nie Chaoxi murmured.
“This is just the start,” Plague Rat scoffed. “Almost the entire Tianchi Province is filled with this crap. Of course there's plenty of it underground too.”
Wu Gou walked ahead, leading the two through the rows of cells. “This way. The passage to Level Two is further ahead.”
The three continued their descent.
On Underground Level Two, the temperature rose even higher.
Nie Chaoxi's skin began to redden, as if scalded by hot water, and a dull ache set in.
She didn't complain, simply quickening her pace to keep up with Wu Gou and Plague Rat.
Underground Level Three.
Nie Chaoxi's steps began to falter. Small blisters, filled with clear liquid, began to form on her arms.
Plague Rat glanced back, his brow furrowing even deeper.
He suddenly stopped and waved his hand. Dark green mist billowed from him, condensing into a semi-transparent dome around the three of them, sealing out the heat.
Nie Chaoxi felt the temperature plummet instantly. It was as if she had stepped out of a furnace, and the coolness was an immediate relief.
She looked at Plague Rat with gratitude.
Plague Rat rolled his eyes, looking disgusted. “What are you looking at? Move faster. Don't be a drag.”
Nie Chaoxi felt a warmth in her heart and whispered, “Thank you, Lord Rat.”
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Plague Rat pushed ahead, speaking as if to fill the silence and hide his awkwardness.
“Bald ass, all these zheng characters on the walls—were they all carved by that mad woman you mentioned?”
Wu Gou nodded. “This poor monk speculates so. I just don't know what she was recording.”
Nie Chaoxi leaned closer to the wall out of curiosity, reaching out to touch the dense carvings.
The zheng characters were large, each stroke deep and deliberate, as if carved with every ounce of the person's strength.
They were crowded and layered; some were blurred with age, while others remained sharp and clear.
Beneath the tally marks, she discovered some small, crooked script, looking like casual notes.
Nie Chaoxi leaned in and read them aloud:
“Day 100.”
“Today, one prisoner was burned to death. He spent three days in his cell cursing—cursing Central Province, cursing Zhu Pan, cursing Sky-Monitoring.”
“He got what he deserved.”
“Lord Zhu Pan said these people are all defective rejects from the refining process and can be disposed of at will.”
“I did the right thing.”
Nie Chaoxi fell silent for a moment after reading.
Plague Rat clicked his tongue. “Oh, so the mad woman wrote this? Who in their right mind writes a diary?”
Wu Gou crouched down to examine the script. On his first visit, he had been in a hurry and only noticed the prominent tally marks, missing the small lines of text beneath them.
After reading, he pointed further along. “There seems to be more over there.”
The group walked over.
Another line of small text was carved into a different wall, hidden behind a protruding rock.
Nie Chaoxi moved the rock aside and read:
“Day 1.”
“My name is Wing-Fire Snake. Today, I was officially appointed by Lord Zhu Pan as the jailer of the Jiao Mu Kingdom underground prison.”
“Lord Zhu Pan said this place holds the former citizens of Jiao Mu Kingdom, those who resisted divine power, and that thing.”
“I don't know what it is, but I will guard it well.”
“Lord Zhu Pan said I am his most loyal creation, a child born from Starfire. I must repay him with absolute loyalty.”
“I swear I will perform my duties faithfully and never betray Lord Zhu Pan's trust.”
“Any who show disrespect to Central Province shall be executed without mercy.”
“Any who attempt to escape shall be executed without mercy.”
“Any who disobey orders shall be executed without mercy.”
“This is Lord Zhu Pan's will, and it is my mission.”
After she finished reading, the three continued searching the walls.
They soon found a third passage.
“Day 365.”
“I have completed one year as the jailer.”
“Every day, I hear the curses, wails, and pleas of the former Jiao Mu Kingdom citizens. They curse Lord Zhu Pan, they curse Central Province, and they curse me. Their words are foul.”
“I don't care if they curse me. But these lowlifes must not be disrespectful to Central Province.”
“Lord Zhu Pan said these people are rejects from failed refining, held here for secondary processing. I can do with them as I please.”
“So, I burned many of them to death. I can't remember exactly how many. But new prisoners are sent down every day, and old ones are turned to ash every day.”
“Lord Zhu Pan is right. They are merely rejects. They disrespect divine power. Their deaths are of no consequence.”
“But sometimes, I have strange dreams.”
“In the dreams, I am not the jailer, but the prisoner.”
“I am locked in a cell, surrounded by fire. It burns until my whole body aches.”
“I want to scream, but no sound comes out.”
“I want to escape, but there is no way out.”
“When I wake up, I find my face covered in tears.”
“Why is this happening?”
“I am the jailer personally appointed by Lord Zhu Pan. I am the most loyal flame of Sky-Monitoring. Why would I have such dreams?”
“I must just be tired lately.”
“A good sleep will fix it.”
They continued walking, feeling along the walls. They found more and more text.
Some were on the walls, some on stone beds, and some were even carved next to the charred skeletons.
“Day 1145.”
“Burned another one today.”
“Before he died, he kept crying out a name: ‘Ammu’.”
“What a strange name. Almost laughable.”
“But looking into his eyes, my heart suddenly felt heavy.”
“I've burned so many people and never felt bad before.”
“What's wrong with me today?”
...
“Day 3678.”
“The cells are getting emptier.”
“The former citizens of Jiao Mu Kingdom are almost all dead.”
“The few who remain have gone mad. they don't speak, they don't move; they just lie there.”
“Sometimes I bring them food. I'm afraid they'll starve, or bite off their tongues to end it.”
“Lord Zhu Pan didn't say if I should let them commit suicide, but I don't think I should.”
“If they all die, I'll have nothing left to do.”
“When I have nothing to do, I think about those dreams.”
“I don't want to dream.”
...
“Day 5000.”
“A prisoner fell ill today. He had a terrible fever.”
“I didn't want to bother with him, but seeing him twitching on the floor, I healed him anyway.”
“I used the power of Starfire to repair his body.”
“When he woke up and saw me, his eyes were filled with nothing but terror.”
“He said: ‘Don't come near me, you beast.’”
“I said nothing and walked away.”
“Back in my stone chamber, I sat for a long time.”
“A beast?”
“Am I a beast?”
“I am only fulfilling my duty.”
...
“Day 8868.”
“Only a dozen prisoners are left.”
“I go to talk to them every day.”
“Even though they ignore me, and some even curse me, I don't care.”
“At least someone is talking.”
“Today, I sat outside an old man's cell and told him about my childhood.”
“I told him I was adopted by Lord Zhu Pan and raised in Central Province.”
“I told him I've never seen the world outside. I don't know what the sun looks like, or how the wind feels.”
“I told him I've always wanted to know what rain tastes like.”
“The old man listened, then suddenly spoke.”
“He said: ‘You are a pitiable soul too.’”
“I was stunned.”
“Pitiable?”
“I am the jailer. I am the flame of Sky-Monitoring. How could I be pitiable?”
“But I didn't argue with him.”
“Because when he said those words, his eyes held fear and hatred, but there was also... sympathy.”
“He was sympathizing with me.”
“A prisoner, sympathizing with his jailer.”
“I didn't know what to say, so I left.”
“Back in my chamber, I started dreaming again.”
“I dreamed I was standing in a vast open space. There was light above me, so bright and so warm.”
“What was that?”
“Was it the sun?”
...
...
“Day XXXX.”
“More than three hundred thousand days have passed. By my count, it's nearly ten thousand years.”
“Everyone in the prison died long ago. Only I remain.”
“Today, new prisoners arrived.”
“I heard a new dynasty was built on the surface. These people are remnants of that dynasty, led by someone named Purity and Filth.”
“The one who delivered them is named Wan Xiu.”
“I asked him: Can I leave now? Can I return to Central Province? Does Lord Zhu Pan have new instructions?”
“Wan Xiu said: Continue to guard that thing underground. Lord Qing Lu said it is vital and nothing must go wrong. Lord Zhu Pan also said you've done well; keep guarding.”
“Then he left.”
“I stood there for a long time.”
“I don't know what that thing is.”
“But I've guarded it for nearly ten thousand years. The people of Jiao Mu Kingdom are all dead.”
“I have been alone in this underground for nearly ten thousand years.”
“Now the prison is full again.”
“It feels like time is looping.”
“Sending me back ten thousand years. I feel like I'm going mad.”
...
“Day XXXX.”
“Among the new prisoners, there is an old man who is very special.”
“He doesn't shout or make a fuss. He doesn't curse or beg. He just sits quietly in his cell.”
“Aside from eating and sleeping, he spends his time writing on a bamboo slip.”
“I asked him: What are you writing?”
“He said: This is the 《Governance of Tianchi》. It records the insights and experiences I've gained from governing the Royal Capital over the years. I want to leave these experiences for future generations.”
“I sneered. A prisoner in chains, wanting to leave things for posterity? You think you're getting out?”
“He looked at me and said calmly: I have no intention of leaving.”
“He said his two old friends had both martyred themselves for the country, dying under Lord Purity and Filth's sword. But he didn't blame Purity and Filth. He only hated that false god of Central Province, who caused his family's ruin and his state's collapse.”
“He said he didn't want to linger on in prison, but he firmly believed that humanity would prevail over heaven.”
“He said: In this war, our side will surely win. The false god will soon die. After that, there will be ten thousand years without calamity.”
“After hearing him, I wanted to kill him.”
“But for some reason, I didn't.”
Plague Rat raised an eyebrow. “So this was when Old Man Purity and Filth was caught too. What a shame.”
Nie Chaoxi continued reading.
“Day XXXX.”
“The old man writes on his bamboo slip every day, and I go to see him every day.”
“I tell myself this is surveillance, to prevent any suspicious activity.”
“But he doesn't care whether I come or not. He just writes quietly, occasionally looking up to nod at me before returning to his work.”
“Sometimes, he chats with me.”
“He talks about the sunlight, the wind and rain, and the four seasons outside.”
“He talks about life in the Royal Capital, the bustling markets, and the fragrant wine shops.”
“He talks about his clansmen, the lively little Peach Clan children.”
“He said the Peach Clan loves the sun most. When there is sunlight, they stretch their leaves wide to soak it all in.”
“I listen and say nothing.”
“But for some reason, I feel like I can see the things he describes.”
“The sunlight, the wind and rain, the four seasons.”
“The bustling markets, the fragrant wine shops, and the lively little Peach Clan children.”
“I've never seen those things.”
“But in my mind, they seem alive.”
...
“Day XXXX.”
“Today the old man told me a story.”
“A story about the Ancient Binghuo Kingdom, a powerful nation that existed in Tianchi Province during the primordial era.”
“Its monarch was a red-banded snake demon who had cultivated for ten thousand years. Its entire body was crimson, like a ball of burning fire.”
“That snake demon was formidable, leading the kingdom to dominate the region and sheltering countless beings to live and thrive in Tianchi Province.”
“The name Tianchi Province was even given because of it.”
“Chi means fire. Tianchi is the place where heavenly fire descends.”
“But eventually, the kingdom fell.”
“No one knows why. Overnight, the entire kingdom vanished without a trace, leaving only a land full of ash.”
“The old man said he only saw a few words in ancient texts saying that on that night, heavenly fire descended and burned for three days and nights, turning the entire kingdom into a wasteland.”
“And the monarch of Binghuo vanished in that sea of fire.”
“As I listened, my heart suddenly twitched.”
“It hurt.”
“I don't know why it hurt.”
“Ancient Binghuo Kingdom, the red-banded snake demon, heavenly fire...”
“These things felt so familiar.”
“But I can't remember where I heard them before.”
...
“Day XXXX.”
“Today the old man told the story of Jiao Mu Kingdom.”
“He said that a thousand years after the fall of Binghuo, a new dynasty was established in Tianchi Province called Jiao Mu.”
“At its peak, Jiao Mu Kingdom was even stronger than Binghuo. It had a population of billions and experts as numerous as clouds, occupying the entire province.”
“The monarch of Jiao Mu Kingdom was human. Unfortunately, it too vanished into the long river of history.”
“After the fall of Jiao Mu Kingdom, a plague broke out in Tianchi Province. It ravaged the land, and the people suffered. The once fertile land became a wilderness, and the bustling cities became ruins.”
“Then, True Lord of Purity and Filth appeared. As a being of plague, he performed acts of salvation. He purified the filth and protected the people. Only then did Tianchi Province slowly regain some vitality.”
“The old man's tone was calm as he spoke, as if telling someone else's story.”
“But as I listened, I felt something churning in my heart.”
“Ancient Binghuo Kingdom... Jiao Mu Kingdom... I feel like I've heard these names before.”
“No, not just heard. I feel like... I've seen them.”
“I feel like I've seen countless people screaming, struggling, and wailing in the fire. Their skin blistering and bursting, revealing the blood-red flesh beneath.”
“Their eyes melting in the fire, streaming down their cheeks.”
“They reached out, trying to grab something, but there was nothing to catch.”
“In the end, they all became charred corpses, lying neatly on the ground.”
“I stood in the middle of the sea of fire, my body wreathed in flames, looking at those corpses.”
“What are these? Are they my memories? Impossible. I was born in Central Province. I have no memories of the past. I have no past.”
“But why do I see these things?”
“Why?”
“When I came to my senses, I realized my face was already drenched in tears.”
“I am the jailer personally appointed by Lord Zhu Pan. I am the child born in Central Province. I am the most loyal of Sky-Monitoring...”
“The most loyal what?”
“Who am I?”
“Why am I crying?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Why?”
...
Nie Chaoxi's voice trembled as she finished the last line.
The word “Why” was carved all over the wall, layered and dense. Some were deep, some shallow; some had been carved, crossed out, and carved again.
Wu Gou pressed his palms together and softly recited a Buddhist invocation.
“Let's keep looking,” he said.
The three moved forward. Soon, Nie Chaoxi found a new passage in a corner.
The handwriting here was particularly messy and crooked, as if carved while trembling.
“Day XXXX.”
“Today I walked to the cell, wanting to talk to the old man.”
“But I didn't go in.”
“I just stood outside, watching him.”
“He sat on the stone bed, head bowed, continuing to write on his bamboo slip.”
“He was so earnest, so focused.”
“Stroke by stroke, he wrote slowly.”
“Sunlight fell upon him.”
“It wasn't real sunlight. It was the light from the glowing moss on the stone walls.”
“But with the light falling on him and his peaceful expression, I suddenly felt that this was sunlight.”
“I stood outside for a long time.”
“Until he finished a section and looked up, seeing me.”
“He smiled and said: ‘You're here? Come in and sit.’”
“I shook my head and turned away.”
“Back in my stone chamber, I sat on the floor and suddenly started crying.”
“I don't know why I was crying.”
“I am the jailer. I am the flame of Sky-Monitoring. I am Lord Zhu Pan's most loyal...”
“Most loyal what?”
“I can't remember.”
“I only remember crying all night.”
“When I woke the next morning, I found that one half of my face was smiling, and the other half was crying.”
“I don't know which one is the real me.”
...
“Day XXXX.”
“The old man finally finished his bamboo slip.”
“He rolled it up and placed it at the head of the bed, then said to me: ‘Though a civil official may not know war, he knows that there is an unyielding integrity in this world. When false gods disrupt the Dao and the mountains and rivers collapse, how can the hair remain if the skin is gone? We are already rootless people. Fortunately, my life's wish is fulfilled. With no more attachments, I shall go to the Underworld to find my old friends.’”
“I asked: What are you going to do?”
“He smiled and said nothing.”
“The next day, when I went back, he was already dead.”
“He burned himself to death.”
“Using his own demon fire, he slowly turned himself into ash.”
“I held his body, feeling afraid for the first time.”
“Don't die...”
“If you die, I'll be alone again...”
“Please don't die...”
“I can save you... I can use the power of Starfire to save you...”
“But I knew I couldn't. He did it on purpose. He didn't want to live.”
“I held that pile of charred bones and sat for a long, long time.”
“I don't know how long I sat. A day? Two days? Or a year? Two years?”
“I only know that when I came to my senses, I was no longer alone.”
“There seemed to be another voice inside my body.”
“That voice was crying, screaming, cursing. Cursing Zhu Pan, cursing Central Province, cursing me.”
“Cursing me for not letting him go. Cursing me for not letting everyone go. Cursing me as an executioner, a beast, a heartless monster.”
“I wanted to argue, but I didn't know how.”
“Because she was right.”
“I am a monster.”
“I have no heart.”
“I don't deserve to live.”
“But I want to live.”
“I want to live, I want to go out, I want to see the sun, the wind and rain, the four seasons.”
“I want to have clansmen, a home, and things to protect, just like the old man said.”
“But I am the jailer. I cannot leave. I must guard. Guard that thing. Guard this prison.”
“But I don't want to guard it anymore.”
“But I'm afraid.”
“So I am a coward.”
“I am a coward.”
“I am a monster.”
“I am a coward.”
“I am a monster.”
“I am...”
“Who am I?”
...
The passages of text allowed them to piece together the past of this jailer named Wing-Fire Snake. Plague Rat frowned. “Is this the origin of her weakness?”
“She doesn't look like she's afraid, but she certainly feels like a lunatic.”
Nie Chaoxi whispered, “She's a bit pitiable.”
Plague Rat gave Nie Chaoxi a light pat on the head. “Pitiable my ass. She's Zhu Pan's lackey, a creature that helped a villain do evil. Think about how many people she's burned to death.”
“The former citizens of Jiao Mu Kingdom, the remnants of Purity and Filth's forces, the innocent people locked in here—every single one of them was burned to death by her own hand.”
“Going mad? Going mad is her retribution.”
“Right, bald ass?”
No response.
Plague Rat looked back and saw Wu Gou standing by the wall, staring at the text, motionless.
He walked over and poked Wu Gou in the back.
“Bald ass? What are you thinking about?”
Wu Gou finally came to his senses and turned to look at him.
Plague Rat rolled his eyes. “I'm asking you. Is that mad woman pitiable or not?”
Wu Gou smiled. “Pitiable.”
Plague Rat was stunned. “What?”
Wu Gou pressed his palms together and said softly, “This poor monk was just thinking—if I were her, locked in this dark underground, guarding an empty prison day after day, year after year, hearing cry after cry of agony... what would I become after ten thousand years?”
“This poor monk cannot imagine it.”
Plague Rat frowned. “What do you mean by that? Are you saying she's innocent?”
Wu Gou shook his head. “That is not what I mean.”
“She burned so many people to death. That is a fact. Those who died will not come back to life because she is pitiable. They had families, friends, and things they wanted to protect. Their deaths were real, painful, and irreversible.”
“Therefore, she is unforgivable.”
Plague Rat raised an eyebrow. “Then why do you say she's pitiable?”
Wu Gou nodded. “Being pitiable and being unforgivable are not mutually exclusive.”
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