Su Mo paused for a moment before walking slowly into the water dungeon.
The treatment he received here was a far cry from what he had expected; at the very least, they were merely detaining him, rather than locking him in a water dungeon. The structure of this dungeon was actually quite similar to the one in Fengdu. With its sloped design, one had to walk for a distance before reaching the actual water-filled section.
The cultivator thought for a moment, then placed a bottle of healing medicine on the ground.
“Many thanks, Brother.” Su Mo noticed the medicine, his eyes filled with surprise as he offered his thanks.
“Don’t thank me. Just consider it a reward for ridding the people of a scourge thank you for killing that father and son!” the cultivator said in a low voice, waving his hand before departing.
Su Mo was stunned once more. He wanted to explain that he hadn’t killed the spoiled young master from the night before, but the man had already left, leaving him no opportunity to clarify.
Sighing, he picked up the medicine and began to treat his own wounds. His mind was still a chaotic mess. Why hadn’t he been able to leave? Why hadn’t Xiao Ba erased him? What had happened over the past millennium? What was the situation with everyone else? And, more importantly, who had killed the arrogant young master who had bullied him the previous night?
Truly… tangled and impossible to unravel. Su Mo let out a heavy sigh.
“Cough, cough…”
A sudden, abrupt coughing sound echoed through the cell.
Startled, Su Mo hurriedly looked toward the depths of the water dungeon. There, in the murky water, a man whose face was obscured was pinned to the wall, his shoulder blades pierced by iron spikes. His lower body was completely submerged in the cold, underground water, while his upper body was bare, showing lash marks that were shocking to behold—his skin was torn and raw.
His long, disheveled hair covered his face, making it impossible to see his features. In his wretched state, he looked like a madman!
Water dungeons were typically reserved for high-security prisoners. Why was this person held here? Was he a member of the sect? Had he committed a grave crime to warrant such a harsh punishment?
Su Mo didn’t know if the man was a wicked criminal or not, and he didn’t feel a sudden surge of misplaced sympathy to go and interact with him. He shifted his attention back to himself.
Why can’t I feel any pain? Could this be a reward from Xiao Ba for completing the task? But hasn’t the world line completely collapsed? How could there still be a reward? Why was I reborn? And why in the body of a fool? Is the fool still alive?
Unable to figure anything out, Su Mo irritably raked his fingers through his short, messy hair, which looked as though it had been chewed on by a horse.
Forget it. In this era where the strong rule, cultivation is everything. I should just focus on cultivation.
Because there was someone else present, he remained cautious and chose not to use the Wen family’s secret techniques to accelerate his progress. Although he had quickly brought his cultivation to the Golden Core stage, he had only just formed his core, and his foundation was not yet fully stable. It would be better to stabilize his current realm first and then continue with physical training.
Having been a physical cultivator for most of his life, he didn’t know how to learn any other path. The reason he could withstand the attacks of a Golden Core stage swordsman wasn’t because his body had returned to its former peak state of invulnerability; it was entirely thanks to the “Heavenly Fiend Prison-Suppressing Method” he had perfected in his previous life.
This technique allowed him to form a layer of “Heavenly Fiend Qi” around his body in its initial stages, which resisted external damage and accumulated rage. It was by drawing upon that accumulated rage that he had been able to kill the Nascent Soul stage cultivator in one blow!
Sitting cross-legged on the ground, Su Mo began to circulate his energy, a layer of faint white light beginning to envelop him.
“Su Mo… Su Mo…”
Because he was fully immersed in meditation, he did not hear the low murmurs of the imprisoned man. The man had already sensed his presence, but he had paid him no mind. With hollow eyes, the man let his head hang, calling out repeatedly—the sound was both lonely and deeply affectionate.
After an unknown amount of time, a heaven-shaking roar reverberated through the dungeon. Su Mo, deep in meditation, was startled and woke up abruptly.
The man pinned to the wall seemed to have gone mad, struggling frantically. While emitting painful, low groans, he used a voice that sounded like a broken bellows to issue a venomous curse: “Mo Siye… I am going to kill you… ah… I am going to kill you…”
Clang, clang, clang—
As he moved, the heavy, ink-black chains emitted a grating sound. He struggled so violently that the wounds at his shoulder blades tore open once again, fresh crimson blood seeping out and presenting a truly shocking sight.
The guy must be a madman… Su Mo gulped, his heart pounding. Once the man had finally fallen silent, he asked hesitantly, “Hey, brother, are you alright?”
The surroundings remained deathly silent.
He didn’t die, did he? Su Mo swallowed hard, and after hesitating for a long while, he decided to go and investigate. He first circulated his technique to protect himself before cautiously walking into the water.
“Hey, are you alright? Are you still alive?”
The man did not make a sound, even as Su Mo approached. After a moment of hesitation, he gently reached out, attempting to check the man’s injuries.
At that very moment, the man, who had been bowing his head, suddenly opened his eyes, baring his teeth as if to bite him.
“Gah!” Su Mo was so startled that he fell backward into the water, staring at the madman with a look of panic.
“Kill you… kill you… mine… it’s mine…” The madman muttered to himself. He looked at Su Mo as if he didn’t even exist, his empty eyes fixed on the space in front of him. His face and body were covered in filthy water and mud, obscuring his original appearance. Beneath the thick beard, only a pair of glowing, crimson eyes could be seen.
Has he gone into demonic cultivation (qigong deviation)?! Su Mo swallowed, stood up in the water, and hesitated for a moment. He stepped closer to the madman again, but the man remained unresponsive, his gaze listless.
What a pitiful person… Su Mo sighed internally. “I’ll heal your wounds. Since we’re fellow cellmates, I can’t just watch you die.”
Retrieving the bottle of medicine from his robes, he slowly reached out. His warm hand touched the man’s bleeding wounds. The madman flinched, instinctively trying to struggle.
“Don’t move, I won’t hurt you… be good…” Su Mo said in a low voice. His calm, steady tone possessed a miraculous, calming power.
The madman gradually stopped struggling, his hollow, red eyes slowly turning toward him. The two stared at each other in silence for a long time. Being watched by those terrifying eyes made Su Mo’s skin crawl, but he forced his lips into a smile.
The madman’s lips trembled as he muttered something. The voice was too soft for Su Mo to catch, but, confirming the man would no longer struggle, Su Mo took a deep breath, pressed one hand firmly against the man’s shoulder, opened the medicine bottle with his teeth, and quickly sprinkled the powder onto the wounds.
It must have been excruciating, as the madman’s entire body was trembling, yet he remained (obedient) and did not struggle.
“Good boy… well done.”
His cooperation made Su Mo grin. He lowered his voice to offer praise, quickly tore off a clean strip of fabric from his own robe, and wrapped it around the man’s medicated wounds.
He had barely finished when the sound of orderly, rhythmic footsteps echoed through the passage.
Su Mo frowned, released the man, and hurriedly began to walk away.
“Don’t go… don’t go… I’ll be good… Momo…” As he moved, the madman muttered, instinctively starting to struggle again.
“Don’t move! Be good!” Su Mo gave a warning, but he walked away without hesitation.
“Mmh, I’m good… I’m obedient… I won’t move…” The madman dared not move, his crimson eyes following Su Mo unblinkingly as he repeated the mantra to himself.