Chapter Sixty-Six: The Seal

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The Azure Prison was said to be the place where immortals and strange beasts who defied the heavenly laws were incarcerated, but in truth, it resembled more a city of the dead—a city with people but no vitality, with buildings but no light, and this had been the case for as long as anyone could remember. Thus, whenever the Azure Prison was mentioned, people could not help but shudder.

A figure wearing a bamboo hat rode a strange beast up to the entrance. His face was obscured, and his voice was as cold and distorted as a warped tape, “What brings you two to the Azure Prison?”

Jiang Wei greeted him politely with a cupped fist. “Greetings, officer. We have come for Qiongqi and wish to see it. We hope you might grant us this favor.”

“It appears you too are an immortal lord. Qiongqi killed four people after descending to the mortal realm. By law, it must endure forty-nine days of punishment, twenty bolts of heavenly thunder each day. Until the punishment is complete, no visitors are allowed. Please leave,” the officer in the bamboo hat replied icily, turning to go.

Jiang Wei quickly slipped a silver note from his sleeve and pressed it into the officer’s hand. “I hope you might be lenient, sir.”

The officer glanced at the note, his tone still cold. “A quarter of an hour. Follow me.”

“Thank you, thank you, officer!” Jiang Wei said joyfully, pulling Qin Xiaomo along after the officer.

Qin Xiaomo clutched the white dumpling in her arms, glancing nervously at the shadows passing by. They were shrouded in black mist, their faces indistinguishable, and their clothing flickered in and out of sight within the haze.

They continued forward, the road ahead seeming endless. The wooden buildings on either side were tall, chaotic, as if paper effigies for the dead had been stacked haphazardly into two-story towers. The windows were pitch-black, some broken, with the window paper fluttering and snapping in the wind. Occasionally, a shadow would flash past a window, proving that these buildings were indeed inhabited.

Qin Xiaomo’s muscles tensed. She tugged at Jiang Wei’s sleeve and whispered, “Where is this place? Why are these people here?”

Before Jiang Wei could answer, the officer’s eerie voice replied, “This is under the jurisdiction of the Underworld. These people are all waiting to be reincarnated. If you have no business here, best not to come again.”

Qin Xiaomo thought to herself, In a place this terrifying, I wouldn’t come back even if begged.

They walked at a slow pace, but the houses and passersby seemed to vanish behind them as if the world was being fast-forwarded in silence. Thick mist drifted on either side of the path, and the acrid stench of sulfur faded, replaced by a faint, fresh scent. The only visible thing was the narrow road stretching into the heart of the fog, with the sky remaining forever overcast.

They did not know how long they had walked when the sound of waves reached their ears. Through the thick fog, a black mountain gate gradually came into view. Three large characters were inscribed on the plaque above: Iron-Enclosed Mountain. Two officers stood guard at the gate. Looking up, they realized they had reached the foot of a pitch-black mountain.

The officer in the bamboo hat drew out his prison token, engraved with his name and rank. The two guards checked it and then opened the black mountain gate. Immediately, the howls of various beasts echoed from within—some mournful, some fierce, some bizarre—accompanied by an indescribable stench. Every twenty steps inside was a cell, each containing a different strange beast.

The oppressive atmosphere made Qin Xiaomo uncomfortable. She tightened her grip on the white dumpling and instinctively quickened her pace, moving closer to Jiang Wei.

“We’re here,” the officer announced, pointing to one cell and lighting a candle on the ground.

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Qin Xiaomo peered inside but could not make out Qiongqi’s form; she only heard whimpers of terror from deep within.

“What’s wrong with it?” she asked with concern.

“It has just endured today’s heavenly thunder punishment.”

Qin Xiaomo moved closer to the bars and whispered, “It’s me.” Still, Qiongqi did not move. At last, she summoned the Xuanli Blade, which glowed white in her hand, and waved it before the bars. As she did, Qiongqi seemed to recognize the weapon. There was the sound of it scrambling and falling in the darkness before it finally staggered into the candlelight, lifting its head weakly and letting out two feeble cries toward the Xuanli Blade.

Blood soaked its face and eyes, making Qin Xiaomo’s heart twist in pain. She struggled to keep her voice steady. “What happened? How could the heavenly thunder punishment cause bleeding?”

“When it was brought here, its body was already covered in wounds. The heavenly thunder made it convulse in pain, tearing its injuries further,” the officer explained.

Qin Xiaomo wanted to say more, but the officer cut her off coldly, “Time’s up. You must go.” With that, he turned to leave.

“Wait.” Qin Xiaomo called out to him, taking a deep breath. “I… I want to take it with me.”

“My lady, this is not a joke. It is a ferocious beast,” Jiang Wei said anxiously.

The officer only snorted derisively.

“It knows me—or at least my Xuanli Blade. I think… Maybe I can…” Qin Xiaomo’s voice faltered. After all, Qiongqi was a fierce beast; it had taken lives, even injured her once.

“My lady, let’s just go. We’ve seen the beast, and the Celestial Realm won’t take its life anyway,” Jiang Wei urged.

A sudden idea struck Qin Xiaomo and she quickly asked the officer, “Sir, can I forge a bond with Qiongqi?”

The officer paused, then let out a chilling, cackling laugh—a sound like a demon doll from a horror film. Good heavens, it was truly frightening; he should not laugh at all. Finally, he replied, “If you could truly forge a bond with it, that would place it under restraint, and you could indeed take it away.”

Hearing this, Qin Xiaomo’s eyes lit up, but the officer continued, dashing her hopes, “However, for tens of thousands of years, many celestial emperors have tried to bond with it. Mounts have been devoured, magical artifacts destroyed. The previous spirit master was so gravely wounded by it that he lost most of his cultivation and has been in seclusion for centuries. You?”

“My lady,” Jiang Wei murmured, tugging worriedly at her sleeve.

“I… want to try.”

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“My lady, are you courting death? Absolutely not!”

At that moment, Qiongqi in the cell seemed to understand their words. It crept to the bars, reaching for the Xuanli Blade with its paw. Qin Xiaomo turned to it and asked, “Will you forge a bond with me?”

Qiongqi did not react.

“To forge a bond, I will become your master. I want to take you away…”

Qiongqi looked at her, opened its mouth weakly, and let out a faint cry.

“Officer, Jiang Wei, please, let me try.” Jiang Wei bit his lower lip, torn, while the officer folded his arms, eager to see the show.

“Jiang Wei, just as you helped me bond with the white dumpling last time—one drop of blood each, fused together. This time, I’ll stay by the bars. It can’t hurt me,” Qin Xiaomo pleaded.

Jiang Wei finally relented. “Only one attempt. No matter what happens, we leave.”

“Alright!”

Jiang Wei pressed his hands together over a yellow talisman, chanting an incantation. Qin Xiaomo used the Xuanli Blade to cut her finger and dripped her blood onto the talisman. Then, holding the yellow paper, she approached the bars and said to Qiongqi, “Will you come with me? If you agree, give me a drop of your blood—come…”

Qiongqi stared at her unmoving. At that moment, the Xuanli Blade pulsed with light, and Qiongqi seemed to remember something. Slowly, it crept to the bars, raised its head, and gazed intently at Qin Xiaomo’s face.

“Come… Let’s go home together.”

Suddenly, Qiongqi let out a series of mournful howls, tears mixed with blood falling onto the talisman. The binding shone with a piercing light, then vanished into the bodies of Qin Xiaomo and Qiongqi, disappearing without a trace.