That voice…
Liu Ten's heart tightened as he slowly turned around. Sure enough, a round face full of friendly smiles appeared before him.
It was none other than the fat man he had met a few times before—"Fatty Jin."
He had once claimed to be a steward here, and now it seemed that was no lie.Yet while Liu Ten recognized him, Fatty Jin had no idea who he was.
After all, the ones who had dealt with Jin previously were Liu Five—long dead—and Liu Meng, who remained in the cave-dwelling. Liu Ten, only summoned today, had never encountered him.
But in the next instant, Fatty Jin's smile flickered with surprise."You? Why are you here?"
The words caught Liu Ten off guard. He instinctively asked:"You… know me?"
"Heh heh…" Fatty Jin chuckled darkly, seizing Liu Ten's arm without warning and dragging him into a side chamber.
Bang!
The heavy door slammed shut, cutting them off from the outside world.
With his back turned, Fatty Jin checked the seals on the door. His voice grew strange:"It's natural you didn't recognize me just now. But now… do you?"
Even as he spoke, a series of sickening cracks filled the air, like bones grinding and reshaping.
When he turned around, the obese figure was gone.
In its place stood a lean, sharp figure—grinning with that same twisted smile.
Liu Ten froze.This was no longer the cheerful, round-faced steward…
This was—this was the gaunt man who had been imprisoned with Liu Ming in the dungeon the very day he first transmigrated!
He remembered it clearly: that eerie grin when he had first awoken. Back then, the man had used a bizarre bone-shrinking art to slip through the prison bars, vanishing into the unknown. Liu Ming had assumed he had either been captured by the masked maids or perished in some dark corner, becoming nourishment for their cultivation.
But now—he had not only survived, he had become Steward Jin of the Three Talents Workshop!
The thin man grinned again, satisfied at Liu Ten's shock. Then, before his eyes, his appearance shifted yet again. He was still lean, but with completely different features—ones Liu Ten also recognized.
"You're…" Liu Ten pointed, suddenly remembering. "You were one of the ten chosen by Liu Meng back then! You followed us to her cave, and later she sent you on a task. You never returned—I thought you had died!"
"Who would have thought… both those men were you? Your disguises are terrifying! I couldn't tell at all!"
Not even Liu Meng, already at the Qi Refining stage, had seen through it. She too had assumed he had perished. This was no ordinary disguise—it bordered on sorcery.
Steward Jin laughed, clapping Liu Ten on the shoulder."Finally remembered? We once shared a prison cell. But honestly, your own disguise is pathetic—just a beard slapped on your face. I recognized you instantly!"
Realization dawned on Liu Ten.The resemblance to his true body was so strong that Steward Jin had simply mistaken him for Liu Ming in disguise. The subtle differences were dismissed as poor acting!
What a bizarre twist of fate.
But Liu Ten kept his expression serious."That day you escaped—what happened? How did you end up here, as a steward?"
Steward Jin's grin faded into something colder."That… I'll explain later. First, tell me—why have you come to the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion?"
Liu Ten replied with the excuse he had prepared in advance."I want to enter Luo Feng City. I went first to the Treasure Pavilion, but the shopkeeper there said he had none of the guiding talismans left, and sent me here."
At those words, Steward Jin's brows furrowed deeply. He fell silent for a long while before speaking in a grave tone.
"You too want to join Luo Feng City? I advise you to give up. That is no place ordinary men can enter. Even if you think you've found the way, it's eight parts out of ten a trap. You'll only plunge into eternal damnation."
"And even if you do enter, do you think that's freedom? The city is full of lunatics. You'll believe you've escaped control, only to fall into a dream they've woven for you."
"Give it up. The more desperate you are, the more easily you'll walk into their snares."
Liu Ten's heart stirred. Indeed—that was exactly what he intended. He was walking into the trap willingly.
But such thoughts could never be spoken aloud, lest he be branded insane.
So he feigned despair and pleaded:"Then what should I do? Please, Steward Jin, for the sake of our past connection, help me! I don't want to live bound by the Xuanpin Art any longer—I want freedom!"
Jin's frown deepened. He stared for a long time, then suddenly asked with piercing seriousness:"You truly want to leave the Demonic Sect? To regain your freedom?"
"I do!" Liu Ten replied firmly, playing the role without hesitation.
Steward Jin sighed heavily. His voice dropped:"This chamber is soundproof. No one will ever know what we say here. But when you leave, you must never reveal what was spoken inside. Do you understand?"
A chill ran through Liu Ten's spine. He nodded quickly.
Instantly, a binding force pressed upon him, settling like a seal. He could sense it instinctively—once outside, he would be incapable of uttering a word of what had transpired here.
Only then did Steward Jin speak."I will give you a location. Go there, and you may truly find freedom."
Liu Ten nodded again, feigning excitement.
Jin extended a finger and tapped it lightly against his forehead.
In that instant, a surge of pure information flooded into Liu Ten's mind, etching a location into his memory with perfect clarity.
He was about to commit it to memory—when suddenly, he froze.
That place…
Why did it feel so familiar?
Was it not the very same secret realm where he had obtained the Rites of Poetry Scripture?