The youth's tone could hardly be called polite.
The beautiful woman was taken aback. Timidly, she asked an out-of-place question:
"W-Why...?"
She didn't know the man before her and yet his face seemed vaguely familiar, perhaps one of the palace musicians, but she couldn't remember his name.
Why would he share life-saving food with her?
Even someone like her, once the noble Lady of Liang, was now just another death-row prisoner at the mercy of others.
Why would a stranger make such a sacrifice, like feeding himself to the hawk?
Could he have some ulterior motive?
Thinking of those soldiers' lewd comments earlier, Lady Liang bit her lower lip and gripped the front of her clothes tightly.
Chen Kuang knew exactly what she was thinking.
Emperor Liang had always fancied himself a refined patron of the arts, indulging in music and beauty year-round.
The palace's musical troupes alone numbered over a hundred and twenty. She couldn't possibly remember every musician.
But... it was better that she didn't remember.
Chen Kuang smiled faintly and spoke as if it were true:
"Lady, have you forgotten? Three years ago, I made a mistake and was whipped by Chief Musician Luo. You happened to pass by and saved my life."
He continued, "I still remember it clearly. I overheard someone say you wore a green dress that day... like a goddess descended to the mortal world."
His voice softened again, carrying a touch of warmth.
Lady Liang felt the gentle, slightly suggestive tone coming from the young man in the dark cell and was startled. She quickly lowered her head.
Fortunately, he seemed to realize he'd overstepped and added sincerely in a low voice:
"I've remembered it ever since. I never thought I'd have a chance to repay your kindness today."
Lady Liang was stunned.
She had no memory of this at all. But his words were neither arrogant nor servile, and he spoke with such detail that it sounded plausible.
Green wasn't her favorite color, but she did wear it from time to time. And by nature, she was gentle and kind. If she saw a servant being punished, she likely would've intervened.
If she really did save a young musician, it wasn't impossible... but try as she might, she couldn't remember when, or even if, it ever happened.
In truth...
Of course, it had never happened.
Chen Kuang had indeed been framed and punished before, and it had been no light punishment. But his life had never been in danger, and Lady Liang had nothing to do with it.
However, all the musicians who knew him, including Chief Luo, were already dead in the Jinghe Hall.
A lie that no one could refute might as well be the truth.
To make his motive seem more believable, Chen Kuang even hinted at a touch of affection.
To a woman at death's door, a man's admiration might offer more comfort than even a lifesaving favor.
Lady Liang hesitated, head bowed, but in the end, she reached out and picked up the steamed bun.
"Thank you. May I know your name, sir?"
"Chen Kuang."
The young man across from her bent down and wrote his name in the dirt, crooked and clumsy.
What ugly writing...
Lady Liang muttered to herself, then suddenly felt a chill.
Though the characters were crude, from her angle they were perfectly upright, every stroke in place.
They were sitting across from each other, he had written his name backward so she could read it properly.
No one practices writing their name backward regularly. Chen Kuang must have improvised on the spot.
This was no less impressive than drawing a circle with one hand and a square with the other.
And he was blind...
Lady Liang had met many remarkable people, but this feat still left her deeply shocked.
The young man cloaked in darkness, apart from his earlier kindness or offense, now radiated an added air of mystery.
With a grateful heart, the woman whispered, "If I survive this... I will repay you someday."
"No need."
The youth across from her seemed to smile. "I only wanted to repay a debt. How could I then accept your repayment in return? I've heard of vengeance begetting vengeance, but never kindness begetting more kindness."
As long as you, or the people behind you, come to rescue you and remember this one favor, just take me along when you leave..
Emperor Liang had only one daughter.
In other words, the woman and the little girl in the next cell... were the last remaining bloodline of the Liang royal family.
Those jailers and soldiers dared to speak crudely but didn't dare actually touch them, at most they just mocked and intimidated them.
Chen Kuang guessed that Great Zhou's "Flying Phoenix General" might be planning to use them as bait to lure out the remaining forces of Liang.
In this world, nations and sects relied on one another.
Naturally, Liang had cultivators loyal to the imperial bloodline.
Chen Kuang didn't know how powerful they were, but at the very least, they had to be stronger than him, a newbie whose current strength was no better than an ordinary person.
Lady Liang nibbled the steamed bun delicately and smiled softly at his words. Her eyes sparkled. "Then... we're even, Mister Chen."
Truthfully... even if she couldn't take him with her, it wouldn't matter.
When this body had its high fever, his soul had already squeezed its way in, and he had overheard many conversations among the guards.
The Zhou army didn't plan to massacre the city. Of the 2,000-plus prisoners, apart from key targets who had to die, the rest would be enslaved when things were settled, absorbed into the 50,000-strong Zhou army as laborers.
The only unknown was what exactly this "thing" they were waiting for was.
Chen Kuang rubbed the corners of his eyes. He could still feel the burning heat from the fever, as if his eyeballs had melted.
The mysterious Elixir of Immortality... the now healed eyes...
All of it left him uneasy.
Right now, his only source of security was the passive ability "Fetal Breathing Technique," which constantly operated, drawing Spiritual Energy into his body and slowly forming a faint current, again and again washing over his sealed eighth Qi Aperture.
Yesterday, the ninth aperture had already formed naturally and was now fully infused with Spiritual Energy, acting like a "battery" to power the cycle and drive the flow forward.
If not for this Spiritual Energy sustaining his body, keeping him alive for two or three days without food or water, he wouldn't have given that bun away.
At this point, he could barely count as a cultivator.
But he had no actual knowledge of cultivation at all, not a single word laid in his memories.
He was like someone holding a treasure hoard but with no idea how to use it.
Wait for another passive ability?
Not exactly reliable...
Chen Kuang clicked his tongue softly, then turned his head to the right.
There, in the neighboring cell, the old man who had gobbled down the bun had now collapsed on the floor, snoring like a log.
The Slaughter God of Liang, Grand General Huo Hengxuan.
He was rumored to be a cultivator, one who had stepped onto the path through martial prowess alone. A peerless master of Divine Ability.
Sounded impressive?
Yet Chen Kuang couldn't help recalling the scene of the old man crawling on the floor after a bun. It left him speechless.
The old man rolled over. His empty wrist scratched at his chest, and the chains clinked softly.
He smacked his lips, used the bloody stump of his wrist to pick up some bun crumbs from his chest, and licked them into his mouth.
Chen Kuang: "..."
Maybe I should just wait for another passive ability..
He was still thinking that when the image in his vision suddenly began to shift.
Despite his severed limbs, the old general's bloody stumps seemed to be pulsing with life. Four bulging mounds of flesh at the ends, supplied with blood, twitched with vitality.
Huh?
Chen Kuang's heart stirred.
Could this be the effect of "Piercing Insight"?
Focusing again, he realized those weren't tumors, but clusters of undeveloped finger bones!
Poised to erupt, as if they might break through at any moment!
Before he could think further-
BOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed as the entire prison violently shook.
Chunks of stone fell from above as Lady Liang screamed while clutching her daughter and shrinking into a corner.
Chen Kuang stood up immediately. Just as he was about to calm her, shouts erupted outside from the panicked guards.
"Enemy attack! We're under attack! Get up! Don't panic! Hold your ground! It'll be over soon!"
Liang's people? Already?
That was fast.
Chen Kuang was surprised. His eyes flicked to the iron lock on the cell door and his fingers twitched.
This kind of lock wasn't hard to open... All he needed was a thin metal piece.. Lady Liang had a hairpin... If he could just..
"Heh... Kid, I suggest you cool it."
A raspy, aged voice.
Chen Kuang whipped his head around, locking eyes with the bloodshot, mocking stare peering at him through the bars.
"Why? This is the-"
The old man didn't reply. He simply rolled his eyes and raised his wrist stump, pointing at the tiny barred window high on the wall.
Chen Kuang instinctively looked up, and his pupils instantly shrank.