"After tonight, either they die, or I stop being human." —Shen
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I. The Gates of Hell Open Silently
Night had fallen, thick and oppressive. The sacrificial grounds of Huanshui Hall sat nestled between the broken cliffs of the back mountain.
There was no formal gate, no nameplate—not even a name for the place.
The only marker was a jet-black "Spirit Lock Pillar."
It was said that for every "spiritual child" bound to it, another groove was carved.
Now, it was riddled with ravines, like a desiccated skeleton.
Shen crouched in the shadows of the hillside, cloaked in black, his steps soundless.
He climbed over the final broken ridge and reached the "vent shaft" opening—an abandoned exhaust tunnel, long disused due to age and corrosion. But tonight, it was his point of entry.
> "I have no artifacts, no cultivation. But I understand the flow of air." "They refine people. I refine a way to die."
Shen gritted his teeth and dove into the shaft, vanishing into the darkness.
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II. Twisting Vent, Corpses for Company
The shaft was narrow—barely wide enough for one person to crawl through.
Rust, rot, and alchemical residue mixed together. The walls were lined with jagged edges that tore skin with the slightest misstep.
Shen endured the searing pain as he dragged himself forward inch by inch.
In the medicine pouch on his back were two things he had refined over a full day and night:
"Ghost Bone Powder" and a "Silencing Talisman."
> The former was for poisoning the guards.
The latter, for sealing Wan'er's voice.
If he failed, he'd never drag her down with him.
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III. The Smell of Blood, Wan'er in Chains
Shen finally reached the end, peering through a crack in the stone to glimpse the inside of the sacrificial chamber.
A stone platform stood at the center. Wan'er was shackled atop it, limbs bound, hair in disarray, face pale as death.
Her mouth was gagged, but her eyes were clear.
There was no fear—only a chilling calm before death.
The moment she saw Shen, her eyes reddened with tears, and she shook her head fiercely. She was telling him:
"Don't save me. You'll die."
Shen didn't move. Didn't show any emotion.
He merely placed two things by the crack:
One vaporizing pellet. One soul-repelling talisman.
Moments later, mist filled the air. The guards' spiritual senses were scrambled. They began coughing and stumbling.
Shen seized the moment, flipping silently into position behind the platform.
"Don't be afraid," he whispered. "I'm here to take you away."
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IV. Dead End: The Choice
He sliced through the chains with a bone blade and pressed the silencing talisman to Wan'er's nose and mouth.
But just as they were about to leave—
A low hum echoed from the outer chamber.
The "Mirror Serpent" had arrived.
Mu Youlou's most trusted assassin—faceless, voiceless, the executioner of traitors.
Shen's eyes turned icy. He hoisted Wan'er onto his back and flung a "Flesh Puppet Talisman" toward a corridor, triggering a loud disturbance.
The Mirror Serpent moved toward the sound.
It followed the right scent—but not the right person.
Because by then, Shen had already dashed into the waste pit exit of the medicine chamber—
a place reeking with poison so foul that even cultivators dared not enter.
But Shen dared.
> "I am human—but I can be more ruthless than poison."
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V. No Light on the Road to Life
He ran with Wan'er on his back, covered in corrosive filth.
A sharp rock gashed his thigh. A broken bone pierced his arm.
He made no sound.
Wan'er clung to his back, throat tight, unable to speak.
She could only cry.
Because she knew—if not for him tonight,
she would've become a "refinement specimen" of Huanshui Hall.
Never to reincarnate.
Now, she was alive.
She could still cry.
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Epilogue
At the edge of the medicine valley, Shen gently placed Wan'er down.
She stared at him, finally whispering:
> "Why… did you come to save me?"
Shen didn't answer directly.
He only whispered:
> "Because some people aren't just numbers."
> "You are Wan'er. Not G-207."