Chapter Forty-Five: Origins

"I know," Qu Hanchen answered instinctively.

As a prison guard, he could not help but respond to the question posed by Deputy Warden Lin. The moment Lin Lan heard someone reply, his gaze settled on Qu Hanchen. His only impression of this guard was that Warden Zhang had personally assigned him to oversee the Biluo Dungeon; beyond that, he knew nothing else.

"If you discovered this matter in the dungeon, why didn’t you report it to the Warden’s Office? Why choose instead to collude with them?" Lin Lan’s tone sharpened slightly.

Just as Lin Lan suspected, this guard had not yet adjusted his mindset. He still regarded himself as a subordinate and, faced with Lin Lan’s sternness, rushed to explain.

"I hadn’t had time to report it before they brought me here..." Qu Hanchen blurted out anxiously.

"If you return, you won’t be a guard any longer. Here, you don’t need to answer his questions either," Xi Chunxue said, glancing at Qu Hanchen who stood a step behind her. Then, her bright, serene eyes met Lin Lan’s, who was smiling with narrowed eyes.

"Do you know how the dead Bi’an died?" Lin Lan’s eyes narrowed to slits, his delicate features softening into a kindly smile as he asked.

"I don’t," Xi Chunxue replied calmly.

"In the Biluo Dungeon, aside from you two, who else would have had the chance to kill that Bi’an? It doesn’t matter if you don’t know now; the Warden’s Office has already listed you both as fugitives," Lin Lan said with a light laugh.

"How are we fugitives?" Qu Hanchen asked, panic in his voice.

"You aren’t, because we’ve already presumed you dead. Only they’re fugitives—one a cultivator, the other a thousand-year-old malevolent flood dragon. Both had motive and opportunity to kill the Bi’an behind the bronze door." Lin Lan cast a glance at Qu Hanchen, who had opened only his right eye, then fixed his gaze on Xi Chunxue, who sat on the ground.

"There are three prisoners in the Biluo Dungeon, aren’t there?" Xi Chunxue’s calm expression flickered with an inscrutable smile as she looked at Lin Lan.

"That one... doesn’t count," Lin Lan’s smile faltered as he lowered his gaze to Xi Chunxue.

A cold laugh escaped Xi Chunxue, who did not press further. The reason for excluding that person was nothing but fear and dread. The divine arts that prisoner wielded in the underworld would not be out of place in any of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands of the Daoist sects.

Whether it was the title of True Immortal on the mountain or the realm of Soul Wandering and Celestial Ascension in the mortal world below, that prisoner more than lived up to the names and the realms—they were more than enough.

"If Brother Yu truly intends to bring you back to the living world with me, you must be careful." Perhaps it was the long wait, or perhaps the incessant sound of blades hacking at scales, but even though Xi Chunxue had no wish to converse, Lin Lan spoke up suddenly.

Leaning against the desk, Lin Lan gazed at the eternally gray, unchanging sky of the underworld outside the hall, not looking down to see Xi Chunxue’s reaction.

Xi Chunxue made no reply. She sat cross-legged, eyes closed, conserving her energy; right now, consolidating her soul was crucial, lest her physical body reject her upon return to life.

"Though that Bi’an was not a true Bi’an, it was the offspring of a three-clawed dragon and a tiger demon who had cultivated for centuries," Lin Lan said with a faint laugh, shaking his head.

"We know that," Qu Hanchen whispered.

He had heard the flood dragon mention in the dungeon that the Bi’an was not the legendary beast of its name, but rather the product of a lustful dragon and a tiger demon, imprisoned here by some mighty figure.

"Then do you know who sired the three-clawed dragon?" Lin Lan asked casually, glancing at the knife wound on his chest and the yellow earth accumulating on his black robe.

"Well..." Qu Hanchen scratched his head in frustration.

"You’re not going to say that the three-clawed dragon is from the Ocean Palace, are you?" Xi Chunxue suddenly opened her eyes and looked up at Lin Lan, who was brushing yellow dust from his robe, her voice low and steady.

"The Ocean Palace would hardly be so destitute as to keep a three-clawed dragon for show. Still, this three-clawed dragon is a maternal relative of the Fourth Prince of the Ocean Palace. The prince, ever loving toward his wife, granted a river that flows through the ocean to this dragon as a dwelling. If I recall correctly, that river is called the Shuichen River," Lin Lan replied with a gentle smile.

"But what must we be careful of?" Qu Hanchen asked, still perplexed.

"Though the Dragon King of Shuichen River is notoriously licentious, having spared none of the fish monsters, turtle spirits, or even the wolves, tigers, and leopards of the nearby mountains, birthing countless dragon hybrids, this Bi’an, born of a tiger demon, possessed a throwback in its bloodline. Its appearance closely resembled a true Bi’an, and thus was especially favored by the Dragon King of Shuichen River," Lin Lan replied with a smile.

"If the Dragon King cherished this Bi’an so, why was it locked away behind the bronze door in the dungeon?" Xi Chunxue asked coldly.

"The word ‘locked’ is not quite right—‘trial’ would be more fitting. Because the Dragon King doted on this Bi’an, he wished for it to learn humility before the authorities, to discern right from wrong, to act with fairness, and, given time, to take the place of a true Bi’an," Lin Lan said, shaking his head.

"Even so, that hardly warrants imprisonment behind the bronze door," Xi Chunxue retorted icily.

"Since the Divine Sovereign ascended the Celestial Tree, the twelve provinces of the mortal world have been ruled by Ancient Qin for five thousand years. The Son of Heaven’s throne rivals that of the immortals and gods, even bestowing divine offices. The only shortcoming is that mortals may not cultivate and are short-lived," Lin Lan said with a light laugh.

"And what does that have to do with this?" Xi Chunxue’s voice softened when she heard the title of Divine Sovereign.

"Ancient Qin’s laws, while not as binding as heavenly edicts, are more than enough to constrain monsters; they have no need to heed the Dragon King of Shuichen River. Yet the Dragon King stirs trouble daily, letting his water spirits harass the people as they please," Lin Lan said, shaking his head.

"The Demon-Catching Bureau has not hesitated to behead dragons in their dreams before," Xi Chunxue replied evenly.

"Ordinary dragons, yes, the Demon-Catching Bureau can handle. But as I mentioned, the Dragon King of Shuichen River is the maternal relative of the Fourth Prince of the Ocean Palace. And the Dragon King of the Ocean was appointed by the Divine Sovereign before his ascension to the heavens—his status is rather unique," Lin Lan sighed softly.

"So you agreed to the Dragon King's request, luring the Bi’an into this prison?" Xi Chunxue asked with a slight frown.

"It was not deception—the Dragon King himself consented. Look, this prison stands by the great sea, encircled by dragon energy, guarded by the ancient sage's idol. Having the Bi’an submit here would speed its growth," Lin Lan said, smiling faintly.

"It could never have imagined you would imprison its dragon offspring behind the bronze door," Xi Chunxue sneered.

"Not only that, but we also used its demonic soul’s aura to fabricate a trace of true Bi’an energy, making it the core of a formation that suppresses prisoners," Lin Lan replied with a smile.

"But now it’s dead," Xi Chunxue said, gazing at Lin Lan’s smiling face.