TYPnovel Chapter 243 - 187: No Way Back
Chapter 243 - 187: No Way Back
After passing through layers of guards, Fang Qingyuan’s group of three traveled underground for nearly an hour before finally reaching a prison cell a thousand meters below the surface, where they saw Huo Hu.
Huo Bai, walking beside Fang Qingyuan, was trembling slightly. Despite his Golden Core cultivation, he was finding it difficult to suppress his emotions.
Perhaps Huo Bai had no intention of suppressing them. Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan naturally turned to the Foundation Establishment Cultivator escorting them and said:
"Brother Liu Dao, we martial brothers would like to have a private word. Could you please give us some space?"
After speaking, Fang Qingyuan took out three Top-grade Spirit Stones and tried to press them into Brother Liu Dao’s hand. But the cultivator from the Artifact Talisman Alliance hurriedly refused.
"No, no, I couldn’t possibly. This is a small matter. It’s not necessary."
Fang Qingyuan’s cultivation was lower than his, but in the end, Brother Liu Dao couldn’t evade the offered Spirit Stones. Once the bribe was accepted, Fang Qingyuan added:
"You may not need them, Brother Liu Dao, but the other guards do. We can’t have you escorting us for nothing. Please use these Spirit Stones to treat the other guards to some tea. In the future, please also look after Huo Hu. The Southern Border Beast Taming Sect will be sure to remember your kindness."
"You’re too kind, Elder Fang, too kind. We’ve treated Huo Hu with the utmost care all these years he’s been here, never daring to neglect him. Now that you’ve come, I’m sure his days will be even easier."
After saying this, Brother Liu Dao took the Spirit Stones and tactfully retreated to a distance with the other guards. While they could still observe the group, they left Fang Qingyuan and the others enough private space.
Once the outsiders had left, Huo Bai finally spoke.
"Brother Hu, it’s me. Your little brother has come to see you."
Fang Qingyuan and Situ Jingyu stood quietly to the side, content to watch the drama unfold. Fang Qingyuan hadn’t expected that Huo Hu was actually Huo Bai’s older brother.
Huo Hu cut a wretched figure. Here in the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s prison, all the Spiritual Power in his body was sealed, rendering him completely unable to use it, let alone cultivate.
As a result, his cultivation hadn’t advanced an inch in all these years; in fact, it had regressed.
Huo Hu’s current state was more miserable than death. The Artifact Talisman Alliance didn’t dare to kill him outright. Instead, they prevented him from cultivating, forcing him to waste away his lifespan, idling his days away in this sunless prison a thousand meters underground. For the proud Huo Hu, such a punishment was truly more agonizing than death.
The Artifact Talisman Alliance wanted Huo Hu to die of old age in this prison. After all, his hands were stained with the blood of many cultivators from the Alliance’s various families.
Hearing Huo Bai’s voice, Huo Hu’s dull eyes opened. He looked at his brother, his expression shifting, before he turned his back and faced the wall.
"Huo Hu is already dead. There is only an empty shell here. You should go."
Seeing Huo Hu’s reaction, Huo Bai stood outside the cell and began to plead with him. Meanwhile, Fang Qingyuan took out a Barrier Talisman, enveloping himself and Situ Jingyu.
’Can’t just watch this drama unfold so casually,’ Fang Qingyuan thought. ’Huo Bai is a Golden Core Cultivator, after all. He has his pride.’ Thus, Fang Qingyuan pretended not to notice the rift between the two brothers.
’I’ve already completed my mission by bringing Huo Bai to see him. It’s best not to get involved in the rest.’
The space in front of Huo Hu’s cell was cramped. Since Fang Qingyuan had given most of the room to Huo Bai, he now found himself pressed tightly against Situ Jingyu, making the atmosphere a little awkward.
Fang Qingyuan, who was over six feet tall, seemed almost frail in front of Situ Jingyu, who stood well over six and a half feet with a broad, sturdy build. Feeling her firm pectoral muscles against him, Fang Qingyuan felt not a single trace of romantic excitement.
Given the atmosphere, Situ Jingyu tried to make conversation. She asked:
"What you told Qi Wushuang earlier... was it true?"
Fang Qingyuan squirmed a little, wondering if he should release Jinbao from the Ten Thousand Beasts Qiankun Banner to create some space between him and Situ Jingyu. After a moment’s thought, he decided against it.
Hearing Situ Jingyu’s question, he replied casually:
"Some of it was true, some of it wasn’t. The most important goal of this trip was to let Huo Bai see Huo Hu. Now that the main objective has been achieved, it doesn’t really matter if the rest succeeds or not."
Situ Jingyu blinked. The passion Fang Qingyuan had displayed and the grand vision he had described had been very moving, even to her. But now, from what he was saying, it seemed it had all been just a pretext.
"Why go through all this trouble? If Qi Wushuang knew your real intentions, she’d probably kill us on the spot."
"That’s why she can’t find out. Let me tell you a secret: when the thing you really want to do is troublesome, it’s best to conceal it with a problem that seems ten times bigger. That way, while everyone’s attention is drawn to the bigger issue, you can secretly accomplish what you truly set out to do."
Fang Qingyuan whispered this lesson close to Situ Jingyu’s ear. Her face flushed slightly, and she fumbled for something to say.
"Qi Wushuang seems so smart. How could she be fooled by you?"
"Anxiety disrupts judgment. This matter concerns the next hundred years of the Artifact Talisman Alliance’s development, so Qi Wushuang couldn’t afford to think it over with a calm heart. It’s always easier said than done to remain calm in a crisis and look at the problem objectively. Throughout history, how many people can truly remain composed when their own fundamental interests are at stake?"
"What does ’remain composed’ mean? I’ve never heard that one back in the caverns."
"Oh, ’to remain composed’ refers to a story. There was this mortal named..."
Inside the small soundproof barrier, pressed close to Situ Jingyu, Fang Qingyuan slowly explained the meaning of the phrase from his past life. Not far away, Huo Bai and Huo Hu were still trading verbal blows, each word a fresh wound.
...
A long time passed. After Fang Qingyuan had explained several more phrases, Huo Bai finally came over to his side, his expression calm.
Fang Qingyuan dispelled the fifth sound-insulating talisman he had used and asked Huo Bai in a low voice:
"Uncle Huo, how did it go?"
Huo Bai shook his head, his voice dejected. He sounded lost as he said:
"Huo Hu is already dead. There is only a shell left here. Let’s go. There’s no need to come back."
Hearing this, Fang Qingyuan’s heart sank. ’I never thought Huo Hu would be so unyielding,’ he mused. ’If he would just soften his stance a little, Huo Bai would have pleaded with Huo Gan to rescue him. But Huo Hu would rather die of old age here than admit his mistake.’
’But then again, this was the Huo Hu he knew—the proud prodigy of the Huo Family. His pride was bone-deep; he couldn’t accept his own failure, nor would he admit his mistakes to Huo Gan, even though Huo Gan was waiting for him to do just that.’
Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but sigh as he recalled the first battle he had participated in with the Wei Family. He remembered the scene before Shandu Mountain, where a high-spirited Huo Hu had instantly killed Swen Guang with a single strike, capturing everyone’s attention. That was the true pride of the Huo Family. The man in the prison cell behind them was just an empty shell.
And so, the three of them left in silence. Long after they were gone, Huo Hu finally turned around, tears glistening in his eyes. He stared into the now deathly quiet prison and murmured to himself:
"Old man... I’ve failed you. But for me... there’s no turning back now..."