Drip.

The slow sound of water echoed somewhere in the distance.

A dull ache spread through Shen Yuan’s abdomen before gradually climbing into his chest. It felt as though someone had driven a burning iron rod straight through his body.

His fingers twitched.

Then his eyelids slowly opened.

The first thing that entered his vision was a rough stone ceiling covered in cracks.

"..."

He blinked several times before his vision gradually cleared.

Shen Yuan was no longer in his servant hut. Hell, it wasn’t even a room.

It was a cave.

Several fire torches embedded into the surrounding walls cast a warm orange glow over everything, making the entire place feel mysterious and eerie.

Shen Yuan slowly lowered his gaze.

He was sitting on a plain wooden chair. His hands rested naturally upon the armrests.

His arms and legs were not tied, which came as a surprise, but when he recalled how powerful cultivators were, it made sense. After all, what kind of rope would work on them?

Even if there was one, it would be expensive.

"..."

His eyes quietly swept across the cave. More than a dozen people stood against the walls without making a sound.

Every one of them wore black servant robes.

Qi Condensation Realm.

Peak Body Tempering.

Without moving his head, Shen Yuan quietly counted every single cultivation.

Even though no one spoke, they were all looking at him coldly. Shen Yuan recognised most of them as his neighbours.

Their presence along was enough to make sure Shen Yuan did not run anywhere.

It was then that Shen Yuan noticed the long wooden table standing several metres away.

Rows of torture instruments rested neatly across it.

Hooks. Iron needles. Pliers. Chains. Small knives.

Some looked polished while others still carried dried brown stains that no amount of washing had managed to remove.

Dark patches covered the stone floor beneath the table.

Shen Yuan recognised that table.

He himself had worked on that table.

Which was why he knew that the stains were blood and they were not new.

The metallic smell still lingered in the air. It was most likely that the place has been used for a long time now.

"..."

"This place is straight out of my dream." His voice echoed softly through the cave.

Shen Yuan was trying to scare them while trying to act like a scary killer who has lost his mind, and his act seemed to work.

Some of them trembled watching him lick his lips at the sight of the blood.

Footsteps echoed from the entrance of the cave.

Tap. Tap...

Every guard immediately lowered their heads as a familiar figure walked into the cave.

Shi Jin.

His servant robes looked as neat as ever.

There wasn’t a single wrinkle upon them. His hands rested calmly behind his back as though he had simply come to visit an old friend.

Behind him...

Walked another figure. It was a woman.

She wore black overalls that covered her body from the neck down without exposing even an inch of skin.

A long black scarf draped behind her, almost brushing against the cave floor with every step she took.

The way she walked reminded Shen Yuan of a blade hidden inside its sheath.

’Shi Lui.’ The name appeared in his mind the moment he saw the face of the woman who looked like she had been through hell and back.

The coldness on her face seemed to make the warmth of the fire in the cave fade away.

"I have been wondering something." Shi Jin took a seat on the empty chair before Shen Yuan and crossed one leg over the other before resting his hands on it. "Why?"

Shi Lui stood behind the man like a silent shadow without uttering a word. Shen Yuan, on the other hand, did not even utter a word.

"Why did you go through all the trouble of killing my men? Why is that? Tell me the real reason; I know you are a smart man."

His tone remained gentle. Shi Jin just acted as if he were curious about what he had to say, and he would do nothing else.

Shen Yuan looked at him for several seconds before calmly correcting him. "Peng Ho’s men."

Shi Jin raised an eyebrow. He thought Shen Yuan was mocking him, but that was not the case.

"I merely wanted revenge. They were the same people who used to beat me on Peng Ho’s order."

A faint smile appeared on Shen Yuan’s face. "I was just settling the score. But that is not important anymore..."

Shen Yuan mirrored his posture and leant back into the chair. "I wanted to understand something."

His gaze slowly shifted past Shi Jin. Towards the silent woman standing behind him.

"Who is she to you?"

"My cousin." Shi Jin raised a brow before shifting his eyes to the side without looking back. "And did you find what you were looking for?"

"I think I know now." Shen Yuan nodded. "A man capable of convincing his own cousin to be raped by one of Peng Ho’s goons who was weaker than her just for a plan... isn’t the type to live beneath someone else’s shadow."

His eyes briefly drifted towards Shi Lui again. She was now clenching her hands into a fist, but despite all of that, she forced herself to not utter a word.

"So there has to be something far more important you wanted from him, right? Something far more valuable than a mere spirit grass."

The smile on Shi Jin’s face finally faltered. "I knew you were trouble the moment I laid eyes on you."

"No, she is not my cousin." Shi Jin turned to look at Shi Jin and then at everyone else in the cave. "Everyone, leave us alone. Come back when I call you."

Shi Lui seemed like she wanted to say something, but she bit her lips and left with the rest.

"You are right, I never really cared about the spirit grass. No, wait. That’s a lie; I do care a little, but it was not the objective." Once everyone was out, Shen Yuan stood up from the chair and walked up to the table and picked up the items placed on it one by one. "The real objective is power and authority."