Chapter 23: A Silent Savior, An Unseen Debt

"Come on out. Your days are over," the same guard who had brought her here said in a cold and commanding tone.

Xu Mo opened his eyes and sat up from the bed, but he immediately frowned—his body ached. He had dissipated his Qi just a few hours ago, and now, in the third week of this madness, he was starting to feel weaker and weaker.

His frame had thinned significantly, his ribcage protruding, and his jaw had sunken in. From afar, he looked like a walking skeleton.

Despite his weakened state, Xu Mo still had enough strength to walk toward the iron bars. Instead, he lay back down without saying a word. Silence.

The girl scheduled for execution also remained quiet, her head lowered as she walked out of the cell and followed the guard. From time to time, she glanced back, hoping Xu Mo would at least watch her leave. But there was no movement. No reaction. Just silence.

She shook her head and continued forward.

"I wish to have invincible talent and unparalleled beauty in my next life."

Clenching her fists, she forced herself not to cry or shiver. She still had responsibilities—her younger sister, her parents—but in the end, it seemed she would go before all of them. Her eyes reddened, but her long, silky black hair concealed it all.

Xu Mo, still lying in his cell, felt a surge of frustration. Why did I dissipate my Qi today? He was unfamiliar with the feeling of walking toward his own death, but now that it was happening, it was anything but pleasant.

For a moment, the thought of simply cultivating again—of throwing away this ridiculous technique—flashed through his mind.

Sigh.

He calmed himself. Perhaps this was the "trial of heart" that the entity in his dream had mentioned. If he had ignored the memories in his mind and carried on cultivating, he would have remained the sect’s true successor. He would have never descended the mountain, never asked for directions, never offended some random person, never been framed for stealing, and never ended up in this cell meeting that psycho.

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Every story has two sides.

Once again, Xu Mo was left alone, battling his own thoughts. His eyelids grew heavy. The rhythmic hum of mosquitoes and his own steady breathing filled the cell until, eventually, he drifted into sleep.

Meanwhile, in his office, Wei Han was reading reports when a knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Come in."

A simple sentence, yet the people outside hesitated nervously.

Three people entered—two men and one woman, the latter bound in chains.

Wei Han set the reports aside and looked at them.

"Captain! I have brought them." One of the guards saluted, his voice rigid with formality.

"Okay, you can go back."

The guard saluted again and left. He turned a full 360 degrees when he reached the door handle before finally walking out.

Wei Han's gaze fell on the remaining guard, the one holding the chains as if the girl were a dog on a leash.

Sweat beaded on the guard’s face, but he still mustered the courage to speak. "The execution is going to be held soon—"

Wei Han raised his hand. The guard immediately shut his mouth.

Turning his attention to the chained girl, Wei Han waved his hand. The metal chains disintegrated into fine particles, vanishing into thin air.

"You." He paused, then gestured for the guard to leave.

The man didn't need to be told twice. He fled, shutting the door behind him with a bang.

Now, only Wei Han and the girl remained in the office.

"You are free. All charges of murder against you have been dropped," Wei Han said, his gaze fixed on her hair.

He wanted to see her reaction. Would it be indifference? Shock? A mix of both?

For the first time, she raised her head slightly, causing her long hair to shift. From the slit between the strands, only a small portion of her eye was visible.

She met Wei Han’s gaze.

"H-How?" she stammered, summing up her confusion in a single word.

"Judging by your expression, it's clear you have no idea," Wei Han said, leaning back in his chair. "The order to pardon you came from very high up."

"But I don’t have any connections," she replied, still bewildered.

"I know. But perhaps someone you met in the sect asked for help on your behalf."

Wei Han pressed on. This wasn’t the first strange occurrence he had encountered lately. First, Xu Mo. He had already investigated Xu Mo’s daily life—he had only joined the sect two days ago. How could someone who didn’t even know his way around steal from an elder?

He had even asked his senior to help release Xu Mo, but the response was the opposite. His senior had told him that Xu Mo was to remain in the cell for at least seven months—or longer—until further notice.

Were they trying to kill Xu Mo?

The girl hesitated for a moment, recalling how Xu Mo had casually offered to help her get pardoned. But then she shook her head.

Wei Han noticed. She remembered someone. His eyes sharpened.

"Do you know someone?"

"N-No… Well, the prisoner in the cell across from mine said he had connections and offered to help."

She hadn't intended to say anything, but under Wei Han’s piercing gaze, she realized she wouldn’t be allowed to leave without answering.

Wei Han leaned back, exhaling sharply.

"Him? Again."