"Wait!" the sound came, it was heavy full of anger, but at the same time, careful, "If you snuff that candle, I'll reward you handsomely," he said.
"What can guarantee me that?" I replied, not even trying to communicate with divine sense but just simply talking to empty air.
"I'm Zhang Tian, son of Tu Tian, Celestial King of the Wind Realm. One of the five Celestial Realms of the Heavenly World. My words are not spoken lightly, and once I make a promise, a promise shall be kept!" the man said with all confidence, though I felt arrogance beyond arrogance in his words, and contempt to all the living in them, I had a feeling that he wasn't just boasting.
"I still can't trust you, after all, if you truly were a Prince, why are you imprisoned here?" I asked.
"How… did you know I was imprisoned?" the prince asked.
"Simple, your power is too great to be someone stuck in such a small place, also you're using Saint Qi in your Divine Sense, which makes it rather uncomfortable. Not to mention you easily fended off my hallucinations, and also the fact that your words were forcefully cut the last time you spoke to me, it felt like you were forced and suppressed, but all of that wasn't enough to conclude that you're actually imprisoned."
"Then how did you figure out I was imprisoned?" the prince asked.
"You just told me yourself," I grinned at the man.
'…'
I didn't receive a reply, I could even guess that the prince was actually facepalming himself right now.
"I suppose this flame, no, this lamp is actually a part of a formation that's keeping you imprisoned," I said.
"You're both right and wrong, it's keeping me stuck, but it's only a part of many other restrictions upon me. But, if you rid me of the Purple Flame Sealing Formation, I can reward you handsomely, I'll be able to use a one-hundredth of a percent of my power, enough to send a message to my father, once he received my whereabouts, he will come and rid me of my shackles, and once I'm free, I'll make you one of my servants, and bless you with an endless life of happiness." The man said all confidently.
My expressions turned ugly and sour.
"You don't seem pleased! Many would beg to be my servants. Why not rejoice?"
"Your words are making me even more uninterested in helping you, a servant, to you? You're mad. Why would I give up my freedom, why should I help you? Because you're a prince? Sorry, but just because you were born with a golden spoon in your gullet doesn't mean that I'll do you bidding, I'm no slave of yours, nor will I ever be, rot in here, like the personality you have." I said and turned.
"Wait!" the man's voice sounded through my head, this time it was slightly painful, but the owner of the voice grunted, he seemed to have suffered some backlash.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"Just wait," the man huffed, "It seems that there is a misunderstanding, I told you I'm a prince of a celestial king, but your origin doesn't seem to have proper knowledge of how high of a statue I am. Still, I would forgive such insolence, I don't have a choice anyway… Then if you wish, I won't have any interference with you once you free me from this formation, but I'll still be obliged to reward you for saving me."
"What can a naked man offer, say, with all of your power, origin, background, and arrogance, what separates you from a mere slave that's working the fields? Nothing. All of your words are meaningless to me, your words have no value, as I don't trust you, nor would I trust you rewarding me with anything."
"What is your name?" the prince asked.
"Why do you need my name for?" I asked.
"To prove my sincerity," he said.
I thought for a moment and said, "You're too strange, I think giving you my name will be dangerous."
"Indeed, it would be, if I were to really mean you harm, I could use curses and plague you with death just by using your name, but I won't, hang on, I don't even need to have your name come directly from your mouth."
Immediately, a wave of divine sense spread along with the whole city and continued spreading, and in that divine sense, there was a picture, a picture of me.
Just as the wave ended, "Shen Bao!" said the man.
"What did you do?" I asked, how the hell did he know my name… that was scary.
"Simply, I made a picture of you in my divine sense, and spread it all over this lower celestial realm, once a few cultivators are hit with this image, if one of them know you, they will speak or think of your name, and all those who spoke had spoken the same name, Shen Bao…the Dragon Spirit, could it really be a coincidence? Could the Man in Black Robes be speaking of you? Interesting."
I didn't reply as I was still reeling from the repercussions of the dangers this person represents, such a simple yet ingenious way to figure out my name… now if he said he can get me cursed using my own name I'm screwed.
"Don't worry, if I wanted you dead, there are many other ways than vile curse magic. And unless you speak your own name, thrice to a person, they cannot use the Origin Name's Curse. So worry not, I only needed to know your name to make a heavenly vow."
"A what?"
"Heed my words, and let heavens be witness, I Zhang Tian pledge that I shall cause him no harm and promise the safety of mind and body to Shen Bao If he were to help me remove the Purple Flame Sealing Formation. This I vow as Heavens witness and let my soul be shattered if I were to renege on my words or act against my vow!"
Almost immediately, I could feel the atmosphere change, it was as if something grave had happened and the consequences of defying it wouldn't just end with a light heavenly punishment.
"In all my life, I had only used a heavenly vow once, and it is to never betray the Celestial Wind Kingdom. And this is my second vow. Once you help me I'll promise great benefits."
"I'm still tempted to just go and leave you here," I said.
"I knew you'd probably say something like that, then how about I tell you of a little secret," the prince said.
"What is?" I asked.
"I have personally Met the Poison God, and I know the whereabouts of one of the caves he used to reside in…"
'Oh, now that's some interesting stuff…'