Chapter 63: Pulling Strings
"Then how is the murdered woman connected?" Liu Sheng continued to ask.
She couldn't help but wonder if, compared to them, she was a bit too out of the loop.
Gao Yisheng fanned himself with his folding fan and said, "You wouldn't know this, but the deceased woman was named Lu Xiaoying."
"Who is she? None other than the second Young Miss of the Lu Family, who has always been overshadowed by Miss Wen!"
"In terms of family background, the Lu Family is also a prominent clan in Qinghe. Miss Lu's father was an official up to the Minister of Personnel, and her mother's family was also a major clan in Chang'an. Miss Lu was in no way inferior to Miss Wen."
"In terms of appearance, Miss Wen was like a Tianshan Snow Lotus, defying frost and snow, while Lu Er was like a beautiful and vibrant begonia, each having her own charm."
Liu Sheng thought to herself, it was truly a waste for Gao Yisheng not to be a storyteller with such eloquent speech.
Gao Yisheng continued to sway his head and said, "But when it came to cultivation talent, no matter how hard Miss Lu tried to catch up, she was always one stage behind Miss Wen. I heard that because of this, the two had disliked each other since their days in the academy. Miss Wen became a disciple of Master Nangong, and Miss Lu also found Hermit Honglian as her master. Miss Wen went to hunt weird objects to improve, and she went too, but Miss Wen would always be Miss Wen."
"Truly, if Wen was born, why was Lu born? Alas, alas."
Su Yanjun couldn't stand Gao Yisheng's storytelling style. She rolled her eyes and took over, "As a result, Miss Wen suddenly lost her power. Who do you think was the happiest? Naturally, it was Miss Lu!"
"But today, for some reason, the two of them actually met. They would never have sat in the same private room for tea before. Everyone says that Lu Er must have invited Miss Wen to provoke and mock her. I heard that there was a fierce quarrel from inside the private room, so loud that everyone on the top floor of Baihe Tower heard it…"
Liu Sheng didn't expect the people of Qinghe to be such strong gossips. In such a short time, even such inside information had spread with vivid details.
Gao Yisheng immediately continued, "So, Miss Wen, in a fit of rage, ended Lu Er. Alas, alas!"
With that, he snapped his folding fan shut with a "clack," adding a touch of drama to the story's conclusion.
"Speaking of which, why are you back? You're not so idle that you want to come to work, are you?" Su Yanjun thought that given Liu Sheng's heartless and ruthlessly competitive nature, it was indeed possible.
She saw that Liu Sheng was still carrying a food box and happily wondered if she had come to comfort them. Could it be that love was hard to express?
But as soon as Liu Sheng spoke, she shattered her beautiful fantasy: "I want to come to you to pull strings."
Su Yanjun had never heard anyone say such a brazen thing and was too stunned to speak.
With that, she took out a packet of osmanthus pastries wrapped in oil paper from her Storage Pouch and handed it to Su Yanjun. "I want to ask if you have any connections to get into the Weaving Institute's Prison Department. A friend of mine just went in, and I want to go see her and bring her some food."
Non-artifact type weird objects are generally held in the Prison Department of the Weaving Institute. After a series of procedures including verification, analysis, and containment, they will be arranged to suitable places.
Generally, as far as Liu Sheng knew, useful parts would be extracted, and if completely useless, they would be exiled north of the Great Wall.
So, if Miss Wen was truly identified as a weird object, the consequences would be unimaginable…
Only Liu Sheng knew that Miss Wen was indeed not a weird object; the Guai Qi on her was merely contaminated. If she was captured like this, and the true weird object was let go, that would be wrong.
If there was a mistake, it should be corrected.
Su Yanjun's voice pulled Liu Sheng out of her thoughts: "If it's just to see her and deliver food, it's easy to arrange. I'll just tell Zhang Dagge of the Prison Department."
"But what's your friend's name?"
"Hmm… I don't know her name, I only know that everyone calls her…"
"Miss Wen."
...
Su Yanjun sent Liu Sheng to the entrance of the Prison Department with a resentful look, her eyes seemingly accusing her of something.
Liu Sheng couldn't understand her accusation and chose to ignore it.
Su Yanjun said a few words to a burly man guarding the Prison Department entrance, then came over and whispered to Liu Sheng, "Alright, I've arranged it for you. Just listen to what Zhang Dagge says. Remember to give Zhang Dagge a bottle of wine later. He likes Crane Tower Spring from Baihe Tower."
Liu Sheng thanked Su Yanjun.
"You! You're disloyal! You didn't even tell me you knew Miss Wen! She… she was my childhood enemy and goal! It's just… alas, I didn't expect her to become… and be imprisoned here…"
Su Yanjun grabbed Liu Sheng's sleeve and said angrily, then grew more and more despondent, letting go of Liu Sheng and turning to leave.
Liu Sheng looked at her retreating figure, puzzled.
At this moment, Zhang Dagge glanced at Liu Sheng, beckoned, and said, "Follow me!"
Liu Sheng acknowledged him and followed Zhang Dagge into the main gate of the Prison Department.
Upon entering, there was a long, dark, narrow, and deep staircase leading deep underground. Only sporadic illumination formations provided faint light, making it impossible to see the end.
Zhang Dagge led Liu Sheng down the steep stairs, going deeper and deeper. After walking for a while, they finally saw a heavy, thick metal door.
Zhang Dagge took out his token and swiped it in a groove on the metal door. The metal door made a heavy, decaying sound and slowly opened.
The air was filled with the earthy, damp, and musty smell of the underground, mixed with rust and an unknown decaying scent, along with a strong smell of blood, making one feel suffocated.
This was her first time in the Prison Department. She could feel an aura quite similar to the Restriction in the Imperial Storage. As soon as she walked in, she felt breathless from the pressure.
The surrounding walls were built of rough stone blocks, with water droplets constantly dripping from the cracks, making crisp dripping sounds that broke the deadly silence.
The light inside the Prison Department was dim, with only a few scattered illumination formations. Zhang Dagge had to take out a spirit bead lamp to see the way clearly. The lamplight cast long shadows on the slippery, sticky, black and red ground.
The corridor was narrow and winding, with heavy iron doors on both sides. From behind the doors came either heavy breathing, low moans, or desperate cries. The thought of how many weird objects were imprisoned here made one involuntarily clench their heart.
Liu Sheng endured the nauseating smell, and the cold air made her involuntarily hug her arms and shrink her neck.
Zhang Dagge led Liu Sheng further down the gloomy corridor, turning two corners before finally stopping in front of an iron door covered with inscriptions.
Zhang Dagge took out his token and swiped it on the formation next to the door. The iron door actually became somewhat transparent, allowing them to see a thin figure sitting on the bed, her head buried in her knees, completely ignoring the commotion at the door.
He said to Liu Sheng, "I won't open the door. weird objects are very dangerous. Although her abilities are still unknown, she has already killed one person, so don't get hurt. You can pass the food box through the formation under the door."
"Take this. When the copper bell rings, you must leave. I will come to lead you out."
Zhang Dagge also gave Liu Sheng a copper bell. For some reason, he was very familiar with the procedure, as if he had let people into the Prison Department more than once.
"What happens if I don't leave when the copper bell rings?" Liu Sheng asked curiously.
"You'll die," Zhang Dagge replied expressionlessly.
Liu Sheng quickly took the copper bell.
Zhang Dagge then turned and walked away, quite respectful of privacy.
Liu Sheng originally wanted to release her Little Tentacle to see if Zhang Dagge had truly gone far, but her Little Tentacle stopped her, saying that the Restriction here was too strong, and if it came out, it would probably be Liu Sheng's turn to be captured and put inside.