29: Chapter 29 Prohibitions

When Lu Chen returned to his small cabin, it was already broad daylight. He placed the copper token and the Disguise Pill on the table, staring at them for a long time. The copper token was still damp with the moisture from the dungeon, feeling icy to the touch. The porcelain bottle for the Disguise Pill was white, its mouth sealed with wax, and a small character for "Sect Head" was stamped on the wax—the Sect Head's item.

The Sect Head had given him two choices.

One was a public path: use the copper token to enter through the main gate, open and aboveboard, but Elder Sun would definitely find out. The other was a secret path: use the secret passage, remaining completely undetected, but if he were discovered, it would be "trespassing in the Law Enforcement Hall," which, according to the sect rules, could lead to immediate execution.

He chose the secret path. It wasn't because he was afraid of Elder Sun, but because he didn't want to make things difficult for the Sect Head. Reassigning the guards was already the Sect Head's limit. If Lu Chen entered through the main gate again, it would be like slapping Elder Sun in the face. Slapping her face was fine, but not right now.

Old Zhou pushed the door open and entered, carrying a bowl of medicinal soup in his hand. It was pitch black and smelled bitter.

"Drink it." Old Zhou placed the bowl on the table. "It's for supplementing Qi. You overexerted yourself today; if you don't replenish it, your hands will shake even more tomorrow."

Lu Chen picked it up and downed it in one go. It was bitter, but he was already used to it.

"What did Qin Wu say?" Old Zhou sat down opposite him.

"The Polygonatum Case: Wang Fu supplied the goods, Sun Qian collected the money, Vice Hall Master Liu signed off, and Elder Sun took the largest share. The buyers are from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect."

Old Zhou's expression darkened. "The Ten Thousand Sword Sect? Elder Sun dares to do business with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect?"

"It's a thirty Spirit Stone deal, not a large one. But this is the first time. Once the first time succeeds, there will be a second. Once the second succeeds, there will be a third. When their appetite grows, it won't just be about thirty Spirit Stones anymore."

"Do you want to use this to bring her down?"

"It's not enough," Lu Chen said. "Sun Qian can take the blame. He can say he did it himself and it had nothing to do with his aunt. Vice Hall Master Liu can also take the blame. So can Wang Fu. Elder Sun only needs to say 'I didn't know' to clear herself completely."

Old Zhou fell silent. He knew Lu Chen was right. Elder Sun had operated within the Danding Sect for thirty years; it was impossible to bring her down with a single corruption case involving thirty Spirit Stones.

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Find something bigger," Lu Chen said. "Her transactions with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect aren't limited to this one. Qin Wu is just one of the middlemen. There are other middlemen, other transactions, and other illicit gains. I need to find a chain to lock her down."

"How will you find them?"

"Qin Wu knows. But he can't get out."

"A Restriction?"

"Yes." Lu Chen set down the empty bowl. "Old Zhou, have you ever seen a Restriction?"

Old Zhou thought for a moment. "I saw one once. Many years ago, the Law Enforcement Hall caught an Inner Sect Disciple, claiming he had stolen a secret sect formula. Elder Sun personally placed a Restriction on him—as soon as that Disciple stepped out of the Law Enforcement Hall's courtyard, he coughed up blood on the spot, his spiritual power was completely drained, and he lay in bed for three months before recovering."

"Who dispelled it?"

"No one dispelled it. After three months, the Restriction vanished on its own. Elder Sun said that the Restriction's duration is three months. Within those three months, the person under the Restriction cannot leave the designated area. Once the time is up, the Restriction automatically expires."

"Three months?"

"Qin Wu has been caught for three days. There are eighty-seven days left."

Eighty-seven days. It was enough for him to do many things. It was also enough for Elder Sun to do many things.

"We can't wait eighty-seven days," Lu Chen said. "The people from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect will come again. Elder Sun will trade again. The clues Qin Wu knows will expire."

"Then what do you intend to do?"

"Find the Sect Head. Have him dispel it."

Old Zhou looked at him. "Would the Sect Head offend Elder Sun for the sake of a Loose Cultivator?"

"He wouldn't. But the Sect Head would do a lot of things to bring Elder Sun down."

In the afternoon, Lu Chen went to the Council Hall again.

The Sect Head was still there. He was sitting in the main seat, holding a book. Seeing Lu Chen enter, he put the book down.

"Did you see him?"

"I did."

"What did he say?"

Lu Chen recounted what Qin Wu had said. Wang Fu, Sun Qian, Vice Hall Master Liu, Elder Sun, the Ten Thousand Sword Sect—a clear chain.

After the Sect Head finished listening, he was silent for a long time. He stood up, walked to the window, and pushed it open. The wind blew in from outside, carrying the coolness of autumn and the scent of medicine.

"You know this isn't enough."

"I know."

"Then what do you want?"

"Dispel Qin Wu's Restriction."

The Sect Head turned around and looked at him. "A Restriction placed by Elder Sun can only be dispelled by Elder Sun herself. Or—someone with a higher cultivation than her. I am at the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, and so is she. I cannot dispel it."

"Then who can?"

"Someone from the Xuantian Sect. Or—something inside the Inverted Tower."

Lu Chen's fingers curled slightly. "What kind of thing inside the Inverted Tower?"

"I don't know. But Ancestral Master Zhou Ding wrote in his notes: 'On the fourth floor of the Inverted Tower, there is a method to dispel all Restrictions.'" The Sect Head returned to his chair and sat down. "The fourth floor is called 'self-oblivion.' Only those who have lost their compassion can enter."

Lost their compassion.

Lu Chen still had compassion now. Not much, but it was still there.

"When my compassion is gone, I will enter."

The Sect Head looked at him with a complex expression. "Do you know what it means to lose your compassion?"

"It means I will no longer care about anyone. Including you, including Old Zhou, including Su Qing, and including Qin Wu."

"And you're still willing to go in?"

"I am. Because when I don't care anymore, I won't be afraid. Without fear, I can reach the very end."

The Sect Head stared at him for a long time, then sighed.

"You are even more ruthless than Zhou Ding."

"Zhou Ding reached the fifth floor."

"Yes. But after he came out, he founded the Danding Sect, took in Disciples, and passed down the Daoist lineage. What about you? After you reach the fifth floor, what do you want to do?"

Lu Chen thought for a moment. "I don't know. Maybe continue cultivating upwards. Maybe die in the tower. Maybe—"

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe find the truth of immortality, only to discover that immortality is meaningless."

The Sect Head did not respond. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and set it down.

"I cannot dispel Qin Wu's Restriction. But I can give you something."

"What thing?"

The Sect Head took a small wooden box from a drawer and opened it. Inside lay a needle. It was silvery-white and very thin, twice as long as an ordinary needle, with intricate patterns carved onto the tip.

"The forbidden-breaking needle," the Sect Head said. "An ancient Magical Artifact. By piercing the Dantian of the person under the Restriction, it can temporarily suppress the Restriction for one hour. Within that hour, the person can move freely. After one hour, the Restriction returns, but it will not worsen."

"Where did it come from?"

"It was left by the Founding Ancestral Master. He said—'This needle is left for future generations to break unjust Restrictions.'"

Lu Chen took the wooden box, closed it, and tucked it into his robe. "Thanks."

"Don't thank me. This is a trade." The Sect Head looked at him. "You use the forbidden-breaking needle to save Qin Wu. Qin Wu helps you investigate Elder Sun. Whatever you find, you give to me. I will bring down Elder Sun. You will get what you want."

"What is it that I want?"

"The path to the fifth floor of the Inverted Tower."

Lu Chen was silent for a few seconds. "Deal."

He turned to leave.

"Lu Chen." The Sect Head called out to him. "When the forbidden-breaking needle pierces the Dantian, it will be very painful. Qin Wu has been imprisoned for three days and his body is very weak. He might not be able to endure it."

"He will endure."

"How do you know?"

"Because his line is still there."

Lu Chen pushed the door open and walked out.

In the evening, Lu Chen returned to the Pharmacy and showed the forbidden-breaking needle to Old Zhou. The old man took it, held it up against the light, and looked at it. The patterns on the needle's tip shimmered with tiny glints of light.

"Good stuff." Old Zhou handed the needle back to him. "But how do you plan to enter the dungeon? The secret passage only leads to the lowest level, while Qin Wu is being held in the upper level."

"Enter through the main gate. Use the Sect Head's copper token."

"Isn't that just walking into a trap?"

"No. The Sect Head said he would reassign the guards. Even if he doesn't, I'm not afraid. I have the Disguise Pill."

Old Zhou looked at him, hesitating to speak.

"What do you want to say?"

"You've changed," Old Zhou said. "Not that you've turned bad, but you've changed. Before, you would hesitate when doing things. Now, you don't."

"Because I don't care anymore."

"Correct. Because you don't care, you don't hesitate. Because you don't hesitate, you move fast. But moving fast makes it easy to fall."

"I'll deal with the fall when it happens."

Lu Chen put away the wooden box and the copper token, pulled out a Spirit Stone from his robe, held it in his palm, and closed his eyes. Spiritual Qi surged into his Dantian. It was slow, but it was steadily increasing.

The Spiritual Qi in his Dantian had increased from ten percent after his Breakthrough to fifteen percent.

He was still thirty-five percent away from the fifty percent mark—the Middle Stage of Level 4 Qi Refining.

"Soon."

The next day. The Zi Hour.

Lu Chen stood at the main entrance of the Law Enforcement Hall. He had taken the Disguise Pill, and his face had transformed into someone else's—square-faced with thick eyebrows, looking like an ordinary Outer Sect Disciple. He wore an Outer Sect Disciple's robe borrowed from Zhao Ping, with the copper token hanging at his waist.

The two Disciples guarding the gate looked at the copper token, then glanced at him, and did not stop him.

"One of the Sect Head's people?" one of them asked.

"Yes."

"Go in. Don't wander around."

Lu Chen walked into the Law Enforcement Hall. The interior was larger than he had imagined. A long corridor with rooms on both sides, each with a number on the door. At the end of the corridor was a staircase leading down—the entrance to the dungeon.

Someone was standing at the top of the stairs.

Sun Qian.

Lu Chen's fingers curled slightly. The Sect Head said he would reassign the guards. Sun Qian was not a guard; he was Elder Sun's nephew. His presence here meant that Elder Sun knew someone would come.

Sun Qian looked at him, sizing him up. "Who are you?"

"One of the Sect Head's people. I've come to interrogate a prisoner."

"Which prisoner?"

"Qin Wu."

Sun Qian's expression shifted. "Qin Wu's case is personally handled by Elder Sun. The Sect Head does not have the authority to interrogate him."

"This is the Sect Head's copper token." Lu Chen held up the copper token. "The Sect Head has the authority to manage all affairs of the Law Enforcement Hall. Including the interrogation of prisoners."

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

Sun Qian stared at the bronze token for a few seconds, then gritted his teeth. "You wait here. I'm going to ask Elder Sun."

"No need. I'll leave as soon as I'm done asking. Half an hour."

"No."

"Move aside."

Sun Qian did not move. He stood where he was, staring at Lu Chen, his eyes holding something—not anger, but wariness. He had recognized something.

Lu Chen did not hesitate. He walked past Sun Qian and headed down the stairs. Sun Qian did not stop him—not because he didn't want to, but because he dared not. To stop someone acting for the Sect Head was to defy the Sect Head. Sun Qian could not shoulder that charge.

The dungeon was below.

The stairs were long, with three turns. With every turn, the air grew a degree colder. By the end, the air was as cold as winter. Torches hung on the walls, their light casting flickering shadows against the stone.

Iron doors lined both sides of the corridor. Each door had a small window, allowing one to see inside from the outside.

Lu Chen checked them one by one.

The first room was empty.

The second, empty.

The third had someone inside. They were curled up in a corner, their face obscured.

The fourth, empty.

The fifth—Qin Wu.

He sat on the hay, eyes closed. The injuries on his face were worse than yesterday—there was a new bruise at the corner of his eye, the wound on his lip had split open, and blood dripped from his chin onto his clothes, soaking a large patch.

"Qin Wu." Lu Chen called out in a low voice.

Qin Wu opened his eyes. His gaze was unfocused, as if he hadn't slept in a long time. He glanced at Lu Chen, then closed them again.

"It's me."

Qin Wu opened his eyes again. He stared at Lu Chen for a few seconds. "Your face—"

"Disguise Pill. Don't speak. I'm here to rescue you."

Qin Wu shook his head. "We can't get out. The Restriction—"

"I have a forbidden-breaking needle. It can suppress the Restriction for an hour. That's enough."

Qin Wu's expression changed. Not with hope, but with surprise. "A forbidden-breaking needle? Where did you get that?"

"The Sect Head gave it to me. Don't ask. We don't have much time."

Lu Chen pulled a wooden box from his robe, opened it, and took out the forbidden-breaking needle. The needle shimmered with a silvery-white light under the torchlight, and the patterns on its tip seemed alive, twisting slightly in the glow.

"It will hurt."

"I'm not afraid."

"Hold on."

Lu Chen drove the needle into Qin Wu's Dantian.

Qin Wu's body tensed abruptly, like a bow drawn to its limit. His face turned from white to blue, then to purple; his lips trembled, and his teeth chattered. Sweat surged from his forehead, streaming down his cheeks to mix with the blood and drip onto the floor.

Lu Chen did not let go. The needle was moving inward—not because he was pushing it, but because it was moving on its own. It was as if something in Qin Wu's Dantian was pulling the needle, drawing it deeper and deeper.

Qin Wu let out a low roar. It wasn't a scream, but a sound muffled in his throat, like a struggling beast.

The needle reached its deepest point. It stopped.

Qin Wu's body suddenly relaxed. He collapsed onto the hay, gasping for air like a fish thrown onto the shore.

"The Restriction—is it suppressed?" Qin Wu's voice was very weak, like the buzzing of a mosquito.

Lu Chen placed his hand on his Dantian and felt it. Spiritual power was flowing—though weak, it was indeed flowing. "It's suppressed. For one hour. Let's go!"

He helped Qin Wu stand up. Qin Wu's legs were shaking and he couldn't stand steadily, his body leaning against Lu Chen like a sack of wet sand.

"I can't walk."

"You have to walk, even if you can't."

Lu Chen supported Qin Wu, walked out the iron door, through the corridor, and up the stairs. The stairs were long, and with every step, Qin Wu's body sagged downward. Lu Chen gritted his teeth, dragging him up step by step.

When they reached the top of the stairs, he stopped.

Sun Qian was still there.

Sun Qian looked at Qin Wu, then at Lu Chen, his eyes holding something indescribable— "You won't make it out."

"Move aside," Lu Chen said.

"No."

"This is the Sect Head's order."

"The Sect Head has no authority to release prisoners." Sun Qian drew a short blade from his waist. "Qin Wu is Elder Sun's prisoner. Whoever touches him is going against the Law Enforcement Hall."

Lu Chen placed Qin Wu by the wall, letting him sit against it. Then he turned around and looked at Sun Qian.

"Are you going to attack?"

"If you try to block me, I will."

Lu Chen took a step forward. He had no weapon in his hands, only the spiritual power in his Dantian. A deep golden light shone from beneath his skin, clearly visible in the dim corridor.

Sun Qian's eyes flickered. Level 4 Qi Refining—one level higher than him. But the blade in his hand was no ordinary weapon; it was engraved with runes that gleamed with a dark red light under the torchlight.

"This is a Magical Artifact of the Law Enforcement Hall. Even Level 4 Qi Refining cannot block it."

"Let's see."

Sun Qian swung the blade. It was fast, carrying the sound of wind; the runes on the blade lit up, and the dark red light flowed along the blade like blood.

Lu Chen did not dodge. He reached out and grabbed the blade.

His palm was cut, and blood flowed down the blade. But he did not let go. Spiritual power surged from his Dantian into his hand, the deep golden light and the dark red light colliding with a sizzling sound, like water hitting a hot oil pan.

Sun Qian gritted his teeth, trying to pull the blade back. He couldn't. Lu Chen's hand clamped onto the blade like iron pliers.

"Let go."

"No."

Lu Chen twisted hard. The blade slipped from Sun Qian's hand, falling to the ground with a crisp clatter. He let go; his palm was bleeding, but he didn't look down, only stared at Sun Qian.

Sun Qian stepped back twice, his face turning pale.

"You—"

"Move aside."

Sun Qian did not move. Not because he didn't want to, but because he dared not.

Lu Chen bent down to help Qin Wu up and walked past Sun Qian. Sun Qian did not stop him.

Walking out of the Law Enforcement Hall's main gate, moonlight shone on their faces. Qin Wu closed his eyes, breathing in the fresh air deeply, like someone who had finally surfaced after holding their breath underwater for a long time.

"One hour," Lu Chen said. "That's enough to get to the Sect Head."

Qin Wu nodded, saying nothing.

They walked along the gravel path, through the bamboo forest, and past the archway. When they reached the entrance of the Council Hall, Qin Wu's legs gave way, and he knelt on the ground.

The Sect Head stood at the entrance, holding a lamp. The light shone on Qin Wu's face, revealing the injuries—bruised, purple, red—as if someone had painted a picture on it.

"Is the Restriction suppressed?" the Sect Head asked.

"It is," Lu Chen said. "There is one more problem."

"What problem?"

"He doesn't remember me. I don't remember him. But the line is here."

The Sect Head looked at the white line on Lu Chen's wrist, then at the white line on Qin Wu's. They were identical—six loops, seven knots.

"The line is here, so the person is here," the Sect Head said. "Help him inside."

Lu Chen supported Qin Wu as they entered the Council Hall.

Qin Wu sat in a chair, eyes closed, gasping for breath. The Sect Head took a small porcelain bottle from a drawer, poured out a Medicinal Pill, and placed it into Qin Wu's mouth.

"A Qi-replenishing Medicinal Pill. Stabilize yourself first."

Qin Wu swallowed it, and his complexion improved slightly.

"Tell the Sect Head about the Polygonatum Case," Lu Chen said.

Qin Wu opened his eyes and looked at the Sect Head. "Wang Fu supplied the goods, Sun Qian collected the money, Vice Hall Master Liu signed off on it, and Elder Sun took the lion's share. The buyers were people from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect—they wore grey robes and had jade tokens with the character 'Sword' hanging from their waists. The trading location was at the foot of Qingniu Ridge. The time—October, Year 17 of Taiping."

"Are there any other trades?"

"Yes. March, Year 18 of Taiping, the second batch of polygonatum, twenty stalks. This time it wasn't Wang Fu, but someone else—another deputy manager of the Law Enforcement Hall, surnamed Li. The buyers were still the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. This time the sale brought more money, fifty Spirit Stones. Elder Sun took thirty."

The Sect Head's expression darkened. "The second batch, do you have evidence?"

"Yes. I recorded the trade." Qin Wu pulled a jade token from his robe—very small, the size of a fingernail, light green. "This is a sound-recording jade. It recorded the conversation between Sun Qian and that person from the Ten Thousand Sword Sect. Sun Qian said it himself—'My aunt asked me to tell you that we can increase the quantity next time.'"

The Sect Head took the sound-recording jade, held it in his palm, and closed his eyes to sense it. Then he opened them.

"That's enough."

"Enough to take down Elder Sun?" Lu Chen asked.

"Not enough to take her down, but enough to make her panic," the Sect Head said, putting the sound-recording jade away. "The hour is almost up. Qin Wu, go back to the dungeon for now. Before the Restriction recovers, I will send someone to take you to a safe place."

"Where?"

"Outside the Danding Sect. The territory of the Loose Cultivators Alliance," the Sect Head said, looking at him. "Are you willing?"

"Yes."

The Sect Head stood up, walked to the door, and called out. Zhao Ping walked in from a side door, holding a black robe.

"Take him out. Through the back mountain. Don't let anyone see."

Zhao Ping nodded and left, supporting Qin Wu.

When Qin Wu reached the door, he stopped and looked back at Lu Chen.

"Lu Chen."

"Yes."

"The line is here. The person is here."

"I know."

Qin Wu left.

Lu Chen sat in the chair in the Council Hall, looking at the white line on his wrist. Six loops, seven knots. He didn't remember Qin Wu's face, didn't remember his voice, didn't remember what they had promised each other. But the line was there.

The line is here, the person is here.

Dawn broke.

Sunlight shone in through the window onto Lu Chen's face.

He did not move.

Tianxuan Calendar, Late Autumn, Year 18 of Taiping.

Lu Chen, Level 4 Qi Refining.

Saved Qin Wu with a forbidden-breaking needle.

Obtained evidence of Elder Sun colluding with the Ten Thousand Sword Sect.

The Sect Head said "It's enough."

Qin Wu was safe.

The line was still there.

The person was still there.