The Endless Promise

71. Death of Luoyin

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Meanwhile, Zhang Furen was locked in the Xu Clan Prison, awaiting her journey to Central Baishan, where she would be tried by the Wulin...

The prison was dark, with a few lanterns as the only source of light, far apart and ineffective, with some slivers of moonlight through the windows.

Here and there on the walls, were softly glowing seals or talismans, which prevented those within the cells from using their powers at all, and reinforced the strength of the walls and bars from any attack, even from outside.

In her cell alone, Zhang Furen seemed like a shadow of herself. Her face was in a state, with tear streaks and dirt smudges, her elaborate hairdo was loose and tilting to one side, the hairpins askew, and her elegant robes were wrinkled and disarranged.

'How have I fallen so far?' She wondered. She had put everything in place, ensuring no one could touch her, and yet, here she was.

Her name had been blackened beyond recovery, her son was now without a proper family, and her mother had been lying dead for more than half a year, and she hadn't known...

She sobbed into the silence, her voice bouncing off the walls, but there was no consolation to be had, and she suddenly raged, unable to accept it.

How had all those people gotten into Yue City without notice?! Who had gathered them?! Where had so much evidence come from?!

No. This had been deliberate!

"Who harmed me like this?!" She demanded aloud.

"Our dear Zhang Furen, you brought it on yourself..." A quiet voice spoke from the shadows, and she looked up to see one of the prison guards. "Calamity befalls those who lack virtue.

"Nothing ever remains hidden under the sun, and night eventually gives way for day. The snow presses on the tree branches, the ground, and the mud, but after the harsh winter, its power melts away. Every thing has its time, and your time is done..."

"Who are you?!!" She demanded. "How dare a mere guard talk down to me?!"

But he scoffed and stepped into the light. "You really think you're still an important Madam? Peh! Be thankful the young Master Zhang sent a guard, and not a servant!"

He folded his hands. "I'm merely a messenger. I only repeated Master Zhang's words to you! He asked me to say them, because he doesn't want his eyes to explode upon seeing your face! Peh!" With one last disgusted look, he turned away, leaving as quietly as he appeared.

Zhang Furen had frozen in shock for a bit, almost wondering why her own son would send such a message, but then she gasped realizing that 'Master Zhang' likely referred to 'Zhang Luoyin', not A-Cheng.

And who else would refer to her as, 'Our dear Zhang Furen'?

"That bastard!!" She fisted her hands in fury. Now that she thought about it, her misfortunes had begun when Zhang Luoyin returned from those caves, and he certainly held the right amount of hatred to do such a grand thing!

"Zhang Luoyin!" She practically shook with anger. "I should have killed you long ago!!"

"You should have indeed killed him..." Another voice spoke, and her eyes brightened in hope.

"Gēge! You came for me?!" She rose and ran to the bars as the visitor stepped into the light.

"Little sister, of course I'd come for you..." It was the father from the Huofeng father-son pair, and he was also the man she had addressed as 'Elder brother' during her gathering of 'guests' at the Zhang north pagoda...