Mo Dao Zu Shi: Astray

Inferno, Part Seven

"Did you hear what happened to Rice Bucket?"

"Yeah. Who would've thought Rice Bucket was actually a woman?"

"I'm glad I'm not her!"

"Sect Leader Wen must be having all kinds of fun with her."

The two guards at the front gates of the Nightless City chortled.

They were so caught up in their amusement that they failed to notice a cloaked man leap from his sword in the sky and land before them.

The guards tensed, unsheathing their swords. "Halt! Who goes there?"

The cloaked man said gruffly, "Tell Wen Zhuliu to meet with me. Now!"

The guards huffed. "Who do you think you are? Daring to make demands of us?"

The cloaked man's sword flew into his grasp. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

The guards laughed. "A cultivator? How could you be so foolish as to pull your sword on Wen cultivators!"

"Now you die!" The guards attacked.

The cloaked man swiftly dodged their swords and slashed at them.

"What the-? This guy knows our sect's moves!"

The cloaked man disarmed the guards, knocking their swords out of their hands.

He pointed his sword at them.

The guards put their hands up in surrender.

The cloaked man ordered, "Open the gates."

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"A-Chun!...A-Chun!"

Pan Wukun stirred in her cell. She must be hearing things. That sounded like Pan Heng's voice.

"Oh great...now I'm hallucinating."

But hallucinations weren't supposed to be able to open her cell door and hold her in their arms.

Pan Wukun blinked rapidly, seeing Pan Heng's worried face. "Wh-what? A-ge?"

Pan Heng looked down at her right wrist. "Your-your hand. They..."

Pan Heng shook with anger.

Pan Wukun coughed. Her throat was so dry.

Pan Heng grabbed his water gourd and helped pour water into her mouth.

Coming to her full senses, Pan Wukun panicked. "A-ge! Why are you here?"

"I hadn't been getting letters from you like usual."

Once Pan Wukun's letters stopped coming, Pan Heng knew something was wrong. He set off from Xuhou and traveled all around, asking about Pan Wukun.

People answered, "Pan Wukun? That traitor's joined the QishanWen sect!"

Pan Heng rushed to Qishan. Being a former Wen cultivator, he knew how to get past the Nightless City's defenses and arrived at the front gates to the Scorching Sun Palace.

Pan Wukun was terrified. "If you're here, they're gonna kill you!" She spotted Wen Zhuliu standing behind Pan Heng. "Wen Zhuliu!" she cried.

To Pan Wukun's surprise, Pan Heng didn't jump to defend himself against Wen Zhuliu. "Don't worry. I was able to come in here with Wen Zhuliu's permission. He and I have...a history."

Pan Wukun blinked. "Wait...you two knew each other?"

Pan Heng nodded. It was time to tell Pan Wukun everything. "It all started when I was a little boy delivering rice to the local cultivation sect with my father..."