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Chapter 4: Mine Prison

In the humble cottage, an oil lamp flickered with dim light. An old wooden case was open, revealing a pale cyan dagger, a yellowing scroll and a dark grey inscribing pen that was half-foot long.

An inscribing pen was a tool used to inscribe the spiritual tattoos by the spiritual tattooists, like a Chinese brush. The tip of it was a sharp edge instead of some soft animal hair. For this reason, it was also called the tattoo knife.

Lin Xun preferred this term, for it sounded like “Wen Dao” in Chinese, meaning seeking the basic laws of the nature and life.

For quite a while, Lin Xun couldn’t get his eyes off the yellowing scroll and the dark grey inscribing pen, both of which were extremely special to him.

The title-less scroll was three-finger thick. Its cover was cut from an animal skin, already worn-out, indicating it had existed from long time ago. A simple glance would generate a spontaneous feeling of antiquity.

The half-foot inscribing pen was unique and quite different from other ones that were commonly seen. Other than a pen, it looked more like a sword, which was dull and engraved with mysterious moire patterns. Its tip, like the sharp edge of the sword, gave out an icy coldness that chilled one’s heart and bones.

These two things were the most secret treasures of Lin Xun.

In addition, there were some spiritual materials like bones, animal skins, plants and ores in the case, which could be used to refine artifacts directly or as the spiritual ink or ingredients to inscribe spiritual tattoos after special treatment.

They were all collected by Lin Xun during his long journey, which could have been sold for a great fortune.

In the corner of the case piled some rugged sticks of thumb size, looking like jade.

They were from a special kind of tree called “Lycopodium Silver”, hard as stones, but of little value.

For an apprentice like Lin Xun, it was the best material for practicing.

Lin Xun took the scroll out of the case with great caution, and sat before the desk by the window.

He did not open it. He was just sitting there, looking at it quietly, and pondering.

Thoughts flooded into his brain and brought him back to the past.

…

It was an isolated prison built within a mine, where a lot of people were locked up.

Lin Xun had been in that prison since he was an infant. The sky was always dark with no trace of the sun, so the prison was always damp.

The air was subdued, for prisoners died every day, and new ones were just kept sending in.

As far as he could remember, no one had ever escaped from that prison until the day it was completely destroyed.

Lin Xun was not a prisoner to be exact. He had been abandoned as an infant, and had nearly been swallowed by those fierce prisoners who found him.

He heard all these from Master Lu, thanks to whom, he survived.

No one knew about the past history of Master Lu, yet he was specially treated and highly respected by both the guards and the prisoners.

…all because he was a spiritual tattooist!

He took in and raised Lin Xun, who was asked to do all kinds of things since childhood.

He taught Lin Xun how to read, to identify spiritual materials, to make spiritual ink, and to memorize and inscribe spiritual tattoos. In the meanwhile, he also needed Lin Xun to do all the chores for him, such as serving tea, washing his clothes, making dinner and so forth.

Lin Xun had always considered himself as Master Lu’s apprentice, so had the guards and the prisoners.

Master Lu, however, had never acknowledged his relationship with Lin Xun. He once said he had wanted to take no apprentice in his whole life, and Lin Xin was merely a handyman in need.

Lin Xun was upset by those words for quite some time, but he gradually forgot as time went by. Deep inside, he had always taken Master Lu as his teacher and looked up to him.

Life in this dark prison had been boring, until the day he turned nine. That was the day when Master Lu first took him out of the prison for a short period of 3 days.

For the first time in his life, he had seen the bright sunshine, the blue sky and the floating white clouds.

The wide world began to spread out in front of him.

Since then, Master Lu would take him out for at least 3 to 10 days every once in a while.

The purpose of such trips was to collect the spiritual ingredients Master Lu needed to inscribe spiritual tattoos, nothing more than that.

Nevertheless each trip had helped him to learn more about the outside world, which on the other hand had increased his doubts. Why would Master Lu rather rot in that prison dark as hell than live freely outside of it?

Unfortunately, no answer had been given to clear his doubts till the prison was completely destroyed.

The thought of the ruined prison startled Lin Xun who was still sitting in front of the desk. Horrifying memories of what happened three months ago recurred to his mind.

It was one of those days no different than ever.

He was practicing the Birthwort Spiritual Tattoo in the cell, while Master Lu was refining some spiritual ingredients in the furnace, muttering alone.

Outside, several guards were waving their iron whips stained with blood to punish those lazy prisoners. Shouting, cursing and wailing resounded through the dark prison.

Lin Xun had got used to days like this, and no longer pity those extremely nefarious prisoners, who might look pitiful from time to time.

The only thing unusual that day was Master Lu.

Lin Xun had known Master Lu to be ill-tempered and impatient ever since he was a child. He had been scolded so frequently that he lost the track of it.

Yet Master Lu never laid a hand on anyone, and he snapped only when Lin Xun made a mistake.

He was extremely grumpy that day. He smashed most of the things in the cell, even broke off his favorite inscribing pen – Flaming Gold.

After that, he took out an old wooden case and put a yellowing scroll, a pale cyan dagger and a dull half-foot long inscribing pen in it. He then handed the case to Lin Xun, who was not only surprised but also confused.

Master Lu looked uncertain, with a mixed air of hatred and helplessness. It seemed he was not ready to reconcile, but was forced to. At last, all the emotions vanished, and a serious and solemn expression took place.

Lin Xun had never seen him like this, nor would he ever forget.

Master Lu clenched his shoulders, so hard as if to crush his bones, and said in a husky and firm tone, “From today, you will be alone. You must stay alive and live well!”

Blood and madness filled his eyes, as if he was dying.

“I have fought so hard to save you. You must not die. Don’t ever forget it!”

He then pointed at the yellowing scroll and the dark grey inscribing pen, and added, “Keep them safe! You will need them for your journey! The inscribing pen is of particular importance. It conceals a secret that I have tried to unveil but failed. Crack it, even someone like you, whose Spiritual Vein has been ripped away, can possess the ability to defy the God and change your fate!”

“Haven’t you always wanted to know who took away your Spiritual Vein? Let me tell you, he is in Ziyao Empire!”

“Stay alive, then you will have the chance to find him. Do not die!”

“Do you remember?”

Uttering in a hysterical voice, his face distorted. Lin Xun was overwhelmed and subconsciously nodded his head.

Seeing that, Master Lu dragged Lin Xun and dashed to a mine tunnel which Lin Xun had never come across.

“Go!”

Without hesitation, Master Lu pushed him down the tunnel, which was deep and quiet like a bottomless abyss.

Leaving no time to act, Lin Xun went total blank. The next thing he knew he was falling.

That was when he saw an old hand pressing down from the sky, tearing up the darkness enveloped the mine.

The hand was so big that it covered up the sky, with each finger as long as giant pillars and each palm print as deep as ravines and gullies. Purple flames spread out on the palm, like horrifying fires falling from the outer space that was going to destroy all.

He had never known that one man’s hand could hide the sky!