The Dungeon

The moment the doors shut behind Hong Zhao, the guard took the bindings and cut them off of him. Ren Cai had already left, as well as the rest of the party that had captured him. The man then set him on the ground in front of him. He did so with neither hostility or malice, nor did he do so gently. It was a gesture to show Hong Zhao the indifference he felt towards the young boy.

"Give me all of your storage rings." The man pointed at the storage ring Hong Zhao kept on his right hand. As Hong Zhao looked at the man's expression, it showed neither greed nor sympathy. Yet again, it seemed as if it were just standard procedure. Taking the ring off hesitantly, Hong Zhao handed it to the guard. Without taking a glance at it, the man put it in his own storage ring. "This ring is bound to you. I'm sure you know that I cannot take anything from it so long as you are alive, so rest assured your valuables will remain your own, so long as the City Lord allows." He then waved his hand and gestured Hong Zhao to follow him.

Hong Zhao did as he was told and followed behind the man. As he did, he sensed two more guards of the same level of cultivation as the guard in front. Both behind him had the same feeling of duty. Neither one of them looked at him in disgust, greed or pity. Their eyes remained front in center, and their pace matched the other guard in front of him.

The man went down a long flight of stairs which wound downwards. Flames licked the walls of the building as torches lit their way. Hong Zhao looked at the structure and noticed it was all brick, but a type he was not quite familiar with. As they went further down, the darkness seemed to surround them. To anyone else, it might make them feel claustrophobic, or at least uncomfortable. Yet if the guards were to pay attention to the young boy, they would have seen a calculating smile upon his lips as he watched the darkness descend on them.

Soon, the darkness spread outward as they entered a large corridor. Hong Zhao noticed many barred doors on either side of the room. He could hear moaning, and some angry shouts as the men in cages saw the guards bringing in fresh blood. As Hong Zhao noticed the men, he also noticed the barred doors held at least ten men per room. He also noticed the bucket in the corner which seemed to be brimming with waste, and the one bed which resided in the corner.

It seemed that the great many doors were just entrances the guards could use at once, that way they could enter more than just one entryway, so the men in the cells couldn't overwhelm them with their numbers.

As the guards guided him to his new home for the extended future, they paid attention to the young boy's expression. They noticed the cold smile which played on his lips as he looked at the many men within his new room. If it were anyone else, they might be wetting themselves at this point, and begging to be set free. They would be begging for any deal the guards would throw at them. Yet this boy only smiled with promise in his eyes. It seemed that the darkness surrounding them was light compared to his expression.

"You are now a prisoner of the City Lord Zheng Guo." The guard said in a practiced tone. "Try to stay alive until we come back for you. His majesty will have many questions for you. Use this time to think about how you will respond to them." He then looked at the many men within the cages. "This man is to be left alive. If we come down and see that there is no breath left within his body, the same fate will be given to all of you." His eyes shone with promise. This made the many men within the cage wonder about this kid's background, yet it also made them look at him with greed. If they were able to incur some sort of favor with this kid, they might be able to get out of this wretched existence sooner.

Hong Zhao entered the cell with a cold and calculating expression, but then allowed for a small smile to appear on his face. "Hello everyone, my name is Hong Zhao." He bowed slightly before going over to a vacant corner and seated himself in the lotus position. Though dungeon was a few miles down from the surface, there was still a thin stream of energy which allowed for a meager cultivation. Even with such slim gains, he still benefitted slightly from it.

"Hey kid," One of the men from the cell walked to his corner after the guards left. "Why the hell is a child in this cell anyway?" He stopped and crouched in front of Hong Zhao. His foul breath made Hong Zhao's brow wrinkle in disgust.

"I'm only going to say this once." Hong Zhao's eyes opened slightly and he glared at the many men. "This is my corner of the cell." He looked a few inches away from himself, then activated qi shot, sending a beam of qi to the area he was looking at. "If anyone passes that spot, they leave not through the door, but through the cycle of reincarnation." He then looked at the man who looked down on him. "Now is your chance to leave, you won't get another." He said with a glint of murder in his eyes.

The man sensed Hong Zhao's killing intent, yet he remained in place. "You are quite the dangerous little boy, aren't you?" He said in a mocking tone and began to laugh. The others joined in as well, until they saw a flash of white, then the man's head rolled to the ground. Hong Zhao's devouring qi claws glowed slightly red within the darkness.

"You have ten seconds to take his body back to your side of the cage. If he is not gone by then, all of you die." He then closed his eyes once more, and began to cultivate. Though he wasn't aware of what was happening, he knew that the men were scrambling to do what he asked out of fear for their lives. They made a promise within their hearts at that moment, not to disturb the young boy cultivating in the other corner.