2817 So Regretful



"It couldn't possibly be an act, right?" Duan Yue approached with a grin.

He appeared absentminded, but in reality, she was on high alert.

With casual nonchalance, he accepted the stick handed to him by Huifeng and began to cautiously approach the mysterious figure lurking in the corner, shrouded in darkness.

The enigmatic individual slowly turned to face the sky, his vacant eyes emanating a profound sense of lifelessness. He gazed at them with a fixed, unseeing stare.

In strict terms, it couldn't be described as looking at them, for he was unequivocally blind.

"Who are you?" inquired the Crown Prince.

"Your Highness, he is mute," Tung replied in a hushed tone. "Mister Su has already examined him. His limbs' meridians are broken, and he is not only mute but also deaf and blind."

Mo Lian couldn't help but furrow his brow.

This situation was almost unbelievable.

"Are you certain that he has lived here alone for several decades?" he pressed further.

Tung nodded solemnly. "Based on the evidence we've found, that appears to be the case."

/So, he has been confined here, deaf, blind, and mute, for several decades?/

Duan Yue couldn't make sense of it. "But how did he manage to survive all this time?"

"He survived by relying on a medicinal solution," a voice emanated from behind the prison cell's bars.

Shortly after, a middle-aged man in a cyan robe entered the scene. He had an air of authority about him.

"What do you mean, Mister Su?" inquired someone from the group.

Su Xuetao smiled knowingly. "Please, follow me."

With that, everyone followed Mister Su as he led them outside of the prison cell.

Mister Su pointed towards the stone trough situated at the cave's apex and let out a sigh. "There is an abundance of elixirs stored up there, and an intricate mechanism is in place outside."

"Based on my calculations, this stone trough dispenses a pill every 24 hours."

"Oh," Huifeng exclaimed in realization, "so the funnel below, with a capacity of 10 liters, is meant to collect these elixirs?"

"That's correct," replied Mister Su with admiration in his voice. "This is undoubtedly the work of an exceptionally skilled Mechanism Grandmaster."

He continued, "There's also a container for collecting and storing rainwater nearby. When the two substances combine, they create a nourishing medicinal solution."

"As for the man you found lying there, he was confined to that spot. He had no choice but to wait helplessly for the medicinal solution to descend from the sky every day…"

"This medicinal solution is truly remarkable," Mister Su explained, "It doesn't need to be ingested orally; it can be absorbed through the body's skin, through any random inch of skin, thanks to the bedding."

"However," he added, "it only sustains a half-dead state of existence. It's nearly impossible for him to summon the strength to end his own life!"

/What an agonizing existence!/

/Which twisted Grandmaster devised such a punishment that condemned a person to torment without providing an escape?/

She couldn't fathom what transgressions that unfortunate soul had committed to provoke such retribution from the Mechanism Grandmaster.

He had endured this half-dead, half-alive existence for decades, day in and day out.

It was undeniably extreme.

Duan Yue and Mo Lian exchanged bewildered glances before both smiling and inquiring, "Where is Jin Chaoyang? Please bring him here."

Mo Lian was momentarily taken aback, but he quickly caught on.

She nodded and instructed Huifeng, "Bring her here."

Shortly after, Jin Chaoyang was brought to the cramped prison cell.

There wasn't a patch of unscathed skin on his body, and his swollen features resembled that of a pig's head.

He stared at Mo Lian, Duan Yue, and the others with a mixture of horror and disbelief, as if he were beholding otherworldly demons.

In all likelihood, he had never envisioned descending into such a wretched state in his entire life. If it were within his power, he would turn back the clock. Even if it meant facing death, he would gladly avoid the ill-fated task of taunting and degrading the resilient and stoic figure before him.

/Regrets, regrets abounded, but life offered no remedy for them./

"What, may we inquire, are you all up to?"