The tone couldn't be described as courteous.
The beautiful lady hesitated, timidly uttering inappropriate words:
"Why... why..."
She didn't recognize the other person, only vaguely recalling the appearance of this musician, but couldn't remember his name.
Why would he be willing to share the sustenance that maintains life with her?
Even as the once noble Lady Liang, she was nothing more than a prisoner subject to humiliation in this cell. How could a stranger perform such an act of self-sacrifice?
Could there be other motives...
Remembering the earlier offense by those soldiers, Lady Liang bit her lip and clutched her collar.
Chen Kuang knew very well what she was puzzled about.
Emperor Liang prided himself on elegance, indulging in music and dance yearly. With a hundred and twenty performers in the palace's music and dance troupe, it was no wonder she couldn't remember them all.
But... not recognizing him was good.
Chen Kuang silently smiled, then said:
"Madam might have forgotten; three years ago, I was punished and whipped by Luo Lezheng due to a mistake, and it happened that you passed by and saved my life."
"I recall very clearly, hearing others say that day that you wore a green skirt... imagining you as beautiful as a goddess."
Now his tone turned gentle again.
Lady Liang sensed a hint of passionate ardor in the young man's voice within the dim cell and was startled, quickly lowering her head.
Fortunately, he seemed aware of his slip, sincerely whispering:
"I kept it in mind then, and today I want to repay the favor."
Lady Liang was taken aback upon hearing this.
Originally, she had no recollection, but the other person's words were neither humble nor arrogant, full of details, and she started to believe it might truly have happened.
Although green wasn't her favored color, she wore it often; naturally gentle and kind, she would indeed intervene if she saw palace attendants being punished.
If she had indeed saved a Little Musician, it seemed reasonable, but trying to remember the exact incident was vain.
In fact...
Of course, it never happened.
Chen Kuang had indeed been wrongfully punished in the past and endured a severe penalty, but his life wasn't endangered, and Lady Liang wasn't involved at all.
However, now all musicians familiar with Chen Kuang, including Luo Lezheng, had perished in Jinghe Hall.
No one could expose his lie, making it the truth.
To make his motives appear more believable, Chen Kuang appropriately conveyed some admiring affection.
— To a woman on the brink of death, a man's admiration might provide more safety than any life-saving favor.
With her head down, Lady Liang hesitated for a moment but eventually reached out to pick up the steamed bun.
"Thank you, may I have your name..."
"Chen Kuang."
The young man across the room extended his hand, writing his name in the dust on the ground, awkwardly.
Such ugly handwriting...
Lady Liang mumbled first, then suddenly felt startled.
Although those two characters, Chen Kuang, were poorly written, from her perspective, they were perfectly aligned, with no stroke out of place. They were seated opposite each other—he had written his name upside down!
Nobody practices writing their name upside down regularly; Chen Kuang must have spontaneously done it.
This skill was as remarkable as drawing a circle with one hand and a square with the other.
Moreover, he was blind...
Lady Liang had seen many eccentric people, but this trick still astonished her.
Feeling grateful, the woman softly said: "If I'm fortunate enough to survive, I vow to repay you someday."
"No need."
The young man seemed to smile, "I repaid a favor; there's no reason for you to return it. I've only heard 'an eye for an eye' never for favor repaid."
As long as when... or when someone comes to rescue you, they'll remember this favor and take me along too.
Emperor Liang only had one daughter.
In other words, the mother and daughter pair in the adjoining cell... were Da Liang's last royal bloodline.
The guards and soldiers were disrespectful but dared not harm them directly, only intimidating them.
Chen Kuang speculated that the Great Zhou's General Fei Feng might be using them to lure out the last remaining forces of Liang Kingdom.
In this world, nations and clans rely on each other.
Liang Kingdom certainly had cultivators loyal to the Royal Family.
Chen Kuang didn't know how powerful these forces might be, but certainly much stronger than him, a weakling barely different from a regular person at present.
Lady Liang slowly nibbled at the steamed bun, hearing this, she softly chuckled, her eyes shining a little brighter: "Then... let's call it even with Mr. Chen."
Actually... if they didn't take him along, it wouldn't matter.
When his body was feverish, his soul had already pushed itself in, overhearing much of the guards' idle talk.
The Great Zhou Army didn't plan a massacre; of the two thousand plus detained individuals, aside from some key figures who had to die, the rest were to be pragmatically turned into slaves, incorporated among the fifty thousand Zhou soldiers to aid in tasks once matters were settled.
But what exactly was this "matter"? When would it happen next?
Chen Kuang touched his eyes, seemingly still able to feel the fever's high temperature threatening to melt his eyeballs.
Unknown source Elixir of Longevity.... was it the remedy for his eye disease...?
A vague unease stirred.
Presently, his only solace came from the passive operation of the "Fetal Breathing Technique," infusing his body with Spiritual Qi cleansing, gently forming a tidal layer, repeatedly impacting his closed Eighth Acupoint.
Yesterday, his Ninth Acupoint smoothly opened, now filled with Spiritual Qi, becoming a "battery pack" providing energy, further driving the tide.
If it weren't for this Spiritual Qi temporarily supporting his body, ensuring he wouldn't starve for two to three days even without sustenance, he wouldn't have shared the bun.
Now, he might reluctantly be considered a cultivator.
But regarding cultivation knowledge, he retained none at all.
Holding treasure it had nowhere to be used.
Wait for another usable passive ability?
Hard to say...
Chen Kuang clicked his tongue lightly, then glanced at the old man in the right cell finishing the bun and falling directly asleep on the ground.
Da Liang God of Slaughter, Grand General, Huo Hengxuan.
Reportedly, he seemed to be a cultivator too, walking the path of martial virtue with peerless Divine Power.
Wasn't he supposed to be quite powerful?
Recalling the undignified scene of the old man chasing the bun with his mouth, Chen Kuang felt speechless.
The old man flipped over, his empty wrist scratched at his chest, the chains rattling softly.
He smacked his mouth, using the bloody stubs on his wrist, dabbed twice at crumbs on his chest, and licked them.
Chen Kuang: "..."
Maybe wait for the passive ability after all...
He was contemplating when his vision unexpectedly changed.
Despite Huo Hengxuan's limbs being severed, along the bloody stumps, four bulging tumors seemed to be developing, supplied by his blood, squirming and demonstrating vibrant life.
Huh?
Chen Kuang's mind stirred, could this be the effect of "Insight as Fire"?
Upon closer inspection, the supposed tumors were not tumors but intertwined, unformed finger bones!
Building strength, as if ready to emerge any moment!
Chen Kuang hadn't managed to think deeply.
"Boom—"
Suddenly, a thunderous noise shook the entire cell.
Debris fell from above, and Lady Liang clutched her daughter, screaming and retreating to a corner.
Chen Kuang immediately stood, about to offer comfort, when frantic shouts erupted outside among the guards.
"Ambush! Ambush! Get up! Don't panic! Hold your position! It'll pass soon!"
Did Liang Kingdom's forces come?
This quickly!
Chen Kuang felt surprised, his eyes flickered, glancing at the lock on the door ahead, fingers moved slightly.
Opening such a lock was simple... he needed a thin piece of metal... Lady Liang had a hairpin in her hair... as long as...
"Heh, boy, I advise you to calm down."
A hoarse, aged voice.
Startled, Chen Kuang turned, meeting the bloodshot, mocking eyes between the bars.
"Why? Now..."
The old man didn't speak, merely glanced at him, raising his vacant wrist, pointing towards the cell's only small window.
Instinctively, Chen Kuang followed his gaze, his pupils suddenly tightened.