Chapter 19

Yin Xuege, who was lost in thought, was suddenly startled. He quickly raised his head and looked towards the air vent.

A half-awake jailer, weak and feeble, was being dragged to the door of Yin Xuege's cell by two paper figures that were entirely white. These paper figures were made with bamboo splints inside and white cotton paper outside, and it was unknown which rural workshop apprentice had crudely drawn the twisted and fierce faces of a boy and a girl on them.

In short, these were eerie things that, if they appeared on the street at night, could scare to death several dozen burly men.

The jailer, who was also quite tall and strong, was trembling all over from fear as he was held by these paper figures, which were floating three inches off the ground. His pants were already soaked, and a hard-to-describe stench of fishiness and foulness emanated from him.

The two paper figures dragged the jailer to the door. A middle-aged Taoist priest, dressed in a light yellow Eight Trigram robe, smiled and tapped the jailer's face with a green steel sword. He then swept the prison door with a duster made of purple gold silk, which immediately sparked and emitted a faint golden light. Countless dark golden characters and talismans appeared from the golden light.

"Great Lord of the Infinite Heaven, you small barbarian, do you know what this poor Taoist intends to do?" The middle-aged Taoist smiled kindly. "Open the prison door for this poor Taoist, and I will spare your life!"

The jailer, terrified, fumbled for a long string of keys, selected the key for Yin Xuege's cell, and inserted it into the lock. He then quickly wrote on the prison door with both hands and recited a tongue-twisting incantation.

"Hmm, you barbarians do have some divine qualities!" The middle-aged Taoist narrowed his eyes and nodded with a smile. "No wonder my family's actions cannot bypass you, these red-haired, green-eyed fools."

With a 'clang' sound, the door to Yin Xuege's cell was opened. The middle-aged Taoist swung his right hand, and several clear sword lights shot out, breaking the shackles and chains on Yin Xuege's body. Yin Xuege leaped up, placed his fists on his waist, and looked at the middle-aged Taoist with caution.

"Alright, little one, this poor Taoist is Jiang Tuochen, and I have come to save you. Don't look so hostile; I am purely doing this out of kindness!" Jiang Tuochen smiled brightly, his white teeth gleaming in the tunnel's light.

"I don't know you!" Yin Xuege looked at Jiang Tuochen with a stern face, but he had already associated this Taoist's name with Jiang Rensheng, who had suddenly visited the Great Berlin City-State. Just as Jiang Rensheng, an elder of the ancient Jiang family from the East, had left, Jiang Tuochen had suddenly infiltrated the Blood Prison and opened Yin Xuege's cell. If they were not related, that would be truly strange.

There is no such thing as a free lunch, a point that had been repeatedly emphasized by the numerous officials in the Hall of Younglings. Yin Xuege did not believe that Jiang Tuochen was so kind as to break into the Blood Prison to save him. There must be some ulterior motive!

But he was just a youngling. What could he have that Jiang Tuochen would value? Or what could he have that Jiang Rensheng would value?

"Stupid boy!" Wumu, the silver wolf, poked his dog nose out of the air vent and shouted loudly, "Don't waste time! Someone is here to save you, so get out of this hellhole first! Even if they want to chop you up for pizza toppings, it's better than staying here!"

After roaring at Yin Xuege, Wumu's tone suddenly became extremely fawning. "Respected Taoist from the East, could you please save me as well? I am Wumu, the leader of the Silver Wolf Clan, the most promising genius of the noble wolf race! If you save me, I will give you half of all my assets!"

Jiang Tuochen smiled and turned to look at Wumu's dog nose poking out of the air vent. He then shook his duster. "All the prisoners here must be silenced! We cannot let the Great Berlin City-State know that we rescued this child!"

Several young men and women, surrounded by clear energy, responded in unison and quickly approached Wumu's cell, ready to kill him!

Wumu screamed in terror. "Hey, hey, little bat! You can't let them do this! We have a connection, and I have suffered a lot for you! Hey, do you want to know about your mother?"

Yin Xuege's heart stirred. He looked at Jiang Tuochen standing at the cell door and walked to the door, bowing naturally and politely. "Thank you for your help, but if possible, could you save Wumu as well?"

A blood light flashed in his eyes, and Yin Xuege said coldly, "Of course, Wumu must swear some oaths, such as becoming my follower. Sir Jiang Tuochen, since you have come to save me, would you be willing to agree to this small condition?"

The young men and women had already reached Wumu's cell, and one of them took out a fist-sized black pearl, ready to throw it into Wumu's cell. The pearl was densely carved with twisted immortal characters and talismans, and thin flames and lightning occasionally spurted out, emitting a suffocating heat.

Wumu let out a desperate scream. "Little bat, I can be your follower, but you must give me some freedom! Ah, damn it, is this the Heavenly Thunder Pearl made by the old monsters of the Eastern cultivation world? I don't want to taste this thing!"

Jiang Tuochen waved his duster, stopping the young man's action. He smiled at Yin Xuege, nodding in satisfaction.

"What a smart child, I like smart children! Of course, since I have come to save you, I am not reluctant to agree to your small conditions! But there is no such thing as a free lunch, little one. Can you agree to some of our requests?"

Yin Xuege looked up and met Jiang Tuochen's eyes. "I don't know what I have that you value!"

"The potential of a Daywalker!" Jiang Tuochen said straightforwardly. "You are a Daywalker, and according to the legends of the Blood Demons, or vampires, Daywalkers have extraordinary potential. We value your potential! Our family hopes to have a potential ally in the West in the future."

Jiang Tuochen gently tapped Yin Xuege's shoulder with the lotus head of his duster and smiled at him. "You are very weak now, but your potential is there. Breaking into this Blood Prison to save you is not too difficult, so why not do it?"

Yin Xuege understood what Jiang Tuochen and the people behind him meant.

"I am very weak now, but you value my future? My future self might become very powerful?"

Jiang Tuochen nodded repeatedly, looking at Yin Xuege with satisfaction, like a shrewd businessman looking at his investment, his smile blooming into a magnificent chrysanthemum.

"You have the potential of a Daywalker. If you don't die young, you will definitely become very powerful. Perhaps, you will become a significant figure in the Western Demon Party Alliance! Why wouldn't we be optimistic about your future? As long as you are willing to swear with your soul, for example, never to be an enemy of the Jiang family and to be our permanent ally, everything can be negotiated!"

Yin Xuege's eyes narrowed, and the blood light in them flickered rapidly. Although he was just a youngling, the knowledge passed down in the Hall of Younglings included various types of contracts and negotiation skills. The Blood Demons belonged to the evil dark faction in ancient times and were skilled in various deceitful techniques. As a youngling of the Yin clan, Yin Xuege was not inexperienced in this area.

"Under the condition that the Jiang family does not threaten my safety and does not violate our alliance, I am willing to be a permanent ally of the Jiang family! I will not attack or harm any member of the Jiang family unless they attack me first!"

Yin Xuege looked at Jiang Tuochen sincerely. "I hope you understand. As a Blood Demon, even an insignificant youngling, I must ensure my own interests and safety. If the Jiang family treats me fairly and justly, as they would a true friend, I am very willing to be the Jiang family's most loyal ally!"

"Smart little one! A very smart and wise choice!" Jiang Tuochen was somewhat surprised and delighted. "I am very envious of some of the ways your Blood Demon clan passes down knowledge. You are so young, but you are much stronger than some of the spoiled brats in my Jiang family."

Jiang Tuochen tucked his duster into his collar, raised his left hand, and lightly clapped three times with Yin Xuege.

"Then, after we get out, we will formally establish an alliance. The soul oath ceremony cannot be too hasty." Jiang Tuochen smiled at Yin Xuege and then pointed to Wumu's cell. "Do you really want to release that big dog?"

An angry roar came from the cell. "I am the noble leader of the Silver Wolf Clan, the genius Wumu! I am not a dog, and you cannot insult my race! Damn Eastern old Taoist, if I were outside, I would bite off your head!"

After roaring in anger, Wumu's voice became particularly fawning and spineless. "I am surprised, little one, that you are a Daywalker? Alright, you have the right to make me your follower. If you let me out, I will become your follower!"

Before Yin Xuege could speak, Jiang Tuochen was already impatiently scolding. "Big dog, don't talk nonsense. Offer your heart's blood, and I will help you form a soul master-servant contract with this young man."

"Hey, old Taoist, this has nothing to do with you!" Wumu, hearing 'heart's blood' and 'soul master-servant contract,' immediately became furious. "This is between me and my dear little brother Yin Xuege, and it has nothing to do with you!"

Jiang Tuochen waved his hand and ordered crisply, "Seventh, blow up this white-eyed wolf!"

The young man standing at the cell door shook the Heavenly Thunder Pearl in his hand, ready to throw it into Wumu's cell.

******

Have a pleasant weekend, everyone! The weather is really not that good!

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