When Xue Yan was first tricked into the dungeon, he wasn't too panicked.
As a noble of Chang'an, he was destined to become a pillar of the Court in Jinglue State Government, so he naturally wasn't afraid of these monks. He planned many schemes in his mind, waiting for the chance to escape from An Guo Temple, to let his parents and uncles know that he was already twelve, no longer a child.
When he first learned that the monks intended to starve them, Xue Yan was a bit disdainful. Apart from being punished by his parents for being naughty as a child, Xue Yan had never experienced hunger. He thought that even if he was hungry, it would just be a craving. As a twelve-year-old man, he could surely endure a bit of craving!
But after more than a day without food, his mind was filled only with memories of delicious food.
As he became hungrier, hungry to the point of wanting to bite his own fingers.
Slowly, just as Xue Yan felt he could get used to the hunger, the Martial Monks would eat outside the cell. Even if they only ate a single peanut, the crisp sound, the melody of the nut bouncing between teeth, would make Xue Yan recall countless times the wonderful experience of eating peanuts in the past, the desperate hunger tormenting his soul like a small knife repeatedly cutting him.
At this time, he could only force himself to listen to the nonsense of the new maid beside him.
Among this group of second-generation elites of Chang'an who liked to flaunt their family background, this maid undoubtedly had a good memory. Xue Yan not only knew she was the Third Miss of the Yang Family but also knew who her grandfather was, who her father was, who her uncle was, how many relatives she had, and what official positions they held. In the end, not only did Xue Yan become hungrier, but he was also forced to learn about the family affairs of Third Miss Yang—more in-depth than he knew about his own family!
In a daze, Xue Yan would occasionally recall the emaciated bodies he saw outside Chang'an, recall the hungry people fighting over porridge when his family gave out food, recall the children with grass sticks on the roadside, recall the kneeling men, and the women selling themselves...
He never understood or cared about the suffering of these lower-class people. He thought of them as weeds that would flourish with favorable weather and wither in storms and frost. Weeds withered, so what? Who feels sad for the death of weeds? Anyway, they would grow back next year; the earth is never short of weeds.
Until he lay in this dirty dungeon filled with the stench of urine and feces, he realized that he was no more noble than a weed.
He would bow his head like a weed, sell himself like a weed, and eventually wither like a weed.
The world has abandoned me, justice has abandoned me.
If one day the roles were reversed, I would let them know what cruelty is!
Just as this twelve-year-old boy thought he understood the reality of this world, a pair of twin brothers descended from the sky into the cell, interrupting his brewing transformation into darkness.
Although these brothers dragged Monk Ben Zhi of the Ciji Institute into the pit with them, Xue Yan still found them utterly foolish.
Knowing it was a trap, why did they come in?
Although filing a complaint might not have worked, if An Liu could cause a big fuss, maybe it would force An Guo Temple to release this group of people.
Not to mention they actually thought of blocking the cell door to starve Ben Zhi to death—even if they really blocked the door and Ben Zhi starved, so what? Wouldn't the two of them still be trapped here?
Which is better, being unlucky alone or having two people and an enemy being unlucky together? No matter how Xue Yan thought about it, he felt An Liu should give up on An Wu rather than come to share life and death.
Do these common people so lightly regard their own lives?
And An Wu and An Liu blocking the door not only offended the bald monks of An Guo Temple but also the people in the cell.
Not everyone was so tough, even Xue Yan himself had given up. Before An Wu and An Liu came, there were already people begging the Martial Monks for some food, willing to obey, but An Guo Temple seemed to have a process that required starving people for a certain number of days before proceeding to the next step.
After An Wu and An Liu blocked the door, not only could Ben Zhi not get out, but they, the victims, could not get out either. After a day, seeing that An Wu and An Liu wouldn't sleep and insisted on blocking the door, the Martial Monks ate delicious food outside the cell, saying when Xue Yan and the others were starving, that they would starve to death because An Wu and An Liu blocked the door.
This tactic was effective; although Xue Yan didn't say anything, the others began to complain about An Wu and An Liu.
When An Wu and An Liu didn't respond, complaints turned to insults, insults led to resentment, and in the end, they even thought their hunger was An Wu and An Liu's fault, cursing them to get out of the way and not block the door. At this moment, both the perpetrators and the victims rallied against their common enemies.
However, An Wu and An Liu still did not respond.
Xue Yan was very curious about their state of mind. Emotionally, they had dragged Monk Ben Zhi down, equivalent to avenging Xue Yan and the others to a degree; logically, by blocking the door, they were actually protecting Xue Yan and the others from being taken by the Martial Monks.
Yet no one thanked them, everyone resented the trouble they brought.
Outside the cell was the enemy's mockery and abuse, inside was their own people's curses and resentment.
But they stood like two rocks, silently enduring all the waves of malice.
No matter the wind and waves, I remain unmoved.
Xue Yan's gaze toward them changed from initial disdain to sheer incomprehension and curiosity.
What exactly were they holding on to?
What exactly were they waiting for?
What kind of people were they really...?
By the third day, everyone was exhausted, waiting for the moment An Wu and An Liu collapsed, knowing it wouldn't be long—three days without food, water, or sleep, even a courier couldn't withstand it.
Xue Yan lay on the dirty straw, having not eaten anything for six days except drinking water. Now, even staying conscious was a luxury.
I am going to die, Xue Yan thought.
That's fine, he could die cleanly, not sullying the Xue Family's name.
In the next life... I hope to live in a world where no one starves to death...
In a blur, he seemed to see someone walk up to him, then a pill mixed with water was pushed into his mouth. The pill melted immediately, had a strong herbal taste, but wasn't bitter.
Thump.
His heart beat strongly and powerfully.
The hunger in his stomach quickly subsided, his lethargic mind gradually cleared, and even his body, which hadn't eaten anything in days, was regaining strength at an unimaginable speed!
Xue Yan opened his eyes and got up, seeing An Liu feeding pills dissolved in water to the collapsed people. Those who took the pills each got up, though physically weak and pale-faced, they visibly regained their vitality!
"I'm not hungry anymore, I'm not hungry!"
"Give me another one, I feel much better after eating it!"
"What kind of miracle elixir is this?"
"Blood Replenishing Pill!" Compared to the clueless crowd, the well-informed Xue Yan saw through the truth in one go: "This is an Immortal Pill that only appears in Secret Realms, you actually have so many!"
The commotion in the cell naturally caught the attention of the Martial Monks. They saw the hunger-for-days people one by one getting up, and hearing Xue Yan's voice, they immediately realized something was wrong and planned to split up, one keeping an eye on the cell, the other going to notify the others.
And at this moment—
Whoosh.
With a breath sounding like a long river, An Wu's muscles suddenly swelled, veins bulging, though still appearing as a small, slim teen, but with such potent Qi Blood, no one dared to ignore his presence!
All who were messengers would definitely recognize what transformation An Wu underwent!
"You actually changed your profession!?" The Martial Monk couldn't believe it, "In this place, at this time, how could it be possible—"
Clang!
Suddenly, An Wu held a White Iron Straight Saber, swinging out two Moon Ring Blade Auras, instantly slicing through the iron bars of the cell!