The Primordial Fiend: Vengeance of the Fallen Sovereign
Chapter 2: The Meeting and the Unveiler of Secrets
Jin La's vision was dark. The last thing she remembered was the scent of damp earth and the silhouette of an old man holding a wooden pipe. When her eyes finally fluttered open, she no longer saw the scorching sky of Golu City.
She lay atop a hard bamboo bed. Her nose was immediately greeted by the pungent aroma of cheap tobacco and burning sandalwood. The atmosphere was profoundly still, broken only by the chirping of crickets outside and the rhythmic creak of a rocking chair in the corner of the room.
"How does it feel?" a raspy voice broke the silence. "Sleeping in ice for a thousand years... didn't it make your backside stiff?"
Jin La tried to sit up, but a sharp pain stung her neck. The mystical seal pulsed with a crimson glow. She turned toward the source of the voice and found Jong Ji leisurely puffing clouds of smoke from his pipe.
"H... hah... You..." Jin La's voice was hoarse. "Even after a thousand years, your tongue is still as sharp as a dagger, you Old Geezer."
Jong Ji laughed, his shoulders shaking. "And you are still that same short-tempered little girl. Coming to my hut only to faint? What a grand reception for a Demon Queen."
"Enough small talk," Jin La gripped her throat, her eyes flashing a dark purple. "You know why I'm here. This damn seal... release it, right now."
Jong Ji stopped smoking. His gaze turned serious, piercing straight into Jin La's pupils. "The Soul-Wrapping Seal. A forbidden technique forged from blood and false oaths. Do you think I can break it with a mere snap of my fingers?"
Jin La fell silent. She could feel a heavy gravity weighing down the room as Jong Ji stood up.
"I can help you," Jong Ji continued, walking toward a wooden table cluttered with weathered bottles. "But you must pay the price. Go to the valley behind this village and gather the Hellhound's Breath Leaf. That leaf only grows on soil that has tasted the blood of monsters."
"Is that all?" Jin La scoffed.
"Do not be arrogant. With your body sealed, even a stray dog could rip your throat out right now," Jong Ji narrowed his eyes. "And one more thing... that leaf can only destroy half of your seal. Your strength will not fully return."
Jin La clenched her fists until her knuckles turned white. "Only half? Then what is the point?!"
"The point is so you have enough breath to hear the secrets you do not know," Jong Ji whispered, his face now only inches from Jin La's. "Do you think Shen Gu betrayed you just for the Brooch of Civet? You are too naive, Jin La. There is a darker reason... a reason that made that man willing to discard his own soul just to imprison you."
That name—Shen Gu—caused the temperature in the room to plummet. Jin La felt her heart racing. Curiosity began to crawl beneath the surface of her hatred.
"What do you mean?" Jin La demanded.
Jong Ji sat back down and drew from his pipe. "Gather that leaf first. Once you are no longer gasping for air, I will tell you how your 'beloved' traded your life for something far greater than a mere heavenly throne."
How could he... how could that bastard do such a thing.