Before leaving the house, Wu Jinliang seemed to remember something and ran back to his room to fetch two big gourds, handing one to Shi Chun. "Here, I've prepared one for you too, take it with you."

Shi Chun received it, unable to suppress a smile of resignation. Well, he accepted it with a laugh.

As for carrying it as soon as he stepped out, he thought it best to pass because he wanted to maintain a scholarly and graceful appearance, and constantly carrying such a large gourd would look rather unsightly.

For Wu Jinliang, who was accustomed to carrying large swords, a sword that big was manageable, so a small gourd felt like nothing.

In the area where they lived, a call would summon a carriage, though the fare still needed to be paid.

Duan Xiangmei wanted to go and see, and Wu Jinliang looked to Shi Chun for approval. Seeing Shi Chun remaining silent, knowing it was inconvenient, he immediately refused, "Stay at home and focus on your cultivation."

Duan Xiangmei also realized that Shi Chun was reluctant and wisely backed down.

Once in the carriage and as it swayed away, Wu Jinliang, having checked inside the carriage with a spell, finally spoke, "Why did you suddenly think of rescuing them?"

Shi Chun didn't answer that but instead told Wu Jinliang about the Demon Path inviting him to participate in the "Divine Fire Covenant."

Wu Jinliang was slightly shocked, "You agreed?"

Shi Chun replied, "They threatened me, said they'd silence me if I didn't agree, what was I supposed to do?"

Wu Jinliang asked, "So you agreed?"

"I wouldn't agree so easily..." Shi Chun revealed the rewards he had demanded.

Wu Jinliang was speechless; that was still being forced to agree. He had also heard of the Divine Fire Covenant, and it was very dangerous.

Shi Chun understood his concern and explained, "On one side, Xiang Laner was pleading with me using the fact I liked her, and on the other, I faced threats of being silenced. What could I do at that moment?

Really, it's no big deal. I'll just go and scope out the situation first, if it's feasible, I'll do it; if not, I'll hide. Worst comes to worst, I'll just wait it out and then come out. It's easy to find excuses to just get through it. A trip like this could be quite profitable, so it's worth it."

With this explanation, Wu Jinliang thought of the five hundred million and the apartment here, his mood visibly brightened, "It wouldn't hurt to gain some new insights."

He quickly became suspicious, "What does this have to do with rescuing Chu Jingtang and the others?"

Shi Chun thought for a moment, "I also don't want to waste my efforts. I have some ideas, but I'm not sure if they can be implemented yet. Let's first find out more about the situation. We don't even know where they're being held. Contact your friend to help us find out."

"You know, you left them locked up for half a year before you thought of them."

"When I first returned to the capital, I thought about getting them out. Then I decided, since they had just been locked up, it wasn't appropriate to rescue them so soon. They came to assassinate us; I feared they wouldn't let go of that obsession easily. Giving them a place to cool down and reflect was necessary before it was wise to meet and talk, right?"

"Hehehe..."

They weren't serious offenders, meeting them wasn't too big of a deal. Wu Jinliang's connections easily managed it.

Inside a dimly lit cell, eleven prisoners, all handcuffed and shackled, were successively brought in and crammed together.

The eleven, all in tattered clothes, some clearly had been whipped; disheveled and dirty, their shoes worn through to reveal big toes, the men had grown long beards, especially Chu Jingtang, whose unkempt beard made him look like a lion.

The only woman among them, former disciple of Ten Thousand Grass Hall, Zhu Xiangxin, was far from her usual elegant self. Bugs could be seen crawling in her unkempt hair, her face caked with dirt, having been brought from the women's prison area.

Their hands all showed rough calluses and blood scabs.

Clearly, their cultivation was restrained, and they often did hard labor.

Recognizing each other, they were all a bit surprised; though they occasionally saw one another, they weren't locked up together. It was unknown why they were suddenly grouped together today.

"Old Chu, what's going on?" Luo Changtai asked.

Chu Jingtang replied, "How would I know? Could it be the Sect is rescuing us?"

Zhu Xiangxin sighed, "What are you dreaming of? It's impossible for the sects to coordinate our release simultaneously."

Everyone thought about it and grew increasingly panicked. Could they be planning a collective execution?

Just then, the iron door outside clanged open, and two people entered, dressed in splendid clothes. One of them, a tall figure, was particularly noticeable with a big gourd on his back. They immediately recognized him as Wu Jinliang.

The other was naturally Shi Chun.

Having not seen them for six months, their complexions had lightened a lot, now looking like normal people.

Suddenly seeing these two, the prisoners felt a mix of emotions, and their anxiety intensified. They were incarcerated for plotting to murder these two; could it be they were here for reprisal?

Silence fell among them.

"Hehehe..." Wu Jinliang's laughter echoed in the space, apparently amused by their miserable state.

Shi Chun scanned them, calling out each by name as if itemizing his possessions, "Bilan Sect's Chu Jingtang, Iron Sword Sect's Wu Hong, Purple Cloud Sect's Luo Changtai, the Righteous Sky Sect's Chen Wuji, Beiting Sect's Fang Zicheng, Gathering Spirit Valley's Xiao Sheng, Wanxiu Mountain's Hao Ji, Hundred Refinement Sect's Tong Mingshan, Fairy Sect's Shen Moming, Vermilion Bird Pavilion's An Wuzhi, Ten Thousand Grass Hall's Zhu Xiangxin. Good to see you all, didn't expect our reunion to be in such a way."

Despite blaming him, they were now prisoners at his mercy and wisely remained silent.

Shi Chun said again, "I also heard suddenly that you guys were captured because you wanted to assassinate me. Why would you want to assassinate me? What for?"

Speaking of this, how could they not feel resentful? Chu Jingtang spoke up, "We were all expelled from the sect because of you."

Shi Chun said, "Just because of that, you wanted to kill me? At the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, everyone relied on their own abilities. Did I do anything wrong?"

The group fell silent again. Now, indeed, they were much calmer. Having been locked up for so long and having suffered, they had long reflected on their actions and regretted their impulsive behavior.

Shi Chun added, "I forgot to mention, we share the same plight; we two were also expelled from Wukang Mountain."

The group looked up at them in some astonishment.

Wu Jinliang, carrying the Big Gourd, chuckled continuously.

Chu Jingtang asked in surprise, "You made such great contributions to Wukang Mountain, and they still expelled you from the sect?"

"It's different for us; we came from a poor background... forget it, let's not talk about this, it's meaningless," Shi Chun waved his hand dismissively. "So what if we were expelled from the sect? It's not a big deal. We might even be freer now than we were in the sect. By the way, let me ask, you all couldn't have thought of killing us at the same time, right? Whose brilliant idea was it?"

Under the subtle glances of the group, everyone unconsciously glanced at Chu Jingtang, who then stared down silently.

Shi Chun immediately pointed through the bars at Chu Jingtang's nose, "I knew it was your rotten idea, because back then you were the closest to us."

Chu Jingtang snorted, "I was also the most tragically deceived one, sold out and still helping you count the money."

Shi Chun waved his hand again, "Alright, that's all in the past. We didn't come here to settle scores, but to see you since we heard you were locked up.

By the way, although we've been expelled from the sect, after so many years of serving it, even I have heard some rumors. Surely your sect must have heard something too, right? They just let you stay locked up here waiting to die without any of your sect coming to rescue you?"

This way of speaking really chilled their hearts; eleven people, each with a look of profound sorrow on their faces.

Noticing their expressions, Shi Chun added, "Not even one?"

The distress on the faces of the eleven deepened.

Wu Jinliang clucked his tongue, "That's really a bit much. You tried to assassinate us, not just out of personal enmity, right? You were also venting for the sect. And now they really don't care about you at all."

The more the two talked about sensitive matters, the sadder the group became, clearly making them spiral.

Seeing that they all kept silent, Shi Chun said, "The matter of the Sky Rain Meteor Conference is already in the past. We had no choice back then, and I hope you don't hold a grudge against us.

Of course, with the way you've become, it's more or less because of our involvement too, and we do feel quite bad. If you think we can move past this and still be friends, we can try to think of a way to get you out.

Of course, if you still hold resentment and don't want to accept our help, then as if we never said anything."

At this, the eyes of all eleven were fixed on him. Zhu Xiangxin said eagerly, "You really don't hold our actions against us, and you can really get us out?"

Shi Chun spread his hands, "Isn't what I said clear enough? We're all expelled from the sect, in the same boat here. Is there any need to keep going back and forth? Killing us wouldn't benefit you, and killing you wouldn't give us any benefits either. Why bother?"

"Okay, as long as you can get me out, I won't blame the past."

"Brother Wang… no, Brother Chun is right; everything in the past is over."

"That's right, even if we had killed Brother Wang... Brother Chun, it would have been pointless."

One after another, everyone state their intentions without exception, all expressing a desire to get out, hoping Shi Chun and his companion could help, as they really couldn't bear to stay in that place any longer.

Seeing they were all reformed, Shi Chun pressed his hands down amid the tumult, "Everyone, rest assured, we'll do our best with this matter, aiming to leave no one behind, and try to get you all out as soon as possible. Just wait for my good news."

The group expressed their thanks repeatedly, hope shining on each of their grimy faces.

Next to him, Wu Jinliang chuckled, he knew the full story; he had personally heard Shi Chun ask Lan Qiaoyan to lock these people up, and now they were thanking Chun Tian, which he found amusing.

Of course, he also knew that Chun Tian's decision wasn't intended to harm these people.

And so, the matter was settled. Shi Chun suddenly switched topics, "Speaking of which, I've been recently discussing Fire Attribute Skills. Tong Mingshan, if I remember correctly, your Hundred Refinement Sect is an Artifact Refining Sect, right?"

Tong Mingshan nodded, "Yes."

"Do you know the Fire Attribute Skill?"

"I do," Tong Mingshan replied and looked around, "Not just me; An Wuzhi and Zhu Xiangxin know it too. My Fire Attribute Skill is mainly for Artifact Refining."

Zhu Xiangxin said, "The Fire Attribute Skill of my Ten Thousand Grass Hall is mainly for Alchemy."

An Wuzhi held up his handcuffed hands, giving a bitter smile, "The Fire Attribute Skill of my Vermilion Bird Pavilion is for combat. Given my current realm, it's not very powerful."

Shi Chun smiled and nodded, then casually reassured them for a while longer, asking them to wait for news, before leaving with Wu Jinliang.

As they exited the heavily guarded prison gate, Wu Jinliang curiously asked, "Leaving? Aren't you going to get them out now?"

Shi Chun replied, "Get out and live where? So many people, are they going to cram in with us? Let's keep them locked up a few more days until the other side gets our houses ready. Letting them truly miss us for a few more days isn't a bad thing. These are all people selected by various sects for us, having been kept here without anyone coming for them shows they're relatively clean. Once they get out, we'll make them understand that mixing with us is much better than being in their sects!"

Wu Jinliang understood, smirking to himself.

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