Qin Ming cultivated for a while longer, stabilizing his Body Tempering Third Layer realm.
Then, he resumed deciphering the traditional Chinese characters.
As dusk settled, the Demon Suppression Tower became even darker.
Only then did Qin Ming quietly move toward Mu Sizhe's prison.
The glow of the firestones in the Purgatory had dimmed significantly.
Darkness loomed, filled with constant wails of agony.
The prisoners on both sides—fellow transmigrators—were in a pitiful state, each looking at Qin Ming with desperate hope.
One of the female transmigrators was still wearing black silk stockings and a short skirt.
She crawled toward the gate of Purgatory, rolling and tumbling.
"Big brother, please… just give me a bite to eat! You can do anything you want with me, I beg you!"
"Big brother, I can play the flute… and the zither too! Please, just give me something to eat!"
Qin Ming sensed that seven or eight other transmigrators were watching him from their prison cells.
In such a situation, he couldn't afford to take any risks.
With a hardened heart, he ignored the black-silk woman's plea and turned away.
Finally, he reached Mu Sizhe's cell.
Thankfully, there were no other prisoners in the adjacent cells.
Mu Sizhe was slumped in the corner of his cell, covered in blood.
Qin Ming gently knocked on the iron bars.
Mu Sizhe jolted awake, his eyes flashing with surprise and joy.
He crawled quietly to the gate, whispering, "Kid, did you manage to contact them?"
"Martial Uncle!"
The moment Qin Ming addressed him this way, Mu Sizhe immediately understood.
His face lit up with joy.
"You passed the Spirit Realm trial and acknowledged my senior sister as your master?"
Qin Ming nodded.
"Fantastic! There's hope for us transmigrators! Hope at last!"
His once-clouded and despairing eyes now glowed with excitement.
Qin Ming pulled four sesame pancakes from his sleeve and discreetly handed them over.
As his hand brushed against Mu Sizhe's bloodstained arm—
The Locking Heaven Gourd reacted again.
[Transmigrator Talent Detected: Lie Detection (Sequence 99). Would you like to copy it? Remaining copy slots: 1]
"Copy."
[Copy Successful. Lie Detection Talent (Level 1): Allows you to detect lies from a target. Can be used up to five times per day.]
Qin Ming pondered.
Right now, he could copy two talents. The Concealment Talent was excellent and worth keeping.
For now, he would hold onto the Lie Detection Talent.
If he encountered a stronger talent in the future, he could overwrite it.
After all, strength was everything in this world.
At that moment, footsteps echoed from outside.
Qin Ming quickly signaled Mu Sizhe.
Mu Sizhe immediately curled up in the corner again, hiding the sesame pancakes securely.
Qin Ming turned and walked out.
A squad of Demon Suppression Guards was approaching.
When they saw Qin Ming, they asked, "Eunuch Qin, what are you doing here?"
"I'm following the Grand Princess's orders to study simplified characters. There were a few words I just couldn't grasp, so I wanted to ask a transmigrator.
But these prisoners are all half-dead."
"Hahaha! Of course! These transmigrators are outworld demons. It's only natural they're half-dead!"
Qin Ming then noticed an iron cage behind them.
Inside were two naked women, their bodies covered in blood.
"Brothers, who are these two?"
"The woman on the left was supposed to marry Lord Liu's son. Liu had already paid the bride price, but she took the money and ran off to seduce the neighboring Minister Wang's son instead.
We happened to be handling a case nearby when we heard about it. Something seemed off—women of our Great Yan Empire wouldn't behave so shamelessly!
After torturing her for answers, sure enough—she's a transmigrator!"
Qin Ming was shocked.
Cases like this were all too common back on Blue Star.
The woman on the left had been beaten so badly that her chest was a bloody mess.
"As for the woman on the right, she abandoned her husband and child after marriage, claiming she was pursuing 'true love.'
We caught her and tortured her too—sure enough, another transmigrator!"
"Eunuch Qin, just look at these transmigrators! Pursuing 'true love'—what a joke! They're nothing but wanton harlots!"
"So, why are they in this cage?"
"They're getting the drowning punishment!
Behind the Demon Suppression Tower, there's a cesspool filled with venomous snakes.
We're taking them there to drown them in the water!"
Qin Ming: …|ʘᗝʘ|
The Demon Suppression Guards dragged the iron cage away into the distance.
The two women sobbed and wailed, but their cries failed to elicit any sympathy.
Instead, they only provoked the Demon Suppression Guards into lashing them even harder with their whips!
Qin Ming took a deep breath.
The sky had already turned dark—he needed to return to the palace quickly.
These women were truly absurd.
Since they had already transmigrated to this world, why couldn't they recognize reality and keep a low profile?
Now, they had ended up in such a miserable state—utterly tragic!
…
Back in his room at the Taiyin Palace, Qin Ming reflected on the events that had transpired in the Spirit Realm today.
His master, Yun Shuiyao, had mentioned that the Spirit Realm might hold the key to uncovering the truth.
Taking today's events at the Glowing Stone Examination Hall from the perspective of the natives…
The transmigrator Xiao Chen truly didn't seem like a good person.
A failing student who had only memorized a few poems had transmigrated here, then flaunted his supposed knowledge.
Meanwhile, Wang Yu, who had studied diligently for thirty years, was driven to his death by sheer anger.
His sister also froze to death, and her corpse was later consumed by others.
Perhaps this was one of the reasons why the natives harbored such deep resentment toward transmigrators.
But Qin Ming felt that the truth behind it all had to be more complex than it seemed!
Just then—
A furious shout echoed from the Grand Princess's main hall.
"Get out of my sight!"
Immediately after, the sound of dishes and porcelain shattering rang through the air.
Qin Ming pushed open his door.
At the entrance of the Grand Princess's hall, twelve female guards stood in formation, with Lingyin among them.
Several dishes and bowls of soup lay shattered across the floor.
The moment Meiyang, one of the female officers, spotted Qin Ming, her eyes lit up as if she had just thought of a solution. She quickly ran over to him, brimming with excitement.
"Xiao Qinzi, you're back just in time! Help your big sisters with something."
"What is it?"
"The Grand Princess must have been injured in her battle with the Queen three days ago.
Since returning, she hasn't eaten or drunk anything for three whole days.
Help us deliver her meal."
"Why don't you do it yourselves?"
"When we tried, she knocked everything over and said that if any of us dared to enter again, she'd break our legs."
Qin Ming: …|ʘᗝʘ|
"And now you want me to go in?"
"Xiao Qinzi, just help us out this once~"
"And if I go in and she really breaks my legs, are you going to take care of me for the rest of my life?"
"Don't worry, you already lost a small leg before, so losing another two shouldn't be a big deal!
Besides, all of us in Taiyin Palace can afford to support you."
Qin Ming shot Meiyang an exasperated glare and turned to leave.
"Sorry, Sister Meiyang, but I'm not going!"
To his surprise, Meiyang suddenly stretched out both arms to block his way.
Her… abundant assets almost bounced him backward.
"Go on~" Meiyang's gaze was flirtatious.
"If you listen to your big sister, I'll take you stargazing afterward."
"There aren't even any stars in the sky."
"Then I'll take you to Beiku Ridge to kill some people."
Qin Ming: …(⊙o⊙)
What a psycho!
"Not going."
Meiyang's face darkened instantly.
"Then you have two choices:
Either you go to Beiku Ridge to kill someone…
Or all twelve of us officers come to kill you!"
Qin Ming felt a headache coming on.
At the door, all twelve Zodiac Officers had arrived.
Each of them stood with their arms crossed over their chests, gazes filled with an unruly, almost playful defiance.
"Xiao Qinzi, are you going or not?"
Twelve blades simultaneously gleamed with a chilling light.
Qin Ming immediately jumped up from his chair.
"Going, going! Delivering food to the master is my duty! No need to draw your swords!"
He grabbed the plate from Mengtu's hands.
As he walked away, he muttered to himself in frustration—
One day, I swear, I'll smack all twelve of you!