"So, you're finally awake, brat. You've been unconscious for three days."
"Who's there?!" Xiaojun shouted toward the corridor, but his voice seemed unable to reach the end of the room.
'I've been out for that long?! Where am I? This place is dark and damp!' Xiaojun's eyes darted in every direction. His brows furrowed, and his heart hammered erratically against his ribs.
"There is no need to be afraid, boy. I brought you here out of pity, seeing you literal drowning in a pool of your own blood."
A young man emerged from the seemingly endless dark hallway. He was slender with long, flowing hair, dressed in elite noble attire. A classic monocle—typical of Qin Empire scientists—rested over one eye.
"Still, your body is quite remarkable to have survived such severe trauma and massive blood loss. I am truly intrigued."
The nobleman leaned against the corridor wall, watching Xiaojun with a peculiar gaze. He had the look of a scientist obsessed with forbidden knowledge.
"What do you want from me?! Let me out of here, now!" Xiaojun barked, though his face was a mask of terror. His pupils dilated, and his lips trembled.
"Relax, brat. Your body is still unstable."
He was right; Xiaojun's body needed time to recover.
The nobleman turned away from Xiaojun and pressed a button. Instantly, pioneer lamps flickered to life, powered by electricity from a nearby steam engine.
"Behold! All of this... my experiments, my research... all hidden from the Empire!" the nobleman shouted with pride, throwing his arms wide to showcase his handiwork.
In the center stood a machine of unusual proportions—it looked more like a mechanical demon than a tool. The corners of the room were cluttered with coils of copper wire, massive iron gears, and various talismans being scrutinized under concave lenses on worktables.
"You are lucky," the nobleman said, approaching Xiaojun with his hands behind his back. "You are lucky, boy! You are the only person ever to lay eyes on my research. Others would call this 'forbidden knowledge,' and the Emperor would seize it all in a heartbeat."
'This man is insane!' Xiaojun thought. He didn't understand half of what the nobleman was saying, but the sight of that jagged, iron-toothed demon machine kept him on high alert.
"Do you know? The Empire is decaying. They put all their faith in prophecies, cultivation, and martial masters. They fail to realize that science is far more advanced—far more terrifying than any cultivation stage!"
The nobleman turned to Xiaojun, his eyes bulging intensely. He grabbed Xiaojun's chin roughly, forcing the boy to look him in the eye. "Hmph! Since you now know of my plans and my research... don't expect to leave this place anytime soon!"
'Damn it! He was the one who blurted it all out!' Xiaojun tried to recoil, but the small cot offered no escape. He wanted to rebel, to fight back, but his battered body wouldn't allow it.
"Ah—forgive me. I got a little carried away, hahaha!" The nobleman released his grip and walked toward a table covered in blue blueprints. "Right! I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Gu Zhen Ji. You may call me Zhen Ji."
Xiaojun froze. He remembered his parents mentioning that there were certain noble clans in the Empire one must never cross: Gu, Tong, Shen, Wang, and Zhang.
The Gu clan was infamous for being sadistic, mad, and utterly ruthless. They were the most feared of all.
'How did I end up captured by a Gu?! This is a nightmare! I have to get out of here and find Xiao Mei!' Xiaojun was filled with dread.
Zhen Ji rummaged through the messy blueprints, sliding scrolls aside. Suddenly, he called out, "Hey, brat. I gave you my name, why haven't you given me yours?!"
Zhen Ji's monocle caught the light as he glanced sharply at Xiaojun. The boy felt an unnatural pressure. Cold sweat dripped onto his bandages.
"M-my name is Xiaojun!"
"Xiaojun... a fine name." Zhen Ji smiled sinisterly. He grabbed a blueprint and walked toward a table filled with gears and copper wires as fine as hair.
'What is he doing now?' Xiaojun watched him like a hawk, terrified he would be turned into an experiment.
"Calm down. I may be mad for science, but I don't kill children." Even as Zhen Ji said it, his eyes suggested something else.
"What do you mean, 'kill children'?!" Xiaojun's voice cracked with worry for Xiao Mei.
"Woah, woah... easy there, friend. I was just joking," Zhen Ji raised his hands to soothe him. "Well, at least I don't. My other siblings, however... they quite enjoy a bit of killing when they're stressed."
CRACK! THUD!
Xiaojun suddenly lunged off the bed. The sound of shifting bones echoed, and he coughed up a spray of blood.
"L-let me go..." Xiaojun's voice was heavy, his breath hitching. He collapsed onto the damp floor, unable to move.
"You!" Zhen Ji hoisted Xiaojun up and tossed him back onto the cot. "Why are you so desperate to leave in this condition?!"
"Just... let me go!"
"I will set you free," Zhen Ji said, his eyes narrowing into a smile, "if you follow my orders."
"What orders?!"
"You certainly are spirited." Zhen Ji's smile widened. "My orders are: You may leave this place if, one: you become my assistant and wear a mask I am designing; two: you never reveal my research to anyone; and three: you never speak to others without my permission. In return, I will care for you, feed you, and guarantee your health. What do you say?"
'This is definitely dangerous!' Xiaojun weighed his options: Refusal or Acceptance.
"Fine! I'll accept! But only if you grant my requests!"
"Hoh? And what are those?" Zhen Ji's eyes flashed with curiosity.
"Find my sister, Xiao Mei. Tell her I am okay. Ensure her safety and make sure she is fed!"
"Hoh! Fascinating. Very well, I accept your terms." Zhen Ji agreed instantly.
'Nothing is more valuable than a free test subject!' Zhen Ji smiled inwardly.
'Xiao Mei, I hope you stay healthy and safe,' Xiaojun thought, staring at the ceiling, wondering if he had just made a pact with a devil.
Zhen Ji suddenly clapped his hands, snapping Xiaojun out of his daze. "Now! Since we have an agreement, I shall heal you with my own concoction!"
He grabbed a vial from a corner drawer and handed it to Xiaojun. "Drink this."
"I-is it safe?" Xiaojun hesitated, his hand reaching out then retracting.
"Relax, it's perfectly safe." Zhen Ji grinned, his eyes squinting.
Xiaojun had no choice. He took the vial and downed it. One minute passed... two... by the fifth minute, there was no significant reaction. Zhen Ji began to look disappointed, thinking his medicine was a failure.
But after ten minutes, the reaction hit. Black smoke began to pour from Xiaojun's body, accompanied by excruciating pain. Xiaojun felt as if he were being hurled into a void—painful yet hollow.
"Oh! It's working at last!" Zhen Ji, revitalized, began feverishly noting down every reaction.
Though Xiaojun felt as if his soul was shattering, his body was undergoing a miraculous recovery. His fractured skull knitted back together; his lost blood replenished in an instant.
"Wow, the effects are even greater than I anticipated." Zhen Ji focused entirely on his notes, indifferent to Xiaojun's suffering.
An hour later, the side effects subsided. Xiaojun regained consciousness, finding he could move his once-shattered body perfectly.
"Now! Since you're fully healed, follow me. We're going out to find materials for my other experiments."
'Am I finally getting out of here?'
"Oh, and before we leave, you must wear the mask I made!" Zhen Ji cleared some junk near the demon machine and pulled out a mask he had crafted three days ago. "Found it!"
It was a silver fox mask, inscribed with strange, mantra-like runes.
"What kind of mask is that?" Xiaojun asked, tilting his head.
"Just put it on, brat!" Zhen Ji's face was filled with childlike anticipation.
As soon as Xiaojun put it on, a dark aura enveloped him, binding the mask to his face. Xiaojun let out a sharp cry. His body began to shift and grow, stretching until he had the stature of an eighteen-year-old youth.
"How does it feel? Exquisite, isn't it?"
Xiaojun hesitated. He wanted to strike the man, but the pact held him back. "It... hurts a little." His voice had changed—it was now raspy, deep, and coarse.
"Good! Since we're ready, let's go!"
"Oh... but before we step out, I shall do this..." Zhen Ji's voice went cold, a small smile playing on his lips.
SNAP!
Zhen Ji flicked his fingers. The room went dead silent. Xiaojun froze like a statue, his consciousness suddenly slipping away.
"Now... Xiaojun, let us leave..."
Like a puppet, Xiaojun followed Zhen Ji without a word or a hint of resistance.
They navigated the endless dark corridor, leaving the laboratory behind. The atmosphere was oppressive. Water dripped incessantly, and a strange hissing sound echoed in the shadows.
After several hundred meters, sunlight finally greeted them. They emerged from a cave hidden by dense thickets and trees as tall as three-story houses.
"Huff... fresh air at last." Zhen Ji took a deep breath and stretched. Xiaojun remained motionless behind him, a perfect doll.
"Come, Xiaojun. Let's head back to the Gu Estate. I want to introduce them to my new assistant."
Zhen Ji walked toward a massive tree trunk and seemed to phase right through it. Xiaojun followed silently.
"You know, this isn't some high-level cultivation technique that turns reality into illusion. It's just a simple reflection of mirrors and light to mimic the bark. Now, enough chatter. Let's teleport to the estate."
Zhen Ji began pressing brass buttons on a console. A projection appeared, showing various locations where teleportation arrays had been installed. As he keyed in the coordinates, a circle of light erupted beneath their feet. In a split second, they vanished, reappearing in Zhen Ji's private quarters at the Gu Estate.
SNAP!
Zhen Ji flicked his fingers again. Xiaojun's consciousness snapped back.
"Wh—where are we?!" Xiaojun gasped in panic. His eyes widened at the opulence: glittering ornaments, fine paintings, plush sofas, and a bed far too grand to be real.
"Calm yourself, Xiaojun..." Zhen Ji's voice was soothing. Instantly, Xiaojun's body relaxed, and his panic subsided into a strange calm.
"Where is this? This place... it's so lavish."
"We are at the Gu Estate, Xiaojun," Zhen Ji said, his eyes narrowing and his smile widening as if welcoming an honored guest.
'The Gu Estate?!'