Chapter One: The Prison

Canine Hill was not a city; as its name suggested, it was merely a gently rising mound, sprawling for tens of thousands of feet. There were no walls, and everything lay bare on the earth, chaotic and unruly, yet teeming with vibrant life—like wild grass flourishing in the desert, unruly, fierce, and restless, carrying a wildness and aggression, desperately absorbing every nutrient it could reach.

Countless courtyards and houses stood atop the hill, with streets crisscrossing and people hurrying to and fro. The edges were lined with dense workshops, bustling and noisy, where mechanical beasts came and went, mingling with cattle, horses, and carts, delivering goods, products, vessels, tools, weapons, and armor throughout Canine Hill, or gathering at the docks to be transported by boat to all corners of Great Zhou.

Beyond this disorder stretched endless fields of millet and sprawling pastures, where slaves belonging to Tianshan Escape toiled in the fields. Compared to other places, these slaves seemed better nourished and less gaunt.

Pale golden sunlight streamed through gaps in the clouds, bathing the entire hill in extraordinary beauty and brilliance, like the most splendid brocade. Yet, this light also fell upon the enormous cave behind the hill, where flies and mosquitoes danced at the entrance, rendered dazzling by the same radiance.

Deep within the cave were pillars of white bone, piled like mountains.

At the very center of the hill stood a cluster of massive, square stone houses, orderly as burial mounds. The stone houses were lined up like blocks of tofu, severe and regimented, their stark white surfaces reflecting the sunlight, seeming to repel the glow and conceal the profound darkness within.

“That is the Tianshan Tomb!” said Little Four from the ox-cart, just as the carriage turned and brought the two face-to-face with the hill. “It’s also the heart of our entire Tianshan Escape—every major decision is made there.”

Following Little Four’s pointing finger, Six Ugly saw the entrance to the stone houses, a square opening over fifteen feet wide, like the maw of a giant beast. Its blackness not only rejected sunlight, but also any who dared to enter.

Fortunately, this was not where Six Ugly was headed. After another turn, the carriage sped toward the other side of the hill, gradually leaving behind the wild, bustling splendor and setting out for a distant destination.

It took nearly two hours before they arrived at a humble camp in a river valley. The soldiers at the gate checked Little Four’s bronze token and let the carriage through.

The camp’s simplicity surprised Six Ugly. Aside from the basic barracks, there was nothing resembling a training ground. Little Four led him inside, and they had barely sat for a quarter hour before the person they were to meet arrived.

With a spitting sound, a man squeezed through the doorway. Bald and square-faced, his already ugly visage was crisscrossed with scars, making him appear even uglier than Six Ugly. He was extremely short but broad-shouldered, his whole body almost square, making even the camp gate seem small as he forced himself through, his face contorted and fierce.

The bald man wore a short jacket; his body was bulging with muscle, the coarse linen stretched taut, sinews writhing beneath his skin, veins protruding, his dark skin shining with oil. Upon entering, he twisted his face and cracked his knuckles, saying,

“Let me see what kind of goods have arrived, daring to jump the line after the examination…”

Halfway through his words, his gaze fell on Little Four. Suddenly, he chuckled twice and said, “So it’s you, sent by the Ghost of Heaven. Seems you have some background! But if you think this is enough to break my rules, then Heaven Ghost is underestimating me!”

Only then did Little Four stand up, smiling and clasping his hands. “Indeed, I was sent by Lord Heaven Ghost. I hope Lord Jin will be gracious and allow me to finish my task.”

Bald Jin Lan squinted and laughed, picking his nose with his pinky, his voice muffled, “What do you think?” His face full of scorn, clearly unafraid of Heaven Ghost.

But Little Four was calm. He suddenly pointed at Six Ugly and said, “Though he belongs to Heaven Ghost, do you know who his master is, Lord Jin?”

“Who?” Jin Lan dug for a while, feeling pleased, then withdrew his finger and sucked on it, clicking his tongue in mockery. “Is he the direct disciple of Lord Dragon?”

“Lord Jin, you jest,” Little Four replied with a smile. “His master is Lord Godbreaker.”

At the mention of Godbreaker, Jin Lan’s expression changed inexplicably, turning awkwardly cold. He reached out, dragged Little Four to him, and muttered in a low voice by his ear, “Lord Godbreaker is dead!” His words were icy, devoid of any warmth.

Little Four did not struggle. He knew well that if Jin Lan chose to act, resistance would be futile. So he spoke loudly, “Exactly. That’s why Lord Heaven Ghost wants him to become a Marquis General!”

Jin Lan paused, then suddenly roared, his shout like thunder in Six Ugly and Little Four’s ears. Little Four’s body floated backward, nearly tumbling onto the straw mat.

Turning his face, Jin Lan finally fixed his gaze on Six Ugly, sizing him up. He snorted, “Since you’re Godbreaker’s disciple, I’ll make an exception and let you be tested. But let me make one thing clear: no matter who wants you to be a Marquis General—even if it’s Heaven Ghost, Shadow Ghost, or even Ghost Head, and even if I join them—no one can help you in this test. Pass and you live; fail and you die. Don’t expect any special favors!”

Six Ugly stood quietly, meeting Jin Lan’s wolfish gaze without flinching. He asked, “Has anyone passed?” Seeing Jin Lan nod slightly, Six Ugly nodded in return. “In that case, it’s fine.”

Jin Lan stared into Six Ugly’s eyes; after a moment, he burst out laughing, finally relaxing. He then shouted toward the door, “Bring wine!”

Soon, a jug of green wine was brought in, along with a matching cup. Jin Lan filled the cup but did not drink; instead, he handed it to Six Ugly.

“Drink!”

Six Ugly glanced at Little Four and Jin Lan; neither held a cup. He felt a trace of doubt, but sensed no murderous intent from them, so he drank as instructed, swallowing the wine in one gulp.

As soon as Six Ugly set the cup down, he felt the world spinning, a fierce wave of sleepiness surging over him like a flood, swallowing him whole…

“Not good!” This thought flickered in Six Ugly’s mind for only an instant; before he could react, his body collapsed, and the world faded to darkness, chaos, and deathly silence.

※

When Six Ugly awoke, he found himself in a pitch-black stone chamber, where dim light barely revealed anything.

Three sides were thick walls of blue stone, solid as mountains. Only one wall was lined with iron pillars as thick as a child’s arm, with a tightly closed door fitted with a copper lock. Atop each iron pillar was a red hemp scarf, painted with yellow symbols and charms, none missing.

This was… a prison?

Six Ugly immediately realized his situation. This was undoubtedly a prison—not an ordinary one. Those charms resembled those he’d seen at the Tianma Merchant Camp, used to confine monsters. The purpose of this cell was clear.

It was a cage specifically designed to imprison creatures of the supernatural.

Six Ugly was deeply surprised, but showed nothing. Instead, he sat in the corner, carefully recalling everything he’d seen and done, trying to discern the reason he’d been imprisoned.

Was it Heaven Ghost’s doing?

No, he immediately rejected this guess. He bore Heaven Ghost no grudge; even if he did, Heaven Ghost could easily have him killed or tortured for whatever he wanted. There was no need for such trickery—using a sledgehammer to kill a chicken was already wasteful, and this was even more so.

Was it connected to his actions in Lyang?

Impossible! Though he’d killed and robbed in Lyang, besides the cook and Du Pu, no one noticed. From Little Four’s words, it was clear the Ghost Banquet cared little for life and death. Tianshan Escape had not acted, so how could minor officials like Lyang’s magistrate or captain have the means for this?

…

Six Ugly pondered every possibility, eliminating them all until only one remained.

He recalled an old saying: “When you eliminate every impossible scenario, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth!”

And that last possibility was the true reason for his presence here.

—This was the test for becoming a Marquis General of Tianshan Escape. Nothing more. If Six Ugly could escape from this prison, he would pass. Otherwise, he would remain here, to live or die, never to rise again.

His guess was correct. This was indeed the test. All who wished to become Marquis Generals had to undergo such a trial, though the cells differed for each, varying in difficulty.

The cell holding Six Ugly was the Prison of Nine Strikes.

Different candidates were sent to different prisons—some to the barracks of the Sixteenth Army, some to county prisons in various cities, some to high-security cells in Haojing, Luoyi, Xiqi, or Xianyi, or even the Sky Prison… Only monsters, by Tianshan Escape’s rules, were sent to the Prison of Nine Strikes.

The Nine Strikes Guard was the last of the Four Guards.

The Dongling Guard served as the emperor’s personal troops, protecting the royal family and the capital, investigating officials—much like the Embroidered Guards of later eras. The State Spy Guard was covert, gathering military intelligence from all nations, whether demon, Buddhist, or feudal Zhou, all within its scope. Tianshan Escape was an elite squad, akin to modern special forces, carrying out assassinations, rescues, and retrievals. But the Nine Strikes were mysterious, their aims uncertain, their workings unknown to all.

What was known was that the weapons, tools, and facilities crafted by the Nine Strikes Guard were not for ordinary people, but for others entirely.

When the emperor of Great Zhou seized the realm, he relied on the sects of men and revelation, vanquishing countless demons, spirits, cultivators, and wanderers. Yet having established the empire, how could he ignore their continued existence?

Thus, the Nine Strikes Guard was formed for their purpose.

Though Six Ugly did not know this was the Prison of Nine Strikes, he understood it was merely a test, and so he set his worries aside. For him, the most crucial secret was the Demon Refining Jar; as long as it was not involved, he could be at ease.

With these thoughts, Six Ugly began to quietly observe his surroundings, searching for the key to his escape.