Chapter 14 I Was Framed

It was Alan. "Senior Brother Alan! You're finally here! I'm starving!" As soon as Felix saw Alan, he put on a flattering grin, trying to butter him up. But Alan looked at him with a flicker of disgust. Without opening the cell door, Alan placed a food box on the ground and spoke through the iron bars. "Junior Brother Felix, it's been a whole day. Have you remembered anything yet?" Felix shook his head. Alan let out a noncommittal grunt before continuing. "Felix, I have to say, I didn't expect you to be this bold. Impressive—really impressive." Felix frowned. "Senior Brother Alan, what do you mean by that? I don't get it. You don't actually believe I stole from myself, do you? Anyone with half a brain can tell I was framed. The real thief wanted to pin the blame on me and tried to get rid of me. What they didn't expect was that I, Felix, was tough enough to survive and crawl out of a grave." Alan shook his head. "I'm not talking about that. This morning, Elder Crane came to the Discipline Hall to speak with my master. She said that a few days ago, you made some very inappropriate comments to Senior Sister Zara and demanded you be punished under sect rules. Care to explain?" "Huh?" Felix's brain stalled for a second. It took him a while to realize Alan was talking about Zara—the gorgeous woman he'd run into at the back mountain. The one who'd stripped down and bathed in the cold pond without warning. Wait a minute, though. He had been on his best behavior back then—no inappropriate remarks, no flirting! Just as he was about to deny everything, Felix suddenly clamped his mouth shut. Right. He hadn't said anything improper to Zara... but he had watched her bathe. There was a big difference between making inappropriate comments and peeping at a woman bathing. The former might get him a scolding and a few days in solitary confinement. The latter? That could mean losing his cultivation and being expelled from the sect. In an instant, Felix realized what was going on—Zara must have been too concerned about her reputation to admit he'd seen her bathing. But she still couldn't let it go, so she reported him for being verbally inappropriate instead, just to make sure he suffered a bit in the Discipline Hall. Felix chuckled bitterly to himself. She looks like an angel, but she sure knows how to hold a grudge. She'd already broken three of his ribs, and that still wasn't enough for her? Besides, Felix still felt like what had happened that night didn't quite count as peeping. He hadn't gone there intending to spy on her—it was more like he'd been forced to see her. That had to be different, right? He gave an awkward laugh and said, "Well… yeah, my mind was a bit of a mess back then, and I guess I did say a few things I shouldn't have to Senior Sister Zara. Senior Brother Alan, any chance you know when I'll be let out of here?" "Let you out?" Alan snorted. "If it weren't for the thing with Senior Sister Zara, you might've been released in three to five days. But now? Not so fast. Elder Crane caused a huge scene at the Discipline Hall this morning, and my master promised to punish you properly. You'd better get comfortable—you're not going anywhere for a while." With that, Alan squatted down, opened the food box, and shoved some rice and vegetables through the slot at the bottom of the door. Felix glanced at the food before looking back at Alan. "Senior Brother, do you think you could get me some cultivation manuals? I don't remember anything, and I want to use this time to train. Otherwise, I'll go crazy with boredom in here." Alan gave a fake smile and said, "I didn't block your energy channels—that was already a favor because we've known each other for so long. And now you want to cultivate? Do you even understand the situation you're in?" As Alan turned to leave, Felix quickly called out, "Senior Brother Alan, wait, wait!" "What now? I'm busy!" Alan replied, clearly annoyed. Felix nervously asked, "Senior Brother, it seems like there's an old man locked up in here too. Who is he? How long has he been in?" Alan frowned and instinctively glanced at the cell directly across from Felix's. "You've lost your memory, yet your curiosity's still intact? Just stay put and don't stir up any trouble!" Alan snapped. He then walked over to the opposite cell, leaned in for a quick look, and pulled out a roast chicken and a jug of wine from his food box. He slid them through the slot at the bottom of the iron door. After that, he took out an empty plate and an empty wine jug, placing them back in the food box without saying a word to the person inside. Alan picked up the box and left without another glance, his footsteps quickly fading down the corridor until silence returned to the dim stone prison. "So the crazy old man is in the cell right across from me," Felix muttered to himself as he squatted to grab his food. He had been eating wild fruits for days, hoping today would finally bring his first real meal in this strange new world. Instead, he found two rock-hard buns, a small jug of plain water, and a tiny plate of overly salty pickled vegetables. "What the hell? That old guy gets roast chicken, and all I get are cold buns? What kind of messed-up system is this?" Felix cursed under his breath. But hunger gnawed at him like fire, leaving him no choice but to gnaw on the tough buns. Though it tasted awful, it was at least something to fill his stomach. Then, a familiar voice echoed in his mind, breaking the long silence. "Hey, kid. Want some roast chicken?" This time, Felix wasn't as shocked as before. Sitting near the cell door, he kept chewing on the hard bun and said, "Of course, I want roast chicken! Senior, I saw that chicken—it's huge. You can't eat it all by yourself. Share some with me, and I swear I'll bring you something good next time I get out!" The old man snorted. "You always say that, and you always lie. But, I'm not that hungry today, so you can have the chicken." "Really? Thanks, Senior! …But how do I get it over here?" "Got any rope?" "Rope? Yeah, yeah, I do!" Felix quickly grabbed the rope they'd used to tie him up the day before. He slipped it through the slot under his door and tossed the other end toward the opposite cell's opening. The two cells were only separated by a three-meter corridor, so it was easy to get the rope close to the slot on the other side. In the dim corridor light, Felix saw a pair of withered, corpse-like hands reach through the opening. After a moment of fumbling, the old man grabbed the rope and pulled it into his cell. A few seconds later, Felix felt a light tug on the rope. He immediately started pulling it back—and sure enough, the roast chicken was tied securely to the end. Though it had picked up some dirt from the ground, Felix figured he could peel off the skin. It was still perfectly edible! "Thanks, Senior!" The roast chicken was still warm, fresh out of the pot. The smell alone made Felix's mouth water. Without hesitation, he tore off a drumstick, peeled off the dusty skin, and began devouring it. "Oh, you're welcome," the old man said. "After all, you're the only friend I've had in centuries." Felix paused mid-bite. "Senior, how long have you been locked up in here?" "I don't really remember. It's probably been over two hundred years by now." "What? Two hundred years?" Felix nearly choked on his food. "What kind of crime did you commit? I mean, even stealing a cow wouldn't get you two centuries in a place like this!" "I don't remember the details, but I'm pretty sure I was framed," the old man's confident voice echoed in Felix's mind. Felix scratched his head. "How can you be so sure you were framed?" According to what Zara had told him, the Void Sect prided itself on being a beacon of justice. They trained their disciples to uphold righteousness and punish evil. If this old man was really innocent, how could they lock him up for over two centuries?