Chapter 23: Infiltrating the Dungeon

"Don't you trust him?" Chen Xuan asked as they walked along the path.

Traveling while using an invisibility spell was a novel but rather unpleasant experience, especially when navigating the pockmarked, muddy roads of the countryside. Although Chinon was known as a royal fortress—and served as a secondary residence for Charles VII before he entered Paris—it remained at its core a rural town. Aside from the sturdily constructed castle itself, the rest of the area felt quite "pastoral."

Since he couldn't see his own feet, he had no way to adjust his footing. Stumbling on uneven ground and stepping into mud puddles became the norm. Even before reaching the castle, his toes felt as though they were stuck together.

"I don't trust anyone here. They don't even seem to be of the same kind as me," Liu Shuyue replied without hesitation. "If people like this appeared in the Great Qi, they might not even be regarded as human."

"That makes sense."

"Of course, even if he were from the Great Qi, I wouldn't want to bring him along into danger. If we truly encounter a crisis, an untrustworthy companion becomes a massive liability. As the saying goes, a gentleman does not stand under a tottering wall; it is better to eliminate such a hazard from the start."

Chen Xuan found this statement quite agreeable.

The implication was that he, at least, was a person worthy of trust.

"Do you have any estimate regarding the level of enemies we might encounter?" Liu Shuyue asked.

That was something he had no way of knowing.

If Joan of Arc were used as a benchmark for combat power, then a cultivation disciple should be able to crush her—but in reality, he hadn't seen Liu Shuyue demonstrate her true strength. Moreover, Joan's power had surged incredibly after acquiring the Spirit Sword technique, making it difficult for him to gauge the average power level of this world.

Then there was the witch known as Crazy Judy. Although she sounded wild and arrogant, she had never engaged in a direct confrontation with Joan from start to finish, choosing instead to use public opinion and royal authority to force the latter into a dead end. From the perspective of pure strength, she likely didn't match up to Joan.

"Good question. This is my first time entering this region, and I haven't gathered any relevant intelligence yet," he said honestly. "How would you judge a situation like this?"

"If I were to eliminate a monster I’d never seen before, I would first ask the nearby residents about its habits. Secondly, I would circulate the Tianxia Gong, turning my Qi into a circle to sweep outward. That allows me to perceive the strength of individuals in the vicinity. At my previous level, I could scan a radius of twenty miles. Now that I’m re-cultivating, my detection range has dropped to about a hundred paces."

"Oh? The Tianxia Gong has that kind of utility?"

"You haven't used it?" Liu Shuyue looked slightly surprised. "Any mental cultivation method can detect auras; it’s just a matter of range and precision. Of course... those with high cultivation can also use the opponent's detection against them for camouflage or deception, but that depends on the tactical interplay between the two."

Chen Xuan had indeed never used it.

It was akin to buying a new car: he could drive it away easily, but that didn't mean he understood every feature on the dashboard. The dealership would provide a thick owner’s manual, but he would only remember to flip through it when a problem arose.

His abilities were much the same.

When he first obtained the cultivation method, he was more focused on its body-strengthening and power-boosting aspects—in short, how many buffs it provided. He hadn't paid much attention to these small, active techniques.

After all, what kind of threats were there to worry about in a residential neighborhood?

"I'll try it now."

As Chen Xuan spoke, he activated the Tianxia Gong and evenly dispersed the gathering Qi. Even though he had never done this before, the first attempt felt as natural and effortless as eating or drinking. However, he could only utilize the method at a Level 2 proficiency, so his detection range was nowhere near the level Liu Shuyue had described.

The first strong point of reaction appeared.

It was Liu Shuyue, who was walking in front of him.

In that instant, Chen Xuan felt a subconscious chill rise in his heart, and he couldn't help but shiver. He didn't need to read an "instruction manual" to know that this wasn't because he was afraid of her, but because the cultivation method was signaling that the person before him was not to be trifled with.

As the detection circle expanded, he captured more and more auras, but they were mostly weak. It wasn't until the nearby castle was included in the range that he quickly sensed four or five more distinct reaction points. One of them, in his subconscious, appeared as a warm, bright gold, remaining perfectly still beneath the castle.

He had to admit, this technique was incredibly convenient; it was practically like having a perspective-shifting, infrared sensor.

Chen Xuan praised it internally.

Even if someone were hundreds of meters away, he could pinpoint their location in advance. No wonder Liu Shuyue had been able to navigate to the bandit camp on a pitch-black night.

"Checked it. There is no one stronger than you or me."

*There are people stronger than me, but combined, you and I are the ceiling.*

"That's good," Liu Shuyue said, not dwelling on his phrasing. "But don't lower your guard. Sometimes, being too safe is actually a trap."

Chen Xuan nodded in agreement.

He also noted that Liu Shuyue mentioned restarting her cultivation of the Tianxia Gong. This confirmed his earlier hypothesis: ability trading wasn't a "one-and-done" transaction where what you had was lost to me. Abilities mastered through personal effort could be regained through talent and hard work, even after being lost.

The castle was situated next to a lake.

The naturally channeled water formed a protective barrier, and visitors had to rely on a retractable drawbridge to enter the fortress.

Many soldiers could be seen stationed along the high stone walls. If one were to charge in, it would be nearly impossible to take this stronghold without ten times the number of troops and heavy siege weapons.

But the guards could never have imagined that two people were walking right through the gate, sauntering into the fortress as if they owned the place.

"I heard... the Saint is to be executed tomorrow?"

"What Saint? She’s been branded a blasphemous witch by the tribunal."

"But would a witch lead an army to defeat the English? She was the hero who liberated Orléans and Reims, after all..."

"Who knows? Perhaps it was all a devil's trick."

Such hushed discussions could be heard everywhere.

Even these royal guards, who served the King, had heard of Joan of Arc’s great achievements. Some were indignant on her behalf, while others were ecstatic that a witch would be eliminated. Regardless, Joan’s prestige here was clearly not as prominent as it had been on the front lines.

"It seems this part of Gilles de Rais's intelligence was correct," Chen Xuan whispered. "My guest has been subjected to undeserved slander."

Even if the English hadn't tried her, her fate seemed unable to escape its original trajectory.

"Isn't it common in history for good people to be wronged and villains to succeed? It is her good fortune that she met you before things went south," Liu Shuyue sighed softly. "Can you sense her location?"

"She should be in the castle's basement. We can go down through the east tower."

With a clear map of the royal residence and the long-range sensing of the Tianxia Gong, finding someone wasn't difficult. With the help of the invisibility spell, it took them less than half an hour to slip from the castle entrance to the subterranean area, passing through completely unimpeded. The prison was adjacent to the storage rooms, and the keys were hanging right on the stone wall.

Whatever spell Liu Shuyue cast, the jailer at the entrance grew drowsy, and within thirty seconds, all of them had closed their eyes.

"The Sleep Curse only lasts for about a quarter of an hour. We need to be quick," she reminded him.

Chen Xuan took the keys, unlocked the prison gate, and stepped inside. The layout was like an inn, with a narrow corridor in the middle and prison cells fashioned from wooden bars on either side.

Finding the cell where Joan was held was even simpler than he had anticipated.

Because there were four armored guards standing in front of only one cell.

*Guarded quite strictly, aren't they?* he muttered to himself. Through the guards, he confirmed Joan's figure. She had been stripped of all her armor, wearing only a black hempen prison garment. Her feet were shackled with iron balls, and she wore wooden stocks on her wrists. However, beyond the severe restriction of her movement, there were few visible signs of physical injury.

"Can you make these people fall asleep, too?"

No sooner had he spoken than the guards began to sway.

"Suddenly... so sleepy..."

"Hey, don't doze off here..."

"No... is this... sleeping incense? Guards! Guards..."

The last man struggled for two steps before collapsing with a crash.

The sound of clattering armor caught Joan's attention.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked, raising her head and actually showing concern for them. "Jailer, come here—"

She stopped mid-sentence, a look of shock crossing her face.

At that moment, Chen Xuan had slowly emerged from the shadows, walking step by step toward the cell.

"Messenger... your Excellency?"

"Hmm? So she is the guest? Why does she seem so deferential to you?" Liu Shuyue's whisper drifted from behind him. "I thought we were the most respected guests you had."