The Charm of Soul Pets (WN)

It was cold, confined, and glum. This was the first time Chu Mu had entered such an atmosphere. He even became careful when he breathed.

In such a prison, how was it easy for imprisoned prisoners to escape? Especially since these prisoners had lost souls, only keeping soul pets that probably wouldn’t become of any threat!

Once the chained door opened, the holy guard captain Zhuo Nong brought Chu Mu inside before leaving. Zhuo Nong still had things to deal with in the Holy Regions, and couldn’t accompany Chu Mu to inquire about Zhang Siyuan.

“Senior is so young. Could you be the Battle of the Realm’s first place, Senior Chu Chen?” a Soul Pet Palace female jailer walked up to Chu Mu. She was in charge of leading the way for Chu Mu.

Her looks weren’t particularly good looking, and she even had a few scars on her face that gave her the imposing manner of man. When she smiled, it looked sinister and, if she was serious, she looked like a yaksha.

“Yes, I’ve come to investigate Soul Palace’s escapee, Zhuo Siyuan. I’m not too familiar with this place. Please give me a rough introduction.” said Chu Mu.

The yaksha jailer gave a self introduction. She was called Huang Yinglian, and she was specially in charge of female prisoners and acting as a guide for investigators.

She was an eighth remembrance spirit master and in the Labyrinth Prison, an eighth remembrance spirit master was considered fairly strong. Added on the fact that most prisoners had their strengths restricted, probably even the spirit emperor rank prisoners had to be polite towards this eighth remembrance spirit master.

The labyrinth was different from the Holy Regions, because it was a sealed off space and only so big. Drawing an analogy, it was like a mere spacious piece of private property.

Inside the property, prisoners had places they could move about and outside the property was some extremely powerful energy that even strong people could not pass through.

The labyrinth was divided into a few areas and depending on the severity of the crime, the prisoners were placed in different areas.

Zhou Siyuan was a spirit emperor rank expert, and she didn’t commit a small crime. Huang YInglian brought Chu Mu to a rather high ranking area.

“Sister Yinglian, why are you bringing a handsome pretty boy with you? Is he another new lover?”

“This brat is of much better quality than the last one. He can probably withstand your ravaging. Haha.” two 30 year old sloppily dressed prisoners saw Huang Yinglian walk past and intentionally ridiculed her.

Huang Yinglian’s face instantly turned unsightly. She didn’t waste any words and immediately ordered the Multi Colored Devil Tiger she was riding on to attack the two prisoners.

“Pai!!! Pai!!!!!”

The Multi Colored Devil Tiger’s steel tail gave a fierce swipe, and the two sloppily dressed prisoners were knocked a hundred meters back…

There were originally quite a few young male prisoners who had come here to ridicule Huang Yinglian, but when they saw the two people lying far away spitting blood, they all trembled in fear.

“This is an investigator. He is a spirit emperor with an emperor soul pet. You had beter fix your behavior!” Huang YInglian coldly spoke to the prisoners around her who had nothing else to do.

“He is a spirit emperor?”

“There is such a young spirit emperor??”

The prisoners knew that Huang Yinglian wouldn’t lie. They were originally planning on teasing the young Chu Mu out of boredom, but when Huang Yinglian told them of his strength, they all decisively dispersed.

Even the spirit emperor rank emperors, regardless if their strength was shackled on not, wouldn’t go asking for trouble.

The supervision inside Labyrinth Prison wasn’t as strict as Chu Mu imagined. All of the prisoners had the freedom to wander around their respective areas, and were permitted to fight each other as long as they didn’t take each others’ lives.

This environment made Chu Mu think of the Nightmare Islands.

The Labyrinth Prison was similar, because the restricted prisoners were like the young men and women from Nightmare Islands, while the jailers were like the powerful administrators. The only difference was that the jailers wouldn’t force the prisoners to raise their power; instead, they were there to ensure they didn’t violate the rules.

As they walked, Chu Mu would occasionally see prisoners with thick mental shackles. These people had made a mistake and been punished for it, or they were too strong and purely through soul sealing could not be controlled; thus, they required extra seals.

In the heavy incarceration area there were numerous spirit emperors. Most of these people had mental shackles to limit their mobility and their mind.

“Since this place is a sealed off space, and the only way to exit is the prison’s entrance after which the prisoner must travel through a long stairway at the end of which are numerous guards, how did Zhang Siyuan escape?” asked Chu Mu.

The Labyrinth Prison allowed prisoners the freedom to move around, but it was practically impossible for them to escape. Chu Mu didn’t understand how Zhang Siyuan had escaped.

“This… even now we’re not sure. He suddenly just disappeared in thin air from the prison. If it wasn’t because someone on the outside discovered the escaped Zhang Yiyuan, we would have believed he was killed by another spirit emperor prisoner who destroyed his corpse to remove the evidence.” softly said Huang Yinglian.

TL: Author keeps switching between he and she for Zhang Siyuan. Pretty sure it’s a guy

Huang Yinglian brought Chu Mu to Zhang Siyuan’s residence. Zhang Siyuan lived in a small wooden hut. If it wasn’t because there were jailers and prisoners around, this small hut looked a bit like a secluded residence.

There was nothing special about the hut. The other prisoners who had been in contact with Zhang Siyuan were also interrogated, but they all indicated they had no idea about anything to do with Zhang Siyuan’s escape.

“What area is this?” Chu Mu pointed a the labyrinth’s map.

Chu Mu was referring to another area next to the heavy incarceration area; it was close to where Zhang Siyuan had lived.

“It’s the female incarceration area. It’s the area I’m in charge of.” said Huang Yinglian.

“Is there a path connecting the two areas?” asked Chu Mu.

“There can’t be. Many of the heavy incarceration prisoners are rapists. We cannot monitor the entire labyrinth, and a few prisoners would be able to rape the female prisoners. Therefore, the female prison area is completely separated from the male prisoner area. They can watch each other and speak with each other, but they can’t step into each other’s area.” said Huang Yinglian.

“Since Zhan Siyuan is close to the female prisoner’s area, have you interrogated the female prisoners?” asked Chu Mu.

“This… I haven’t. Although this place is close to the female prisoner area, it cannot be entered from here. I don’t believe that a female prisoner would help Zhang Siyuan escape.” said Huang Yinglian.

“Go and check if there were any female prisoners who spoke to Zhang Siyuan.” said Chu Mu.

“This… ok. I will go check.” said Huang Yinglian.

Zhang Siyuan’s wooden hut was constructed on a small mountain and from there, Chu Mu could see the female prisoner area.

The female prison area was a small forest that was illuminated by a reflected light. There probably was a lake in the middle of the forest...

Not long after, Huang Yinglian found the information, and she brought him to the female prisoner area to interrogate female prisoners who had spoken with Zhang Siyuan.

“There are a total of three. The first is an unrestrained woman who has normal strength.”

“The second is a female spirit emperor who committed theft.”

“The third… I can’t publicize this female prisoner’s identity. I don’t even know her name. She lives by the lake.” said Huang Yinglian.

Chu Mu interrogated the first two. The unrestrained woman really was unrestrained and when she heard Chu Mu was an investigator, she began to flirt with Chu Mu in front of Huang Yinglian.

The second thief was very arrogant. When she saw that the investigator was such a young brat, she didn’t cooperate.

Chu Mu used his strength to speak and when his spirit emperor remembrance pressured her, the thief spirit emperor was extremely shocked. She finally divulged that Zhang Siyuan’s escape probably had something to do with the lakeside female prisoner, because she had seen them secretly communicate.

The interrogation for the third female prisoner was very complicated, because they needed the permission of an even higher ranking person.

Chu Mu had to wait for another while before obtaining approval. Then, he went with Huang Yinglian to the lakeside.

There was another small wooden hut there. When Chu Mu entered, there was a fragrance in the hut; clearly, the person who lived here was a very cleanly woman.

Unable to find the female prisoner inside the wooden hut, Chu Mu began to walk along the lake.

Passing through a birch forest, Chu Mu saw a woman wearing grey clothes standing by the lake. She was staring at her elegant reflection in the calm lake.

The woman’s hair was dangling down her back. Perhaps because she hadn’t properly taken care of it in a while, but even though she often washed it, the color of her hair looked slightly dull and dry. She was slightly thin, but she still had enchantingly beautiful and sexy curves…

For some reason, when he saw the back of this woman, Chu Mu felt that this woman was shrouded in melancholy.

It was as if he was looking at a painting. The woman in the painting was melancholic and lonely. Perhaps in the next moment she would throw herself into the lake like a beautiful jade perishing.

“Turn around, an investigator has come!!” suddenly, Huang Yinglian’s sharp cry pierced through Chu Mu’s mind as he was affected by the melancholy setting, waking him up.

The woman’s body lightly trembled. She slowly turned around, and revealed extremely beautiful eyes that completely lacked lustre.

The reason why he couldn’t see her face was because it was covered by a grey muslin…

However, when he saw the veiled woman, Chu Mu was stunned!

He couldn’t see her face, but she was extremely familiar. The shock delivered was like a tidal wave that smashed into Chu Mu’s heart!

How was it her?!

Why would she be in Labyrinth Prison?!

A series of questions flooded Chu Mu’s mind. Chu Mu even forgot to speak.

“Senior Chu Chen, you recognize her?” softly asked Huang Yinglian as she confusedly stood beside Chu Mu.

“Wait here.” Chu Mu took in a deep breath and left Huang Yinglian there. He walked forward up to the woman.

The woman was just as shocked as Chu Mu.

When Chu Mu walked to her, her eyes were filled with both panic and shame. It seemed that she didn’t want Chu Mu to see her like this.