Chapter 10 The Mysterious Voice

With a smirk, Alan teased, "Maybe you really did lose your memory. When it comes to theft, gambling, scams, or even hitting on girls, if you're involved, none of the enforcers even bother questioning you. They just convict you by the sect rules." Felix suddenly got the message loud and clear. Damn it, this original body of mine really messed things up. What kind of trouble did this kid get into before he ended up here?! After leaving the main hall, the two arrived at the back of the building. There were two rows of plain brick houses, about forty in total. They weren't big or fancy, and clothes hung out to dry in front of some of them—clearly, these were the living quarters for some of the Discipline Hall disciples. Since the whole sect was built along the mountainside, it wasn't long before Alan led Felix to a sheer rock face. "Senior Brother Alan, why are we standing in front of a rock wall? I don't need to pee…" Felix asked, confused. Alan shot him an annoyed glance but didn't respond. Instead, he raised his right hand, forming his fingers into a sword gesture, and began chanting an incantation. Suddenly, a faint green glow appeared at his fingertips. He traced a circle in the air, and the glow lingered, forming a green Taiji symbol that shimmered like smoke. With a flick of his finger, the Taiji symbol shot toward the rock wall. Swoosh! The massive stone wall rippled, as if it were made of water. Felix's eyes went wide with amazement. "Whoa! That's incredible! What kind of spell is this, Senior Brother Alan? You can even melt rock!" Alan scoffed. "Spell? No, it's just a restriction barrier." As he spoke, he gave Felix a shove. Felix stumbled forward and hit the watery barrier headfirst. The next thing he knew, he lost his balance and fell face-first onto the ground. Looking around, Felix realized he was now inside a dimly lit stone tunnel. A moment later, Alan stepped through the shimmering barrier and joined him inside. "Junior Brother Felix, you should be pretty familiar with this place, right?" Alan's voice carried a teasing tone. "Familiar? I've been here before?" Felix asked, looking both surprised and confused. "Of course. You're practically a regular here." Alan grabbed Felix by the arm, leading the way. "This is the Discipline Hall's stone prison. There are eighteen cells in total, but for the past few hundred years, the only long-term resident has been a lunatic. Ever since Elder Dragon brought you back to the sect, we've had to open this place at least twice a year just for you." Felix was speechless after hearing that. He was starting to get a clear picture of the original owner of this body—rotten to the core. Not just mischievous, but downright villainous. In any movie or novel, this guy would be the textbook bad guy. At first, Felix had been sure the original owner's death had something to do with the stolen spirit herbs from the herb garden—maybe someone killed him to cover it up. But now? He was starting to doubt that theory. Maybe Zara, that gorgeous girl, was right after all—maybe some righteous hero had eliminated him for the greater good. By then, Alan had stopped in front of one of the prison cells. "This one will do. Every time you got thrown in here, it was always this cell. Guess you could call it your private suite." Alan pulled out a rusty key, unlocked the iron door, and shoved Felix inside. The space wasn't very big, carved straight out of the rock. There were no windows, just the iron door, and the air was thick with the musty, rotting smell of damp stone. Suddenly, a flicker of light illuminated the dark cell. Felix turned to see Alan holding his nose, using a small firestarter to light an oil lamp on the wall. "Alright, Junior Brother Felix, stay put for now. Once we finish investigating, we'll let you out. In the meantime, I'll bring you food every day. If you remember anything, tell me right away." Alan's gaze turned sharp, and his tone grew more serious. "And make sure you behave yourself—Len's waiting for you to get out." Felix nodded quickly. "Got it, Senior Brother Alan! I'll reflect deeply on my actions. Just, uh... who's Len?" Alan smiled. "He's your best friend. What? Don't tell me you forgot about him too." "My best friend?" Felix's face showed confusion once again. The original owner had a best friend? That was hard to believe. "You're a smart guy—I'm sure you can figure out what I mean without me spelling it out. Just stay put and don't cause trouble." Without saying anything more, Alan untied the ropes around Felix, locked the cell door behind him, and turned to leave, his footsteps echoing down the dim corridor. Alan was no fool. Whether Felix's memory loss was real or fake didn't matter—once he mentioned Len, the game was already in Alan's favor. Everyone in the sect knew Felix was a scoundrel through and through. But despite his many flaws, he had a strange sense of loyalty—one of his only redeeming qualities. By bringing up Len, Alan had sent a clear warning: Don't run your mouth. Even if you remember everything, keep quiet. If you cause trouble, Len will end up buried in the same unmarked grave as you. As Alan's footsteps faded into the distance, Felix felt an unexpected sense of peace. There was no place safer than here. The person who killed the original Felix might want him dead too, but there was no way they could sneak into the Discipline Hall's stone prison. Until he got out of here, Felix figured he was safe. The only problem was that the prison's conditions were awful. The floor was covered with moldy, rotting straw, and in one corner sat a cracked wooden bucket that looked like an old chamber pot. Thankfully, it hadn't been used in a long time—the waste inside had already hardened. "Well, guess I better make the best of it…" Felix muttered to himself. Who knew how long he'd be stuck in this hellhole? Might as well tidy up his little "nest." Suddenly, a raspy, elderly voice echoed through the darkness. "Kid, it's been a while since you last came by. I thought maybe you'd turned over a new leaf." Felix nearly jumped out of his skin at the unexpected voice. He looked around frantically. "Who? Who's there?!" "You don't remember me?" the raspy voice asked again. It was strange—Felix felt like the voice wasn't coming from any specific direction. It was as if it exploded right inside his mind. "Could it be a ghost?" He shivered a little, but forced himself to shout, "Who are you? Stop hiding and acting creepy! I'm not scared of you!" "Heh…" The unseen person seemed to sense something odd about him, then slowly said three words, "Who are you?" Felix blinked, momentarily stunned. "I'm Felix." Then, he suddenly recalled what Alan had told him before they entered the prison—that there was a lunatic locked up in here. Could this be him? "You… are not Felix." The raspy voice echoed again in Felix's mind. His heart skipped a beat. Had this crazy old man figured out his secret? Keeping his cool, Felix said, "Of course I'm Felix! One hundred percent real—guaranteed." "If you're Felix, then how come you don't remember me?" "Well… I lost my memory. I can't remember anything." "Lost your memory?" The mysterious voice fell silent for a moment, as if deep in thought, before continuing. "Why did you lose your memory?" Felix felt certain now—this guy was no ordinary person. In novels and TV shows, the protagonist always seemed to meet strange, powerful characters in moments like this, gaining life-changing opportunities. Maybe this mysterious person is my big chance, Felix thought. So, he decided to come clean, "I don't know either. A few days ago, I woke up buried in an unmarked grave. I don't remember anything before that. Senior, who are you? Are you part of our sect, the Void Sect?" "Who am I... Who am I...?" The person kept repeating the question, followed by a bitter, lonely laugh. Felix searched his cell again. It was just a small stone room, and he was the only one inside. There was no way someone else could be hiding here. The guy must be in one of the other cells, Felix concluded. There were eighteen cells in total, each several meters apart, with thick stone walls between them—definitely too thick for ordinary voices to pass through. He must be using some kind of secret sound transmission technique. Felix tried asking more questions about the man's identity, but the mysterious voice had already gone silent.