Walker Of The Worlds

Chapter 3899: A Camp In The Prison

Lin Mu opened the lid and inside rested a single flower. Its petals possessed a deep purple color approaching black. The blossom resembled a tiny trumpet. Despite spending countless years inside his hidden storage the herb remained perfectly preserved.

Lin Mu had collected it long ago. Originally intending to study several uncommon medicinal herbs. Eventually, his cultivation advanced beyond any practical need for such things. As such the flower simply remained forgotten... Until today.

He carefully plucked it from the box.

"The Night Eye Trumpet Flower."

It was a rather ordinary Spirit Herb and hardly valuable to immortals. Most cultivators ignored it entirely. Yet, under the right circumstances, few herbs matched its usefulness. Lin Mu crushed the blossom between his fingers.

Dark purple juice slowly seeped from the broken petals and the liquid appeared almost ink black. He squeezed several drops onto his fingertips, then without hesitation he raised them toward his eyes.

The first drop touched his left eye.

Sssss...

A sharp hissing sound immediately followed and the second eye produced the same reaction. Ordinary cultivators would probably scream as the juice possessed surprisingly corrosive properties.

Intense burning spread across both eyes and even Lin Mu felt a faint sting.

Thankfully, his physique rendered such discomfort insignificant. A weaker body cultivator might permanently damage their eyes through improper application. Lin Mu simply blinked several times.

The burning gradually subsided and the strange liquid slowly disappeared into his eyes. In the next few seconds his vision immediately began changing. The surrounding darkness brightened and faint details emerged from places previously hidden.

The green moss overhead appeared almost radiant now and stone walls became clearer. Even distant shadows gained definition.

Lin Mu quietly nodded. "Still effective."

He had honestly wondered whether the herb retained its potency after spending so many years in storage. Fortunately, proper preservation had maintained its medicinal properties. He slowly looked around.

Everything appeared remarkably distinct and no artificial light remained necessary. The Night Eye Trumpet Flower granted temporary dark vision lasting several hours. Spies occasionally relied upon it and assassins valued it during covert operations.

Though... Most preferred other methods whenever possible.

The herb possessed several unpleasant side effects. Repeated use temporarily blinded the user beneath bright sunlight. While frequent consumption worsened the condition. Eventually, even the smallest flame became unbearably painful to look at.

Several unfortunate cultivators had permanently ruined their eyesight through excessive dependence upon it. Lin Mu doubted he would ever reach that point. One use after countless years hardly mattered.

Satisfied, he quietly continued deeper into the underground prison. His footsteps produced almost no sound. The enhanced vision allowed him to avoid loose stones and broken ground with remarkable ease.

Several minutes later, the tunnels gradually widened and another bend appeared ahead.

Lin Mu carefully approached.

Then, he stopped as something different lay beyond. The scattered passages finally opened into a considerably larger cavern. His enhanced eyesight quietly swept across the area.

Stone walls enclosed the chamber. Several crude shelters had been constructed from broken prison doors, old timber and scavenged cloth. He saw makeshift tables assembled from uneven rocks.

Primitive racks holding drying strips of something that he strongly suspected was meat. Bundles of scavenged supplies rested against the walls. And several extinguished fire pits occupied the center.

The entire place carried unmistakable signs of long term habitation.

Lin Mu remained hidden within the tunnel entrance as his breathing slowed and his eyes narrowed. After wandering through endless empty passages, he had finally found what could only be described as a camp.

Lin Mu remained near the entrance of the cavern for several breaths before taking another careful step forward. The camp lay completely silent, there were no voices, footsteps or any sounds of movement.

Only the distant dripping of water somewhere deeper within the underground world and the occasional scratching of insects moving through tiny cracks in the stone disturbed the silence.

Even so, Lin Mu refused to lower his guard. A place like this could never truly be called abandoned. At least not after everything he had already seen. The torn cloth, the fresh vomit, and the recently disturbed paths all showed that someone had been here.

Whether they had merely stepped away or were quietly watching from the darkness remained unknown.

Lin Mu continued moving with measured steps. His enhanced vision from the Night Eye Trumpet Flower revealed details that ordinary cultivators would have completely overlooked. The camp itself looked miserable.

There was hardly anything that could be called a possession. There were no decorations, no personal belongings, nor any signs that anyone expected to remain here comfortably. Instead, everything appeared built purely for survival.

His eyes fell upon a crude wooden table.

Calling it a table felt generous as several uneven boards had simply been nailed together before being balanced upon four mismatched wooden legs. The timber itself immediately caught his attention.

Lin Mu reached down and gently touched it and his fingers traced the old grain.

"Boxes." He quietly muttered.

The wood had not originally belonged to furniture. Large nail holes remained visible along the edges and several faded markings still lingered beneath years of dirt and scratches. These boards had once formed shipping crates.

Or perhaps supply boxes.

Someone had dismantled them before carefully reusing every single panel. Nothing had gone to waste. Lin Mu slowly stood again and his gaze wandered toward another piece of furniture.

A bed.

Or rather... What passed for one.

An old prison door had been laid horizontally across several stacks of stone. The heavy metal bars still remained attached. Someone had simply raised it high enough to keep it from resting directly upon the ground.

There was no mattress, no straw mats or blanket, or even some moss, just cold metal rods.

Lin Mu quietly stared at it.

"I cannot imagine sleeping on this." His words echoed softly through the empty camp.

Then, he smiled bitterly.

Considering where he currently stood... This probably qualified as a luxury.

At least it kept someone away from the damp ground. The cold underground stone constantly gathered moisture. Sleeping directly upon it every night would gradually weaken even body cultivators.