Chapter 5: Casting the Demon into Hell

Li Bing couldn't help cursing Chi Dan, that old bastard. The crude robe provided by Chi Dan lacked even basic undergarments, leaving his sensitive areas constantly chafing against the rough fabric. Combined with Yilian's provocations, his rebellious member had stiffened despite his best efforts.

Surveying his predicament - no extraordinary talents, no legendary equipment, not even the obligatory Swiss army knife or lighter from transmigration novels - trapped in a dungeon while slaughter-hungry invaders besieged the city... God! When would his cursed luck change?

He suddenly understood the prison warden he'd accidentally crushed. When death looms, why not indulge?

But how to coax this maiden? Instantly, he recalled humanity's first erotic anthology from his childhood - Boccaccio's The Decameron. A particular tale surfaced in his mind. Grinning, he decided to attempt that legendary gambit.

"Yilian," he ventured, "All men carry demons within, while women possess hells. Before death claims us, let's perform a virtuous deed - shall we cast this demon into hell?" Even as he spoke, he marveled at his own audacity. If this worked, perhaps his decade-long streak of misfortune might finally break.

Yet Yilian smiled with crystalline innocence. "Very well."

Her radiant smile pierced Li Bing's degenerate heart like divine light.

"Is that the demon?" She gestured at the tented fabric at his waist, tilting her head. "But where lies hell?"

Reason shattered beneath her guileless gaze. Tears streaming, he pounced upon this sacrificial lamb. The shoddy robe proved unexpectedly useful - conveniently allowing immediate access for his carnal crusade.

Li Bing embraced Elaine wildly, kissing her with fervor. Though he attempted to mimic adult film techniques to please her, his inexperience showed - his clumsy teeth kept nipping her delicate skin, eliciting dreamlike whimpers that only fueled his passion.

Initially, Elaine endured discomfort while Li surrendered to frenzy, but as their rhythmic motions grew synchronized, they gradually melted into harmonious union. Elaine's ethereal moans and the infernal heat of their "underworld" repeatedly resurrected Li's "demonic" vigor.

The virginity Li had guarded for over two decades finally met its demise.

If women's confusion lies before intimacy, men's bewilderment follows afterward. Holding the drowsy Elaine post-climax, Li's gaming-and-novel-addled mind raced: He must take responsibility for his first woman. He must survive now that he had dependents. What solutions existed? Yet every mental path led to mortal peril.

Gazing at the beauty in his arms, Li suddenly found peace. With a bitter smile, he murmured, "Our last supper, perhaps?"

The cell door crashed open, revealing the corpse-collecting guard. Staring at their entangled bodies, he blurted, "Why haven't you escaped? I deliberately left it unlocked!"

Li nearly choked on frustration - his dramatic resolve had been pure farce. His luck truly mocked him.

Awakened, Elaine smiled at the guard. "Uncle Marty, with Otrog's men in the city and Flaming Fury's army outside... Where could we flee? This magic-restraining collar ensures the Church would 'confiscate' me anyway." She leaned against Li. "I've no family left. We're staying - isn't that right, Lee?"

Li Bing broke into a cold sweat. So this girl had known all along the jailer would release him? Though she seemed to be overestimating her own importance.

The jailer panicked and urged, "Miss, you should escape with this young man! Since he infiltrated the prison undetected to kill the warden, he must be agile enough to..."

Li Bing's face flushed deeper as the jailer continued, "That fool Ortega declared Luoshui City's independence thinking the Church would support him. Five regiments loyal to your father - five thousand troops - have already withdrawn. Even citizens fled! They're forcing prisoners onto battlements now... Miss, flee! This city can't hold!"

Li Bing knew the unspoken warning - If the enemy captures you, your virtue will be lost!

"Young man!" The jailer roared suddenly. "If you dared break in for love, dare to escape!" After a pause, he jabbed at their disheveled clothes: "Take responsibility for the young lady!"

So the old man thought him some lovesick fool! No wonder he'd "facilitated" their earlier... situation.

Staring at the jailer's wrinkled, bitter face, Li Bing steeled his resolve. Gripping Ilian's hand, he strode out - better die under open sky than rot here. Having crossed worlds, he should at least witness its azure heavens and emerald waters. How else to boast in afterlife conversations?

Blinding sunlight struck them upon exiting the dungeon, accompanied by war's symphony: clashing steel, dying screams, thunderous bombardment.

So this is war?

Luoshui City consisted of a mountain-carved fortress, inner districts, defensive walls, and outer suburbs. The fortress towers and inner walls coiled around the mountain peak in concentric rings, forming multiple layers of impregnable defenses. The dungeon where Li Bing and Yilian were held—though called a dungeon—was actually carved high into the mountainside, nearing the summit. From his vantage point on a watchtower, Li Bing observed the ant-like swarm of soldiers below, suddenly struck by life's fragility. Even as he watched, a mid-slope defensive wall changed hands three times. Armored soldiers trampled each other, corpses piled like firewood, and blood flowed so freely that the entire wall section glowed crimson.

This was war—brutal, bloody... and awe-inspiring.

Having been desensitized by epic films like The Lord of the Rings, Troy, and Hero, Li Bing remained stoic, though his bloodless composure owed much to the distance. His demeanor drew admiration from the jailer beside him.

"Young man, your composure is remarkable—truly the bearing of a great general! Who are you, to risk your life alone for the young mistress?"

Li Bing stared at the jailer in surprise. These words sounded more like a general's than a prison guard's.

"Uncle Mati was my father's old subordinate," Yilian explained between retches, unable to stomach the carnage. "He defended me against Ortiga's accusations of demonic taint and was demoted for it."

"Uncle! Do you have any loyal troops? Let them fight us out!" Li Bing's eyes lit with sudden hope.

"Didn't I mention? One of the five brigades that abandoned Luoshui City was... mine." Mati's awkward confession dashed Li Bing's hopes.

Gods! Still cursed with rotten luck! Surrender? They'd likely be rejected. Help Ortiga defend the city? He was utterly useless in warfare.

After agonizing deliberation, Li Bing reached the same conclusion as before—certain death.

"Yilian?" He grinned mirthlessly as another wall fell. "Shall we summon demons back to hell?"