A brief, dead silence descended upon the cell, broken only by Chu Kuangfeng's heavy, bellows-like gasps.
"The day this demon is vanquished will be the day you and your old friend are freed, Donor Chu."
Monk Kongjian added, gazing calmly at Chu Kuangfeng.
Chu Kuangfeng's head was bowed, his disheveled long hair obscuring his expression.
After a long moment, a single word, as if dredged from the abyss and carrying an endless, suppressed chill, rang out:
"Fine."
A genuine smile finally touched Monk Kongjian's lips. He opened his hand, revealing an irregularly shaped relic lying quietly in his palm, emitting a faint, gentle golden light.
"Since you are to enter our fold, you must accept our rules. Junior Brother Xuanxin, please refine this relic first to stabilize your Buddhist heart. It will not be too late to begin slaying demons and defending the path afterward."
Xuanxin was the dharma name they had prepared for Chu Kuangfeng long ago.
