If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The night was deep, and the lights of the capital city twinkled like stars in the mist. Qin Shuang gently lifted a tile from the back alley, gesturing for Zhou Yang to follow. Her steps were steady as a rock, her sleeves fluttering slightly as they brushed against a few hidden moss. Zhou Yang stared intently at her back, secretly calculating: Tonight's target is a vault of gold; the gold and silver inside are enough to support his plans for the rest of his life.

They circled around to the outside of the money exchange's wall. The wall was made of blue bricks, its surface covered with mottled rain stains. At the base of the wall were several hidden wells, their openings locked with iron railings. Qin Shuang gently stroked the railing and whispered, "The security here isn't just limited to people." After she finished speaking, she lightly touched the dark markings on her chest with her finger.

Zhou Yang closed his eyes, exhaled, and felt the life-giving runes within his body tremble slightly. The flames of two years' lifespan ignited in his bloodline, washing over his mind like a tide. A moment later, his vision was covered by a pale blue light—the Eye of the Array had activated.

Inside the luminous screen, the bank's interior structure appeared like a transparent model. At the center of the main hall stood a tall stone pillar, surrounded by six golden railings. Hidden patterns were embedded beneath the railings, rotating automatically every ten minutes to form a moving barrier. The luminous screen displayed the guards' movement: three guards clad in silver armor entered through the north gate, proceeding along the bluestone path to the main hall, changing shifts every two minutes, with another group sneaking in through the west gate. Each shift change was accompanied by a deep hum from the stone lions at the entrance, signaling the activation of the protective array.

In a closer look, tiny metal fragments are scattered on the ground. These fragments are not ordinary sand or gravel, but miniature triggers for the array. Seven red dots are marked on the light screen, indicating that each step will trigger a mechanism. If one accidentally steps on one, a soft arrow will be shot out, aimed at the chest.

The light screen continued scanning downwards, reaching the depths of the vault. The vault's door was a massive bronze gate, its surface engraved with nine python patterns, with a dark red jade stone embedded in the center of each pattern. A faint purple light floated on the jade stone, the core symbol of the Mother-Child Interlocking Soul-Locking Array left by a third-grade array master. The array master's name was engraved in the corner of the door frame—"Liu Sheng." The light screen revealed that the Soul-Locking Array consisted of three interlocking runes: the outermost layer was the "child array," the middle layer was the "mother array," and the innermost layer was a spiral-shaped soul lock.

Zhou Yang opened his eyes, his brows furrowed. Two years of his lifespan had vanished with the light screen, but in return, he had obtained a complete layout diagram. He whispered to Qin Shuang, "We have seen the full picture of the guards and traps." Qin Shuang nodded, her eyes unwavering, but she reached for the dagger at her waist.

Zhou Yang's chest suddenly tightened, the remaining warmth of his lifespan ignited. To break the Soul-Locking Array, he decided to burn another five years of his lifespan. The flames of those five years were even more intense than before, like sparks igniting in his blood. The range of the array's eye instantly expanded, reaching the internal structure of the Soul-Locking Array.

Within the light screen, the runes of the sub-array were arranged in a hexagonal pattern, each corner emitting a pale blue glow. The runes of the main array were eight intersecting golden lines, with a dark red core at the center. The spiral patterns of the soul locks were extremely fine, sealing in an invisible spiritual pressure. The light screen marked three anomalies—these were the three weak points of the sub-array. The rune light intensity at each point was 20% lower than the surrounding area, and the intersections of the patterns appeared slightly loose. If these three points could be broken simultaneously, the entire sub-array would collapse, and the seal of the main array would also become ineffective.

Zhou Yang quickly constructed a method to break the formation in his mind. He first drew a reverse-flowing, cold light in his mind, corresponding it to the weakest point of the sub-formation. Then, he transformed five years of his lifespan into three cracks, piercing into the core of each node. Within the light barrier, the light of the nodes instantly dimmed, and then the entire sub-formation trembled slightly.

"The sub-array has shattered," Zhou Yang reported in a low voice. The light screen continued to display that cracks had begun to appear on the golden lines of the mother array, and the cracks spread outwards along the breaches in the sub-arrays. Cracks also appeared in the spiral patterns of the soul lock, from which dark red light seemed to seep out.

However, the burning out of his lifespan caused Zhou Yang's body to instantly lose its support. His face turned pale, and his breathing became rapid. The blood vessels in his chest felt as if they were weighed down by a thousand pounds, making even standing difficult.

Qin Shuang immediately stepped forward and supported his arm. Her palm was slightly cool, yet carried a faint chill. She whispered, "Don't move, go back and recover first." Zhou Yang nodded, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 10 ...

They quietly left the outer perimeter of the vault. The night wind blew Qin Shuang's long sleeves, carrying away the lingering blue light of the array's eye. Zhou Yang staggered, but persisted in stepping towards the hidden door in the back alley.

Back in their makeshift, dilapidated hut, Qin Shuang helped Zhou Yang sit on a worn wooden chair. She took out the jade pendant she always carried and gently placed it on his chest. The pendant emitted a faint fragrance, like the scent of earth after a spring rain. Zhou Yang closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the pendant and sensing the lingering effects of his life force slowly subsiding.

"Was it worth breaking through the formation this time?" Qin Shuang's voice was slightly tired, but there was no hesitation.

Zhou Yang opened his eyes, a cold glint in them: "Worth it. As long as we can open the vault, the rest of the plan can continue."

He gently stroked the jade pendant on his chest, feeling a slight tremor at his fingertips. It was the lingering warmth of his lifespan reminding him that the price of burning it all out was not to be underestimated. Zhou Yang silently resolved that every subsequent expenditure would have a more definite reward.

Qin Shuang stood up and walked to the window. Moonlight streamed into the room through the broken tiles, illuminating her profile and making her appear exceptionally cold. She turned to look at Zhou Yang, her brows expressionless, and simply nodded.

"I'll go tomorrow," she said, her voice like a blade slicing through the night sky.

Zhou Yang nodded, a hint of weariness flashing in his eyes. He understood that tonight's efforts were just the prologue; the real battle lay ahead.

The sound of the wind outside the door, mixed with the distant drumbeats from the city tower, seemed to remind them that time waits for no one.

Inside, the candlelight flickered, casting their shadows. Zhou Yang's breathing was still somewhat rapid, but he found a moment of calm in this brief pause. Qin Shuang said softly, "Rest, we'll fight again tomorrow." She placed her hand on his shoulder, offering him final support.

Zhou Yang closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the lamplight and the jade pendant on his chest—the power he had gained by trading his lifespan, and the reason he continued on his journey. The lamp wick slowly burned out, and the night remained silent.

The inn's lights shone dimly, and the sound of wind rustling through paper echoed between the rubble-covered floors. Zhou Yang spread out the bamboo slips in his hand and lightly traced a few rough lines with his fingertips.

"This is the entrance," he whispered. "Turn left into the north alley, and you'll arrive in ten minutes."

"Two miles further on, at the end of the sloping street, there is an abandoned teahouse."

"The hidden door at the back of the tea shop leads to the backyard of the pawnshop."

"Leave the backyard and follow the canal; you can reach the side wall of the vault within half an hour."

He marked the time by making small dots on the bamboo slips.

"3:30 tonight." Zhou Yang looked up, a faint light flickering in his eyes.

"You must leave before 7 o'clock."

He then listed the required supplies.

"A bottle of intoxicating potion, to paralyze the guards."

"A specially made lock-picking tool that can break old iron chains."

"One fast horse, responsible for the evacuation."

Qin Shuang gave a soft snort and stood up. Her boots tapped the wooden planks with a crisp sound.

"I'm going to the black market," she said. "I'll enter through the north gate of Chang'an, and go first to the wine shop in the alley. That's where the buyers of the potions are."

Her steps traced delicate arcs in the lamplight. In the darkness, the underground network of the capital city was like a blood vessel, and Qin Shuang knew every single one of them. She encountered a thin old man in a dark alley and whispered, "Need 'Soul Suppression'?" A hint of wariness flashed in the old man's eyes, but he handed her a small bottle of dark purple liquid.

"Twenty taels of silver." Qin Shuang nodded and put the silver into her hidden pocket.

Then she stepped into the blacksmith's workshop. The blacksmith, with his back to the lamplight, was hammering nails, producing a crisp, echoing sound.

"I need a tool to pick old locks," Qin Shuang said, handing him a piece of silk cloth with fingerprints on it, indicating that her face was hidden from view. The blacksmith squinted, nodded, took a rough steel hook from the bottom of the bottle, wrapped it up, and handed it to her.

Finally, she arrived at the horse ranch. The ranch was surrounded by high walls, and a black horse stood outside the fence. The trainer was feeding it hay and glanced at her.

"This horse can run more than three miles at night," Qin Shuang said softly. "It costs fifty silver." The horse trainer nodded and handed her the reins.

After collecting the three items, Qin Shuang returned to the inn. She neatly arranged the medicine, tools, whip, and horsewhip on the wooden table.

Zhou Yang remained seated by the lamp, his brows slightly furrowed, his fingers lightly tapping the bamboo slips.

"The route map is ready," he said, looking up. "Let's practice entering the pawnshop first."

The two placed a small wooden box on the ground, inside which were miniature models: an inn, a north alley, a teahouse, a secret door, a pawnshop, and a vault wall.

Qin Shuang lightly tapped the model with her fingertips to simulate each step.

"Rush out of the inn first," Zhou Yang instructed, "without slowing down for a second."

"There are two guards at the entrance, each wielding an iron bar," Qin Shuang added.

"Pour the medicine on the ground and wait for the guard to pass before spreading it again," Zhou Yang said. "The medicine will take effect in ten seconds. After the guard falls, we'll rush in."

"The lock-picking tool is used for the back door chain," Qin Shuang said, moving the hook on the model. "It can be opened in three clicks."

"The horses will wait at the west entrance of the alley. Once we come out from the side wall of the vault, we will mount them quickly."

They rehearsed the route several times. Each time, Qin Shuang made minor adjustments to the route, while Zhou Yang recorded the timing differences on paper. The lights flickered, and shadows crisscrossed on the wall.

After the drill, Qin Shuang stood in front of the lamp, her eyebrows slightly raised.

"Your injuries haven't healed yet," she said, her voice tinged with concern.

Zhou Yang lowered his head, the jade pendant on his chest glowing slightly, the bloodstains on his wounds not yet healed.

"I can manage," he replied softly.

Qin Shuang stepped to his side, gently raising her right hand, her palm slightly warm. She gathered a small amount of profound Yin energy within her body and slowly channeled it into Zhou Yang's chest.

The warm air passed through the wound, fading the blood slightly. Zhou Yang's brow relaxed, and his breathing became more steady.

"This true energy can only last for half an hour," Qin Shuang warned in a low voice, "After that you will feel excruciating pain."

Zhou Yang nodded, a determined light flashing in his eyes.

"We must act tomorrow; there's no time to lose."

The two put away the model and rolled up the bamboo slips again. Qin Shuang put the leather bottle containing the medicine into a hidden bag and locked the saddle.

Night still lingered outside, and the lights of the inn swayed in the wind.

"We'll set off at four o'clock tomorrow morning," Zhou Yang said. "We'll go to North Alley first, then through the back door of the teahouse."

Qin Shuang smiled, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.

"The plan is in place."

She turned, stepped out of the light, and walked towards the corridor outside the door.

Zhou Yang remained seated by the lamp, his fingers lightly tapping the bamboo slips, his mind rapidly rehearsing the impending conspiracy.

As night deepened, the lights of the capital city twinkled like stars, and only their breathing echoed on the walls.