The Playboy Who Wiped Out a Family

Martial arts masters really could eat.

Half a small bucket of watery porridge went straight into the man's stomach.

Zhou Yi cupped his hands. "Hero, may I ask your name?"

The man ignored Zhou Yi. He closed his eyes and regulated his breathing; his organs hummed, while his sinews, bones, and muscles trembled without end.

Pfft!

The man spat out a mouthful of blood. His face turned white as snow, and his breath immediately became weak and listless.

Watching from the side, Zhou Yi guessed that the man was circulating his power to heal his wounds, but the results did not seem ideal.

"What vicious poison!"

The man spat out a bloody mouthful. "My name is Wei Chang."

"Hero Wei, what do you like to eat? I'll bring some tomorrow." Zhou Yi had brought meals to prisoners before. The price was a hundred times what it cost outside, but all the silver he earned went toward nourishing soups and medicine.

Wei Chang said coldly, "My entire family has been exiled. I have no silver to bribe you with."

"I simply admire what Hero Wei has done!"

Zhou Yi said solemnly, "With my temperament, I could never sacrifice myself for others like that. But that does not stop me from admiring a hero. I can only bring you food and drink, as a send-off for you, Hero!"

Wei Chang closed his eyes and said nothing further.

Zhou Yi carried the food bucket away. Just as he stepped out of the cell door, a voice came from within.

"Do you have wine?"

"Yes!"

The next day.

Zhou Yi first reported for roll call at the front office, then went to the kitchen to collect the food bucket.

The Heavenly Prison had two kitchens, one large and one small. The large one simply boiled watery porridge, tossing in coarse rice and rotten vegetable leaves however it pleased. As long as it did not kill anyone, that was enough.

The small kitchen was exquisitely arranged, stocked with all kinds of ingredients—chicken, duck, fish, and meat. The cooks in charge were all Chef Liu from Dǐngxiāng Restaurant.

"Brother Yi, someone was put into Cell Block Nine last night. His temper is rather fierce, so serve him carefully." Chef Liu handed Zhou Yi a separately prepared food box.

Zhou Yi asked curiously, "Brother Liu, what's his background?"

The Heavenly Prison often received special prisoners—either their crimes had yet to be determined, or their Lineage and colleagues were shielding them. The small kitchen existed for their sake.

Chef Liu lowered his voice. "I heard he's Chancellor Long's only son. Last night, he drank himself drunk at Spring Breeze Pavilion and got into a conflict with a merchant. He actually beat the man to death on the spot!"

Zhou Yi asked doubtfully, "Shouldn't a case like that be sent to the Capital Prison?"

"That wasn't even the end of it!"

Chef Liu glanced outside. Only after seeing no one did he continue, "After beating the man to death, that lord still wasn't satisfied. He took a group of household servants and rushed into the man's home, wiping out his entire family..."

As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zhou Yi could not help but be shocked. This Young Master Long was far too arrogant. He actually dared to commit a home invasion and Family Extermination case beneath the Son of Heaven's feet.

It was utterly appalling!

Zhou Yi carried the food box and bucket into the Heavenly Prison. After greeting Zhang Zhou and the others, he made his way to Cell Block Nine in the deepest section.

The Heavenly Prison had three types of cells: A, B, and C. The A cells held thieves and vicious criminals; the B cells held political prisoners or scholars; the C cells held nobles and special prisoners.

Cell Block Nine was the cleanest and most comfortable of them all. What had originally been two prison cells had been converted into a bedroom and sitting room.

Zhou Yi opened the cell door. Before he could enter, a sharp shout rang out.

"Who is it?"

The speaker was a burly man in fitted martial attire. Tall and powerfully built, he watched Zhou Yi's movements with cold eyes.

"Big Brother, this humble one has brought food for Young Master Long." Zhou Yi respectfully handed over the food box.

Four burly men stood in the outer room of Cell Block Nine. Two guarded the cell entrance, while two guarded the inner room entrance. Clearly, they were responsible for Young Master Long's safety.

Hearing this, the man lowered his guard. He took a silver needle from his robes and tested each dish in the food box one by one.

"Get lost!"

Zhou Yi bowed and backed away, preparing to close the cell door.

A young nobleman emerged from the inner room, his clothes disheveled and a beautiful woman in his arms.

"Fourth Brother, when did my father say I could get out?"

The man testing for poison replied, "Young Master, this time things are somewhat troublesome. That Chen fellow is actually from a branch of Duke of Qi's Mansion. You'll need to stay a few more days."

"What Duke of Qi's Mansion? This Fengyang Kingdom belongs to my father—"

The cell door shut tightly, and the rest could no longer be heard clearly.

Zhou Yi carried the bucket around, delivering meals to the prisoners one by one. Only at the end did he go to Cell A-Twelve. After checking that no one was nearby, he pulled a porcelain bottle from his robes.

"Hero Wei, this is Pear Blossom White, famous throughout Shenjing—a twenty-year-old strong liquor!"

When he removed the stopper, a rich fragrance of pear blossoms drifted out.

Wei Chang was still hanging upside down. His arms and legs were bound by shackles and iron chains, and even his neck was locked in an iron collar.

"Hero, have a taste."

Zhou Yi carefully poured the wine into Wei Chang's mouth.

Wei Chang's throat bobbed. A ball of fire burned down his throat and all the way into his stomach. It truly was fine wine.

"Have some meat too."

Zhou Yi took out a roast chicken from his robes, tore off strips of meat, and brought them to Wei Chang's mouth.

Wei Chang no longer had teeth, making it difficult for him to tear and chew. He swallowed the chicken into his mouth, gulped it down in a few rough bites, and forced it down.

"Drink!"

After that, Zhou Yi fed him a mouthful of wine and a mouthful of meat. A jug of Pear Blossom White and an entire roast chicken all went into Wei Chang's belly.

"Wonderful!"

Wei Chang let out a long breath. "Worthy of being Shenjing's finest wine. That poor, barren Yu Province cannot compare in the slightest."

Zhou Yi said, "This Pear Blossom White is only one of them. There's also Qionghua Brew, Hall-Illuminating Red, Jade Dew Spring, and more. I'll bring a bottle every day and make sure Hero gets to taste all of Shenjing's finest brews!"

Wei Chang said coldly, "There is no such thing as a free benefit in this world. You have your eye on Wei's martial skills, don't you?"

Delight appeared on Zhou Yi's face, and he did not hide it.

"Hero Wei, this junior invited you to drink wine and eat meat because I truly had such selfish intentions."

After getting off duty yesterday, Zhou Yi had already asked around. Shenjing had quite a few martial arts schools that taught ordinary body-tempering techniques.

Tuition ranged from ten taels to over a hundred taels, and nourishing soups and medicines had to be purchased afterward. To achieve anything in training would cost at least several thousand taels of silver.

To learn more profound body-tempering methods, one had to take a master and become a disciple of a martial arts school.

In this era, taking a master was not merely an empty title. A master for a day was a father for life. When matters arose, disciples had to labor for their master. Not only did they have to handle all sorts of dirty and exhausting work, they would inevitably have to fight and kill the master's enemies.

The son of a thousand pieces of gold did not sit beneath a crumbling wall!

Zhou Yi wanted to learn the arts that protected one's path, but he would not put the cart before the horse and risk himself merely for martial techniques.

As for internal energy techniques, Zhou Yi had asked at several martial arts schools. Only the direct disciples of the headmaster had a chance to cultivate them.

Thus, Wei Chang became all the more precious!

Wei Chang was only in his thirties or forties, yet he had already reached the first-rate realm and gained fame throughout Yu Province. Any technique he casually taught would be far superior to those of martial arts schools. Wei Chang would be executed in a month, leaving behind no karma at all. It truly was an opportunity where both sides could get what they wanted.

"Wei is irreconcilable with the imperial court. Why would I teach you martial arts?"

After speaking, Wei Chang closed his eyes and regulated his breath. He circulated his internal energy through the eight extraordinary meridians, attempting to dispel the Brocade Guard's secret medicine.

Zhou Yi was not discouraged. He packed up the wine jug and food bucket, then left the cell.

"Trust cannot be built in a single day. Take it slowly; there is plenty of time."

"Even if Wei Chang ultimately refuses to teach me, there are other prisoners in the Heavenly Prison. But they are all villains steeped in evil, unruly and vicious. Even if they taught me techniques, I could not cultivate them rashly!"

From then on.

Zhou Yi's daily routine became exceedingly regular: sleep, roll call, deliver food, drink with Wei Chang, sleep, roll call...

In just over half a month, Zhou Yi discovered that he had already grown accustomed to life in the Fengyang Kingdom.

He had originally thought that without entertainment such as phones, games, and movies, life would become dull and flavorless. Yet after going to the Pleasure Quarter with his colleagues, a whole new world immediately opened before him.

The young ladies were refined, sensible, and overflowing with enthusiasm, making Zhou Yi reluctant to leave.

That day.

After delivering the meals, Zhou Yi came to Wei Chang's cell to drink.

"Hero, this Autumn Dew Rich is only ten years old. Your little brother has been rather short on funds lately!"

Wei Chang glanced at him and said disdainfully, "You threw all your silver into brothels and courtesans?"

Zhou Yi touched his face. "Is it that obvious?"

Wei Chang said, "Your face is flushed and your ears are red—the sign of abundant essence that must not be released!"

Zhou Yi asked in surprise, "Hero, you even understand medicine?"

"Medicine and martial arts have never been separate! Fortunately, you still know moderation and preserved your primordial yang. Otherwise, cultivating martial arts would yield half the results for twice the effort." There was some surprise in Wei Chang's voice as well. He had not expected Zhou Yi to restrain himself.

Zhou Yi naturally understood how precious a young man's essence was. Curious, he asked, "By Hero's reasoning, did those martial arts masters never break their vows when they were young?"

Wei Chang said leisurely, "Among martial arts techniques, there is no lack of secret methods for locking essence and securing yang..."

Zhou Yi's expression turned solemn, and he bowed deeply.

"Please teach me, Hero!"