Escape from Prison

"Clink..."

"Clatter..."

With a brief rattle of chains, Zheng Qian's figure quietly appeared outside the death-row prison.

The chain rattling attracted no one's attention. The sound was far too common in the death-row prison; any movement by any prisoner could produce it.

"Whew..."

Seeing that the first step of his plan had been completed, Zheng Qian let out a long breath of relief, then dashed barefoot straight out of the death-row prison.

He moved incredibly fast, yet landed without a sound, attracting no one's attention.

For one thing, his Flying Goose Skill emphasized speed and silence.

For another, it was the second half of the night—the quietest time for the prisoners and the most relaxed period for the guards. It was also the time he had deliberately chosen to escape after observing the prison for several days.

However, just as Zheng Qian was about to leave the death-row section and enter the ordinary cells on the upper level, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from ahead.

His heart immediately jolted. He hurriedly slipped into the shadows at the corner of the wall and held his breath.

Before long, a patrolling jailer approached slowly with a yawn. The torch in his hand flickered unsteadily, illuminating the surroundings in alternating light and darkness, just like Zheng Qian's unsettled mood.

As the jailer drew closer, Zheng Qian's heart rose into his throat.

He held his breath and focused his mind, pressing tightly against the wall while staring intently at the guard, ready to erupt into action at any moment.

Fortunately, the guard's eyes were barely open. He was merely going through the motions.

The man simply waved the torch in his hand a few times, then turned around and walked back while yawning.

Only after seeing this did Zheng Qian slowly relax his tense heart.

However, just as the jailer was about to disappear into the passage leading to the upper level, Zheng Qian suddenly had an idea and flashed directly behind him.

"Bang!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Zheng Qian slammed a hand chop into the jailer's neck.

This jailer was only in the initial stage of the Body Tempering Realm. How could he withstand Zheng Qian's blow?

As expected, the jailer fainted on the spot.

Zheng Qian quickly caught the man's body and the torch in his hand, then dragged him to the corner where he had just been hiding.

Several minutes later, when he appeared again, his tattered prison uniform had already been replaced with a clean jailer's uniform.

It was not just his clothes. He had also made some simple alterations to his face, making him look six or seven parts similar to the jailer at first glance.

His build was another matter. His Iron Shirt had long since been cultivated to perfection. Although he could not shrink his bones by inches, making simple adjustments to his physique was still within his abilities.

Thus, he resembled the jailer not only in appearance but also in build, to about seven or eight parts.

Of course, he had not killed the jailer. He had merely knocked him unconscious and stripped him naked.

After preparing everything, Zheng Qian set off again. Holding the torch and yawning, he imitated the jailer's manner and walked slowly toward the prison's exit.

Whether because it was the middle of the night or because he was wearing this uniform, Zheng Qian reached the prison's main entrance without encountering any obstacles.

Along the way, he also ran into several jailers. Aside from one who was patrolling while yawning just like him, the rest were all sprawled over tables asleep, reeking of alcohol.

"They're really neglecting their duties..."

Looking at the scene, Zheng Qian silently mocked them, feeling somewhat speechless.

For this day, he had spent five full days preparing anxiously. He had never expected the result to be like this.

Still, this was a good thing for him. At the very least, he would not have to risk his life fighting anyone.

After casually sweeping his gaze around, Zheng Qian continued walking slowly toward the prison exit while yawning.

Once he passed through this door, he would be free to roam wherever he pleased!

But just as he was about to walk out of the gate, a somewhat groggy voice suddenly sounded behind him:

"Song San, where do you think you're going instead of properly patrolling? Watch out, Captain Mu will deduct your monthly pay."

"Uh..." The sudden voice left Zheng Qian rooted to the spot. For a moment, he did not know how to respond.

But after only a few seconds, he answered in the same groggy voice:

"I... I just came up from below. I drank too much and urgently need to relieve myself. I'll go outside for a moment and be right back."

"Fine. You're always causing trouble every day. Hurry up. I think I need to go too." The voice did not suspect anything and merely urged him on while complaining.

"Okay, I'll be right back."

After giving a careless reply, Zheng Qian immediately quickened his pace.

He had already coaxed a rough map of the area around the County Yamen out of Young Master Hundred Flowers. Thus, after leaving the dungeon, he merely glanced over the surrounding layout before choosing a direction and running off.

On a rooftop in another direction, a figure dressed in a blue-gray constable uniform kept watching him until he disappeared around a corner, without making a move.

This figure dressed in a constable uniform was one of the four constables in the Houtian Realm. He was also the first and last line of defense guarding the death-row prison that night.

Clearly, the man had not discovered Zheng Qian's identity. One reason was the uniform Zheng Qian was wearing; the other was that behind the corner stood the public latrine inside the County Yamen.

"Whew...!!!"

Outside the latrine, feeling the gaze behind him finally disappear, Zheng Qian could not help letting out a long breath. With a grave expression, he muttered in a low voice:

"What a sharp gaze! This feeling... his strength is definitely above mine! My luck is truly terrible. I actually ran into that constable in the mid-Houtian stage! Hopefully, he'll discover me a little later..."

As soon as he finished speaking, he immediately charged toward the County Yamen's surrounding wall in the distance.

His danger was far from over!

Whether it was the jailer waiting for him to return inside the cell block or the mid-Houtian constable on the rooftop, if he stayed in the latrine too long, both of them would inevitably enter to investigate.

Besides, whether the unconscious jailer, Song San, was discovered by someone else or woke up on his own, Zheng Qian's identity would be exposed all the same.

Who knew what kind of danger he would face then?

Therefore, he had to use this last bit of time to get as far away from the County Yamen as possible. If he could escape the city, he would truly be safe.

Unfortunately, that would probably not be easy.

Although Tongyang County ranked only fifth among the seven counties of Xishan Commandery, its city walls were still five zhang high.

Unless he could find somewhere to gain leverage along the way, his Flying Goose Skill would not be enough to get him over them.

The walls had been built to repel enemies. How could they possibly have places for him to gain leverage?

Furthermore, the City Guard was stationed on the walls, and there were even more experts among them. He had no desire to run over there and court death!

Thus, after thinking it over, his only way to survive was to get as far from the County Yamen as possible, then find a secluded place to lie low and wait for the storm to pass.