Gossip in the Marketplace

After eating and drinking his fill, Xu Qian wasn't in a hurry to return to that gloomy lair. Having finally gotten a day out for some air, he needed to absorb as much outside information as a sponge. The Celestial Prison was a place of blocked information, almost completely isolated from the world except for the prisoners' wails and the jailers' grumbles. He needed to understand what this world he relied on to survive—and might one day wreak havoc upon—was really like.

With the few dozen copper coins left in his pocket, he strolled into a nearby teahouse that seemed bustling with a mixed crowd of all walks of life. Places like this were often gathering spots for rumors and gossip.

Finding an inconspicuous corner to sit, he ordered the cheapest pot of coarse tea, then pricked up his ears like a lurking spy, capturing useful information from the surrounding clamor.

The teahouse was hazy with smoke and buzzing with voices. There were scholars holding forth, merchants sighing, and rough men with their chests bared, boasting of their adventures in the martial world.

At first, what he heard was mostly trivial street gossip—someone's wife cheating, someone's cow lost—nothing of value. But soon, some more attention-grabbing words drifted intermittently into his ears.

"...Have you heard? The Azure Mist Sword Sect is opening its mountain gates to take disciples again this year! Tsk tsk, that's a true Immortal Sect! If you could be selected, it'd be a leap to heaven!" A man at the next table, dressed in a long gown like a down-and-out scholar, was spraying spittle as he spoke to his companion.

"Immortal Sect? As if it's that easy!" His companion scoffed. "They say that just the Heart-Questioning Path alone can weed out ninety-nine percent of people! Not to mention the Spirit Root test afterward! We might as well stop dreaming!"

Azure Mist Sword Sect? Immortal Sect? Heart-Questioning Path? Spirit Root?

Xu Qian's heart stirred, and he silently noted it down. So this world did have cultivation sects, and their threshold was extremely high. This made him treasure his Longevity Dao Fruit even more—who cared about Spirit Roots or Heart-Questioning? He had a built-in cheat; he could achieve immortality lying down!

At another table, a few martial artists with weapons were speaking in loud voices about something else.

"...That Black Wind Stronghold bunch really kicked an iron plate! Who did they have to mess with? They went and robbed the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's shipment! And what happened? The chief escort, Old Master Liu, the 'Tablet-Splitting Hand,' led his men and wiped out their lair overnight. The stronghold chief's head is still hanging on the city gate for all to see!"

"Old Master Liu, the Tablet-Splitting Hand? Isn't he the old hero said to be at Houtian Great Perfection, with one foot already in Xiantian?"

"That's him! I hear his kung fu can crush granite tombstone tablets into powder! Formidable!"

Houtian Great Perfection? Xiantian?

Xu Qian nodded to himself. This must be the martial realm division of this world. That old fox Zhou Kang was probably only at Houtian Mid-Late Stage? He wondered where his own cultivation—Houtian Early Stage (barely early-stage peak thanks to the Dao Fruit's automatic growth and Sha Qi acceleration)—stood in the martial world. Probably still at the bottom...

[The revolution hasn't succeeded yet; comrade still needs to lie low.] He silently took a sip of the bitter, coarse tea.

Besides the rumors of the martial world and immortal sects, there was even more speculation and gossip about the imperial court. After all, this was the Divine Capital, under the Son of Heaven's nose, and political winds were the hottest topic among the common folk.

"...I think the sky over the Capital City is about to change," an old man said in a lowered voice to his tablemates. "I heard that recently, the Third Prince lost his composure before His Majesty and was severely reprimanded. Even his mother, Consort De, was implicated and confined to her palace for reflection!"

"It's not just the Third Prince!" another person chimed in, equally low-voiced. "Hasn't the Second Prince's faction been keeping a low profile lately too? And that one... who used to be so prominent, suddenly... Ah, it's truly like being by the tiger's side!"

That one? Which one?

Xu Qian pricked up his ears, a guess forming in his mind. Though they were vague, they mentioned a prince losing power and "that one"... Could it be related to that young man in Cell E-98 at the Celestial Prison, who carried that faint purple noble aura?

He sat still for nearly another hour, picking up bits and pieces of more information. It seemed the court was indeed unsettled lately, with the open and covert struggles among the grown princes intensifying. Many nobles and ministers had been caught in the crossfire, dismissed from office or thrown into prison.

Though there was no clear evidence pointing to E-98, Xu Qian was almost certain that young man was one of the victims of this political storm—and his status was definitely not low!

[Damn, this really is a hot potato among hot potatoes.] Xu Qian clicked his tongue inwardly. Conflicts at the prince level were like gods fighting; a little ghost like him couldn't even get close without being ground to dust by the shockwaves.

This only strengthened his policy toward E-98: "Observe from afar, never touch."

Besides these "high-class" tidbits, Xu Qian also heard information more relevant to his current situation. For instance, about the Celestial Prison itself.

"...If you ask me, the most sinister place in the Divine Capital, besides the Imperial City, is that Celestial Prison!" A red-faced old man, slurring his words from drink, said, "I have a distant nephew who works there. He says that place is thick with Sha Qi! Stay locked up long enough, and even a good man can turn into a madman! And inside... heh heh, they say there are things locked up that aren't even human!"