The turmoil surrounding E-98 was like a huge boulder hurled into the stagnant waters of the Heavenly Prison, sending ripples that refused to fade.
The higher-ups sent people to investigate several times. As the directly responsible parties, Zhou Kang and Xu Qian—one for poor management, the other for dereliction of duty—naturally had to endure a round of questioning. Xu Qian stubbornly stuck to his story of "hearing a commotion, hiding in fear, and only discovering what happened afterward." Coupled with the "grievous" wound beneath his ribs and his usual image as an "honest and timid" man, he left the investigators unable to uncover anything of substance.
Li Xi was dead, leaving no one to contradict the story. The black-clad leader who had been knocked unconscious was reportedly taken away, only to "die from severe injuries despite treatment" under brutal interrogation not long afterward. Anyone with eyes could tell that he had been silenced. The trail leading to Shadow Sha and the person behind the scenes seemed to have been severed just like that.
As for the escaped "Prince," the higher-ups issued a gag order, strictly forbidding the news from spreading. Officially, they only said that a serious criminal had escaped prison and that a full-scale manhunt was underway. But inside the Heavenly Prison, people were privately saying that the man had a background powerful enough to reach the heavens and had probably long since gotten away.
In the end, the matter concluded with Zhou Kang being docked half a year's salary, Xu Qian receiving a verbal warning, and the guards in Block E being reinforced. The thunder had been loud, but the rain had been light—a case that began with a roar and ended with a whimper.
Xu Qian was very satisfied with the outcome. Now that the storm had passed, he could continue his peaceful "path of survival." His only regret was that he had never found a chance to "show some care" to the black-clad leader and fleece him for a few assassin skills.
Life seemed to return to the way it had been. Delivering meals, cleaning, standing guard, and secretly cultivating.
However, careful Xu Qian discovered that some things were still different.
For example, Zhou Kang's gaze occasionally carried an indescribable hint of scrutiny, but more than that, there was a sort of... tacit acceptance? It was as if, after this incident, the "reliable" label in Zhou Kang's mind had gained an additional note: "seems to have pretty good luck."
And then there was the Block E area under his charge. The prisoners there seemed to look at him with something beyond their usual numbness and fear—a faint trace of... wariness? After all, anyone who could survive a "tragedy" like that was no simple person.
Xu Qian accepted these changes calmly, continuing to play the role of the hardworking, somewhat timid, but lucky and honest prison guard.
That day, as usual, he carried a wooden bucket to deliver breakfast to the prisoners in Zone D. When he reached Cell 17D, the corner where the Mad Old Man was kept, he habitually scooped up a ladleful of gruel. He was preparing to pour it in without looking and leave, just as he always did.
But at the very moment he bent down, the corner of his eye caught sight of something. The Mad Old Man, who had always treated him as if he were invisible, either muttering to himself or sitting in a daze, had actually... raised his head today!
Moreover, those eyes that were usually murky and clouded, as though veiled by a layer of gloom, were exceptionally clear at that moment. They were quietly watching him!
Xu Qian's heart lurched, and his movement instinctively stopped.
Their eyes met.
The crisscrossing wrinkles on the old man's face seemed to smooth out a little. Facing Xu Qian, he gave an extremely slight yet exceptionally clear nod!
At the same time, a hoarse but no longer deranged voice drifted into Xu Qian's ears like the buzz of a gnat:
"Boy, your temperament is pretty good."
Xu Qian: "!!!"
He nearly dropped the wooden ladle in his hand. Holy crap! This old man... he isn't insane?! Or is he lucid only intermittently?!
The immense shock left Xu Qian momentarily unable to react. He simply stared blankly at the old man.
After saying that, the old man lowered his head again and returned to his foolish, dazed appearance, as if everything that had just happened had been nothing more than Xu Qian's hallucination.
But Xu Qian knew it hadn't been!
He forcibly suppressed the storm raging in his heart and worked hard to maintain an outward calm as he poured the gruel into the old man's chipped bowl. Just as he was about to turn and leave as usual, his gaze inadvertently swept over the piece of oiled cloth beneath the bowl.
At that glance, his heart once again began pounding wildly despite itself!
The lines on the oiled cloth, originally jumbled and disorderly like the scrawls of ghosts, had actually changed!
Though they remained hasty and rough, one could vaguely make out that beside the several basic patterns from before, there were now some more complicated and coherent lines! The forms outlined by these new lines looked more like a continuous sword-wielding trajectory containing some unique rhythm!
If the patterns before had been scattered, basic strokes, then these newly appeared lines were like strings linking those strokes together, forming the crude yet complete outline of a set of moves!
Damn! It updated?! This old man... is he teaching me?!
Xu Qian understood instantly! The Mad Old Man wasn't insane at all—not entirely, at least! He had been observing from the shadows the whole time! And his own persistent "stealing of knowledge" over the past month or so (though it had yielded little), along with the "temperament" he had displayed during the E-98 incident a few days ago (which, in the old man's eyes, might have been composure, caution, and a refusal to cause trouble), seemed to have... passed some sort of test?
This unexpected "gift" left Xu Qian both shocked and delighted!
He didn't dare look for too long, afraid of drawing attention from the others. Pretending that nothing had happened, he quickly lifted the wooden bucket and walked toward the next cell.
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