I Told You Long Ago—You're Not Qualified!

The Old Man who stepped out from the shadows of the corridor was skinny as kindling, like an old bamboo pole dried by the wind.

He wore a scholar's robe washed to a faded white. Two goatlike whiskers hung from his chin, and though his eyes were cloudy, they held a cold, calculating gleam.

The moment Liu Junyan saw him, he was like a drowning man clutching at a lifeline. He scrambled and crawled toward him, his voice already taking on a sobbing note.

"Father!"

The fat on Wang Youan's face trembled, and his overbearing expression vanished in an instant.

It was as though he had mastered some face-changing art. His face smoothly shifted into a guileless, smiling look as he cupped his hands toward the skinny Old Man.

"Oh my, I was wondering who it was. So Lord Liu has arrived."

He put on a show of giving a salute, though his waist did not bend at all.

"May I ask what brilliant insight Lord Liu has regarding this matter?"

The Old Man, Liu Tingbai, paid no attention whatsoever to his disappointing son.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he cupped his hands toward the Imperial City in the distance, striking a most solemn pose.

"By His Majesty's sacred grace, this old man has been appointed Chief Clerk of Heavenly Prison, Cell Block C."

His voice was hoarse, yet every word was distinct.

"For twenty years in this position, I have been diligent and conscientious, never daring to show the slightest negligence!"

The moment he finished speaking, someone among the Jailers in the Stone Chamber—who had all been pretending to be quail—failed to hold it in and burst out laughing.

That laugh was like a spark thrown into a powder keg. Scattered snickers immediately joined into a chorus.

Liu Tingbai's already pallid face instantly flushed the color of pig liver, and the Fists hidden in his sleeves clenched with crackling sounds.

"Silence!"

Wang Youan waved a hand. The Jailers instantly fell quiet, each one resuming the appearance of looking at his nose, his nose at his heart.

Wang Youan looked Liu Tingbai up and down, his gaze filled with undisguised mockery.

"Oh? Is that so? Twenty years—that's such a long time."

He dragged out the last words, then turned and shouted toward the crowd.

"Old Huang!"

The Man called Old Huang immediately stepped forward, cupped his hands, and bowed slightly.

"Your subordinate is here!"

Wang Youan pointed his chin at Liu Tingbai.

"Tell this Lord Liu, who has been diligent and conscientious for twenty years, about your record."

"Yes!"

Old Huang cleared his throat, his voice booming.

"This subordinate, Huang Laoshi, entered Heavenly Prison in the Third Year of Chengming, succeeding my Father's post. This is now my thirty-seventh year. Counting from my generation and forty-two generations above it, all have served as Jailers of Cell Block C, Room 9!"

After saying that, he cupped his hands in salute and bowed as he retreated.

The entire Stone Chamber was silent enough to hear a needle drop.

Liu Tingbai's old face shifted between green and white, as though a dye shop had opened upon it.

Yet Wang Youan seemed not to notice. With his hands behind his back and his great belly thrust out, he slowly circled Liu Tingbai, clicking his tongue.

"Lord Liu, did you hear that? Thirty-seven years, forty-two generations. Your twenty years really are... such a long time."

Liu Tingbai's lips trembled. He shook with rage from head to toe and squeezed out several words through clenched teeth.

"Wang Youan, you've gone too far!"

Wang Youan abruptly stopped, and the smile on his face vanished at once.

"Too far?"

Before the words had even fallen, his massive body moved without warning!

His Fan-like hand whipped up a vicious gust and struck Liu Tingbai squarely across the face!

Slap!

A Crisp Sound rang through the entire Stone Chamber.

Liu Tingbai's skinny body was like a kite with its string cut. He spun twice where he stood before crashing onto the ground. Half his face swelled high at a visible rate, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

"Father!"

Liu Junyan's expression changed drastically. He screamed and rushed forward.

Wang Youan cast a glance at Fang Mo.

Fang Mo understood perfectly. At a time like this, it was time to choose a side.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his right foot and delivered a clean, decisive kick straight into Liu Junyan's chest.

Liu Junyan screamed miserably and flew backward, crashing into a heap with his Father to keep him company.

Throughout the Stone Chamber, every Jailer unconsciously straightened his back, their eyes gleaming with the exhilaration of having their resentment vented.

That slap had left Liu Tingbai dazed. Lying on the ground, he raised a trembling finger at Wang Youan, his lips quivering as he failed for a long while to form a complete sentence.

"You... you..."

Wang Youan narrowed his eyes and stepped closer, looking down at him from above.

"What about me?"

"I... I..."

"What about you?"

Wang Youan bent down and leaned close to his ear. He lowered his voice until it was nearly a whisper, but it carried a chill that froze one's Bone Marrow.

"I told you long ago. That little Beast of yours isn't qualified to use you to suppress me."

He straightened and planted a foot on Liu Tingbai's fingers, slowly grinding down.

"Now that you've come in person, you're still fucking not qualified!"

Just then, a clear voice with a trace of amusement drifted over from deep within the corridor.

"Oh? Lord Wang certainly carries himself with great authority."

The voice was unhurried.

"Then I wonder—am I qualified?"

Wang Youan stopped grinding his foot. Without raising his head, his eyes remained narrowed.

All the Jailers present, Fang Mo included, turned in unison toward the source of the voice.

A handsome middle-aged man in a Mysterious Black official robe, with a jade belt at his waist, emerged slowly from the darkness with his hands behind his back and a smile on his face.