"Holy crap, what are you doing?"
"Having it both ways?"
As "Brute Bull" lunged at him with a leering grin, Zhang Yu cursed Li Dagang, who had been responsible for arranging Brute Bull, to high heaven.
What kind of unreliable bastard had he found?
"Heh heh, can't help it. I'm a man who keeps his word."
Brute Bull lunged forward, still grinning as he explained, "Since I took money from both sides, I have to take care of both sides' business.
"That's called... honoring the spirit of a contract."
Bullshit. He'd clearly just taken a fancy to someone.
Zhang Yu cursed inwardly as he hurriedly retreated.
But the cell was so small that he was backed into a corner in no time.
Next door, the Heir of Prince Jing, Xiao Sheng, saw this unexpected turn of events and nearly jumped for joy.
He patted the bars and whispered, "This is so exciting!"
When the Zhang Family saw Brute Bull turn his attention to Zhang Yu, they were stunned for a moment.
Then Zhang Wanning was the first to react, shrieking, "Hahaha, Zhang Yu, this is karma.
"You hurt Xiao Heng, and now it's your turn.
"You deserve it. You really picked up a rock and dropped it on your own foot."
Qin Xuehua had only just been revived. She leaned weakly against Nanny Zhou, and when she saw this, a complex emotion flickered in her eyes.
Although Jiang Luohan had been disgusted by what she'd just witnessed, seeing Zhang Yu about to suffer as well actually brought her a measure of satisfaction.
She even shifted her feet without thinking, blocking a young constable behind her who had been about to step forward.
Zhang Qingyue furrowed her brows, finding the scene before her more and more unbearable. But after glancing at her mother and sister, she merely pressed her lips together and turned away.
She was rational, but the scales of familial affection still tipped one way.
Even Zhang Heng, who was "unconscious" on the ground, secretly cracked open one eye.
When he saw Brute Bull pounce on Zhang Yu, his eyes blazed with delight and vindictive glee.
He cheered Brute Bull on frantically in his heart. Go on! Kill him! Make him suffer even worse than me.
He even felt that, though Brute Bull's "having it both ways" was reckless, it was somehow... very "honorable."
At least he'd avenged him.
The constables who had led the way exchanged glances and wanted to intervene, but the Zhang Family's women were deliberately blocking them. How could minor underlings like them dare to force their way forward?
Zhang Heng and the others all knew Zhang Yu had terrible cultivation talent. After three years at the Marquis Estate, he had barely reached Martial Dao First Rank. He was a famous "Martial Dao waste" in the Capital City.
Brute Bull, on the other hand, was a Sixth Rank Body Cultivator.
There was no suspense about the outcome.
Zhang Yu's fate would likely be even more miserable than Zhang Heng's.
Zhang Heng had Fifth Rank cultivation and had at least managed to struggle a little. Zhang Yu, at First Rank... probably wouldn't even get the chance to struggle.
With his back against the cold stone wall, Zhang Yu had nowhere left to retreat.
His mind raced as he wondered whether the system's rewards included any life-saving technique he could use instantly, or whether Li Dagang had arranged any other backup plan... It seemed not.
Just as Brute Bull's filthy hand was about to seize his collar, at the very last moment—
[Ding! The host has spent a full day in the Ministry of Justice Heavenly Prison. Reward: one year of Martial Dao Cultivation. Beginning infusion...]
The system's notification rang in Zhang Yu's mind like music from heaven—and like the very last straw.
Hearing "one year of Martial Dao Cultivation," Zhang Yu was delighted at first. Am I saved?
But then came crushing disappointment and helplessness.
He had painstakingly cultivated for three years and only accumulated enough Internal energy to reach First Rank.
Even if the system's one-year infusion was more efficient, it might get him to Second Rank at best.
It wouldn't help at all.
But the very next moment—
BOOM—!!!
An indescribably terrifying surge of heat erupted without warning from the deepest part of his dantian.
The Internal energy was so immense that it far surpassed Zhang Yu's expectations, more than ten times stronger than the meager energy he had accumulated over the past three years of arduous cultivation.
As that boundless Internal energy surged through him, it was as if a thin membrane in his mind had suddenly been pierced. A cool, mysterious, indescribable sense of power welled up within him.
It wasn't Internal energy. It felt more like an absolute command over his own strength and a keen awareness of his surroundings.
Martial Dao Sixth Rank!
And not just that—his foundation was solid, his Internal energy incredibly pure, and his body and soul had begun to unite.
The quality of the cultivation infused by the system was so high that it had taken him straight to Sixth Rank Peak, just a hair's breadth from Seventh Rank!
His physical strength had increased more than tenfold.
"W-what is going on?"
Zhang Yu was completely stunned, roaring inwardly.
Wasn't it supposed to be one year of cultivation?
Was this damn thing really "one year" of cultivation?
What martial artist could gain such terrifying cultivation in a single year?
What martial artist could jump straight from First Rank to Sixth Rank Peak after cultivating for one year?
What kind of joke was this?
As if sensing Zhang Yu's intense shock and confusion, the system said disdainfully, "How could the cultivation gained in 'one year' be the same for a country bumpkin practicing the Basic Breathing Technique and a peerless genius practicing a Saint Grade Cultivation Method?
"Besides, the system's one year of cultivation doesn't just mean Internal energy. It also includes the refinement of the body and the soul."
The system's words were like a bucket of enlightenment poured over his head, and Zhang Yu understood at once.
That was right!
How could one year be the same as another?
Could a good-for-nothing's year of cultivation compare to a genius's?
Before you continue