After leaving the Liu residence, Jiang Che disregarded the late hour and immediately headed for the prison. He wanted to see Kou Yuansheng in person.
If what Liu Zhi had said was true, then Innate Spiritual Energy was far too important. Without it, even if Jiang Che cultivated to the Meridian Opening Realm and possessed the ability to perform sacrifices—
He would likely still find it difficult to break through.
And becoming a sect's or aristocratic clan's dog was hardly a wise choice.
They were no fools. They would not simply hand Innate Spiritual Energy over to him. As for climbing through officialdom, when would he ever reach a high enough position to obtain Innate Spiritual Energy with ease?
Thus, Kou Yuansheng had become his only breakthrough for now.
Even if his cultivation was still insufficient, he had to prepare in advance.
Kou Yuansheng was held in a completely airtight underground prison, surrounded by bluestone walls a foot thick. He was receiving the finest treatment possible for a prisoner.
There was only one such prison in the entire West City Martial Camp.
When Jiang Che opened the prison door, Kou Yuansheng—bound in iron chains, with double hooks piercing his shoulder blades—instinctively raised his head. The murkiness in his eyes gradually cleared, and he recognized the visitor.
"Did you come to humiliate me?"
Kou Yuansheng had gone a full day and night without food or water, and his voice was already hoarse.
Jiang Che shook his head and set the food box in his hand on the floor, opening it item by item. He had specially ordered these dishes prepared in haste: two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes. Only after laying them all out did he say:
"You don't need to bear such hostility toward me. My actions against the