Prison Upheaval

Locust Tree Alley, the old Chen house.

"Brother Cheng, why did you buy candied fruit too? You spent too much."

Mu Xiaowan opened the oil-paper parcel in her hands and took out a piece of candied fruit, but could not bear to eat it.

"Didn't I just collect some debts? I have money now!" Chen Cheng smiled faintly and casually rubbed Mu Xiaowan's little head.

Mu Xiaowan obediently let Chen Cheng do as he pleased. A smile bloomed across her little face, smudged black with soot and grime, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

Brother Cheng was so considerate; naturally, she was delighted.

"Even if you have money, you should still spend it sparingly."

"Mhm."

"Is A-Cheng home?"

"Brother Cheng..."

Just then, a clamor of voices came from outside the courtyard. Chen Cheng climbed onto the wall to look and saw more than a dozen neighbors from Locust Tree Alley gathered at his gate.

"Xiaowan, quick, take the things to the kitchen."

He hurriedly called to Mu Xiaowan, and together they carried the bags of food and the hen into the kitchen to hide them.

The neighbors outside were all impoverished commoners.

Perhaps they had seen him returning with so many things and assumed he had struck it rich, so they had come to borrow money.

He had always been kindhearted. He could be ruthless toward villains like Ma Liu, but toward other poor folk, he simply could not harden his heart.

If these poor neighbors asked to borrow money, he could only politely refuse.

"What brings you all here? My family has been so poor lately that we can barely afford to eat."

After opening the gate, Chen Cheng spoke first.

If he laid his cards on the table right away, these poor neighbors could not possibly still ask to borrow money, could they?

At his words, all the neighbors' faces tightened, and several of them even began trembling in the legs.

Poor? Barely able to afford food?

Was he hinting at something?

"A-Cheng, I borrowed fifty copper coins from Brother Chen before. I should have repaid it long ago, but my family was in poor circumstances, so I kept dragging it out until now."

Uncle Liu Five, already in his fifties, forced a smile as he took out a money pouch from his robes and began counting coins with trembling hands.

He counted out a full hundred copper coins and handed them to Chen Cheng.

"A-Cheng, the principal and interest are all here. Count them."

"Ah... I'm a kindhearted man!"

Chen Cheng let out a long sigh. He had intended to say he would not charge interest, but Uncle Liu Five misunderstood him. Startled into a shiver, he counted out another ten copper coins.

After all, someone had just said his family was so poor they could barely afford food.

"A-Cheng, this is all the money our Liu family has. Please don't think it's too little."

As Uncle Liu Five spoke, he stuffed the coins into Chen Cheng's hands.

The others also hurriedly took out their money. Afraid it would not be enough, they added a little more to the amounts they had originally prepared and stuffed it into Chen Cheng's hands.

"A-Cheng, this is all my family has."

"Brother Cheng, my mother just fell ill, and buying medicine cost a lot. There really isn't any money left at home."

"A-Cheng, I delayed this debt for far too long. I'm truly sorry. You are a man of great generosity, so please forgive me."

By the time everyone had dispersed, Chen Cheng's hands were filled with a thick stack of copper coins.

"Brother Cheng, what is this?" Mu Xiaowan's eyes widened.

These poor neighbors were usually all deadbeats. Since when had they become so easy to talk to? They had actually come to repay their debts on their own?

"Perhaps they know I'm kindhearted." Chen Cheng smiled and shut the courtyard gate before beginning to count the money.

There were two thousand three hundred and sixty copper coins in total, more than twice the amount previously lent out.

It was not much money. After all, Old Chen had not been foolish either. If someone failed to repay a loan once or twice, he would not lend to them again.

Adding this money to yesterday's wages and the thousand copper coins Widow Tian had repaid, then subtracting the cost of firewood, treating people to meals, and his spending at the market just now, he still had over three thousand copper coins left—more than three taels of silver.

With over three taels of silver, plus eight hundred copper coins in monthly wages, the two of them should be able to live more comfortably.

They could not eat fish and meat every day, but having meat every few days would not be a problem. With enough meat to replenish him, Chen Cheng would not have to worry about his blood and vitality failing to keep up while cultivating the Iron Garment Art.

That afternoon, Chen Cheng cultivated the Iron Garment Art in the courtyard, making gratifying progress.

[Skill: Iron Garment Art (Beginner 3/100)]

That night, the old Chen house stewed an old hen.

The next day, Chen Cheng arrived at South City Prison on time for duty.

Though the work of a prison guard was humble and lowly, it was still an honest livelihood, with wages paid on time every month. He would make do with it for now.

After roll call and handing over duties with the previous shift, Chen Cheng made his customary round of the prison area under his charge, then began another day of drudgery.

Standing guard, waiting until it was time for the next prison inspection, or waiting to be summoned by a superior.

At such times, Chen Cheng would stand obediently and secretly cultivate the Iron Garment Art.

This cultivation method was very simple. Following its breathing technique, one only needed to circulate one's blood and vitality while bearing weight.

Chen Cheng had iron plates tied to his arms, calves, waist, abdomen, and back. Altogether, they weighed nearly twenty pounds.

Before the Iron Garment Art had reached the Beginner level, this burden had been rather strenuous for Chen Cheng. If he stood too long, his arms would droop slightly, and even his posture would become somewhat hunched.

Now that the technique had entered the Beginner level, Chen Cheng found it much easier. After half an hour, he still did not feel tired in the slightest. His body remained ramrod straight, truly standing like a pine.

[Iron Garment Art progress increased.]

As he continued cultivating, system notifications appeared from time to time, and Chen Cheng could also feel his strength gradually growing.

Another quarter of an hour passed.

[Iron Garment Art progress increased.]

[Skill: Iron Garment Art (Beginner 4/100)]

In less than an hour, the Iron Garment Art's cultivation progress had increased by 1 point.

Chen Cheng felt somewhat fatigued, so he stopped cultivating and planned to rest for a while.

After all, people were not made of iron. Cultivation was important, but one also had to balance work and rest, did one not?

Chen Cheng had already grown accustomed to this weight. During breaks, he did not need to remove it. He only needed to walk around a little, or find somewhere to sit briefly, relaxing his muscles and easing his mind.

The work of prison guards was extremely leisurely. When there was nothing to do, everyone would gather together and play dice to pass the time.

The head guard usually turned a blind eye, and would even join in for a few rounds now and then.

Prison guards who did not like gambling would find a corner to lean against and doze off.

Not many actually stood guard properly.

But today was somewhat different. Not only was no one playing dice, even the dozers were gone. Every prison guard stood properly at his own post, straight as a rod.

Furthermore, there seemed to be several unfamiliar faces among the guards on the same shift.

"Brother Li, why don't I see Chief Jiang or Li Tao and the others?"

Chen Cheng went to ask Li Hongbing, the prison guard standing watch beside him.

"A-Cheng, you don't know?" Li Hongbing asked in surprise.

"Know what?" Chen Cheng was puzzled.

"Oh, you had your day off yesterday and didn't come. I forgot about that." Li Hongbing slapped the back of his head and continued, "Chief Jiang and several guards like Li Tao didn't come yesterday either. I heard the Prison Administrator transferred them elsewhere."

"Transferred where?" Chen Cheng asked doubtfully.

"I don't know that." Li Hongbing shook his head and lowered his voice. "The new head guard is extremely strict. You should go back and stand guard properly. Don't get scolded later."

"A-Cheng, Chief Cheng wants you to come over." Just then, the old prison guard Zhou Defu came over from the guardroom and beckoned.

Chief Cheng? He must have been the new head guard.

Chen Cheng did not dare delay. He agreed and hurried to the guardroom with Zhou Defu.

"You're Ruthless A-Cheng?"

The new head guard, Cheng Rui, sat on a stool with his eyes slightly narrowed, carefully examining Chen Cheng.

He looked to be in his forties, with a long, thin face and a lean build. He gave off the impression of someone difficult to deal with.

Chen Cheng hurriedly cupped his fists and replied respectfully, "Chen Cheng greets Chief Cheng."

Cheng Rui seemed quite satisfied with Chen Cheng's attitude and asked, "I heard you tortured Qin Kai the day before yesterday?"

Qin Kai? Chen Cheng's heart skipped a beat. This prisoner really isn't simple. Still, he had nothing to hide, so he answered truthfully, "Is Chief Cheng referring to the prisoner Chief Jiang personally tortured?"

"That's him," Cheng Rui said.

Chen Cheng replied, "How would I dare torture a prisoner? I merely followed Chief Jiang's orders and set the prisoner's bones and treated his injuries."

"Setting bones and treating injuries? It is rare for someone so young to possess such skill."

Cheng Rui's expression suddenly became amiable. In the casual tone of ordinary conversation, he said carelessly, "When you set Qin Kai's bones and treated his injuries, he must have said he would properly thank you, didn't he?"

Chen Cheng's heart jolted!

Something was wrong. There was something wrong with this Cheng Rui!

Could this bastard be trying to bait me into talking?