Hidden Secrets

"I only learned just now that the criminal's name was Qin Kai.

"When I entered the torture chamber the day before yesterday, he was already severely wounded and unconscious.

"When I set his bones, he briefly woke from the pain. During that time, he only cried out and wailed in agony. Once I finished setting them, the pain made him pass out again. This subordinate had no time to speak with him."

In the blink of an eye, Chen Cheng put on an honest expression and answered earnestly.

Liu Yunfeng had previously warned him that Qin Kai's case involved far too much. Even Jiang Cheng and Li Tao had been inexplicably transferred because of him. Chen Cheng was merely an insignificant little jailer, so naturally he had to distance himself from the matter.

There was even less need to voluntarily mention Qin Kai's promise of one hundred and fifty taels of silver and invite Cheng Rui's suspicion.

"Since that's the case, go get back to work." Cheng Rui waved a hand, sounding casual.

"Yes." Chen Cheng left the duty room, returned to his post, and continued standing guard while silently cultivating the Iron Garment Art.

Not long after he left, a newly arrived jailer entered the duty room and whispered into Cheng Rui's ear, "Chief Cheng, Chen Cheng had yesterday off. As soon as he entered the prison today, he went straight to his post. Nothing unusual, and he did not ask anyone about Qin Kai.

"I also investigated him. He has always been honest and well-behaved. Before, Master Xiuchen, a prisoner in the death-row cells, deceived him with a fake Iron Garment Art manual. He cultivated it recklessly and injured himself.

"Afterward, he bore a grudge against Master Xiuchen and kept taking revenge on him. That was how he earned the name Ruthless A-Cheng."

"Oh? It seems this Chen Cheng is quite a grudge-holder." Cheng Rui smiled without smiling, then continued, "In that case, he truly knows nothing about Qin Kai.

"Right. Keep watching him these next few days. If there is any unusual movement, notify me at once."

After saying that, Cheng Rui left the prison and headed straight for the City Guard Office.

Once Chen Cheng returned to his post, he shut out all matters beyond his ears and cultivated the Iron Garment Art with single-minded focus.

By the end of the day, the Iron Garment Art's progress had reached (8/100).

His cultivation progressed much faster than before. He could even feel his strength increasing.

There were two reasons his cultivation was advancing so quickly. On one hand, the Iron Garment Art had been corrected and completed, no longer incomplete, and its circulation was exceptionally smooth. On the other, he had eaten plenty of meat in succession, leaving his qi and blood abundant.

Chen Cheng had calculated it carefully. The Iron Garment Art incantations Master Xiuchen had given him, including the portion he claimed to be his hidden trump card, amounted to only around half of the complete incantations.

The remaining half had all been corrected and completed through Chen Cheng's cultivation with the help of the panel.

In other words, Master Xiuchen very likely did not possess the complete Iron Garment Art incantations.

For that reason, Chen Cheng did not trouble Master Xiuchen at all that day.

Of course, even if Chen Cheng had nothing better to do, he would not have wanted to go near the death-row cells. Qin Kai had been locked up there by the new jail chief, Cheng Rui, who had assigned several trusted jailers to guard him. Idlers were forbidden from approaching.

Fearing Qin Kai might die from his grave injuries, Cheng Rui had even specially hired a physician to treat him at regular intervals.

What Chen Cheng needed to do now was stay far away from Qin Kai, far away from every potential danger, lie low, quietly remain a nobody, and wait until his Iron Garment Art was accomplished before making further plans.

Over the next few days, Chen Cheng served his shifts in the prison properly every day while cultivating the Iron Garment Art.

After getting off duty and returning home, he would occasionally stop by the market to buy meat, rice, flour, grain, and oil. He and Mu Xiaowan ate and drank well, nurturing their bodies back to health.

Qin Kai's injuries were extremely severe and would not heal anytime soon. He seemed to have reached some sort of agreement with Cheng Rui. Not only was he spared harsh interrogation, but he was also treated favorably.

Cheng Rui ordered jailers to buy wine and dishes from nearby restaurants, providing him with fine food and drink every day and attending to him carefully.

A few more days passed.

Chen Cheng discovered something astonishing.

The amount of wine and food sent to the death-row cells had increased. After asking around, he learned that the extra portion was actually being delivered to Master Xiuchen.

This discovery greatly shocked Chen Cheng. A faint sense of danger rose in his heart, and he feared that Master Xiuchen might eventually bribe Cheng Rui and successfully escape from prison.

Though the possibility was not high, it could not be ruled out.

Master Xiuchen was only a Skin-Tempering Realm martial artist, but his strength was formidable, far beyond that of ordinary Skin-Tempering Realm martial artists. It was said that when they had captured him, they had mobilized a chief constable of the Tendon-Strengthening Realm, three Skin-Tempering Realm constables, and a large group of runners.

Even so, two constables had suffered serious injuries during the arrest.

As for Master Xiuchen's crimes, the higher-ups kept their lips sealed and never revealed even the slightest whisper. Forget ordinary jailers—even the former jail chief, Jiang Cheng, had once vaguely mentioned that he did not know what crimes Master Xiuchen had committed.

However, Chen Cheng's worries soon vanished.

Cheng Rui only sent Master Xiuchen fine food and drink for five days before ignoring him again.

After that, Cheng Rui began inspecting the cells more frequently. He seemed unable to sit still, making four or five rounds every hour.

Whenever he inspected the prison, his expression was stern and his back ramrod straight, but his steps were slow, and the way he walked was exceedingly strange. He deliberately spread his legs apart, as if there were something hanging beneath his crotch.

With the jail chief inspecting the cells so diligently, it was naturally the jailers who suffered. Within days, the South District prison jailers were groaning in misery behind closed doors, every one of them calling him Madman Cheng!

If he were not mad, what jail chief would be so devoted to his duties? With that measly monthly salary, was it worth working himself to the bone? Was he not afraid of exhausting himself and shortening his lifespan?

Naturally, Chen Cheng was the only exception. He never uttered a single word of judgment.

He had noticed that the round object in Cheng Rui's trouser-leg inner pocket, which Cheng Rui claimed was a money pouch, concealed hidden secrets.

In this world, there were many places to carry money pouches: inside a garment's lining, in a sleeve lining, on the inner side of a belt, and so on. Sewing one into a trouser-leg inner pocket like Cheng Rui had was less common, but not unheard of.

But what lay in Cheng Rui's trouser-leg inner pocket was no money pouch at all. It was clearly an iron ball, secretly tied beneath his crotch with a thin cord.

Master Xiuchen had ultimately passed that portion of his hidden trump-card incantations and methods to Cheng Rui.

That fellow Cheng Rui was also cultivating an incomplete Iron Garment Art. More precisely, he was cultivating the Iron Crotch Art, which Master Xiuchen had modified from the incomplete Iron Garment Art—or perhaps it could be called the Great Root Art.

Given that great swindler Master Xiuchen's usual style, he had surely told Cheng Rui that the Iron Garment Art could do anything. If your hand was missing, cultivate the Iron Leg Art. If your leg was crippled, cultivate the Iron Arm Art. If your great root was not robust, then cultivate the Iron Crotch Art.

As for whether this so-called Iron Crotch Art could truly be cultivated to success, at the very least, Master Xiuchen, that peerlessly handsome man, had succeeded. To win Chen Cheng's trust back then, Master Xiuchen had displayed the fruits of his cultivation.

It had indeed been rather magnificent!

To make an old hand like Cheng Rui believe him, Master Xiuchen had surely displayed it before him once more.

Since he possessed the complete Iron Garment Art, Chen Cheng knew that cultivating the incomplete version, the Iron Crotch Art, would inevitably end in partial disability or deformity.

Of course, he would not go looking for trouble by warning Cheng Rui.

Cheng Rui did not seek out Chen Cheng again. Qin Kai had likely not revealed the matter of promising Chen Cheng one hundred and fifty taels of silver. Or perhaps Qin Kai had merely painted a pie in the sky to save his legs, then promptly forgotten all about it.

More than half a month passed.

That day, after Chen Cheng finished his shift at the prison, he bought half a pork knuckle at the market before returning home.

"Brother Cheng, why are you spending so extravagantly again?"

Chen Cheng bought meat to bring home every few days. Though Mu Xiaowan had grown accustomed to it, she could not help reminding him.

Half a pork knuckle weighed over two catties and would cost at least sixty or seventy copper coins. By the Chen Family's recent habits, it would be eaten up within two or three days.

Spending money so lavishly was truly far too extravagant.

Chen Cheng gently stroked Mu Xiaowan's cheek and said with a soft smile, "I'm happy today, so let's celebrate. Braise this whole half pork knuckle in soy sauce."

"Half a pork knuckle in one meal?" Mu Xiaowan's eyes widened in shock, and her little mouth hung open.

With such extravagance, were they still going to live their lives?