Beginning to Buy Lives

Fan Xing immediately said, "The Imperial Prison Bureau sounds prestigious, but the truly powerful ones are those who spend their days cultivating—the partial commanders, partial guards, and even partial supervisors. We lowly officials are actually less fortunate than you Street Patrol Office; we do all the dirty and tiring work. Yes, we can squeeze some money out of the prisoners, but we have to share it with our superiors. Yes, most prisoners in the Imperial Prison don't expect to get out, but I don't dare to mess with those of slightly higher rank. Some of their dantian are sealed by the Daren, but if they're really pushed to the limit and break the seal to fight back, our lives will be in danger..."

Fan Xing rambled on for a long time, then recounted the names, reasons for imprisonment, and general backgrounds of the thirty-two prisoners in Cell C-7 under his jurisdiction.

Li Qingxian listened to the conversation and learned that the prisoners in Cell C-7 didn't have any powerful backgrounds; the one with the biggest backing was Pang Mingjing.

Come to think of it, those with powerful connections are all in the West Courtyard, and at the very least, they receive top-tier treatment.

Li Qingxian asked, "How do other Fate Arts Master Life Buying?"

Fan Xing said, "Go straight into the cell, gather them together, explain your purpose, and most of the prisoners will be eager to sell."

"That simple?"

Han Anbo said, "It's that simple. Most prisoners who come here don't need Fate Mold. If they sell their lives, then the Fate Arts Master has to protect them well. Even if they're unlucky, they can still be sent to the top-tier prison and be served good food and drink. If they're lucky, they might even be released from the Imperial Prison and live out the rest of their lives in peace."

"Brother Han is right," Fan Xing added. "There's another point: the people in the West Courtyard and the Jia-character houses have Fate Mold, while more than half of the people in the other areas have bad Fate Mold. It's better to sell them to save trouble. There are also those who don't want to sell, but they all dream of getting out. For example, that Pang Mingjing, I'm afraid he doesn't want to sell."

"It's alright, my rank is low, I'll only buy the most common Fate Mold," Li Qingxian said.

The three were dumbfounded.

Han Anbo hurriedly asked, "Captain Li, you mean 'some'?"

"Yes."

"Don't normal Fate Arts Master only buy one after a long time?" Han Anbo asked.

Li Qingxian smiled and said, "Do you think I'm normal?"

"That's perfectly normal."

Li Qingxian smiled and said, "Different Fate Arts Master take different paths; I take the path of small profits but quick turnover."

The three people looked bewildered; they had never heard of such Fate Arts Master.

"Small profits, quick turnover"—are they here to collect vegetables from the Imperial Prison Bureau?

Li Qingxian said earnestly, "You've misunderstood. What I mean is, I'm too young and my cultivation isn't strong enough, so I can only cast a wide net and take what I can get. What if I only buy one and end up not getting it? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"That's true. After all, you've only just Fate Arts Master. Even if Life Buying, you might end up with nothing," Han Anbo said.

That's exactly the point.

"Besides, it's useless for you to have multiple Fate Mold. Fate Arts Master has the same number of Fate Pillar. Any more can only be carried by Fate Boat, and you certainly Fate Boat."

"You even know about the Fate Boat?"

"I know. The life Fate Artifact used by Fate Arts Master to hold one's Fate Mold is also the only treasure that can hold one's Fate Star. The cheapest Fate Boat costs 100,000 taels of silver."

"Yes, that stuff is too expensive. I'd rather Life Buying first," Li Qingxian said.

Fan Xing said, "This humble official is willing to serve Daren Li with utmost loyalty."

"Very good, you have a good eye. But you should understand that I'm not doing this alone." Li Qingxian used a powerful figure as a pretext.

Fan Xing grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and said, "I understand, I understand. The gentlemen don't want to touch these dirty, lowly two-legged sheep. They want to maintain their dignity and wear gloves when they do it. I am your gloves."

Li Qingxian feigned a sigh and said, "Even in a small Imperial Prison, there are reasonable people. You are my glove, but am I not someone else's glove?"

Fan Xing was even happier.

Han Anbo turned his head to look elsewhere, thinking to himself, "You're just trying to fool me, but it's fine, the more you say that, the more Fan Xing believes you."

"Come on, take me to the prison," Li Qingxian said.

"Please follow me." Fan Xing bowed slightly and led the way.

Upon arriving at cell number seven, Fan Xing opened the door, and a damp, foul stench assaulted his nostrils.

Li Qingxian walked in and was greeted by a dimly lit hall with various items and instruments of torture hanging on the walls.

In the middle of the hall, there were two tables and a few chairs, and several prison guards hurriedly stood up and bowed.

An indescribable, fishy stench lingered in the air.

Passing through the hall, turn left to find a hard-surfaced passageway about ten feet wide.

On both sides of the corridor, rows of prison cells were lined up.

Soft sunlight streamed in through the windows of the cells on both sides, falling on the stone walls and wooden doors, creating a play of light and shadow.

As Fan Xing walked, he explained, "A-grade cells are no different from normal residences. B-grade cells and C-grade cells are also ordinary cells like these. As for D-grade cells, they are dug directly underground, with the walls reinforced with large stones, resembling a large well. When it rains heavily, it truly becomes a well, hence the name 'Well Prison.' As for the West Courtyard, the buildings on the ground are just ordinary structures; the prisoners are all underground, protected by a magic array."

Li Qingxian glanced at the wooden door of the cell and said, "Aren't you afraid the prisoners will escape?"

Fan Xing chuckled and said, "I'm afraid they won't run away. If they do, we'll just kill them directly, which would save us trouble. I heard that the Ministry of Justice of the Devil Sect is even more special. They're lenient inside but strict outside, encouraging prisoners to escape so they can legitimately use them to practice demonic arts."

"Call them out," Li Qingxian said.

As Fan Xing walked, he shouted, "Men, open the door! Everyone, listen up! We have a distinguished guest here today, Life Buying the token of Divine Capital Office Daren the Divine Capital Division. Keep your eyes peeled! Anyone who dares to disobey will have their legs broken and be thrown into the Well Prison. I know some of you are not convinced and think you have powerful backers who look down on me, Fan Xing. If you have the guts, show us your backers and have a go at Daren Zhou! With such a distinguished guest here, I won't say any more harsh words. Anyone who doesn't give face to this distinguished guest is disrespecting me, Fan Xing. We'll settle the score later!"

The jailers unlocked the doors one by one, and amidst the clanging sounds, one prisoner after another, wearing heavy shackles, emerged from their cells and stood at the doorway, looking at Li Qingxian.

Pang Mingjing was stunned the moment he saw Li Qingxian.

What's going on? Just over ten days ago, Li Qingxian hadn't even Entry Rank a certain level yet. He was considered to have reached that level a few days ago, so how can he Life Buying now?

This is definitely using prisoners to practice Fate Arts and treating human life like dirt!

Pang Mingjing sighed inwardly and lowered his head.

Tao Zhi, his clothes stained with blood, stood leaning against the wooden door, staring at Li Qingxian with a hint of fear and barely concealed resentment in his eyes.

Having endured the torment of the Divine Prison, Hong Cheng's legs went weak the moment he saw Li Qingxian, and he collapsed, losing control of his bladder.

"Don't kill me..." she said before fainting from fright.

The other prisoners were so frightened that they behaved themselves, and even the usually unruly ones became meek and submissive.

Fan Xing kicked Hong Cheng, feeling even happier. He had scared a Tenth Rank like this; Li Qingxian was someone worth relying on.

Li Qingxian straightened his posture, raised Zhou Chunfeng's waist token, and said, "This is the token of Divine Capital Office Zhou Chunfeng, the head of the Divine Capital Daren. It is also the basis for my willingness to Life Buying. I won't say anything more. Whoever is willing to risk their life, step forward. I will at least give you a Class A room."

The thirty-odd prisoners looked at Li Qingxian timidly, not daring to straighten their necks.

Seeing that no one responded, Fan Xing was furious, his voice sharp and menacing. "Fine, you're trying to make me, Fan Xing, suffer. If you don't speak up today, you won't be allowed to leave the house for the next three days."

The prisoners hesitated.

Han Anbo smiled and said kindly, "Three days isn't enough, how about five days?"

"Then seven days!" Fan Xing said through gritted teeth.