Having Suffered the Full Calamity of Prison, Today Bitterness Turned to Sweetness!

Wusheng Sect's response could not have been called slow.

But everything had its proper order and procedure.

The guards at the south gate first shot the mine slaves dead, confirmed the identities of Wei Guan and the others, then checked the mine slaves' identities and numbers before finally determining whether anyone had escaped—and who those escapees were.

By the time Zhao Bo, the south gate commander, had clarified everything,

he sent men in pursuit on one hand,

and reported to Sect Master Wu Guangquan on the other.

By then,

Chen Jichuan had already carried Chen Shaohe past Bluestone Road, changed direction, and plunged headlong into the dense Centipede Mountain.

Those sent to investigate were all ordinary Martial Victory Army soldiers. They did not practice martial arts, and their strength was nowhere near that of the Black Armor Army or Heavenwave Army. Having seen the state of Wei Guan and the others' corpses, how could they dare truly give chase?

They merely wanted to fool their superiors and put on a show.

A very few soldiers were willing to risk their lives for merit, but they were no constables skilled in handling cases. They knew nothing of tracking and could only grope about blindly.

Under such circumstances,

Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe were like wild geese returning to the blue heavens, tigers entering the mountains and forests—

Long caged in a barred enclosure, at last returned to nature!

"Fourth Brother."

"We—we—"

"We escaped?"

Chen Shaohe lay on his fourth brother's back, a saber clutched in one hand. From the tense excitement of escaping Black Prison and Martial Victory City, to the joy of burrowing into the forest and entering Centipede Mountain, he was then assailed by worry, daze, and confusion.

For a time,

his feelings were so tangled that even he did not know what state he was in.

There was none of the boundless joy he had expected.

He merely felt, from the bottom of his heart—

that it was unreal.

After yearning and fretting for so long, had they truly escaped just like that?!

"Of course we escaped."

Chen Jichuan did not hesitate in the slightest.

He ran for his life, his chest filled with endless joy. He felt as if his whole body possessed limitless strength, enough to carry Chen Shaohe and run without rest for ten days or half a month.

He had spent six years in Black Prison.

The torments he had endured there were difficult to tell others.

Yet compared to that, the past two months since the Dao Fruit had acknowledged him as its master had been the truly unbearable part—

given enough time, he could clearly achieve something. Yet he had been trapped in Black Prison, with life and death beyond his control. Every day, he had feared gain and loss; every day, he had been anxious and uneasy.

Such suffering.

Such torment.

Now, at last, it had all been swept away.

How could Chen Jichuan not be beside himself with joy?

"Fourth Brother."

Chen Shaohe sensed his fourth brother's happiness. From behind, he could vaguely see the grin spread across Chen Jichuan's face—the most relaxed and joyous smile.

Just like back then,

when his fourth brother had obtained his golden finger and he had awakened an Altered Ability—the same smile had been on his fourth brother's face.

Chen Shaohe was gradually infected by it as well.

His fourth brother's back rose and fell beneath him. At times, he looked at the sky; at times, at the ground. He looked all around at flowers and grasses, thorns, trees, and mountain birds.

He looked at all the beautiful sights that could never be seen in Black Prison.

At some point,

the corners of his mouth rose as well, and a "hehe" laugh escaped his throat. Chen Shaohe himself was startled by it and thought it sounded awful, yet he simply could not stop.

Not until he laughed aloud

did he finally feel the joy surging up from the depths of his heart.

Thick and rich.

Impossible to dissolve.

"I remember running beneath that day's setting sun. That was my youth, now gone."

With Chen Shaohe on his back, Chen Jichuan raced through Centipede Mountain, charging through thorns and leaping over ravines. No matter how rugged and treacherous the way, nothing could stop him or hold him back.

The sun was setting.

It cast their shadows long behind them.

"The taste of freedom!"

Chen Jichuan had never run so freely and wholeheartedly before.

Even in the Great Yan World,

because his heart was tied to reality and he worried over his circumstances there, a sense of oppression had always weighed upon him, never allowing him to truly relax.

But now,

ever since escaping Black Prison and fleeing Martial Victory City at noon,

Chen Jichuan's heart had finally taken flight.

Carrying Chen Shaohe, he plunged deep into the mountains.

At first, Chen Jichuan had not recognized where they were.

Only after crossing two hills in succession and seeing a cedar forest did he suddenly remember—

back then, his entire family had been escorted from Everlasting Prosperity County Town into the nearby Centipede Mountain. They had simply kept walking, and then they had arrived at Black Prison.

Thinking about it now,

the entrance and exit of Black Prison lay within Centipede Mountain. This time, they had emerged in Centipede Mountain as well.

"Black Prison spans no fewer than a thousand li."

"Though it never sees the light of day, it cannot possibly be beneath Centipede Mountain. And that city gate—"

Chen Jichuan recalled what he knew.

He guessed that Black Prison was most likely some sort of otherworldly space, akin to a grotto-heaven or blessed land, except that its entrance and exit happened to be located in Centipede Mountain.

At that thought,

Chen Jichuan felt several more degrees of bewilderment toward the outside world, toward Great Chu's current situation and changes. "Six years."

Six years cut off from the world.

Though he had heard scattered bits and pieces,

far more remained unknown.

It left Chen Jichuan somewhat lost, yet also somewhat expectant.

They were in Centipede Mountain.

Now that he knew where they were,

Chen Jichuan was no longer a headless fly.

"Wusheng Sect occupies Litchi Bank, Yongfeng, and Mu Transformation Counties. West of Centipede Mountain is Mu Transformation County, while south lies Litchi Bank County. Neither can be visited. Farther west are Lin Gui County and Complete Righteousness County, Golden Sun Sect's territory. Wusheng Sect and Golden Sun Sect are on good terms, so those places are no good either."

That left only

Mausoleum-Building County and Reason-Settled County to the north.

The latter had likely already been taken by Wusheng Sect, and Chen Jichuan had no intention of taking that risk.

As for the former, Mausoleum-Building County was said to be under fierce attack from Golden Sun Sect. But because information traveled slowly, Wei Guan and the others did not know the details very clearly.

Thus Chen Jichuan had not been able to overhear them.

"The great battle is in chaos."

"Old Fifth and I can go from Centipede Mountain to Mausoleum-Building County first, then head farther north to Yangshuo County."

Yangshuo County was Li River Gang territory.

Logically speaking,

the enmity between Chen Jichuan, Chen Shaohe, and Li River Gang ran even deeper than their enmity with Wusheng Sect. After all, Li River Gang had originally occupied Yongfeng and Black Prison. In other words, Chen Jichuan's father, elder brother, uncles, cousins—his entire family—had all died at Li River Gang's hands.

The six bitter years in Black Prison

had all begun because of Li River Gang. It was a blood feud as deep as the sea.

But at present, they could not worry about so much.

Wusheng Sect and Li River Gang were enemies. So long as he fled into Li River Gang territory and hid himself away, Wusheng Sect's difficulty in tracking him down would increase by at least tenfold.

They headed north all the way.

Following Centipede Mountain, they ran at full speed, crossed five or six mountain peaks, and covered roughly thirty or forty li. Along the way, whenever they encountered plants that removed grease and odors—spider plants, ivy, aloe, mint, pothos, and artillery plants—they ripped them up by the handful.

He and Chen Shaohe had emerged from Black Prison

covered in Hate-Iron grease, reeking horribly. With such a stench clinging to them, they would be easily exposed. Only by repeatedly scrubbing themselves with these plants could they become less conspicuous.

Passing through a village, Chen Jichuan stole two sets of coarse cloth clothes. Their lives were at stake now; he could only do such a shameful thing as stealing clothes with his conscience covered.

Once they had the clothes,

and seeing that they were already dozens of li from Martial Victory City, with pursuers unlikely to catch up anytime soon,

Chen Jichuan took Chen Shaohe to a stream. They threw away the foul-smelling, stiff cotton-padded coats they had worn for six full years, then used spider plants, ivy, and other such plants to wash themselves over and over. They nearly rubbed their skin raw before much of the odor was finally removed.

It was impossible to clean it all away at once.

But at least they would no longer stink ten li downwind.

Their hair was matted into knots, impossible to comb straight or wash clean.

So,

Chen Jichuan took up the blade and shaved both Chen Shaohe and himself completely bald.

They immediately felt refreshed!

"Fourth Brother."

"Look at me."

Chen Shaohe put on the stolen clothes, rubbed his smooth, gleaming little bald head, and giggled foolishly.

It was summer now. Without the heavy burden of that cotton-padded coat from Black Prison, which had never been changed all year round, Chen Shaohe felt his body had become much, much lighter. Even his steps seemed to carry the wind.

The sixteen-year-old boy was somewhat cheerful, pacing back and forth as his arms flailed about inside the oversized, baggy clothes.

He was having the time of his life.

Chen Jichuan turned his head to look.

Against those clothes, Chen Shaohe's waist and back appeared even less straight. Hunched over with a bent back, he naturally did not look tall either. If not for his unhealthy pallor from never seeing sunlight in Black Prison, he would have looked exactly like a little old man.

Not handsome.

Not good-looking either.

But when it was one's own child, who would ever find him ugly?

After Chen Shaohe laughed for a while,

he looked toward his fourth brother.

Seeing how straight his fourth brother's waist and back were, and how well the clothes fit him, Chen Shaohe felt a little envious.

Chen Jichuan was also sporting a gleaming bald head.

He had shaved off the fuzz around his lips as well.

He looked sharp and capable.

Seeing Chen Shaohe's expression, he understood what was on his mind. He stepped forward two paces and said, "What's there to envy? We were born of the same father and mother. Once you straighten your back and start practicing martial arts, in less than a few months you'll be a handsome young fellow too. When that time comes, Fourth Brother will find you a wife."

As he spoke,

he tore two pieces of coarse cloth from Chen Shaohe's hem and wrapped up their bare heads.

"There's no rush to find a wife."

"We need to find somewhere to hide, master martial arts, and keep ourselves alive first."

Chen Shaohe touched his head, still somewhat unaccustomed to it. Hearing his fourth brother, he hurriedly shook his head.

He very much wanted to marry a wife.

But he also knew that now was not the time to become a burden or cause trouble for himself and his fourth brother. Besides, he was young and held grudges fiercely. He had endured bitterly in Black Prison, and now that he had escaped, all he wanted was to preserve his life and take revenge as soon as possible!

"I'm still young."

"It doesn't matter if I wait a few more years."

Chen Shaohe grinned, a trace of cunning flashing through his eyes. "I'm not good-looking now anyway. The wife I found surely wouldn't be good-looking either."

Chen Shaohe was no fool.

"Fine."

"No rush."

"In a few years, we'll find you a beautiful young lady from a good family."

Chen Jichuan could not help bursting into laughter.

As the brothers talked,

and saw that everything had been dealt with, Chen Jichuan had Chen Shaohe burn the cotton-padded coats and hair in one fire, then scatter the ashes into the stream.

Then he carried Chen Shaohe onto his back.

And they continued fleeing.

Though they had already run thirty or forty li, there was no guarantee they would not be caught. The smell on them had been so strong before that if the pursuers had hunting dogs with keen noses, the dogs could easily follow their trail to find them.

So they ran another stretch.

This time,

they crossed several more mountain peaks and did not stop to rest until the sky had completely darkened.

The summer heat blazed.

Even after nightfall, there was only a faint chill in the air, nowhere near cold.

"Fourth Brother."

"I killed someone today. It felt so good."

Chen Shaohe sat with his back against a large tree, a Goose-Wing Saber clutched in his arms. As he recalled scene after scene from outside Martial Victory City that day, his heart could not help but pound.

It was not nervousness.

Nor was it lingering fear.

It was excitement—the sheer exhilaration of revenge.

Wusheng Sect had never treated mine slaves like them as human, and Wei Guan and the other Black Armor Army soldiers were no different. Chen Shaohe's heart was filled with hatred, brimming with killing intent. After waiting bitterly for over two months, he had finally killed someone. It felt immensely satisfying.

Strictly speaking,

of the eight men led by Wei Guan today, only one had been struck in the neck by Chen Shaohe and could be counted as directly killed by him. Of the other seven, he had wounded three, but Chen Jichuan had delivered the final blows.

Even so,

Chen Shaohe was still too excited to contain himself. He had not felt it while fleeing during the day, but now that they had stopped, the scenes kept replaying in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more ashamed he became. "Back then, I—"

He had still been nervous today.

It was his first time killing someone.

His limbs had refused to obey him. He had relied entirely on instinct, and his mind had not been clear either. Otherwise, he surely could have killed those four Black Armor Army soldiers himself, without needing Fourth Brother's help.

"Your first time."

"You already did very well."

Seeing Chen Shaohe reflecting on and blaming himself, Chen Jichuan could not help but smile.

In truth,

Chen Shaohe's performance today had pleasantly surprised him. Not just anyone had the courage to pick up a steel blade and hack at another person.

"Next time."

"The next time I run into people from Wusheng Sect, I definitely won't be like this."

Chen Shaohe was dissatisfied with his performance. He clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and swore to himself. Then he turned to his fourth brother. "Once we find somewhere to hide, Fourth Brother, you have to teach me martial arts."

Today's battle

had also made Chen Shaohe realize the power of close-quarters combat with fists and feet.

He possessed the Flame Control Technique. It was mysterious beyond measure and powerful as well. But once someone got close and slashed at him with a saber, aside from breathing fire to scare them back, he had no other means.

When that man had swung his saber at him today,

his heart had nearly leaped out of his chest from fright.

He silently made up his mind.

He had to master martial arts. He could not rely solely on the Flame Control Technique.

"Alright."

"Fourth Brother will teach you."

Chen Jichuan nodded, but he was pondering inwardly as well. Martial arts...

Practicing martial arts was not easy.

Hardship and perseverance were things Chen Shaohe surely did not lack.

But beyond that, martial arts required a place to train, equipment, Medicinal Herbs, grain, vegetables, fruit, poultry, eggs, and meat.

All of those required money and connections.

"After leaving Black Prison, I still don't know whether I'll be able to find Spirit Stones."

"I should conserve the Origin Force on me whenever possible."

"For martial arts training, it's best to eat well and eat enough, supplementing that with Medicinal Herbs. Origin Force should come after that."

Chen Jichuan calculated inwardly.

He had quite a bit of Origin Force on him.

But for now, it was merely water without a source. If he used it as recklessly as he had in Black Prison, it would sooner or later be exhausted. Compared to rapidly increasing his strength, Origin Force was more useful for healing injuries, and more helpful to Chen Jichuan.

As he pondered,

Chen Jichuan thought of Great Chu again.

He had been imprisoned in Black Prison for six full years. During those six years, Great Chu had been turned upside down. Sects that had once lurked in the martial world, unseen by ordinary people, had not only surfaced and stepped into the open, but had also replaced the government, occupied prefectures and counties, seized control of local regions, and formed armies.

Like Wusheng Sect.

Under its command were the Martial Victory Army, the Black Armor Army, and the Heavenwave Army. Though the Black Armor Army had only three hundred men, and the Heavenwave Army only a mere few dozen, the Martial Victory Army numbered more than five thousand.

That did not even include the disciples and lackeys from Wusheng Sect's various halls.

It was called a sect,

but in truth, it was already a genuine warlord force.

It possessed not only martial arts experts, but also Altered Abilities and Altered Humans.

Chen Jichuan still needed time to sort through all these changes.

"First, we'll reach Yangshuo County and settle down. Then we can learn everything properly."

Chen Jichuan made up his mind.

Then he suddenly realized that Chen Shaohe's voice had gone silent beside him.

He turned to look.

Chen Shaohe's head drooped; he had already fallen asleep.

Chen Shaohe had spent most of the day being carried on Chen Jichuan's back, so his body was not tired. But after more than a month of traveling through Black Prison, coupled with tension and joy, his mind had been exhausted to the limit.

When they had first stopped to rest,

he had chattered away enthusiastically with Chen Jichuan. But as he talked, drowsiness swept over him, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

"He suffered every misery of prison, and today, bitterness finally gave way to sweetness."

Chen Jichuan looked at him, feeling the tension in his heart ease as he sighed inwardly.

A moment later,

he composed himself and gathered his thoughts.

Escaping Black Prison did not mean everything was now well. Great Chu was in chaos, and if they wished to survive and preserve their lives in these troubled times, they would still need to work hard and remain diligent.

Unwilling to waste time,

with a thought, he entered the Great Yan World.

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