Finally Leaving Black Prison! [Thanks to boss 'Qi Yue' for 1,000

"Open your mouths!"

"Come out!"

"You! Come out!"

Two hundred lifeless miners gathered in one place. Only twenty-three remained in Northern Zone Two, making the area seem sparse.

Qian Lai came before Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe. At the sight of their ulcerated, disgusting mouths, obvious revulsion showed on his face, and he was unwilling to spare them even a second glance.

Smack!

Smack!

With a flick of his wrist, he lashed them twice, leaving another bloody welt on Chen Jichuan's and Chen Shaohe's faces.

"Step out!"

He had the two brothers stand to one side.

The two lowered their brows and submitted meekly.

Chen Jichuan's waist, back, shoulders, and neck had long since been corrected, yet at that moment, he hunched his waist, shrugged his shoulders, bent his back, and lowered his head, pretending to be as he had been before.

Not long after.

Qian Lai inspected all twenty-three people from Northern Zone Two. Two more were called out and made to stand with Chen Jichuan and the others.

Chen Jichuan knew both of them.

One was Sun Fei. More than half his hair had fallen out. Though only twenty-four, he looked old and worn.

The other was Shen Liang. Sores covered his face, making him utterly revolting, and he gave off a foul stench unlike that of Hate-Iron grease.

The two kept their heads lowered, looking exhausted beyond measure.

Perhaps anger lay in their hearts.

But they did not dare speak, nor did they dare resist.

People were like this. Unless a steel blade was held to their throats, they still wanted to cling to life and did not dare tear their faces apart in open resistance.

Sun Fei, Shen Liang, and the other Black Prison miners whose backbones had been broken were exactly like this.

In fact.

Was Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe any different?

As long as one lived in this world.

All one sought was the single word: "live."

Only.

Chen Jichuan had never thought that pretending to be diseased would let him leave safely and live a good life.

Even a petty overseer like Qian Lai dared treat miners like them with such utter recklessness—

"Either he isn't worried that people like us might awaken."

"Or he is confident that even if we awaken, we still won't be able to retaliate against him."

The meaning hidden within that.

Made one shudder with cold dread.

Fortunately.

Chen Shaohe and he each had their own methods, concealing hope for turning the tables and escaping.

Time trickled by.

Sun Fei and Shen Liang grew somewhat uneasy. Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe followed suit, putting on an anxious act.

"You two brothers—"

Sun Fei turned his head toward Chen Jichuan and the other, sighing as if in regret.

They were all in Northern Zone Two.

They saw one another when they looked up and when they lowered their heads; most of the miners knew each other.

Sun Fei had been in Northern Zone Two for two years. He knew that Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe were among the earliest Black Prison miners, and he also knew they were the two sons of Chen Yunshan, the Smiling Tiger among the Three Tigers of the Chen Family from Yongfeng County.

The Chen Family had committed every conceivable evil in Yongfeng County.

After arriving in Black Prison, they had met their retribution, and the family had nearly been wiped out. Now that the two brothers had finally grown up, they had fallen ill as well. It seemed that the Chen Family of Yongfeng would henceforth have no descendants.

Perhaps this answered that old saying—

The heavenly way turns in cycles; retribution never misses its mark.

Sun Fei looked at Chen Jichuan and Chen Shaohe, sighed softly, and rubbed his bald scalp. He felt much better inside.

"This man—"

Chen Jichuan had lived many years and met countless people. He had some skill at reading and judging others, and at a glance, he saw through Sun Fei's shallow mentality. He laughed inwardly.

He gave Sun Fei a faint nod, then ignored him.

Chen Shaohe, however.

Could not make heads or tails of it, but seeing the look in Sun Fei's eyes made him uncomfortable. Chen Shaohe's expression did not change, yet in secret, he carefully pondered what Sun Fei meant.

This was what Fourth Brother had taught him—

When he could not see clearly, could not understand what he heard, and could not discern the truth, he should neither speak nor act, and reveal nothing, so that others could not see through him either. That way, no matter what happened, he would at least come out even.

Then he could ponder it carefully in secret.

Once he saw more and experienced more, practice would make perfect. Sooner or later, he would be able to see straight into people's hearts at a glance.

Over time.

He would reach the realm commonly called "understanding all things" and "showing neither joy nor anger on one's face."

Of course.

He should not act this way before overseers like Qian Lai or the great figures of Black Prison.

After the count was completed.

Including Chen Jichuan, Chen Shaohe, Sun Fei, and Shen Liang, a total of eighteen miners had been found to have various symptoms.

These people were gathered together and driven by eight Black Armor guards to a thatched house two or three miles from Death Mine, where all eighteen were crammed in together.

The fog was especially thick at present.

They were likely waiting until dawn the next day, when the fog had thinned somewhat, before setting out.

Chen Jichuan remained vigilant.

He let Chen Shaohe sleep in peace while he kept watch outside. Whenever he felt the slightest drowsiness, he went to the Great Yan World and slept there for a while.

One minute in reality.

Six hours in Great Yan.

In the blink of an eye, he was vigorous and refreshed again.

The next day.

"Get up!"

"Stop sleeping!"

The eight Black Armor guards looked fierce and vicious as they roused Chen Jichuan and the others early in the morning.

They drove them onward.

Chen Jichuan secretly looked over—

Name: Wei Guan

Age: 30

Level: 3

Spell: Martial Victory Saber (Third Layer)

...

Name: Zhu Bing

Age: 25

Level: 3

Spell: Martial Victory Saber (Third Layer)

...

Name: Chu Mingrui

Age: 24

Level: 2

Spell: Martial Victory Saber (Second Layer)

...

With one glance.

Among the eight Black Armor guards, four had cultivated the Martial Victory Saber to the third layer. The other four had only reached the second layer, comparable to Qian Lai. Yet they wore full suits of black armor, and the weapons in their hands also appeared quite fine. Their strength was surely somewhat greater still.

"Not bad."

After looking them over, Chen Jichuan quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Four Level Threes, four Level Twos.

Even in a direct clash, he could handle all of them alone. If he struck by surprise, it would be even easier. With the Land-Flying Technique as well, even if these people tried to flee, they would not be able to escape.

That did not even include Chen Shaohe, whose Flame Control Technique was at Level Four.

The Black Armor guards escorting them posed little threat.

The first step—leaving Death Mine—would proceed without a hitch.

The boulder weighing on Chen Jichuan's heart fell away by more than half.

He secretly gave Chen Shaohe a look, telling him to rest easy. Then he followed the Black Armor guards, letting them lead him onward as they traveled day after day.

They traveled each day once the fog had thinned somewhat and rested once it grew thick.

Chen Jichuan did not relax in the slightest.

Even when he went to sleep in the Great Yan World, where only one minute passed in reality, he had Chen Shaohe stand watch and remain on guard.

At all other times, he feigned sleep while staying alert.

After entering the Great Yan World, Chen Jichuan still retained keen awareness of reality.

But if something happened in reality and it happened to coincide with a time when he had spent a full day training hard in the Great Yan World and was at his most exhausted.

Something might go wrong.

The chance was small.

But he could not afford to let down his guard.

There would be plenty of days ahead in the Great Yan World.

As long as he escaped Black Prison, he would have all the time he needed to cultivate in the Great Yan World. There was no need to rush for the moment.

Besides, no matter how formidable he became through training in the Great Yan World at this time, in reality, beneath the watchful eyes of eight Black Armor guards, he had no opportunity to increase his strength.

It was of little use.

Day after day passed.

The Black Armor guards remained extremely vigilant.

Whenever they rested, they took shifts in pairs. Two Black Armor guards always remained awake, watching against any miner attempting to escape.

Within Black Prison.

The Wusheng Sect had built places resembling post stations, one every forty or fifty miles. Each station had rooms, small stores of grain, and firewood. At intervals, dedicated personnel came to inspect and replenish them.

This let Chen Jichuan see how highly the Wusheng Sect valued Black Prison.

His heart grew increasingly heavy.

At night.

Chen Jichuan hid in the shadows, his eyes fixed on the doorway, where two Black Armor guards stood watch.

One was Wei Guan.

Among the eight Black Armor guards on this journey, he was the oldest and also appeared to be the strongest.

The other was named Zhou Dafeng. Twenty-four years old, he had only cultivated the Martial Victory Saber to the second layer and appeared far less experienced.

In the darkness.

Sleepiness weighed heavily on him as Zhou Dafeng spoke with Wei Guan.

Chen Jichuan had trained hard in the Golden Blade Exchange Palm Technique, specializing in hands, eyes, body, and footwork. His hearing was also quite exceptional, allowing him to hear their voices.

"Brother Wei, by the time we get out, the war in the north should be over, right?" Zhou Dafeng hugged a Goose-Wing Saber as he asked Wei Guan.

"Judging by the time, it should be about over."

Wei Guan nodded and smiled. "We caught a good time. Black Prison is a bit bitter and tiring, but most of these miners are cowards and meek as lambs. There's little danger here, and we just happened to avoid the great battle with the Li River Gang."

"Brother Wei is so formidable. If you had joined that battle and helped the sect master take Liding County, perhaps you could have become a Protector. If your merit had been even greater, being sent out to serve as a hall master would have been even more glorious."

Zhou Dafeng flattered him.

"Protector."

"Hall master."

Wei Guan shook his head. "Without reaching the fourth layer of the Martial Victory Saber, becoming a Protector is already very difficult. Being sent out as a hall master is even more impossible."

Great Chu had now collapsed.

The martial sects ruled the land.

The Wusheng Sect alone controlled Mu Transformation County, Yongfeng County, and Litchi Bank County within Shian Commandery. Every hall master sent out was perhaps not equal to the county magistrates of old, but within a county, they were still great figures who could make the ground tremble three times with a stomp of their feet.

This time, the Wusheng Sect and Golden Sun Sect had joined forces against the Li River Gang.

The former attacked Liding County.

The latter attacked Jianling.

Once they captured them, the Wusheng Sect would gain at least seven or eight hall master positions. Quite a few experts in the sect had their eyes on them. Though Wei Guan's strength was decent, his Martial Victory Saber had only reached the third layer, and he had no background to speak of. How could he compete with them?

Better to avoid the war.

And focus on cultivation.

It was slower, but at least it was safe.

"The fourth layer."

"Too hard."

"I've trained for three years and only reached the second layer. In what year of the monkey and month of the horse will I ever reach the fourth? If only I could become an 'Altered Human.' But Altered Humans are even harder to become. There aren't many in the sect either."

Everyone had their own troubles.

Zhou Dafeng was ambitious, yet afraid of death. He could hardly avoid making trouble for himself.

"The sect master and several elders are working on a way to create Altered Humans quickly. If they succeed, everyone can become an Altered Human," Wei Guan said with a smile.

"How could it be that easy?"

"I heard brothers from the other squads say that seventy or eighty percent of the diseased miners sent from here to the outside have died one after another. Of the twenty percent who survived, most ended up neither human nor ghost. In just over a month, two or three hundred died, yet not a single Altered Human appeared."

"I don't want sores on my head and pus running from my feet."

Zhou Dafeng hurriedly shook his head. Glancing at the miners inside who were sleeping like logs and smelling the pungent, fishy stench, he kept shaking his head, sick to his stomach.

Wei Guan thought about it and found it disgusting too, so he skipped over the subject.

Inside the room.

Chen Jichuan listened closely, delight rising in his heart.

What delighted him was not the news of the great battle between the Wusheng Sect and the Li River Gang.

In fact.

Over the past few days, he had often eavesdropped and had gained a much better understanding of the situation outside.

The Wusheng Sect.

The Li River Gang.

The Golden Sun Sect.

He had also heard quite a bit, in scattered fragments, about the grudges and entanglements among the three sects. Of this portion of Wei Guan and Zhou Dafeng's conversation, only a very small part was useful to Chen Jichuan.

What truly delighted him was—

"The diseased miners sent from here to the outside!"

"Here."

"Outside."

This place was Black Prison. Then "outside" surely meant beyond Black Prison!

"The diseased miners were all being transported outside."

"The Wusheng Sect imprisoned five hundred miners in a mine saturated with Spirit Stone radiation. So it was for research. Research into the secret of Altered Humans."

Thoughts flashed through Chen Jichuan's mind in rapid succession.

His heart settled.

No matter what the Wusheng Sect intended.

As long as they were certain to transport them out of Black Prison, Chen Jichuan was fully satisfied.

In that case, many of the contingencies for the second step could be discarded. There was no need to rush into killing people and fleeing. He only needed to follow Black Armor out of Black Prison first!

They continued on their journey.

Along the way.

Two more of the eighteen miners quietly died. Zhou Dafeng and Chu Mingrui, among the eight Black Armor guards, used Goose-Wing Sabers to cut off their heads, tying them to their waists and carrying them along.

Zhou Dafeng was timid and afraid of death.

Yet he was highly practiced at cutting off heads, even treating them with quicklime.

This completely severed any thought of faking death to escape.

The group traveled forty li each day.

On the thirty-first day.

The view ahead suddenly opened up—

Three mountains encircled the area.

At the center stood a rammed-earth platform, upon which rose a city gate over three zhang high and seven or eight zhang wide. Twenty Black Armor guards stood watch on either side of it.

The gate was hollow.

People could pass through from either side. It was truly impossible to understand why such a city gate had been erected in the middle of a square.

Sun Fei, Shen Liang, and the other miners wore curious expressions when they saw it.

"We're finally here."

"We can finally get out of this damned place."

"I wonder whether Reason-Settled County has been taken."

Wei Guan, Zhou Dafeng, and the others escorting them all smiled, their voices noticeably lighter.

"Once we're out, we have to feast properly. Yongfeng Tongqing Restaurant—I'm treating!"

Wei Guan held the most prestige among the eight. Laughing heartily, he declared that he would treat everyone.

"Thanks, Brother Wei."

The moment they heard that, the atmosphere grew even livelier.

Black Prison's environment was atrocious, and no one wanted to remain there any longer than necessary. Once they escorted this batch of diseased miners out, they would not need to return to Black Prison on duty for the next five years. Naturally, joy welled up in their hearts.

"Out?"

"Can we go out too?"

After trekking all this way, the sixteen exhausted miners heard what the Black Armor lords said. It was as though they had been injected with stimulants, and they instantly became excited.

"Out!"

"I can get out!"

Sun Fei's hair had all fallen out, revealing a gleaming bald head. He grinned wildly, almost crazed.

"Fuck!"

"Behave yourself!"

Zhou Dafeng's mood was ruined by the noise. Raising his Goose-Wing Saber, he smashed Sun Fei across the back. Sun Fei staggered and fell to the ground. Yet he was not angry in the slightest. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Zhou Dafeng's leg and cried excitedly, "My lord, take me out! Take me out!"

With Sun Fei taking the lead.

The other miners present, all steeped in suffering, began trembling as well. They all knelt down, weeping and shouting, tearfully begging. It was enough to break the hearts of those who saw it and draw tears from those who heard it.

"What are they doing?"

Chen Jichuan smiled bitterly to himself.

He lightly nudged Chen Shaohe beside him. The two brothers understood each other perfectly; they toppled like mountains and jade pillars, dropping to their knees and begging together.

"Get the hell out of the way!"

Just as Chen Jichuan expected, Wei Guan, Zhou Dafeng, and the others had hearts of stone. Not only were they unmoved, but after days of travel, combined with their deep contempt for the lives and dignity of Black Prison's miners, their tempers flared. Sabers were drawn, feet lashed out.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

After a round of punishment, the miners were all kicked to the ground, howling without end.

Chen Jichuan was kicked too.

Right in the face.

A large shoeprint was left behind as he fell face-first to the ground.

Only then.

Did the miners finally behave themselves.

Only then did Wei Guan and the others shout for everyone to get up and head toward the city gate.

Beneath the gate passage, after their names and documents had been checked.

Four Black Armor guards walked in front.

Four Black Armor guards walked behind.

Chen Jichuan, Chen Shaohe, and the others were sandwiched in the middle as they passed through the gate.

Behind the gate was Black Prison.

Beyond the gate was light.

With one step—

Thanks to big boss Qi Yue for the 10,000 reward, thanks to "Quietly Watching the World's Winds and Clouds" for the 1,000 reward, and thanks to everyone for the rewards and support!

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