Everything fell quiet again. Hu Xiaotian drifted into a deep sleep at some point. Early the next morning, the door of the neighboring cell opened, and he heard someone call, "Jia Dewang, your family's here to bail you out!"
Hu Xiaotian opened his bleary eyes and saw Jia Dewang slowly walking out of his cell. He approached the bars and said to the jailer, "Brother, sorry for the trouble, but could you tell someone they've arrested the wrong man? I haven't done anything."
The jailer glared viciously at him. "Cut the crap and sit your ass down!"
Hu Xiaotian had no choice but to sit back down. Zhou Batian, the man with the curly beard, looked at him and asked, "Little brother, what did you do?"
Hu Xiaotian gave a bitter smile. "I only just arrived in Azure Cloud. Last night, I was late getting back to the inn, and two constables hauled me in here before I even knew what was happening." Since he was here, he might as well settle in. It was a good chance to get a feel for what went on inside Azure Cloud's jail.
Zhou Batian seemed thoroughly accustomed to such things. He said indifferently, "Nothing serious. It happens all the time. The yamen runners here have turned it into a way to rake in money. As long as your family can afford the silver, you'll be out soon enough."
"But I didn't do anything wrong," Hu Xiaotian said.
Zhou Batian sneered. "Who can even tell right from wrong in this world anymore?"
Hu Xiaotian thought, *You're no good man yourself, you bastard. I'd only just arrived, and we were fellow inmates, at least. Not only did you show none of that revolutionary camaraderie, you even told the others to give me a beating.