"Why are you looking at me like that?" Dai Youheng broke the silence first, his tone calm. "Have we met before?"
"Heh." A hoarse, cold laugh escaped Ling Ya's throat. He abruptly seized the cage's iron bars with both hands, his knuckles whitening from the force. "So what if we haven't? You nobles, every last one of you, deserve to die! All of you deserve to die!!!"
He suddenly grew agitated, shaking the iron cage like a madman. Loud clangs rang out, accompanied by the rattling of his shackles.
Dai Youheng seemed deaf to his roaring. He did not even furrow his brow. Compared to the roars of Xiao Bai and the Abyssal Ice Prison Tiger in the Far North, this little commotion was no more than the buzzing of gnats.
Only after Ling Ya's outburst had subsided somewhat, leaving him panting and glaring, did Dai Youheng slowly speak. "Calm down. I don't know why you hate nobles so much, but at least I'm not the one who reduced you to this. Interested in telling me your story? Perhaps I can help you."
"Help me?" Ling Ya looked as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world, his face full of mockery. "You nobles only ever shield one another-a nest of snakes and rats! Why would you help a commoner like me?"
"I'm a rather unusual noble," Dai Youheng said. His voice was quiet, yet carried a strange persuasiveness. "I'm a concubine's son. I have a title, but no real power. In a way, I'm like you-the true nobles don't think much of me either. What do you say? Let's talk. If your story satisfies me, I'll buy you out of here. Leaving this hellhole with me has to be better than rotting here, doesn't it? You carry