Sword from the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 2: False Imprisonment, Scapegoat
This cell has mud walls on three sides and no windows. It only has a small, low door with solid wooden bars and an iron chain.

At this time, the prison was still dark, with the weak light coming from the oil lamp hanging in the corridor. When people were inside, they had no idea what time it was outside.

The ground was covered with a thick layer of straw, which had not been changed for who knows how long. It was stained with all kinds of filthy things and stank to high heaven.

Chen Jin was not surprised that there was a second person in the cell. He had already discovered it, but he just ignored it.

Under normal circumstances, prison cells are not single rooms, and holding only two people is already considered a small number.

Prisoners who can live in a single room are generally not simple.

He then asked, "What do you mean when you say that I am about to die?"

The man was half lying in another corner, and said in a muffled voice: "It seems that you haven't figured out the situation yet. This is not an ordinary cell, but a death row."

"Death row?"

Chen Jin's eyes narrowed, quite surprised.

I thought it was unlucky enough that the scholar was thrown into jail without knowing why, but I didn't expect that he would be put on death row.

As the name suggests, the prisoners in death row have all committed capital crimes.

But what did the scholar do?
He lived for nineteen years and never killed even a chicken.

what happened?

The man sighed, "Looks like another confused guy."

Judging from his voice, he should be an elderly man. He has been reading and writing day and night, so his eyesight isn't very good, and the lighting is not good, so he can't see clearly.

Chen Jin said in a deep voice: "Please let me know, father-in-law."

"Oh, you are a man of good manners. I want to ask you, where are you from and what is your background?"

"I have no family background. I am just a poor scholar. I have never passed the imperial examinations. My parents are long gone."

The man clapped his hands and said, "As expected. With no family background, no relatives or friends, he is the most suitable person to sit in this unjust prison and be a scapegoat."

"Unjust imprisonment, scapegoat, what kind of explanation is this?"

"What can we say? It's nothing more than that the son of a powerful official in the city committed an evil deed, which is unforgivable. So they used their connections to find a person without any connections outside, and then put him in the death row, impersonated him, and finally chopped off his head to get the job done."

Hearing this, Chen Jin immediately understood what was going on. He wondered if the scholar had just happened to meet someone by chance, or if he had been targeted for a long time.

He thought for a moment and then asked, "Does the chief official in the government know about this?"

The man said, "Maybe they know, maybe they don't. Who knows? Anyway, as long as they are of similar age, similar body shape, dishevelled hair, and bloodstained face, they will just take a quick look to verify their identity and let it go. No one will investigate further."

Chen Jin said "Oh" and continued to ask: "In a situation like this, how long does it usually take for someone to be taken out and beheaded?"

The man patiently answered, "It's hard to say. Normally, most death row inmates need to go through a process from conviction to execution, which takes several months. But for someone like you, they want to be secretive and ignore the rules. They may arrest you and kill you at any time."

Hearing this, Chen Jin suddenly felt a sense of urgency in his heart: "Old man, you sound kind and don't seem like a bad person. Could it be that you were also captured and used as a scapegoat?"

"I'm not."

The man sighed and said, "I am sixty-three years old this year. I am just a writer. I write whatever books can sell. Over the years, I have written vernacular novels for opera troupes, biographies for celebrities, and strange stories for teahouses. I have supported my family with my writing. Unexpectedly, a disaster struck. A story I had written before happened to collide with something in the palace. So I was reported for harboring evil intentions and insinuating against the nobles, which was a crime of disrespect. So I was arrested and thrown into death row."

At this point, he choked up and said, "But, I am wronged. I have never even been to the capital. I don't know how tall the palace is or what kind of important people live in it. How can I write about that?"

Chen Jin was silent.

The world is absurd, probably like this.

Not to mention this old man, even the scholar's own experience was even more outrageous, wasn't it?
He asked, "You didn't cry out for injustice?" "Of course I did, so I was temporarily detained in the death row, awaiting the final verdict. But it seems that it will be difficult to escape this disaster."

"Then can I also protest my injustice?"

The man shook his head. "You are not in prison for any crime, so who are you going to complain to? The jailers and head of the prison are all in the same group. No one will come even if you shout your throat out. Young man, I advise you to stay here honestly. Live one day at a time and leave everything to fate."

Chen Jin raised his eyebrows: "My life is determined by myself, not by God."

The man laughed bitterly: "Young people don't believe in fate, but what's the use? God is partial, and he likes to torment the unfortunate people the most. Wuwuwu!"

Having said this, she was overwhelmed with sadness and began to cry quietly.

Chen Jin ignored him, sat cross-legged, and immediately began to practice the "Huangting Benjing".

I originally thought that since the scholar was framed and sent to jail, he would at least stay in jail for a period of time.

As long as there is time and food, one can continue to practice, gradually become stronger, and eventually break free from the cage.

I didn't expect that I would be used as a scapegoat.

In this case, there are many variables, and it is impossible to determine when the other party will attack. Take yourself out and behead yourself as a warning to others.

It could be a few days later, or it could be just two or three days.

Time is very tight and we must race against time.

Different bodies, same techniques, one can still master them with ease thanks to the experience etched in one's bones.

After a while, he entered into a state of meditation.

About half an hour later, he suddenly opened his eyes, stood up and went to the corner.

There was a toilet there, but it was full to the brim and no one cleaned it.

Chen Jin frowned. At this critical moment, there was no need to be particular about details. He squatted on the side, took off his pants, and with a loud noise, he excreted the many filth accumulated in his stomach, which immediately piled up like a mountain.

This process is the necessary step to the first realm of "refining essence into qi".

"Essence" means food.

In our daily diet, three meals a day, normal people will digest the food they eat.

Compared to ordinary people, monks are much more particular about food. After eating, the degree of digestion and absorption is very impressive, even to the point of being "shocking."

For example, there are monks who can eat an entire cow in one meal. From the perspective of ordinary people, this is an immortal-level operation.

But for Chen Jin, it was just child's play.

After eliminating all the impurities in his body, he wanted to eat a cow, but the cell was empty and there was not even a mouse.

I had no choice but to tighten my belt and walk back over here and sit down.

"What did you eat? Why does your poop stink so bad?"

The old writer covered his nose and said with a bit of disgust.

Chen Jin said "sorry" and continued practicing. He didn't have time to waste on these details.

Suddenly, there was a clang of a door opening outside, followed by footsteps, and someone shouted, "Zhou Xiaoguo, Zhou Xiaoguo, it's time to get going!"

(End of this chapter)