The world is like a prison, my body is holy

Deep within the dark, damp cell, reeking of a pungent stench, the loud cracking of whips and low, suppressed groans rose and fell.

Inside the cramped torture chamber, the firelight flickered, and the branding iron in the brazier emitted blue smoke, constantly making a "sizzling" sound as grease dripped onto the charcoal fire.

"Boom."

The burly, bearded thug, with a face full of scars, looked more like a butcher than a jailer. He threw his whip onto the table, reached into the brazier, picked up a red-hot iron, and roughly struck it against the edge of the brazier, creating a shower of sparks.

Holding a red-hot branding iron, he walked step by step toward the man whose hands and feet were bound by chains, his eyes filled with rage as he asked in a deep voice, "Still won't you talk?"

The man on the execution rack was in his early thirties, disheveled and dirty, his tattered prison clothes covered in blood couldn't hide his well-built muscles.

He was also breathing heavily, but when faced with the jailer's interrogation, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of bloody foam onto the jailer's face, and laughed hoarsely, "You filthy dog, you dare to listen to me?"

"If you don't eat the toast, you will be punished with alcohol!"

Enraged, the burly, bearded man pressed the red-hot branding iron hard against the muscular man's chest.

Then you hear the sizzling sound of meat being fried on a hot plate, and lots of blue smoke rises from the skin and flesh under the hot plate.

The intense pain tormented the muscular man, causing his eyes to bulge, veins to throb on his forehead, and his rugged, chiseled face to turn from red to purple at a visible speed.

But he clenched his teeth tightly, even though his steel teeth were grinding so hard they made a hissing sound, without letting out a single scream.

"Bangdang..."

The burly, bearded thug roughly threw the branding iron back into the brazier, then viciously grabbed the leather whip from the table again and began a new round of torture.

But no matter how much he whipped the water-soaked leather whip until it smoked, the burly man on the execution rack still showed no sign of admitting defeat. He even forced a mocking smile and looked at the bearded thug with a defiant gaze.

The sight of those bloody teeth both enraged and inexplicably chilled the bearded thug.

He threw the whip onto the table with a loud bang, picked up the iron pliers from the torture instruments, and strode fiercely toward the burly man.

Seeing this, the burly man gritted his teeth, his lowered gaze fixed on the pointed iron pliers in his hand, silently counting down in his mind.

Just as the burly, bearded thug strode up to him and reached out to grab the muscular man's chin, while the muscular man braced himself to try and smash his throat against the pointed iron pincers...

"Clang."

The cell door opened, and a figure completely concealed under a black silk cloak slowly walked into the dark torture chamber.

The burly, bearded man who had looked fierce just a moment ago immediately changed color upon seeing the man in black, and stepped forward with a beaming smile, clasping his hands in a respectful greeting.

The man in black didn't say anything, but simply waved gently at the open iron gate behind him.

The burly, bearded thug immediately bowed and tiptoed out of the torture chamber.

"Squeak."

The heavy iron gate slowly closed.

The man in black slowly stepped forward, picked up a chair from beside the table, and sat down about ten feet in front of the burly man.

The wiry man frowned and stared intently at the man in black, as if trying to see through the silk cloak and find the face hidden beneath it.

"Who are you? Why are you arresting me?"

He spoke first, his tone no longer showing the contempt and disdain he had displayed when facing the burly, bearded man; instead, it carried a hint of seriousness.

"Liu Zhengwu."

The man in black spoke slowly and deliberately: "A native of Ji County, living in Qingyu Lane. There's a jujube tree in front of his house. As a youth, he studied martial arts under Liu Wu, the Great Saber of Cangzhou. In the twenty-first year of the Hongtai era, he went to the capital and served in the Imperial Observatory. In the twenty-second year of the Hongtai era, he met Liu Cui, a newlywed courtesan, at the Yihong Courtyard in Zhujiaqiao. He secretly redeemed her and settled her in Tongjiaqiao, Luting County, where they had a child..."

"clang……"

The burly man frantically yanked on the chains, roaring furiously, "Who are you people? What do you want to know? Come at me with your attacks, don't touch my descendants!"

The man in black ignored his anger and calmly replied in a low voice, "You are smart. You should know that the less you know, the longer you live."

The burly man trembled with rage, but he was at the mercy of others, like a fish on a chopping board, and there was nothing he could do.

“You have done your best to fulfill your duty, but you are simply outmatched and powerless. Now that things have come to this, it’s time for you to think about your own future. We admire your loyalty and courage and are willing to give you a chance to live.”

The man in black continued, his tone calm yet possessing a seductive allure: "Tell me, what do you know? The more you tell, the greater your chances of survival. If what you say is indeed useful to us, you might even be able to go back to your wife and children in glory... This is a one-time opportunity, don't miss it."

The burly man stared at him, his teeth clenched, his brows furrowed in struggle.

The man in black waited patiently for a quarter of an hour, then got up and walked out without saying a word.

The burly man was shocked and exclaimed, "I'll tell you everything you want to know!"

The man in black stopped and sat back down in his chair. He said slowly, "It's not about what we want to know, but what you know. Tell me everything without missing a single word... You're a smart man; you should know the consequences of lying to us."

The wiry man hesitated for a few moments, his eyes flickering, before letting out a heavy sigh: "I currently serve as a Wind Catcher in the Imperial Observatory, previously responsible for gathering information on General Wang Wen, the Demon Slayer of Huainan. A little over a month ago, I was ordered..."

The man in black asked, "When was 'a month or so ago'? And whose orders were you given?"

The wiry man racked his brains for a moment before replying, "On the tenth day of the eleventh lunar month, I was ordered by the God of Fate, Lin Suzhen, to go to Mount Tai..."

Half an hour later, the man in black came out of the torture chamber, walked through the dark and cramped passageway of the prison, and came out of the prison into an empty and quiet room.

Crown Prince Chai Heng, dressed in a plain beige cotton robe, sat peacefully by the fire pit in the center of the quiet room, taking a short nap with his eyes closed.

The man in black tiptoed forward and whispered something in his ear.

Chai Heng did not open his eyes, but the veins on his left hand, which was holding the armrest of the seat, suddenly bulged.

The room remained silent for a long time before Chai Heng spoke calmly, "Does this matter involve the King of Qin?"

The man in black crossed his arms, bowed, and whispered, "No."

Two simple words, leaving no room for uncertainty.

Chai Heng didn't doubt his answer, but murmured softly as if in a dream, "There are no fathers and sons in the imperial family..."

After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the man in black beside him: "Is there any news about Yang Ying?"

The man in black bowed slightly: "No."

Chai Heng: "Is he alive or dead?"

The man in black said, "Once you enter Yangzhou, you're like a stone sinking into the sea; you never see them alive or dead."

Upon hearing this, a flash of ruthless rage crossed Chai Heng's eyes, before he lowered his eyelids, concealing the intense emotions churning within: 'Father, you've been emperor for twenty-five years, isn't that enough?'

……

"You became Yang Ying?"

Wang Wen, who had rushed back to Yangzhou without even changing his clothes, looked at Xu Wu, who was standing before him with his head bowed and eyes downcast, with an indescribable strange look in his eyes: "Don't you know whose people he works for?"

Xu Wu secretly observed his expression, and seeing that he showed no signs of getting angry, he finally felt much relieved: "Brother, you're joking. If I didn't know who he was, would I have bothered to kill him?"

Wang Wen could understand his perspective, but he couldn't fathom where this guy got the audacity to even kill the Crown Prince's man: "Aren't you the most law-abiding? Murdering an official is a major taboo in officialdom, a crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan, don't you know that?" Xu Wu was stunned for a few seconds before he understood what he was talking about, and immediately replied with unusual seriousness: "Brother, we used to be disciples of the Canal Gang, and I was your leader. Back then, the rules of the Canal Gang were rules, and your rules were rules too."

"Now I am your subordinate officer, the commander of the Huainan Demon-Slaying General's Mansion. Your rules are rules, and the rules of our General's Mansion are rules!"

"As for other people's rules... what do I care! They've never given me a bite to eat or a piece of clothing to wear, so why should I abide by their rules?"

His words were a bit convoluted, but Wang Wen understood them perfectly.

This is the proper mindset of a gang member.

In a sense, gangs are very similar to pyramid schemes, and the most fanatical kind of pyramid scheme.

In his previous life, Wang Wen had a childhood friend who sold insurance for a while.

During that period, all their mutual friends avoided that guy because he had been brainwashed by the insurance company and his mind was filled with selling insurance. He would talk about insurance every three sentences when he went out for a meal, and he dragged everyone around him, even his family, to help him meet his sales targets. Even though his income from selling insurance during that period was far less than his previous job, he worked harder than anything else.

The atmosphere within a gang is not as direct or blatant as that of an insurance company, but it is far more immersive and subtle.

Insurance companies can only rely on their salespeople to put in the hard work.

Gangs can truly make their members risk their lives!
"You, what can I even say about you..."

Wang Wen sighed with a headache: "Did you wipe your bottom clean?"

Xu Wu immediately replied, "Don't worry, brother. I've sent the Underworld Corps and the Navy Corps to clean up the mess. I also ask you to secretly investigate all the ships that guy stopped in Yangzhou before and after he arrived... Even a fly, as long as it appeared near that guy, I guarantee we can tell its gender!"

Wang Wen thought about it and felt that it wasn't a big deal.

In this chaotic world, people are bound to die. Who can't die?

Even if the Crown Prince investigates later, the Demon-Slaying General's Mansion can easily deflect blame and send a bunch of clueless monsters to the Eastern Palace to take the fall...

He indeed had no way of proving that Yang Ying was not killed by his general's mansion.

But it would be difficult for the Crown Prince to prove that Yang Ying was killed by his general's mansion, right?

Since no one can produce conclusive evidence, why doesn't he take the initiative to have the Demon General's Mansion step forward and give an explanation? This way, everyone can save face, and the matter will be over.

This is good; this incident will teach the Crown Prince a lesson. He should not bother him unless necessary, and even less so if there is a problem.

He thought this to himself, but said aloud, "This is a one-time thing, and there won't be another one!"

Xu Wu nodded vigorously with delight: "Understood, I will definitely consult you first next time before I do anything."

Wang Wen thought his statement made sense, picked up the teacup in front of him, took a sip, and slowly relaxed back in his chair: "How was things at home while I was away?"

Xu Wu: "Everything went smoothly. The all-army competition concluded successfully ten days ago. More than half of the top 100 have formed teams and are currently training and refining their skills."

"Right now, the logistics department is a bit chaotic, but they are all just trivial matters that Master Jingzhen and I can handle."

Although Wang Wen's resignation this time was rather abrupt, the reform of the General's Mansion did not encounter any insurmountable problems that hindered the overall reform process, thanks to the comprehensive plan and regulations he had previously formulated.

"very good."

Wang Wen nodded: "Later, bring all the documents for the restructuring work to the study so I can take a look. After that, you can continue to keep an eye on things for me. I'll rest for a day; I have to return to Jiangxi tomorrow."

He only temporarily put aside the conflict between the Xiangxi Wumai and Longhushan.

The matter has not been completely resolved, and he cannot let go.

He only returned to handle the backlog of official business at the General's Mansion while both sides were conducting their own investigations.

Yang Ying's death can be considered a "small surprise".

But it’s not a big problem…

When Xu Wu heard that he was leaving again, he asked in surprise, "Brother, what's going on over there that's so troublesome? You've been there for almost a month, and you still haven't settled things?"

Wang Wen: "It's a troublesome matter. I might have to keep an eye on things over there for a while. If anything happens at home later, just ask Ma Feng to come find me. He has a way of finding me. Once I receive the message, I'll rush back as soon as possible."

Xu Wu: "What if the Crown Prince's residence sends someone else?"

Wang Wen: "You bumpkin, that's called the Eastern Palace... If they openly send people to investigate Yang Ying's whereabouts, you should cooperate with them. But if they try to stir up trouble in secret, you should chop off all their claws."

"If you can't handle it, have Ma Feng come to me, and I'll come back to deal with them."

"If you need anything else from me, just handle it the same way you would normally handle it..."

Xu Wu nodded: "Understood!"

Wang Wen waved his hand: "Go ahead and do your thing, I'll go home later... By the way, you asked your uncle to help you wipe your butt, but you didn't tell him what kind of butt you were asking him to wipe, did you?"

Xu Wu: "Of course I didn't say that. I'm not stupid. If I told the old man that I killed the Crown Prince's staff, he would break my legs."

Wang Wen: "You bumpkin, I already said that's called the Eastern Palace... Get lost!"

Xu Wu: "Hey, I'm leaving right now!"

Wang Wen sat comfortably in his chair, watching Xu Wu leave the hall with measured steps. He instinctively summoned the Mountain God's Token and glanced at it, only to see:

[Huangshan God (Chengtian Jianguo Simin Shengfu Mingling King)]

[Achievements: 319186]

[Yin De: 1565]

Merit: 5283

[Yin Spirit: Return to Emptiness]

[Shrines: Huangshan Temple, Xuzhou City God Temple]

[Hundred Schools: Taiyi Salvation and Protection Scripture (Fifth Heaven) (+), Nine Tribulations Returning to Origin Body (Sixth Heaven), Boundless Ocean Divine Skill (Nineth Heaven), Lightning Thunder Fist (Perfect), Palm Thunder (Perfect), Six Harmonies Spear (Divine Mastery)...]

The three-in-one plan has been in effect for nearly a month.

With two Yin spirits taking up positions at the Huangshan Divine Palace and the Kuaiji Mountain Divine Temple, the growth rate of the three dimensions has significantly improved.

Yin De is still rising by nearly 100 points every day.

The merit points are slightly lower, but the daily increase is still close to forty points.

That adds up to 140 points...

As for the merit points that come and go quickly, the daily increase has now exceeded one thousand points.

But Wang Wen felt that his development of Huainan Road might not even have reached a passing grade.

'No rush, take your time...'

He put away the Mountain God's Token and consoled himself: 'The advantage is with me, the future is promising!' (End of Chapter)