If you force me to take the blame, I'll spend a day in jail and gain a year's worth of spi

"What? Eldest sister, I..." Xiao Sheng was dumbfounded and hurriedly tried to explain.

"What is Chairman Du Jun's status?"

Xiao Fenghua's tone turned cold.

"He was a transcendent figure whom even my father and grandfather had to show deference to. He lived a secluded life and was rarely seen."

Why would he personally come to this filthy prison to visit a marquis's son who has committed a serious crime and has been sentenced to fifty years in prison?

How could I possibly associate with him as an equal, or address him as a brother?

She shook her head slightly, her eyes filled with even greater disappointment.

"Xiao Sheng, even if you're going to make up a lie, you should at least make it sound plausible."

Do you think my father and I are so easily fooled by such a blatant lie to deceive the royal palace?

"I think you've been locked up in this prison for too long, and you're becoming increasingly reckless and delusional."

Xiao Fenghua didn't believe it at all.

In her view, this was a shocking "adventure" deliberately fabricated by Xiao Sheng, his good-for-nothing younger brother, in order to escape his predicament as soon as possible or to attract the attention of the Prince's Mansion.

What Chairman Du, what mysterious prisoner—it's all just a trick he uses to evade punishment and attract attention.

As for the prisoner's claim that he could produce Bodhi Pills or something similar, that's utter nonsense. It's likely that Xiao Sheng embellished the story to make the "lie" more believable.

Xiao Sheng was stunned by his elder sister's stern reprimand, and his face turned red with anxiety: "Elder sister, I really didn't lie to you. If you don't believe me, ask Lüyi, Fendai, and everyone else here. They saw it too."

"shut up."

Xiao Fenghua shouted sternly, exuding an aura of authority that came from long-held superiority, which made Xiao Sheng choke on his words.

"...The maidservants beside you will naturally speak on your behalf."

Moreover, within the imperial prison, who doesn't fear the majesty of my imperial family? If you ask them to cooperate in lying, how dare they disobey?

Xiao Fenghua asserted that the whole thing was a farce orchestrated by Xiao Sheng, and that Zhang Yu was nothing more than an insignificant "prop" forced to cooperate.

She couldn't even be bothered to look at Zhang Yu again, feeling that it would be a waste to look at him even once more.

Zhang Yu, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, closing his eyes to rest. Adhering to the principle of "keeping a low profile and not standing out," he paid no attention to Xiao Fenghua's accusations and contempt.

The prisoners watching from the sidelines, influenced by Xiao Fenghua's powerful aura and "reasonable" analysis, also began to have doubts:

"Yes, it's normal for the young master to make up a story in order to get out..."

"Who is Chairman Du? Why would he come to a place like this?"

"Maybe it really is a pre-arranged charade..."

However, just as doubts began to rise, and Xiao Fenghua was about to turn and leave again, Xiao Sheng was so anxious he was jumping up and down, but he was helpless—

hum...

A faint, strange buzzing sound suddenly echoed throughout the entire prison area.

The fluctuation was so slight, like the smallest ripple, that it would be completely undetectable to anyone other than a master of formations.

The cells remained the same, the lights remained the same, and even the flow of air seemed unchanged.

However, Xiao Fenghua, a prodigy who had cultivated the secret "Minghuang Heart Sutra" of the Prince Jing's mansion and was also skilled in formations, instantly noticed this anomaly.

More importantly, she wears the secret treasure of the Prince of Jin's mansion, the Eye of Illusion, which can see through mazes and illusions to a certain extent.

She abruptly stopped, a glint of light flashing in her phoenix eyes as she locked onto the source of the disturbance—Zhang Yu's prison cell.

Zhang Yu, sitting cross-legged, still had his eyes closed and his expression calm.

But the air in front of him began to distort and ripple like water, a distortion and undulation that was difficult to detect with the naked eye but was undeniably real.

Immediately afterward, under Xiao Fenghua's horrified gaze, a disheveled old man brazenly walked into the prison and stood in front of Zhang Yu.

The old man was slightly hunched over, wearing a dusty, oil-stained old robe, with messy, gray hair, and what appeared to be a... wine gourd in his hand.

Strangely, apart from Xiao Fenghua, no one else noticed or even saw the old man.

If Xiao Fenghua hadn't been skilled in array formations and hadn't worn the Eye of Illusion, she wouldn't have been able to see it either.

This old man had actually managed to silently embed an extremely sophisticated illusion array during the gaps in the operation of the Heavenly Prison defensive array, perfectly "hiding" himself and deceiving everyone's perception and sight.

This method is simply appalling.

What shocked Xiao Fenghua even more was that Zhang Yu, who was in the prison, seemed unsurprised by the old man's arrival.

He slowly opened his eyes as the old man walked up to him.

That disheveled old man—was none other than Chen Dongpeng.

He took a swig of wine, smacked his lips, and muttered with some complaint, "No wonder this is the Heavenly Prison; this tortoise shell is really hard. It took me almost fifteen minutes to quietly embed the illusion array into it. I'm exhausted."

His tone was casual, as if he were just saying the weather was nice today, but the content of his words made Xiao Fenghua's heart pound.

A quarter of an hour?

Silently infiltrating the Heavenly Prison Formation?

The alarm hasn't been triggered yet?

Is this...is this something a human could do?!

Zhang Yu showed no surprise at Chen Dongpeng's arrival, as if he had expected it: "Stop showing off, you're here to say goodbye, aren't you?"

Chen Dongpeng chuckled and took another swig of wine:

"You really know me well, kid. I've done everything you asked me to do, including modifying the alchemy furnace formation and the earth fire veins, as well as those hidden 'backdoors'."

Now that silly boy (referring to Zhang Heng) has kicked me out, perfect, I'm too lazy to serve him anymore.

"Just came over to say hello. This old man's going south to find some good wine and maybe get some peace and quiet."

Zhang Yu nodded: "I will have someone send the second half of the 'Zhou Tian Xing Yan Zhen Tu' that I promised you to the usual place."

Chen Dongpeng's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together, saying:

"Hehe, that's exactly what I was waiting for you to say."

Don't worry, I've done everything I promised you.

Those "backup plans" are enough to give those ungrateful wretches a run for their money.

"Let's go, let's go. This place's formation is making me uncomfortable."

After he finished speaking, he waved to Zhang Yu, turned around, and just like when he came in, ignored the walls and fences and swayed as he "passed" through.

After he left, the barely perceptible fluctuations in the array within the prison subsided.

Throughout the entire process, no one else noticed except for Xiao Fenghua and Zhang Yu.

Xiao Sheng and the others remained in their original emotional state, completely unaware of what had just happened.

However, Xiao Fenghua felt ice-cold all over, as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

Her knuckles turned white from gripping the "Eye of Illusion" so tightly that the color drained from her beautiful face, leaving only boundless shock and...fear!

This old man... can actually add illusion arrays at will within the Heavenly Prison defensive array, and move in and out freely?

What terrifying level of understanding of formations would that require?

He is definitely a master of formations.

No, he is most likely a legendary grandmaster of formations.

And such a terrifying being was actually recruited by Zhang Yu?

Moreover, judging from their conversation, Zhang Yu seems to possess a formation inheritance that could even excite this old man (the second half of the "Zhou Tian Xing Yan Zhen Tu").

Zhang Yu asked him to modify the formation of Dingshengfang, and he even left a "backup plan"?

Everything is connected!

Du Jun's visit, the casual gift of Bodhi Pill, and the obedience of this array master... how could this be a "discarded son of a marquis's family"?

This is clearly a mysterious behemoth who is extremely well hidden, possesses astonishing power, and has many talented and extraordinary subordinates!

What Hsiao Sheng-hsin said is probably not an exaggeration at all, and he may even have been holding back some information!

If she hadn't been an expert in formations and hadn't happened to wear the Eye of Illusion, she wouldn't have been able to perceive what had just happened.

The thought that he had just arrogantly accused Xiao Sheng of lying and looked down on Zhang Yu as a "prop"...

An unprecedented sense of shame and lingering fear swept over Xiao Fenghua.

She recalled her "reasonable" analysis and contemptuous assertion, and now felt her face burning with embarrassment, wishing she could disappear into the ground.

She almost caused the Prince Jing's mansion to provoke a terrifying existence that was completely unimaginable and impossible to offend because of her arrogance and prejudice!

Zhang Yu seemed to sense Xiao Fenghua's turbulent emotions and horrified gaze.

He slowly turned his head, his gaze calmly meeting Xiao Fenghua's, who was still standing frozen in place.

His gaze remained calm, devoid of mockery or smugness, only a profound and unfathomable tranquility.

But it was this tranquility that made Xiao Fenghua feel even deeper pressure and awe.

Zhang Yu didn't say anything, he just quietly looked at her.

However, this silent gaze is more impactful than any verbal questioning or slap in the face.

Xiao Fenghua opened her mouth, but her throat was dry. The fluent and authoritative reprimand she had given earlier could not be uttered at this moment.

Faced with absolute strength and facts, all arrogance, prejudice, and self-righteousness appear so ridiculous and vulnerable.

She knew that the mistake she made today might be more serious than any mess Xiao Sheng had ever made.

She also knew that from this moment on, the seemingly ordinary young man in the opposite cell had undergone a complete change in her heart.

He was no longer a prisoner, no longer a "minor character".

He is a mystery, a mysterious and powerful being whom she, and even the entire Jingwang Mansion, must re-examine and even... carefully befriend.