Only after unifying the world did I realize that immortals existed in this world.

"Hurry up! What are you dawdling for?!"

"Slacking off again?!"

"Ha~ Where did that smugness from a few days ago go?!"

……

"Slap! Slap!"

The vicious whip lashed across his back, causing the man carrying the heavy timber to sway and groan.

Shi Yu gritted his teeth and glared at the person who was controlling him.

During this period of time, his dignity has been trampled underfoot countless times by these ordinary people.

Imprisonment is not just sitting in a cage, but hard labor! It is only right and proper for criminals to be punished!

To many, Xie Cangrong is a benevolent ruler, but this "benevolence" is clearly not extended to criminals.

If you don't work, you'll be beaten and you won't get any food.

Even cultivators... are no exception!

"What are you looking at?!"

The officer in charge glared at him and said irritably, "You expect someone to come and bail you out?!"

Why be polite to criminals?

Criminals have no human rights!

So what if you're a cultivator? You still have to do your job properly.

"Forehead……"

Shi Yu gritted his teeth and carried the heavy timber forward.

When he possessed magical power, he could easily lift such a small, heavy object with a wave of his hand. However, after being cursed by that sorcerer, he lost all his magical power. He also stopped practicing swordsmanship and martial arts, and his body was not strong, no different from that of an ordinary person.

Even hard labor can get tiring after a while.

"You just wait...you just wait..."

Now, the only ones who can comfort him are the elders who have come from other realms.

He Minghao's message confirmed his premonition; all that remained was to wait.

With the elders' strength, overthrowing a country would be a piece of cake!

Now, for some unknown reason, he has been delayed and no one has come to claim him yet.

He Minghao, who had previously taken good care of him, is now nowhere to be found. Without He Minghao, his days in prison are becoming increasingly difficult.

As time went by, an ominous premonition lingered more and more in my mind.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the surrounding officials, as if trying to etch their faces into his memory: "The humiliation of today, I, Shi, will repay a hundredfold in the future!"

The official picked at his ear, glared at him, and said, "It's always the same few lines over and over again! I'm sick of hearing them! Who do you think you are? You're just a piece of trash!"

They've all been locked up in jail, but I don't know where this guy gets the energy to refuse to accept his fate.

Another whip lashed out.

"Forehead……"

Shi Yu groaned and mechanically moved his feet.

"Hehe~"

Just then, a sneer came from not far away.

A higher-ranking officer chuckled, looking at him with interest: "Are you still waiting for someone to rescue you?"

"Let me tell you the truth! Your so-called elder must abide by the rules of Great Xia even in Great Xia!"

"They left yesterday on their fairy boat!"

"No one will save you!"

Shi Yu's eyes narrowed sharply, and he froze on the spot. He turned around and looked at the man in disbelief: "What?!"

"What did you say?!"

The pain of the whip striking his body was long forgotten.

At this moment, his mind was in turmoil, and he had forgotten everything else. His eyes widened, and he took a few steps forward, only to be held back by several officials. But he still glared at the man and roared, "This is impossible?!"

"How is that impossible!"

The official shrugged and said casually, "Go ahead and ask around. The immortal ship has flown away. Many people in Lieyang City saw it."

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..."

"Bang!"

The lumber fell to the ground. Shi Yu shook his head, looking utterly dejected, and slumped down in the dust, his head buried deep in the dirt, his lips moving silently...

"You! Dare to slack off?!"

The officer who was in charge of him wanted to urge him to work further, but the man who spoke grabbed his wrist and gently shook his head.

At this point, Shi Yu clearly had no time to attend to anything else.

The reason I've been able to hold on until now is entirely due to this last straw in my heart.

However, this straw has now been ruthlessly snapped.

The fairy boat is gone? What will happen to him then?!

I didn't get on the ship!

I haven't boarded the ship yet!

Although he was unwilling to believe it, subconsciously he had already accepted the facts that the official had told him.

Has the sect... given up on him?

He stared blankly at the criminals around him, dressed in prison uniforms and doing hard labor.

Could it be... that he really intends to stay here and suffer for two more years?

Time flowed slowly by, and he was in a daze. He didn't know how much time had passed, or how he had managed to finish his work over the past few days.

And so I sank into despair, until one day...

Light shone into the prison.

"Shiyu!"

It was the same official who had told him the cloud boat had flown away. Today, he opened the prison door, smiled at him, and said, "Someone wants to see you."

"Um?"

Shi Yu looked up blankly at the person who had come.

The interrogation room was dimly lit.

Two officials sat opposite Shi Yu. One had a goatee, narrow eyes, and an unfathomable smile, looking somewhat sinister. The other held a pen and had a serious expression.

After a brief silence, the sinister official spoke first: "Shiyu, our dynasty governs by law, and the laws are strict. Violations will be investigated and punished. However, there is also the possibility of redemption through meritorious service, which can lead to a reduced sentence or punishment."

"You don't want to serve two years in prison here, do you?"

Shi Yu's unfocused eyes gradually focused. He suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the smiling official: "What do you mean?"

"You are a monk; you know many things that we don't."

"A cultivator?"

Shi Yu chuckled softly. After living like a dog for months, he had almost forgotten he was a cultivator: "What do you want to know?"

The official laughed, "We want to know everything!"

Shi Yu glanced at him sideways: "You want me to betray the sect?"

"Envoy Lu repeatedly claims he wants to unite with us and has been sharing information with us. How can that be considered betraying our sect?"

"snort!"

Shi Yu snorted coldly and said only, "You all underestimate me, Shi Yu!"

The official smiled at him, not pressing the matter, but simply stood up: "It seems you haven't grasped the situation yet. No problem, we have plenty of time. My name is Ji Qu, you can come to me again."

"Only once."

Without asking any further questions, he prepared to leave.

"Oh, right."

As she reached the door, she seemed to remember something, turned back, and smiled at him, saying, "You should know we've captured more than just you. We have other ways to gather intelligence, and the more we know, the less valuable you become..."

The sound gradually faded away, yet it kept echoing in Shi Yu's ears.

"Squeak!"

The prison doors closed, and everything returned to calm.

Is this over?

Shi Yu sat on the ground in a daze, momentarily lost in thought.

Not long after,

"Get up! Get up, all of you!"

"Get to work!"

"Don't be lazy!"

A rough voice came, and another day of hard labor began.