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In the forty-sixth year of Emperor Chongming's reign, winter.
The Emperor passed away, and the Dragon minister plotted rebellion.
The Duke of Weiyuan, holding the late Emperor's edict, led his troops to suppress the rebellion, and blood stained the Anding Gate.
The next day.
Divine Capital was under martial law as the military hunted the remnants of the Dragon minister's faction, filling the sky-prison to the brim.
…
In the sky-prison.
Someone clutched at the bars, pleading for mercy.
"Your Majesty, your old servant is wronged!"
"I have absolutely no connection with Long Ni!"
"Long Ni deserves death at everyone's hands!"
Others, certain of their impending death, cursed Emperor Chongming fiercely.
"Heaven is blind; how is the Dog Emperor qualified to shepherd the people?"
"The Zhao Imperial Family's death is not a pity!"
"Dog Emperor, I regret not being able to chew on your bones and flesh!"
"Old scoundrel, how dare you insult the late Emperor, I won't share the sky with you."
"Lu, you old dog, if it weren't for the Dragon minister's protection back in the day, your whole family would have been executed for embezzling hundreds of thousands of taels of military provisions!"
"..."
The sky-prison had never been this lively, noisy as a marketplace.
The quarreling parties even came to blows, civil officials grabbing hair and military officials throwing groin kicks.
The prison guards watching were dazzled and whispered amongst themselves that these high-ranking figures couldn't even preserve their dignity before death.
In Cell Jia 9.
It was clean and tidy inside and out.
Zhou Yi opened the cell door, inside were only two middle-aged men confined.
A large collar, large enough to reach only halfway up a person, trapped their necks. They could only kneel with their heads down, lest the harshness of the collar break their necks.
Upon hearing footsteps, the prisoners struggled to lift their heads to look.
Zhou Yi greeted them with a smile, "Young Master Long, we meet again!"
"Who are you?"
The voice of Young Master Long was dry and hoarse, a stark contrast to the arrogance he had shown upon entering the sky-prison.
"Indeed, how could a noble young master like yourself remember a small fry like me."
Zhou Yi's smile remained, "These past years, whenever Young Master Long made visits to the sky-prison, I'm the one who brought your meals. If I didn't serve well, I'd be slapped."
Young Master Long frowned slightly, beginning to remember.
But having beaten and killed so many people on ordinary days, he couldn't recall when he had hit Zhou Yi.
"Scoundrel!"
Young Master Long said contemptuously, "You act like a dog on ordinary days and only dare to take revenge when I'm down on my luck!"
"I hope Young Master Long can always stay so tough."
Zhou Yi was not the least bit angry. He never intended to be a good guy because he didn't want someone pointing a gun at him.
Therefore, he chose to be the bad sort of good guy, the evil sort of righteous man.
If Young Master Long slapped me, even if ten years pass, I must retaliate.
Forgiving him is Buddha's business; Zhou Yi's sole responsibility is to send him off to the Western Paradise!
"Over the years in the sky-prison, I've learned a variety of things. Since time is limited, I won't try them one by one."
Zhou Yi spoke calmly, as if chatting with an old friend, "In a few days, you might be interrogated again, so we won't need torture instruments. Please, Young Master Long, try this pill... "
He pulled from his sleeve a round, bright-red pill with strange patterns on its surface.
"A few years ago, the Jinyiwei caught a thief skilled in gu poisons. Before he died, he used this pill to trade for a jar of ten-year-old pear blossom white wine."
Zhou Yi always thought of Wei Chang whenever pear blossom white was mentioned, much of his resentment towards Young Master Long over the years came from this.
The good are executed, the bad roam free.
"According to the thief, there is a strange insect within this pill. After ingesting, it hatches in the stomach and intestines, then feeds on the internal organs. Since it eats little, the victim can live for another year or so."
Zhou Yi grabbed Young Master Long's mouth, easily prying it open, and with a flick of his finger, the pill went down his throat.
"Heh heh heh..."
Young Master Long choked, unable to speak, until the pill dissolved, and he felt something crawling down his throat.
Reaching the lungs, it perhaps grew tired and hungry, and began to randomly nibble at the flesh and blood.
"Ah—"
A scream of utter agony brought a sudden silence to the otherwise noisy cells.
Young Master Long's neck and hands were locked in the heavy collar, his legs shackled; despite the excruciating pain, his struggles were confined to a limited range.
His face turned red, veins bulged, resembling a ferocious ghost.
After a moment.
The gu worm, having fed, began to rest, and the pain slowly subsided. When Young Master Long looked up at Zhou Yi again, there was palpable fear in his eyes.
"Rest well, Young Master Long. The gu worm will wake up at any time, and it will be hard to get a good night's sleep from now on."
After saying this, Zhou Yi turned to look at the person next to him.
The younger brother of Young Master Long, a teenager only in his teens. One has to admit, the Dragon minister was vigorous in his old age.
"Don't come over here!"
The young man shook with fear. Seeing Zhou Yi staring at him, he babbled, "My father is the Grand Secretary, my mother is a princess... I carry the blood of the Imperial Clan, don't come over..."
At that moment.
Colonel Niu entered with the prison guards, relieved to see Young Master Long still alive.
"I knew it, little Yi wouldn't be too harsh, would he?"
Torturing prisoners in the sky-prison was a common occurrence, and as long as it didn't interfere with interrogation or execution, no one cared what torture the felons endured.
Zhou Yi stood up to greet him, whispering, "Uncle Niu, I didn't see Lei Suyu today?"
"Lei Suyu is in seclusion for reflection. He handed over all the prison affairs to me."
Colonel Niu's voice was deep, yet he couldn't hide the joy on his face.
With Lei Suyu implicated in the rebellion, the likelihood of his return dwindled, and with some maneuvering, Colonel Niu was sure to take over the position of prison warden.
As the others left the cell, the young man's fear gradually faded, and he turned to look at Young Master Long.
```
"Brother, are you feeling any better?"
Young Master Long watched the youth with venomous eyes, and through gritted teeth he spat, "It's all because of you, this monstrous spawn, that I have fallen to such a state. Father surely would have achieved his great plan!"
The youth mumbled, "Brother, how can you say that? Mother and I both support Father..."
"Don't mention that cheap woman!"
Young Master Long cursed, "That cheap woman seduced our father when she was drunk, birthing you, the monstrous issue, like a nail from the Dog Emperor. If it weren't for that cheap woman's false message saying the Dog Emperor still had several years to live, would Father have rebelled so hastily?"
"According to the original plan, involving the transfer of a hundred thousand troops from the Capital Garrison, success was guaranteed!"
The youth's eyes were dull, and he couldn't believe what he was hearing, "It can't be! It can't be! How could Mother deceive me? She even said I have the blood of two imperial dynasties and am destined to ascend the throne!"
"You fool..."
Just as Young Master Long was about to sneer a few words, the gu insects suddenly came over and began to nibble at his intestines.
Piercing, continuous screams followed.
...
Evening.
Zhou Yi carried a large wooden bucket, delivering meals from cell to cell.
The hungry civil and military officials, who hadn't eaten all day, were ravenous, and not caring for the quality of the food, crouched on the ground gulping down the gruel.
"Little brother, another spoonful, please, just one more!"
A familiar yet strange voice.
Zhou Yi carefully identified it and after a long while recognized, "Minister Liu, we meet again!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the cell number and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
"It's Prison Cell Yi Six again!"
Liu Shilang, weathered as he was, hardly cared about this slight, and with a brazen face, he said, "It's fate, little brother!"
Zhou Yi asked, "Minister Liu, I've wanted to ask for years, since you were so close to Master Su, why did you report him?"
"Old Su's mouth could never hold water!"
Liu Shilang shrugged, "If I hadn't reported him, he would have gotten into trouble sooner or later. Since we were all friends, why let others benefit from his fall? Better to credit me with the achievement!"
"I'm impressed!"
Zhou Yi truly admired him and hurriedly served Liu Shilang good wine and meat.
...
Prison Cell Jia Twelve.
Zhou Yi poured the gruel into a basin, leaving the prisoners to divide it among themselves.
Prison Cell Jia housed violent criminals and strongmen, most of whom had martial skills and would divide the food according to strength and weakness.
The strong got to sleep on beds and eat their fill, while the weak had to guard the chamber pot and starve.
Suddenly, a voice came from a corner of the cell, "Brother Yi, is that you?"
"Master Luo? What are you doing here?"
Upon hearing a familiar voice, Zhou Yi waved for the prisoners to give way, only then could he see the figure lying in the corner.
Five Tiger Martial Arts School, Luo Hu.
He had seven or eight knife wounds on his body, his clothes soaked with blood, an arrow broken off in his shoulder, and his legs twisted irregularly.
Zhou Yi then understood why a top master at the Refining Organs Realm was not kept in solitary confinement. Luo Hu's injuries were so severe that he retained only a tenth of his strength, and his shattered leg bones completely eliminated any chance of escaping from prison.
Luo Hu leaned against the wall and pleaded, "Brother Yi, I have some things I'd like to discuss with you alone."
"Alright."
Zhou Yi spoke to the guard, asking to transfer him and the others to another cell temporarily to make space.
The prisoners dared not complain, for causing trouble could spoil the jailer's mood, and from then on, they would not have any pleasant days ahead, with treatments of varying cruelty every day.
In Prison Cell Jia Twelve, only Zhou Yi and Luo Hu were left.
Luo Hu spoke directly, "I have a house in the Capital; it's registered under another name from out of town. At the bottom of the well, there are several thousand silver taels, the Five Tiger Fist manual, and tonic formulas. Brother Yi, take them. It should be enough to cultivate to the Marrow Cleansing Realm."
Zhou Yi asked, "What's the matter first?"
Luo Hu said in a low voice, "Brother Yi, think of a way to get my son out, to leave a lineage for the Luo family..."
"Your son can't be released!"
Zhou Yi rejected the idea outright. Ten martial arts schools in the Capital were suspected of treason, and during execution, their identities were carefully verified.
For distant relatives, Zhou Yi might think of a way to get them out, but Luo Hu's son was surely on the watch list.
"Then change to someone else."
Luo Hu suggested, "I have an affair with a widow in the Capital, and she's eight months pregnant. Please take care of her, Brother Yi."
Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and nodded, "If the Jinyiwei haven't caught her yet, I'll help."
Luo Hu lowered his voice, "That house is in Luchang Alley..."
Zhou Yi noted down the address before saying, "Master Luo, you also have to do something for me."
"What is it?"
"Go to Prison Cell Yi Six and kill someone for me!"
"Who?"
"Whenever someone eats their last meal, kill them!"
Zhou Yi whispered his instructions and left the cell, sending back the original prisoners.
Soon after.
A quarrel broke out in the cell, which escalated into a brawl.
Luo Hu, now reduced from a tiger to a dog, was humiliated by unskilled fighters and his injuries worsened, nearly killing him on the spot.
"What's all this ruckus? No food for three days!"
The jailer scolded and, fearing Luo Hu might be killed by the other prisoners, moved him to another cell.
Prison Cell Yi Six.
Minister Liu was enjoying his wine and meat when a bloody prisoner was thrown in; he couldn't help but look over several times.
Luo Hu: "What are you looking at?"
Minister Liu: "I am a minister... Ah!"
Luo Hu pounced on Minister Liu, smashing heads violently together.
Minister Liu, just a civil servant and an old man, was killed instantly, his brains spilling out and splattering the faces of surrounding officials.
The supervising jailer quickly intervened to separate Luo Hu, beating and kicking him for a while before confining him to another cell.
Not long after.
There was a loud bang in the cell - Luo Hu had committed suicide by smashing his head against the wall.