"Come in."
Li Zhiming replied.
Zhang Zibo walked into the room, leaning against the wall, felt for a stool, and sat down.
"Senior Brother Li, I have fulfilled my mission. I found out who that Wang Zi is."
"Tell me."
Li Zhiming poured two cups of tea and placed them on the old desk in the room.
Then he went over and pulled shut the cloth curtain hanging from a railing.
"That Wang Zi works under a Patrol Guard captain in the Eighth District named Jiang Yuan. Word is he used to be a disciple of Hundred Flowers Peak. He is arrogant and domineering, constantly bullying the prison guards, and his subordinates are no different."
"They say he also has ties with an elder in charge of logistics at Xuyuan Prison. Relying on this connection, he has embezzled the stipends of quite a few people. Everyone is too angry to speak out," Zhang Zibo said slowly.
"I see."
Li Zhiming narrowed his eyes. His own stipend had never been issued because it had actually been withheld by the Patrol Guard captain of the Eighth District.
Yet someone from the Eighth District dared to withhold the stipends of prison guards from other districts—it was simply too flagrant.
"Thank you for your hard work. This is your reward."
Li Zhiming placed a Vitality Pill in Zhang Zibo's palm.
"A Vitality Pill. Go back and get some good rest."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Li."
Hearing that it was a Vitality Pill, Zhang Zibo was so excited that his voice trembled slightly.
He hurriedly stood up, bowed with cupped hands, and left quickly, clutching the Vitality Pill tightly.
"Jiang Yuan, disciple of Hundred Flowers Peak..."
"Heh, that bitch truly is a ghost that refuses to disperse!"
Li Zhiming let out a low, cold laugh. From the moment he heard that Jiang Yuan was a disciple of Hundred Flowers Peak, he had understood everything.
That Wang Zi had come today at the secret instigation of Tian Yaoyao.
That venomous woman—he had treated her so well back then.
And now, she had betrayed him for a secret technique, colluding with Qi Yang to frame him and reduce him to a prison guard, a cripple.
Fortunately, he was favored by the heavens and had obtained the Corpse-Collecting System.
Otherwise, within a month at most, he surely would have been tortured to death here.
Li Zhiming did not want to dwell on it any longer. He had experienced too much today, which had consumed a great deal of his energy.
It was getting late, and it was time for him to get some proper rest.
He needed to preserve his strength so he could deal with Tian Yaoyao's next visit!
...
In the interrogation room of the Eighth District.
Bang~!
With a muffled thud, Wang Zi was sent flying backward, slamming heavily against the wall.
His newly set ribs had just healed, and after suffering such a violent impact, he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
"You worthless piece of shit, you couldn't even handle a crippled Li Zhiming! What use are you?"
The fierce-looking man akimboed, his dark skin failing to conceal the anger on his face.
"Senior Brother Jiang, although that Li Zhiming's cultivation has been crippled, his combat strength is still formidable. I was no match for him at all, cough, cough, cough..." Wang Zi coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood.
"You know Junior Sister Tian from Hundred Flowers Peak, don't you?"
"She is an inner disciple, expected to become the personal disciple of the Hundred Flowers Peak Master—the elite among elites!"
"Cleaning up Li Zhiming was her order. If she isn't satisfied, who takes the responsibility?"
Jiang Yuan walked up to Wang Zi and questioned him in a low voice.
"..."
Wang Zi clenched his teeth and lowered his head in silence.
He was also feeling immensely frustrated, but he simply was no match for Li Zhiming.
If he had any other choice, how could he have ended up in such a sorry state today?
"Senior Brother Jiang, let me think of another way."
"What kind of way can a pighead like you think of?"
Jiang Yuan heavily knocked Wang Zi on the head a few times.
"Forget it, just rest up for the next few days. Leave the rest to me."
"I have plenty of ways to make his life a living hell!" Jiang Yuan said viciously.
In the early hours of the next morning, when the first rays of sunlight streamed in through the high window, Li Zhiming opened his eyes.
After a night of rest, his physical and mental state had reached perfection.
The first thing Li Zhiming did upon opening his eyes was cultivate.
He dressed, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to practice the Taichu Heart Sutra.
Two hours later, Li Zhiming finished his morning cultivation and decided to go find some work.
As soon as he stepped out, Zhao Ming hurried over.
"Senior Brother Li, up so early today?" Zhao Ming greeted him with a smile.
"Is Brother Zhao in such a rush because of something?"
"Nothing much, it's just that the Second Level of Xuyuan Prison needs manpower."
"Ordinary prison guards can hardly withstand the Yin Demonic Dead Qi further down, so guards from only one level are usually sent down for a day or two every month. But Xuyuan Prison is terribly short-handed, and the people below are clamoring for help. I was just wondering how to arrange it," Zhao Ming replied.
"The Second Level?"
Hearing this, Li Zhiming slightly furrowed his brow.
To be frank, the First Level of Xuyuan Prison could no longer satisfy his demands.
He needed to go deeper down to obtain even more generous rewards and grow stronger.
As for the Yin Demonic Dead Qi, ever since he practiced the Taichu Heart Sutra, he no longer feared this energy and could move through it freely.
Right now, this was a rare opportunity to enter the deeper sections of Xuyuan Prison.
However, if he actively asked to go, it would seem too deliberate.
He did not want anyone to discover the secret he carried.
Just then, a group of people slowly approached from a distance.
There were six of them in total, and one could tell they were extraordinary just from their attire and bearing.
Three of them were clearly elders of Xuyuan Prison.
The other three were Patrol Guards—specifically, the Patrol Guard captains of the Eighth, Ninth, and Third Districts.
The captain of the Ninth District was named Wang Quan, who was Zhao Ming's direct superior.
"Greetings to the three elders. I am Zhao Ming, a Patrol Disciple of the Ninth District."
Zhao Ming cupped his fists in salute and shot Li Zhiming a meaningful look.
Seeing this, Li Zhiming also cupped his fists in salute.
However, he did not say a single word.
At a time like this, a prison guard saying nothing was the best course of action.
"Well, have you found the people?"
"It won't do to rely solely on Patrol Disciples for the Second Level. Patrol Disciples mainly focus on cultivation and patrol duties. Clearing out the cells and handling corpses should be left to the prison guards," the middle-aged man at the front said indifferently.
He wore a dark red robe, with a stern expression and a deep, powerful aura.
Li Zhiming could roughly gauge this man's realm.
He was likely above Grade Five, and very possibly a Rank 4 expert!
This must be the person in charge of the First Level of Xuyuan Prison, reportedly named Jin Fengyun.
The two men behind him were Elder Liu, who was in charge of logistics for the First Level, and an executive elder from the Second Level.
"You must be the disciple who was demoted to a prison guard by the Inner Sect some time ago, right?"
Jin Fengyun glanced sideways at Li Zhiming, looking him up and down.
"Reporting to Elder, I am indeed, and my name is Li Zhiming."
"I heard you were stripped of your cultivation and demoted to a menial for colluding with demonic outsider paths. Yet you weren't expelled from the sect—it seems you've made quite significant contributions to the sect."
"Regarding this matter, I can only say that if one is determined to incriminate someone, pretexts are never lacking."
Li Zhiming replied, his tone neither humble nor arrogant.
What he hadn't done, he hadn't done. No matter who asked, he would give the exact same answer.
"What a fine 'if one is determined to incriminate someone, pretexts are never lacking'."
Jin Fengyun smiled, his tone deepening slightly.
"You are Li Zhiming?"
At this moment, a dark-skinned man behind the group stepped out and asked.
"Jiang Yuan, you recognize him?" Elder Liu of logistics inquired.
"This disciple doesn't recognize him; I've only heard his name. Yesterday, I heard that Li Zhiming had a fierce brawl with other prison guards and displayed quite extraordinary combat strength."
"Li Zhiming, is what Jiang Yuan said true?!" Elder Liu's tone turned severe.
"..."
Li Zhiming remained silent. This dark-skinned bastard turned out to be Jiang Yuan, the Patrol Guard captain of the Eighth District.
And this goateed old man was Elder Liu, who was in charge of logistics and the distribution of stipends for the First Level.
Jiang Yuan relied on this Elder Liu to withhold the stipends of himself and several other prison guards.
This was why many people dared to be angry but didn't dare to speak.
"Why aren't you answering Elder Liu's question?"
Jin Fengyun looked at Li Zhiming, the inspecting look in his eyes intensifying.
"It is true. Another prison guard came to demand his stipend from this disciple, but since I had no stipend to give him, we ended up fighting."
"If your cultivation was crippled, how did you win?" Elder Liu began pressing him.
"A lean camel is still bigger than a horse. Even though my cultivation was destroyed, my experience and physical foundation remain. For an unranked Martial Disciple to think he can defeat me is simply wishful thinking," Li Zhiming replied unhurriedly.
"I see. That does make sense." Jin Fengyun nodded.
At that moment, Jiang Yuan spoke up again, "Well, since you're so formidable and still have your foundation, why doesn't the Ninth District send you to help out on the Second Level?"
"Being able to defeat Wang Zi shows your strength isn't bad; you can stay an extra couple of days."
"Captain Wang, what do you think?"
Jiang Yuan looked at the young man ahead, a flash of coldness in his eyes.
This truly was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; he hadn't expected to encounter it here.
No matter how good Li Zhiming's foundation was, his cultivation was virtually gone.
The Yin Demonic Dead Qi on the Second Level was far stronger than on the First, and with his existing injuries, staying down there for even a second would be sheer torture.
"Li Zhiming, go down there and properly experience what it's like to wish you were dead," Jiang Yuan sneered inwardly.
What Jiang Yuan did not know, however, was that his actions played right into Li Zhiming's hands.
Li Zhiming had just been lacking an excuse to head further down.
"..." Li Zhiming wore an ugly expression, but inwardly he was blooming with joy.
He knew that because he had beaten Jiang Yuan's man, Jiang Yuan would definitely seize any opportunity to secretly trip him up and cause trouble for him.
Wang Quan, the Patrol Guard captain of the Ninth District, glanced at Zhao Ming.
After all, Li Zhiming was under Zhao Ming's command, so he still needed to consult Zhao Ming's opinion.
Besides, just last night Zhao Ming had specifically sought him out to say that although Li Zhiming had been demoted to a prison guard, he still had some connections within the Inner Sect, so he should be shown a little care.
Seeing this, Zhao Ming found himself in a very difficult spot.
He had just said last night that Li Zhiming could come to him if there were any problems.
He hadn't expected the slap in the face to arrive so quickly.
Li Zhiming's cultivation had already been crippled, and he still had injuries on him. Even with a foundation, he wouldn't be able to withstand the Yin Demonic Dead Qi of the Second Level.
If he went down there and stayed for two or three days, he would surely be stripped of a layer of skin.