14: Chapter 14: Search after release from prison, escorting Lei Laohu!

Morning light pierced through the gloom of the Celestial Prison.

The jailers on duty pushed open the main gate, but before they could even step inside, they were frozen in place by the sight before them.

Although the bloodstains on the ground had been wiped away, the dark red lingering in the crevices of the stone slabs remained eyesores.

What made their skin crawl even more was the news—two people had died in last night's riot.

He Wan and Liu Haifeng.

The old-timers who usually hung around the Cell Block D had turned stone-cold overnight.

“Have you heard? The Red Lotus Demonic Cult came to break someone out last night.”

“For real? Then how come this place didn't collapse?”

“It's all thanks to Chen Ran. I heard he held Cell No. 7 by himself and even worked with the lords from Six Doors to quell the riot.”

“Chen Ran, that sickly fellow?”

Everyone's gaze shifted simultaneously toward the end of the corridor.

At the end of their sight, Chen Ran sat in a grandmaster chair, holding a teacup. The rising steam blurred his features.

Two new jailers stood behind him, diligently massaging his shoulders.

“Brother Chen, is this pressure alright?”

“To the left, a bit harder.”

Chen Ran took a sip of tea without even lifting his eyelids.

This air of authority was even grander than that of Captain Wang.

The jailers who usually ignored Chen Ran now felt their cheeks burning with embarrassment.

Who could have imagined that this normally submissive nobody was actually a ruthless character hiding his strength?

“Bro... Brother Chen...”

Zhang Wen rubbed his hands together, his back hunched like a shrimp as he approached with a fawning expression.

“You were truly heroic last night. Before, I was blind to your greatness; please don't hold a grudge against a small person like me.”

Chen Ran set down his teacup, the porcelain clicking against the tabletop with a crisp sound.

Zhang Wen's heart trembled along with the sound.

“Brother Zhang, you're too polite.”

Chen Ran fished out a few pieces of broken silver from his robe and tossed them onto the table.

The silver spun on the table, emitting an enticing luster.

“Everyone was startled last night. Take this to buy some wine and calm your nerves.”

The jailers' eyes lit up instantly.

“Thank you, Brother Chen!”

“Brother Chen is so generous!”

Flattery poured in like a tide.

Chen Ran stood up and brushed off non-existent dust from his hem.

“Alright, get to work.”

“I'm going out to handle some business.”

“Yes! Take care, Brother Chen!”

The jailers responded in unison, standing up straight as they watched Chen Ran depart.

...

Stepping out of the Celestial Prison's main gate.

The sunlight was a bit blinding.

Chen Ran squinted his eyes and took a deep breath of the air, which carried the scent of everyday life.

This was the first time since his Transmigration that he had walked out of this gloomy cage during the day.

The capital's streets were wide, lined with shops on both sides.

Although it was the final years of the Great Wei, the area under the Emperor's feet still maintained a surface-level prosperity.

The sounds of peddling, bargaining, and carriages merged into a massive wave of noise.

Chen Ran blended into the crowd, completely unremarkable.

He didn't linger, heading south following the address given by Ghost Hand Li Si.

Passing through the bustling downtown area, the surroundings gradually became desolate.

Dilapidated houses, sewage everywhere, and refugees huddled in corners with numb expressions.

The south of the city, the slums.

After many twists and turns, Chen Ran found an abandoned courtyard in a remote dead-end alley.

The courtyard wall had halfway collapsed, and the inside was overgrown with weeds.

He vaulted into the courtyard and headed straight for the dead old locust tree in the backyard.

He drew his waist saber and began to dig.

Dirt flew everywhere.

*Clink.*

The tip of the blade hit something hard.

Chen Ran brushed away the loose soil and pulled out a rusted iron box.

He opened it.

Two yellowed booklets lay quietly inside.

“As expected, it's the Breath Concealment Technique and the Tortoise Breathing Art.”

Chen Ran opened the booklets.

[Cultivation Technique 'Tortoise Breathing Art' detected. Do you wish to learn it?]

“Learn.”

*Boom.*

A cool current of air surged into his mind.

Countless methods regarding breathing, heartbeat, and the control of Qi and blood were instantly branded into the depths of his memory.

[Congratulations, Host. You have mastered the Tortoise Breathing Art (Major Achievement).]

Chen Ran sat cross-legged under the tree, eagerly beginning to try it out.

As the Mind-Cultivation Technique operated, he felt a wondrous change occurring in his body.

First was his breathing.

His originally long breaths became faint and indistinct, eventually stopping completely.

Yet he didn't feel suffocated; instead, his pores seemed to dilate, as if his entire body were breathing.

Next was his heartbeat.

*Thump... Thump... Thump...*

The powerful heartbeat gradually slowed down.

Sixty times a minute... thirty times... ten times...

Finally, it only beat once every few minutes!

The blood flow slowed, his body temperature dropped accordingly, and his skin became as cold as iron.

Chen Ran felt as if he had turned into a stone or a piece of dead wood, completely merging into the desolate courtyard.

Even a rat foraging nearby ignored him, even boldly crawling onto the top of his shoe.

“Is this the Tortoise Breathing Art?”

Chen Ran marveled internally.

In this state, he was just like a dead person.

Unless it was an expert with extremely strong perception or someone conducting a careful face-to-face investigation, his presence would be impossible to detect.

Just as Chen Ran was immersed in this wondrous experience...

The ground suddenly vibrated slightly.

*Clatter, clatter...*

Urgent hoofbeats, accompanied by the rumbling of wheels crushing stone slabs, came from outside the alley.

Someone was coming!

And from the sound of it, there were quite a few of them.

Chen Ran's heart stirred.

Perfect, I'll use you all to test the quality of this Tortoise Breathing Art.

He didn't stand up, remaining in his cross-legged position, but pushed the Tortoise Breathing Art to its limit.

His entire being seemed to transform into a stone statue in the courtyard, devoid of any aura.

Through a gap in the collapsed wall, he saw a group of people and horses galloping past.

Leading them was a chestnut-colored steed.

On the horse's back sat a woman dressed in fiery red.

Lin Wan!

Her expression was solemn, her hand on her sword hilt, as her vigilant gaze scanned the surroundings.

Those sharp eyes seemed capable of seeing through all disguises.

When her gaze swept over the abandoned courtyard, Chen Ran's heart instinctively wanted to race.

But he forcibly suppressed it.

The Tortoise Breathing Art was in full operation; his mind was as calm as still water, without a single ripple.

Lin Wan's gaze lingered on the courtyard for a moment.

Dead trees, weeds, and broken walls.

There was nothing unusual.

She withdrew her gaze and continued forward.

“Phew...”

Chen Ran breathed a sigh of relief internally, but his body remained completely motionless.

That was close!

This famous constable of Six Doors indeed had sharp perception.

For a split second just now, he even felt as if an invisible gaze had pierced through the wall and landed on him.

Fortunately, the Tortoise Breathing Art came through.

Chen Ran continued to observe.

Behind Lin Wan was a prisoner carriage forged from black iron.

Surrounding the carriage were heavily armed constables of Six Doors, each with a solemn expression as if facing a great enemy.

Locked inside the carriage was a burly man.

The man had a full beard and his eyes were tightly shut, appearing to have fainted.

Yet the murderous aura radiating from him could make one's heart skip a beat even from a great distance.

Chen Ran activated the Eye of Investigation.

[Prisoner: Lei Laohu]

[Identity: Chief of Black Wind Fortress]

[Realm: Seventh-Grade Bone Forging (Peak)]

[Sins: Grave (Countless murders, massacring villages and destroying fortresses)]

[Status: Heavily Injured (Unconscious)]

Seventh-Grade Peak!

Chen Ran's pupils constricted slightly.

This was a true expert, just one step away from entering the Middle Three Grades and cultivating Internal Qi.

He hadn't expected him to be captured by Lin Wan.

It seemed this famous constable of Six Doors was even stronger than the rumors suggested.

The convoy kicked up dust and quickly moved away.

The direction was exactly toward the Celestial Prison.

Only after the convoy had completely disappeared at the end of his vision did Chen Ran slowly stop his technique.

“Phew—”

Exhaling a mouthful of turbid air, his heartbeat and breathing gradually returned to normal.

His body temperature rose, and the sensation of being a 'dead person' faded away.

Chen Ran stood up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and a satisfied smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

“Even Lin Wan didn't notice me. It seems this Tortoise Breathing Art is indeed formidable.”

With this divine skill, slacking off in the Celestial Prison... oh no, developing stealthily will be even more stable.

“It looks like the Celestial Prison is about to get lively again.”

Chen Ran looked in the direction where the convoy had disappeared, lost in thought.

A serious criminal at the Seventh-Grade Peak, plus the previous Red Lotus Witch.

This small Cell Block D is truly a place of crouching tigers and hidden dragons.