142: Chapter 142 Martial Law Declared in Beijing (4k)

The time it takes for an incense stick to burn passed quickly.

In a remote corner of the Ghost Market, the smell of blood was pungent.

Fang Yi dragged his broken body, crawling back to the original spot step by step.

He was covered in blood.

His tattered clothes were soaked in dark red.

He still gripped the chipped dagger tightly in his hand.

His enemy's blood dripped from the blade onto the bluestone slabs.

There was no fear in Fang Yi's eyes.

Only the fanaticism and gratification of having his great revenge fulfilled.

It had been three years.

He had been kept here like livestock, performing Alchemy day and night.

Today, he had finally slit the throats of those enemies with his own hands.

"Thank you for fulfilling my wish, benefactor!"

Fang Yi kowtowed heavily.

His forehead struck the stone slab, leaving a bloody mark.

"From now on, Fang Yi's life belongs to you."

"I will kill whoever you tell me to kill."

"I will refine whatever Medicinal Pill you tell me to refine."

Chen Ran looked down at him from above.

Without a word.

He forced a drop of crimson blood from his fingertip.

With a flick of his finger.

The blood droplet turned into a red light and sank directly into the center of Fang Yi's forehead.

Fang Yi let out a muffled groan.

He felt a cold and overbearing power appear at his heart.

This power was like a maggot on a bone, tightly entwined around his heart Meridians.

"This is a Blood Seed."

Chen Ran's tone was calm.

"If you harbor any disloyalty, you will instantly dissolve into a pool of blood."

Fang Yi did not resist; instead, he kowtowed again.

"It is only right."

He was a smart man.

He knew that in this dog-eat-dog world, only unreserved loyalty could buy a chance at survival.

Chen Ran nodded in satisfaction.

With a thought.

A stream of pure True Qi fed back through the Blood Seed.

Fang Yi's broken legs made a series of crisp popping sounds like roasting beans.

After the intense pain came a long-lost numb and tingling sensation.

His withered Meridians began to glow with new life.

Fang Yi's eyes widened, his face full of disbelief.

He had thought he would be a cripple for the rest of his life.

He hadn't expected this mysterious benefactor to have such heaven-defying methods.

"Benefactor, as long as there are enough medicinal ingredients, I can refine any Medicinal Pill below the fourth rank."

Fang Yi gritted his teeth, enduring the intense pain of his legs being reshaped.

"Even for third-rank Medicinal Pills, as long as you give me a good Pill Furnace, I can risk my life to try."

Chen Ran nodded.

"No rush."

"Your task now is to stay alive."

"This Ghost Market is no longer safe; the City Defense Army could return to sweep through at any time."

"Go to Nanliu Alley in the Outer City and find a broker named Old Man Sun. Mention my name, 'Chen Liu,' and he will arrange a place for you."

Fang Yi committed it to memory.

"Rest assured, benefactor, Fang Yi will not fail you."

Chen Ran threw down a bag of silver notes.

There were at least a thousand taels.

"Find a clean place to settle down."

"In a few days, I will come to find you for Alchemy."

After speaking, Chen Ran turned around.

With a few leaps, he vanished into the night.

Only Fang Yi remained, clutching the silver notes tightly, trembling with excitement.

...

The next day.

The atmosphere in the capital became exceptionally somber.

Before Chen Ran even stepped into the Imperial Prison, he heard a great deal of discussion from the neighbors around him.

The news of the First Prince's assassination attempt spread through the streets and alleys as if it had wings.

It had clearly only happened last night, but with the help of those with ulterior motives fanning the flames.

This news was no longer a secret.

Chen Ran sat in front of a breakfast shop, quietly drinking a bowl of soy milk at the table.

A commotion broke out on the street in the distance.

Several members of the City Defense Army walked straight into a shop with serious expressions, not waiting for the owner to react.

Sounds of a struggle came from inside the shop, and soon the City Defense Army dragged a man out.

"Sir, I'm innocent! I only went next door to play cards last night, I definitely didn't..."

Before the man could finish, the leading soldier of the City Defense Army spoke coldly.

"Take him away."

Such incidents were not isolated cases; in a short time, Chen Ran saw at least two or three people being taken away with his own eyes.

At this moment, the City Defense Army was fully armed and arresting people all over the streets.

Any Jianghu traveler with even a hint of suspicion was directly locked up and thrown into prison for interrogation.

"It seems the situation is much more serious than I imagined."

To have so many City Defense Army troops on alert, it seemed the assassination of the First Prince was no mere exaggeration.

The atmosphere in the streets was incredibly oppressive; most residents and commoners only dared to hide by the roadside, fearing they would be caught up in it.

Chen Ran's expression remained calm as he finished the soy milk in his bowl and lightly tapped the table;

"Boss, the bill..."

...

Demon Suppression Division, Imperial Prison.

Compared to the tense atmosphere on the streets, the guards at the Demon Suppression Division were several times stricter than usual.

Two more squads of Black Armored Guards had been added next to the stone lions at the entrance.

Chen Ran changed into his Prison Officer uniform and arrived at the Imperial Prison to report for duty as usual.

The entire capital was now under martial law, and the intensity of inspections and patrols was several times higher than usual.

Even when he entered the Imperial Prison today, he was searched three times.

However, for Prison Officers like them, these searches weren't particularly harsh.

Chen Ran carried his food box and began his daily patrol.

Just as he reached the corner of the Jia Ward.

He saw Warden Wen Ruoxu leaning against the wall, toying with a jade pendant in his hand.

"Brother Chen, morning."

Warden Wen Ruoxu let out a yawn.

"Brother Wen, didn't you sleep well last night?" Chen Ran asked casually.

"Don't even mention it."

Warden Wen Ruoxu sighed.

"Don't you know already? The First Prince was assassinated, and the old man at home lost his temper, calling all us juniors back for a lecture overnight."

"The waters in the capital are too muddy right now."

"Those old foxes in the Grand Secretariat are at each other's throats with the First Prince's people."

"The City Defense Army is in a real hurry now; they've started arresting people indiscriminately."

Warden Wen Ruoxu lowered his voice.

"I heard the higher-ups issued a stern warning to bring the assassin to justice, and now no one is allowed to leave the capital."

Chen Ran remained expressionless.

"When the gods fight, we little ghosts shouldn't get involved."

"Guarding our own little corner of the Imperial Prison is better than anything else."

Warden Wen Ruoxu nodded in deep agreement.

"Brother Chen is right."

"It's still quieter here in the Imperial Prison, though it's hard on me; I won't be able to go out for a few days."

Chen Ran shook his head helplessly; even at a time like this, his colleague was still thinking about wining and dining.

However, he did think back to the scene last night.

The memory of that figure fleeing outward at extreme speed was still in his mind.

Although he hadn't seen clearly where the person went, judging by the aura, the assassin was likely heavily injured and temporarily hiding somewhere in the capital to recover.

As they chatted, they turned to the major events that had occurred recently.

"Hey, Brother Chen, did you see that big news from yesterday?"

Warden Wen Ruoxu leaned in closer.

"The Red Lotus Demonic Cult has caused a massive disturbance over in Shenghai, taking three cities in succession."

"The Imperial Court has already sent a large army to suppress them."

Chen Ran's heart stirred.

Jiang Mengli had moved quite fast.

It seemed she had completely taken control of the situation in Shenghai.

"The demonic cult is rampant; the Imperial Court naturally won't sit idly by," Chen Ran replied indifferently.

"The Imperial Court won't sit idly by, of course, but by the time that army arrives, all of Shenghai will probably have been fallen for a while."

As they chatted, Chen Ran began his usual patrol of the Imperial Prison cells.

Cell Block D, Section C, Yi Ward...

There were many more prisoners on the first few levels of the Imperial Prison than before.

This was likely related to the recent turbulent situation.

Most of these prisoners might have been able to temporarily evade capture under normal inspection levels.

But under the current state of martial law, they were taken into custody before they could even stop what they were doing and run.

After one round, the records on the heavenly book were densely packed.

After finishing his daily work, Chen Ran's Sea of Consciousness vibrated, and the heavenly book of prison suppression flipped open.

A line of text appeared before his eyes.

[You patrolled the Imperial Prison as usual and guarded the security of the jail. Reward: Six months of cultivation.]

This amount of cultivation wasn't much to him now, but the benefit was that he only needed to work his daily routine for a while.

He could obtain extra rewards.

With the mindset that even a mosquito's leg is still meat, Chen Ran never tired of it.

After filing the new prisoners and checking the dossiers, Chen Ran left the Imperial Prison.

Time flew by.

The sky gradually darkened.

Under the glow of the Imperial Prison's candles, the view outside was a world of white snow.

The heavy snow was still falling, with no intention of stopping.

After nearly two days, the snow was deep enough to cover one's pant legs.

Chen Ran took off his Prison Officer uniform, changed into civilian clothes, and walked quietly down the street holding a bamboo umbrella.

After a day, the entire street had become much deserted.

In Chen Ran's line of sight, there were almost no street vendors.

He could only see a few hurried passersby, walking toward the distance with small steps while looking back every few steps.

He wasn't sure how many people the City Defense Army had arrested that day.

But judging from the Imperial Prison's list, in this one day alone, at least hundreds were being held in the cells for interrogation due to suspicion.

Patter, patter.

The heavy snow fell on the bamboo umbrella, eventually turning into liquid and dripping bit by bit onto the ground.

Chen Ran walked to the Six Doors.

The Constable on guard duty at the entrance saw the newcomer's attire—civilian clothes and a bamboo umbrella, looking just like an ordinary passerby.

He originally thought it was another commoner coming to beg for food and was about to casually dismiss him.

"Sorry, we don't provide..."

Halfway through his sentence, the Constable's voice suddenly stopped.

By the light, he saw a handsome face under the bamboo umbrella.

"Deputy Captain Chen, why are you here?"

He knew a thing or two about this deputy captain who had recently been in the spotlight at the Six Doors.

Although this deputy captain was a subordinate borrowed from the Imperial Prison by Constable Lin.

Not only was Chen Ran's strength outstanding, but he had also repeatedly succeeded in solving major cases, and even followed the Chief Constable to wipe out the Black Crow Cult a few days ago.

After this series of experiences, combined with recent events, any discerning person could see it.

Lin Wan, the Gold-Badge Constable, intended to groom her adjutant.

The gatekeeper Constable squeezed out a smile and hurried over.

"The weather is cold; you should wear more layers."

Chen Ran waved his hand to decline the other's gesture to take his umbrella and naturally stepped inside.

"Are the tasks quite heavy today?"

"Deputy Captain Chen, you know what happened today. The City Defense Army has truly gone mad, grabbing anyone and everyone and throwing them into our Six Doors..."

As soon as this was mentioned, the gatekeeper Constable felt somewhat indignant.

After all, with the City Defense Army arresting people at random, it was his own workload that increased.

Chen Ran scanned the area, and after not sensing any familiar aura, he frowned slightly.

He asked seemingly casually, "Did Constable Lin not come to the Six Doors today?"

He had originally thought that with such a major event happening in the capital, Lin Wan, as a famous Constable of the capital, would surely take it extremely seriously.

She might even know some inside information; he had come this time to try his luck and see if he could get some clues.

But now it seemed Lin Wan was not in the building.

Hearing Chen Ran's question, the Constable said naturally:

"Lord Lin took a week's leave; she's not at the Six Doors during this period."

"Oh?"

Chen Ran replied indifferently, but he felt a bit curious in his heart.

This was rare; generally speaking, with Lin Wan's workaholic personality.

Most of her time was spent either investigating cases at the Six Doors or cultivating her martial arts. Taking a week's leave was already an extremely long time.

Since Lin Wan wasn't there, Chen Ran didn't stay long.

After giving the gatekeeper Constable a few instructions, he also turned and left.

...

Late at night,

Inside a private residence,

Chen Ran sat in a chair, flipping through a book in his hand.

The surroundings were silent, with only the sound of wind and snow hitting the window from time to time.

What he was reading was a historical text specifically recording stories from before the Great Wei.

The events recorded in this book were very ancient, from a timeline far more distant than even the previous Great Zhou Dynasty.

The contents were also mostly strange and eerie, even bordering on myths and legends.

The Yao Beasts recorded in the ancient text could swallow the sky and eat the earth, shaking ten thousand forests, while the Cultivators were even more brilliant, having the ability to soar through the clouds, ride the mist, and live for ten thousand years.

Both their strength and methods far exceeded several times the current combat power.

To the point that Chen Ran sometimes felt there was something wrong with the power scale of this world.

The Cultivators recorded in the ancient texts were like immortals, while the Cultivators today were just martial artists who utilized blood and Qi.

Could it be that there were higher Realms in the Martial Dao beyond the Grandmaster Realm?

Chen Ran seemed to understand why Emperor Wei Ming was so obsessed with the methods of longevity.

Chen Ran closed the book in his hand and let out a long breath.

"If the records in the ancient texts are true, then this world is much deeper than I imagined."

His heart, which had been feeling somewhat inflated due to his rapid progress in strength, quickly cooled down.

Having lived two lives, the amount of information he could accept was several times that of an ordinary person.

As long as there was even a slight possibility, he was unwilling to gamble with his life.

While he was thinking, midnight passed.

The heavenly book of prison suppression flipped open punctually.

[Guarded the Imperial Prison for one day, obtaining one year of cultivation.]

[Current Accumulated Cultivation: 210 years]

Chen Ran went out to the courtyard, and after getting ready, he mentally recited.

"Claim."

In the next moment, he felt a muffled roar from within his body.

Over two hundred years of pure cultivation surged and roared through his broad Meridians.

Like a river bursting its banks, it washed through his entire body.

His whole body was like a hungry, trapped beast, beginning to greedily absorb the cultivation that had appeared.

After his body had more or less adapted, Chen Ran spoke calmly:

"heavenly book of prison suppression, assign points."

In his line of sight, a panel floated before his eyes.

With a thought, Chen Ran focused his gaze on another Yao Beast Talent.

[Do you want to consume cultivation to upgrade the talent: Copper Skin?]

"Yes."

In the next moment,

Chen Ran felt his head swell as a massive amount of memories flooded into his Sea of Consciousness.

At the same time, a circle of metallic luster lit up around his body, beginning to flow continuously.