150: Chapter 150 The Prince, the Power of the Medicine

The front hall of the Celestial Jail.

The atmosphere was more solemn than ever before, yet it was also tinged with a strange sense of fervor.

The Jailers, who were usually lazy and undisciplined, were now standing perfectly straight, their official uniforms unprecedentedly neat and tidy.

A few old-timers even secretly splashed some water on their faces, trying to make themselves look more spirited.

Chen Ran blended into the back of the crowd, hands tucked into his sleeves, head bowed, focused and still.

Standing beside him was Old Li, who was trembling with nerves, muttering something under his breath.

"Old Li, what are you shaking for?" Chen Ran asked in a low voice.

"Nonsense! That's the First Prince!" Old Li swallowed hard, his voice trembling.

"The highest official I've ever seen in my life is our Warden. To suddenly see someone of royal Bloodline, how could I not shake?"

Chen Ran rolled his eyes and ignored him.

Before long, a steady sound of footsteps came from outside the door.

Immediately after, a large group of sword-bearing guards wearing Flying Fish Robes flooded into the front hall, quickly lining up on both sides and taking total control of the hall.

A chilling Aura of slaughter swept over them.

The Jailers were so terrified they didn't dare to breathe, kneeling on the ground in unison.

"You may all rise."

A gentle voice rang out, as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Chen Ran looked up slightly, peering through the gaps in the crowd.

He saw the First Prince, Wei Yanxi, wearing simple and elegant casual clothes, without a python robe or a jade crown, dressed just like an ordinary Young Master from a wealthy family.

A warm smile hung on his face, devoid of any princely arrogance.

Wei Yanxi personally stepped forward and helped the Warden at the front to his feet.

The Warden was overwhelmed by the favor, trembling with excitement and unable to speak clearly: "Your... Your Highness, this humble official..."

"No need for such formalities." Wei Yanxi patted the Warden's shoulder and even thoughtfully brushed the dust off the man's knees.

Chen Ran, witnessing this display of winning people's hearts, internally praised him for being a true pro.

"You all guard the Celestial Jail and deal with those heinous criminals year-round; your hard work is greatly appreciated."

Wei Yanxi turned around, his gaze sweeping across every Jailer present, his voice sincere.

"I have only come here today on behalf of my Father Emperor to visit everyone."

"The Celestial Jail is cold and damp; you have all worked hard."

With that, he waved his hand.

Several attendants immediately carried in several large red wooden chests.

With a 'thud', the lids were flipped open.

Glistening silver ingots were neatly stacked inside, dazzling everyone's eyes.

The sound of collective gasps immediately echoed through the front hall.

Old Li's eyes bulged, and he nearly started drooling.

"These are a small token of my appreciation," Wei Yanxi said with a smile.

"To buy some winter clothes and a few jars of good wine to warm your bodies. If any of you have difficulties at home, you can use this to support your families."

"Long live Your Highness!"

"Your Highness is truly a living Buddha!"

Several old Jailers who had worked this hard job for a lifetime wiped away tears of excitement and kowtowed repeatedly.

For a moment, the entire front hall was filled with voices of gratitude and praise for the First Prince.

Chen Ran stood in the back row, shouting along with the crowd with his hands cupped, but his heart remained unmoved.

"What a great performance."

He curled his lip inwardly.

This First Prince had just survived an assassination attempt a few days ago and nearly lost his life, yet today he ran to a gloomy place like the Celestial Jail to show concern for his subordinates.

Who was he trying to fool?

He was likely trying to build a reputation for 'benevolence' throughout the court and the public, while simultaneously soothing people's hearts to gain political capital in the struggle for the throne against the other princes.

Chen Ran had seen plenty of this kind of royal grandstanding on TV in his previous life.

He didn't want to get involved in this mess; he just wanted to be a quiet, invisible man and wait for the First Prince to leave.

Just then, Chen Ran suddenly raised an eyebrow.

After his Breakthrough to the Return to Truth Realm, his perception had undergone a qualitative leap, becoming extremely sensitive to the surrounding Auras.

He noticed an unremarkable old servant in gray standing behind Wei Yanxi.

The old servant had a hunched back, hands tucked in his sleeves, and half-closed eyes, looking as if he might fall asleep at any moment.

Amidst the group of sharp-looking sword-bearing guards, he seemed completely out of place.

But as soon as Chen Ran's perception touched the man, it felt like hitting a bottomless iron wall.

There was even a faint, terrifying counter-shock force spreading back along his perception.

"So strong."

Chen Ran's heart tightened, and he immediately retracted his perception.

Without hesitation, he suppressed the True Qi in his body and pushed the Breath Concealment Technique to its limit.

In an instant, he became like a lifeless stone, his breathing and heartbeat dropping to their lowest frequencies.

"This old guy's strength is definitely above mine."

"Innate Realm..."

Chen Ran assessed inwardly.

Bringing an expert of this level to the Celestial Jail to 'show concern for the people'?

If any assassin dared to strike at this time, there probably wouldn't even be scraps left of them.

Wei Yanxi encouraged everyone in the front hall with a few more words, took a symbolic tour of the cells, and then left grandly with his entourage.

Only when the First Prince's carriage completely disappeared around the street corner did the people in the Celestial Jail breathe a long sigh of relief.

Immediately following that was a noisy scramble for the rewarded silver.

"Don't push, everyone gets a share! Line up!" the Warden shouted at the top of his lungs, but no one listened to him.

Chen Ran didn't bother to squeeze in. Only after everyone had mostly finished dividing it did he walk over leisurely to collect his share of the silver.

He weighed the silver ingot in his hand; the weight was quite substantial.

"This First Prince is quite generous."

Chen Ran tucked the silver into his robe and turned back to the duty room.

...

A few days later.

On the surface, the capital had returned to peace, and the turmoil of the First Prince's assassination seemed to have been suppressed.

But in the shadows, various forces were becoming increasingly active, with undercurrents surging.

Today was Chen Ran's day off, and he was staying in his small courtyard.

The morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled patterns in the yard.

Chen Ran finished washing up, changed into a loose training outfit, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

He pulled an exquisite porcelain bottle from his robe and uncorked it.

A rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the air; a single sniff made one feel refreshed.

This was the 'Purple Gold Pill' refined by the Alchemist he had subdued.

Chen Ran poured out a round Medicinal Pill and, without any hesitation, swallowed it in one gulp.

Boom!

As the pill entered his stomach, the powerful medicinal potency instantly exploded, turning into a rolling heat wave that rushed toward his limbs and bones.

If it were before his Breakthrough, this massive medicinal potency would have required at least half an hour of meditation to slowly refine.

But now.

The Meridians of the Return to Truth Realm were as wide as rivers and as tough as oxhide.

The True Qi in his body was even more domineering, like a tiger that hadn't eaten for three days.

As soon as the medicinal potency dispersed, it was instantly pounced upon by the ravenous True Qi, directly crushed and devoured.

It took no more than a dozen breaths of time.

A Purple Gold Pill worth a hundred taels of silver was absorbed completely, with not even a trace of residue left.

Chen Ran opened his eyes and smacked his lips, appearing somewhat unsatisfied.

"Too fast."

He felt the True Qi that had only increased by a sliver and sighed somewhat helplessly.

A Breakthrough in Realm was certainly a good thing, as his strength had more than tripled.

But the consumption had also multiplied.

When he was at the Fourth Rank, one Purple Gold Pill could last him three days of cultivation.

Now, he had to eat three a day; it was simply like a bottomless pit.

"At this rate of consumption, even a mountain of gold and silver won't hold up."

Chen Ran rubbed his chin.

Fortunately, he had acquired quite a few silver notes by 'robbing the rich to help the poor' before, so his foundation was still solid.

After subduing that Alchemist, he had thrown him directly to the Demon Sound Sect's side.

Now that Alchemist was working day and night to refine pills, supplying cultivation resources exclusively to him.

The speed wasn't slow either; he basically received a new batch of Medicinal Pills every week.

"Scholars are poor while martial artists are rich; the ancients truly did not deceive me."

Chen Ran stretched, his bones making a series of popping sounds like firecrackers.

He stood up, walked into the yard, and casually performed a set of fist techniques.

The wind from his fists howled, and muffled sonic booms echoed in the air.

Every punch thrown carried the force of a thousand jun, as if it could shatter the space in front of him.

Then,

The momentum of the punches suddenly diminished, and his Aura was completely withdrawn.

He didn't use True Qi; he was purely adapting to the strength of his Physical Body after the Breakthrough.

After finishing the set, Chen Ran hadn't even broken a sweat.

"My control over the power is just about there."

Chen Ran retracted his stance and nodded with satisfaction.

With his current level of power control, he could already deploy and retract it at will.

Cultivation finished, and he was feeling a bit hungry.

He changed into casual clothes, pushed open the courtyard gate, and strolled toward the street.