2: Chapter 2 Death Settlement, Power Increase

Time passed bit by bit.

Zhao San's breathing grew weaker and weaker.

Finally.

"Gurgle..."

Zhao San's throat let out one last strange sound, his head slumped to the side, and he went completely still.

A generation's notorious Flower-Thief had met his end.

He died without any dignity, perhaps even a bit abruptly.

Chen Ran still didn't move, maintaining a "don't move unless the enemy moves" stance, prioritizing stability.

Until the text above Zhao San's head changed, flashing like a System prompt in a game.

[Prisoner Zhao San has died.]

[Calculating participation...]

[Participation: Extremely Low]

[Reward Gained: Three months of cultivation.]

Boom.

Another surge of heat flooded into his body.

Although not as massive as the previous one year of cultivation, it still allowed Chen Ran's newly stabilized Realm to advance a bit further.

Chen Ran clenched his fists, feeling the power surging within him.

Even a mosquito's leg is still meat!

Just by saying a few words and watching him die, he could pick up three months of hard cultivation for free.

This deal was simply a massive profit with no capital!

If it were his predecessor, he would have had to practice hard for three months, and might not even have achieved anything.

"Getting things for free makes me happy."

The corners of Chen Ran's mouth curled slightly, his mood pleasant.

If...

Chen Ran looked at Zhao San's stiff corpse, lost in thought.

If he had agreed to help him deliver the letter just now, or... personally sent him on his way?

Would the reward be greater?

Could he even obtain that Lightwork technique the man was so proud of?

After all, the System prompt said the higher the "participation," the richer the rewards.

Chen Ran licked his dry lips.

To him, this Heavenly Jail was no longer a gloomy and terrifying place of death.

Instead, it was a massive buffet waiting to be explored!

As long as he stayed low, gold was everywhere.

"Chen Ran! What are you dazing off for!"

A patrolling jailer walked over, tapping the bars with his scabbard, producing a sharp metallic clanging sound.

It was his colleague Zhang Wen; the name sounded very much like a background character.

"Someone died?"

Zhang Wen glanced at the corpse inside, looking disgusted. He covered his nose and took two steps back.

"What bad luck, having to clear a body in the middle of the night. Hurry up and drag it out, throw it into the Mass Grave. Don't let it rot in here and stink up the other prisoners."

"Yes."

Chen Ran lowered his head, hiding the sharp glint in his eyes, returning to his honest and simple appearance.

He opened the cell door and stepped into the foul-smelling cell.

Zhao San's body had already begun to stiffen, his eyes remaining open in death, his cloudy gaze staring straight at the ceiling as if accusing the world of its ruthlessness.

Chen Ran reached out and wiped his eyelids shut.

"Go in peace, be a good person in your next life."

"Though with all the evil you've done in this life, you probably won't have a good end in the next one either."

Chen Ran muttered while skillfully grabbing Zhao San's ankles.

The body was heavy, weighing at least a hundred and forty or fifty pounds.

But to the current Chen Ran, this weight was nothing.

Exerting force with one hand, he easily dragged Zhao San out of the cell like a dead dog.

Zhang Wen watched from the side, stunned.

"Eh? Did you take a Great Strength Pill today?"

Zhang Wen looked at Chen Ran suspiciously.

Before, this kid was as weak as a chicken; dragging a corpse required two people and left him gasping for air.

"Huff—huff, Brother Zhang must be joking. I just want to finish the work early and go back to sleep."

"This body... is really heavy."

As Chen Ran spoke, he deliberately stumbled, nearly falling.

Seeing this, the suspicion in Zhang Wen's eyes dissipated quite a bit, and he gave a mocking laugh.

"Alright, alright, stop acting and get it out of here."

"Look at how weak you are. You should visit the brothels less to listen to music and focus more on nourishing your body."

"I'm telling you, the capital is dangerous lately. People from the Red Lotus Demonic Cult have been caught, so be careful..."

"I heard even some Saintess from the demonic cult fought with the Demon Suppression Division!"

"Really?"

"How could it be fake? I heard it from Captain Wang. They say she's going to be escorted to our place."

Zhang Wen walked away as he spoke.

Chen Ran's expression changed slightly.

The Saintess of the Red Lotus Demonic Cult was caught? For real?

Chen Ran paused.

"Brother Zhang is right, I'll definitely be careful in the future."

He dragged the corpse out of the Heavenly Jail's main gate.

As the cold wind blew outside, Chen Ran shivered, and his mind became clearer.

The Mass Grave was on the mountain behind the Heavenly Jail, a desolate wasteland.

It was a place of constant chilling winds and ghost fires, one of the most sinister places in the capital.

Chen Ran threw Zhao San's body into a pit and casually covered it with a few shovels of dirt, considering it buried.

"Dust to dust, ashes to ashes."

"Thanks, buddy, for the three months of cultivation."

Chen Ran brushed the dirt off his hands and bowed to the burial mound.

Having done all this, he turned to walk back.

The night was deep, and the cold wind howled.

Yet Chen Ran felt a warmth throughout his body; it was the True Qi circulating within him.

Returning to the jailers' quarters, Chen Ran sat cross-legged on his bed.

Even with a Golden Finger, he couldn't be slack.

After all, only by making his cheat even bigger could he survive longer in this dangerous world.

He closed his eyes and began to circulate his family's Eternal Spring Manual.

This was a basic Internal Skill, lacking in offensive power, focused on being balanced and peaceful to prolong life.

To put it simply, it was a health-preserving technique.

But with the enhancement of the Ninth Grade Skin Refining Realm, the originally thread-like inner Qi had grown significantly, flowing slowly through his Meridians and nourishing his internal organs.

The night passed in silence.

The next morning.

"Dong—dong—dong—"

The dull sound of the roll-call drum echoed.

Chen Ran woke from his meditation, feeling refreshed.

This night of cultivation, while not as satisfying as receiving a direct reward, allowed him to master the power within his body more skillfully.

He straighten your clothes， Hang up the waist knife， Heading to the drill ground for roll call。

As soon as he arrived at the drill grounds, he felt a cold gaze fall upon him.

Chen Ran didn't need to look up to know who it was.

Captain Wang.

The superior who had kicked him to the Cell Block D's death cells, wanting him to fend for himself.

It seemed today's hurdle would not be easy to clear.

Chen Ran lowered his head, blending into the crowd, trying to minimize his presence.

"Chen Ran! Step forward!"

Captain Wang's raspy, duck-like voice echoed over the drill grounds.

Chen Ran sighed.

There was no avoiding it.

He took a deep breath, stepped out of the formation, and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your subordinate is here."