32: Chapter 32 Having accomplished his task, he departed without a trace.

In the Cell Block D guard room of the prison.

The night was deep, and the sound of wind and rain outside, filtering through the thick stone walls, had become somewhat muffled.

Chen Ran pushed open the room door and latched it behind him.

He took off the night-walking clothes that were soaked with rain and blood and tossed them into the brazier in the corner.

The flames licked at the clothes, quickly reducing them to a pile of ash without leaving any trace.

After changing into the dusty, slightly musty-smelling guard uniform, Chen Ran finally felt completely relaxed.

He sat cross-legged on the rather hard wooden bed, slowly closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing.

The Hour of the Rat had passed, and a new day had begun.

Deep in his mind, the ancient and mysterious [heavenly book of prison suppression] slowly opened, emitting a faint golden light.

[Stationed at the prison for one day, obtained basic reward: one year of cultivation.]

[Participated in the Karma of prisoner Jiang Mengli (delivering food, communicating), medium participation, obtained extra reward: half a year of cultivation.]

[Participated in the Karma of prisoner Su Yuanshan (delivering food), low participation, obtained extra reward: three months of cultivation.]

...

A series of familiar daily settlement notification sounds rang out one after another in his mind.

Chen Ran listened to these notifications, his lips curling slightly upward.

Although he had gone on a killing spree outside tonight, slaying a Peak sixth-grade assassin leader and over a dozen seventh or eighth-grade death warriors, the rules of the heavenly book of prison suppression were just that rigid.

Only by being stationed at the prison and participating in the Karma of the prisoners within the prison could he obtain rewards.

The slaughter outside, no matter how much he killed, could not be directly converted into cultivation.

However, Chen Ran did not care about this.

He was not a bloodthirsty person to begin with.

The reason he took action tonight was partly because Lin Wan had helped him before, and he did not want to owe a favor; on the other hand, it was also to take the opportunity to deter those forces lurking in the shadows and muddy the waters.

Now that his goal had been achieved, he naturally wanted to return to his peaceful "rent-collection" life.

As the daily rewards were settled, a stream of incomparably pure Internal Energy appeared out of thin air in his Dantian.

This Internal Energy, like a trickling stream, quickly merged into his already incredibly thick river of True Qi.

The True Qi in Chen Ran's body surged like a bursting river, rapidly circulating along his eight extraordinary meridians.

"Crackling..."

His bones emitted a series of popping sounds like roasted beans, and his muscles and fascia became even tougher under the washing of the True Qi.

His total cultivation was steadily increasing, but the fifth-grade Meridian Opening Realm was a huge watershed; to achieve True Qi projection, he still needed a massive accumulation of cultivation.

Although his current cultivation was profound, there was still a significant distance to go before reaching a Breakthrough to the fifth grade.

Chen Ran slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath of turbid air.

That turbid air did not disperse in the air but shot out like a sharp sword for more than three feet before slowly dissipating.

"Fighting and killing are truly tiring; collecting rent is far more comfortable."

He stretched extensively, and the bones all over his body emitted a series of crisp sounds again.

Afterward, he lay straight on the wooden bed, pulled the somewhat thin quilt over himself, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning.

The prison was as dark and damp as always, with the air permeated by a nauseating stench of decay and blood.

Chen Ran carried a heavy wooden bucket, leisurely weaving through the narrow corridors to deliver food to the prisoners.

His expression was calm, just like the most ordinary low-level guard whiling away his days in the prison.

However, today's atmosphere was somewhat different from usual.

After delivering the food, Chen Ran keenly noticed that the guards were gathered in twos and threes, whispering to each other, their expressions filled with excitement and shock.

A shocking piece of news, as if it had grown wings, quickly spread throughout the entire prison.

Last night, a fierce and tragic battle took place at the abandoned villa west of the city!

Six Doors' famous catcher, Lin Wan, while investigating the Official Silver Case, encountered an ambush by a large number of death warriors and nearly lost her life.

Just at this critical moment, a mysterious expert descended from the sky.

It is said that the expert wore a theatrical mask and held a black iron saber, appearing like a demon god descending to the world.

With his own strength, he slaughtered those well-trained death warriors, and even split the Peak sixth-grade death warrior leader in two with a single strike!

In the end, the mysterious expert saved Lin Wan and drifted away.

Having escaped death, Lin Wan brought the account books and key evidence found at the villa, entered the palace overnight, and directly met with the Emperor.

The imperial court and the public were shaken!

The Emperor was furious, immediately ordering a thorough investigation into the Official Silver Case, showing no leniency.

The entire capital was instantly plunged into a storm of blood.

A large number of implicated officials had their homes raided and were executed, while the Six Doors and the Demon Suppression Division mobilized fully, arresting people everywhere.

The prison gates had barely closed since the morning, with cart after cart of serious criminals being escorted in, making the already crowded cells suddenly packed to overflowing.

The guards gathered in the break room, excitedly discussing the storm outside.

"Did you hear? That mysterious expert's saber technique is extremely domineering; with one strike, he split the person and the saber in two, he's simply not human!" an old guard gestured excitedly, spittle flying.

"Some say it's an Elder of the Red Lotus Demonic Cult who has been living in seclusion, while others say it's a top-tier assassin from the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Regardless of who it is, the capital is about to change." another guard lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

"Who cares who it is; it has nothing to do with us small guards. We just need to keep an eye on these prisoners."

Chen Ran held a worn-out rice bowl, squatting in a corner, shoveling the brown rice in the bowl into his mouth while listening with great interest to his colleagues' boasting.

He was just like the most ordinary bystander, full of curiosity about these Jianghu rumors, yet afraid to participate too much in the discussion for fear of inviting trouble.

Hiding his merit and fame.

This feeling was actually quite good.

Chen Ran finished his meal, wiped his mouth with his sleeve, and stood up, brushing off his backside.

He picked up a heavy ring of keys and walked toward the direction of Section C cells.

There, several high-ranking court officials who had fallen due to the Official Silver Case had just been locked up.

Chen Ran looked at the new faces in the cells—those who were once high and mighty but were now shivering—and a subtle arc appeared at the corner of his mouth.

New "experience" had arrived.

This was what he cared about most.

Meanwhile, at the Six Doors headquarters.

Lin Wan had changed into a brand-new catcher uniform, looking heroic and spirited.

It was just that her left arm was wrapped in thick bandages, and her face appeared somewhat pale due to excessive blood loss.

She sat behind a large desk, looking at the mountain of case files on the table, but her gaze appeared somewhat deep and unfocused.

On top of the case files lay a newly drawn portrait.

On the portrait was a person in black wearing a theatrical mask, holding a blurry black iron saber in their hand.

Although the artist's skill was superb, because Lin Wan's vision was blurry at the time and the night was dark, the mysterious person in the portrait still appeared somewhat indistinct.

Lin Wan extended her slender fingers and gently stroked the saber blade in the painting.

The scene of her waking up in the cave last night flashed through her mind again.

Lin Wan took a deep breath, forcing herself to withdraw her thoughts.

She carefully folded the portrait and tucked it away close to her body.

"No matter who you are, no matter what your purpose is, I will definitely find out your true identity."

Lin Wan secretly swore in her heart.

She stood up, picked up the sword on the table, and strode out of the room.

Although the Official Silver Case had made Breakthrough progress, the mastermind behind the scenes had not yet fully surfaced.

She still had many things to do.

And investigating the identity of that mysterious savior was also listed by her as one of her top priorities for the future.

The storm in the capital had only just begun.