47: Chapter 47 Entering the Demon Suppression Division, the True Inheritance of the Demon Sound Sect! (3k)

Half an hour had passed.

Outside the tunnel entrance, the cold wind was still blowing out.

Of the four who went in, only two had come out so far.

The first to emerge, a dark-faced jailer, could not even sit steady; he slid down against the stone wall, his lips trembling constantly.

The other one was in even worse shape. After rushing out of the tunnel, he leaned against a stone pillar and vomited for a long time; he still had not recovered.

The Demon Suppression Division centurion guarding nearby frowned at the sight.

"If you only have this much courage, how dare you sign up."

The dark-faced jailer wanted to retort, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he inhaled a mouthful of cold wind, choking in his throat, and could only bow his head and cough dryly.

Another while passed.

The third one also came out.

This person was better than the first two; at least he walked out on his own.

But that was all he did—walk out.

As soon as his foot stepped out of the tunnel, his knees went soft, and he plopped down on the stone slab, his forehead covered in cold sweat, his chest heaving violently, looking as if he had just been fished out of the water.

People nearby spoke to him, but he did not react. After a few breaths, he finally raised his hand to wipe his face.

Centurion Zhao Wuji glanced at him.

"One left."

The centurion nearby said in a low voice: "Sir, should we send someone in to check?"

Centurion Zhao Wuji did not answer immediately.

The assessment of the deep prison area was never meant for ordinary people.

It was not like incidents had not happened in previous years.

Some people had enough cultivation but not enough courage; they were overwhelmed by the Evil Qi inside shortly after entering. Others stumbled upon things they should not have seen and scared themselves to death.

After all, this was an open selection. If someone really died right in front of the entrance, it would look bad.

He was just about to speak.

Footsteps suddenly echoed from deep within the tunnel.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

The few people in front of the tunnel entrance turned to look simultaneously.

In the dim passage, a figure walked out slowly.

It was Chen Ran.

The three jailers who had come out earlier held their breath when they saw him.

A young man with a calm expression and simple clothing walked out slowly from inside.

Unlike their wretched state, this person looked as if he had just gone for a stroll; his steps were steady, and there were no injuries on him.

Centurion Zhao Wuji's gaze fell on Chen Ran, and for the first time, he took a longer look.

"It is you."

Chen Ran walked up and cupped his hands in a salute.

"Greetings, Centurion Zhao."

Centurion Zhao Wuji asked: "Why did you stay for so long?"

Chen Ran's tone was flat.

"Replying to you, sir, after I went in, I got separated from the others. Later, I simply found a place to stay and waited until the time was almost up before walking out."

The jailer kneeling on the ground nearby felt his mouth twitch.

Found a place to stay?

Was that a place where one could just stay?

They could not even tell the direction down there, only focused on escaping. This kid was something else; he actually managed to stop and wait out the time.

Centurion Zhao Wuji continued to ask: "Did you run into anything?"

"I did."

"What was your reaction?"

"It was fine."

Chen Ran only replied with two words.

The scene suddenly went quiet.

Centurion Zhao Wuji stared at him for a few breaths, then twitched the corner of his mouth.

"You certainly have a good mindset."

Chen Ran lowered his head and replied: "The subordinate believes that since it is an assessment for the Demon Suppression Division, no matter how fierce the things locked inside are, there are always rules. As long as one does not touch things randomly or run around, there will not be any major issues."

Once these words were spoken, the way Centurion Zhao Wuji looked at him changed a little.

Being brave was not rare.

Knowing why one could survive was what showed intelligence.

Such a person placed in the Demon Suppression Division might not be the best fighter, but they would definitely be the most worry-free.

Centurion Zhao Wuji raised a hand and pointed.

"What is your name?"

"Chen Ran."

Centurion Zhao Wuji hummed.

"From today on, you are transferred to the Internal Affairs Group of the Demon Suppression Division."

"You will be responsible for food delivery, patrols, assistance in guarding, key handover, and formation pattern registration in the deep prison area. It is not a small amount of work, but if you do it well, the Demon Suppression Division will not treat you unfairly. If you do not do it well—"

He glanced at the people on the ground.

"You will be replaced."

Chen Ran cupped his hands.

"Understood, sir."

Centurion Zhao Wuji did not waste any more words and waved at a centurion behind him.

"Get him a new waist token."

"Yes."

Soon, a black iron waist token was brought up.

The front was engraved with the two characters "Demon Suppression", and the back featured a roaring exotic beast. The edges were polished until they shone, and it felt heavy in the hand.

Chen Ran took the waist token and hung it at his waist.

Centurion Zhao Wuji turned and walked inside. After taking two steps, he left behind one more sentence.

"Tonight, you will join the first shift with the Internal Affairs personnel."

"It will be a good chance to get familiar with the route."

"Do not lose your life right after joining."

...

After nightfall.

The second stone gate outside the deep prison area opened.

A middle-aged man wearing short black armor stood at the door. He had an old scar on his left eyebrow bone and was leaning against the wall waiting for someone.

Hearing footsteps in the distance, he raised his head slightly to look at the new token on the opposite person's waist, and lifted his chin.

"New here?"

"Yes."

"My name is Liu Mingyu, from the Third Squad of the Internal Affairs Group. Tonight, you follow me."

Chen Ran nodded.

"Brother Liu."

When Liu Mingyu heard this address, he did not say anything, turned around, and walked inside.

"Follow closely."

"This is your first time down to the Yi Ward, do not look around, and do not open your mouth indiscriminately."

The passage behind the stone gate was colder than in the daytime.

Bronze lamps were embedded in the stone walls on both sides, with the flames pressed very low, casting a greenish light.

The ground was uneven, paved with a layer of thick black stone slabs. In the gaps between the slabs, dark red patterns could be seen, extending all the way to the end of the passage.

Liu Mingyu pointed at the ground with his foot.

"Look closely, these lines are the formation paths of the Spirit Locking Formation."

"Those bronze nails on the wall are for suppressing Evil Qi."

"The black talismans on the doors are to prevent impacts after sealing the doors."

For every sentence he said, Chen Ran looked at a spot.

The deep prison area of the Demon Suppression Division was completely different from the Cell Block D.

The things locked here were clearly extraordinary.

Liu Mingyu continued: "The work that Internal Affairs usually does is actually just those few things. Room checks, food delivery, water replacement, registering abnormalities, and helping the higher-ups keep an eye on a few key prisoners."

"It sounds simple."

"But if you really treat this job like an ordinary jailer's task, then you are not far from death."

He said as he walked.

"The Cell Block D holds ordinary criminals, while those in the Yi Ward are mostly not easy to deal with."

"Some are famous Jianghu experts, some are monsters who practiced evil methods, and a few are not even human at all."

"Having their cultivation sealed does not mean they are useless."

"Some people can harm others with just a word, some can disturb people's minds just by looking up, and there are some things that, even if locked tight, will make you uncomfortable for half a day if you stand too close."

Chen Ran asked: "How many people does Internal Affairs lose every year?"

Liu Mingyu glanced at him.

"You really want to hear?"

"Yes."

"Then I will tell you the truth."

Liu Mingyu's voice was steady.

"If you follow the rules, it is not hard for a newcomer to survive for a month. Surviving for three months is not considered strange either."

He raised his hand and pointed forward.

"Today, you will just get familiar with the route with me. It is not our turn to watch the whole level alone yet. Our squad is responsible for the row in the east corner, just four cells. The work is not too much, perfect for a newcomer to practice."

The two passed through a bend, and the passage ahead was even quieter.

The prison doors here were all cast from black iron, leaving only a narrow food delivery slot.

A wooden plaque was nailed next to each door, writing the prisoner's name, background, and precautions.

A short bronze pillar stood outside each door, with small bells of different colors hanging on it.

Seeing Chen Ran look twice, Liu Mingyu explained casually.

"Red bells are for silencing, black bells are for sealing the door, and white bells are for emergency reporting."

"If something really happens in the future, ring the bell first, then retreat."

As he spoke, he stopped in front of the first cell in the east corner.

Three characters were written on the wooden plaque.

Que Wuhua.

There was also a line of small text below.

True Disciple of the Demon Sound Sect, Yi-class Thirteen.

Liu Mingyu's voice lowered.

"Remember this one first."

"He has only been here for half a month, but he has quite a reputation, and his methods are sinister, relying on a type of sound technique."

"It is no lie that he has broken two jailers."

After finishing, he reached out and pushed aside the observation iron plate.

A young man was sitting in the cell.

White clothes.

Long hair tied behind his head with a jade-white wooden hairpin.

His hands and feet were locked with chains, and two pitch-black locking rings were wrapped around his waist, but he sat on a black stone chair with his back still very straight, his clothes spread out, looking a bit like a Young Master from a noble family sitting idly in his own study.

His face was also extremely good-looking.

With delicate features, a straight nose bridge, fair skin, and a natural curve at the corners of his mouth.

If one did not look at those chains, no one would associate him with a vicious demon sect criminal.

Chen Ran took one look, and he understood in his heart.

This kind of person is the most likely to deceive a newcomer.

The appearance is too clean.

And there is no murderous aura when he speaks.

Those who do not know the background would really mistake him for a noble Young Master who was wrongly imprisoned.

Just at this moment.

Que Wuhua on the stone chair seemed to have sensed something and slowly raised his head.

He first looked at Liu Mingyu, then at Chen Ran, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Another new face?"

"Captain Liu, the person you picked this time is quite pleasing to the eye."

The voice was not loud, gentle and soft.

Like greeting an old friend.

At the same time, the voice was accompanied by a special mental fluctuation, heading straight for his face.

"Since this little brother is new, why not come in and sit for a while, I—"

Chen Ran's pupils contracted slightly.

"What a strange martial art."

Before the person opposite could finish speaking.

Chen Ran had already raised his hand and directly pressed the black bronze handle next to the prison door.

Clack!

The black iron prison door shook.

A thick plate dropped outside the food delivery slot.

The four sound-sealing stones in the corners of the wall lit up simultaneously, and the sound coming from the door gap was immediately suppressed by more than half.

Que Wuhua's subsequent words suddenly became garbled.

Liu Mingyu was stunned for a moment, then exhaled.

"Your reaction is fast."

Chen Ran withdrew his hand.

"Did Brother Liu not say so?"

"Seal the door if you can, do not wait for him to finish speaking."

Liu Mingyu looked at him again and nodded.

"Not bad."

Behind the prison door, Que Wuhua seemed to laugh.

Through the thick board, the words could no longer be heard clearly.

Only his lips could be seen moving.

Chen Ran was calm on the surface, but a simple golden book had already opened in his Sea of Consciousness.

[Prisoner: Que Wuhua]

[Identity: True Disciple of the Demon Sound Sect]

[Cultivation: Middle Stage of the Sixth Rank]

[Status: Imprisoned]

[Sin: Using Demon Sound to bewitch the masses, harming seventeen lives]

[Available Karma: Patrolling, Guarding, Food Delivery, Interrogation, Execution]

[Available Rewards: Cultivation, Demon Sound Secret Technique]

Chen Ran's gaze paused slightly.

Demon Sound Secret Technique.

This thing was interesting.

Most of the methods he currently had were straightforward.

If he could really extract a sound technique from Que Wuhua, it might have miraculous effects when encountering certain situations in the future.

And this person was still alive, so there would be plenty of opportunities to interact in the future.

Liu Mingyu had already turned the mechanism back and took Chen Ran forward.

"Que Wuhua is still easy to deal with."

"The one in front is the real trouble."