48: Chapter 48: Clues to the Spirit, Breakthrough in Site Selection! (3k)

Liu Mingyu carried a lantern, his footsteps never stopping.

The further they went, the heavier the Yin Qi became.

After turning another corner, the air carried a hint of blood.

The prison doors here were thicker than those before, plastered with three layers of black talismans, and the food slot was only the size of a palm.

Outside the innermost cell, two additional black iron crossbeams were nailed, and several black chains were locked to the ground, extending deep into the stone crevices.

As soon as Chen Ran stopped, a muffled thud came from inside.

Bang!

It sounded as if someone was slamming their body against the wall.

Another one followed.

Bang!

Liu Mingyu raised his hand, signaling him not to go over.

"See that? This is Yi Ward 19."

He lifted the lantern to shine it on the wooden plaque.

[Niu Hong] [Hard-trained Martial Artist] [Demon Blood Invading the Body] [Do Not Approach]

Liu Mingyu lowered his voice and spoke.

"This man was once a somebody in the Jianghu, practicing hard-training methods."

"Later, I don't know where he got demon blood, but he forced it into his own body. As a result, his Physical Body became stronger, but his mind was ruined."

"He doesn't always recognize people. When he really goes crazy, whoever gets close dies."

As he spoke, he pushed aside the iron plate on the door.

A burly man sat inside the cell.

No, he was nailed there.

Two black iron chains pierced through his shoulder blades, pulling to the left and right, pinning him firmly against the stone pillar.

His upper body was bare, his skin blue-black, old wounds layered over new ones, his chest and arms bulging in a terrifying manner. On the ground lay half a wooden bowl, already crushed into fragments.

Niu Hong kept his head lowered, muttering incoherently, not knowing what he was chanting.

Chen Ran only took one glance, and the golden book in his Sea of Consciousness trembled.

[Prisoner: Niu Hong] [Identity: Jianghu Loose Cultivator] [Cultivation Level: Sixth Rank Early Stage] [Status: Insane, Demon Blood Invading the Body, Severe Shoulder Blade Injuries] [Sins: Seriously injured seventeen people, tore three Martial Artists apart alive] [Rewards Obtainable: Internal Energy, Hard-training Cultivation Technique] [Currently Detectable Cultivation Technique: Iron Fiend Bone-Forging Technique]

Chen Ran's gaze paused.

A hard-training Cultivation Technique.

And since it could be singled out by the heavenly book of prison suppression, it meant it wouldn't be bad.

His path for his Physical Body had only just begun. Although he had the "Glazed Golden Body Art" as a foundation, it would never be a bad thing to have another hard-training method for verification.

Just then, Niu Hong suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were completely bloodshot.

The next moment, he jerked his whole body forward.

Clatter!

The chains pulled taut, the stone pillar shook, and a terrifying Aura swept forward.

"Open the door for me!"

Niu Hong let out a hoarse growl from his throat.

"I can still fight!"

"Open the door!"

As he roared, he used his shoulders to ram against the chains.

Seeing that this man was about to enter a maddened state again, the two simply retreated.

Chen Ran was not too anxious.

Niu Hong could not run away.

As for this Cultivation Technique, there would be plenty of opportunities to take it slowly later.

Instead, he was curious about the strength of the prisoners being held; this was merely a corner of the Yi Ward prison.

The ones imprisoned here were actually all Martial Artists who had reached the Sixth Rank Realm, not to mention whatever existences were locked deep within the Celestial Prison.

"Could there be legendary Upper Three Rank Martial Artists?"

Chen Ran was startled by his own thought. Existences of such a Realm were extremely noble; if they were to be locked in the Celestial Prison, one could only imagine how grave a crime they must have committed.

The two continued their patrol.

After walking past a few more cells, Chen Ran spoke as if casually.

"Brother Liu, does our Yi Ward also hold monsters?"

Liu Mingyu's footsteps faltered.

"Why are you suddenly asking this?"

Chen Ran casually adjusted his waist token.

"When I was testing the deeper levels last night, I saw a shadow from afar that looked like a big spider. I thought I had seen wrong."

Once these words were spoken, Liu Mingyu's expression clearly changed.

He looked around first before lowering his voice.

"In the future, mention such things less."

"You are currently only on duty at the East Corner; don't go poking around the monster sections for no reason."

Chen Ran followed up with a question.

"Are there really?"

Liu Mingyu was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Yes."

"The Yi Ward has many sections. You are currently walking in the East Corner. If you go west past the third iron gate, there is a descending stone staircase that leads to the Bing Monster Corridor below, and what is locked there are not humans."

"The spider monster you mentioned is most likely a Black-faced Ghost Spider."

Chen Ran didn't speak, continuing to listen.

Liu Mingyu carried the lantern, his voice even lower.

"That thing can spit poison, spin webs, and has eaten living people. Usually, the formation patterns suppress it, so it looks motionless, but if something were to go wrong, the first person to die would definitely be the one closest to it."

Speaking up to this point, he stared at Chen Ran.

"Do you understand?"

Chen Ran nodded.

"Understood, I was just asking casually."

Only then did Liu Mingyu lift the lantern back up.

"Even if it is just a casual question, ask less."

"The monster sections are not places for a newcomer to be thinking about. Your status isn't high enough, and your strength isn't enough. If you take one wrong step, you'll die without anyone to cry for justice for you."

Chen Ran did not ask further.

But that route had already been firmly memorized by him.

The clue to the spider monster could be considered found.

It was just that he really couldn't go now.

He was currently just a small internal employee who had just entered the Yi Ward, not even considered officially assigned to a team.

If he really were to sneak into the monster sections, it would be too conspicuous. Even if he could get close, it would be hard to explain why he was interested in that spider monster.

Since that was the case, it was better to suppress it for now.

Once he officially joined a team and had a firmer grasp on things, he would find an opportunity to reach out.

The two finished patrolling the last section and went to the talisman-changing stone platform to register.

Key handover, black bell verification, talisman paper replacement, wooden register updates.

None of these were difficult.

But not a single one could be wrong.

By the time this round was finished, most of the second half of the night had passed.

When they handed over their shifts, the sky outside was turning pale.

The chill of the Yi Ward could not be dispersed, and it was only after passing the second stone gate that his chest felt a bit lighter.

Chen Ran went to the miscellaneous affairs room to get a bowl of thin porridge and took two sesame cakes, then turned and walked out.

Just as he stepped out, he bumped into two old prison guards from the Cell Block D.

One was surnamed Sun, the other surnamed Ma.

Both were familiar faces.

Back when Chen Ran was just getting by in the Cell Block D, these two hadn't been mean when they saw him, but they hadn't thought much of him either.

Sun the Third saw him first and was stunned for a moment.

"Yo, isn't this Chen Ran?"

Ma the Sixth turned his head, a half-eaten cake still in his mouth.

"How did you, kid, come out from inside?"

"Wasn't it said last night that the Yi Ward was drawing people? I heard you volunteered yourself?"

Ma the Sixth's tone carried a hint of mockery.

His gaze fell on the new token at Chen Ran's waist; he didn't react at first, then took another look.

His footsteps stopped on the spot.

Sun the Third also looked in that direction.

A black iron waist token.

The carvings on the token were heavier than the wooden or copper tokens of ordinary prison guards, and the edges bore the hidden patterns of the Demon Suppression Division.

The two stared at the token for two breaths, neither speaking first.

It was Ma the Sixth who swallowed the cake in his mouth first, his voice dropping by half.

"You... you entered the Demon Suppression Division?"

Chen Ran gave a grunt, without any emotional fluctuation.

"I just went over last night."

Sun the Third blurted out.

"You really passed?"

Once these words were out, he paused himself, as if feeling it was wrong, and hurriedly added another sentence.

"I didn't mean that. I mean, hasn't that place always been strict with selection?"

Chen Ran held the porridge, his tone flat.

"Luck was alright."

Ma the Sixth gave a dry laugh, a flattering smile hanging on his face:

"This isn't luck, this is called having persevered until success."

"I've long said you kid could keep your cool; turns out you were prepared early on."

Sun the Third immediately chimed in.

"Right, right, I thought so too."

"I always thought you weren't an ordinary person; you were steady in doing things and spoke little. Sooner or later, you would move up."

Chen Ran looked at the two, not bothering to expose them.

If these words were said half a month ago, they themselves might not have believed it.

However, the skin of the Demon Suppression Division was indeed useful.

Just by putting on a layer of connection, for these ordinary prison guards, it was an unimaginable position.

Sun the Third enthusiastically reached out and pulled over a stool from the side.

"Come, sit here and eat."

Chen Ran said: "No need, I'll leave after eating."

As he was speaking, a few more people walked out of the miscellaneous affairs room.

The one in front was Old Zhou, who was in charge of procurement, and behind him followed two young prison guards.

One of the young ones didn't know what was going on, and seeing Sun the Third and Ma the Sixth surrounding Chen Ran, he was stunned for a moment and blurted out a sentence.

"Chen Ran? Why are you sitting here? Isn't this seat—"

Before he could finish, Old Zhou slapped him on the back of the head.

"Shut up."

The young prison guard covered his head, and just as he was about to turn back, Old Zhou had already glanced at Chen Ran's waist.

The next moment, the casualness on Old Zhou's face was wiped clean, and he gestured to the two people beside him:

"Brother Chen entered the Yi Ward last night; he is now counted as personnel of the Demon Suppression Division's internal staff."

The young prison guard heard this and was stunned, his eyes widening instantly.

"Ah?"

The other one next to him reacted faster and immediately cupped his hands.

"Congratulations, Brother Chen."

"In the future, when you become successful, don't forget us old folks."

The one who had received a slap earlier also reacted by this time, his face feeling a bit hot, and he hurriedly followed suit to change his tune.

"Brother Chen, I was quick-tongued just now; please don't take it to heart."

Chen Ran lowered his head to take a sip of porridge.

"It's fine."

He didn't say much, but the few people nearby were, on the contrary, even more polite.

"Brother Chen, since you have entered the Yi Ward now, I'm afraid you will often have to go deeper in the future."

"However, no matter how deep you go, if you aren't on duty during the day, try to rest if you can. If you really want to practice martial arts, don't mess around in the city."

Chen Ran looked up at him.

"Uncle Zhou is familiar with the areas outside the capital?"

Old Zhou waved his hand.

"I wouldn't dare say familiar, but I run errands a lot, so I know some roads."

Ma the Sixth immediately chimed in from the side.

"When Uncle Zhou was young, he went out of the city with merchant caravans; he knows exactly which roads outside the capital are difficult to travel."

Chen Ran asked, taking the opportunity: "If I wanted to find a place that is quieter, less frequented, and suitable for going out, where outside the capital would be suitable?"

Once these words were out, the few looked at each other.

Old Zhou spoke first.

"That depends on how quiet you want it."

"If it's just to avoid prying eyes, there are manors and abandoned temples a few dozen miles west of the city, but if we are talking about being sparsely populated, in my opinion, it would be Wuyue Mountain."

Chen Ran didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

Old Zhou counted down on his fingers.

"First, it's far."

"Second, the roads in the mountains are complex, and there are few outsiders."

"I heard that there are old hunting trails hidden in the mountains; if something really happened, once you duck inside, it would be hard to even pursue."

...

The speaker spoke without intention, but the listener took it to heart.

Chen Ran, however, remembered all these words; he had not forgotten about his own matter of breaking through.

He could break through to the Fifth Rank at any time now; continuing to suppress it was not necessarily safe.

But to break through near the Celestial Prison, if the commotion was too big, it would be too easy to attract attention.

If he went to Wuyue Mountain to scout the location first, confirm the terrain, and then choose an opportunity to go, it would be much safer.

Thinking of this, Chen Ran finished the last sip of porridge, stood up, and put the bowl back on the wooden tray.

The Black-faced Ghost Spider in the monster section.

And Wuyue Mountain outside the capital.

He pressed the black iron token at his waist and walked straight out.

Tomorrow, he would first go to Wuyue Mountain to take a look.