76: Chapter 76 Imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison, Accidentally Caught in a Whirlpool!

On the second floor of the teahouse, the cool night breeze flowed into the room through the window.

Chen Ran brushed off his sleeves, stood up slowly, and his gaze fell upon Su Qinghe.

"The matter is settled, I should be going."

Chen Ran spoke in a flat tone, preparing to return home.

Su Qinghe crossed her hands, lowered her waist slightly, and performed a standard salute.

"Thank you, Young Master Chen, for your righteous action today; I, Su Qinghe, will keep this in my heart."

She raised her head, her expression sincere, without any superfluous pleasantries.

She did not say "I will pay a visit another day," wisely refraining from inquiring about Chen Ran's specific position.

Jiang Mengli stood to the side and stretched, her fiery curves fully revealed beneath her dress.

She yawned, her tone languid: "Finally, we can go back. The world outside is truly foul; one can't even drink tea without such things happening."

"Let's go."

Chen Ran ignored her. He strode forward, walking straight toward the stairs.

He walked away decisively.

Jiang Mengli chuckled and followed lightly behind him.

...

The private booth fell silent.

Not until their backs completely disappeared at the end of the long street...

did Liu Zhong's straight spine finally hunch slightly, and he exhaled a long breath of stale air.

Only then did he realize that his undergarments were soaked through with cold sweat.

The three words "Demon Suppression Division" were truly too overwhelming for guards like them who often walked on the edge of the Jianghu.

"Young Miss," Liu Zhong walked to Su Qinghe's side and lowered his voice: "Should we use the secret channels of Wenxin Hall to investigate his background?" Liu Zhong asked tentatively.

Su Qinghe withdrew her gaze from the window and shook her head slightly.

"There is no need."

"But Young Miss..."

"Uncle Liu," Su Qinghe interrupted him, "His current state clearly shows he is satisfied with a life undisturbed by others."

She turned around and looked at the empty tea table.

The internal situation of Wenxin Hall was complex and intricate, with the older generation fighting endlessly for power, while external forces watched like tigers eyeing their prey.

"He is living well now; there is no need for him to be dragged into these troubles because of me." Su Qinghe straightened her cuffs, "Rashly investigating the background of a member of the Demon Suppression Division would only alert the enemy, anger him, and pull him into the muddy waters; the losses would outweigh the gains."

Liu Zhong sighed. "Young Miss is right, but you have not been very secure during this time. Today, a local ruffian like Xu Kui dared to cause trouble on the street; it is possible that someone was fanning the flames behind the scenes."

He gripped the hilt of his sword at his waist, his eyes cold and sharp: "In the future, when you go out, we must assign more trusted and skilled guards."

Su Qinghe nodded slightly, but her gaze remained fixed on the distance.

"Today's incident might not have been an accident either..."

...

The night was like ink, and the moonlight spilled onto the street.

From the bustling and lively streets of the Outer City, he returned to the dark and damp dungeon.

The pungent smell of mold, mixed with the stench of rotting flesh, filled every inch of the air.

Chen Ran changed back into his Demon Suppression Division uniform and walked unhurriedly along the bluestone floor.

Arriving at the registration desk of the Cell Block D, several on-duty jailers were gathered together, chatting.

"Brother Chen, isn't today your day off? Why are you back so early?" a young jailer asked, stepping forward.

Chen Ran casually made a mark on the register: "Went out for tea, ran into a mad dog that ruined my mood, so I caught it and brought it in."

The young jailer glanced at the booking record, his expression changing slightly: "Xu Kui? It seems to be that person from the Battle Hall of the Flying Bear Gang. Brother Chen, I think I've heard of this person."

Chen Ran didn't even lift his eyelids: "Sent in by someone from the Demon Suppression Division. What, is the Flying Bear Gang planning to come to the dungeon to break a prisoner out?"

Hearing the three words "Demon Suppression Division," the surrounding jailers immediately shut their mouths, silent as cicadas in winter.

That, they certainly dared not do; even if these Gangs were given ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to directly break into the dungeon.

Chen Ran carried the keys and walked toward the depths of the prison.

Just as he stepped into the innermost corridor of the Cell Block D, a burst of vulgar cursing came over.

"Let me out! Do you know who I am? When my big brother comes, he'll flatten this crappy prison!!"

The person speaking was Xu Kui.

He was grabbing the iron bars, which were as thick as a child's arm, and roaring like a madman.

The palm that had been pierced by the teacup was wrapped with a piece of rag; because of his violent shaking, the wound burst open again. Blood dripped down the cloth strip.

The jailers passing by didn't even look at him, treating it as hearing a dog bark.

Chen Ran walked along the corridor. His boots stepped on the dirt-stained ground, making a few muffled sounds.

"Thud."

"Thud."

Xu Kui was cursing with spittle flying; hearing the footsteps, he subconsciously looked up.

The cursing stopped abruptly.

Under the firelight, a young face appeared before him; the moment he saw that face, Xu Kui's knees went weak, and he uncontrollably stumbled back two steps, his back slamming heavily against the moldy wall bricks.

"It's you!?"

The arrogance of Xu Kui vanished the moment he saw Chen Ran clearly.

Who could have imagined that he would encounter this person in the prison?

Chen Ran stopped outside the iron bars.

He didn't speak, didn't waste words, just watched him quietly.

Deep in his Sea of Consciousness, the floating [heavenly book of prison suppression] shone brightly.

The ancient pages flipped in his consciousness.

Lines of text appeared as if branded.

[Prisoner: Xu Kui]

[Realm: None]

[Sin Value: Heavy (Forced abduction of innocent women, coercion of merchants, bribery...)]

[Cultivation Technique: None]

Chen Ran saw the panel, his expression changing slightly.

Such a weak prisoner...

Xu Kui could be said to be the weakest prisoner he had observed so far.

Not to mention a Realm, he didn't even have a Cultivation Technique.

He was purely an ordinary person relying on a strong build. He had originally thought he was just a street thug who bullied the weak and feared the strong, but the sins he had committed were so grave.

"It seems the things he has done are not small..."

Chen Ran's gaze was cold, and a faint killing intent surged from his body.

Xu Kui felt his scalp tingle from Chen Ran's stare.

He only saw a kind of calmness, the calmness of a butcher looking at a pig to be slaughtered on the chopping block. This person probably wanted to kill him!

"Lo... Lord!"

Xu Kui's knees bent.

Ignoring the heart-piercing pain in his palm, he threw his body onto the ground and began kowtowing with loud thuds.

"This lowly one was blind and had eyes like a dog; I beg you, Lord, to show mercy and just let me go!"

Chen Ran stood outside the bars, arms crossed.

Without saying a word, he just watched his performance.

Xu Kui kowtowed for a long time; seeing Chen Ran not responding, he became increasingly panicked.

With trembling hands, he fumbled around in his bosom and pulled out a few crumpled silver banknotes, holding them out.

"Lord, silver! This lowly one has silver!"

Xu Kui squeezed out a fawning smile on his face: "This is three hundred taels, all for you, Lord! I only ask that you give me a way to live; after I get out, this lowly one will surely reward you heavily!"

Chen Ran didn't even glance at it.

Three hundred taels?

Money was no longer that important to him now.

And he naturally could not accept this kind of bribery.

"Lord, after I get out, I can still..."

A few minutes later, Xu Kui was dry-mouthed from talking, but seeing Chen Ran still indifferent to the silver, he became completely desperate.

When people are in extreme panic, they often turn into the madness of a cornered dog jumping over a wall.

Xu Kui stood up abruptly; his previously pleading face became twisted and ferocious due to fear and anger.

"Don't push me too far!"

He grabbed the iron bars with both hands and roared with a hoarse voice. "I'm telling you, don't think that just because you are from the Demon Suppression Division, you can arrest people as you please!"

Xu Kui brought out his biggest trump card. "My own brother is Xu Shan, the Hall Master of the Battle Hall of the Flying Bear Gang, with hundreds of brothers under him!"

His eyes were split with rage, trying to hide his inner fear. "If you dare to touch a single finger of mine in this prison, my brother will absolutely not let you off!"

Chen Ran still didn't speak, just feeling that this spiel was incredibly boring.

Xu Kui's mentality had already collapsed, and he began to ramble.

"If my brother comes, you won't even have the chance to regret it..."

Just at this moment.

Click, the sound of a key turning rang out in the quiet dungeon.

Interrupting the conversation between the two.

Chen Ran turned his head slightly.

He saw the moonlight shining through the door crack into the stairwell, and the dungeon gate at the entrance slowly opened.

Several shadows appeared in his line of sight.