Chapter 30

Many jailers thought the same as Chen Guanlou.

Open the prison doors, release the prisoners, and create chaos.

The jailers did not release all prisoners, but selectively freed some. Those prisoners who harbored deep resentment toward the jailers and had suffered inhuman torture in Tianlaomiao were absolutely not to be released.

The tactic of creating chaos worked: when the Six Gates Bureau constables arrived, the prison-breakers were already fighting to the death with the released prisoners.

The constables struck with lethal intent, as if they had no intention of taking any prisoners alive.

“Wind’s picking up—run!”

At this cry, the prison-breakers fled through the broken holes in the ceiling, and all the constables chased after them.

The prisoners were locked back in their cells; the ground was littered with severed limbs and body parts, still uncollected.

The Minister of Justice arrived at Tianlaomiao to inspect the scene, followed by a long procession of officials of all ranks.

Chen Guanlou slipped quietly into the crowd, his body smeared with blood—blood he had painted on himself. The dried blood on his face was also self-applied. He looked every bit the hero who had fought bravely against the prison-breakers.

Nearly all the jailers around him looked the same—no one here was a fool. A fool didn’t survive three days in Tianlaomiao.

Before coming to Tianlaomiao, Chen Guanlou had naively believed prison duty was the safest job—just watch the prisoners. Only after joining did he realize: every yamen in the empire was the same. Life or death came down to fate.

Lu Datou whispered to him, “You alright?”

“Thank you, Brother Datou, I’m fine. How about you? Any injuries?”

Lu Datou chuckled softly. “Same as you—all blood’s from others. I hid inside a cell, lucky to escape unharmed. What about you?”

“Same.”

They exchanged a glance and smiled—silent understanding among jailers.

“At first, seeing you rush in so recklessly, I worried you were a fool. Now I see my fears were needless.”

Chen Guanlou said, “Gotta put on a show.”

“Exactly. Put on a good show—we can report, and our superiors have an excuse to placate those above.”

Chen Guanlou stared ahead. Too many people—he had no chance to push forward, couldn’t make out who the officials were or their ranks.

He asked, “Who’s here? Such a grand turnout?”

“The Left Vice Minister himself is on-site. Everyone in Tianlaomiao is on edge. For the next few days, stay careful. Don’t give them an excuse to take out their anger on us jailers.”

“Thank you, Brother Datou. I understand.”

The Left Vice Minister personally inspected the prison-break scene. Clearly, he was no amateur—he possessed extensive criminal investigation experience and outstanding scholarly knowledge.

The scene was chaotic.

The jailers had deliberately destroyed evidence. They couldn’t remove the severed limbs, but every other trace they could erase, they erased. They could not let the higher-ups discover the truth: that jailers had deliberately released prisoners to avoid the prison-breakers.

Faced with the tampered scene, the Left Vice Minister showed no expression, only stared at the ceiling.

The jailers could not tamper with the marks on the ceiling.

Suddenly, the Left Vice Minister leapt up and soared onto the rafters.

Chen Guanlou was secretly startled. Lu Datou whispered to him, “The Left Vice Minister is a second-rank martial cultivator—and a Jinshi degree holder.”

Chen Guanlou: …

Are all scholars this terrifying these days?

Since joining Tianlaomiao, he’d felt second- and first-rank martial cultivators were everywhere. Yet in daily life, he never saw a single one. Apparently, all martial cultivators had been absorbed by the court—become its hounds.

Lu Datou added, “He’s from Jixia Academy.”

“The Left Vice Minister is from Jixia Academy?”

“Exactly. Jixia Academy only admits scholars with martial meridians. Too bad you don’t have one—if you did, you could’ve tried the entrance exam. Pass it, and your future is secured.”

Chen Guanlou understood.

Jixia Academy was like the Qinghua and Peking University of the future. Get in, and your future is guaranteed—your classmates and alumni populate every yamen across the land. Promotion and wealth were trivial.

No wonder other officials dared not even breathe loudly before the Left Vice Minister.

Chen Guanlou regretted pushing into the crowd. Was it still possible to slip away?

He wasn’t afraid of anything else—he feared someone would detect his internal cultivation technique. Then, even ten mouths couldn’t explain it away.

But perhaps Duan Guo was just bluffing—he hadn’t truly sensed his internal cultivation. The Immortal Fruit of Longevity or the Sheng Tian Lu had concealment effects.

But he didn’t know if that was true. He had to confirm it soon.

“How many prisoners were killed?”

“Your Excellency, five prisoners were slain by these prison-breakers.”

“No one was taken?”

“Forgive me, Your Excellency. Prisoner No. 13 is missing—he was likely taken.”

“Who was Prisoner No. 13?”

“Just a nobody. Not worth mentioning.”

“A nobody? You think a nobody would prompt dozens of martial bandits to stage a prison break? And you tell me he’s not worth mentioning? Absurd! Your evasiveness—could you be hiding the truth?”

“Your Excellency, please calm down. I assure you, I am not as incompetent as you suggest. Upon learning Prisoner No. 13 was taken, I immediately reviewed the case files. No matter how I examined them, Prisoner No. 13 showed no signs of significance. I am incapable of uncovering the truth.”

“Worthless!”

The Left Vice Minister was furious with the officials and swept out. All the officials hurried after him.

Only Fan Yucheng remained.

He coldly stared at the jailers and jail clerks, his face grim. “I don’t care what you’ve done behind closed doors. Clean your own asses. If I find anyone took bribes from outside, colluded with outsiders—prepare for the law. Remember: this is the first time in nearly thirty years that Tianlaomiao has suffered such a horrific, shocking prison break. When the higher-ups investigate, every last one of you will pay.”

With that, Fan Yucheng swept out, radiating official authority.

Everyone watched him leave.

Only then did they begin to fear for their own safety—would they really be made scapegoats for the prison break?

“Xu Tou, say something—what should we do?”

Xu Fugui’s head throbbed. He exploded in rage: “How the hell should I know? I hope none of you colluded with outsiders. I hope the Six Gates Bureau catches those prison-breakers. I hope your necks are strong enough. Damn it—I’m ruined because of you!”

“Xu Tou, you don’t really think someone among us colluded with outsiders, do you?”

“You know best. Fan Yucheng is right—I don’t care what you did. Clean your asses. Don’t let anyone find evidence. If the higher-ups find out, a lowly jailer like you? Only death awaits.”