Chapter 414

All empty words and flattery, not a single sentence about actual work.

Sun Daoning smiled knowingly, fully aware but chose not to expose Lei Yucheng, giving him full face.

"Lei Yucheng, you've done well. Under your management, the Tianlaomiao runs smoothly—I'm very satisfied. Lock the prisoner in first."

Lei Yucheng secretly wiped the cold sweat from his body and gestured urgently for Chen Guanlou to hurry.

Chen Guanlou cooperated fully, personally opening the cell door, staring intently at the prisoner as he watched the jailers escort the Great Ming King into the cell. He then walked in himself, took the key, and unlocked the chains binding the Great Ming King.

The moment the chains on his hands were removed, the Great Ming King moved—his target was Chen Guanlou's vulnerable neck. Because Chen Guanlou stood directly in front of him, no one outside the cell noticed.

The Great Ming King struck with absolute confidence. Yet, the instant his fingers twitched, the faintest hint of killing intent emerging, he suddenly found himself frozen. Overwhelming pressure, like a torrential downpour, crashed onto him, as if the next second would crush him into pulp.

Chen Guanlou continued unlocking the remaining chains.

When the final clasp clicked open, he smiled, patted the Great Ming King's shoulder, and said, "Behave yourself in prison. If you need anything, just call out."

Great Ming King: …

He felt he was about to die—could not breathe, could not move a single finger.

Until… this strange jailer patted his shoulder—the crushing pressure vanished instantly, as if it had never existed, and he could move again.

He could not believe it, filled with shock and terror, staring at the strange jailer before him, his heart churning like a stormy sea. He glanced outside the cell—at the many men gathered there, several of them martial artists, second, third, even fourth rank.

Not a single one had noticed the anomaly.

Such precise control—so close, yet not a whisper of movement reached the martial artists outside. The crushing pressure targeted only him, leaking not a single ounce, leaving everyone else utterly unaware.

The Great Ming King had encountered high-rank martial artists before—more than one. But such precise control? He had never seen it.

An unremarkable jailer possessed such terrifying power—was this his illusion, or was this world too surreal? Had the court grown so powerful that it deployed ultra-strong martial artists as jailers?

Pfft!

If the court were truly this wealthy, he'd never dare rebel—he'd have hidden away eight hundred years ago. The court's armies? He'd fought them before. Martial artists existed, yes, but in limited numbers, and none this strong—mostly second and third rank, fourth rank was rare. The few elite were reserved to protect commanders, not to charge into battle.

So then… this jailer chose to stay in the Tianlaomiao voluntarily?

A true martial arts powerhouse willingly serving as a jailer? He'd clearly seen too little—the world had changed too fast, becoming alien to him.

"You…" the Great Ming King tried to utter a single word.

Chen Guanlou, holding the chains, said to him, "I'm Chen, jailer of the Jia-sized cellblock. You're new here—if anything feels off, speak up. The physician will come soon to examine you—you'll cooperate, right?"

The Great Ming King stared at him, overwhelmed, as if his mind had loaded too much and couldn't process it. Finally, under the weight of pressure, he nodded, "Fine. I'll cooperate."

Chen Guanlou smiled in satisfaction. "I like prisoners who cooperate."

He then walked out of the cell, chains in hand. The jailers rushed to lock the door, terrified the Great Ming King might suddenly burst out.

Lei Yucheng knew nothing of the small incident inside the cell. Instead, he parroted the phrases Chen Guanlou had taught him, boasting to Sun Daoning and the Ministry of Justice officials.

"... The Tianlaomiao has undergone a series of optimizations and improvements. Detained officials have all expressed satisfaction with the new measures... The Tianlaomiao is fundamentally different from the neighboring Zhaoju. We are determined to distinguish ourselves and actively improve our public image, enhancing training and skills among our jailers..."

Boasting? It's all about who has the thickest skin and the better imagination.

Though Lei Yucheng had little education, his ability to bluff was immense. He directly copied the lies Chen Guanlou had told him, embellished them, wrapped them in lofty concepts, and genuinely fooled some of the officials into believing him.

Only Sun Daoning saw through the truth—he knew these words could never have come from Lei Yucheng, a half-baked fool. He knew better than anyone what the Tianlaomiao was truly like. The Jia-sized cellblock had become Chen Guanlou's personal fiefdom.

Lei Yucheng and the junior jailer Fan had long been sidelined.

But honestly, compared to his last visit, the morale of the Jia-sized cellblock's jailers had visibly improved. It seemed Chen Guanlou's management was effective—not just about lining his pockets, but actually implementing practical measures to improve working conditions.

The prisoner was successfully locked away.

At Lei Yucheng's enthusiastic invitation, everyone left the cellblock and went to the office for tea.

After listening to Lei Yucheng's nonsense and receiving a few hollow encouragements, Sun Daoning finally called out Chen Guanlou's name to ask for specifics.

Lei Yucheng seized the chance to complain, claiming the Tianlaomiao's defenses were too weak—if any escaped rebels dared attempt a jailbreak, the prison couldn't hold them.

"Jailer Chen, what do you think of Lei Yucheng's claim? Can the Tianlaomiao truly not hold them?"

"It can't. Not at all. Your Excellency knows the true state of the Tianlaomiao. The jailers only know street-fighter tricks—fine against civilians, but against martial artists, they're just meat. Months remain until spring. Ensuring the Great Ming King's safety, keeping him confined until then, won't be easy. Please, Your Excellency, show some mercy—could you assign more martial arts masters as guards?"

Sun Daoning lifted his teacup, feigning thought, saying nothing.

Lei Yucheng panicked. "Your Excellency, without Ministry support, the Tianlaomiao truly can't hold out! Please, have mercy!"

"Even with Ministry support, what good would it do?" Sun Daoning set down his cup. "Past jailbreaks here—especially the abduction of the Grand Tutor—were devastating, their lessons profound. No matter how much we prepare, the outlaws always find a weakness."

"What do you mean?" Lei Yucheng felt a dark premonition.

Sun Daoning spoke solemnly: "Don't prepare. Wait for the jailbreakers to come."

"No, Your Excellency! The Great Ming King's importance is undeniable—if he escapes, people will die. Many people will die!" Lei Yucheng was nearly frantic, as if he'd grab Sun Daoning's belt and never let go.

"Your Excellency, you can't stand by and let them die! The jailers here are innocent—our lives matter too!"