Chapter 861: Beating Someone to Death

The foul-tempered and stubborn Chen Chen Guanlou returned home, finished his cultivation, and fell fast asleep.

In the middle of the night, someone knocked on his door—bang, bang, bang.

He got up and opened the door, only to find it was a jailer from the Heaven Prison.

"My lord, something terrible has happened."

"Your lord here is doing just fine!" Chen Chen Guanlou said irritably.

The jailer shrank his neck, then mustered his courage and went on, "My lord, something happened in the Yi-sized prison block. A lot of people died. Prison Clerk Zhang ordered me to come report at once. My lord, please hurry—if we're late, more people will die."

"What's going on? Everything was fine—why would people die in the Yi-sized prison block?"

"They say a fight broke out. The specifics, this lowly one doesn't know either."

"Who's fighting who?"

The jailer said nothing—a classic case of ask three questions and learn nothing.

Chen Chen Guanlou gave a cold snort of displeasure, grabbed his coat, and headed outside.

In the pitch-black night, patrolling soldiers blocked his path. Just as he was about to open his mouth and ask, another squad came up and recognized him at a glance.

"So it's Prison Aide Chen. It's the middle of the night—aren't you resting yet, Prison Aide Chen?"

"Already slept one round. Woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep, so I figured I'd head to the Heaven Prison for a look. I sleep awfully well there."

"Ha ha… Prison Aide Chen, you really know how to joke."

"I'm not joking at all. What I do is called loving whatever line of work you're in—I just love sleeping in the Heaven Prison. Especially falling asleep to the prisoners' screams. Extra flavorful."

The soldiers' faces showed disgust. They figured this fellow's hobby was truly perverse—liking to fall asleep to screaming. Even more revolting than the lot of them. No wonder the world had no use for Heaven Prison jailers.

"Since Prison Aide Chen is in such a hurry to rest at the Heaven Prison, I won't keep you."

"Many thanks! Drinks on me another day!"

Chen Chen Guanlou waved them off, left the patrolling soldiers behind, and continued toward the Heaven Prison. The jailer following him didn't quite understand. "My lord, why say those things? It'll make people misunderstand."

Chen Chen Guanlou didn't much care. He replied offhandedly, "Misunderstand? Misunderstand what? Isn't this exactly the image we Heaven Prison jailers have out there? This is called catering to their imagination. Don't try to explain yourself—prejudice is prejudice; it leaves no room for your explanations.

Besides, if I told the truth, believe me, the other side would start asking what happened at the Heaven Prison, digging to the bottom of it, and reporting it up the chain one by one. Before dawn, every government office in Jingcheng would know something happened at the Heaven Prison. What would you have the Ministry of Justice do about that?

When it comes to getting things done, being misunderstood by outsiders doesn't matter—you don't depend on outsiders for your livelihood. You have to think first: what is your bread, who do you depend on for it, and whose interests must you protect. Remember—outsiders' opinions are nothing but fart!"

The jailer wore a look of having learned a lesson.

Chen Chen Guanlou looked at the other's bewildered eyes and knew the fellow had grasped only half of it. Enough—the Heaven Prison jailers were made of this stuff. Go too deep and it won't get into their brains—in fact, it won't even make it into their ears.

When he reached the Heaven Prison, it was ablaze with lights.

The jailers on night duty had all crawled out of bed, unable to bother with their gambling and sleeping, all very curious about what had happened in the Yi-sized prison block.

The two gates of the Yi-sized prison block had been dropped shut—no one could get in or out. All prying eyes were blocked.

Chen Chen Guanlou signaled the jailer to call for the gate to be opened.

A moment later, the gate opened.

"My lord is finally here!"

"How's the situation?"

"Prison Clerk Zhang is leading men to suppress it."

"Who's fighting who?" At this point, Chen Chen Guanlou only wanted the answer to this question.

The jailer hesitated a moment, then still said, "Prisoners fighting prisoners!"

"Bullshit!" Chen Chen Guanlou glared. "The prisoners are all locked in their cells—how could prisoners end up fighting prisoners? Either you didn't lock the cell doors, or you neglected your duties and secretly took out the keys to open them. Either way, you're in deep trouble."

The jailer's face wilted; he didn't dare speak.

Chen Chen Guanlou led his men straight into the interior of the Yi-sized prison block.

Torches burned, occasionally letting out a crackle—sharp!

In the long, narrow corridor, Prison Clerk Zhang was leading a group of jailers in a standoff with a group of prisoners. "Drop your weapons and go back to your cells obediently, and tonight's matter will be let slide. Otherwise…"

"Why let it slide? People have already been beaten to death—every last one of them deserves to die!" Chen Chen Guanlou cut in, his face frosty.

Prison Clerk Zhang turned his head and called out, "My lord!"

Chen Chen Guanlou ignored him. He reached out and grabbed through the air—the prisoners opposite screamed and wailed, one after another collapsing to the ground. Looking closely, some had broken arms, some broken legs. Others were pinned to the wall by an invisible, tremendous force, unable to move.

Everyone was shocked; the whole place fell silent.

It seemed only now that everyone suddenly remembered Prison Aide Chen was a Nai Shi Jiu Pin martial artist.

In a Heaven Prison guarded by a Nai Shi Jiu Pin martial artist, for prisoners to dare riot was simply seeking death.

"What exactly happened?"

At Chen Chen Guanlou's sharp rebuke, Prison Clerk Zhang tried to explain, but he didn't want to hear it. With a lift of his hand through the air, a stubble-bearded prisoner was dragged forward as if pulled by an invisible rope.

"You speak. What exactly happened? Speak well, and I'll spare your dog life. Speak poorly, and you die!"

"I'm a man from the Northern General's Manor…"

Slap!

A heavy slap landed on the stubble-bearded man's face. His already basin-sized face instantly swelled up.

"Speak properly. Don't drag things all over the place. I ask you something, you answer that."

Chen Chen Guanlou was not about to indulge these prisoners.

"Speak properly!"

The stubble-bearded man was stunned by the slap, his head dizzy. When his eyes met Chen Chen Guanlou's gaze, his heart lurched. He suddenly realized the other man wasn't joking—if he didn't answer properly, he really might die.

"Those bastards deserve to die!" The stubble-bearded man, full of grievance and fury, shouted loudly, turning to glare at a group of prisoners hiding in the shadows. "They're all bastards—everyone has the right to execute them."

Chen Chen Guanlou narrowed his eyes slightly, grabbed through the air, and instantly a certain prisoner hiding in the shadows was dragged out.

"You speak. Why does he call you bastards? What grudge? Who opened the cell doors?"

The prisoner had a long, horse-like face and looked a bit sinister. He was rather self-possessed, giving a slight bow in greeting. "Reporting to Prison Aide my lord, it's all old accumulated grudges—we've been unable to stand each other for years. Tonight, by coincidence, no one knows who left the key in the lock, so our two gangs agreed to open the cell doors together and have a fight."

Chen Chen Guanlou burst out laughing at that. "So you're saying no guard neglected his duty and helped open the cell. Instead, the key just hopped onto the iron lock by itself, and you lot took the chance to fling open the cell and have a brawl that ended in a death."

"Precisely so! Tonight's matter was entirely our own foolishness, crime upon crime. We beg Warden Chen to punish us severely."

Chen Chen Guanlou let out a hearty laugh, raised his hand, and patted Horse-Face on the cheek — patting him so hard he couldn't stay on his feet and went tumbling straight to the ground. Luckily, someone caught him.

Chen Chen Guanlou turned to look at Zhang Zhang Yuli, then swept his gaze over the jailers. "Zhang Zhang Yuli, what do you have to say?"