Chapter 448: Prison Break

Sun Ajiu came running, throwing his words about, showed off a lap, then, grateful and indebted, ran off again—supposedly home; as for what he did, it goes without saying!

The cell fell silent again.

Heng Xian said, "You lost!"

Dao Ye said, "I lost!"

Heng Xian said, "The loser always has to pay some price!"

Dao Ye hesitated a moment, then said, "Aside from a tattered robe, I only have two pieces of snake jerky I've hidden for half a month—take them if you want!"

Heng Xian drawled, "You know, I'm not interested in these creepy things!"

"Then you..." Dao Ye seemed to think of something, quietly shifting his sole pride—his round buttocks—toward the corner.

Heng Xian fell silent for a moment, grabbed a handful of straw and hurled it: "Holy shit, you old bastard! Believe I'll kill you, you old fart, you disgust me!"

Dao Ye gave an embarrassed laugh: "Just joking, little bro—what do you want?"

Heng Xian snapped his fingers: "Simple! Help me break out!"

Dao Ye jumped in shock, quickly glanced around, lowered his voice: "What nonsense are you spouting? You tired of living? This Reincarnation Great Prison has a grand formation sealing it, plus two Nascent Soul experts suppressing it—who could break out?"

Heng Xian calmly said, "You can!"

Dao Ye stared hard at Heng Xian, seeing he wasn't joking, sweat gradually beaded on his forehead and trickled down his cheeks as he said, "I believe you really are skilled at divination!"

"Oh?" Heng Xian said.

Dao Ye transmitted secretly: "This secret is known only to me!"

Heng Xian said, "Now both of us know!"

Dao Ye's eyes darted: "You think you can get out from here? Absolutely impossible!"

Saying that, he lay back down, seemingly resolved not to help Heng Xian.

Heng Xian laughed: "Helping me is helping yourself!"

Dao Ye muttered: "Trust your ghost, you brat are terribly cunning!"

Heng Xian said, "Once I'm out, I'll naturally have a way to get you out too—trust the abilities of a Marquis, Prince Consort, and Poetry Sage!"

Dao Ye ignored him.

Heng Xian said, "I informed on you?"

Dao Ye snorted: "Even if a Nascent Soul expert came in person, they couldn't find my methods—informing is useless!"

Heng Xian fell silent for half an incense stick's time, then suddenly said, "If you don't help me, I'll have outsiders kill your granddaughter!"

Dao Ye sprang up: "My granddaughter?"

Heng Xian calmly said, "You still have a granddaughter alive in the world, fifteen years old, a lonely soul with no one to rely on—you've never met her!"

Dao Ye's body trembled slightly: "How do you know that?"

Heng Xian said, "Divined!"

Dao Ye gritted his teeth: "Fine! Help me catch ten rats, ten cockroaches, ten wolf-skin bugs, and I'll help you break out!"

Saying that with a face that read, "Don't blame me if you can't do it!"

Who would have thought Heng Xian would nonchalantly say, "No problem!"

"No problem? Ten years wouldn't be enough to impress me!" Dao Ye said.

"One incense stick's worth is enough!"

Heng Xian suddenly turned, walked to the corner, took out three talismans, and, following the method in the Marvelous Spirit-Control Dao, pinched the seals, chanted the incantation, folded them into three things—exactly a paper mouse, a paper cockroach, and a paper wolf-skin bug—then tossed them into the hole in the floor.

Those three "paper bugs" were also miraculous, glowing with a faint light as they scurried out of sight!

Dao Ye stared, dumbfounded: "Will this work?"

Heng Xian said nothing, silently waiting.

After about half an incense stick, all that was heard was a shush-shush of dense sound, then a black mass of rats, shoe-sized cockroaches, and wolf-skin bugs like salted fish, led by the three "paper bugs," burst out from all directions, piling up at Heng Xian's feet, quickly forming a small hill, a sight that made the scalp tingle!

Dao Ye's face turned red: "Holy shit!!!!"

Heng Xian plucked them out like pulling radishes, grabbing rats, cockroaches, and wolf-skin bugs and tossing them over: "Enough or not? Enough or not?"

Dao Ye hurriedly replied: "Enough! Enough! Wahahaha……"

Soon Dao Ye, like preparing for winter, stuffed the cell full of "spoils."

Heng Xian here also dispersed the remaining bugs.

Only then did Dao Ye lean against the cell, beaming: "This old man has lived over a hundred years; I've never seen such a miraculous, interesting kid like you—fine, I'll help you get out, but let's lay out the ugly truth first!"

Heng Xian said, "Speak freely!"

Dao Ye's face grew stern as he said, "The seals on this cell are like a heavenly net; the slightest touch and the two Nascent Soul masters will notice—anyone else trying to break out is harder than climbing to heaven!"

But this old man makes a living digging up ancestral graves; I'm best at breaking seals, so I spent fifty years finding a loophole that lets one slip out unnoticed—unfortunately…

…the opposite side dug the wrong spot, a strange place; once you get there, you still need to figure out how to leave!

Otherwise you'd have to wait while I spend ten or eight years digging a new exit!"

Heng Xian pondered: Dao Ye meant that the exit point of his escape tunnel was dug in the wrong place and coordinates, unknown where it leads; exiting here, arriving there, one would still need to figure out how to get out!

Could this be the Fate Opportunity spoken of by the Heavenly Hexagram?

It would mean getting out of the cage and also gaining the Fate Opportunity?

After thinking a while, he said, "Never mind—whatever that side is, just get me out!"

Dao Ye nodded: "Fine! Wait a day or two, I'll open it!"

Heng Xian blinked: "Still need a day or two?"

Dao Ye nodded: "I have to open thirty-nine layers of locks—don't rush!"

"All right!" Heng Xian said: "Steady and safe, no rush!"

The cell again fell into darkness and silence.

Heng Xian entered meditation; the neighboring old geezer was fumbling about, not knowing what to do, his words and actions mysterious and unfathomable, as if he were carving some kind of restriction pattern!

The next day, the jailer Sun Ajiu came with a red-faced glow, carrying a large box of fine food and wine; as soon as he opened the door he shouted "Benefactor!" and clung to Heng Xian, not letting go: "Only now do I know the bearing of a true man!"

This old rascal last night had three women, vigorous and high-spirited, sang several battle-charge songs, head held high, bold and reckless; in the morning, seeing his three exhausted wives and concubines, it was simply more satisfying than being an emperor!

Heng Xian flicked his hand away without a trace, then asked him about the outside situation.

The situation worsened; chaos erupted throughout the Imperial Capital, remnant soldiers roamed killing people, civilians shut their doors, nobles and officials rushed to take up positions!

Still, there was no news of Ji Yaoyue!

After driving Sun Ajiu away, Heng Xian continued to space out, while the neighboring old geezer kept fumbling about.

On the third day, the person indicated by the divination to come and surrender arrived!

Wu Sheng, now bearded, fatter than before, bearing an official aura, almost like a different person, stood at the prison door and gave a bitter laugh.

Heng Xian laughed: "I thought it would be Xu Lulu coming!"

Wu Sheng said: "Officer Xu is swamped with external duties, really unable to get away!"

Heng Xian said: "All right, Wu Sheng, long time no see, how have you been?"

Wu Sheng still gave a bitter laugh: "You say it's been a long time since we last saw each other, but I've known you were coming since the day you entered the capital!"

Heng Xian said: "I'm truly honored!"

Wu Sheng said: "I am now called Wu Xingyuan, Grand Censor, Vice Minister of Works; I have come… to persuade you to surrender!"

"I know." Heng Xian said.

Wu Sheng said: "By the Empress's decree, you remain the consort of Princess Taiping, you are ennobled as Prince of Donglan, you command the Xiāoqí Wèi, you are a First-Rank General of the Valiant Cavalry, you may freely enter and leave the palace and Mount Zilan, and the empire will provide all resources for your cultivation up to the Nascent Soul realm!"

"How splendid!" Heng Xian sighed, "But… you know, I am a man of principle; I cannot in a short time abandon my father‑in‑law, who is like a father to me; please give me a few days to consider."

Wu Sheng didn't waste words, bowed, turned and left.

Heng Xian immediately walked to the neighboring cell and asked: "Done yet?"

"Just right!" the old geezer said, having finished carving the final stroke; the atmosphere in the whole cell suddenly changed.

It was chilling to the bone, and there was an indescribable aura!

Immediately, an extremely complex restriction light spun dozens of times around the whole cell, and finally appeared at the midpoint between the two cells—a gate emitting white light.

The old geezer pointed at the gate: "Hurry! Go in!"

"What is this?" Heng Xian asked.

This was completely different from what he had imagined a tunnel or the like to be.

The old geezer said: "It's a restriction teleportation passage—you have only ten breaths!"

Heng Xian no longer wasted words, took a deep breath, and walked in.

As soon as he stepped through the gate, the surrounding light and environment changed in an instant…

(End of chapter)