Chapter 81: Pebble Hidden Weapon

"By the way, Helmsman, you didn't pay the bill when you left after eating last time. Are you putting it on your tab, or will you settle it now?" Man Gu asked before leaving.

Lu Yang quickly stopped Man Gu: "Hold your tongue! We are people of the Demonic Path; dining and dashing is only natural. Do you think the Helmsman is some kind of pushover who pays for his meals?"

Meng Jingzhou chimed in: "Exactly! The Helmsman said he was 'treating' us, not that he was 'paying' the bill. How can you not tell the difference?"

Helmsman Chu: "..."

He had to admit that when it came to being squeezed, he was no match for these three.

Gritting his teeth to suppress the urge to kill them, he threw a gold ingot at Man Gu: "Keep the change, and get out, all three of you!"

Man Gu was bewildered. He had just been asking for money normally; why did the tone of Lu and Meng sound so strange? It was as if they were speaking for him, yet also as if they were speaking for the Helmsman.

It was late at night when the three left. Lu Yang looked up at the brilliant starry sky and sighed with emotion.

"Who would have thought the stars in the sky are all fake? Unexpected, truly unexpected."

Meng Jingzhou scratched his head: "It’s not that unexpected, is it? My grandfather told me since I was little that he would give me whatever I wanted, even if I wanted to pluck the stars from the sky. When I was seven or eight, I pointed at a star and said I wanted that one."

"My grandfather went to the universe and came back, placing a speck of light the size of a fingernail into my hand, saying that was the star. Coincidentally, there was one less star in the sky."

"I gestured to my grandfather, saying stars should be huge, bigger than our courtyard, not this small. My grandfather just smiled mysteriously and said stars were just that small."

"And then?" Lu Yang asked with interest.

"And then? Then the people from the Ministry of Justice came. It seemed to be a high-ranking official, saying my grandfather had stolen natural resources and told him to return the star. My grandfather returned the speck of light, and a star appeared again in the empty spot in the night sky."

"At the time, I felt something was wrong, but I didn't understand what was going on. As time passed, I forgot about it. Hearing it told today, I realize what I held in my hand back then was truly a star."

"Truly worthy of being a Meng family member; your childhood experiences are different from ours." Lu Yang shook his head, wondering what he was doing as a child.

He remembered: he was recalling his life before transmigrating, reciting ancient poems, such as: "The high tower is a hundred feet tall, one can pluck the stars with a hand. I dare not speak in a loud voice, for fear of startling the people in heaven."

He could only pluck stars in poems as a child, while Meng Jingzhou could actually pluck them. That was the gap.

Recently, Lu Yang had considered whether to write a book to make money, like *The Wandering Earth*, but in the context of this world, it probably wouldn't be planetary engines pushing the Earth, but rather great cultivators pushing it.

The three stopped thinking about the stars and the continent; such things were too far away for them. With their cultivation, let alone moving stars, even moving a large rock was a struggle.

"Let's get some rest early. Tomorrow we'll visit our fellow sect members locked in the prison."

The three yawned. At the Foundation Establishment stage, one could use meditation to replace sleep with the same effect, but the three preferred sleeping.

Meditation? Let's talk about that at the Core Formation stage.

Early the next morning, Lu Yang found Commandant Wei. After explaining their purpose, Commandant Wei readily approved the slip, allowing Lu Yang to visit the prison.

As soon as he stepped into the prison, Lu Yang felt his spiritual power being suppressed, unable to mobilize even a bit, and his body became sluggish.

"Is this the Spirit-Suppressing Array Commandant Wei mentioned?" Lu Yang was surprised; he hadn't expected the array to be as powerful as the Commandant had described.

When Commandant Wei approved the slip, he had mentioned being mindful of the prison's Spirit-Suppressing Array. It was an array specifically designed for cultivators; within its range, a cultivator's cultivation was suppressed, making it impossible to use any spells. This was to prevent jailbreaks.

The prison's Spirit-Suppressing Array was of a very high level; even Core Formation cultivators would be restricted if they came here. There were no exceptions.

Lu Yang arrived just in time for the jailer shift change.

The day-shift jailer was yawning, tears streaming down his face, looking dazed as if he hadn't woken up yet.

The night-shift jailer was about to rest and was in a good mood, teasing: "Old Zhou, aren't you usually the most energetic? Why are you so sleepy today? You didn't do anything unspeakable last night, did you?"

Old Zhou opened his mouth wide, letting out a huge yawn before saying: "I don't know what's wrong lately; I'm always sleepy, and it's hard to get up in the morning. It's not just me; my wife is the same. I even washed my face when I arrived, but I'm still sleepy."

The night-shift jailer laughed: "You must have done something at night and didn't sleep well. Look at me, I'm not sleepy."

Old Zhou curled his lip: "You're a cultivator; you're different from me."

The night-shift jailer waved his hand, dismissive: "I'm only at the first level of Qi Refining. It's hard to say if I'll ever reach the second level in this life. What kind of cultivator is that?"

The prison rules stated that day-shift jailers were mortals, while night-shift jailers were Qi Refining level one cultivators. A level one cultivator could ensure they wouldn't be sleepy at night and wouldn't be lazy.

Cultivators didn't like being suppressed by the Spirit-Suppressing Array, just like mortals, but having only level one jailers was clearly not enough, so they arranged hidden sentries outside the prison, guarded by cultivators.

After the shift change, Lu Yang took the slip and found Old Zhou.

Old Zhou glanced at Lu Yang, searched him, and found he had nothing but a lunch box, so he let him pass.

Chi Xulong, a ruthless man who had made a name for himself among the rogue cultivators in the nearby counties, believed that after joining the Demonic Sect, he would surely achieve great things, conquer a territory, and become a local warlord.

Being trapped in prison now couldn't change his ambition.

Since he was in prison, he would first become the prison boss!

The first hurdle in his way was the inability to intimidate others.

He was locked in a cage that even Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn't break, and he had no weapons. The person in the next cell was sharp-tongued, constantly cursing or mocking him, which made Chi Xulong grit his teeth in anger.

At this moment, his fellow inmate Shen Jinyi came up with a plan. He held a pebble in his mouth and spat it out; the pebble flew out like a bullet with astonishing power. The damage it could do to a person was imaginable.

Shen Jinyi, as an assassin, was skilled at using various objects as hidden weapons.

"We are brothers in adversity; now we must cooperate sincerely and venture together!" Shen Jinyi said with great loyalty. "If you learn this move of mine, you'll be invincible in prison. Let's dominate this prison together!"

Chi Xulong was greatly encouraged, working hard from dawn till dusk to learn how to launch pebble hidden weapons with his mouth.

Unfortunately, Chi Xulong lacked talent; despite his brute strength, he never learned it.

"You have to do it like this: store air in your mouth, then *pfft* and spit it out! The speed must be fast!" Shen Jinyi was demonstrating, trying hard to teach Chi Xulong.

"I know, isn't it just a *pfft*?" Chi Xulong was getting impatient.

"Wrong, wrong! You're pouting your lips too little. Like this."

"Like this?"

Lu Yang stood outside the cell, watching Chi Xulong and Shen Jinyi pouting at each other, wondering if he should speak up to remind them. This scene was easily misunderstood.

Better record it with a recording orb first.