The South City Prison and the South City District City Guard Office were only a wall apart, connected by an archway.
Outside the Prison Warden's Room was a small garden where Prison Guards could briefly rest. With its pavilion, rockeries, and greenery, the environment was rather tranquil.
It was meant for rest, but on any given day, the Prison Guards only dared to take a few quick laps before scurrying back to the Prison, not unlike beasts of burden let out to stretch their legs.
If they dared to linger too long and were discovered by a superior, they could expect a scolding at best. At worst, it would be a vicious beating or even a docked salary.
After collecting his monthly salary, Chen Cheng didn't return directly to the Prison. Instead, he stood in the garden pavilion, watching the sleet fall from the sky.
He loitered for a full quarter of an hour before reluctantly heading back toward the Prison.
'There's no helping it. The Prison is a sunless pit. Spend all day in there, and even the strongest man will fall ill. It's not just the prisoners who can't take it; we Prison Guards can't either! You have to value your life when you can.'
In the past, Chen Cheng would never have dared to be so brazen. But times had changed. His reputation as 'Fierce Ah Cheng' was beginning to take root, and he was on good terms with the Prison Guards on his shift and even the Prison Chief. He no longer had to worry about some tactless guard snitching on him to a superior.
Waves of shrill, agonizing screams echoed from the torture chamber throughout the Prison, terrifying the inmates into silence.
"Uncle Li, what did this prisoner do to warrant such a commotion? Does Mr. Jiang really have to handle it himself?"
The thick stench of blood occasionally wafted out, and Chen Cheng wrinkled his nose.
Guarding the entrance to the torture chamber, the stocky Prison Guard Li Tao was also frowning. He was nearly forty and a veteran who had worked alongside Father Chen for many years.
When a prisoner was first brought into the Prison, the guards would give them a vicious beating to establish dominance. This was standard practice, usually carried out by veteran Prison Guards like Li Tao.
After a thorough beating, prisoners would not only become docile and obedient, but they would also learn some sense, prompting their families to obediently send over silver coins as a "gift."
In fact, many prisoners proactively offered a bribe before they were even touched.
There were two types of Prison Guards in the Prison. The first was like Li Tao: ruthless enough to get his hands dirty. The profits they extorted from prisoners were often far greater than the salary issued by the Government Office.
These Prison Guards were a minority, each one like a demon, regarded with a mixture of fear and awe by inmates and colleagues alike.
The other type of Prison Guard was more common. They were honest, cautious, and timid, never daring to break the rules. They scraped by on their salary, the miserable beasts of burden of the system.
When Father Chen was alive, his honest and kind-hearted nature put him squarely in the "beast of burden" category. Fortunately, in his youth, he had learned the skill of setting bones and treating wounds. He could patch up prisoners after their beatings, saving some of the more severely injured from death. This made him a cut above the average grunt. He could hold a conversation with the ruthless types like Li Tao and would occasionally get a small cut of the money.
Chen Cheng had learned his father's bone-setting skills, but he wasn't ruthless enough to earn the respect of veteran guards like Li Tao.
However, since Chen Cheng had recently awakened his Innate Wisdom, his style had changed. He had quietly earned the moniker 'Fierce Ah Cheng' within the South City Prison, and as a result, Li Tao had started treating him with courtesy.
"Hah, just some major outlaw. He was involved in a case where a whole family was wiped out. The prime suspect got away, so they only brought back this small fry. The City Guard Department is antsy to find the others and wants to force the accomplices' whereabouts out of him. So, you see, even Mr. Jiang can't sit this one out."
"A major outlaw?" Chen Cheng looked doubtful. 'In this world, it's not rare for martial artists to break the law. A case of a family being wiped out would be investigated, sure, but that's as far as it usually goes. Most of the time, the City Guard Department just goes through the motions. When would they ever give it their all?'
Li Tao winked and lowered his voice. "The family that was wiped out? They're related by marriage to the Zhou Family of Ruyi District. Word is, Master Zhou put up two hundred taels of silver for the prime suspect's capture. Both Chief Liu from the Ruyi Square Sub-Department and our own Mr. Jiang have been... compensated."
"Oh," Chen Cheng said with understanding. "I get it."
Just then, Jiang Cheng walked out of the torture chamber, his expression grim.
"Ah Cheng, go patch him up. We may need to question him again, so keep him alive."
"Got it," Chen Cheng answered.
"Old Li, time to move out!" With that, Jiang Cheng led Li Tao and several other Prison Guards away at a frantic pace.
As the Prison Chief, Jiang Cheng was not to be underestimated. He was a Martial Artist who had been in the Skin Grinding Realm for many years, his strength comparable to that of a Street Patrol Chief Constable from the City Guard Department.
And Li Tao and his men were no simpletons, either. Having taken plenty of bribes, they ate and drank well and were full of vigor. They had also learned some Saber Techniques from Jiang Cheng, making them a cut above the average Martial Artists in the Jianghu who only knew crude hacking and slashing Scattering Hand techniques.
This "moving out" they spoke of meant they had taken on a private job, which most likely involved assisting the City Guard Department with an arrest.
Catching criminals was the responsibility of the City Guard Department's street patrol constables; Prison Guards normally didn't get involved. But there are exceptions to every rule. Clearly, Master Zhou had paid enough that the Prison Guards who had participated in the interrogation could also be called upon to lend a hand.
As for why the street patrol constables would want their help, it was partly due to being short-handed, and partly the simple belief in strength in numbers. Every extra person was an extra bit of power. If they ran into a formidable opponent, having a numerical advantage could help the constables minimize casualties.
'Being a Martial Artist really is the fastest way to make money,'
Chen Cheng sighed to himself as he entered the torture chamber and glanced at the prisoner on the rack.
The prisoner had been tortured to within an inch of his life. He appeared to be in his thirties, tall and burly, with a physique of knotted muscle. He was clearly a Martial Artist, and a powerful one at that. He looked nothing like a "small fry." Obviously, Li Tao hadn't told the whole truth.
'For even Li Tao to be so tight-lipped... this case must not be simple.'
'The City Guard Department's Street Patrol Chief Constable is already at the Skin Grinding Realm, yet they still need Prison Chief Jiang Cheng to help with the arrest. It would be a miracle if this case were simple.'
Chen Cheng couldn't be bothered to dwell on it. He stepped forward to examine the prisoner's injuries. 'My own strength is meager,' he thought. 'Knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing. Sometimes, feigning ignorance is the wisest way to protect yourself.'
The prisoner was beaten until his skin split and his flesh was laid bare. It was a gruesome sight, but Chen Cheng knew they were just superficial wounds—nothing serious.
The truly life-threatening injury was a saber wound on the left shoulder, so deep the bone was visible. The cut was clean, just inches from severing the entire arm, a testament to the attacker's formidable power.
The other injuries were to his lower legs; both had been forcibly snapped and were now gushing blood. This was likely the handiwork of Prison Chief Jiang Cheng.
When Prison Guards used torture to extract confessions, they usually knew where to draw the line. They made sure to injure a prisoner, but not kill or permanently maim them, always leaving some leeway.
The only reason for Jiang Cheng to be so unrestrained this time, pulling no punches, was that in his eyes, this prisoner was already a dead man.
Since the man was as good as dead, Chen Cheng certainly wasn't going to waste his energy. Keeping him alive, as ordered? Simple enough. Just stop the bleeding and wrap the wounds.
Whether the man's bones were set or if he would be crippled for life was not something Chen Cheng needed to worry about.
Chen Cheng was no hard man. On the contrary, he considered himself a decent person. In all his time since coming to this world, he had never tortured anyone—except for that one bald guy on death row.
"You're lucky. You ran into me, a nice guy," Chen Cheng said, his voice low. "I have a light touch when I treat injuries. This won't hurt at all."
The prisoner's eyes were half-closed, showing no intention of acknowledging him. But Chen Cheng didn't miss the sharp glint that flashed from beneath the man's eyelids.
'To be this badly injured and still conscious... he's definitely a Martial Artist,' Chen Cheng noted silently. To be honest, he wasn't a talkative person.