Chapter 206 - 206: The Black Office’s Dungeon (2)
Chapter 206: The Black Office’s Dungeon (2)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Meanwhile, at the Prince of Jing Estate…
At night, Jasper Pavilion was brightly lit and stood in the middle of the city like a lighthouse.
Outside Jasper Pavilion was the Black Office. Due to the special nature of the office, there were few prosperous shops on the surrounding streets and alleys. The people coming and going were in a hurry and didn’t dare to stay near the office.
Outside the high wall on the east side of the Black Office was an old alley. In the alley was the residence of the Black Office’s constables. There was a small courtyard inside with the light still on.
There was a large pot in the courtyard. A female cook was cooking a large pot of vegetables.
Qiu Tian was wearing cotton clothes. He was standing outside the door with his hands behind his back, looking at the moonlight in the sky. Because of the Soft Bone Fragrance in his body, Divine Doctor Wang had sealed his meridians with twelve golden needles. The restriction was too great, and his fingers would tremble from time to time. He looked like a commoner with a large build but weak hands and feet.
Although he had walked out of the dungeon, he wasn’t free. He was an undying prisoner locked in the capital.
There was free food in the dungeon. After coming out, it was obviously not appropriate for the Imperial Court to provide food and accommodation, but they couldn’t let Qiu Tianhe leave the Black Office’s sight. For this, the Black Office symbolically arranged him a job delivering food to the prison, allocated housing, and gave him four taels of silver a month.
Qiu Tianhe had roamed Jianghu for half his life and was considered a big shot at his peak in Jianghu. It was a little unseemly to do errands and chores here.
But once people entered Jianghu, they were at the border of life and death. He had lived a glorious life in Jianghu for half his life. Now, the Imperial Court no longer pursued the past grudges. If he could live a peaceful life in the capital, receive food every day, spend the rest of his time drinking tea and basking in the sun, and even receive a pension, no matter how he thought about it, it would be considered a good ending. There was nothing to complain about.
Qiu Tianhe waited outside the door for a while. After the cook finished preparing the last meal of the day and placed it in rice buckets, she walked toward the side door of the Black Office.
Just as she took a few steps, she heard a noise.
Click!
It was the faint sound of bricks cracking.
Qiu Tianhe stopped in his tracks and looked at a corner of the outer wall of the Black Office. He saw a crack in the ground.
Qiu Tianhe frowned. He didn’t see anything special, so he didn’t care. He carried two rice buckets into the Black Office and returned to the old place where he had been imprisoned for a year.
The Black Office’s dungeon was divided into three levels. The entire building was made of black vine bricks and was indestructible from both the inside and outside.
The Black Office specialized in dealing with Jianghu people. When the constables were on the job outside, they would usually kill people on the spot. There were not many people who could be brought back and imprisoned, but those who could be locked in the dungeon either had special functions or possessed unique skills. None of the people to be trifled with.
The basement level was still considered normal. Those locked up were all strange people with special skills. Occasionally, they were taken out to help with cases. They might even be able to leave alive in this life.
The second basement was basically full of death row prisoners. Once they entered, they wouldn’t have the chance to see the light of day again. The tenants of the eight cells were all famous and formidable people in Jianghu. Qiu Tianhe used to be the most famous person here.
It was late at night. Occasionally, the sound of chains being dragged echoed in the prison deep underground.
Qiu Tianhe walked past the noisy prison rooms one by one and placed the rice in a bowl on the door. When he reached the second basement, he unexpectedly found that a newcomer had appeared in his ‘former residence’.
Qiu Tianhe was slightly surprised. He walked to the hole and stuck his head over to see which Jianghu friend it was. He saw two people inside. Their bodies were covered in blood, and their hands and feet were chained as they leaned against the corner of the wall.
Seeing him poking his head out, the short and burly man hurriedly sat up. “Hey! Brother, what is this place?”
Seeing that he didn’t recognize him, Qiu Tianhe replied casually, “The Black Office’s dungeon. Who are you two?”
The short and burly man said, “Second Wang of Yan Province. My brother is ‘Mountain Collapsing Tiger’ Wang Chengjing.”
Qiu Tianhe said in surprise, “The two Wang brothers of Yan Province? Are the two of you worthy of staying in this room?”
“Hey!” In the dungeon, Second Wang, who had just woken up from a coma, originally wanted to ask about the situation. Seeing that the servant delivering food above was so arrogant, he was immediately furious. “Old man, the two of us have been imprisoned, and hares may pull dead lions by the beard. I won’t hold it against you. If you were outside, you would be so frightened that you would kneel on the spot when you heard our names. Why aren’t we worthy of staying in this room?”
Qiu Tianhe slowly scooped the rice and gestured to his left and right. “The one on the left is ‘Thousand-Faced Gentleman’ Nangong Ling, and the one on the right is the One-Eyed Maitreya of Sha Province. Do you think the two of you are qualified to stay in the middle?”
?!
When Second Wang heard the names of these two famous devils of Jianghu, his aura immediately weakened. He looked around. “It’s not like us brothers can’t exchange two moves with them.”
“If you have the ability, speak louder so that the two people next door can hear you.”
Second Wang felt that the two murderous devils couldn’t do anything to him in the cell, but who knew if he would encounter them in the future? He really didn’t dare to shout loudly and only said, “So what if I don’t dare? You’re just delivering food. Why are you using their names to scare me? If you have the ability, open this fence and talk!”
Qiu Tianhe couldn’t be bothered to scare the Jianghu small fry and asked, “How did you two get in?”
Second Wang got angry at the mention of this. “We accepted a murder business. We didn’t succeed and even failed miserably.”
“Kill who?”
“A sir named Ye Jingtang from the Black Office. Speaking of which, how many years should we be sentenced for attempted murder?”
Qiu Tianhe thought for a moment. “Attempted murder without causing harm is three years. If the victim is injured, it’s death by hanging. The penalty for murder is beheading.”
Second Wang was delighted. “We didn’t injure him! To be honest, we brothers didn’t even touch the corner of Sir Ye’s clothes and were even beaten half to death. Does this mean that we can be released after being locked up for three years?”
Qiu Tianhe shook his head and sighed. “If you were imprisoned in the first basement, you might be able to get out. But don’t even think about it on this floor. From the time the dungeon was restored until now, only one person has walked out of this floor alive.”
“Who?”
“Qiu Tianhe.”
Second Wang’s eyes were slightly shocked as he said in disbelief, “Qiu Tianhe is out?! Once Xuanyuan Chao dies, Qiu Tianhe will firmly become the Saber Chief. The Imperial Court dares let this person off?”
Qiu Tianhe felt that this kid was quite knowledgeable, so he added another spoonful to his bowl. “Qiu Tianhe is considered half a master to Ye Jingtang. It’s not difficult to use connections to open a back door.”
Second Wang was very surprised. But after thinking about it, he felt that it wasn’t impossible. It was said that the successor of the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade and Qiu Tianhe were old acquaintances, and Ye Jingtang knew the Eight-Steps Frenzied Blade, so it was normal for him to be related to Qiu Tianhe.
Second Wang pondered for a moment and frowned. “Sir Ye is a member of the Imperial Court and should punish criminals according to the law. Qiu Tianhe is half his master, but he can even be released after snatching the emperor’s wife. The two of us didn’t even touch him. According to the law, we should only be locked up for three years, but we’re being imprisoned until we die. Isn’t this perverting the law for personal gain?”
Qiu Tianhe shook his head and couldn’t be bothered to answer any more questions.. He sent the food down and turned to leave…