Chapter 14

In the end, Ye Feng did not agree to anything Wang Hailong asked. Although Ye Feng had some goodwill towards this young man who, like him, was entering the detention center for the first time, this did not mean he would sympathize with him. Compared to the false accusations and injustices he had suffered, Wang Hailong's issues were nothing.

Wang Hailong was clearly disappointed, sighing and turning to leave. Watching his back, Ye Feng thought about how formidable this so-called "Brother Dao" must be to scare Wang Hailong like this.

Later, when Ye Feng met this so-called highly skilled, strong, and proficient in knife techniques "Brother Dao," he realized that this guy was indeed quite "formidable." However, this "formidability" did not refer to his martial arts skills, but rather his demeanor in the cell.

Brother Dao was clearly a seasoned veteran of the underworld, and it was obvious that this was not his first time in a detention center. Since his arrival, the few old inmates who had previously been at odds with Ye Feng clung to him like sticky tape, as if Brother Dao's presence gave them a backbone. Their eyes, which had previously been filled with fear and avoidance when looking at Ye Feng, now became increasingly arrogant and confrontational, shifting from fearful evasion to fierce directness.

Ye Feng guessed that they probably thought Brother Dao was even more skilled, and with such a powerful "backer," they no longer needed to act like rabbits in front of him.

However, Brother Dao did not initially have any conflicts with Ye Feng. His focus was mainly on his so-called rival, Wang Hailong.

Wang Hailong's days over the past two days had been miserable, with a bruised face and a swollen nose, returning to a life of slavery.

Many times, Wang Hailong looked at Ye Feng with pleading eyes, hoping Ye Feng could say something to help him. Unfortunately, Ye Feng had no intention of helping him, leaving him disappointed.

During his time in the detention center, Ye Feng's mindset had subtly changed. If it were in the past, he might have felt sympathy for Wang Hailong and even foolishly stepped in to help him. But now, he would never do that.

Ye Feng had already been foolish once, and the price of that foolishness was becoming a murder suspect and being sent to the detention center. Without the Nine Star Pearl, his fate might have ended in a wretched and tragic way.

Wang Hailong owed Ye Feng nothing, and Ye Feng owed Wang Hailong nothing. Since Wang Hailong had slept with Brother Dao's woman, he naturally had to pay the price for his actions. If Ye Feng stood up for him, it would only bring more trouble to himself, which would affect his cultivation.

Therefore, Ye Feng would not get involved in Wang Hailong's tragic life. He was his own person, and Ye Feng was Ye Feng. Ye Feng did not feel any obligation to be his shield.

Ye Feng's principle remained the same: if no one provoked him, he would not provoke anyone.

Brother Dao seemed to be deliberately provoking Ye Feng by moving his bed to the opposite side of Ye Feng's, right next to the toilet.

Every morning, Wang Hailong would wait by Brother Dao's bed, respectfully greeting him: "Good morning, Brother Dao!" and handing him the clothes he had taken off the night before, one by one.

After Brother Dao was dressed, Wang Hailong would carefully help him put on his socks and shoes, then hand him a basin of water and a toothbrush.

This was Wang Hailong's basic morning routine. During the day, his tasks were even more trivial. As soon as Brother Dao put a cigarette in his mouth, Wang Hailong would promptly light a match and hand it to him, along with an ashtray (made from a cigarette box).

What was even more unbelievable to Ye Feng was that when Brother Dao needed to use the toilet, Wang Hailong would carefully tear off a piece of toilet paper, fold it, and place a stool in front of him. When Brother Dao needed to shower, Wang Hailong would scrub his back, wash his buttocks, and clean between his toes. If Brother Dao stayed up late chatting with others, Wang Hailong would use a piece of cardboard to fan him. When Brother Dao was ready to sleep, Wang Hailong would neatly fold his clothes, place them, and respectfully say, "Good night, Brother Dao!"

Not only Wang Hailong, but the few old inmates who were at odds with Ye Feng also showed great respect to Brother Dao, even displaying jealousy towards Wang Hailong, as if they were afraid that Wang Hailong had taken their jobs and left them with nothing to do, fearing that Brother Dao would be displeased with them.

So, these people took out their frustrations on Wang Hailong, making him clean the floor and the toilet.

Every time Wang Hailong finished cleaning the floor, they would take off their shoes and walk around in their white socks. If the soles of their socks were not dirty, it meant Wang Hailong had passed the test. If they were dirty, Wang Hailong would have to clean the floor again. Any sign of dissatisfaction from Wang Hailong would result in a beating.

Ye Feng saw all of Brother Dao's arrogant behavior and Wang Hailong's wretched performance. Ye Feng knew that Brother Dao was tormenting Wang Hailong and acting so arrogantly to provoke him. Ye Feng's breaking the leg of an old inmate must have been heard by Brother Dao, who was likely very不服气 (unconvinced) of Ye Feng.

It was like the saying, "Two tigers cannot coexist on the same mountain." In Brother Dao's mind, since he had arrived, Ye Feng, the previous "boss," must step down. Otherwise, he would not mind having a showdown with Ye Feng.

However, Ye Feng had no intention of competing for the position of "boss." The most important things to him were cultivation and collecting souls.

After a week, Ye Feng remained low-key, and Wang Hailong seemed to have given up all hope of Ye Feng helping him. He seemed to have accepted his fate, mechanically repeating his wretched and tragic life in the detention center. During this week, Ye Feng had not seen him smile once. At first, he could hear Wang Hailong crying secretly at night, but in the past two days, even that had stopped.

Wang Hailong now looked like a walking corpse, devoid of any vitality.

Brother Dao had not had any direct conflicts with Ye Feng. He seemed to be very patient with Ye Feng, always giving a cold laugh whenever they passed or made eye contact, but never speaking to him.

Ye Feng did not care about Brother Dao's occasional provocations and contempt. As long as Brother Dao did not provoke him, he would not provoke Brother Dao.

Over the week, Ye Feng continued his cultivation in the space every night, making slow but steady progress. Without the help of soul points, his progress had reached 18%.

In terms of collecting souls, Ye Feng was satisfied with his week's harvest, having collected a total of 75 souls. 75 souls in 7 days was a satisfactory result.

Life went on without much incident. There was still no news about Ye Feng's first court appearance, but Ye Feng was not worried. The one who should be worried was Liu Yong. According to Qin Yan, Ye Feng should be tried within a month or a month and a half after entering the detention center. It had only been less than three weeks, so whether the trial would be advanced depended on how Liu Yong operated.

Ye Feng and Liu Yong were both racing against time. Liu Yong wanted the trial to be as quick as possible, hoping for a swift conviction to ease his mind. Ye Feng, on the other hand, wanted the trial to be delayed as long as possible, as the longer it was delayed, the more it would benefit him. If he could wait until he successfully cultivated to the initial stage of Qi Condensation and learned the Soul Absorption Technique before the trial, it would be best.

If there was one thing Ye Feng was most worried about now, it was his family. He did not know if they had learned about his detention. Even if they had, he could not see them. The only time he could see them would be during the trial.

Before going to sleep one night, after serving Brother Dao, Wang Hailong suddenly found Ye Feng and loudly asked, "Brother Ye, are you really unwilling to help me just this once? I know you are a capable person. If you help me this time, I, Wang Hailong, swear that I will repay you when I get out. Even if I can't repay you directly, I will repay your family or friends. I may not have great abilities, but I will keep my word and do what I say."

It was easy to imagine the only consequence of Wang Hailong's sudden outburst in the middle of the aisle between Ye Feng's and Brother Dao's beds. Brother Dao grabbed him by the hair, dragged him to the toilet, and beat him up, all the while looking at Ye Feng with a cold laugh.

Finally, Brother Dao pressed Wang Hailong's head into the toilet bowl for a long time, only stopping when Wang Hailong's body started to convulse.

He dragged Wang Hailong back and kicked him in front of Ye Feng's bed, scolding him, "You little shit, do you really think someone will stand up for you? If someone wanted to help you, they would have done it already. Why wait until now? Damn it, do you think you can sleep with my woman? The more you enjoyed it then, the more you will pay for it now. As long as I'm here, I'll make sure you keep enjoying it."

Wang Hailong did not say anything more, trembling on the ground, filled with despair and shame. For a moment, Ye Feng did feel a surge of impulse to say something to help him, but after hearing Brother Dao's provocative words, he suppressed that thought.