Chapter 70

Fan Fatso and the other prisoners were all taken aback for a moment, but soon, Fan Fatso reacted, cursing, "Damn, he even hits people?" He turned around, feeling under his pile of hay for a short, thick stick, and shouted, "His hands are tied, let's all go at him together, and beat this bastard to death. Don't be afraid of killing him; if he dies, just say he committed suicide out of fear of punishment!"

Those in the A-numbered cell, even if they hadn't killed anyone, were all lawless and ruthless villains. Hearing Fan Fatso's command, they all clenched their fists and rushed forward.

Although Chu Huan had shown some agility, he was still bound, and didn't look like a tough character. This group of lawless ruffians really didn't take Chu Huan seriously.

Seeing this group surge forward, Chu Huan secretly sneered in his heart. He had submitted to being captured today merely to avoid implicating Heshengquan, as a public confrontation with the steward would have had dire consequences.

He had a surge of anger pent up in his heart, with no outlet for it. This group of reckless fellows coming forward was timely indeed. If Chu Huan didn't beat the living daylights out of them, he would be letting down the opportunity heaven had given him to vent.

Though his hands were tied, he could easily untie the ropes if he wanted to.

However, to deal with these few, he didn't need to use his hands. His legs were powerful, like two large iron bars, and when he swept them out, they carried a fierce wind.

The cries of this group of reckless fellows faintly reached the guards' room, and the guards, including Zhang Dahu, all wore smug expressions, thinking that Chu Huan would either die or be on the verge of death by tonight.

...

...

Not far from the county prison, there was a temple dedicated to the prison god Gao Tao. Once a prisoner was sentenced, they would be taken here to pay respects before being sent to the execution ground.

Qingliu County, being a county, had a small and dilapidated prison temple. Since the previous magistrate, the prison temple had also served as a morgue.

In cases involving fatalities, before the case was resolved, the deceased's body would be transported here and temporarily placed until the case was settled and the body could be returned for handling.

The body of Zhao Bao, the main character in this murder case, was currently placed in the prison temple. In addition to a long-time guard, two other guards were assigned to watch over the body.

It was already winter, and the night wind was cold. The prison temple and its surroundings were quiet, and even inside, it was very still. The old guard had already gone to sleep, while the two guards watching the body had lit an oil lamp, prepared some pork head meat, and each had a pot of wine, chatting and drinking under the lamp.

The long winter night made these two guards, who were assigned to watch the body, somewhat unhappy. Drinking to warm their bodies also helped pass the long, cold night.

Outside the prison temple, the cold wind howled, and inside the small room, the body was placed. The two guards were not in high spirits. As they chatted, they finished the pork head meat and drank the two pots of wine. Drowsiness overcame them, and they tightened their clothes. One of the guards went to check, ensuring the door was securely closed, before returning and resting on the old table.

The sky was moonless, and the earth was shrouded in darkness. The winter night wind sounded like the wailing of lost souls, full of eerie and desolate tones. The prison temple looked extremely sinister in the darkness.

Behind a large tree not far from the prison temple, a person emerged, with a robust figure. Seeing the tightly closed door of the prison temple, he slowly approached.

Although his body was large, his steps were light.

Approaching the already dilapidated door, he peered through the crack and clearly saw the oil lamp flickering, with the two guards sound asleep on the table, even snoring loudly.

This person took out a dagger from his pocket, inserted it into the crack, and carefully lifted the latch inside. He skillfully retracted the dagger and gently pushed the door open.

He was extremely bold, and although the two guards were sleeping nearby, he fearlessly entered. After closing the door behind him, he quietly latched it.

He did not linger in the hall but quietly entered the small room where the body was placed. It was dark inside, but this person seemed to have night vision. He walked to the body, crouched down, and lifted the white cloth covering it.

The body of Zhao Bao was placed on a wooden board, covered with a white cloth.

This person lifted the cloth and, in the sinister darkness, faced the body with remarkable calm, even beginning to examine it. His method of examining the body was very skilled, and his movements were extremely agile in the darkness.

After a while, he muttered to himself, "Indeed, it was a miscarriage of justice. Chu Huan's strength when he acted was not that severe. The injury on the back of the head must have been inflicted later."

He paused, then revealed the dagger and stabbed the body in several vital areas. He then covered the body with the white cloth again, chuckled, and left the small room.

...

...

The next morning, Zhang Dahu, to see the scene of last night's battle and to check the extent of Chu Huan's injuries, led several guards and swaggered into the A-numbered cell.

When these guards saw the scene in the A-numbered cell, they were all dumbfounded, their mouths wide open, large enough to fit two eggs.

Inside the cell, including Fan Fatso, everyone was squatting against the wall, hands on their heads, facing the wall, and not daring to move. Some had bloodstains on their bodies, and faint sobs could be heard.

Their legs were trembling, indicating they had been in this position for a long time.

Only Chu Huan was sitting on the pile of hay where Fan Fatso used to sleep, leaning against the wall, with a piece of hay in his mouth, seemingly deep in thought.

Zhang Dahu took a while to recover and roared, "What's going on? Fan Fatso!"

Hearing the voice, Fan Fatso, who had been waiting for rescue, turned around. His already plump face was now swollen and bruised, his eyes were black and swollen, and there was blood on his lips. His voice trembled, "Chief Zhang... you... you're here...!"

Hearing a cold snort, he saw Chu Huan looking at him coldly, and shivered, quickly turning back, still with his hands on his head, his buttocks sticking out. It was clear that last night, this group of ruffians had been completely intimidated by Chu Huan, and even with the guards present, they were still trembling with fear.

Zhang Dahu, seeing this, was furious and pointed at Chu Huan, "Chu Huan, explain this!"

Chu Huan stood up, walked to the door, and smiled mysteriously, "This is too strange, ask them, you'll know... I slept soundly last night and woke up to find them like this...!"

Zhang Dahu sneered, "Chu, I didn't expect you to have such skills!"

"Flattery!" Chu Huan smiled faintly.

"Turn around!" Zhang Dahu roared, "What are you doing?"

Hearing the command, Fan Fatso and the others quickly turned around but kept their hands on their heads, not daring to let them down.

A guard beside him looked at Chu Huan and said coldly, "What happened? Speak up, we don't tolerate any unruly behavior here, Fan Fatso, what happened?"

Fan Fatso, with a bitter face, said, "Last night... there were two big rats in here, and we... we were catching them. It was dark, and we couldn't see clearly, so... so we all bumped into each other...!"

"Catching rats?" Zhang Dahu was both angry and amused, looking at Chu Huan and sneering, "Kid, don't get cocky, we'll see how long you can keep this up!"

He snorted and left with his men, ignoring Fan Fatso's wailing, "Chief Zhang, don't go, wait, please, change my cell... I can't stay here...!"

Zhang Dahu ignored him and quickly left.

Chu Huan turned around, frowned, and looked at Fan Fatso, saying coolly, "What? Is it a disgrace to be in the same cell as me?"

Fan Fatso's face turned pale, and he hurriedly said, "Sir Chu, I... I didn't mean it that way!"

"Stand properly!" Chu Huan roared, and Fan Fatso and the others quickly turned around, hands on their heads, buttocks sticking out, facing the wall, not daring to breathe loudly.

Chu Huan then walked to the pile of hay, lay down, yawned, and said, "I didn't sleep well last night, so I'll take a good nap... Oh, and remember to wake me up for meals!"

Fan Fatso hurriedly agreed.

After lying down, Chu Huan closed his eyes slightly, but his mind was busy planning his next move.

He was unaware of the situation outside, though he knew that Linlang would do everything possible to help him. However, he had a vague feeling that this matter would not be easily resolved.

He had acted with restraint, but was accused of killing someone. Zhao Bao was definitely dead, but how he died was a big question.

Chu Huan knew that if the other party was willing to sacrifice a life to deal with him, their intentions were extremely malicious, and they were determined to see him dead.

He certainly wouldn't let himself be wronged and lose his life in this place.

When he was captured and brought to the cell, Chu Huan had already familiarized himself with the structure of the prison, which was very simple and not at all secure.

After all, it was a county prison, and it couldn't compare to a proper prison. Chu Huan was very confident that if he wanted to break out of this simple prison, it wouldn't be difficult.

The prison might be secure for ordinary people, but for Chu Huan, it was nothing.

However, although he could escape, it would inevitably implicate many people. At the very least, Heshengquan would be implicated, and his mother and Suniang in Liujia Village would also be implicated.

He was now calmly thinking, hoping to come up with a perfect plan.