Chapter 5

Ye Xiaotian hid Yang Lin's will, walked out of the prison, and bowed to the several criminal department officers waiting at the prison gate, politely thanking them, "Brothers, thank you for waiting for me."

The criminal department officers nodded at him and walked into the prison.

Some jailers had already gathered upon hearing the news. As soon as the criminal department officers left, Old Niu, the jailer guarding the gate, walked up to Ye Xiaotian. Old Niu, in his early fifties, had been a partner of Ye Xiaotian's father for many years. Ye Xiaotian called out, "Uncle Niu."

Old Niu nodded and said to Ye Xiaotian, "I heard about your family's situation. Xiaotian, you are a filial child, gentle and kind, respectful to your parents and elders. In short, you are good in every way. It's just that sometimes, you can be a bit... stubborn."

Ye Xiaotian smiled like a shy young woman, showing no sign of being stubborn.

Old Niu continued to advise him earnestly, "Of course, you have grown up and haven't been stubborn for a long time. However, the outside world is different from the prison. You need to be more careful. Don't reveal everything to others, and don't get stubborn when things don't go your way, okay?"

Ye Xiaotian replied politely, "Uncle Niu, you're right. Xiaotian won't be stubborn."

"Hmm, hmm."

Before Old Niu could finish, he was pushed aside by a group of jailers from Cell No. 1. Two tall jailers put their hands on Ye Xiaotian's shoulders and escorted him out like the ox-head and horse-face demons.

One of the jailers said, "Boss, it's no big deal for you to go on a long journey. We're not worried. With your cleverness, you can make people jump into a manure pit and still think you're doing them a favor. How could anyone bully you?"

Ye Xiaotian pretended to be angry, "Nonsense! Am I that bad?"

The jailers all said in unison, "Bad! Really bad! So bad that you can't see your hand in front of your face!"

Ye Xiaotian: "..."

A jailer said seriously, "Boss, you are indeed bad, but you are also genuinely good. You are righteous and responsible, and we all admire you from the bottom of our hearts. We will miss you a lot. Let us give you a farewell drink."

Ye Xiaotian was slightly moved. He stopped, turned to the group, and bowed, "Brothers, I appreciate your kindness. Tomorrow's work should be done today, and today's work should be done immediately. Since I'm leaving, there's no need to be sentimental. I will leave today and won't drink the farewell drink. I'll wait for the welcome drink from you all."

The jailers knew he still had to see the prison warden and had already arranged his journey, so they didn't try to persuade him further. They all stopped and bowed to Ye Xiaotian.

"Boss, have a safe journey!"

"Boss, come back soon!"

One mischievous jailer handed a wooden stick to Ye Xiaotian.

Ye Xiaotian was surprised, "What's this?"

The jailer smiled, "Boss, if you can't make it outside, you can use this stick to beg for food and beat dogs."

The jailers burst into laughter, and Ye Xiaotian couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Get lost! I, Ye Xiaotian, can thrive in the small world of the prison. I will also be successful in the big world. Wait and see, I won't come back until I achieve great success!"

"Good! Ambitious!"

"Great, really great!"

"Boss, we'll wait for you to return in glory!"

"Boss, wherever you go, we from Cell No. 1 will be capable!"

Ye Xiaotian looked at each familiar face, his smile gradually fading. After a long gaze, he suddenly turned, took a few steps, paused, raised his hand, waved to the people behind him, and clenched his fist in the air before walking briskly to the prison warden Liu Yong's office.

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In the prison warden Liu Yong's office, Liu Yong sat behind his desk, frowning slightly as he listened to Ye Xiaotian's brother, Ye Xia'an, explain his purpose. Ye Xia'an was timid and honest. Seeing Liu Yong's stern expression, he became even more nervous, stammering more, which made Liu Yong even more displeased.

Actually, the Ye family just needed a male member to serve as a jailer, and it didn't matter who came. This wasn't a difficult matter, and Liu Yong had no reason to oppose it. However, Xia'an was much more awkward and far less clever and alert than his brother Xiaotian, which Liu Yong didn't like.

When Ye Xiaotian entered, Liu Yong said to Ye Xia'an without any courtesy, "You go out first, I have something to say to your brother."

"Ah!"

Ye Xia'an smiled honestly, turned to see Ye Xiaotian, and smiled at his younger brother, showing gratitude and embarrassment. Ye Xiaotian patted his brother's shoulder affectionately and was much less restrained in front of Liu Yong.

Ye Xia'an walked out quietly and gently closed the door.

As soon as the door closed, Liu Yong frowned tightly and said to Ye Xiaotian, "Is your father senile? Xia'an is so honest; how can he not be taken advantage of in such a place? What can he do? Did your father force you to give up your position? Speak up, and I'll help you."

Ye Xiaotian smiled, "Thank you, sir, for your concern. This is my voluntary decision. Sir, my brother is indeed honest and simple, not a capable helper, but precisely because he is honest and upright, he will never misbehave and cause trouble for you. Please take good care of him in the future. With your protection, who would dare to bully him? As for me, after serving you for so many years, I won't starve. If I can achieve something in the future, I will never forget your kindness."

Liu Yong's expression softened, and he smiled, "Only you can talk so well! Since that's the case, I won't be the bad guy. Go out and see the world. I heard the prison will expand next year. If there are vacancies, I'll bring you back."

Ye Xiaotian was overjoyed. This gave him another way out. He bowed deeply and thanked him, "Sir, your kindness is like a mountain. I will never forget it!"

Liu Yong chuckled, "You have always been clever and capable. I naturally don't want to let you go. As long as you work hard for me, I won't treat you badly."

Ye Xiaotian thought to himself, "Working for you hasn't brought me much benefit. If you could ask for less tribute and not take all my hard-earned money, that would be not treating me badly."

Although he thought this, he didn't show it on his face. Ye Xiaotian was still bowing and thanking him when the door suddenly slammed open, and several officials in green robes and hats burst in. Despite the two people in the room, they habitually scanned the room with their eyes before asking arrogantly, "Who is Liu Yong?"

Liu Yong slowly stood up, hesitating, "I am. Who are you...?"

At this moment, another person walked in from behind the officials. Liu Yong was even more surprised to see it was his superior, the prison inspector Luo Zhan. He hurriedly bowed, "Inspector Luo, these are..."

Luo Zhan's face was stern, "Liu Yong, these are officials from the Censorate. They are here to see you."

The leading official raised his thumb and said arrogantly, "We are sent by the Minister to question you. Let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two officials rushed forward, put an iron chain around Liu Yong's head, and dragged him away.

Liu Yong panicked, "This... this is about what? Inspector Luo, Inspector Luo, why is the Censorate questioning me?"

An official impatiently shouted, "Stop talking nonsense! A mere prison warden, ignoring the law, accepting bribes, and facilitating communication between prisoners and the outside world. If there were no solid evidence, would the Minister question you? Go, quickly!"

The officials from the Censorate came and went in a hurry, sweeping Liu Yong away like a gust of wind. Luo Zhan, as if he hadn't seen Ye Xiaotian, coldly snorted and went out to arrange for someone to take over Liu Yong's position.

Ye Xiaotian stood there in a daze. After a while, a thought flashed through his mind, and his heart sank: "Liu Yong is my direct superior, and he just said he wanted me to work for him. Then he immediately got into trouble. Could it be that the curse from Yang Shenkun took effect? No, no, even if it's effective, I haven't left Beijing yet, so I haven't broken my promise."

Ye Xiaotian thought about it again and again, convinced that this had nothing to do with him. He sighed softly and looked at the gently swaying door, feeling sad: "Liu Yong, what a good person. How could he be arrested? He hasn't even done what he promised me..."

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Liu Yong was arrested, and the safety net Ye Xiaotian had hoped for was gone. He could only pin all his hopes on the 500 taels of silver. With a mix of anxiety and hope, he left Beijing.

He was like a small fish that had lived in a tiny bay since birth, growing from a tiny speck to the thickness of a finger, always living in that quiet water. He knew every blade of grass, every grain of sand, and every stone in that water.

But one day, the flood of fate swept him into the sea. This small fish, filled with an inexplicable fear, began to explore a completely new world.

Ye Xiaotian's adaptability was undoubtedly strong. On this journey south, he quickly adapted from being cautious and anxious to feeling at ease with the travel atmosphere and the constantly changing environment.

However, the further south he went, the more different the customs, dialects, and accents became from the north. In remote areas, it was hard to find people who could speak Mandarin, making it particularly difficult to ask for directions.

Fortunately, Ye Xiaotian mostly stayed at inns and needed to ask for directions from larger shops or village leaders. After a lot of talking, he could usually get the information he needed.

After two months of traveling, eating frugally, and sleeping rough, he finally arrived at his destination—the Jingzhou Prefecture of Huguang Province.

When he left Beijing, he had 500 coins, and now he had only about 20 left. He had only brought enough money for the journey there, not for the return trip. But there was a huge sum of 500 taels of silver waiting for him, wasn't there?

P: Everyone, let's chat. This is Xiaotian's first time out in the world, so I need your support. The new book has no recommendations in the first week, and the homepage promotion is delayed, so your support is even more important.

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