Cultivation: I Can Reincarnate Into Various Worlds
Chapter 39. King of Sorrow Yao Dang (Request for remembrance)

Chapter 39: 39. King of Sorrow Yao Dang (Request for remembrance)

Han Sui knew this very well.

He could deceive the Night Patrol Department temporarily, but not for a lifetime.

Moreover, the orders he had issued in his haste were hardly seamless enough to conceal his "lies."

But he also had a contingency.

It all came down to one word: "trust"—how others perceived his character.

"When did Han Taipu become so virtuous?"

Commander Liu set down the box of pastries, dismissed the beautiful attendants for the moment, and then snorted coldly.

Truthfully, whether Xu Xing and Zhao Yunniang were captured or not meant little to him. In his eyes, both Zhao Yunniang and Xu Xing were as insignificant as blades of grass.

An Eighth Rank Official? He could crush someone like that with a mere stomp of his foot.

However... Xu Xing’s escape from Sky Prison felt like a slap in the face.

After all, the Night Patrol Department also bore the responsibility of overseeing Sky Prison.

Steward Sun dared not answer Commander Liu’s question; he and Commander Liu were not on the same level at all, even if he was currently representing Han Sui.

The more he said, the more likely he was to misspeak.

Ultimately, "benefits" were the strongest bond.

"Sir, this is the second gift from my old master."

Steward Sun retrieved a palm-sized glazed glass sample and a contract from his inner robe. "The secret formula for glazed glass that Xu Xing spoke of has also been verified by my old master. In a few more days, this glazed glass will be sold throughout Shenjing, and indeed, across the empire. This is a three percent share my old master offers to you, Commander-in-chief..."

"Three percent?" Commander Liu frowned, his hawk-like eyes fixed on Steward Sun. "Why only three percent? What about the other seven percent?"

"The remaining seven percent..." Steward Sun began, a wry smile on his face, "is divided among the Minister of Criminal Justice, the Vice Minister of Rites, the Assistant Minister of Dali Temple, Prince Cheng’s Mansion... My old master himself only holds a one percent share."

"Han Taipu is a man of his word, it seems."

"A three percent share is acceptable."

Commander Liu toyed with the tiger head walnuts in his hand, his stern expression softening into a slight smile.

A three percent share was perfectly fitting for his status and position.

The remaining officials and imperial relatives were to divide a total of six percent, meaning each would receive less than one percent. Yet he, without lifting a finger, would receive a three percent share. This clearly demonstrated Han Sui’s "deference" and "respect" for him.

As for why these individuals were given shares, it was because they were all implicated in the Taipu Temple corruption case. Xu Xing’s imprisonment was undoubtedly due to their machinations behind the scenes. Naturally, they would want a piece of the glazed glass enterprise that had arisen because of Xu Xing.

"Tell your old master," Commander Liu said, raising an eyebrow with a smile, "that this Commander respects him as a gentleman."

What he meant was that Han Sui’s deception in letting Zhao Yunniang escape could now be considered a closed matter.

After all, Han Sui was a man of his word.

To honor a commitment, he had even dared to deceive me, risking my displeasure... I like cooperating with dependable men like him.

「Several days later.」

Xu Xing, Chang Ji, and Heavenly Kun King’s party boarded a vessel bound for Jiangnan.

Just as they had speculated back in Xuan Yang Abbey, Sky Prison had indeed used a fire to cover up the fact that the two condemned officials had escaped. As for Judge Tian, the original plan was for him to spend some time in Sky Prison. Then, when he was being escorted to the Ministry of Justice for trial, they would ambush the escort and rescue him.

Unexpectedly, Judge Tian—or rather, Lu Xiaohou—daring due to his exceptional skills, seized the opportunity during the chaos, stole a prison officer’s black uniform, and escaped.

"So close..."

"Missed it by a hair’s breadth..."

「On a flower boat on the Cao River, in a Heaven-grade private room.」

Judge Tian, or Lu Xiaohou, was draped over a beautiful woman, reclining in her embrace. While she fed him grapes, he boasted extravagantly, "That night was dark and stormy! I, Lu Xiaohou, was almost cast into a sea of flames by those corrupt officials! But just in the nick of time, I used a single iron wire to pick the lock of Sky Prison! Then, with one swift chokehold, I finished off a prison officer—that brute was nine feet tall, built like an iron tower..."

"Under my chokehold, his neck was instantly crushed! Then I used some secretly learned... BAH, BAH, BAH! No, I mean, using Gui Yishou’s masterful disguise techniques, I altered my appearance and easily slipped past the Sky Prison entrance."

"However... just as I reached the Sky Prison gate, two bailiffs noticed something amiss. I flicked my sleeves, and an Azure Dragon shot forth..."

Heavenly Kun King, seated nearby, frowned deeply as he listened. He slammed his large hand on the Eight Immortals Table. "Damn it! It’s one thing to boast and gesture, but why are you waving that monkey paw of yours in my face? With your pathetic strength, I could kill you with a single slap!"

Lu Xiaohou jumped in fright, quickly straightened up, and offered an apologetic, sheepish smile to Heavenly Kun King.

"Heavenly King... My apologies, it’s all my fault."

He downed three cups of wine as self-punishment.

Xu Xing and Chang Ji exchanged a look but remained silent, continuing to drink quietly.

Both had their own plans and considerations.

The chasm between being an official and joining the greenwood outlaws was immeasurable.

The future... was shrouded in uncertainty.

After the two had finished half a cup of wine, Heavenly Kun King and his men finally remembered their "honored guests." They began to search for topics to engage Xu Xing and Chang Ji in conversation.

"My elder brother holds scholars in the highest esteem," Heavenly Kun King said, lavishing praise on King of Sorrow. "Mr. Xu, once you join Mount Siming, you will surely be pleased..."

Taking advantage of the moment, Xu Xing began to subtly inquire about the other two Heavenly Kings of Mount Siming.

He had already met Heavenly Kun King. The man appeared coarse, but there was a shrewdness beneath the surface. However, his limited experience and lack of strong personal opinions, coupled with Gui Yishou’s assistance, meant he had avoided any missteps since arriving in Shenjing.

All three Heavenly Kings of Mount Siming were Martial Dao experts, renowned knights of the Jianghu. Even before their rebellion, they held considerable fame in the martial arts circles of Jiangnan.

Heavenly Kun King, ranked third, was an external martial artist who had reached the Visceral Training realm. He possessed the strength of eight hundred jin in each arm and wielded two long-handled squash hammers. It was said that a single strike from his hammer could cause the earth to split and mountains to crumble.

Of course, this was according to Heavenly Kun King’s followers; Xu Xing did not know his true strength.

External martial artists and internal martial artists followed different paths. External martial artists forged their bodies by tempering skin and membranes, refining tendons and bones, training the internal organs, and cleansing the marrow. In the initial stages, one external martial artist could often defeat ten internal martial artists.

Simply comparing cultivation realms was meaningless.

"My elder brother’s surname is Yao, and his given name is Dang. He was once the young sect master of Big Snow Mountain..."

"Unfortunately, the Imperial Court was unjust. Fifteen years ago, they levied corvée troops, ostensibly to resist the northern Tartars. Under this pretext, they dispatched all of Big Snow Mountain’s elders and disciples, from top to bottom, to the borderlands..."

"Driving out the Tartars was a righteous cause, in itself, nothing wrong with that. But the Imperial Court deliberately sent the people of Big Snow Mountain to their deaths. They withheld provisions and pay, intentionally concealed intelligence. After several years of campaigns, only six people from Big Snow Mountain survived, my brother among them. Thus, he was forced to become a deserter to evade the levy. Later... the Imperial Court’s exploitation of Jiangnan West Road became too severe, so we simply rebelled..."

Heavenly Kun King punctuated his story with gulps of wine. Frequently, his eyes would well up with tears, and he would sniffle, wiping away tears and snot.

King of Sorrow Yao Dang...

He knows how to win people’s hearts. He’s no simple character.

Observing this, Xu Xing’s wariness towards King of Sorrow Yao Dang instantly heightened.