Prison Release

Ji Gang froze for a long moment before snapping back to reality. He took a deep breath and asked, "Old Huang, what exactly is his background?"

The caller, a fat man surnamed Huang—Ji Gang's drinking buddy—nearly spat blood in rage. "Fuck! Are you screwing with me?"

Startled and irritated, Ji Gang fired back, "Huang, you fat bastard, don't push your luck. You're in this too. Right now, we need to find a solution."

Huang's jowls trembled with fury. "Ji, you've got some nerve! Anyone who helps you again is a goddamn idiot!"

Forcing calm, Ji Gang softened his tone. "Old Huang, we've known each other for years. Would I mess with you? I misjudged this—who'd have thought some outsider could have connections reaching State Security's top brass?"

Huang snorted. "What now? The guy's refusing to leave Prison No. 4. They want answers."

After a pause, Ji Gang gritted his teeth. "This was all Zeng Yong's doing. He'll take the fall."

Huang relaxed slightly. "As long as someone's offered up, it'll appease them. Handle Zeng Yong, and the matter dies there."

Ji Gang sighed. "Zeng Yong's family has some pull. Not so easy to touch him."

Huang's voice turned icy. "If your old man speaks up, ten Zeng Yongs could vanish with one word."

"Guess I'll have to ask the old man," Ji Gang said bitterly. He knew State Security's heavyweights wielded terrifying influence—better to cross Zeng Yong's entire family than offend them.

Meanwhile, on Huo Xuan's second day in prison, two other forces were searching for him: the Criminal Investigation Division and the Li family, including Li Yunfei.

After Shen Rong reported Huo Xuan's crucial role in capturing the fugitives, Captain Wei Rongguang immediately demanded to meet him. But when Shen Rong couldn't reach Huo Xuan by phone, she grew uneasy and contacted Li Yunfei.

Li Yunfei had sensed trouble brewing since yesterday. Now, with Shen Rong's call confirming his fears, he activated his State Security connections to track Huo Xuan down.

After receiving the news from Li Yunfei, Shen Rong grew equally concerned and immediately informed her father, Shen Wansong, leveraging the resources of the Criminal Investigation Division to launch a full-scale search for Huo Xuan.

Just as both forces were scouring the city, Li Yunfei received intel from State Security higher-ups: Huo Xuan had been imprisoned in Facility No. 4. His heart sank instantly, and he urgently pressed for updates on Huo Xuan's condition.

Fortunately, the response was reassuring—Huo Xuan was safe, merely detained. Moreover, they confirmed that a high-ranking figure was overseeing his protection, ensuring no harm would come to him.

Li Yunfei promptly relayed this to Shen Rong, easing her worries.

When she learned that Zeng Yong was behind Huo Xuan's imprisonment, fury surged within her. It was clear this was retaliation—hadn't their last encounter taught Zeng Yong a lesson?

Though seething, she refrained from acting. Li Yunfei had assured her over the phone: Zeng Yong won't escape unscathed.

True to his word, on the third day of Huo Xuan's imprisonment, Zeng Yong was expelled from the Party and stripped of all positions. By the fourth day, his father and uncles were detained for corruption, their family's fortunes collapsing overnight.

On the fifth day, a despondent Zeng Yong drowned his sorrows at a bar, only to provoke a brawl with local thugs. Stabbed seven times, he died before reaching the hospital.

Li Yunfei kept Shen Rong updated, each revelation leaving her stunned. She couldn't fathom how Huo Xuan wielded such influence to dismantle the Zeng family so swiftly.

By the sixth day and seventh night in prison, Huo Xuan had just finished sparring with a Dark Jin expert when the loudspeakers blared again, summoning him to the exit.

Chu Cangmang chuckled. "Huo Xuan, your master Hua Buyi must be pulling strings. Go reassure them before they start panicking."

Nodding, Huo Xuan walked alone to the exit. Through the bars, a frantic guard shouted, "Huo Xuan, the investigation cleared you! You're free to leave!"

Huo Xuan waved him off impatiently. "Tell them I'm staying at least a month. I'll leave when I'm ready."

The guard paled. The warden had been berated daily, making life miserable for the entire staff. All he wanted was to rid the prison of this troublesome figure.

"The warden's orders are final—you're leaving whether you like it or not!" the guard insisted.

With a cold snort, Huo Xuan turned and walked away, ignoring the guard's dismayed expression.

"What the hell does this guy want? The people who framed him have already been wiped out—what more does he need?" The warden kicked over his desk in frustration upon hearing Huo Xuan's refusal to leave.

Over the past few days, he had fielded a barrage of reprimands—from State Security, the military, the police, civil affairs, even the finance department, which threatened to halve Prison No. 4's budget if he continued his "recklessness."

Gradually, he realized the terrifying truth: the young man in his prison wielded unimaginable influence. That was why he tread carefully, not daring to offend Huo Xuan. If Huo Xuan refused to leave, all he could do was wait helplessly.

"Damn it!" he cursed again.

"Warden, what now?" someone asked.

"We wait." Surprisingly calm now, he said, "If he insists on staying a month, so be it. It's his choice, not ours."

After a pause, he added, "Starting tomorrow, upgrade his meals—six dishes and a soup per serving. Send over some decent cigarettes and alcohol too."

And so, Huo Xuan settled comfortably into Prison No. 4. Aside from eating and sleeping, his days were spent training relentlessly with the thirty-six masters—progressing from Dark Jin practitioners to peak Dark Jin experts, and eventually to those at the pinnacle of Hua Jin.

Though these sessions were never life-threatening, the results were undeniable. By the seventh day, Huo Xuan could spar with peak Dark Jin fighters without being knocked down, despite still struggling.

On the twelfth day, he could withstand three moves from a Hua Jin master without retreating.

By the twentieth day, even peak Hua Jin experts found it difficult to overpower him easily. Occasionally, he even managed clever counterattacks.

On the thirtieth day, two Hua Jin masters training him simultaneously were stunned to discover Huo Xuan's sensitivity to jin now matched theirs—only his physical endurance lagged behind. They sensed he might already be brushing against the threshold of Hua Jin.

On the thirty-sixth day, four Hua Jin experts attacked simultaneously with fingers, fists, palms, and kicks—yet none could overwhelm him.

That afternoon, Chu Cangmang's voice cut through the training: "Huo Xuan, you've mastered jin comprehension—surpassing even these thirty-six. There's no need to continue."

The group halted. Huo Xuan approached Chu Cangmang and said simply, "It seems my time here is done."

Chu Cangmang nodded. "Your master hasn't formally accepted you as his disciple because you're not yet ready to shoulder that responsibility. But your progress is remarkable—within two or three years, you'll mature fully."

"Remember this," he added gravely, "only when Hua Buyi officially takes you as his disciple can you awaken the hidden power we've left behind."

Huo Xuan acknowledged, "I understand."

"Go then." Chu Cangmang waved a hand. "May we meet again."

Huo Xuan's gaze swept across the assembled men. He bowed deeply. "Thank you for your guidance these past days. I'll do everything in my power to win your freedom."

Over their month together, these men had become invaluable mentors—not just as sparring partners, but as living encyclopedias of Jianghu wisdom.

Some showed rare emotion. "Little brother, if that day comes, I'll drink three hundred cups with you!" one exclaimed.

"Three hundred? Make it three thousand!" another roared.

Huo Xuan laughed. "A thousand cups each? You'll kill me with alcohol!"

For the first time in years, smiles—awkward but genuine—appeared on these hardened faces.

Huo Xuan departed without looking back.

As he exited Prison No. 4, the entire facility exhaled in relief. "Damn it all!" the warden slammed his desk. "Drinks tonight—my treat!"

Outside, familiar faces awaited—Shen Rong, Li Yunfei, and Zhang Wu. "Sorry to worry you," Huo Xuan smiled.

Zhang Wu punched his chest playfully. "Enjoyed prison so much you overstayed?"

"I met some masters," Huo Xuan admitted. "A month of sparring taught me much."

Studying him, Zhang Wu's eyes widened. "You've comprehended jin?"

Huo Xuan nodded modestly.

"Impressive!" Zhang Wu grinned.

Li Yunfei clapped his shoulder. "Old man's been chewing me out daily for not springing you sooner."

Warmth filled Huo Xuan—the Li family's concern transcended mere obligation to Hua Buyi. "My apologies. I'll visit soon to thank him properly."

"None of that formal crap between brothers," Li Yunfei scoffed.

Shen Rong had been silently observing, her expression unreadable. When Huo Xuan approached, she suddenly pinched his arm. "Do you know how worried I was?"

Her half-scolding, half-flirtatious demeanor left Li Yunfei and Zhang Wu exchanging glances—since when did these two get so close?