Chapter 420: Chaos at the Prison

With the towering walls, thick barriers, and complicated enchanted formation patterns, the prison at the City Supervisory Division was specially designed to make escape extremely difficult for cultivators.

But such defenses...

For Chu Liang in his current state, there wasn't a barrier he couldn't breach—so long as it was truly just a wall.

Ma Ben might have realized this too; if a prodigy from Mount Shu like Chu Liang wanted to escape, it would be very difficult to trap him in a place like this.

Typically, cultivators who had reached the fourth realm or higher would have their golden cores sealed, acupuncture point punctured, and be bound with talismanic chains before being confined in solitary cells. However, Chu Liang wasn’t a criminal—he was merely temporarily detained for talking back to the City Supervisor, so he clearly wouldn’t be subjected to such harsh treatment.

The City Supervisory Division simply placed him in a cell with dozens of other prisoners, most of whom were minor offenders with cultivation levels at the first three realms. In fact, most were martial artists of the first two realms; anyone at the Spiritual Awareness Realm was already considered exceptional among them.

Although the supervision was lax, the environment was extremely filthy. Clearly, Ma Ben had deliberately placed Chu Liang in this wretched cell to disgust him.

"Heh..."

As soon as Chu Liang stepped into the crowded cell, he heard a sinister laugh.

In the depths of the cell sat a huge, bald man covered in dragon and tiger tattoos, his height towering like an iron fortress. A few underlings hovered around him, massaging his shoulders and back.

All of them were laughing weirdly as they cast eerie and mocking glances at Chu Liang.

There were no chairs in the cell; instead, the burly man sat on a bench made of four prisoners kneeling side by side. His massive body made even four people struggle to hold him steady, their bodies trembling under the weight. They had no choice but to grit their teeth and endure, as any slight movement from them would provoke harsh reprimands.

It seemed that this bald giant was the boss of this prison cell here.

At first, Chu Liang ignored them, keeping to himself quietly by the side. But then the giant raised his chin at him and sneered, "Kid, you look pretty handsome."

"Thanks," Chu Liang replied with a smirk, "You're not bad yourself—quite human-looking."

"What do you mean?" The bald giant was taken aback.

A thin, monkey-like underling beside him quickly chimed in, "Boss, he's saying you look like a person."

The giant's eyes narrowed in anger, and with a casual swing of his massive fist, he sent the underling flying into the wall, where he flattened like a painting. "What do you mean, 'like a person'? Are you saying I'm not human?" he growled, his voice filled with menace.

"It wasn’t me, boss... it was him..." the underling gasped, slowly sliding down the wall, his voice barely a whisper as he struggled to speak.

"You dare insult me, kid?" The giant snarled, his eyes locking onto Chu Liang with a cold glare. "You probably don’t know the rules around here. Newcomers are expected to choose a grand gift."

"

Haaaa...

" Chu Liang frowned as he sized up the giant. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed helplessly. "Alright, what's the procedure? Go ahead and tell me," he said.

He had intended to stay quiet and avoid trouble.

"You either lie down and serve as a bench for three days, or take three punches from our boss. Your choice," one of the underlings said as a wicked grin spread across his face.

It was clear they had all endured this so-called "grand gift" when they first arrived, and now they were eager to pass on the torment to someone else.

Upon hearing this, Chu Liang’s eyes lifted slightly, and a smile played on his lips. "Do I even have a choice here?"

"Looks like you're a quick thinker," the underling chuckled, kicking away the straw on the ground to clear a spot for Chu Liang to kneel.

Instead, Chu Liang stepped forward and said, "Go ahead, hit me."

"

Hmm?

" The other prisoners exchanged surprised glances, clearly taken aback by his unexpected response.

"Haha, looks like you've never been hit before," the giant laughed, his voice rumbling like thunder as he stood up. "It's been a while since I stretched these muscles."

As the giant rose, the four prisoners who had served as his bench sighed in relief. The weakest-looking one at the end managed to lift his head just enough to warn, "Young fella, he's no ordinary martial artist. This guy was born with extraordinary strength. One punch from him can kill a demonic beast stronger than himself. Don’t push your luck..."

Judging by his earnest tone, it seemed he had experienced those punches himself.

Chu Liang's smile widened upon hearing this, "Is that so? Then I'd like to see it for myself."

"You're really asking for it," the giant snarled, seemingly provoked by the smirk on Chu Liang's face. He took two heavy steps forward and swung a punch with a roaring wind!

This was him holding back, using only a tenth of his strength. He was scared that he might actually kill Chu Liang with this punch.

Boom—

As the punch landed, the underlings eagerly anticipated a scene of blood and gore.

But then, their faces froze.

They weren't the only ones. It was as though the two in the center had stopped moving.

The giant's fist had slammed into Chu Liang's chest, yet Chu Liang remained unscathed, not even budging an inch. The faint smile on his lips lingered, as if the attack had never happened.

As for the giant...

"

Owhhh...

" The giant suddenly gasped, staggering back two steps as he clutched his arm, which now trembled uncontrollably.

The moment his fist struck, a tremendous force jolted up his arm, sending shockwaves of pain through his muscles. For a brief instant, he could not lift his arm at all.

This kid is something else...

the giant thought.

Before he could process it, Chu Liang grinned and said, "Brother, you may look fierce, but you're holding back. You barely tapped me."

The other prisoners, sensing something was off, began shouting as well.

"Boss, don’t hold back! Hit him like you hit us—make sure he can’t get up for days!"

"Use your full strength and kill him!"

"..."

Hearing the jeers from the other prisoners behind, the bald giant gritted his teeth. The strength he used in his first punch against Chu Liang was the same he had used on countless others—enough to nearly kill anyone else—yet it seemed to have no effect on Chu Liang.

It seemed he could no longer hold back. If he did, he would lose all respect and authority in this prison.

With this in mind, a fierce determination flashed in his eyes.

Even if I kill you, it’s your own fault for provoking me...

"Kid, life and death are just part of being in this world," he said gloomily, twisting his arm with menace. "Don’t blame me when you find yourself on the other side."

With that, he took a stance, stepped forward with force, twisted his waist, and unleashed a powerful punch!

Boom—

The force of this punch was truly extraordinary, accompanied by the sound of wind and thunder!

Thud—

Amidst the heavy thud, the unmistakable sound of bones cracking echoed through the room.

Yet, just like before, neither of the two moved.

But someone from the crowd shouted, "Yeah! I heard it—he broke that kid’s bones!"

"Hmph, let's see if he dares act arrogant now."

"..."

But after a few cheers, the group quickly sensed something was wrong.

Why was Chu Liang still standing there with a smile, while their boss’s back was starting to tremble?

"Uh..." The bald giant staggered back, his right arm hanging limply as he cried out in agony, "Ah... my arm..."

In that punch, he had put everything he had into it, yet it had no effect on Chu Liang. Instead, the recoil had shattered his own right arm—not just broken, but completely splintered!

Thud!

He collapsed heavily to the ground, howling in pain, "

Ahhhhhh—

"

Chu Liang stepped forward and looked down at him as he asked, "Can you handle it?"

"I was blind and offended you, young hero..." The bald giant actually started begging for mercy, "Please forgive me, young hero."

"Don't say that. You still owe me one punch. Let's finish this," Chu Liang shook his head. "You’d better use your full strength."

"No more, no more! I wouldn’t dare offend you again," the bald giant cried out. While he was drenched in cold sweat from the pain, he suddenly became much more polite.

The underlings behind him finally saw the truth.

Clearly, this youth’s cultivation was extraordinary. Even when the giant was the one attacking, the recoil alone was enough to reduce him to this pathetic state.

After a brief silence, someone quickly stepped forward, a flattering smile spreading across their face as they said, "I knew from the start that this young hero possessed an extraordinary aura. His skill is truly unmatched."

"Yes, yes, he must be from some immortal sect. Otherwise, how could he have such remarkable cultivation?"

"..."

Ignoring the flattery around him, Chu Liang turned to the giant and said, "You still owe me one punch. So, according to your own rules, lie there and be a bench for a day."

"Yes, yes..." The giant, still writhing in pain, dared not defy Chu Liang's command. He turned towards the wall and knelt down on all fours, not daring to move a muscle as he pressed against the floor.

Indeed, even the wicked would meet their match.

"You can get up now," Chu Liang said, gesturing to the four men who had been forced to serve as a bench. "From now on, except for him, none of you have to do this anymore."

"Thank you, young hero..."

Amidst the voices of thanks, the frail middle-aged man who had earlier warned Chu Liang stood up. Dressed in silk robes, with a lean face and a slight mustache, he had an air of refinement that set him apart from the others in the prison, suggesting he was a recent arrival.

"Thank you for your help, young hero," the man said as he approached, offering a respectful bow with a smile. "If I may ask, what is your esteemed name, and where is your teacher from?"

Chu Liang glanced at him. With so many people around, he didn’t want to reveal his true identity.

Ever since he had encountered enemies after mentioning his teacher's name, Chu Liang had grown cautious during his travels. He now avoided revealing his true identity unless absolutely necessary.

After a quick contemplation, he replied slowly, enunciating every word clearly, "Ye Wen, Yong Chun.[1]"

1. These are the Mandarin equivalents of Ip Man and Wing Chun, which you might recognise from the series of films loosely based on Ip Man’s life. (LD: I highly recommend watching the first one if you like martial arts films.) Wing Chun is a Southern Chinese style of martial arts, and Ip Man is likely the most famous practitioner and teacher of Wing Chun. Most notably, Bruce Lee was one of his students. ☜