Chapter 188
The feeling of wearing silver handcuffs was novel for Jian Yunlan, and he couldn’t help but look at them, left and right.
—The specially made silver handcuffs from Jun Tian Prison were crafted from secret silver, covered in strange ancient runes that glowed coldly. The texture was icy to the touch, evoking an inherent sense of restraint.
The two guards escorted him down the long corridor of Jun Tian Prison, heading toward the deeper parts of the prison.
The corridor was dark, with large cells on either side. The creatures imprisoned within varied in shape—some humanoid like Jian Yunlan, but many were demonic spirits and evil beings, and there were even giant, bloodthirsty birds and beasts.
Jian Yunlan observed carefully, trying to spot the Taotie, but he didn’t see its presence.
Taotie was so noticeable that if it were here, Jian Yunlan would have recognized it immediately.
He felt a bit disappointed but quickly shook it off, casually asking the two guards, “Hey, have you seen a prisoner with a huge body and particularly tasty, a Taotie? Do you know where he’s locked up?”
Technically, as a preparatory prisoner, Jian Yunlan wasn’t supposed to talk to the guards.
But since the two had just eaten his marinated goods, they were still eager to please him, so when he asked, they immediately replied with enthusiasm.
“I’m new, I’ve heard of that lord, but I don’t really know where he is.” The new guard scratched his head, trying to recall, but came up empty. “Sorry.”
The old guard, however, looked thoughtful. “I’ve heard of the Taotie’s fame, and I know that the heavens are hunting him, but…”
He hesitated, then shook his head, saying nothing more.
Jian Yunlan didn’t press him.
This was to be expected. Finding the Taotie wasn’t so simple. These two were merely gate-keeping guards and didn’t have the authority to know such higher-level matters.
To get more detailed information, he would still need to meet the warden.
The three of them fell silent and continued walking.
Most of the prisoners in the cells on either side were hidden in the darkness.
Jian Yunlan felt keenly that from the moment they stepped into the corridor, many burning gazes had focused on them from the darkness, like a hundred bloodthirsty mouths, eagerly opening wide…
It was only natural.
…After all, the one wearing the silver handcuffs was not only Jian Yunlan himself, but also his food cart.
Two sets of silver handcuffs—one on Jian Yunlan’s wrists, the other on the handle of his food cart.
One person, one cart, being escorted by the guards toward the warden.
The aroma of the food cart spread through the corridor, and nearly every prisoner widened their eyes, desperately sniffing the air, wanting to break free from their cells!
However, despite their restlessness, it seemed they were afraid of something, as they didn’t make a single sound.
They could only watch the food cart with wide eyes, swallowing saliva, and murmuring incoherently…
“Hungry, so hungry.”
“What is that? A mortal? It smells so good.”
“I want to eat the marinated goods…”
“Do all the prisoners wear the same silver handcuffs?” Passing by a massive Suan Li imprisoned in a cell, Jian Yunlan asked curiously, “These handcuffs are so small. Can they even fit?”
Both guards puffed out their chests proudly and explained:
“These handcuffs change size and shape depending on the prisoner they’re restraining. As large as a Kunpeng or as small as a mayfly, the net of the law is wide, yet nothing escapes it.”
“In Jun Tian Prison, all beings are equal.”
—”Every being has its own silver handcuffs!”
Jian Yunlan: “…”
What is even going on?!
Not long after, the two guards escorted Jian Yunlan and his food cart to the heart of the prison, the entire Zhenyu Si.
Zhenyu Si was located at the very center of Jun Tian Prison, hanging from the ceiling like a huge, eerie green lightbulb. Several thin lines, resembling electric poles, extended from the Zhenyu Si in all directions—these were the passages leading to various prison sections.
The warden of Jun Tian Prison, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, worked here.
Standing at the entrance of Zhenyu Si, before knocking on the door, the two guards gazed at Jian Yunlan with reluctance, holding his hands and unable to resist double-checking:
“Boss, are you really sure you want to see the warden? You really want to go to prison? Are you sure…?”
Earlier, Jian Yunlan’s condition for selling them the marinated goods had been that they would escort him to meet the warden.
But this was the warden!
The warden of Jun Tian Prison, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, was a fearsome figure in the mountain-sea realm. He was known for his iron-faced justice, fierce bravery, and mastery over the world’s restrictions, suppressing ancient demons and evil spirits. It was said that anyone who dared to cross him would either die or be severely injured—no one had ever made it out unscathed.
The two guards had somewhat guessed that Jian Yunlan wanted to see the warden for a reason, but even so, this was too risky! They simply couldn’t understand what could be so important to him that he would stake so much on it.
Forget about Jian Yunlan being a mortal—even they, standing in front of the Zhenyu Si, felt their knees shaking. They gazed at Jian Yunlan, and then at the food cart, trying to persuade him one last time:
“Boss, it’s not too late to change your mind. We can take you out right now. How about it?”
Jian Yunlan firmly shook his head.
At this point, there was no turning back.
Seeing the resolve in his eyes, the guards knew he had made up his mind and stopped trying to persuade him.
With a deep sigh, the two guards said, “Well then, we’ll knock.”
They both pulled out black, curved hooks from somewhere, holding them forward, bowing slightly before gently knocking on the huge iron door of Zhenyu Si.
After doing this, they knelt down, waiting.
Boom, boom—
Accompanied by a thunderous rumble, the iron door of Zhenyu Si slowly opened, and Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but hold his breath, squinting to see clearly.
What appeared before him was a bizarre scene:
A giant, several stories tall, with blood-red skin and two flying bull horns on his head, sat behind a massive black-and-gold desk. He was dressed in armor, holding a large blade.
His brow was furrowed as he spoke in a language Jian Yunlan couldn’t understand, seemingly dealing with some important matter.
The giant’s size was overwhelming, and every breath he took caused the air to tremble. It felt as if one movement of his hand could tear through the very ceiling of Jun Tian Prison.
…It was only then that Jian Yunlan realized that the earlier rumbling sound hadn’t been from the door opening but from the giant’s cough.
Standing before such a giant, the oppressive feeling was immense.
The two guards immediately fell to their knees, and Jian Yunlan found it hard to breathe as well.
After a long moment, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord finally noticed their presence.
One of his massive, copper-like eyes turned toward them, glaring at the two guards, his voice impatient as he asked:
“You two, why aren’t you guarding the gate properly? What are you doing here?”
With his words, the floor beneath Jian Yunlan trembled like an earthquake.
“…” Jian Yunlan quietly lifted the lid of the old marinated goods pot, hoping to use the same trick again—tempting the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord with the aroma of the food, in hopes of achieving his goal.
However, unfortunately for him, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord was simply too tall.
No matter how strong the aroma of the marinated goods was, it would take a long time for it to reach the massive nostrils of the giant from where Jian Yunlan stood.
So, for the first time in all his years of using this method, Jian Yunlan encountered failure.
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord showed no reaction, but the two guards were clearly tempted by the aroma, drooling as they swallowed several times. Staring at the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s dark face, they finally regained their composure, reminding themselves that there were still important matters to attend to.
Sweating profusely, the guards lowered their heads even further and stammered, pointing at Jian Yunlan as they reported:
“This, this person set up a food stall at the entrance of Jun Tian Prison. According to Regulation 17,985 of Jun Tian Prison, we are to bring him here for your judgment… That tricycle is his evidence of wrongdoing!”
Hearing this, Jian Yunlan didn’t step back. Instead, he pushed his tricycle forward and, filled with passion, exclaimed, “I admit my crime! I am guilty! Please, convict me.”
The two guards: “…”
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord: “…”
This was the first time he had seen such an enthusiastic criminal voluntarily wanting to go to jail!
Normally, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord might have taken an interest and investigated further.
But today was different. Due to the matter with the celestial prisoner, the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord was extremely busy and had no time to care about such trivial matters.
“This is a small matter. You two can handle it yourselves. Don’t bother me, can’t you see I’m busy?” The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord angrily waved his hand. “Take him away!”
Suddenly, four ghostly figures emerged from nowhere. Their bodies, hidden under tattered clothes, were entirely made of green flames.
The ghostly figures, one on each side, lifted Jian Yunlan and his food cart and quickly flew outside.
When the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord said, “Take him away,” it either meant throwing the person into a low-level prison to suffer for eternity or directly killing them and scattering their ashes. Either way, the point was to make sure the person disappeared quickly from the warden’s sight.
The ghostly figures had been serving the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord for so long that they were very skilled at carrying out such tasks.
Jian Yunlan: “…”
The two guards: “…”
Nooo!!! Their boss, their beloved marinated food boss!!!
A feeling of helplessness and sorrow surged in the two guards’ hearts as they thought of the inevitable outcome.
The older guard couldn’t bear to watch Jian Yunlan be executed, so he immediately stepped forward, knelt before the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord, and pleaded:
“Lord, Warden, please show mercy! He only set up a stall. He hasn’t committed any heinous crime! Please…”
Due to his immense size, every sound in the Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s ears felt like the incessant buzzing of a fly, making him irritated.
It was the same this time.
He was already extremely frustrated with the task assigned by the Celestial Lord. Now, people kept bothering him with trivial matters, buzzing around his ears. The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord’s patience was stretched to its limits.
Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore.
“Enough, enough! Stop the noise!”
The Demon-Subduing Prison Lord grabbed the older guard and tossed him into his mouth, chewing him up with large bites!
