Chapter 69: Life and Death Are Unpredictable
The moonlight entered the house, and the window frames divided the incoming moonlight into four pieces. Under the glow, Qiao Mu stretched his body and the iron chains that bound him made a clear sound.
"Why am I not dead yet?"
Qiao Mu fell into deep thought.
It was already the third night since he was imprisoned.
For some reason, the prison guards looked at him differently.
It wasn't exactly special treatment.
However, in this prison, as long as his daily meals were not taken away, he wasn't bothered too much, and there was no dirty business of the guards beating and insulting him, that alone was already a great favor.
This made the old man in the neighboring cell think that Qiao Mu had an amazing background. Even if he insulted the emperor, he could still live so comfortably in the prison.
With nothing happening in the prison cell, time passed slowly, and Qiao Mu spent most of his remaining time quietly practicing exercises and chatting nonsense with the old man in the neighboring cell, passing the days by bragging.
"Ahem..." The old man coughed lightly several times. He had been imprisoned for many years, and his face had turned yellow. He didn't look well.
"Brother, actually I am not an ordinary thief... I am the descendant of the legendary thief king from a hundred years ago."
"In the past, that Thief Saint had unsurpassed agility, and his senior's manual for exceptional agility was actually hidden outside. As long as you take me out..."
Qiao Mu casually said, "Well, I'll tell you a secret too. Actually, I am not an ordinary constable, but the founder of the previous dynasty."
Old man: ?
"This founder of the previous dynasty, must have been dead for thousands of years, right?"
Qiao Mu said seriously, "That's not important. What matters is that if you give me 50 golden coins, I will make you a grand general once I am released from prison."
"..... Are you still teasing me?"
"Wasn't it you who teased me first?" Qiao Mu didn't believe it at all.
It's not a coincidence that next to the prison, one would encounter someone like the heir to the Thief Saint... Besides, the old man next door looks weak and doesn't seem to understand the advanced breathing technique. He should have been a martial artist of around the eighth or ninth rank in his prime, not someone important.
"You young one... My child is probably around the same age as you, it would be great if she had your cleverness."
"Unfortunately, he was not a clever person and couldn't understand jokes like you do..."
The old man was both angry and amused. He shook his head and didn't talk to Qiao Mu anymore.
He was old and weak, unlike Qiao Mu who was bound by iron chains, so he could freely move around in the jail cell.
Suddenly, there was a meow sound.
He looked up and saw a little window above his head. There was a small wild cat that had somehow squeezed through the window without anyone noticing.
This wild cat had a mixed coat of white, yellow, and black. Although the window was as small as a bowl, the cat managed to squeeze in. Qiao Mu couldn't help but marvel: cats truly are a unique kind of liquid.
"Little one, this is not where you belong. Hurry up, go away!"
The old man waved his hand to drive the wild cat away.
The prison was dark, damp, dirty, and smelled of mold. A wild cat came in, and even if it wasn't chased away or scolded by the prison guards, it was not safe for it to eat something that wasn't clean.
He was old and weak. He just waved his hand to shoo away the little cat, and he felt a bit tired.
He continued to walk a few steps in the prison cell, and suddenly his feet gave way, and he fell onto the icy cold floor.
"Hmm? Did I accidentally run into something this time? Seeking sympathy?" Qiao Mu, who had been meditating with his eyes closed, was distracted by the noise and looked up.
The old man remained motionless on the ground.
Qiao Mu, being a sixth-ranked martial artist with exceptional eyesight, noticed that there was no blood under the old man, indicating that he hadn't suffered any visible injuries from the fall.
"This old man..."
He stood up and took a few steps towards him, but before he could get close, the iron chains behind him were pulled tight, straightening out.
"Where is the prison guard? Someone come!"
Qiao Mu made the iron chains on him clank loudly, creating a noisy disturbance.
Soon, the prison guards rushed over, grumbling and complaining. When they saw it was Qiao Mu, a hint of anger disappeared from their faces.
"Qiao Pifu, don't cause trouble. You used to be a person of authority as well, let's maintain some dignity between us."
However, Qiao Mu didn't pay any attention to what the prison guard said. He just pointed to the old man lying unconscious in the neighboring cell.
"There's a prisoner who fainted."
The prison guard followed Qiao Mu's direction and glanced over.
"Oh."
"Why aren't you rescuing him quickly?"
"Why are you in such a hurry? Is he your father?" The prison guard called a few colleagues, opened the prison door, quickly checked the old man's condition, helped him up from the floor and onto a mat, brought him a bowl of water, then closed the prison door and left.
Throughout the whole journey, the old man didn't move at all, clearly still unconscious.
"Is that all?" Qiao Mu looked at the backs of the prison guards as they left.
"What else can they do? Old Qian isn't some serious criminal." The voices of other prisoners came from inside the cell.
"He's just a thief, even though he's been locked up for many years, no one has ever paid to release him. What else can be done?"
"When you get old, this is what happens. Life is rare after seventy, he's already in his sixties. It's remarkable that he has survived in prison for so long. His luck is good."
"His health has never been great anyway, and it's about time."
The prisoners chatted in groups of two or three.
Suddenly, an old prisoner collapsed. Although it saddened them to see someone from their own kind hurt, it didn't evoke much other emotion.
Qiao Mu stayed silent for a moment, then stood up again and walked towards the old man's cell.
The iron chains behind him rattled and were slowly pulled straight.
The sixth-ranked martial artist's powerful internal strength surged, forcefully pulling the iron chains tight in an instant, making them groan under the strain.
This sudden commotion also interrupted the prisoners' idle chatter.
"What are you going to do?" someone asked in astonishment.
Yeah, what am I going to do?
In truth, Qiao Mu didn't have a clear or definite idea in his mind.
After all, he and the old man next door had only just met, they couldn't be called friends, they had only exchanged a few meaningless chats these past few days.
But this didn't stop him from taking action.
He saves people or not, it doesn't matter whether he is familiar with the old man or not. The key is that he wants to save.
Because he is immortal, he has no taboos.
While others cherish their lives and fear death, he doesn't fear.
"Let me handle this today."
Qiao Mu took a deep breath.
Heavenly Demon Disintegration Method, activate!
The iron chains binding him cracked and instantly broke apart!
Amidst the astonished gazes of the other prisoners, Qiao Mu kicked open the cell door, but instead of taking the opportunity to escape, he kicked open the old man's cell as well and rushed inside.
Since Qiao Mu didn't know medicine, he simply observed the old man's condition and felt that his breathing was weak and his vitality was depleted...
"Do any of you know medicine?" Qiao Mu stood up and asked loudly, his voice echoing in the prison cell.
No one replied, as they were still in shock.
"No one knows medicine?" Qiao Mu frowned, picking up the old man on the straw mat, ready to leave.
Although Qiao Mu could break free from the shackles and escape the prison easily, it didn't mean he could fight his way out with brute force. That would underestimate Heyang City too much.
If he were to really walk out like that, he would soon be surrounded by soldiers and be killed. Moreover, he had to carry a unconscious old man with him, which would make it even harder to succeed.
At this moment, finally, one of the prisoners spoke up:
"I know medicine!"
Without hesitation, Qiao Mu kicked open the cells of the prisoner and asked him to check the old man's pulse.
"The pulse is weak, the energy and blood are depleted... In my opinion, this is not a serious illness, just that he... is old," the prisoner disguised as a physician said.
"....These days, he can still talk to me as usual," asked Qiao Mu.
"The old man is afraid of falling, once he falls it's over," shook his head the prisoner.
"Life and death are unpredictable."
"A person's lifespan is rarely seventy, especially for someone trapped in prison. It's considered rare for him to live to this age."
"So, there's no medicine left?" Qiao Mu asked again.
The prisoner thought for a moment and replied:
"If he had someone to take care of him outside and receive medical treatment, perhaps he could live for another ten days to half a month."
Qiao Mu didn't say anything more.
At that moment, the noise from above gradually started, followed by the sound of the door opening and the footsteps becoming more intense.
The guards heard the noise inside the prison cell and rushed in together.
"How did this prisoner escape?"
"Did the iron chain break? Did we make a mistake?"
"Tie him up again!"
Qiao Mu didn't resist.
Aging, sickness, and death are common in life. Although he was an exception, it was difficult for him to save an elderly person in need.
He had already tried to help, but he couldn't forcefully break out of prison alive. He could only say he did his best.
So, the guards drove him back into the prison cell.
This time, as an escaped convict, his treatment was not as good as before. The guards were afraid he would escape again, so they put on a thicker iron chain and tightly bound him from head to toe.
In the past, I could walk four or five steps in this cell, but now it's difficult even to take one or two steps.
"Why do you have to go through so much trouble... for no good reason." The prisoner doctor shook his head and didn't say much.
The other prisoners who witnessed Qiao Mu breaking free from the iron chains and escaping couldn't help but wonder.
If Qiao Mu was an ordinary prisoner, they would laugh at him for doing such a difficult and pointless thing.
Not only did he fail to escape successfully, but he also ended up being bound by several layers of iron chains. His future days wouldn't be as comfortable anymore.
However, after witnessing the enormous strength of Qiao Mu breaking even the iron chains, their hearts were filled with more awe.
The strong are destined to earn respect, even if they do something that seems foolish, it only makes people respect and fear them.
The old man, who had been in a daze, opened his eyes and glanced at Qiao Mu, smiling.
"You, young lad, are unexpectedly kind-hearted. I must have misjudged you."
"But is it worth it for an old man like me?" He looked at Qiao Mu, who was tightly bound with iron chains.
Based on his many years of imprisonment, a prisoner who fails to escape will surely receive special attention from the prison boss.
Qiao Mu's gaze remained calm. "What's worth it or not? In this life, why bother calculating so much?"
"As long as our thoughts are clear, that's enough."
"If your thoughts are clear, you're quite interesting," the old man said with his eyes half-closed. He took a sip of water, but a hint of fear slowly grew in his heart.
Even in his semi-conscious state, he heard Qiao Mu discussing the illness with the prisoner.
I can't die... I still want to live.
After spending so many years in prison, I wonder if my children have grown up...
Even when you're older, it's not easy to be indifferent when it comes to matters of life and death.
Who doesn't want to live a long time, who doesn't want to live a long life?
The night grew darker little by little.
The old man, half asleep and half awake, suddenly found the faint moonlight sprinkled on him being blocked. He turned his head and saw a colorful stray cat squeezing in through the small window on the prison wall, peering at him.
The cat jumped lightly and landed on the cold ground silently.
Although it was a small, scruffy stray cat, it walked with a strange elegance, taking one step at a time, unhurriedly, and then jumped onto the old man's straw mat.
"Go away, go away, this is not where you should be."
The old man tried to shoo it away, but he was already a bit weak, his throat was dry and he couldn't make any sound.
Yet, the little stray cat wasn't afraid of the old man. It climbed up and nestled against his chest.
The old man could only feel a warm sensation in his chest, a furry little thing pressing against him, gently rubbing and emitting a soft purring sound.
"This little thing... can't be chased away, is it foolish?" The old man casually patted the wild cat on its back.
Unknowingly, the fear and dread of death in his heart gradually faded away.
Trapped in the prison, the old man had been lonely for so long, but having this little thing by his side at the end of his life wasn't too bad...
Finally, he fell into a deep sleep, accompanied by gentle snores.
The little cat quietly snuggled up to him.
Perhaps finding the prison floor too cold, it extended its tail in front of it and positioned its front paws on its fluffy tail, leaning against the sleeping old man and closing its eyes slightly.
.......
A night passed.
When the prison guards came for their daily inspection the next day, they quickly discovered the old man's lifeless body.
"Did the old man die? Didn't survive through the night?"
"It was also his time to pass away."
"Stop talking, let's deal with the prisoner's body."
"...Did a black shadow just flash by?"
The wild calico cat woke up abruptly when the prison guard opened the door, and quickly ran into the shadows of the neighboring cell.
Once the guards left, the prison cell became quiet again.
Just as the wild cat was about to jump onto the small window to escape, it suddenly heard the sound of rattling chains beside it.
It lifted its small head and in the faint morning light, it saw a tall man bound tightly by iron chains, gazing down at him.
The little wild cat became cautious and suspicious, taking two steps back.
Then it seemed to notice something, lifted its nose gently and sniffed, its pupils dilating.
Then it took two steps, its previously elegant steps becoming slightly hurried.
It continued walking forward, and when it reached the man's feet, it suddenly collapsed to the ground, its eyes lifeless, its tongue hanging out, showing a cat's dazed expression during anesthesia.
"What a silly cat, it's acting so weird." Qiao Mu stretched his body and glanced at the empty straw mat in the adjacent cell.
