Chapter 635

Chapter 635: Long Years in the Prison (Part 2)

In the underground prison, there is no sun or moon.

The Yongle dungeon’s ninth level houses not only thousands of prisoners but also numerous guards like Wang Chen.

As the hour of the rabbit arrived, he instantly awoke from a deep slumber.

The dungeon was saturated with negative energy, mingling with spiritual energy, creating a peculiar environmental ambiance.

Cultivators within these walls easily succumbed to fatigue, necessitating longer periods of sleep than usual to regain their optimal mental state, hence the guards worked in rotating shifts day and night.

Last night, Wang Chen was not on night duty, allowing him a prolonged rest.

After rising and completing his morning ablutions, Wang Chen departed from his quarters to report at the duty hall in District C6.

There, he collected his duty badge and a portion of spiritual food.

The duty badge functioned as the guard’s work identification, required to be checked out before each shift and returned afterward; it was not permitted to be taken outside.

The spiritual food served as the daily sustenance for the guards, akin to military rations from Wang Chen’s previous life, specifically packaged, nutritionally rich but with a taste that left much to be desired.

Guards often grumbled that even dogs would turn their noses up at this spiritual food!

Yet, it was laden with abundant spiritual energy and the essence of Qi and blood, beneficial for cultivators enduring long hours in the dungeon.

Thus, despite their grievances, they consumed their meals without fail.

“Wang Chen.”

The cultivator in charge of roll call at the duty hall smiled and remarked, “You’ve been performing admirably lately; a promotion to formal prison guard is imminent.”

Wang Chen smiled in return, “I appreciate your kind words.”

He had heard the same sentiment from the same individual three times already.

Each instance carried an undertone of malice, as if reveling in his potential misfortune, almost taunting him.

Yet, Wang Chen always feigned ignorance.

The unique environment had a way of warping the psyche.

Prolonged exposure to the dungeon, whether as a managing officer or a working guard, often led to psychological issues.

Take Dan Lingfeng, whom Wang Chen knew well, for example; he often babbled incoherently. After consuming a jug of spiritual wine, his words became even more nonsensical.

As for those with twisted personalities, shadowy intentions, or emotional numbness… they were a common sight!

The nine levels of the Yongle dungeon, each with eight gates, had devoured countless prisoners and guards alike.

Wang Chen fastened the duty badge to his waist, grabbed his food box, and commenced his duties for the day.

The food box was a specially designed spatial item containing the predetermined meals for prisoners, also referred to as prisoner food.

As he passed by a cell, Wang Chen opened the food box, retrieved a meal, and slid it through a small designated window for the prisoners to access their sustenance.

They were provided with just one meal every three days.

The prisoners confined within the dungeon had their magical abilities sealed and were deprived of sufficient spiritual food, all to maintain them in a perpetual state of weakness, enduring the relentless assault of negative energy day and night, rendering them powerless to escape.

It is said that since the Yongle dungeon was established, countless prisoners have been held within its walls.

Yet, only three have managed to escape using their own strength!

This was something Dan Lingfeng secretly told Wang Chen after getting drunk, warning him that even mentioning the names of those three would bring great trouble.

“Kind-hearted young man…”

As Wang Chen pushed a meal through the window, the emaciated prisoner lying inside begged weakly, “Could you spare me another portion of food? I’m on the brink of death, and I just wish to have a hearty meal before I pass.”

“On the road to the underworld, I wouldn’t want to become a starving ghost!”

It sounded utterly pitiful. The prisoner, with his thinning hair and tattered clothes, appeared frail and hunched, like a candle on the verge of burning out, evoking deep sympathy in anyone who saw him.

Yet, Wang Chen’s heart remained as unyielding as iron, completely unmoved.

He turned and walked away without a second thought.

“Honestly,” the old prisoner muttered.

Moments ago, he had seemed on the verge of death, but now he nimbly rose from the ground and snatched the paper food box resting on the small window.

“Young people these days have no respect for their elders—utterly rude!”

As he grumbled, he devoured the meal in a few ravenous bites.

When he was done, he even crumpled the box and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing and swallowing it whole!

By then, Wang Chen had not even taken ten steps away.

Though he didn’t have eyes on the back of his head, he could sense what had happened, and it didn’t surprise him in the least.

The dungeon housed all sorts of people—innocent souls wrongfully imprisoned, pitiful wretches struck by calamity, and, more often than not, vile and malevolent criminals.

Wang Chen had no way of discerning who was innocent or guilty, so whether the prisoners were beautiful maidens or elderly men, he treated them all as mere NPCs.

When he reached the last meal in the food box, he noticed that the innermost cell in District C6 was empty.

The enchanting Yu Fei was nowhere to be seen.

Had she died?

Wang Chen paused, momentarily stunned.

Since joining the Yongle dungeon as a guard, the most unforgettable figure for him had undoubtedly been the female cultivator from the Hehuan Sect.

It wasn’t just her striking beauty that set her apart from the other prisoners, but the fact that her allure was matched only by her ferocity.

Those placed in the cell across from Yu Fei often went mad or resorted to self-harm or suicide within days. Wang Chen had witnessed one such prisoner lose his sanity firsthand.

The memory of that scene still sent shivers down his spine!

Yet, Yu Fei never dared to use her tricks on the guards. Wang Chen had been tempted by her a few times, but it felt more like playful teasing. As they grew familiar, she even began to act more seriously around him.

Whenever he patrolled near her cell, he would occasionally exchange a few words with her.

Now, finding her gone, he felt an inexplicable sense of loss.

Shaking his head, Wang Chen pushed the strange emotions out of his Sea of Consciousness.

He turned back and continued his patrol along the usual route in District C6.

By nightfall, Wang Chen returned to the duty hall.

After handing in his badge and food box, the cultivator in charge of roll call gestured to a side room and said, “Wang Chen, Lord Chen wishes to see you. Go in.”

This cultivator wasn’t the same one from the morning, so Wang Chen quickly bowed and replied, “Yes.”

When he knocked on the door, he found a middle-aged cultivator in a scholar’s robe seated inside, diligently writing at his desk. Without looking up, he said, “Sit.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

Wang Chen took a seat in the chair beside the desk.

This middle-aged cultivator was the supervising officer of District C6, second in authority only to Lu Peng, the Golden Core cultivator who had brought Wang Chen into the dungeon.

Since Lu Peng rarely involved himself in prison affairs and was often elusive, this middle-aged cultivator was the true authority in District C6.

In the three months since Wang Chen’s arrival, he had only seen the man four or five times.

“Wang Chen, is it?”

The middle-aged cultivator set down his brush and looked at Wang Chen with a calm gaze. “How long have you been at the Forbidden Prison Office?”

Wang Chen felt a slight tension in his chest. “Reporting to you, my lord, it has been three months.”

“Three months, huh?”

The middle-aged cultivator seemed to recall something and asked casually, “I remember you were brought in by Lu Zhenren, correct?”

Wang Chen nodded. “Yes.”