My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 26 Yang Wanli's Praise, and the Reunion with an Acquaintance

Shen Yan arrived at cell number C.

The place was in complete disarray, just as he had guessed; the men in black were targeting cell number C.

It's likely that the Imperial Guards captured some big shot but accidentally threw him into the imperial prison.

The prison guards were gambling in the office. The man in black rushed there first after he came in, in order to get the key to the cell door.

Many prison guards died. It is unknown which guard released the prisoners, causing a riot, which resulted in the deaths of many prisoners as well.

Shen Yan heard the sounds of fierce fighting coming from outside the prison and went out of the cell to take a look.

It turned out that the leader of the Imperial Guards was fighting with the man in black, and the Imperial Guards were clearly no match for him.

If it weren't for the support of powerful crossbows, the Imperial Guards would have been defeated long ago. The man in black saw that his goal had been achieved.

Without further ado, he turned and left, leaving behind a pile of Imperial Guard corpses.

Shen Yan had no idea what had happened during the previous prison breaks, but this time, the events had truly shocked him.

The battle subsided, and the city gate guards arrived late, followed by officials from the Ministry of Justice.

Shen Yan used other people's blood to smear his body, creating a gruesome appearance.

The city gate guards were stationed outside the imperial prison, and Yang Wanli came from the Ministry of Justice.

His face was ashen; the prison had been broken into several times.

All the officials in the Ministry of Justice looked utterly ashamed.

Yang Wanli gathered all the surviving prison guards together and looked at them, who were covered in blood and looked miserable.

He could tell that many people were pretending to be injured, and their words were quite rude.

He snorted coldly.

"With something like this happening in the prison, none of you here can escape responsibility. I hope you'll be careful not to let me find out."

News of the prison break quickly spread throughout Bianjing.

The imperial prison has once again become a laughing stock.

Looking at the corpses on the ground, Shen Yan was filled with emotion. This time, more than a dozen prison guards and more than twenty prisoners had died.

Many of them were familiar faces to Shen Yan. Sun Fugui, however, was clever and hid somewhere, thus escaping unscathed.

The kidnapped prisoner was quite ordinary in the case file, with nothing special about him; he was a businessman from out of town who had come to Beijing.

He got into a conflict with the son of the commander of the Five Cities Garrison at a restaurant and was arrested and imprisoned.

Unexpectedly, they caught a big fish. This identity must be fake. How could an ordinary merchant mobilize a mid-level martial artist to break someone out of prison?

Moreover, there's no need to go to such great lengths; a little money would suffice to get them out, unless they believe that breaking them out of prison is faster than spending money.

The Ministry of Justice is in for a lot of trouble now. A prisoner has escaped from their own cell, which is a serious dereliction of duty.

Shen Yan killed two men in black; this matter can't be kept secret any longer.

When Yang Wanli was investigating the prison guards, he took the initiative to confess.

Yang Wanli was shocked, never expecting that Shen Yan would become a ninth-rank martial artist without making a sound.

I vaguely remember the last time I saw him, he was diligently on night duty in the prison, and I praised him a few times out of respect for the Shen family.

He sighed inwardly, "I didn't expect Shen Yan to be so capable, unlike the average jailer who is so incompetent."

Yang Wanli showed approval, his expression revealing a hint of appreciation.

"Indeed, when I saw you last time, I felt you were different from the other prison guards."

Shen Yan bowed and thanked him, speaking very humbly: "Thank you for your praise, sir. I was just practicing in my spare time."

"No need to be modest. Having talent is not a bad thing. It's really a waste of talent to be in prison."

Shen Yan's breakthrough to the ninth rank was naturally impossible to keep secret, and the news spread throughout the prison, much to the astonishment of the jailers.

"I never expected that Shen Yan's obsession with martial arts would actually lead to some real success."

"The funny thing is, I was waiting to see Shen Tou make a fool of himself, but now it seems like I'm the one making a fool of myself."

"I often saw Shen Tou practicing his skills in the prison. His breakthrough was no accident."

Xu Shaogong's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty upon hearing that Shen Yan had broken through to the ninth rank of martial artist.

"Shen Yan is hiding his true intentions very well. Could he be eyeing my position? Or perhaps he's a spy planted in the imperial prison by Yang Wanli?"

"Lord Ding has not given me a reply for a long time, and I don't know if this matter can still be accomplished."

The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that his guess was right; the prison had gotten into another huge mess.

He felt troubled.

"Damn it, why are there so many misfortunes when I become a prison warden? Is it because I'm in bad luck this year?"

He knew in his heart that his time as prison warden was coming to an end, so he quickly summoned his clerk to discuss what to do.

Shen Yan was mentally prepared for his strength to be exposed, and many familiar prison guards came to congratulate him.

Even the rarely seen prison guard Xu Shaonian said a few kind words to him, which was truly rare.

Once a martial artist reaches the highest rank, they are no longer considered lowly and can leave the Heavenly Prison at any time if they wish.

Although the prison guards were usually depraved, they secretly longed to rise above others like Shen Yan.

However, taking action is too tiring, so it's more comfortable to gamble a couple of times.

They agreed to slack off together, so why is Shen Yan secretly working hard?

New prisoners have arrived at the prison.

The person who came was an acquaintance of Shen Yan, Song Mingli, who had once rented a room at Widow Wang's house.

He picked up the case file, wanting to see what the newly appointed top scholar had done wrong.

That's right. Song Mingli was nominated as the top scholar in the palace examination half a month ago. A few days ago, the top three were even paraded through the streets wearing big red flowers on their chests.

However, Shen Yan didn't care about these things and didn't join in the fun.

Unexpectedly, their next meeting was in the imperial prison.

The file stated that lightning struck yesterday, setting the Wanshou Palace ablaze.

Song Mingli, being a young man, directly wrote a poem to angrily rebuke the emperor, stating that this was a divine punishment and a warning from heaven.

Emperor Xuanwu should be encouraged to govern diligently, rather than indulging in Taoist practices.

Coupled with the severe drought in the north and the floods in the south this year, these remarks were quickly spread by those with ulterior motives.

Emperor Xuanwu spent over thirty years practicing Taoism in his lifetime, hoping to attain immortality. He was a believer in these mystical and superstitious things.

After the Embroidered Uniform Guard reported this, Emperor Xuanwu was naturally furious and immediately threw the newly appointed top scholar into the imperial prison.

Shen Yan felt he couldn't reach Song Mingli's level, but he also felt a certain admiration for him.

Give him the best cell in his possession.

I met Song Mingli.

"Brother Song, I never imagined that we would meet again in the imperial prison."

Song Mingli's face lit up with joy when he saw Shen Yan.

"I'm sorry to have been laughed at by Brother Shen. I have something to say, and I must say it. I'm afraid I'll have to keep Brother Shen company from now on."

Shen Yan knew he wouldn't be able to stay in the Heavenly Prison for long. Song Mingli was somewhat at a loss as it was his first time visiting this place of enlightenment.

"Brother Song, you're overthinking it. You'll be out soon. This prison is also a place for enlightenment. Why don't you rest here for a few days? If you need anything, just tell the jailer. I've already given instructions."

"This very cell is where Grand Tutor Wang Yuan once lived. I'll have some books sent over; you can study in peace!"

"Thank you for your kind words, Brother Shen. Your words are always very accurate."

After chatting with Shen Yan for a while, Song Mingli's complexion improved and he felt much more relaxed.

Those who can become the top scorers in the imperial examinations are naturally of good character; they just achieve success at a young age and haven't experienced much hardship.

He is the newly crowned top scorer, not some greenhorn with no background.

The tradition of civil officials criticizing the emperor has lasted for hundreds of years; it won't be long before it's over.

After Shen Yan finished her shift.

They brought wine to Master Qi's house.

He had been holding back all day and was eager to know how things were going with Qi Xiu.

I wouldn't say I care that much, but I mostly gossip about it.

Enter the door.

Seeing Qi Xiu's radiant face, Shen Yan immediately understood.

He winked and said to Master Qi.

"Master, how was it? Was the method I taught useful?"

Master Qi laughed heartily, "It has to be you, lad!"