Chapter 540: The Night Before the Wedding, Please Behave Yourself

Anyone who knew of that River would eventually die.

Before stepping out of the office, Yan Jing looked at the dazed Mu Tian and felt he finally understood that saying.

"Is this place the River or not?"

Driven into a corner by this question, Mu Tian had finally gone mad.

To confirm whether this place was the River, he killed Ning Wei's mother.

Then he discovered it wasn't.

And so he truly lost his mind.

Beneath that seemingly calm exterior hid a madman who didn't dare face his own child.

He had entered the River to find Ning Wei's mother. After saving her, he forgot whether he had actually done so. Worried that he was still trapped in the River and that the real mother was somewhere else, he ultimately killed the real Ning Wei's mother.

After leaving Mu Tian's office, Yan Jing headed straight back to his room.

He spent some time drafting a few announcements.

Then he called for Cen Ji and issued the internal notices to the higher-ups.

"The wedding of the Great Prison's young master has been moved up. It will be held in three days."

"Former Vice Warden Song Huien has absconded. Anyone providing information will receive..."

"The Great Prison has reached a critical juncture of survival and may completely collapse at any moment. Effective immediately, tax rates are lowered, the prison inventory is opened, and unrestricted trading is permitted..."

Not long after the announcements went out, Weng Lingxiao came storming to his door.

"Dirty! You're so fucking dirty, Yan Jing!!!"

Weng Lingxiao cursed, looking genuinely furious.

"What did I do?" Yan Jing looked perfectly innocent.

"Isn't it just a 30% split of power? You're playing fish die and the net breaks with me over this?!?"

Weng Lingxiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his Monocle trembled.

As he saw it, Yan Jing pulling this sudden stunt was purely relying on his ability to leave the Inner World to ruin the Great Prison's reputation, ensuring Weng Lingxiao wouldn't get a single benefit.

"Yes, I admit I targeted you because you're human and will leave sooner or later. Even if you leave your name here, I'd still have room to operate. But you don't have to drag the entire Great Prison down as a joke, do you?"

Weng Lingxiao's eyes went completely red.

"Especially this last one. What do you mean it might completely collapse at any moment?"

"Exactly what it says." Yan Jing's expression remained detached.

"The Great Prison is finished."

"You mean a war breaking out?" Weng Lingxiao's anger hadn't subsided.

But Yan Jing shook his head.

"It is truly finished. Go make preparations. Didn't you say you were good at managing the Great Prison's operations? I'm giving you two tasks now. First, the young master's wedding will be held in three days. Make it grand and invite prominent figures from all over to witness it."

"Second, prepare the highest level of alert. The Great Prison is about to fall; get ready to run."

"How is that possible..." Weng Lingxiao finally realized Yan Jing wasn't joking. He shut the door and lowered his voice.

"The Great Prison's resources have indeed hit rock bottom, but a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. It should have been able to hold out for at least a few more years..."

Whether criminals or staff members, most of the capable higher-ups knew the Great Prison was nearing its end.

But reaching a dead end and immediate destruction were two different things.

"If you ask me why, I don't know, but this is the truth. It was clearly written in my mission."

Yan Jing sighed.

"You all thought Mu Tian was old, mad, and out of strength. But just as you said, a starved camel is still bigger than a horse."

"He has been proud his whole life. How could he just let you lot walk all over him?"

"Or did you actually think you could retreat unscathed?"

Hearing Yan Jing's words, Weng Lingxiao's expression shifted repeatedly before he finally let out a sigh of his own.

"To what extent do you think the Great Prison will be destroyed in the end?"

"I'm not sure."

"If the Great Prison ultimately collapses to the point of space and time shattering, no one will be able to escape successfully except for the few of us in the Ninth Tier," Weng Lingxiao said, voicing what he actually wanted to say.

"How about... you try talking to Mu Tian..."

Before he could finish, Yan Jing cut him off.

"He killed that person in his very effort to find her. Do you think he cares about anyone else in this Great Prison?"

Weng Lingxiao fell silent.

Yan Jing patted Weng Lingxiao on the shoulder.

"If it really reaches that point, just pray this world has miracles."

Weng Lingxiao sighed, turned around, and opened the door.

"You know that three days from now will be a vicious battle, right?"

"It's fine."

Yan Jing's eyes were tranquil.

"I will send the young master away safely, regardless of who comes."

Weng Lingxiao stared at Yan Jing's face and said, "You look different from before."

"Thank you."

Yan Jing replied with unhurried ease.

Soon, news of Ning Wei's upcoming wedding spread like wildfire. All factions viewed this sudden "advanced date" with varied expressions.

For a time, undercurrents surged.

On the night before Ning Wei's wedding.

Ning Wei sought out Yan Jing.

"Why was the wedding moved up?"

He wore the black suit meant for tomorrow's ceremony. Every button was designed in green-gold to match his image, and not a single wrinkle marred the repeatedly ironed cuffs. Dark patterns were hand-stitched into every scrap of fabric by the most genius tailors in the world. His usually droopy hair was slicked back flawlessly, and his monolid eyes looked significantly more spirited after his eyebrows had been trimmed.

He had likely just returned from the wedding rehearsal.

"No reason. It was your father's order, and I simply followed it."

Yan Jing smiled faintly.

"Actually, I thought you would come find me the very first day the news broke."

Ning Wei didn't speak.

He had indeed wanted to find Yan Jing the moment he received the news, but before that, he had gone to see someone else. The woman who had told him what to do so he wouldn't go wrong.

Upon hearing the news, he had immediately rushed to the Special Prison Cell.

"You told me that as long as I did what you said, I wouldn't have to go to Pure Blood City."

Looking at Wen Qiao in the room, his expression was filled with indignation.

"I did everything you told me to do."

The time he reached the Summit, upon hearing about his arranged marriage, he had fled to the Special Prison Cell and struck a deal with Wen Qiao. She would help him avoid Pure Blood City, and in return, he would assist Yan Jing with everything in his power.

Perhaps because it was so late, Wen Qiao's cell looked much darker than usual. She sat on the bed with one arm hugging her knees and the other holding a piece of paper. He could only make out her blurry silhouette.

Facing Ning Wei's interrogation, Wen Qiao looked up and smiled gently.

"What you asked for wasn't for me to keep you from Pure Blood City."

"It was for me to solve your trouble."

"Going to Pure Blood City is my trouble!" Ning Wei's eyes widened.

Wen Qiao shook her head and spoke softly.

"No, it isn't."

Ning Wei almost thought he'd heard wrong.

If this wasn't being completely shameless, what was?

It was the first time he'd heard that someone couldn't define their own trouble.

But Wen Qiao's next sentence stunned him.

"Perhaps Pure Blood City was your trouble at the beginning, but later it wasn't."

Wen Qiao's fingers brushed lightly across the paper in her hand.

"Deep down, you've actually accepted going there."

"Because there is a sliver of hope for your father's survival there."

Ning Wei looked at Wen Qiao, and she turned sideways to look at him.

Only then did he finally see her face clearly in the moonlight.

To his shock, Wen Qiao was terribly emaciated.

Her normally soft face was so thin that her cheekbones stuck out. Her eyes were sunken into their sockets, her cheeks were slightly hollowed, and her lips were deathly pale.

She looked as though she had suffered a severe illness.

"Did you come here to make another deal with me?"

Ning Wei fell silent before slowly speaking.

"I want you to finally agree to Mu Tian's request and help him take that step."

"That price is very steep, far more expensive than the last time," Wen Qiao chuckled.

Her expression was as placid as if she were genuinely discussing a business deal.

Even though what Ning Wei said practically amounted to asking her to die.

"What's the price?"

Ning Wei's memory flashed back to the present.

Looking at Yan Jing before him, he pursed his lips.

"Is Mu Tian truly unable to hold on anymore?"

"I don't know."

Yan Jing shook his head.

"I'm in no position to ask about anything regarding Warden Mu."

Ning Wei frowned.

"Is there still a need to play dumb with me? Who doesn't know you forced him to step down?"

"Not step down. The warden is merely unwell, and I am acting as a temporary proxy," Yan Jing said at an unhurried pace.

Ning Wei took a deep breath.

"Fine, whether it's a temporary proxy or something else, I just want to ask you one thing: will he attend my wedding tomorrow?"

Yan Jing's gaze remained calm.

"Tomorrow is your big day, young master. Warden Mu will naturally be present."

"Really?"

A glint appeared in Ning Wei's eyes.

It was a lie.

Mu Tian had never mentioned this from start to finish.

Yan Jing had visited his door a few times over the past few days, and his condition appeared to be rapidly deteriorating.

But Yan Jing nodded.

"Naturally."

"Alright."

Ning Wei nodded, turned around, and prepared to leave.

Just as he had one foot out the door, he looked back at Yan Jing.

"Since you keep calling me young master, Commissioner Yan, then do me one more favor."

"Please speak, young master."

Yan Jing hadn't expected that Ning Wei's so-called favor would be for him to make a trip to the Special Prison Cell.

He walked to the door of that familiar cell and stopped.

As if by some unspoken connection, almost the very moment he appeared in the doorway, Wen Qiao, sitting on the bed holding a piece of paper, turned her head to look at him. "I brought some food," Yan Jing said.

Yan Jing's expression was calm.

Wen Qiao pursed her lips.

"I'm not hungry."

"It's half of my leftover dinner. It would be a waste to throw it away."

Yan Jing pulled an aluminum lunchbox and a pair of chopsticks from his pocket.

"The Great Prison's resources are tight right now. Every bit saved counts."

Wen Qiao stared at the lunchbox and gulped. She stepped down from the bed barefoot, hid her face behind the paper, and walked over to the bars.

"Why are you hiding your face?"

"You said last time that I was trying to pull petty tricks on you. I really wasn't..."

Wen Qiao's words carried an indescribable sense of grievance.

Yan Jing took a deep breath.

The woman before him clearly hadn't realized that petty tricks weren't just conveyed through one's face.

"Alright, just eat."

He reached out through the bars and plucked the paper from her hands.

Behind the paper, Wen Qiao's eyes went wide. She clearly hadn't expected Yan Jing to do that.

But Yan Jing was also stunned.

Only then did he get a clear look at the paper in his hand.

It was a folded, old newspaper.

On the side facing Wen Qiao was the headline news of how he had dealt with Ai Qing that day.

"Ai Qing's Ideology Strayed, Intent on Treason. Commissioner Yan Used Lightning Methods to Execute Her on the Spot"

Several characters in the headline had blurred ink, as if they had been soaked in water, making them hard to read.

Across from him, Wen Qiao blushed, looking a little flustered.

"I... I... I..."

"Eat first."

Yan Jing shoved the lunchbox into her hands.

"Oh."

Wen Qiao obediently took it and opened the lid.

Stir-fried beef with radishes, paired with baby bok choy.

She stared at the two dishes for a long time before turning her back and taking one bite after another.

"I said there was no need to hide your face. I won't look at you."

Yan Jing sighed.

"I know."

Wen Qiao opened her mouth. Her words were muffled by the food and mixed with her tears, making it nearly impossible to understand what she was saying.

"The young master's wedding is tomorrow. Do you want to watch it?"

Watching Wen Qiao scarf down the food, Yan Jing asked.

"Uh-huh."

Wen Qiao nodded vigorously, then shook her head vigorously.

"Do you want to or not?"

Yan Jing sighed again.

"No, I don't."

"Truly no, or fake no?"

"Fake... True, I truly don't."

Yan Jing's eyes were calm as he conjured a tablet Computer and placed it by Wen Qiao's side.

"The battery is only enough for one day."

Wen Qiao turned to look at the Computer by her side. She couldn't help but hug it to her chest. She wanted to reach out and touch it, but she didn't want to put the lunchbox down either.

Yan Jing watched Wen Qiao's clumsy back.

He suddenly thought of Wen He.

The two of them looked nothing alike, except that they were both quite pretty when they smiled.

She was a Ninth Tier, after all, yet for some reason, she seemed so clumsy.

Thinking of her Tier, Yan Jing's vigilance rose again.

"No petty tricks."

"Oh, okay."

Hearing Yan Jing's voice, Wen Qiao shuddered. She quickly and carefully cradled the tablet Computer in her arms and continued eating.

Yan Jing watched her for a long time. The more he looked, the more she reminded him of Wen He.

That ball of fire seemed to ignite once more. The ambient temperature was rising, and his heart pounded wildly.

Realizing something wasn't quite right, he simply turned around and leaned back against the bars.

Sitting back-to-back with Wen Qiao.

But it was no use. The fire was still burning. While it wasn't as fierce as in his dreams, it was enough to make him sweat. His heart raced, and his ears burned. He twitched his fingertips, extending his weird energy, deeply aware that this was no dream.

What was going on...

Yan Jing wiped the sweat from his forehead, stood up, and started to walk away.

Hearing his movements, Wen Qiao quickly turned around.

"You're... you're leaving?"

"Yeah."

Yan Jing was unwilling to say another word.

"Your... your lunchbox."

Wen Qiao scrambled to her feet and offered the lunchbox through the bars.

Yan Jing waved a hand, not taking it.

Seeing the bulging veins on the back of his hands and the sweat on his neck, Wen Qiao panicked.

"What... what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing."

Yan Jing walked straight out.

He suddenly understood why Mu Tian had attacked Ning Wei's mother back then.

Bolstered by the River, this kind of obsession really could drive a person mad.

Fortunately, the flames this time carried no pain.

"Let... let me take a look. I can heal you."

Wen Qiao reached through the bars and grabbed Yan Jing's hand.

Yan Jing felt his heart hammer even harder and immediately shook her hand off.

"Ms. Wen, please behave yourself."

"Oh. Then... please be careful tomorrow..."

Wen Qiao called out her final words as she watched him stride into the darkness.

She looked at her rejected hand in sheer frustration.

"Did I mess it up again..."

Gazing at the tablet Computer and lunchbox in her arms, she felt as though the temperature in the air had risen. Her forehead, too, was covered in sweat.

"Why did that guy call him over? I was already prepared to die. Isn't this just making me break my contract..."

Clinging tightly to the tablet Computer and the lunchbox, she was caught in a dilemma.

Should I die or not...