The Speedrun Begins with Choosing Hunter

Chapter 367: Chapter 361: The Great Benefactor

The Black Prison.

"Come out. The Lord wants to speak with you."

"Hmm?"

An old man with hair so long it touched the floor slowly opened his eyes.

This was his... he couldn’t remember how many years he’d been locked away here.

But it didn’t matter. For someone like him, time was the most useless thing. Aside from the jailer who brought his daily meals, he hadn’t seen another soul in a long, long time.

The jailer grew impatient. "I told you to get up! Didn’t you hear me?"

A bizarre cackle escaped the old man’s lips.

’Some Imperial Censor from the Imperial Inspection Office probably wants to throw his weight around,’ he thought. ’Fine, I’ll play along.’

Such things had happened a few times during his long years of imprisonment. They were one of his few pleasures.

The old man slowly rose to his feet.

The old man followed the jailer and was soon led into a room in the Black Prison. Upon entering, he felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped he might get to see the sun, but it seemed that wish would not be granted.

The room was dark, lit only by two sputtering torches.

In the furthest corner of the room sat a young official on a large chair.

He knew the man was an official because he himself had once worn a similar robe.

As the jailers brought the old man before him, Bai Yuan listened to Zhou Minghan’s hushed report.

"Huang Shan, former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Investigated for forming a clique for personal gain and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Black Prison."

Bai Yuan nodded.

The Black Prison was nothing like the prisons of his past life, where inmates had time for yard work and exercise. Here, a cell was often for life, a place where one ate, drank, slept, and relieved oneself.

It was common to hear of prisoners committing suicide, unable to bear the humiliation. They were all condemned men, so even if they died, almost no one cared.

This old man had been in the Black Prison for eighty years. Anyone else would have long since suffered from muscle atrophy to the point of being unable to stand. Huang Shan hadn’t exercised, which proved he was very strong.

Bai Yuan spoke. "Lord Huang, I have a favor to ask."

Huang Shan let out that grating cackle again. It wasn’t his fault, really. After so long without speaking to anyone, the fact he could even laugh like this was something of an achievement.

"Speak."

He was very curious to see what this young official was up to.

Hearing Huang Shan’s reply, Bai Yuan was even more pleased.

The Black Prison held many officials like Huang Shan. In fact, most of those sentenced to life were officials of his ilk.

As a Third-Grade Official, he belonged to the class of high-ranking officials who were exempt from corporal punishment.

Thus, as long as they didn’t commit unforgivable crimes like treason, they would usually be spared beheading.

After all, most of them were merely scapegoats thrown out by the factions behind them.

And since they had become scapegoats, their powerful backers would naturally ensure they were left a way to live.

The daily meals in the Black Prison weren’t charity; people on the outside had to pay for them. For Huang Shan to have survived for eighty years, someone had clearly been pulling strings for him.

’A freeloader...’

The smile on Bai Yuan’s face widened. "I’d like to borrow Lord Huang’s cell for a bit."

Huang Shan laughed as well. "By all means. I’ve long grown tired of it."

Bai Yuan nodded. "Lord Zhou, register Lord Huang."

Huang Shan was confused. "Register?"

"Yes. A voluntary prison release agreement."

"Voluntary... prison release... agreement?"

Huang Shan considered himself a learned man. He understood every word that came out of Bai Yuan’s mouth, but when put together, they made no sense.

Bai Yuan waved a hand. "Lord Huang has been confined for a long time and can’t sign his name. You two, help him."

Huang Shan realized something was wrong.

Two menacing jailers beside Bai Yuan strode forward. One held a sheet of paper covered in fine print, while the other grabbed his thumb and forcibly pressed it onto the page.

In his prime, Huang Shan would have slapped the two jailers to death with a single palm strike. But now, after consuming Transformation Powder daily, his strength was not much greater than that of an ordinary man.

Huang Shan was furious.

He could vaguely make out that this was no voluntary prison release agreement. It was clearly a Book of Self-Criticism!

’I’m already in this state! Are you still determined to finish me off completely?!’

Bai Yuan smiled faintly. "Lord Huang, don’t take it personally. It’s just that the Black Prison has been too crowded lately. The stability of the nation requires your sacrifice."

Bai Yuan walked up to Huang Shan and gently pressed a hand to his chest.

Huang Shan’s pupils widened abruptly, then went vacant.

"Record this: The former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works, Huang Shan, had a sudden epiphany. Realizing the depth of his sins, he committed suicide by ramming his head into a wall."

"Make sure the wound looks authentic."

Bai Yuan waved his hand dismissively. "Drag him away. Next."

The two jailers silently dragged Huang Shan’s corpse out of the room, then consulted Zhou Minghan’s list to find the next prisoner.

And so it continued.

Bai Yuan gazed at his status panel.

’The enhancement points are still no match for what I’d get from someone at their peak.’

To have become a Third-Grade Official of the Court, Huang Shan must have been among the top tier of the Zhigan realm in terms of combat power.

But the enhancement points from killing him were only about the same as from an ordinary Zhigan practitioner. After all, he had been in the Black Prison for too long; his Qi and Blood had long since decayed.

But it didn’t matter. The Black Prison was full of people like Huang Shan.

The Xuan Yang Faction’s internal struggles were endless, and almost every year, a Third-Grade Official would become a scapegoat.

Bai Yuan felt no pressure killing them.

He dared to act so boldly because, for one, the officials imprisoned in the Black Prison had long been forgotten by the outside world. As long as he didn’t overdo the killing, no one would ever find out.

He was now the de facto Chief Official of the Imperial Inspection Office. As long as he kept silent, no one would know what was happening in the Black Prison.

To this end, he had even had Zhou Minghan draw up a list.

All the officials on the list were those whose backers had already fallen from power.

Killing such people was even more stress-free.

There were two Second-Grade Officials locked up in the Black Prison, but unfortunately, figures of their stature had too much influence. He couldn’t touch them yet.

The reason Bai Yuan dared to act this way was, naturally, because he had the tacit approval of the Emperor.

But if he crossed the line and displeased the Emperor, not even his status on the Hidden Dragon Ranking would be enough to save him.

Bai Yuan’s thoughts were interrupted.

The two jailers returned.

Like a puppet, Zhou Minghan mechanically raised the ledger. "Former Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Zhou Tai."

"Excellent."

A smile touched the corners of Bai Yuan’s lips.

’Huh?’

’Why do I feel so much like a villain?’

’Am I walking the path of self-destruction?’

...

Bai Yuan spent a full seven days in the Black Prison.

By the time he left, the remaining prisoners finally had cells of their own.

Bai Yuan was very satisfied with his position as Left Deputy Chief Imperial Censor.

Choosing the Imperial Inspection Office had indeed been an exceptionally wise decision. Where else could he find so many high-quality, top-tier "experience packs" that couldn’t even fight back?

The gains from these seven days alone were equivalent to what he had previously toiled for half a year, or even a full year, to achieve.

The key was that there was absolutely no risk.

He glanced at his status panel.

His Dragon and Tiger Physique had quietly reached the Master level.

To so easily raise a Heavenly Number One Skill to the Master level stood in stark contrast to the White Ape’s arduous struggle to shatter the mountain.

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