The First Sage of Military Strategists

Chapter 27 Inspecting the Prison
That night.

Han Qing moved into a room that Master Fang had arranged for him to stay in. It was about thirty paces square and fully furnished with various mattresses and furniture.

Han Qing didn't have high demands for living conditions; as long as they were sufficient, that was enough.

The room wasn't big, but it was enough for him to rest and practice martial arts.

Late at night.

Han Qing practiced the Nine Yin Manual several times in the open space of the room. Although his proficiency did not increase much, he would soon break through with daily practice.

Then he sat cross-legged on the bed, contemplating the Zhige Sutra in his mind, meditating three times in a row, and condensing three strands of Dharma thoughts.

At this point, he was exhausted and could no longer enter a meditative state; he couldn't help but drift off.

"This Spirit Refining Technique is indeed more difficult to practice than the Body Tempering Technique!"

Han Qing sighed to himself, turned over and lay down on the bed, and soon fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning.

He got up early; today was his first day reporting to the soap shop compound, and he didn't want to be late and leave a bad impression on others.

He walked out of the gate, headed west along a main road, made three turns along the way, and finally stood at the entrance of the Zaoban compound.

He pushed open the door and entered. His gaze swept across the courtyard, and he found that apart from being a bit more spacious than the side courtyard where he lived, there was no other difference.

Oh, right, the scenery is even more beautiful. There are many flowers, trees and shrubs in the courtyard, full of spring. There is a row of houses to the east and a small training ground to the west. At this moment, more than a dozen big men are hammering wooden stakes.

Han Qing saw that a man in the middle had arrived and shouted.

"Han Qing, over here, hahaha, from now on we're all brothers!"

With a hearty laugh, Ma Er strode over, took a bright yellow pear from his pocket and tossed it to Han Qing. He then grabbed one for himself and took a big bite.

Click!

The sound is very crisp.

"Eat pears, they're homegrown, they're very sweet!" Ma Er said with a smile.

After learning that Han Qing was a martial arts prodigy, he had no reason not to befriend him; having more friends was always a good thing.

Han Qing hesitated for a moment, then took a bite; it was indeed very sweet.

“This is Sun Xiao, also one of our executioners. There are only three of us officially executed executioners in the yamen, so we should get closer to each other in the future.” Ma Er said, patting the shoulder of the lean man behind him.

The man grinned, but didn't say anything, only nodded; he seemed like an honest and simple person.

"Yang, the head of the squad, has something to do this morning and won't be able to come for a while. Yesterday, he instructed me to tell you about the rules of our squad's executioners, mainly what we do every day."

To put it bluntly, it boils down to three things: practicing martial arts, killing people, and patrolling the prison cells.

Our position as executioners is the most relaxed in the government office. Apart from the weekly prison patrol which takes some effort, we are basically free to do whatever we want. You just need to focus on practicing your martial arts.

"Yang, the head constable, values ​​you highly. In the last ten years, no one in our Baiyun County government has been able to become General Qi's personal guard. If you can do it, the head constable will also benefit, and we brothers will also have face..." Ma Er was an outgoing person, naturally sociable, and a bit of a chatterbox. Once he started talking, he couldn't stop, and his words flowed endlessly.

However, it was a bit wordy. But the important points were explained clearly.

All the way up to the main gate came a loud, unified shout.

"Good morning, foreman!"

Ma Er shut his mouth when he heard this, and Yang Wu walked straight toward Han Qing.

"Han Qing, today is your first day in the yamen. I'll take you on a tour of the prison. Remember the patrol route. You'll have to go in every seven days to prevent any prisoners from escaping."

Although our yamen is heavily guarded, there are quite a few powerful criminals among these prisoners.” Han Qing nodded seriously and followed Yang Wu toward the courtyard gate.

After taking only a few steps, Yang Wu seemed to remember something and took out a martial arts manual from his pocket, named Hundred-Crack Blade.

"This is the standard knife skill for yamen runners. Go and practice it properly!"
"I'll have Ma Er take you to pick out some clothes later. Now let's go to the prison first," Yang Wu instructed.

"it is good."

Han Qing nodded, and the two of them walked out of the Zaoban compound one after the other. After turning several corners, they arrived in front of a round, fortress-like building that was about ten feet high and had two floors.

Even from a dozen steps away, Han Qing felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at the prison cell, as if a malevolent aura permeated the air.

"Good morning, foreman!"

At the prison gate, two guards with knives were on duty. When they saw Yang Wu arrive, they greeted him loudly.

The man on the left was in his twenties, with a round face and a smile on his face. His gaze swept over Han Qing and landed on him.

"This must be our new recruit in the soap-making team! He's mastered the Three Months Nine Yang True Skill, impressive!"

"Our team has gained another martial arts prodigy!" another person exclaimed.

Han Qing bowed slightly to the two of them as a sign of politeness.

The two men knew that Han Qing was a quiet and reserved person, but he was very polite and didn't seem to mind. They turned around and opened the cell door for the two of them.

"Are there any serious criminals to be executed recently?" Yang Wu asked, turning his head.

“Yes, it is. Old Xiangzi, the second-in-command of Black Dragon Mountain. Magistrate Qi has already convicted him a few days ago, and he will be beheaded in three to five days. I was just about to send someone to inform you,” said the round-faced youth.

“Old Xiangzi? This is a serious criminal. He is powerful and has committed many evils. He has been swaggering around Baiyun County for eight years. When such a person is executed, he should be beheaded and his body disposed of at the market entrance of Pingshun Street to deter the people!” Yang Wu said.

"You're right, so let me arrange for someone to go. I'll register them here!" the young man asked with a smile.

"Han Qing, do you dare to kill him? Let me warn you, this old Xiangzi has a terrible reputation. Most people would tremble in front of him. Besides, when you kill him, there will be many people watching. If you are cowardly and mess things up, I won't have any face to show for it either." Yang Wu turned his head and asked.

The two constables were secretly surprised. Usually, new executioners were assigned to kill some unknown death row inmates to hone their courage. Only when they were ruthless enough to kill without blinking an eye and had truly developed their courage would they be assigned to execute serious criminals at the market. It was very unusual that Han Qing was assigned to execute Lao Xiangzi on his first day of work.

"I dare!" Han Qing uttered a single word, his expression calm and his gaze resolute.

"Okay, you're the one. Register me." Yang Wu smiled and walked into the cell.

Han Qing followed closely behind and entered a dark and secluded passage. On both sides were rows of cells, each holding three to five prisoners.

Han Qing glanced around and saw that most of these prisoners were thin and weak, their movements were loose and unsteady, and they didn't seem to have any profound martial arts skills.

"This floor is filled with ordinary people who don't know much about martial arts. There's nothing to worry about with them. Let's go to the second floor," Yang Wu casually instructed, then quickly climbed a stone staircase to the second floor.

Han Qing followed closely behind, and as soon as he stepped into the second-floor corridor, his feelings changed drastically.

The prisoners held here are all strong and muscular, and they all wear heavy iron chains.

Upon seeing Yang Wu and his companion arrive, many people felt no fear and began to shout loudly.

"Fuck you, Yang Wu, if you have the guts, kill me right now!"

"You sons of bitches, once I get out of here, I'll rip your asses apart! Hahaha!!"

"Yang Wu, I'm innocent! Let me out!"

Yang Wu remained calm as he walked past the cell doors, then turned and said, "Han Qing, are you scared? Many of these people have committed capital crimes. They're just waiting for the court to complete the sentencing process before they're taken out to be beheaded. Who knows, you might be one of them."

(End of this chapter)