Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

"you!"

"Shhh."

As Xu Hao was clearing the dishes, he leaned forward, and Guo Shan's honest face instantly turned cold.

Chen Yuanzhi's mouth, which had just opened, seemed to be sewn shut with a needle; his Adam's apple bobbed violently, and the chains rattled.

"Instructor Lin...other people..." Chen Yuanzhi's voice trembled, and he kept it very low.

"He's dead." Xu Hao said as he poured the leftover food into the slop bucket. "The instructor died protecting a few boxes of goods, and all the remaining guards were dismissed. Now I'm the only one left."

Xu Hao paused for a moment and then said, "Before he left, he asked me to ask you one question: who is this thing going to be given to?"

The light in Chen Yuanzhi's eyes dimmed for a moment, and after a brief silence, he gripped the fence and slowly spoke, "Mingzhou, the Prince of Zhenbei."

Xu Hao paused in his movements.

Mingzhou, isn't it a bitterly cold place where people only know the Prince of Zhenbei but not the Emperor Heng?

"I see." Xu Hao's lips curled into a mocking smile. "No wonder the Surveillance Bureau is biting you like a mad dog. You're using what the court considers 'treasonous supplies' to defect to the Zhenbei Army, Young Master Chen. You're really risking your entire family on the line."

"The imperial court wants to devour people, but our Chen family only wants to live!" Chen Yuanzhi roared, his eyes red. "Only the Prince of Zhenbei dares to accept this shipment, and only when it reaches Mingzhou will the Imperial Observatory's claws be unable to reach us."

"Got it." Xu Hao picked up the slop bucket, reverting to his cowering, obedient demeanor, and turned to leave. "Stay put, or you'll die."

By the time we left the government office, it was already getting dark.

Xu Hao didn't return to his residence, but instead turned into an inconspicuous bookstore in the east of the city. In these chaotic times, no one read serious books, but strange tales and erotic pictures sold like hotcakes.

The shopkeeper was dozing off at the counter and didn't even lift his eyelids when he heard the noise: "If you want erotic books, go to the left; if you want storybooks, go to the right."

"I need books for my nephew's early education, with pictures and minimal text," Xu Hao said, pulling a small piece of silver from his sleeve and slapping it on the counter. "Do you have 'The Geography of Tianqing' and 'The Customs of the Nine Provinces'?"

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes, his eyes lighting up at the sight of money, and immediately put on a smiling face: "Yes, yes, yes, although it's the old version, the boundaries are clearly marked."

Carrying several dusty booklets back to the death row, Xu Hao spread out the map by the dim light of an oil lamp.

The whole world finally unfolded before his eyes.

The vast land of Tianqing stands in nine provinces, surrounded by endless seawater, which people call the "Boundless Sea".

The Great Heng Dynasty occupies the six most fertile states in the central region. Qingzhou, located in the center of these six states, is the political, economic, and geographical center of the Great Heng Dynasty, as well as the location of the Great Heng capital.

Chenzhou, located on the east side, was the epicenter of the battle between the Salt Gang and the Canal Gang.

Mingzhou, located directly to the north, is a harsh and cold land facing the barbarians. Its people are known for their fierce and unruly nature. In this land, the words of the Prince of Zhenbei carry more weight than the imperial edicts of Emperor Heng.

There are two routes on the map from Chenzhou to Mingzhou.

The first route leads west through Qingzhou and then directly north.

Xu Hao shook his head.

Qingzhou was the center of imperial power, and the headquarters of the Imperial Observatory was located there.

Taking a serious criminal like Chen Yuanzhi down this road is tantamount to suicide.

The second option is to travel by water.

The finger moves eastward, into the sea.

Heading north along the Chenzhou coastline, passing through a fragmented archipelago—Shengzhou—we landed at Binggang, southeast of Mingzhou.

Shengzhou was a lawless land, rife with pirates, and there were even rumors of sea monsters lurking there.

Although extremely dangerous, it was not subject to government control.

Xu Hao gently pressed his finger on the tiny ink dots representing islands on the map.

Although the sea route is treacherous, it is the only way to survive.

Xu Hao closed the book and blew out the lamp.

In the darkness, he touched the cold "Resentment Bone Nail" and the broken map of the prison on his chest. Should he be taken directly through the tunnel, or should he be turned into a "corpse" and transported out?

We still need to make some plans.

The fact that Lai Tou'er had gone mad became a minor but strange tale in the death row.

The jailers were gossiping behind his back, saying that the resentment accumulated on the three underground levels was too heavy, and that Lai Tou'er was being taken away by the wronged souls who had died at his hands before.

The jailer, finding it unlucky, ordered his men to throw the foaming-at-the-mouth scoundrel out of the back alley of the government office like a dead dog, leaving him to fend for himself.

This actually benefited Xu Hao.

Everyone avoids the job of cleaning up death row cells, but now it has become Xu Hao's exclusive responsibility.

Everyone is afraid of being tainted by "evil spirits".

Xu Hao was happy to have some peace and quiet, and following the incomplete map he had taken from Lai Tou'er's arms, he thoroughly explored the entrance to the underground waterway.

Coincidentally, the entrance was located directly beneath the floor tiles below the torture chamber's skinning bench. There used to be a dry well here, which was enclosed when the prison was expanded. To save time, the workers didn't fill in the dry well but simply covered it with floor tiles.

When no one was around, Xu Hao lifted the lid and took a peek.

Good heavens, a stench of decay almost blew his skull off. The well walls were covered with slippery moss and unknown fungi, and black water surged at the bottom, leading directly to the hidden sluice gate of the moat.

Although it's a bit dirty, for the young master Chen now, as long as he can live, he'd crawl into a cesspool if it meant doing so.

In the dead of night, the night patrol captain of the Observatory walked away, cursing and swearing.

Carrying a bucket of swill that reeked of rancidity and a food basket, Xu Hao skillfully made his way to the deepest part of the death row cell.

Chen Yuanzhi was chained to the wall, his body covered in wounds. Hearing footsteps, he struggled to open his swollen eyelids. When he saw Xu Hao, a glimmer of light finally appeared in his lifeless eyes.

"I...I can't eat anymore..." Chen Yuanzhi's voice was hoarse, like two pieces of sandpaper rubbing together.

"This isn't about food, it's about finding a way out."

Xu Hao put down the bucket and took out a sheepskin map and a pale, chilling "bones nail" from his pocket.

Xu Hao didn't waste any words and lowered his voice to say, "Young Master, we have two paths now. One is to go along the dry well under the torture chamber, wade through the black water, and escape through the moat's hidden sluice gate."

Xu Hao paused for a moment and continued, "The other way is to stab this thing into your neck, and you'll be in a state of suspended animation for twelve hours. We'll just take you away and dispose of you like a corpse. During this time, you won't breathe, you won't have a heartbeat, and even if Eunuch Wei cuts your flesh off piece by piece with a knife, you won't feel any pain. Young Master, you choose which path to take."

Chen Yuanzhi stared at the two items in Xu Hao's hand, his lips twitching with difficulty, revealing a bitter smile: "Even if I really die, it's better than falling into the hands of these eunuchs! Either way is fine."