Chapter 480 14: Jailbreak

Zhu Nan hid amongst the crowd, her heart pounding as she timidly glanced at the figure seated at the head of the room.

She felt a mixture of fear and admiration for this 'older brother' of hers.

The fear stemmed from the fact that he had thrown her own brother, Zhu Ji, into prison. Zhu Ji was to be beheaded soon, and she would never see him again.

Although her brother had been in the wrong, Zhu Ju's willingness to disregard their kinship and send him to the chopping block still filled her with resentment.

The admiration came from how, despite his young age, he commanded such authority that no one in the entire Zhu Family dared to question his decisions.

Just like now.

He had only to say he wanted to see his siblings, and the members of the second and third branches had all obediently rushed over.

"Go on!"

Aunt Zhou gave Zhou Nan a push, urging in a whisper:

"Go and greet your older brother."

Zhou Nan pursed her lips.

Before they arrived, her mother had instructed her to act weak and pitiful in front of Zhu Ju.

In truth, she didn't need to pretend.

Since leaving the Zhu Mansion to live in Narrow Clothes Lane, life for the mother and daughter had been utterly miserable.

There were no more lavish clothes, no more delicious food, and certainly no maids to wait on them.

For Zhou Nan, who was accustomed to being served, having to do everything herself was a constant torture.

Aunt Zhou had found work as a seamstress, but they were barely scraping by. It was common for them to go hungry.

In just over a month, both of them had grown noticeably thin. Their skin had turned sallow, and their fingers, once as fair and slender as green onions, were now covered in cracks.

"O-Older… Brother."

Zhou Nan shuffled to Zhu Ju's side and curtsied, her voice faint.

"I haven't seen you for some time, Older Brother. I… I've missed you. I wish you all the best."

Zhu Ju's expression remained unchanged as he looked at the eight or nine-year-old girl's cautious, ingratiating display.

"Enduring hardship isn't something to be encouraged, but suffering can often teach a person a few things. How have you and Aunt Zhou been lately?"

"Thank you for your concern, Older Brother," Zhou Nan murmured.

"My mother and I… are doing well."

"I heard the mansion's private school is starting soon. Mother wanted me to ask… c-can I come back for my studies?"

She used to always parrot the saying 'a woman's virtue lies in her ignorance,' but in reality, she was just restless and preferred to play.

Before, she would use any excuse to skip her lessons.

Now, however, all she wanted was to return.

The private school served a midday meal, and it didn't involve any hard labor. She could learn things and also lessen her mother's burden.

"Since it is the clan's school, of course you can attend," Zhu Ju said with a nod.

"Go see Housekeeper Liu later. Have him prepare a clean set of clothes for you. In a few days…"

"You can stay here in the mansion for the next few days. We'll see how things go."

"Yes." A delighted look crossed Zhou Nan's face as she bowed and withdrew.

***

"Young Master."

Nursing Director Zhang clasped his hands in a salute, his expression grave.

"You were right. The situation in the city has been strange these past few days, especially in West City…"

"I personally know of more than ten people who have been killed."

'And there are surely more that I don't know about!'

"Mm."

Zhu Ju stroked his chin.

"Are the other members of the Zhu Family willing to move here?"

"The clan elders said the Zhu Mansion is too chaotic," Nursing Director Zhang replied. "They're accustomed to a quiet life and are content to stay in their own homes."

"I didn't press the matter."

"Then let it be," Zhu Ju said, shaking his head.

"There's no shortage of young Zhu Family members on that street. Besides, with too many people in the mansion, we wouldn't be able to look after everyone anyway."

"You have a point, Young Master," Nursing Director Zhang said with a smile.

"Besides, it's not certain that anything will happen."

Zhu Ju smiled without a word.

'No!'

'Something is definitely going to happen.'

'Although he wasn't skilled in Divination Methods, ever since his Primordial Spirit manifested, he had gained the ability to faintly predict the future.'

'The Dao of Ultimate Sincerity allows one to know things beforehand.'

'In his perception, Taiyuan Prefecture felt as if it were shrouded in an invisible field of energy, and something was building up.'

Moreover, it was about to erupt!

'The crucial part was that the experts from both the Qingyi Gang and the Court were all outside the city walls, suppressing bandits. The city was at its most vulnerable.'

"Send word. For the time being, have the mansion's Nursing Home add two more shifts. Tighten the watch, just in case."

"Yes."

Nursing Director Zhang acknowledged.

*

*

*

「Night.」

A dozen or so horse-drawn carriages departed from a courtyard. Once clear of the gates, they scattered in all directions, heading for various parts of Taiyuan Prefecture.

The carriages were like airtight iron boxes. They were deathly silent, yet their passage silenced the barking of dogs, as if they carried some terrifying monster within.

「North City.」

The Qingyi Gang's headquarters.

"BOOM!"

A massive explosion rang out.

It was immediately followed by a blaze that lit up the sky.

"Fire!"

Someone screamed at the top of their lungs:

"Fire!"

"Help put out the fire!"

The gang members on duty heard the commotion and sprang into action, grabbing buckets and rushing toward the blaze at the direction of others.

Meanwhile, several figures used the chaos as cover to storm the prison. With flashes of cold steel, one person after another fell to the ground.

"CLANG…"

The main gate was forced open, and iron chains crashed to the floor.

The Black-Clothed Man took the keys from the Prison Chief's body, unlocked the cells one by one, and tossed out a single sentence.

"You're free!"

?

It had all happened so fast. The prisoners inside the cells looked at each other, momentarily unsure how to react.

"Fuck!"

"We're dead either way! Might as well go down fighting!"

A burly, bearded man strode out of his cell, picked up a long blade, and marched outside.

"He's right!"

"Judging by the sounds outside, the whole place is in chaos. Now's our chance to escape."

"Let's go!"

"CLATTER…"

A horde of prisoners stormed out of their cells and vanished into the darkness.

***

"Zhu Ji!"

The familiar voice made Zhu Ji, who was pale and fleeing in a panic, stop in his tracks and look back.

"Second Uncle?"

"It's me."

Zhu Chen, a short, stocky man with a deceptively simple face, emerged from the darkness and grinned at him.

"Where are you headed?"

"To…" Zhu Ji faltered.

"Find my mother."

"And what good will that do?" Zhu Chen shook his head.

"As I understand it, Zhu Ju drove your mother out to live in Narrow Clothes Lane. She gets by mending clothes for others."

"That pair is penniless and couldn't even hurt a fly. Are you planning to take them with you out of the city?"

It's even more dangerous outside the city, with bandits and Demons.

If you don't leave the city, you'll be recaptured sooner or later.

Zhu Ji's expression froze.

"The only way forward now is to kill Zhu Ju and seize the Zhu Mansion. It's the only way to solve both our problems."

Seeing his reaction, Zhu Chen chuckled.

"Don't worry."

"I've been building my influence in Taiyuan Prefecture for decades. Once Zhu Ju is dead, I have more than enough ways to become the Zhu Family Patriarch. When that happens, pardoning your crimes will be as simple as me saying the word."

"What do you say?"

"Work with me. We were in prison together, after all, and both because of Zhu Ju. In the future, as long as I have food on my plate, I'll make sure you're taken care of."

Zhu Ji swallowed hard, his eyes fixed on the Longsword in his Second Uncle Zhu Chen's hand. Its cold, sharp edge sent a shiver down his spine.

"I… I need to think about it…"

"Hah."

Zhu Chen shook his head.

"Suit yourself. If you change your mind, come find me near the Zhu Mansion. You know how."

With that, he took a slow step back and vanished into the darkness.

A conflicted look appeared on Zhu Ji's face. The growing clamor in the distance made him shudder.

'I should get out of here first.'