You're Strong But Now You're Mine-Chapter 548 - 546: Blood Prison

In the Department of Punishments' prison, within the Eightfold Blood Prison, in the room at the deepest, lowest level, Leyi was reading a book by the ray of light coming through the ceiling.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed at the door, and then a small window in the wall opened. The person outside first took away the empty white-cut chicken rice Leyi had finished and delivered a bowl of aromatic noodles and a bowl of clear, fresh soup.

"Is it time to eat?" Leyi closed the book, moved over and took a deep sniff, raising an eyebrow: "I didn't expect to have a taste of the beef brisket noodles, a special from the Pig Feed Canteen even here. Thank you."

The guard outside didn't react at all, neither trying to suppress Leyi nor pampering him, and just closed the window and left. Leyi was not surprised by this, mixing the noodles with the sauce thoroughly, taking a mouthful of the beef and noodle mix. The savory sauce, juicy beef, and al dente noodles exploded between his lips and teeth, followed by a sip of the invigorating pork rib soup that was both sweet and refreshing. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

This was his second dinner.

He had been locked up here for two days already.

Once the cell door closed, Leyi knew it was impossible to leave here relying solely on himself.

The Eightfold Blood Prison, the oldest prison in Yanjing, could even trace its origins back to the Grand Ancestor period. Because of the Glorious People's yearning for light, simply keeping the prisoners in dim dungeons could weaken them irretrievably, causing them severe claustrophobia.

Countless Martial Artists who were once arrogant spent months in these dungeons, only to emerge as meek, sheep-like wasted beings, unable to even sleep with the lights off at night.

Therefore, the above-ground prisons mainly held prisoners with lighter crimes and death row inmates—since they were about to die soon, they weren't worth the effort to torment—whereas those incarcerated in the Eightfold Blood Prison were meant for thorough physical and mental 'reformation', truly embodying 'exemption from death penalty but no escape from hard labor'.

However, places like Yanjing are the only ones with such facilities as the Eightfold Blood Prison. In the Outer District, truly heinous criminals usually receive the death penalty as local finances don't have the resources to support prisoners for decades. Consequently, prisoners serving more than ten years are rare, meaning there's no need to house them.

But because Yanjing's interests are intertwined, sometimes noble families engage in power struggles, and sometimes factions wrangle within the court, leading to many 'rare criminals', 'epic criminals', and even 'legendary criminals' who, while not deserving death, receive heavy sentences.

But after all, this is the imperial capital, and exterminating all foes is a taboo in factional struggles—after all, thirty years on the east bank and thirty years on the west, if you finish someone off today, they'll surely do the same to you in the future—thus the Blood Prison became the retirement home for various political prisoners and Martial Artists. Sometimes, even regional officials would send these 'high-level criminals' to the Eightfold Blood Prison to contribute to the Department of Punishments' achievements.

The novel that Leyi was reading earlier, "Bloody Marquis," is a story about the Eightfold Blood Prison. It tells the tale of a young man wrongly accused and thrown into the deepest part of the prison (the very room Leyi is in), where he encounters nine legendary prisoners, learns all their skills, escapes, and uses his acquired abilities to take revenge and open a harem.

Honestly, Leyi found it exciting to read, but most of it was false. The most severe error was suggesting that while there might be legendary criminals in the deepest part of the Eightfold Blood Prison, no one could learn anything from them.

Because in the deepest level of the Eightfold Blood Prison, everyone is deaf and mute. This includes not only the criminals but also the guards.

Having stayed here for two days, Leyi hadn't heard any human voice besides his own.

The Eighth Blood Prison, is known as the 'Silence Room'.

Anyone sent here first has their tongue severed and their cochlea destroyed. Initially, prisoners may become hysterical, may attempt to commit suicide, but when they realize that everyone else is also deaf and mute, including the guards, this 'I'm not suffering alone' consolation gives them the courage to live on.

After enduring the initial pain, the days become increasingly easier. The deaf-mute individuals here have developed their unique ways of communication, not just through gestures but at times through complex information exchange merely with eye contact. Humans are highly adaptable creatures, especially the Glorious People.

As time passes, the prisoners in the Silence Room not only do not become wasted beings, but they grow more resilient, more courageous, acquiring the tenacity to survive even in silent darkness.

Then, they can no longer leave from here.

This is the cruelty of the 'Silence Room': at first, you resist it; gradually, you get used to it; finally, you cannot part with it.

Outside, they are incomplete deaf-mute individuals; whereas inside the Silence Room, they are equal 'normal people'.

Initially, they often think they can escape the engulfing silence, can break free from the torment of the Eightfold Blood Prison, yet every effort only pushes them deeper into the silence.

Those incarcerated here are generally absolute failures whom no faction is willing to pull a hand for, or those hated by countless people, for whom even the death penalty is insufficient to atone, hence sentenced to the 'eternal silence sentence.' Thus, unless one has a certain status, they aren't qualified for the Silence Room; among the people Leyi knew, perhaps only Cha Huan has the qualifications to retire here.

And one more thing, although Leyi didn't mention it when he initially read the Department of Punishments' materials, based on his limited interactions over the past two days, Leyi believes those guards probably were prisoners too.

After all, who would willingly become a deaf-mute guard? But prisoners certainly would, because they realize they can no longer leave, naturally willing to actively maintain the order of the Silence Room.

Although this is the Blood Prison, it is also their only home.

However, Leyi is merely a passing tourist, uninterested in whether the Silence Room's retirement facilities are adequate, yet the room's environment cuts off all possibilities of escape.

The only light source in the room is a ray coming through the ceiling, hardly enough to read by, utterly impossible to use for a light burst, not to mention the door is a steel-cast iron gate.

Everyone in the Silence Room is deaf and mute, rendering Leyi unable to communicate with them. As for writing… although there's paper, there's no pen, does Leyi have to write a blood letter?

Moreover, even if Leyi wrote a blood letter, it would be useless—these deaf-mute individuals have long resigned themselves to banding together to live out their days here.

Facing such a group of people without desires or demands, can Leyi persuade or move them?

Perhaps unintentionally, or perhaps deliberately, but the Eightfold Blood Prison indeed left Leyi at a loss.

After finishing the noodles, he returned to the bed intending to continue reading, yet for some reason, the main character's brilliant and flamboyant adventures suddenly became bland in Leyi's eyes. He turned to the bookshelf, planning to pick another book to read.

Cha Shiyin had previously mentioned preparing an emperor's suite for him—whether or not it was imperial was unclear, but it certainly was luxurious—besides popular novels like "Legend of the Fire God," even Ming Yue Yan's "Collection of Celebrities," and all eighteen classics of the "Domination Helmet" series, some of which Leyi had never heard of but whose titles alone stirred his blood.

Just reading all the books Leyi found interesting would take more than three days.

With food and drink and books to read, surrounded by silence and no one to disturb him. Whatever way you think about it, Leyi's best and only course of action is to quietly read, letting time slip away in silent darkness.

When he steps out of the Eightfold Blood Prison, this nation will be at his feet, the empress will heed his command, the Imperial Court will become his instrument.

By then, Leyi's orders will be the destiny of the Glorious.

With power and status, Leyi could do so much: he could greatly develop maritime trade, encouraging his subjects to explore the world, not remaining stagnant within the Glorious; he could invent hot air balloons, telephones, refrigerators, and air conditioning; he could even reform the political system, making his "Future Echoes" a reality, treating reality as a game from P company to enjoy leisurely; he might even let the Glorious find the Divine Demon Well and other secret realms between heaven and earth for him...

He wouldn't need to do anything, just sit back and reap the benefits.

Yet ironically.

He can't calm himself.

Because he has already eaten his second dinner, tomorrow is the third day, also the day Shuiyun ascends the throne. He is about to reach the pinnacle, while Shuiyun will lose the future.

As Cha Shiyin said, he could find a million reasons to convince himself. But the Ice Blood coursing through his veins destined Leyi to never deceive himself.

Why must gaining require losing in exchange? Just thinking about it seemed so irrational.