BXBX NOVEL Chapter 626: 627: Too Wealthy
Outside the hut, a hunchbacked old man with a walking stick hobbled in and said to Li Xiaobai, “Young friend, please this way.”
“Much obliged.”
Li Xiaobai nodded in response, and felt considerably more at ease upon seeing the warden.
The strength of a prison could generally be approximated by the power of its warden; if the overall commander who suppressed the entire dungeon was only at the Mahayana Realm, it was unlikely there would be any experts of the Half-step Human Immortal Realm within these cells.
As long as he wished, he could break out of his cage at any time and leave this place.
However, considering the intimidation of the Old Dragon King, he had better remain patient for now and find those ten Blood Sacrifice Fragments first.
“Where does Young Master Li come from, and for what offense has he been imprisoned?”
The old turtle, leading Li Xiaobai outside, walked and asked simultaneously.
“Didn’t do much, the Old Dragon King wanted me for a son-in-law, I refused, so I was thrown in here.”
Li Xiaobai shrugged and spoke disinterestedly.
“Cough cough… Young Master is quite the joker.”
The old turtle choked, unable to continue speaking. He dared not casually respond to this statement; if it were to spread, it could be considered a capital offense.
Glancing at the blank paper Madam Hua Dan had handed him, his body jolted with a shock.
[Name: Li Xiaobai.]
[Race: Human race.]
[Background: Unknown.]
[Cultivation level: Unknown.]
[Charge: Unknown.]
[Sentence: Execution.]
Crucial information was not filled out, but the ultimate sentence written was ‘execution,’ which was self-explanatory. The serene-faced youth beside him belonged to the most dangerous group of criminals in the dungeon!
Ordinary cultivators who committed crimes were just arrested and locked up for a few days for reflection; the more serious offenders were detained for a year or half.
Those who endangered the populace and disrupted social order were imprisoned for years, and even murderers were first observed before deciding whether to sentence them to death.
Only true homicidal maniacs were directly sentenced to death, and those people, without exception, besides being powerful in terms of their cultivation, were all bloodthirsty and violent, even taking killing as a hobby.
This seemingly scholarly cultivator was such a terrifying existence?
And just now, had he not conversed with him quite naturally?
The old turtle involuntarily shivered, feeling his steps grow heavier and his breathing more rapid; he dared not talk to Li Xiaobai anymore.
But while the old turtle had fallen silent, Li Xiaobai took the initiative to speak again.
“How many years has Mr. Turtle been in this dungeon?”
Li Xiaobai asked softly, his voice as calm as a still pond.
“Ten… over ten years.”
The old turtle was panic-stricken, recalling that the last inmate sentenced to death seemed to have asked him the same question. Was this a warning to keep silent, or else it would be hard for him to stay in this prison from then on?
“Oh, then do you know who is the strongest person in this dungeon right now, and what is their cultivation level?”
Li Xiaobai continued to inquire.
“This old turtle is not entirely sure, but it should be the Mahayana Realm, I suppose.”
“Is there anyone stronger than the warden?”
“All the inmates who come in are fed a Binding Pill, making it difficult to mobilize their spiritual power. Inside the prison, the warden’s strength is definitely the strongest!”
“I see.”
Li Xiaobai nodded, not unfamiliar with the Binding Pill; he had taken it several times himself. He hadn’t expected that the Old Dragon King had given him the same thing.
Unfortunately, he didn’t practice cultivation at all and had not a trace of spiritual power in his body, so the elixir would not take effect on him.
At that moment, the old turtle beside him was sweating bullets. True to his reputation as a death row inmate, he started by inquiring about the strength of the strongest prisoners as soon as he arrived. He aimed to be the boss!
He could foresee that before long, a fierce battle was likely to break out within the prison.
As for the fights among the inmates, the prison guards never interfered. Such infighting was also a part of reducing their strength; the more fiercely the inmates fought among themselves, the less likely a prison break would become.
Moreover, after the fight, there would be peace, so the guards were quite happy to witness such developments.
“Young Master Li, your room is ready.”
“This cave dwelling will be your residence from now on. Inside, you’ll find a change of clothes for inmates. This Identity Token is used to open the cave dwelling. Of course, if you dislike the prison uniform, you are free not to wear it.”
The old turtle handed Li Xiaobai a small token, speaking with a quivering voice and forcing a smile on his face.
Li Xiaobai took the token and weighed it; it was light as a feather. The front was engraved with his name, Li Xiaobai, in three large characters, while the back was blank.
The cave dwelling was exquisite, carved entirely from white jade, and though it contained no spiritual energy, it would be a treasure worth a small fortune in the mundane world, likely a specialty of the ocean floor.
Still, what attracted Li Xiaobai the most was the Luminous Pearl hanging above the stone door of the cave dwelling, gleaming brightly.
If his cave dwelling had a Luminous Pearl, then the others probably did too. If he collected them all, even in small amounts, they could add some color to Hellfire.
“Hmm, thank you for your efforts; I will look for you if there’s any situation.”
Li Xiaobai looked at the cave dwelling before him and nodded in satisfaction.
“The old turtle has other duties to attend to and must take his leave now!”
And never come back!
The old turtle added that thought privately, limping away quickly as if in a hurry, his body swaying from side to side.
His heart was in turmoil; a death row inmate saying he would look for him meant he had been marked, didn’t it?
If that inmate found something not to his liking later on, would he take it out on him?
His old arms and legs couldn’t withstand much turmoil; he still wanted to live to see his grandchildren!
Watching the old turtle scurry away hastily, Li Xiaobai couldn’t help but admire his sense of duty. Though he could have taken the chance to take a breath of fresh air, he maintained strict self-discipline without the slightest slackening—such spirited dedication deserved respect.
Using the identity token to open the stone door, Li Xiaobai stepped inside at a leisure pace.
The room was also well-lit, and with so much light, Li Xiaobai was even more astonished at the wealth of the Eastern Sea. The room shone as bright as day, with two to three dozen small Luminous Pearls flickering their light.
Threads of spiritual power spilled out, brimming with life.
Li Xiaobai counted carefully, summing up to twenty-three Luminous Pearls in total, which should match the number of the Mermaid’s Essence from the Eastern Sea.
“My goodness, the Old Dragon King really is rolling in wealth. Just in one cave dwelling alone there are twenty-four Luminous Pearls. If I plunder all the cave dwellings, more than ten thousand wouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Beyond locating the ten Blood Sacrifice Fragments, Li Xiaobai now had an additional goal in his heart.
Burn them, they must be burned! It would be such a waste not to set fire to such a hoard of treasures in the prison!
Just then, a series of knocks interrupted his thoughts.
“Hey, you, the new guy inside, don’t dilly-dally. Put on your prison uniform and come out to meet the big brother!”