Not long after Huo Yuanba left, a lot of food was sent over.
Tang Xiaoyu didn't selfishly keep it all to himself, but evenly distributed it among everyone, including the cells across from and next to his.
He didn't take much more for himself than what he gave the others. No matter how the others had acted, they had at least served the country at one point, and deserved respect just for that.
After eating their fill, the others admired Tang Xiaoyu even more.
The dark, damp cells were boring places that wore down the spirit. To keep his own from sinking too far, Tang Xiaoyu turned to his old job, softly singing songs.
"There's a girl in the village named Little Fang..."
"As pretty as she is kind..."
"With a pair of beautiful big eyes..."
"And thick, long braids..."
Hearing Tang Xiaoyu's voice, the others gathered around.
"Little Tang, sing louder so we can all hear!"
Tang Xiaoyu smiled. "Alright, but remember to clap!"
Before long, the only sound left in the jail cell was Tang Xiaoyu's beautiful singing.
The atmosphere in the jail over the next few days was no longer so gloomy and oppressive, with laughter and cheers ringing out from time to time.
Huo Yuanba never came back after that day. The horn blasts from outside the city meant the Qin army had made camp there, waiting for reinforcements before laying siege to the city.
At the same time, some of the relief troops were on their way to the front lines.
After a few days, Tang Xiaoyu had become the most respected person in the jail cell.
"Little Tang, what story are you telling today?"
Tang Xiaoyu stretched lazily. "No rush. Let's start by exercising our bodies so we don't waste away in here."
"You're right," the others conceded.
Tang Xiaoyu stood up. "Alright, let's jump and bounce in place until we break a sweat."
After the exercise, Tang Xiaoyu cleared his throat. "Today we’ll talk about..."
He wracked his brains but couldn't think of any stories left to tell.
[I haven't read Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margin isn't suitable, I only know a few characters from Romance of the Three Kingdoms and I’ve told all those stories already. Journey to the West is all about the monk in the later parts, can't talk about that.]
[You only know the true value of an education once you need it. This is driving me crazy!]
Tang Xiaoyu's face grew more and more contorted until he deflated like a popped balloon. "We've been at this all day. I've told you everything I know."
The others let out a collective moan. Their one relief was gone.
Tang Xiaoyu felt bad about it too, but what could he do? He didn't want to sleep all day either!
Everyone stared blankly at each other, sighing from time to time.
It was only when some steamed buns were tossed in that they snapped out of their daze.
Holding a bun, Tang Xiaoyu gazed out the small window at the sky outside.
It reminded him of Zhiqiang De's song "Tears on the Iron Bars".
He stood up and grabbed the bars of the cell door, singing passionately:
"Oh iron bars and iron locks and chains..."
"I grasp these iron bars and gaze outside..."
"How wonderful life seems just out there..."
"When can I return home again?"
Hearing this, the others got up one by one, grabbing the cell bars as they looked towards Tang Xiaoyu.
Because he had given voice to their situation and inner hopes -
None of them knew when they'd get home again either.
Thinking of this, many of the prisoners were moved to tears.
"Oh curved moon shining on my heart..."
"My child in jail missing his dear mother..."
"If only I had listened to her words..."
"Now I'm imprisoned as a criminal..."
Mention of mothers made many think of parents far away in their hometowns. They crouched on the ground bawling as they clutched their heads and pounded the floor.
Tang Xiaoyu did have a good voice. When learning to sing in a woman's range he had gotten quite close to matching it, though of course not exactly the same.
"Dear mother with tears flowing from your eyes..."
"Your child has caused you sorrow and pain..."
"If I just had another chance..."
"I would gladly shed my blood in battle..."
"Mother dearest, your child kneels before you..."
By this point Tang Xiaoyu didn't know any more lyrics. Catching himself, he slapped his own face twice. "What am I thinking? I'm not a criminal, what do I have to repent for here!"
Looking up, he saw people kneeling across the way. What was that about? Then he noticed some were kneeling on his side too.
"Mother! Your child is kneeling to you here! Please forgive my unfilial behavior!"
[What the heck, how am I supposed to explain this? If I try they might just beat me to death!]
Tang Xiaoyu quickly lay down in a corner and pretended not to see anything.
Late at night, an imposing old man came to the cell.
Huo Yuanba’s elder brother respectfully greeted him: "Elder, all of Qin's officials and generals are here."
The old man nodded as his gaze swept over each cell.
"So many warriors! It would be a waste to send them mining. My Xuesha Sect is short on men for hard labor, they can come back with me!"
Hearing this, Tang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief. [That name doesn't sound like any proper sect. Though wait, isn't this Qingyun Sword Sect's territory? How did Xuesha Sect people get here?]
What Tang Xiaoyu guessed was right, but Yan Country was not within Qingyun Sword Sect's sphere of influence.
Even if Yan Country conquered Qin Country the Sword Sect’s reach would not expand, because they didn’t care who ruled the land.
The old man picked out all of the warriors.
When he reached Tang Xiaoyu's cell, the old man paused, detecting qi fusion aura.
He pointed at Tang Xiaoyu. "You, come here."
As Tang Xiaoyu approached, his heart pounded like thunder.
The old man looked him up and down, then casually flicked out a hand. The paper crane note Tang Xiaoyu had received from Lin Qingying flew into the old man's grasp.
Elder Zhou glanced at the paper before incinerating it with a mystic sign.
"You still bear remnants of cultivator qi. You'll come with me too!"
Then he cast a spell over Tang Xiaoyu, instantly erasing the aura Lin Qingying had left on him.
Tang Xiaoyu and the other selected warriors boarded a spirit vessel and departed.
"How strange, why do I keep ending up in situations like this?" Huo Yuanba's elder brother muttered, shaking his head as he left.
Of course the old man could not let Qingyun Sword Sect know he had been there.
In Sky Demon Sect, Lin Qingying had been very busy the past few days catching up on sect affairs she had previously neglected. She was so busy she forgot that Tang Xiaoyu hadn't written back for several days.
Stretching lazily she mused, "Finally got all that sorted out. I can properly relax for a few days now."
"I feel like something's missing. But what could it be?"
"Oh well, no use fretting about it. I'm off to catch up on my beauty sleep."
Tang Xiaoyu remarks: What use have I for you, forgetting me after just a few days. Fickle woman!
Suddenly Lin Qingying sat bolt upright in bed some time later.
"What's going on, why can't I sense the aura I left on Little Yu anymore?"
"I said something was missing. Turns out there's been no word from Little Yu for days on end."
Chu Yanran's cultivation was interrupted by Lin Qingying's voice.
"Yanran, send someone to check out what's happened with Little Yu."
Facing the sky, Chu Yanran intoned: “Yes, Master.”
Taking out a Sound Transmission Jade Token, Chu Yanran said: “Wu Hao junior brother, go find out right now what’s happened with our Sect Master’s junior brother.”
After receiving the message, Wu Hao pawned the task off onto another junior.
By the time a Foundation Establishment disciple set off, half a day had already passed.
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
