Chapter 34: Could He Be... The Emperor's Illegitimate Son?

The following days followed the same pattern: lavish meals delivered, yet silence reigned. Xu Yi’s questions met only indifferent stone walls.

“Damn… maybe this is slow poison?” Xu Yi muttered one day, eyeing an especially succulent piece of pork.

“The Bureau doesn’t need poison to kill.”

The voice from the next cell was now familiar. Over the past days, Xu Yi had learned his neighbor’s name: Tao Qizhi, Martial Moniker: Bone-Snapper. Born poor, with little education, he’d trained in martial arts since childhood. A year ago, passing through Zhenyuan County, he witnessed its suffering firsthand. He saw the Magistrate’s son seize a girl in broad daylight and kill her fiancé… Then, he snapped. That night, he infiltrated the Magistrate’s residence. Seven died, but he spared women, children, and the elderly. Pluck the weed, leave no root, Xu Yi mused. This act made Tao Qizhi a fugitive, and a skilled one—he repeatedly evaded the county’s pursuit until twenty elite agents finally cornered him.

“Old Tao! Catch!” Xu Yi called out, carefully sliding a chicken leg through the narrow gap beneath his cell door, along the corridor towards the adjacent cell. He admired this man. Sharing food was his only gesture of goodwill.

Tao Qizhi took it without ceremony. “Kid, eating your food… I can’t repay the debt.”

Xu Yi chuckled lightly. “Of course not. Look out for me in the underworld then. You’re fierce enough; keep those little demons off my back.”

Tao Qizhi’s low laughter echoed, punctuated by a harsh cough. The torture had left deep wounds.

“Kid…” he rasped when he could speak again, “How about I pass on what I know? My skills?”

Xu Yi grinned. “What? Got some profound secrets? Can you transmit power through walls?”

“Inner force? What’s that?”

Xu Yi blinked. “Uh... absorbing the world's essence? Cultivating energy inside? Killing with a touch?”

“Sounds like breathing techniques. The highest masters use them... not as magical as you say. But it fuels the blood, sharpens the senses, lets you fight longer, harder.”

“Are there... lightness skills?” Xu Yi leaned forward eagerly. What man hadn't dreamed of being a hero? He remembered carving a wooden sword as a child, ready to right wrongs... until his father caught him. The sword became a brush, his enemies endless homework.

“Lightness skills?”

“You know... running up walls? Flying over rooftops?”

“That exists.”

“Seriously?!” Xu Yi's eyes widened.

“Saw a master once. Took a breath, light as a swallow, leaped onto a roof like stepping onto flat ground.”

“Can you do that?”

“No. Learned some footwork. Can clear a wall. That’s all.”

Xu Yi deflated slightly. Clearing a wall? Hardly legendary. He knew an ordinary man who did that often... until an angry husband broke his leg. “So... where do you rank? Among the Jianghu masters?”

A long pause. “Second tier.”

Xu Yi couldn't help it. “So... not that great, huh?”

Silence.

After a moment, Tao Qizhi spoke again, his voice heavy. “Kid... I don’t want these arts buried with me.”

“My master taught only me. If I die, my Bone-Snapping Sinew-Twisting Fist, my Thirteen Phantom Blades... lost.”

Xu Yi sighed. “I’d learn if I could, Old Tao. But I’m just like you. Any day now...”

“Kid, you won’t die!” Tao Qizhi’s voice was suddenly firm.

Xu Yi sighed again. “Held the Fifth Prince hostage. Beat him. You think I walk away from that?”

“Thirty years wandering, kid. I’ve seen things... your situation? I say you live.” His tone held conviction. “I hate owing debts. Ate your food. I’ll teach you the Bone-Snapping Fist and the Thirteen Blades.”

Xu Yi hesitated, intrigued despite himself. Learning couldn’t hurt. What if...? He chuckled wryly. “How? We’ve got a wall thicker than your head between us. Can’t see a thing.”

“I describe. You visualize. Learn the forms. If you live... practice then.”

Xu Yi shrugged. Why not? “Alright.”

“Bone-Snapping Fist... first, know the body. Know the vital points. One hundred and eight...”

And so, in the grim dungeon, separated by stone, a dying man began to teach, and a condemned prisoner began to learn.

(Scene Shift - Emperor’s Study, Days Later)

Emperor Jing summoned Geng Jing once more. “Geng Jing. How fares Xu Yi in his confinement?”

Geng Jing marveled inwardly. The Emperor’s focus on this one youth was unprecedented. Three summonses in as many weeks, always about Xu Yi. “Your Majesty, Xu Yi is... quite comfortable.”

Seeing a trace of a smile on the Emperor’s face, he added carefully, “He has befriended a fellow prisoner. A condemned man. Xu Yi is... learning martial arts from him.”

The Emperor raised an eyebrow. “Martial arts?”

“Indeed, Your Majesty. The man is a Jianghu fugitive. Killed the Magistrate of Zhenyuan and members of his household. Seven lives. Highly skilled.”

Emperor Jing’s expression darkened instantly. “You imprisoned Xu Yi with such a man?”

Geng Jing paled. “No, Your Majesty! Separate cells! A solid wall divides them!”

The Emperor visibly relaxed. “Ah.” Then his brow furrowed again. “This boy... even in a cell, he stirs trouble. Learning outlaw skills? Truly... unique.” He fixed Geng Jing with a look. “Ensure this prisoner poses no threat to Xu Yi. Understood?”

Geng Jing bowed deeply. “Your Majesty’s command is my duty!”

“He seems a little too comfortable,” the Emperor mused, a hint of mischief in his eyes. “Cut his rations. By half. Starting today.”

“As you command, Your Majesty!” Geng Jing bowed.

The Emperor waved a dismissive hand almost immediately. “No... forget that. The boy is malnourished. Skin and bone. He needs building up.” He paused, then added thoughtfully, “But... he shouldn’t be too content. Geng Jing. Arrange something. Frighten the boy. A scare. But ensure he is not harmed. Is that clear?”

Geng Jing bowed again, his mind reeling. Why this indulgence? Could Xu Yi possibly be...? The unthinkable thought flickered: The Emperor’s bastard son? It was the only explanation that fit such extraordinary favor. “Perfectly clear, Your Majesty.”