Zhao Liang was dead!

The task of delivering meals fell to Ye Chuxiao again.

At midnight, watching Li Bantou, who was already sound asleep, Ye Chuxiao gently tapped his sleeping acupoint, making Li Bantou sleep even more ‘soundly’. Then, he moved Li Bantou to his own bed and wrapped him in a quilt.

Afterward, Ye Chuxiao put on Li Bantou's attire, and his face underwent a series of changes, mirroring Li Bantou's appearance until he looked exactly like him.

Then, he adjusted his height, build, and even the scent his body emitted.

Before long, Ye Chuxiao had completely transformed into another Li Bantou.

If he were to stand face-to-face with Li Bantou, he would probably suspect he had a twin brother.

From Li Bantou's cabinet, he found a jar of wine, half a packet of braised meat, and a can of stir-fried soybeans. Only then did Ye Chuxiao push open the door and walk out.

Wearing Li Bantou's appearance, Ye Chuxiao walked out of the guard's duty room and headed down from the third level of the dungeon.

Of course, Li Bantou was not qualified to overstep his boundaries and go to the fifth level at will.

However, he had been in the dungeon for a long time and was familiar with the people. As long as he didn't go to the fifth level and trigger any sensitive areas, no one would bother him.

Ye Chuxiao had also closely observed Li Bantou's interactions with others. So, instead of heading straight to the fifth level at midnight, he stopped at the fourth level.

At the staircase less than ten steps away from the fifth level, he found Huang Bantou on duty.

"Old Huang! Fancy a drink?" Ye Chuxiao called out to Huang Bantou, whose face was full of橫肉 (héng ròu, excessive flesh) but was already completely bald.

Huang Bantou, who was dozing off while holding his waist saber, groggily woke up. Seeing that it was 'Li Bantou', he roughly wiped his face: "Old Li! Why aren't you sleeping so late? What are you doing here?"

"I can't sleep anyway, so I came to chat with you." Ye Chuxiao put down the wine and dishes, then sighed heavily.

Huang Bantou filled in the blanks himself: "It's because of that Zhao Liang under your command, right?"

"Young people don't understand things and have to bear the consequences of their decisions. Can we, as leaders, really tie their hands and feet and make decisions for them?"

Ye Chuxiao said, "Zhao Liang is young, and he still has an old mother at home. It's really a pity. But I'm worried that his affairs will implicate me and affect the warden's opinion of me."

Saying this was very much in Li Bantou's style.

Huang Bantou didn't mind Li Bantou's snobbery upon hearing this. Instead, he laughed: "I thought, you old codger, you came to treat me to wine so late, so you were waiting for me here."

"Don't worry, tomorrow I will go with Old Xu and Old Wang to test the warden's tone and say a few good words for you."

Ye Chuxiao was overjoyed and proactively offered a toast.

"Then I'll thank you for your righteousness, Old Huang. It's a pity that Old Wang and Old Xu still have to guard below, otherwise, I would invite them to have a drink too."

Huang Bantou said, "You stingy old man, you think you can get away with just this? When we have a day off, you have to treat us to a feast at the Chunxiang Pavilion in Pingliang Ward."

The guards who were originally with Huang Bantou tactfully retreated.

Leaving only Ye Chuxiao and Huang Bantou to drink and chat.

Half an hour later, Huang Bantou, who was in high spirits from the wine, was secretly knocked out by Ye Chuxiao with a finger strike, as if he were drunk, and slumped on the table, no longer moving.

Ye Chuxiao then quickly sneaked into the fifth level.

Upon reaching the fifth level, the patrols and guards became more formal and stricter.

The prison cells had become completely enclosed, with only small air vents and food slots.

It was impossible to see which cell Tang Sudong was being held in with the naked eye.

But that didn't matter. Ye Chuxiao had a special method of locating him.

At this time, the cell with the most guards and the strictest defense was most likely where Tang Sudong was being held.

Because Ye Chuxiao was dressed as a prison warden and walked calmly down the corridor on the fifth level, he didn't immediately arouse the guards' suspicion.

It could only be said that the Ministry of Justice's dungeon had been rotten through for too long without experiencing any 'tests'.

Even if it had outwardly achieved so-called strict defense, its vigilance was still insufficient.

"Old Li? Why did you come down?" A guard who knew Ye Chuxiao asked.

Ye Chuxiao walked over with a smile and greeted him very naturally: "I'm here because I heard the warden's instructions to bring a message to everyone."

"What does the warden have to say?"

Ye Chuxiao said with a smile: "The warden wants me to tell you... have a good dream!"

In an instant, Ye Chuxiao brandished his saber.

The saber was struck out with its sheath, even if he could only exert the strength of the Suffering Realm First Stratum, he still struck out in a series of chops in an instant, knocking down the six guards present.

Ye Chuxiao never intended not to reveal himself by acting in the image of Li Bantou.

He had endured the hatred of Li Bantou's initial frame-up for some time.

Now, he was simply repaying him in kind.

With a series of moves, he knocked out six guards. Ye Chuxiao didn't stop and rushed straight to the door of the most heavily guarded cell.

His figure was as swift as the wind, and the long saber in his hand struck out continuously. The back of the saber fell, knocking all the guards at the door unconscious.

Looking again at the prison door, it was covered with dense talisman markings. Once the door was opened, it would inevitably alarm the entire dungeon's defense system. At the same time, the garrison powerhouses who were not responsible for long-term guarding but would take action at critical moments would also appear.

Even if Ye Chuxiao was already standing at the prison door, rescuing Tang Sudong, who was imprisoned inside, would be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"Lord Tang! Is that Lord Tang?" Ye Chuxiao knocked on the iron door and called out.

After a moment, he heard a voice respond: "It is indeed this old man!"

"Lord Tang! I'm here to save you! Please wait a moment," Ye Chuxiao said.

"No! There's no need! The prison is full of talismans and array patterns. Moving one part affects the whole. You must not take such risks for this old man." Tang Sudong's voice came out.

Ye Chuxiao said, "Lord Tang! We've already thought about it. As long as we release all the prisoners on the fifth level of the dungeon at the same time, it may be possible to create chaos and save you."

"Absolutely not!"

"The fifth level of the dungeon is filled with notorious villains and devils imprisoned over the years. If they were to be released, they would surely poison the world. If it were to cause devastation for the sake of this old man alone, this old man would die a thousand deaths and would not rest in peace." Tang Sudong said quickly, his voice becoming louder, as if he were shouting close to the door.

Ye Chuxiao sighed upon hearing this, then said, "In that case, a demon from the Original Teachings entrusted me to bring a message to you. He said... all the loyal and righteous people in the capital are fools."

The person inside the cell did not respond to these words.

After a moment, he said, "This old man understands!"

"You should leave quickly! After you leave the Heavenly Prison, go find Cui Guishou in the black market. He will help you find a way to escape Divine Capital."

Ye Chuxiao was stunned. The meaning behind Tang Sudong's words was that he had already seen through that he was alone.

"Lord Tang, I was relaying someone else's message with those words earlier."

"I also have a question to ask Lord Tang. Now that you have been imprisoned, your life is in danger, and your relatives, colleagues, and friends have been implicated. Do you regret it?"

If Tang Sudong had been imprisoned on the second level of the dungeon, there would still have been a chance for reinstatement.

But the fifth level of the dungeon meant something completely different.

Throughout history, prisoners who had come to the fifth level were either imprisoned until death or beheaded. There had never been an exception.

Even if they were princes or grandsons of the emperor, they would suffer the same fate.