The Young Man Returns Chapter Twenty-Eight: Plan Carefully Before Taking Action

Within the prison of Beigu City, shadows flickered. Yi Heng stood outside one of the cells.

This was the place where the ghost cultivator had been held. By now, the captive had already been rescued, leaving behind only a severed prison cell and a message written in blood:

"Yi Heng, two days from now, the ancient cultivator's cave dwelling will open. If you have the guts, come! I, Tian You, will be waiting for you."

The blood-written characters were crooked and unsightly.

Yi Heng spared the message only a brief glance before fixing his gaze on the destroyed cell. He picked up a pillar as thick as a human thigh, observing the sharp sword marks and the lingering, pungent demonic aura upon it.

He muttered to himself, "It seems the person who wielded the sword to sever these bars and rescue 'Big-Eyes' must be his elder brother. To think that he would be a demonic sword cultivator."

A demonic sword cultivator at the Mortal Realm.

With only two days until the cave opens, he had to find a way to enhance his strength quickly. After all, his current cultivation remained at the middle stage of the Hidden Sea Realm. Even if he exhausted all his hidden trump cards, it would be difficult to leap an entire realm to slay a demonic sword cultivator who had already entered the Mortal Realm.

As he pondered, the Chief Clerk, Fang, walked in with a jailer.

"Young Master Yi Heng, we have laid out the bodies of the guards who fell yesterday and compiled a list of the casualties. Please, have a look."

Chief Clerk Fang handed a small booklet to Yi Heng.

Yi Heng took the booklet, scanned it, and said with satisfaction, "Your records are very clear. Later, I will present this to the County Magistrate so that he may issue pensions to the families of the fallen jailers. They must not have died in vain."

"You are benevolent, Young Master," Fang replied.

He had originally been facing a sentence of ten years in prison—or even execution—for the theft of the official seal. It was only thanks to the Young Master’s intercession and his promise to recover the seal that the Magistrate had reduced the punishment to one year of imprisonment as a warning to others.

Because more than half of the prison guards had been slaughtered yesterday, the manpower was insufficient, so they had allowed him out of his cell to record the names of the fallen in preparation for the pension disbursements.

Yi Heng merely smiled. If he hadn't taken the opportunity to cultivate yesterday, those guards might not have sacrificed so much; thinking of this, he felt a deep sense of guilt.

At that moment, Li Shuyao and Zhe Linfeng walked into the prison corridor.

"Brother, I’m so relieved to see you’re unharmed!"

Li Shuyao came bouncing toward Yi Heng, but he quickly stepped aside, sighing, "Keep your distance!"

Li Shuyao stuck out her tongue. "I know!"

Zhe Linfeng asked from the side, "Yi Heng, I heard from Shuyao that a demonic cultivator came to break into the prison last night. What happened?"

Yi Heng pointed to the severed cell and said, "I killed one demonic cultivator, but the other took the opportunity to rescue 'Big-Eyes'."

Zhe Linfeng looked at the bloody message in the cell and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

Yi Heng briefly explained the situation, causing Zhe Linfeng’s expression to turn grave.

"Do you intend to go to that cave? You must know that they have an expert at the Mortal Realm, and a demonic sword cultivator at that. I fear that with the strength of the two of us, we will be no match for them—unless we get that lazy woman to intervene, but she certainly won't be willing."

Yi Heng knew the "lazy woman" Zhe Linfeng referred to was the proprietress of the Green Robe Teahouse, a woman who was extremely protective of her own, yet incredibly lazy.

Thinking of the Green Robe proprietress, Yi Heng shook his head. "Forget it. I don't want to ask her for help."

As a Monster Slayer, he could collect a salary at the various Monster Slaying Offices and trade for items or techniques, but he was reluctant to visit the Green Robe Teahouse.

Yi Heng drew the greatsword from the side and tossed it to Zhe Linfeng. "This greatsword is a trophy from the demonic cultivator I killed. Take it to the proprietress and see how many Origin Crystals it can be exchanged for."

The Origin Crystals Yi Heng mentioned were the currency used by cultivators, containing pure heaven-and-earth spiritual energy. They could be used not only to purchase items but also for cultivation.

It took ten taels of gold to exchange for a single low-grade Origin Crystal. Above that were middle-grade and high-grade crystals, which were exceptionally rare.

Zhe Linfeng caught the greatsword, tapped it lightly, and a pleasant, resonant sound echoed. He swung the blade a few times before thrusting it into the blue brick floor as if it were tofu, demonstrating just how sharp the weapon was.

"This greatsword is of decent quality, forged from Black Ink Iron. Although it is incredibly heavy, it is exceptionally sharp. It’s just that the smith clearly used the wrong forging method; otherwise, its quality could have been a grade higher."

Yi Heng asked, "How many Origin Crystals can it be exchanged for?"

Zhe Linfeng looked up and said, "About thirty Origin Crystals."

Yi Heng nodded. "That will do."

Although the sword was forged from Black Ink Iron, as Zhe Linfeng noted, the wrong technique had left many impurities inside, which hindered the quality of the blade.

"Brother Linfeng, why are you smiling so wickedly?" Li Shuyao turned and noticed Zhe Linfeng’s smirk.

Zhe Linfeng relaxed his brow, a devious grin on his face. He rested the longsword on his shoulder. "If you ask me to exchange it, I certainly won't let you lose out. Besides, as for our discussion about going to the cave, I actually have a candidate in mind. However, it’s akin to bargaining with a tiger; if we aren't careful, we might burn ourselves."

Yi Heng asked curiously, "Let's hear it."

Zhe Linfeng draped an arm over Yi Heng’s shoulder and walked toward the prison exit, speaking with great enthusiasm:

"Prefect Shen came to Beigu City today and brought two Cangwu cultivators with him. Judging by their attire, they should be from the Green Rock Temple. One has already reached the Mortal Realm, and the other is on par with me. I was thinking, why don't we get them involved? If we just leak the news that the ancient Cangwu cultivator's cave is about to open, I’m certain they won't refuse."

"Once we enter the cave, we can act according to the situation, letting them fight it out with the demonic cultivators while we sit back and reap the rewards. What do you think of this plan?"

Li Shuyao said, "Brother Linfeng, you are truly wicked, using them as tools."

"It could work. I think it’s worth a try. Although there is risk, wealth is found in danger." Yi Heng looked at Zhe Linfeng and said, "I see your aura is chaotic and your clothes are torn. I assume you were given a beating by that Mortal Realm cultivator, weren't you?"

Li Shuyao added, "Brother, you guessed right. Those two are despicable. Not only did they follow Prefect Shen to bully my father, but they both ganged up to beat Brother Linfeng."

"I was not beaten; I just don't like the look of them."

Having his embarrassing secret exposed by Li Shuyao, Zhe Linfeng quickly defended himself.

Yi Heng laughed, not pressing the matter. He was not the type to rub salt into someone else's wounds or mock them needlessly.

As they discussed their plans while walking out, they passed the prison hall, where the surviving jailers were carrying the bodies of their comrades out under the direction of the Warden.

When they saw Yi Heng and his two companions, they all bowed respectfully, calling out, "Young Master Yi Heng, Miss." If not for Yi Heng’s intervention last night, they surely would have been slaughtered by that giant, and they would not be alive to see the sun today or experience the joy of living.

Especially after the slaughter of yesterday, they understood more than ever that life is impermanent and that the difference between life and death is but a fleeting moment. To live well in the present was more valuable than anything else.

Yi Heng responded to them with a smile. He took twenty taels of gold from his pocket and handed them to the Warden, saying, "I have twenty taels of gold here. Please distribute this to the families of the fallen jailers. It is a small gesture from me."

The Warden shook his head. "Young Master, this is too much gold. You should keep it for yourself; your cultivation must require many expenses. The County Magistrate will provide pensions."

"I told you to take it, so take it. See that you keep a proper ledger—don't squander it, for I will be checking the accounts later."

The Warden took the twenty taels of gold, straightened his back, and bowed deeply to Yi Heng along with the other jailers. "We thank you on behalf of the families of our fallen comrades, Young Master Yi Heng."

Yi Heng watched them quietly, his gaze deep and his heart stirred. A warmth rose from within his heart, spreading through his entire body. He remembered his master’s teaching: "To help others is to help oneself; those who love others are constantly loved in return."

Only now did he truly grasp the profound meaning behind those words, becoming even more certain of the truth in his master’s wisdom.

Outside the prison gates, Li Shuyao frowned slightly, her face full of worry. "Brother, you have always been generous, but cultivation consumes a great deal of wealth. Twenty taels of gold is not a small sum. If you give it all to them, what will you do later?"

Yi Heng’s expression was calm; he waved his hand dismissively. "It is only twenty taels of gold. If it is gone, I will simply earn more. Those families who have lost their sons are now helpless and destitute; it is truly pitiful. Helping them even a little is the least I can do."

Zhe Linfeng, who was leading a horse tethered to a nearby tree, grumbled, "He is good at everything, but he is just too soft-hearted and too generous."

The afternoon sky was clear and bright, with thin wisps of cloud drifting aimlessly, teased and spread by the gentle breeze.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the clouds, casting an orange glow onto the brick-paved street in front of the prison.

A jailer approached respectfully, leading Yi Heng’s horse from the day before. He handed over the reins with an expression of reverence. "Young Master, your horse."

Yi Heng took the reins, placed his left foot in the stirrup, and vaulted onto the horse with agile grace. He said in a low voice, "Let’s go. Back to the county office to find those two Cangwu cultivators from the Green Rock Temple."

With that, he turned to look at Li Shuyao and Zhe Linfeng. Their eyes met, and the two of them understood immediately, mounting their horses with practiced ease.

"Giddy-up!"

With a low shout from Yi Heng and the crisp crack of a whip, his horse let out a neigh and galloped forward.

Li Shuyao and Zhe Linfeng followed close behind. The three horses surged forward like arrows released from a bow, their hooves kicking up dust that swirled in the sunlight.

In the blink of an eye, they were galloping toward the county office, their figures quickly disappearing into the distance at the end of the amber-hued road.