Chapter 390: Prison Opportunity, Secret King's Treasure!

Chapter 390: Prison Opportunity, Secret King's Treasure!

Time seemed to stand still within the prison walls.

In the outside world, two days had already passed.

The death of the Third Lady of the Qinghe Commander's mansion had become a heated topic of discussion.

This incident involved the descendants of a noble family.

The Qinghe Commander was one of the first nobles of the Great Xia Dynasty.

After generations of inheritance, the title of Qinghe Commander had become more of a symbolic name, with no real power or fiefdom.

However, over the years, although the noble lineage had declined, they still held significant influence and were closely knit.

The murder of the Third Lady had now reached the county seat.

It was rumored that a young lord from the county seat would personally investigate the matter.

Jiang Ning was unaware of this development.

County Governor's Mansion.

"Father, is this news true?" Wang Qingtan asked.

"It's true!" Dongling County Governor Wang Shoyi nodded slightly.

"Father, is it the young lord of Guangning Hou, Lu family?"

"Yes!" Wang Shoyi nodded and then said, "It's said that the young lord has some connection with you. Your mysterious teacher, Lin Yuanshan, is also his mentor. You two are considered siblings under the same master."

"What kind of relationship is that!" Wang Qingtan scoffed. "I was too young back then and didn't understand that old man's character. He only took disciples but didn't teach them!"

"You can say that at home, but don't let it out!" Wang Shoyi warned. "Remember, a Grandmaster must not be disgraced. Do you understand?"

"I understand!" Wang Qingtan nodded.

"Also!" County Governor Wang Shoyi added, "The rule in Great Xia is that a day as a teacher is a lifetime as a father! Lin Yuanshan is not only a Grandmaster but also your formal teacher after drinking the apprenticeship tea. From now on, you must be cautious and prudent in your actions outside."

Hearing this, Wang Qingtan rolled her eyes, showing her helplessness.

"I understand."

Then she added, "What about Jiang Ning, Father? Can you get him out?"

Wang Shoyi replied, "In the past two days, I've met everyone I should in the city. Zhao Fuzhou has also stepped in, and Xiao Bieli and Bailuoyu have made their stance clear, all standing by Jiang Ning."

"Furthermore, according to the investigation, the death of the Third Lady has little to do with Jiang Ning, so getting him out shouldn't be a problem!"

"Now, we just wait for the arrival of the future lord to make the final decision!"

"That's good!" Wang Qingtan nodded. "Father, he must not have any problems. He still owes me a lot of money. If he dies, that thousand taels of gold will be gone forever!"

"I understand! As your father, my words are my bond. Can't you trust me after all these years?" Wang Shoyi sounded a bit annoyed.

He glanced at his eldest daughter and realized that she had indeed grown up.

A Fourth-Rank Martial Artist at just eighteen years old, she was indeed a heaven-gifted talent, a worthy match!

Wang Shoyi secretly reassured himself.

Third Floor of the County Prison.

In the dim cell, Jiang Ning had lost track of day and night.

He could only guess the time based on his three daily meals.

Suddenly—

Boom—

The heavy cell door leading from the second to the third floor trembled and then slowly opened.

"Strange, I just finished dinner. It should be late at night now. Why would someone come to the third floor of the county prison?"

Jiang Ning paused his bone marrow refinement, and the manifested water and fire millstone dissipated, causing countless rays of light to burst out from his pores once again.

After a few breaths.

Jiang Ning saw Xiao Bieli, accompanied by Zhao Dai, appear before him.

"Commander Jiang, how are you?" Xiao Bieli's tone was kind, but his face was cold.

"Why has Commander Xiao come here in the middle of the night?" Jiang Ning asked, his gaze shifting to the two men behind Xiao Bieli.

He noticed that one of them was holding a pair of shackles.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning's eyes narrowed.

At Xiao Bieli's signal, Zhao Dai reluctantly spoke up.

"Commander Jiang, the case of the Third Lady's death has not been fully concluded. In the next two days, a young lord from the county seat will come as a representative of the nobles to make the final decision."

"So, in the meantime, we need to ask Commander Jiang to bear with us and wear these shackles to prevent the young lord from finding fault with us and causing further trouble!"

Noble representative!

Young lord!

Hearing these words, Jiang Ning's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he immediately understood the situation.

He nodded, "Alright!"

Power comes from strength, and he had no choice but to agree for now.

Seeing Jiang Ning's nod, Zhao Dai opened the unlocked cell door.

"Commander Jiang, please forgive us!" he apologized again.

Then he whispered, "Commander Jiang, these shackles are made of the same material as the cell door."

Hearing this, Jiang Ning's right ear twitched, and he instantly understood.

The same material meant the same strength.

If the cell door couldn't hold him, these shackles wouldn't bind him either.

He could tear them apart whenever he wanted.

As long as Zhao Dai wasn't deceiving him! At this moment, Zhao Dai squatted down and proceeded to place the shackles on Jiang Ning's feet.

Click!

With a metallic clank, the shackles snapped shut.

"Sir, should we also put on the handcuffs?" Zhao Dai turned and asked.

Xiao Bieli furrowed his brows, remaining silent for a moment.

After a few breaths of silence, he spoke.

"Put the handcuffs on Jiang Tongling as well. Let's make this a complete show!"

"Jiang Tongling, take a look." Zhao Dai turned to Jiang Ning, his expression filled with difficulty.

"Come on then!" Jiang Ning extended his hands.

"Jiang Tongling, please forgive me!" Zhao Dai once again expressed his apologies.

He then proceeded to place the handcuffs on Jiang Ning.

Seeing Zhao Dai's actions, Jiang Ning's heart remained unmoved.

Regardless of whether Zhao Dai was deceiving him or not, and whether the material of the shackles was the same as the prison door, they couldn't hold him captive.

Even if he couldn't break free from these shackles, he had other means.

With the Grand Five Elements Water Escape, he could merge with water and travel tens of li in an instant.

Outside, all he needed was to summon a rainstorm to utilize the Water Escape technique and break free from any restraints.

Even here, with his ability to control water and fire, he could still condense water from thin air. He could easily break free from any bonds.

Wherever the water reached, he could appear there.

At this very moment, he felt even more fortunate that his extraordinary abilities had never been exposed.

With those abilities, he could ensure his invincibility when caught off guard.

A moment later, Xiao Bieli and his men arrived to secure Jiang Ning with the handcuffs and shackles before leaving.

In the dimly lit prison cell, a slight movement was made.

Clank, clank, clank—

The thick iron chains of the shackles collided, emitting a deep and heavy sound.

"I wonder if I can break free from these shackles?" Jiang Ning wondered silently.

He exerted force with both hands, and instantly, the thick iron chains straightened with a snap.

"So hard!" He was slightly surprised.

Then, the Water and Fire True Essence erupted.

The two extreme forces conducted through the iron locks, and in an instant, he felt the links of the iron chains stretching like noodles.

"It's possible!"

After a brief attempt, he stopped.

As he applied force, the thick iron chains began to deform. If he continued, they would surely snap.

"The materials are the same, but the structure is slightly different!"

Jiang Ning made his judgment.

"It seems Zhao Dai didn't deceive me after all! The materials are indeed the same, the only difference is in the construction!"

On the other side, Xiao Bieli suddenly spoke.

"Do you think these shackles can restrain him?"

Zhao Dai understood that his superior was referring to Jiang Ning.

"There shouldn't be a problem, right? After all, the materials of the shackles and the third-floor iron prison come from the same source!"

"While that's true, the construction is different!" Xiao Bieli shook his head in disagreement.

At this moment, he recalled his own secret attempt.

Despite his efforts, he couldn't cause significant deformation to the heavy shackles, let alone break them.

"If I can't do it, how can he?"

Xiao Bieli silently shook his head.

This was the reason for his disagreement.

"Big Brother, there's someone here!" One of them spoke in a hushed voice, a voice that was coarse but unmistakably female.

Jiang Ning immediately felt several gazes fall upon him.

"Don't worry about it! We might not be able to rescue Long Xingyun tonight. If we alert Xiao Bieli, we won't have another chance like this!" The person whispered, then added, "Be careful of your footsteps and keep an eye on your surroundings. Don't disturb the prisoners."

"Yes, Big Brother!"

As the voices faded, the two figures moved deeper into the third level of the County Prison, their footsteps gradually growing distant.

Jiang Ning finally opened his eyes.

"Long Xingyun? I haven't heard of him, but he must be that Grandmaster!"

In the silent third level of the County Prison, he heard the two figures conversing again.

"Big Brother, do you think Long Xingyun really has the Secret King's Treasure Map?"

"Yes! He must have it!"

"If not, why would Xiao Bieli keep Long Xingyun in the fourth level of the County Prison for so long?"

The Secret King's Treasure Map!

Upon hearing these four words, Jiang Ning's heart skipped a beat.

He had come across the title 'Secret King' a few days ago in the Library of the Martial Academy.

This person was a legendary figure, a record-holder in history, and the leader of the greatest rebel army ever.

The Secret King was known as the Son of the True Dragon.

The True Dragon was a primordial being, and thus, he considered himself a man of destiny, carrying out the will of heaven to overthrow the Xia Dynasty.

According to the book, this man possessed great fortune and discovered the ancient True Dragon's Nest, bathing in its blood.

This was the origin of his title, the Son of the True Dragon, and his destiny.

He was the strongest warrior a hundred years ago and the second most powerful being in the world.

He had visited the Vajra Temple and the Qingxu Temple, borrowing ancient Buddhist and Taoist scriptures.

At the peak of his power, feeling that his momentum was unstoppable, he launched a rebellion to overthrow the Xia Dynasty.

Under his leadership, his army, known as the Dragon Head Army, displayed exceptional bravery.

Within just six months, they swept through two prefectures and seven counties.

In the following two years, their momentum was unstoppable, occupying half of a province.

In every major battle, he led from the front, and no one could stand against him.

Two princes died in battle before him, and neither Grandmasters nor Great Grandmasters could withstand a single strike from him.

This prompted the Martial Sage, who was already in his later years, to take action.

This was one of the few times the Martial Sage had appeared in a century.

During that battle, no one dared to approach the battlefield.

In the end, the Martial Sage emerged from the center of the battlefield, which had been transformed by mountains and rivers, and announced that the Secret King was dead.

Thus, the greatest rebellion in the history of the Xia Dynasty was quelled.

However, according to the accounts of his subordinates, the Secret King's greatest achievement was bathing in the True Dragon's precious blood.

The True Dragon, a primordial being in myths, had its blood imbued with the essence of heaven and earth.

By consuming it, one could attain the realm of the Heaven Human Grandmaster.

The True Dragon's precious blood not only helped the Secret King rapidly reach the Heaven Human Grandmaster realm but also allowed him to quickly achieve perfection in blood transformation, birthing divine radiance within his blood.

At this level, the Secret King still had surplus True Dragon's precious blood, which he bestowed upon his eighteen Dragon Heads, enabling them to become Heaven Human Grandmasters.

At that moment, Jiang Ning couldn't help but recall the various legends and records about the Secret King.

"The Secret King's Treasure Map might still contain the True Dragon's precious blood!"

This thought flashed through Jiang Ning's mind, sparking a surge of interest.

If this were true, he would be very interested in obtaining it.

According to the book, the Secret King's unparalleled strength came from bathing in the True Dragon's precious blood, reaching the pinnacle of blood transformation, resulting in an indestructible physical body.

The True Dragon, as described in myths, was an ancient primordial being with an incredibly high level of life force, surpassing even immortals and gods.

Its blood held unimaginable power.

Moreover, in the myths, the True Dragon was renowned for its formidable physical strength.

If Jiang Ning could obtain this treasure, he would possess the key to becoming a Heaven Human Grandmaster.

Only Heaven Human Grandmasters could attain a transcendent and detached status.

Just like what had happened to him a few days ago.

If a Heaven Human Grandmaster were in his position, it would have been as if nothing had happened.

Heaven Human Grandmasters could control the power of heaven and earth and truly possess the ability to walk on air.

A single person could break through an army and then leave without a trace.

That was the true embodiment of a one-man army.

At that moment, he heard another hushed conversation from the front.

"Big Brother, do you think the Secret King's Treasure Map really contains the True Dragon's precious blood?"

"Definitely! Those eighteen Dragon Heads didn't all perish back then, and one of them admitted it personally."

"So, could Long Xingyun be one of them?"

"He's not one of the Dragon Heads. Those who survived are now mostly Great Grandmasters. Long Xingyun is probably a descendant of one of the Dragon Heads."

Hearing their conversation, Jiang Ning suddenly understood a lot more.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end