Chapter 46: The Prison
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Chen Fan was thinking of a way to escape and had no intention of paying him any attention.
The two of them passed one cell after another, seeing wounded prisoners crying out in agony, while waves of screams echoed from farther ahead.
Tears immediately began streaming down Guo Hua’s face.
Chen Fan, however, remained utterly composed.
The constables led them to the end of the prison corridor, where there was a door. It was closed at the moment.
Yet the screams from within could be heard clearly, accompanied by bursts of laughter.
“You call him…”
“You call him…”
The constables who had brought Chen Fan inside began pushing the task of knocking on the door back and forth among themselves.
It was as though some kind of monster were waiting behind it, and they were all terrified.
“Warden Yan… Warden Yan.”
At last, one of the constables took several deep breaths, summoned his courage, and called out.
There was no response from inside.
“Warden Yan… Warden Yan.”
The constable forced himself to call out again.
“Who the hell are you calling?”
At that moment, a sinister voice came from within.
The instant they heard it, the constable who had called out turned deathly pale, and beads of sweat the size of soybeans rolled down his face.
The other constables also wore frightened expressions.
Normally, these men feared neither Heaven nor Earth, yet now they were so terrified of a prison warden.
This made Chen Fan curious about the warden.
Before long, the tightly closed door swung open.
A person covered in blood, whose life or death could not be determined, was carried out.
Immediately afterward, a man with a scar running from his eye to his chin stepped outside.
His appearance was enough to make children burst into tears and frighten even ghosts away.
The moment he appeared, the prisoners who had been moaning in the cells fell silent. They shrank into corners, not daring even to raise their heads.
This man was none other than the legendary Warden Yan.
The constables’ legs began trembling as well.
“Warden Yan… Warden Yan, these two are Chen Fan and Guo Hua. They have committed—”
“Out.”
Before the constable could finish, Warden Yan interrupted him impatiently.
At those words, the constables turned and fled without the slightest hesitation, racing out as fast as they could.
They were clearly afraid that Warden Yan might make them stay even a moment longer.
Warden Yan then turned his gaze upon Chen Fan and Guo Hua.
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Thud.
Without the constables to support him, Guo Hua’s legs gave way beneath Warden Yan’s stare, and he fell directly to his knees.
A trace of disdain appeared in Warden Yan’s eyes.
Then he continued studying Chen Fan.
As Warden Yan examined him, Chen Fan examined Warden Yan in return.
Seeing this, Warden Yan revealed a hint of curiosity.
Every prisoner before them had been frightened into collapsing to their knees the instant they saw him, just like Guo Hua.
Never before had anyone dared to stare at him so openly.
“You’re Chen Fan? You’re the one who wrote the story of the Great Sage Sun?” Warden Yan asked.
“That’s right.”
Chen Fan did not deny it.
“You aren’t afraid of me?” Warden Yan asked curiously.
Hearing that, Chen Fan shook his head without hesitation.
“Why should I be afraid of you? It’s not as though you have two heads or three eyes.”
The moment Chen Fan said this, Guo Hua, who had been sprawled helplessly on the floor, fainted from fright.
Chen Fan dared to speak that way because he had not detected the slightest trace of malice in Warden Yan’s eyes.
Although the man looked terrifying, his eyes were remarkably clear. Chen Fan believed that he was not the sort of person described in the rumors, someone who used torture at the slightest provocation.
It was the first time Warden Yan had ever heard such words, and surprise immediately flashed across his face.
He had not expected Chen Fan to speak to him so boldly even after arriving here.
“Damn it, he actually dares to talk to Warden Yan like that. Clearly, you still don’t know the rules of this prison.”
The jailers behind Warden Yan could no longer stand by and watch.
They cracked their knuckles and strode forward, intending to teach Chen Fan the rules for entering prison.
“Stop.”
Before they could make a move, Warden Yan called them off.
The jailers gave Chen Fan sly smiles. They assumed Warden Yan intended to deal with him personally.
Several of them immediately retreated, settling in to watch the spectacle.
Warden Yan stepped in front of Chen Fan and met his gaze directly.
Chen Fan looked back without the slightest fear.
“Hahahahaha!”
After a moment, Warden Yan suddenly burst into loud laughter.
Both Chen Fan and the jailers behind him looked puzzled.
“No wonder you were able to write the story of the Great Sage Sun. You possess his pride and courage.”
Warden Yan looked at Chen Fan with undisguised admiration.
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Hearing this, Chen Fan realized that Warden Yan was one of his fans.
What puzzled him, however, was whether someone with such a fierce appearance could even read.
“Keys.”
Warden Yan held out his hand.
One of the jailers handed him a set of keys.
Warden Yan took them, crouched down, and personally unlocked Chen Fan’s shackles.
The jailers behind him stared wide-eyed. It was the first time they had ever seen Warden Yan remove a prisoner’s shackles.
And this prisoner was even a condemned man.
The prisoners nearby rubbed their eyes vigorously, wondering whether they had seen correctly.
What was happening before them was simply too astonishing to believe.
“Mr. Chen, your writing is truly wonderful. I never imagined that I would meet you here today.”
“Don’t worry. You may do as you please here. Whatever you want to eat, just tell me, and I’ll have someone buy it for you.”
Warden Yan smiled as he spoke.
Naturally, Chen Fan was delighted. With Warden Yan showing such an attitude, he would at least not have to suffer in prison.
More importantly, it would be far easier for him to maintain contact with the outside world.
“Thank you, Warden Yan.”
Chen Fan smiled and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.
“Mr. Chen, you may call me Yan Bei. Meeting you is my honor.”
“Go buy the finest food and wine. I want to have a few drinks with Mr. Chen.”
Warden Yan gave the order.
One of the jailers hurried away at once.
Before long, Chen Fan and Yan Bei were in the prison, gnawing on pig’s feet and drinking fine wine.
During their conversation, Chen Fan learned that Yan Bei had indeed studied in his youth, though he had only attended school for a couple of years before bandits entered his village and murdered his parents.
The scar on his face had been left behind during that incident.
As a result, Yan Bei harbored a deep hatred for evildoers, and he often tortured such criminals in the prison.
“I… I’m not dreaming, am I?”
Guo Hua woke up at that moment and happened to see Chen Fan and Yan Bei drinking and eating meat together, chatting happily.
Chen Fan and Yan Bei looked at him, then both burst out laughing.
Meanwhile, throughout the streets and alleys outside, the news had spread that Chen Fan intended to rebel.
Yingchun and Yingxia had also brought Court Instructor Liu to the county office.
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