Evolution - Chapter 101
Chapter 101
The solitary confinement cell was a small, dark room.
It wasn’t so small that turning around was difficult, but it was completely empty save for a long bench embedded in the wall and a small table.
Inmates in solitary could only sit. Even if Ji Changqing lay diagonally on the floor, she couldn’t fully stretch her legs.
Three days in solitary meant three consecutive days. She didn’t have to work, but she also got no food—just one cup of water per day.
For Ji Changqing, this was the safest place she’d been since entering prison. She could do whatever she wanted without having to be on guard against this or that.
As for becoming withdrawn from the lack of human contact and daylight?
Ji Changqing found that notion absurd.
Not only was she a homebody by nature, but cultivators also frequently entered secluded cultivation. She was quite capable of enduring loneliness.
During these three days, she either slept or meditated and cultivated, slowly recovering her depleted energy.
When the three days of solitary were over and she was released, aside from looking a bit weak and listless from three days of starvation, her actual spirit and energy were even better than before she went in.
After a meal of dinner, Ji Changqing felt she was in even better condition than before her confinement.
That night, the unbelieving level-ten inmate attacked again. Ji Changqing ignored the lackeys who came to help, focusing solely on her. By the time the commotion grew so large that the guards could no longer feign ignorance and rushed over, both women were bruised and swollen, and they were sent to solitary together.
Solitary confinement started at three days. Because Ji Changqing had reoffended right after being released, her punishment was increased to seven days.
This time, both of them looked much more injured than the last, though they were all superficial wounds.
While their wounds were being treated, the doctor left for a moment. Ji Changqing seized the opportunity to whisper, “Every time you come looking for trouble, your prestige drops a little. Are you sure you want to continue?”
The level-ten inmate was so angry she could kill.
“How about we cooperate?”
The other woman’s eyes flickered.
220702 was right. Prison was just that pragmatic. The last time she’d attacked, not only had she failed to take her down, but she’d also been sent flying with a kick.
Rumors had spread that she, a level-ten, had been beaten until she coughed up blood by a level-eight, casting doubt on her strength. While 220702 had been in solitary for three days and might not know, how could she not? She had already been provoked several times by those eager to make a move.
She had fought a few times, and her sheer force had temporarily suppressed the unrest. But this time, she still couldn’t gain the upper hand in a brawl. Those restless inmates were probably going to stir up trouble again.
Given the situation, if 220702 was really that tough a nut to crack, continuing to tangle with her would indeed do more harm than good.
What if her underlings thought their boss was too disgraceful and all deserted her?
At this thought, she finally asked in a hoarse voice, “How do we cooperate?”
Just then, the doctor came back in.
The two of them immediately fell silent, as quiet as mice.
The doctor checked their vitals and waved a hand. “They’re fine. Take them away.”
They didn’t get another chance to speak alone before being locked in their solitary cells.
They just exchanged a look before entering their respective dark rooms.
Ji Changqing had thought that, having had enough sleep, seven days in solitary would be hard to endure. She later discovered that wasn’t the case. After the third day, she lost all sensation of hunger and felt light, almost ethereal. Without the constant distraction of hunger, she found her mind exceptionally clear and her thoughts sharp. Her cultivation became twice as effective with half the effort.
This must be an epiphany! she thought.
No wonder cultivators practiced fasting.
When the seven days were up, she was released on the morning of the eighth day. Morning exercises, breakfast, then she was shoved into a vehicle and transported to the mining area.
After descending into the mine and starting work, she realized just how much the past few days of “cultivator life” had affected her—a short while of labor left her limbs feeling weak.
Good thing I wasn’t released at night this time, she thought. Otherwise, forget fighting someone to a standstill; she’d probably be on her knees the moment they made a move.
When lunch was served, she wolfed down her food with satisfaction. Before long, her level-ten cellmate sidled over.
The two looked at each other, both cautiously maintaining their distance.
A fight in the mines wasn’t something you could solve with a trip to solitary. You had to be wary of the bitch opposite you pulling a mutually destructive move.
“Here to talk cooperation?” Seeing that her level-ten cellmate was too proud of her status to speak first—the fact that she’d even approached was remarkable enough—Ji Changqing decided to be considerate and offer her an out.
“Mm, you talk first.” If I don’t like what you say, I’ll just turn on you again!
“We leave each other in peace, and act like nothing ever happened.” Ji Changqing didn’t mince words, directly proposing a pact of peaceful coexistence and non-aggression.
“Impossible,” the level-ten cellmate flatly refused. She had her pride to consider!
“Then what do you suggest?” Ji Changqing deftly kicked the ball back into her court.
The other woman was left speechless. But since it had come to this, she couldn’t just toss the question back. She had to state her terms: “Submit to me, and I’ll exempt you from tribute.”
Fine. It was a classic case of starting high and haggling down. Now it was Ji Changqing’s turn to counter.
“That can hardly be called cooperation,” she sneered. “Or do you think we need to fight a few more times?”
The level-ten cellmate’s expression soured. “You have to at least show me some sincerity.”
A proposal to act like nothing happened was out of the question.
They didn’t have much time to waste on haggling. In the end, they hastily reached an agreement.
On the surface, Ji Changqing would join her faction, serving as window dressing by “paying for her services.” In return, Ji Changqing had to pay regular tribute, but the level-ten inmate had to provide her with information.
For example, Ji Changqing’s so-called tribute for the next month was exchanged for this piece of information: “The head of District Four was recently replaced, and the second-in-command of District Nine was replaced at the same time. Someone hinted to us that we should make life difficult for you, but we have to make sure you stay alive.”
Ji Changqing narrowed her eyes. This news was somewhat unexpected. It seemed no one wanted her dead for the time being; they just wanted her to wish she were.
There had been personnel changes in Districts Four and Nine. District Four was targeting her, so District Nine… was that targeting He Qingzhi?
Weren’t the people behind this a bit too blatant? Their own son had courted death and actually died, and now they were blaming someone for fighting back?
Although she felt guilty for accidentally killing him, seeing how these people operated, she suddenly felt a sense of relief. A scumbag raised and coddled by such a family… his early death might have saved quite a few people.
After all, he who provokes first is the one at fault!
She had just been acting righteously, and as a result, she was sentenced, her future ruined. Yet she harbored no desire to lash out at society. Could these people be any more vindictive?
After reaching an agreement with her level-ten cellmate, Ji Changqing breathed a sigh of relief. Although neither party really took the agreement seriously and would tear it up and turn on the other the moment circumstances allowed, it at least gave her some breathing room in the short term.
Otherwise, she would be exhausted to death every day, unable to rest properly when she returned, constantly on guard against these people. The thought alone was enough to make her break down.
As long as she kept up her cultivation, maintaining or even improving her combat strength, the other party wouldn’t make any rash moves.
Unless there was a greater benefit at stake.
In prison, everyone who managed to carve out their own sphere of influence was a drama queen.
Soon, everyone in District Four knew that 220702, that tough nut, had finally been broken.
She had started obediently paying tribute.
And because she had previously caused others to lose face, despite being a good fighter, she was constantly at the bottom of the pecking order, getting beaten up by her cellmates from time to time to let off steam.
If she resisted, the level-ten leader would beat her down.
With the enthusiastic cooperation of the drama queen and the unwitting sparring of her clueless cellmates, Ji Changqing gradually began to grasp the path to advancing to level nine.
Ji Changqing’s acting wasn’t that great, but in prison, the food was nowhere near enough to replenish her energy expenditure. Thus, in the eyes of the uninformed masses, she was living in dire straits, growing thinner by the day.
After six months of this torment, she had lost a significant amount of weight, her expression was dull, and her mind seemed to wander.
Regardless of what others thought, Ji Changqing herself was quite satisfied with the current situation. She just knew that these days wouldn’t last. The fact that they had lasted for six months was surprising enough.
Sure enough, not long after, her level-ten cellmate revealed a piece of news: the head of District Four, who had been away on business, had returned.
This meant that their pleasant little cooperation could end at any moment.
A few days later, in exchange for helping a cellmate fight for status, Ji Changqing obtained another piece of information: the first three districts of the mine were short on labor and needed to pull people from other districts to fill the gap.
Generally, “other districts” meant Districts Four and Five.
Alphas, after all, whether male or female, were the top choice for manual labor.
“I reckon you’ll definitely be one of them,” her level-ten cellmate said, gloating. She added, “I heard the reason they’re short-staffed this time is because someone went crazy and killed everyone in his mine shaft. Everyone.”
Ji Changqing couldn’t help but suck in a cold breath.
A ruthless person who wiped everyone out the moment they acted… why hadn’t they been dealt with? This prison was far too lax.
Apparently, the people behind the scenes felt that the inmates in District Four weren’t twisted enough, that their methods of tormenting her were too monotonous and unimpressive. They needed the psychos from Districts One, Two, and Three to teach her a proper lesson!
Ji Changqing’s expression remained unchanged, but inside, her complaints were about to break through the heavens.
She felt her level-ten cellmate’s previous information must have been wrong. What did they mean, “make sure she stays alive, just make her wish she were dead”?
This was clearly a death sentence.
Those inmates in Districts One, Two, and Three, destined to rot in prison for life, wouldn’t care about having another death on their hands!
When the dust settled and Ji Changqing appeared at the worksite for Districts One, Two, and Three, she was mercilessly thrashed by the infamous “Seventh Master,” the big shot who had supposedly killed an entire mine shaft of people. No matter how tough she was, it was useless against a powerhouse who could easily dominate her. She was beaten black and blue, on the verge of death, before the seemingly gentle and refined Seventh Master threw her into the medical room with a smile.
Feeling like she could die at any moment, Ji Changqing was filled with frustration, anger, and rolling hatred, yet she was powerless.
She couldn’t help but sigh deeply for herself. Compared to this place, District Four was practically heaven.
Even with her wildest imagination, she never would have guessed that in Districts One, Two, and Three, the ones in charge weren’t the guards or the garrisoned troops, but these incomparably vicious big shots who were doomed to spend their lives in prison!
She was thrashed, and no matter how loudly she screamed for help or how much of a commotion she made, no one so much as glanced her way—not the guards, not the troops, not even the other inmates. They all turned a blind eye and a deaf ear.
Even when she was dragged out, covered in blood, and thrown into the medical room, a guard coldly warned her to behave and not cause them any trouble.
The doctor gave her wounds a simple treatment, applied some medicine, and sent her back to the mines.
Ji Changqing could hardly believe it. Was this territory still part of the Alliance? It felt more like a den of demons.
From the second day on, she lived a miserable life: mining in the morning, getting thrashed in the afternoon, being sent to the medical room to have her wounds treated, and then being herded back down to the mines.
A slight surprise came on the third day. As she was leaving the medical room, she ran into someone she never expected to see—He Qingzhi.
He was in even worse shape than her. There wasn’t an inch of unblemished skin on his body, and his face had several gashes, the flesh torn open, making him look like a ghost.
In truth, she hadn’t recognized him at all. But she had managed to protect her face, so He Qingzhi recognized her and tenaciously called out, “Ji… Ji Changqing.”
In this place where she was just a number, 220702, hearing someone suddenly call her name left her in a bit of a daze. She looked toward the sound.
But they had no chance to exchange pleasantries. Their respective escorts barked, “Behave!”
And they were ruthlessly pushed along.
Ji Changqing didn’t feel much of anything. If it weren’t for this deadweight He Qingzhi, she wouldn’t have accidentally killed someone and ended up here.
Life was already so difficult; she had no desire to associate with a liability.
But things rarely go as planned. From that day on, she would always run into the miserably beaten He Qingzhi in the medical room.
Her wounds were often torn open again before they could heal. Every day was like living in purgatory. All she could do was grit her teeth, and then grit them again. No matter how painful or difficult it was, she still got up every morning and persisted in her cultivation.
She had to constantly improve her strength. At the very least, she had to survive for a chance to kill these psychos.
Perhaps it was a case of “go crazy or die in silence.” After nearly half a month of daily abuse, she successfully broke through to level nine.
It was nearly three months earlier than she had anticipated.
On the day of her breakthrough, the psycho big shot let out a surprised “Huh?” as if his interest was piqued. “I’ll give you a choice. Pick anyone you want and kill them, and I’ll spare you a beating for seven days.”
Ji Changqing clenched her fists and squeezed a single word through her teeth: “No.”
For the next seven days, as a result of her refusal, she received double the abuse.
Each time, she was sent to the medical room on the verge of unconsciousness.
After seven days, her beatings returned to their normal level. She was able to stay conscious every day and easily noticed something: He Qingzhi was no longer appearing in the medical room.
The psycho big shot soon confirmed her suspicion. “You won’t kill, but there are plenty of others who will. Now choose again: kill one person, or get double for seven days!”
“I won’t kill,” Ji Changqing said, her voice as faint as a thread.
“Haven’t you already taken a life?” the man chuckled, his tone seductive and tempting. “No one here is innocent. Killing them would be carrying out justice for heaven. Go on, kill.”
The psycho’s sudden gentle persuasion sent a shiver down Ji Changqing’s spine. “No.”
The man’s expression changed in an instant. “You’re a tough one. Unfortunately, I hate it when people act tough in front of me!”
This psycho was in a bad mood and completely unreasonable. He’d said double, but it was actually more than that. After that day’s beating, Ji Changqing thought she might actually die.
Each time, he would give her a chance to strike, only to quickly overpower her with his superior strength, followed by a creative beating. Ji Changqing could only console herself with the thought that at least her combat skills were improving by leaps and bounds, right?
Life-and-death situations were the best for unlocking one’s potential. Every day was a trip through purgatory. The psycho limited the session to exactly half an hour, not a second more or less. So, the longer she could drag out the fight, the less she would suffer. This psycho’s strength was unfathomable. She had gone from collapsing in under three minutes to now being able to last for more than seven.
Sometimes, when the big shot was in a good mood, he would even casually offer her a pointer or two.
Every one of his casual pointers was spot-on, leading her to a sudden enlightenment. But just when she thought she had made progress, an even more terrifying beating would follow.
In this purgatorial existence, Ji Changqing endured for over two months. More than once, the thought “I might as well just kill someone, they’re all scum anyway” had crossed her mind.
But each time that thought appeared, she would quickly come to her senses.
She couldn’t let herself fall, couldn’t become someone who held life cheap.
Whenever she was about to break, she would think about how, when you’re powerless to change your environment, you must at least not be changed by it. She repeatedly told herself that the meaning of being strong was to protect, not to destroy.
The one thing that gave her a little comfort and the confidence to persevere was that she was able to hold out for longer and longer.
She didn’t know how this psycho would torment her next, but that was no reason to stop growing.
She only knew that stagnation meant being unable to even protect herself. Forging ahead, even if it looked like the useless struggle of a cornered beast in his eyes, at least offered a sliver of hope.
In this situation where she was the fish on the chopping block, she could only be like the song “Desperado” said:
“Set out, don’t ask where the road is. Facing the wind and moving forward is the only way.”
In the daily beatings that began with “fight for three minutes, get beaten for half an hour,” after more than two and a half months of exchanges, she could finally withstand the psycho’s attacks for a full thirty minutes.
That day, she was dragged to the medical room, but instead of treating her wounds with medicine, the doctor threw her directly into a glass tank that looked like it was for preserving specimens and left her to soak.
The moment she came into contact with the medicinal liquid, an intense pain instantly jolted Ji Changqing, who had been on the verge of unconsciousness, back to full awareness.
A voice vaguely reached her ears: “Circulate your cultivation technique.”
She obeyed subconsciously.
In a daze, she almost thought she was back in the game instance, being thrown into a medicinal pool for body tempering after being beaten half to death by her Big Sister.
The medicinal power rampaged through her muscles and meridians, constantly repairing and destroying.
Her body, which had seemed to never heal day after day for the past two months, surprisingly had no hidden injuries. Instead, some of her meridians and acupoints had been fortuitously cleared.
This allowed the medicinal power to be absorbed into her body unimpeded.
Gradually, the bone-deep pain slowly transformed into the pleasant sensation of abundant power flowing throughout her body.
When she came to her senses from her cultivation, she found she was still soaking in the glass tank.
But she felt unusually refreshed and light. Her body was in even better condition than before; it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had been completely reborn.
While she was still dazed, she heard the psycho who had so excellently tormented her for over two months shout, “If you’re awake, get the hell out!”
She “got the hell out” of the glass tank and changed into the clean clothes placed nearby.
A suspicion formed in her mind, but she found it hard to believe.
After all, what normal person would use such sadistic methods to impart knowledge?
Was this considered a favor or the start of a feud?
As soon as she came out, she saw an unscathed He Qingzhi standing respectfully before the big shot, looking like he was receiving instruction.
The big shot glanced at them and said, half impatient, half disdainful, “The Peace and Development Special Investigation Department, Star Hidden, specializing in covert matters. Do you accept the recruitment selection?”
Ji Changqing’s head was buzzing, and her eyes grew hot.
In the depths of despair, a flower of hope had bloomed.
It was always the most unforgettable feeling.
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