Inside the prison of the Liang City County Magistrate's Office, Ji Qing's hair was a disheveled mess. Wearing a prisoner's uniform, he was escorted into the cells by the guards.
The jailers were currently treating the situation as if they were facing a formidable enemy. The head guard had already warned them that absolutely no mishaps could happen to Ji Qing while he was locked up. His case had already sent shockwaves throughout all of Liang City. If anything were to happen to Ji Qing inside the County Magistrate's Office prison, all the guards would be held severely accountable.
"Brother Zhang, this Ji Qing is Master Ji's only son. I heard he even holds the title of Scholar. How could he dare to commit such a heinous crime?"
"Ji Qing was personally marched to the Government Office by Master Ji. Since Master Ji only has this one son, you could say he placed righteousness above family loyalty. This just goes to show how unforgivably wicked Ji Qing's actions were. It's an outrage to both gods and men.
"Now that the evidence is conclusive, the presence of such an unforgivable scoundrel in our county has provoked the utmost wrath from his honor. We need to keep a very close eye on Ji Qing."
Ji Qing naturally heard the guards' gossip, but he said nothing. As for crying out his innocence? He had already stated during his interrogation by the County Magistrate that Yunniang was a Demon Monster, but the County Magistrate hadn't believed him. The County Magistrate had ordered a forensic doctor to examine the body. As a result, the forensic doctor's autopsy proved that Yunniang was human and had died from highly toxic poison. With irrefutable evidence, both testimonies and physical proof intact, Ji Qing was thrown directly into the death row cells. Once the Court's Ministry of Justice verified the case, he would be executed by beheading.
Paying no mind to the guards' chatter, Ji Qing sat in the corner of his cell and focused his attention on the Demon Monster Record within his mind. He mentally "turned" to its first page.
Ji Qing: Non-stream Martial Artist
Jade Skill: Beginner (Third-class Martial Arts)
Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber: Beginner (Third-class Saber Technique)
Source Point: 1
The first page of the Demon Monster Record displayed Ji Qing's personal information. The Jade Skill and the Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber were taught to him by a master from a Martial Arts Hall a few months ago when he first wanted to practice Martial Arts. The results were mediocre. In those few months, his Jade Skill had barely reached the beginner stage, and he had only just managed to cultivate a sliver of Inner Power. However, this Inner Power was as thin as a strand of hair and practically useless. His Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber was quite proficient, but every stance and move was heavily mechanical, entirely lacking in Spirituality. It would likely fall short if he actually tried to use it to kill someone.
As for the Source Point, Ji Qing remembered that he had only obtained it after poisoning Yunniang to death. Source Points could be used to directly upgrade his Martial Arts.
Not in a rush, Ji Qing continued by turning to the second page of the Demon Monster Record. A ferocious Demon Monster illustration appeared on the page, accompanied by a detailed description.
"Painted Skin Demon. Skilled at the Concealment of auras, possesses numerous clones, and has a cunning nature. Only a Strong Person with profound Mana can see through its disguise!
"Painted Skin Demon clone, already slain."
Ji Qing suddenly understood everything. It turned out that Yunniang was a clone of a Painted Skin Demon. Excelling in the Concealment of auras, she could not be seen through without profound Mana.
He thought, "Mana... It seems this world has Cultivators. Then again, since there are Demon Monsters, the existence of Cultivators engaged in Immortal Cultivation is perfectly normal. It's just that I seem to be a Martial Artist right now..."
Ji Qing reopened his eyes. So what if he was a Martial Artist? A Martial Artist could kill Demon Monsters too!
Ji Qing now had a basic understanding of how the Demon Monster Record worked. As long as he killed Demon Monsters, he could earn Source Points to upgrade his Martial Arts and enhance his strength.
"Upgrade the Jade Skill!" Ji Qing decided after a moment's thought. The Jade Skill primarily cultivated Inner Power, so upgrading it would yield a more noticeable increase in his overall strength. Thus, without any hesitation, he spent his sole Source Point on the Jade Skill.
RUMBLE.
A booming resonance echoed through Ji Qing's mind. A rapid succession of images flashed through his thoughts, seemingly depicting scenes of him practicing the Jade Skill day in and day out for years. It felt like three or perhaps even five years had passed. His Jade Skill saw a significant upgrade, shooting straight from the beginner level to Small Success, and his Inner Power subsequently surged.
Ji Qing: Third-class Martial Artist
Jade Skill: Small Success (Third-class Martial Arts)
Thirteen Paths of Swift Saber: Beginner (Third-class Saber Technique)
Source Point: 0
Ji Qing gently circulated his Inner Power, gathering it into the palm of his hand, and then lightly pressed down onto the floor of the death row cell.
CRACK.
Instantly, the stone pebbles on the cell floor fractured.
"A Third-class Martial Artist... According to the master at the Martial Arts Hall, this can already be considered an Expert. I could roam the Martial World and open my own hall to teach apprentices!"
The master at the Martial Arts Hall was himself a Third-class Martial Artist. Despite the label "Third-class," they were by no means weak. Many people practiced Martial Arts for an entire lifetime without ever becoming a Third-class Martial Artist. Yet Ji Qing had achieved this rank using a single Source Point.
Night slowly fell. The "cellmate" in the adjacent cell was an old man. Unable to hold back any longer, the old man asked, "Hey, you look like a refined, educated person. I hear you're a Scholar. How could you murder your own mother?"
Ji Qing opened his eyes. He glanced at the old man in the next cell and countered, "Do you believe I killed my mother?"
"It doesn't matter if this old man believes it or not. The County Magistrate believed it, and so did everyone outside. Can you tell me what really happened?"
"What I killed was a Demon Monster! It's just that the Demon Monster was incredibly skilled at disguise. By wearing my stepmother's painted skin, it deceived everyone, and so I was branded a mother-killing sinner."
"A Demon Monster? There are actually Demon Monsters in this world?" The old man's eyes widened. He had clearly never seen a Demon Monster before and was rather skeptical of Ji Qing's claim.
Ji Qing offered no further explanation. It was pointless to waste words on someone who wouldn't believe him anyway.
"Scholar, if you could get out of here, what would you do?" the old man asked again.
"That Demon Monster isn't actually dead. Perhaps it's still weaving its Enchantment over my family. If I can get out, naturally, I will slay the Demon Monster!" Ji Qing's tone was resolute and decisive.
"Sigh. Scholar, you're already a convicted matricide now, an unforgivable sinner. You're most likely going to lose your head. Want to get out? That's as difficult as Ascending to Heaven." The old man fell silent.
In the old man's view, Ji Qing was a dead man walking. The felony of matricide was so grave that even an imperial amnesty issued by the Emperor would not pardon the culprit. The moment the Government Office submitted the case to the Court and it passed verification, Ji Qing would be marched to the execution grounds and legally beheaded.
However, Ji Qing remained perfectly calm. He had no intention of obediently sitting around waiting for death. He was waiting—waiting for an opportunity. Even if he had to carve a bloody path out of this death row, he would slaughter that Painted Skin Demon!
Two hours later, the sky had turned pitch black.
"Meal time." A guard carrying a large bucket began distributing food to the prisoners. Arriving in front of Ji Qing's cell, the guard ladled out a heaping bowl of thick porridge. "Bah, lucky you."
It wasn't that the guard was being nice to Ji Qing, but rather that Ji Qing's crime was so massive that they couldn't afford for anything to happen to him in the prison.
Just as the guard turned around with the bucket, preparing to head to the next cell...
SWISH.
Ji Qing moved. Reaching out, he instantly clamped his hand around the guard's neck. With a slight pulse of Inner Power from his hand...
BANG.
The guard's head slammed viciously against the iron bars of the cell, and he immediately lost consciousness. Ji Qing promptly grabbed the keys from the guard's waist and unlocked the cell door.
"You... You're breaking out?" The old man in the next cell stared wide-eyed as Ji Qing swaggered right out of his confinement. His face was filled with utter shock.
"Do you want to leave too?" Ji Qing asked.
"Forget it. This old man is getting on in years and doesn't dare risk such a commotion." The old man shook his head repeatedly. Are you kidding? He wasn't in for a capital offense. A prison break meant a shoot-to-kill order. He'd have to be crazy to try and escape. "Scholar, if you break out of prison, even if it's proven in the end that your stepmother really was a Demon Monster, I'm afraid you'll still be convicted of a crime..."
Ji Qing naturally understood that. From the very moment he was thrown into death row, he knew he could never return to a normal life.
"The worst-case scenario is spending my life on the run."
After changing into the guard's uniform, Ji Qing lowered his head, grabbed the wooden bucket, and made his way toward the prison exit.
"Liu, there's still so much food left today? Looks like some blind prisoner offended you again, tsk tsk..."
Guards had certain methods of punishing inmates, and withholding food was a primary one. The other jailers were long accustomed to it.
Ji Qing grunted vaguely, not daring to speak.
"Hm? Liu, why do you look a bit taller... Wait, you're not Liu..."
Ji Qing knew he had been exposed. Although he had never learned any Lightweight Skill, his Inner Power was profound now. Channeling Inner Power into his feet, he kicked off hard against the ground and shot forward like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Behind him, the guards were already shouting, "Prison break! Inmate escaping!"
As their voices grew fainter, Ji Qing vanished into the darkness of the night.