Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Yan Wenjiu thought for a moment, then clasped his hands in response: "I don't know, but Gu Daozhao and his gang have been serving their sentences for ten years and are being given special treatment every day. Even if some of them are still alive, they are probably crippled by now."

Zhai Xingyuan clicked his tongue: "Tsk, go and get them out. Remember, don't use any connections with acquaintances or friends to get them out. Just hide your identity and get them out yourself. That way, you won't leave any trace."

"After getting them out, secretly guide them to kill Zhou Silang, and then kill them all afterwards. Don't leave a single survivor. Remember, don't leave the bodies of Gu Daozhao and his gang at the scene, lest you make things worse."

Yan Wenjiu clasped his hands in a salute and said, "Understood, I will handle it personally, and there will be no mistakes."

Zhai Xingyuan nodded slightly and patted Yan Wenjiu's arm: "Old Yan, be careful. If things don't go well, you are allowed to abandon the operation and retreat immediately, but remember not to reveal your identity or leave any evidence."

Yan Wenjiu nodded solemnly, bowed, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and turned to leave quickly.

Zhai Xingyuan walked to the window, rubbing two dragon balls in his palm. His face was cold, and his eyes were like a pool of dark spring, chilling to the bone: "Fourth Young Master, ha, dare to block my way, I will kill you without hesitation."

That's how he does things; if he can't solve a problem that's irreconcilable, he'll deal with the person who created the problem.

To strike first is to be strong, but to strike later is to suffer disaster.

Are they really waiting for Zhou Silang to make a full preparation and bring them down?

I have paid too high a price to get to where I am today. In order to keep everything I have and go further, I must find a way to get rid of Zhou Silang, even if my actions will anger Teacher Luo.

Yan Wenjiu strode out of the Censorate and bumped into Pei Xingchun. However, because he was thinking about something important, he didn't pay attention to Pei Xingchun and quickly brushed past her.

Pei Xingchun looked puzzled and tugged at him: "Old Yan, where did you rush off to in such a hurry?"

"Xiao Pei." Yan Wenjiu suddenly came to his senses and remembered Zhai Xingyuan's instructions. He said vaguely, "Manager Zhai asked me to do something for Teacher Luo. Don't ask any more questions. Anyway, it's very important and can't be delayed."

Seeing this, Pei Xingchun narrowed her eyes slightly, realizing that Zhai Xingyuan was probably using his teacher's name to get Yan Wenjiu to do something shady again. Considering that they were from the same school, she still spoke up to remind him.

"Old Yan, you should stay away from that Zhai Xingyuan guy."

"Among our group of students, he is the most despicable and shameless, with no principles or bottom line."

"He's the kind of person who'll take any money, will suppress any issue, and will make arrangements for any person."

"You need to be careful. No matter what Lao Zhai asks you to do, you have to be mindful and know what you can and cannot do, especially when it comes to matters of principle. You absolutely cannot be ambiguous about them, or it will get you into trouble."

Upon hearing this, Yan Wenjiu nodded slightly: "Thank you for reminding me, I understand."

"Hmm." Pei Xingchun patted Yan Wenjiu's arm and turned to walk into the Censorate.

Yan Wenjiu paused for a moment, then quickly left. Of course, he knew that Zhai Xingyuan was using his teacher's name to manipulate him. He wasn't stupid; if he hadn't been cunning, he would have been played to death long ago.

The reason I was persuaded by Zhai Xingyuan to do something that crossed the line and principles.

There are three main points.

First, Zhai Xingyuan is right. Only when the teacher takes a step up can Zhai Xingyuan take a step up, and I can take this opportunity to make a great contribution and be promoted to the position of deputy supervisor.

Otherwise, how could they possibly compete with Pei Xingchun, a second-generation official with incredibly powerful backing?

How could they possibly compete with Bi Muge and Hao Duanhun?

None of the three competitors at the same level are easy to deal with.

Want to rise to the top? Do you rely on a big face or a big butt?

If this is done, then being promoted to deputy manager is a sure thing.

If it fails, it doesn't matter if Teacher Luo finds out and blames me. After all, it was Zhai Xingyuan who falsely conveyed the teacher's orders. I am loyal to the teacher and was just deceived. I can easily shirk all responsibility.

Secondly, as one of Luo Bingyi's students, holding a powerful position as the head of the Fifth Division, Zhou Silang would definitely include him in the list of those to be purged. When Luo Bingyi falls from power, how can any egg remain intact when the nest is overturned?

His dismissal, demotion, and imprisonment were almost predictable outcomes.

In order to preserve everything they have and to carve out a way to survive and forge a future, they must overthrow Zhou Silang.

If conditions permit, it's not impossible to risk killing Zhou Silang.

There was no way around it; he was too deeply tied to the Luo family gang, controlled too many interests, and offended too many people. He abused his power for personal gain, colluded with others in corruption, and did everything he could and couldn't do. He had a mess to clean up.

He's been doing so well all these years, and the only reason he hasn't been purged is because he's on the Luo family gang's ship.

Third, the plan to assassinate Zhou Silang may seem extremely risky, but it is actually a sure thing. Taking advantage of the fact that the two sides have not yet started fighting, we can seize the opportunity to strike and kill him in the wild to completely solve the problem.

There's no need to worry about being investigated afterwards, because in everyone's eyes, the war between the Luo family gang and the Zhou family gang has just begun. Neither side has suffered any losses, and there is no enmity between them yet. It is unknown whether they will fight or make peace.

The two sides can easily engage in back-and-forth negotiations through repeated clashes, with the winner seizing power and the loser compromising. It's far from escalating to a life-or-death struggle, and there's no need to kill anyone. This is the normal process of conflict.

No one would have expected the Luo family gang to be so audacious. People would only suspect those who had old grudges against Zhou Qingfeng, such as the Python Sparrow Royal Family, who would be the perfect scapegoat.

If the First Family and the Python Royal Family, two behemoths, were to get entangled in this matter, who would care about these hidden minions? So this matter can be done quietly, but it is only an exception.

Sword Tower City, Dungeon.

The so-called dungeon is not the prison of the Night Patrol. The Night Patrol's prison is only a temporary place for detaining and interrogating criminals. The place where criminals who have been tried and sentenced are officially imprisoned is completely different.

The Sword Tower dungeon is just a pit three zhang in diameter, with two magical cages for raising and lowering. These two cages lead directly to a depth of ten thousand meters underground, and both jailers and prisoners can only enter and exit through this passage.

Yan Wenjiu, dressed in a black robe and wearing a mask, did not use any connections or seek help from any acquaintances or friends. He simply used some money to bribe the prison guards and successfully entered the dungeon by riding the elevator under the pretext of visiting Gu Daozhao.

The dungeon is 10,000 meters deep, and the prisoners work there.

Gu Daozhao and his gang were all imprisoned here and forced to work. They hadn't seen the sun for ten years. Every day, they wore the old shackles that sealed their magic and supernatural powers, and did heavy physical labor like ordinary people, and were often hungry.

In addition, they also suffer special treatment from prison guards and bullying from fellow inmates every day, because they have been instructed to torture them to death if they can't be tortured to death, and never let them leave the dungeon alive in their lifetime.

Therefore, these people are in a very bad situation; any criminal can ride roughshod over them.

Over the past decade, of the original 100 guards, only 20 remain.

Four out of five people feel that life is worse than death, and in their despair, they choose suicide.

"Trash, garbage, scum!" A jailer, wielding a long whip, roared and insulted the group of barely clothed criminals, "You bunch of beasts, you piece of shit! Keeping you alive is a waste of the Sword Tower's resources. The city lord is merciful, giving you a chance to serve your sentences and reform yourselves here. You better cherish it!"

The countless prisoners around him were drenched in sweat. Upon hearing this, they subconsciously worked even harder to dig and transport the slag.

These slags are worthless.

Because over the past ten thousand years, all the exploitable natural resources in Sword Tower City have been exhausted.

These prisoners toil in a dungeon thousands of meters deep to build an underground shelter, a place for the people of Sword Tower to hide in case demons and monsters attack the city or start a war with other city lords.

These criminals can atone for their sins through labor and also contribute to the Tower of Swords, achieving two goals at once.

There are many such civilian underground shelters beneath Sword Tower City, which were originally dungeons.

Once war begins, these constructed underground shelters will be put into immediate use, ensuring that the vast majority of Sword Tower's legitimate citizens can survive the brutal war.

"Brother, I can't take it anymore. Three years after three years, then another three years, ten years have passed. When will we see the light of day again?" A former guard of the Devouring Fiend Realm knelt down, covered his face, and wept bitterly.

Gu Daozhao squatted down, patted his back, and comforted him, "Hang in there, don't give up."

"Hold on! Hold on! Brother, what are we holding on to? Even if we get out alive, we're doomed. Serving time here is worse than death, a never-ending nightmare. We might as well just end up killing ourselves."

Seeing his brother crying and pounding the ground, Gu Daozhao comforted him, "Brother, pull yourself together. It's better to live a miserable life than to die. At least we're still alive now, and we still have a chance to live in the future."

"Believe me, keep going, I don't believe prison can keep us locked up for life."

"Let's wait until everyone forgets about us, then we won't have to go back to serve the royal family when we leave."

"Because in the eyes of the royal family we have already done our duty through our actions. The person is already dead. The royal family will treat our family well. We just need to go out and live in anonymity and start over."

"Brother, be patient. As long as you're alive, there will be a chance!"

Seeing the two men whispering and cursing, the jailer kicked each of them, causing the two prisoners to instinctively cover their heads and beg for mercy. The jailer cursed, "Damn it, do you think you're on vacation? Chatting like this, do you want me to get you some food and drinks?"

Gu Daozhao's body was in decline, and his magical power and supernatural abilities were sealed by the old shackles. He couldn't even defeat a normal mortal woman, and even if he wanted to resist the jailers, he didn't have the strength to do so.

They could only silently endure the insults and beatings from the prison guards.

Fortunately, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. He is, after all, a cultivator at the Poison-Eating Realm. Even if he can't use anything, he is still a high-dimensional life form that can control the rules, a proper rule god.

Even if he lies still, he is not someone that a low-level jailer in the Food Turbid Realm could harm. Being beaten would at most cause him to lose face and self-esteem, and leave him with a few more footprints on his body. Other than that, there is nothing else to worry about.

After venting his anger, the jailer pointed at Gu Daozhao and said, "You two will each get an extra year in your sentences. Damn it, if I see you chatting while you're working again, I'll add another year. I don't believe I won't add enough to make you rot in jail."

Gu Daozhao, being both flexible and resilient, helped his brother to his feet and repeatedly bowed in apology: "We're sorry, we're sorry, we know we were wrong, we'll never do it again, we'll get back to work right away."

Seeing this, the jailer's anger subsided slightly, and he urged the two to continue moving the slag.

At that moment, a colleague came over and whispered a few words in the jailer's ear.

The jailer was taken aback and frowned slightly: "You mean someone wants to get Gu Daozhao and his gang out? Impossible. These are people personally selected and cared for by Young Master Zhou. Who would dare to let them out? You're tired of living, and I'm not tired of living yet."

The colleague pulled the jailer to a secluded corner and said, "Brother, don't rush to refuse. That man is willing to pay 600,000 magic coins per person to let us release him quietly. He will then leave Sword Tower City with his men."

"When the time comes, we'll report to our superiors that these prisoners committed suicide in the dungeon, and that will be the end of it. Nobody will know, and Young Master Zhou won't find out either."

“We’re all just working. Do you really want to spend your whole life dealing with these criminals? This dungeon is stuffy and hot, the working conditions are terrible. You only earn two or three thousand yuan a month. Tell me, is it worth it?”

“Listen to me, let these people go. I’ve calculated it, there are 20 of them left. Letting them go will get us 12 million in magic money. Even if we split it equally, you and I will each get 6 million in magic money.”

A colleague punched the jailer in the chest, hoping to wake him up: "Six million in legal fees! How many years would it take you to earn that much as a jailer? You'd have to work for a full 166 years!"

"During this period, one must not eat, drink, or practice any cultivation, and must not have any expenses in order to earn six million in Dharma money."

"Now that you have this money, we can marry wives and concubines, buy land and houses, what's wrong with that? Power is meant to be used, and we have this opportunity, and we happen to have this power, so why not do it?"

The jailer was tempted, but still said, "Are you sure they'll leave the Sword Tower immediately after getting the person out? If they reappear on the Sword Tower ground, our secret release will be exposed."

A colleague said, "Are you stupid? When we're exposed, we'll just quit and leave. With six million in legal money, we can settle down anywhere. Why continue to be a lowly jailer in Jianta?"

The jailer gritted his teeth and stamped his foot: "Fine, we'll do it your way."

Soon, Gu Daozhao and his nineteen brothers were rescued by Yan Wenjiu for 12 million.

Money can pave the way more effectively than acquaintances and friends, and the two jailers even escorted them out of Sword Tower City to ensure they would never appear on the surface of Sword Tower City again, so as not to implicate them.

In the grove outside Sword Tower City, Gu Daozhao and the others regained their freedom, and they wept with joy. However, the elixirs, magical artifacts, talismans and other treasures that they had carried with them before being imprisoned were not returned to them.

Gu Daozhao and his companions have suffered ten years of torment, resulting in a deficiency of both qi and blood, and a significant drop in combat power. Their fighting strength is now less than half of their peak. Without a year or two of recuperation and rest, they will likely never be able to recover to their peak combat power.

Gu Daozhao faced the masked man in black robes, clasped his hands and said, "Thank you for saving us. May I ask who you are? We brothers will remember your kindness today and will repay you tenfold if we have the chance in the future."

Yan Wenjiu waved his sleeve and said, "Just call me Wumian. Don't ask any more questions. Zhou Qingfeng is currently in Yangjiazhuang, seven miles away, with only two attendants. I'm asking you if you want to avenge your master, Huangfu Yunzheng."

Gu Daozhao's expression froze for a moment, then he bowed and clasped his hands in a salute: "I'm sorry, Mr. Faceless, we are just a bunch of dead men. After ten years of imprisonment, I only want to start over with the remaining brothers and do not want to get involved in any more conflicts."

Upon hearing the unexpected answer, Yan Wenjiu was immediately taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "What did you say? Say it again?"

P.S.: Please give me a reward, free gifts, follow me, keep up with my updates, and give me a good review. My legs are numb; the muscles in the back of my left calf go numb when I sit. I'm thinking of going to the hospital to get it checked out. I don't know if it's a herniated disc or if sitting for too long is compressing the nerves in my left calf.