Chapter 418 - 229: Old Acquaintance and Parting (Part 2)
"Zhao Kang! You animal!"
"If you’ve got the balls, then kill me! What kind of man soaks me in a water prison?!"
The angry curses of the prisoners rose and fell, accompanied by the SPLASH of churning water.
Among them, the one cursing the loudest, with the most resonant voice, was a burly man locked in a specially made, large iron cage in the deepest part of the prison.
The filthy water rose past his chest, but he still held his head high, like a lion trapped in a swamp.
His iconic square face was flushed beet-red, and though his temples were streaked with gray, the fierce, sharp glint in his eyes had not diminished in the slightest.
It was none other than the Seven Stars Gang’s Elder, Li Rushan!
"Zhao Kang! You son of a bitch! You killed the Gang Leader! I, Li Rushan, will hunt you down even in death!"
Li Rushan roared, his hands violently gripping the bars and sending a spray of stinking water splashing onto the stone walkway.
"Insolence! You’re at death’s door and still running your mouth!"
Seeing this, a jailer hoping to impress His Majesty immediately bellowed, snatched a salt-water-soaked leather whip from the wall, and moved to lash Li Rushan!
"Stop!"
A sharp cry rang out.
It was none other than Zhao Kang!
The jailer froze, whip poised in mid-air, and stared blankly at his master.
Seeing this, Li Rushan showed not an ounce of gratitude. Instead, he sneered and spat fiercely in Zhao Kang’s direction, the gob of saliva landing beside his boot.
"Pah! Zhao Kang, stop putting on a show for my sake!"
"The tough-guy act didn’t work, so now you’re trying to play nice? Let me tell you, it’s useless! Your grandpa here doesn’t fall for either!"
"Trying to get information out of me? Keep dreaming! I’ll rot in this Water Prison before I give you a single word!"
Zhao Kang’s expression stiffened. Staring at the spit by his boot, he would have killed the man long ago if this were the past.
But now, he subconsciously glanced at the master behind him, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He didn’t dare to respond.
He meekly retreated to one side, clearing the narrow stone walkway.
At that moment, Jiang Che, who had been standing in the shadows, slowly walked forward.
The dungeon was dimly lit, and with Jiang Che backlit, Li Rushan couldn’t see the newcomer’s face clearly at first.
He just assumed this was some negotiator Zhao Kang had brought and was about to start cursing again:
"Which rock did this lackey crawl out from? Get lost! I..."
However, the words caught in his throat before he could finish.
The young man didn’t speak. Instead, his figure blurred, and in an instant, he was right in front of him!
He was so fast Li Rushan’s naked eye couldn’t follow!
Then, the young man reached out and gripped one of the Refined Iron bars, which was as thick as a man’s arm.
CRACK!
With a crisp snap, the Refined Iron bar—so strong that even a Force Integration Artist could barely budge it—
—was bent and twisted in the young man’s hands as easily as a twig!
The young man then showed no disgust for the filthy water.
He reached into the murky, ice-cold sewage and grabbed hold of the special Profound Iron Chain that pierced Li Rushan’s Pipa bones and was anchored to a massive stone at the bottom.
"You..." Li Rushan’s eyes widened.
’What is this young man trying to do?’
The next second.
SNAP!!!
Jiang Che’s arm jolted slightly!
The Profound Iron Chain submerged at the bottom of the pool was instantly snapped apart by the force!
Li Rushan felt his body grow light as the heavy sensation of being anchored to the bottom of the pool vanished instantly.
He was utterly stunned.
He himself was a master at the Great Success stage of Force Integration, born with Divine Power, yet he couldn’t budge the chain an inch, even with all his might!
’But in this young man’s hands, it was as easy as snapping a rotten piece of seaweed?!’
’What kind of terrifying strength is this?’
’The Refining Organ Realm?’
’No... Even Zhao Kang, a master of the Refining Organ Realm, could never do it so easily!’
’Who on earth is this person?!’
He raised his head in shock and suspicion, and by the torchlight, he finally got a clear look at the face of the young man squatting before him.
It was a young, handsome face, yet one that held a certain steadiness.
His aura was completely different, but those features...
’He looks... why is he so familiar?’
Li Rushan froze, opening his mouth to speak but not daring to confirm his suspicion.
Just then, ignoring the cold, stinking filth covering Li Rushan, Jiang Che reached out and took a firm grip on the elder’s waterlogged, pale hands. Then, with a slight exertion and a great SPLASH, he lifted the burly man straight out of the Water Prison and set him down on the dry stone walkway.
He looked at the hearty elder who had once taken such good care of him and said in a deep voice:
"Elder Li, it’s me!"
"Jiang Che!"
BOOM!!!
The name exploded in Li Rushan’s mind like a clap of thunder!
His entire body jolted. His fierce eyes shot wide open as he stared fixedly at the person before him, lips trembling.
"Jiang... Jiang Che?!"
"You’re... Jiang the Kid?!"
"Is it really you?!"
His face was a mask of joyous disbelief.
’The boy who disappeared three years ago... he’s back?’
’And with such terrifying power that he can snap a Profound Iron Chain with his bare hands?’
Jiang Che nodded. He released a small amount of his True Qi, and a gentle, warm current instantly enveloped Li Rushan, driving the chill from his bones.
He then moved again in a blur.
CRACK!
SPLASH!
More sharp cracks echoed out, accompanied by the sound of splashing water.
He rescued two more elders from the adjacent water cells in quick succession.
One of them, whose hair and beard were completely white, had muscles that were knotted like the gnarled roots of an ancient tree.
It was none other than Situ Xuan of the Seven Stars Gang’s Weapon Forging Hall—the man who had gifted Jiang Che the Kunji Saber!
He stared at the chains Jiang Che had casually torn apart, his normally cold and stern face now filled with utter shock.