Chapter 257 - 255: Reformation
"Re-education?"
A subtle stir and wave of whispers immediately spread through the crowd below the stage.
"That’s right, re-education. On this island, there are over 360 prisoners. The Court has not imprisoned them here merely for punishment, but also in the hope that they can be reformed and guided toward good. The topic for your Second Level is the re-education of the masses."
Lu Zhongping nodded and explained the rules in detail. "The time limit is three days. You will once again enter the prisoners’ settlement on the island. Each of you must find your own way to persuade and reform these prisoners, making them follow your orders and arrangements. Successfully re-educating a single person counts as passing this level. The more people you re-educate, the higher your evaluation will be."
"The method is not limited! You may each display your own abilities as you see fit. There are only three rules."
Lu Zhongping’s voice suddenly turned harsh. "One, you are not to take their lives. Two, you are not to promise them exoneration, escape, or the like. Three, you are not to attack one another or steal prisoners already re-educated by others. Any violation will result in disqualification. Wanton killing is forbidden by national law."
As soon as he said this, a wave of irrepressible gasps and whispers broke out below the stage.
Even the ten observers looked astonished.
’Re-educate that bunch of criminals?’
Most of them were desperate fugitives, ferocious and cunning.
’If they could be so easily reformed, why would the Court need to imprison them on this deserted island?’
Having experienced the difficulty of the first level, everyone was well aware of how troublesome these prisoners were. Getting them to sincerely repent and obey orders was practically an impossible task.
Many cursed silently in their hearts. ’Who on earth came up with such a deliberately difficult test question?’
’Are they even trying to let people pass the Martial Examination anymore?’
However, everyone knew that things had already come to this point. Further complaints were meaningless.
The test had been set; their only choice was to brace themselves and face it.
Lu Zhongping took in everyone’s reactions, but he wasn’t surprised. He continued to announce, "It is already late today. You will all rest for a night in the camp on the island and think carefully about your strategies. At 7:00 AM tomorrow, the Second Level assessment will officially begin."
Hearing they had a night to prepare, many secretly sighed in relief.
The Scholars who knew each other began to gather in twos and threes, discussing in low voices.
The ten observers also gathered to one side, occasionally chiming in with suggestions. But their proposed strategies mostly consisted of ideas like overpowering them with force, promising great rewards, or using sophistry and bluffs.
Li Jiyan’s gaze swept across the crowd, finally landing on Chen Shouheng, who stood alone to the side, brow furrowed in thought. Li Jiyan quickly walked over to him.
The ideas sounded plausible, but upon deeper reflection, they seemed rather impractical for dealing with these hardened bandits.
"Junior Brother Chen."
Li Jiyan’s tone was warm. "This Second Level of re-education sounds even trickier than the first. I wonder, have you thought of any brilliant strategies?"
Chen Shouheng snapped out of his contemplation and shook his head. "I don’t have a clue yet. I’ll just have to play it by ear tomorrow."
Li Jiyan glanced around. Seeing that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and leaned in closer. "As your elder brother, I happen to have a method. I can’t say how many it will re-educate, but I’m seventy to eighty percent confident I can handle at least a dozen people."
"Oh?"
Chen Shouheng raised an eyebrow slightly, looking at Li Jiyan.
A flash of smugness crossed Li Jiyan’s eyes as he whispered, "This method is quite clever, but it requires someone to cooperate. If you, Chen, are willing to lend me a hand, the number of people we re-educate will surely put us far ahead of the others. We’ll be guaranteed a top-tier evaluation for this level. What do you say?"
Hearing this, Chen Shouheng’s brow furrowed even deeper.
Ever since Lu Zhongping had announced the test, he had been pondering methods of re-education.
’Threats? Bribes?’
He had, of course, considered these common tactics.
Perhaps a few spineless individuals among the prisoners on the island could be cowed by force, but he feared most were desperate men who would rather break than bend.
’Bribes?’
As for bribery, what meaning would ordinary wealth have for men sentenced to life imprisonment?
What they most likely craved was to leave this Sin Island.
That path of making promises had already been blocked off.
As for other minor favors, whether they could move these men would depend on the individual. It was hard to say.
Beyond that, the only thing Chen Shouheng could think of was relying on his A Dream of the South Secret Skill. Perhaps he could try using his Divine Sense to influence the prisoners’ minds and guide them to repentance.
He wasn’t even sure if it would work.
Moreover, this method was extremely draining. Even if he could pull it off, he could re-educate one person at most.
And yet this Li Jiyan, in such a short amount of time, was certain he could re-educate more than ten people?
’Cheating!’
The word was like an ice pick, stabbing suddenly into the depths of Chen Shouheng’s heart and sending a slight chill down his spine.
’Why has Li Jiyan been so confident since the very beginning of the Martial Examination?’
’Why does he keep seeking me out time and again?’
’What is he really plotting?’
’Could it be that he’s targeting me?’
The year of turmoil and experience at the Martial Arts Academy put Chen Shouheng on high alert in an instant.
After a year of Cultivation at the Martial Arts Academy, where he had experienced deception and other incidents, his temperament had matured, and his vigilance had greatly increased. He immediately sensed something was amiss.
Warning bells rang in his heart, but his face remained impassive. He politely refused, "I appreciate your kind offer, Senior Brother. But I want to try on my own. As for the title of Jieyuan, I dare not hope for it. I’ll be content just to pass the Provincial Examination."
Li Jiyan hadn’t expected Chen Shouheng to refuse so decisively. He was stunned for a moment, then quickly continued, "Junior Brother Chen, why sell yourself short? With your abilities, you can achieve great things. Think about it, the treatment for the top three in the Provincial Examination is worlds apart from that of other Scholars.
"Especially the Jieyuan. Not only do you get priority in official appointments, a tax exemption on five thousand acres of land, and corvée exemption for three generations of your family, but more importantly, you can directly enter the National Reserve Institute for Cultivation.
"That’s a Martial Arts Academy established by the Court, right at the foot of the Emperor, a place where the nation’s finest talents gather! How can the resources of He Niu Martial Arts Academy even compare? It would be an immense help for passing the Advanced Scholar examination in the future. This opportunity is too good to miss!"
The more extravagantly he painted the picture, the deeper Chen Shouheng’s suspicions grew.
’If it’s really that good, wouldn’t it be better for you, Li Jiyan, to keep it to yourself and reap all the rewards? Why not take the top spot all for yourself?’
’Why insist on sharing this massive benefit with me?’
’It makes no sense, logically or emotionally.’
’Something this abnormal must be a trap!’
His resolve hardening, Chen Shouheng shook his head again. "I’m grateful for your high regard, Senior Brother. But to each their own. I still want to try it alone. I wish you success tomorrow."
Seeing that Chen Shouheng was completely unpersuaded, the warm smile on Li Jiyan’s face gradually faded. His brow furrowed, and an imperceptible coldness flashed in the depths of his eyes.
He stared at Chen Shouheng for a moment. Seeing his resolute attitude, he could only say resentfully, "Since Junior Brother insists, then... have it your way. I hope you achieve swift success."
With that, he said no more, turned, and walked away, his expression terrifyingly dark.
...
「The next day, 7:00 AM.」
The morning mist had not yet dispersed.
Lu Zhongping announced in a deep voice, "The Second Level, the test of re-education, begins now. The time limit is three days. You are on your own."
The crowd of candidates acknowledged the order and, without further delay, turned and entered the mountain forest shrouded in morning haze.
Chen Shouheng did not rush to the front.
He blended into the crowd, but his gaze remained faintly locked onto Li Jiyan, who was not far ahead.
Li Jiyan was not moving alone. Instead, accompanied by a slender, grim-faced young man in black, he broke away from the main group, chose a secluded path, and headed deeper into the island.
Chen Shouheng impassively slowed his pace, tailing them from a great distance.
Using his Power of Divine Sense, which far surpassed theirs, he carefully sensed the movements ahead.
Li Jiyan and the young man in black did not seem to be in a hurry.
They moved across the island at a leisurely pace, sometimes stopping to observe the terrain, sometimes conferring in low voices.
From early morning until the sun began to set in the west, the two of them circled almost the entire island.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that they finally stopped near a relatively open settlement with five or six simple stone huts.
Li Jiyan shot the black-clad youth a look, then his figure flickered and he silently concealed himself behind a nearby pile of rocks.
The young man in black, however, strode toward the stone huts.
Soon, harsh shouts and the sounds of a fierce fight came from the direction of the stone huts.
"How dare you come here and cause trouble!"
"Grab your weapons!"
The young man in black had burst in and done something to provoke the crowd’s fury.
Shouts, the clash of weapons, and the dull thuds of fists and feet hitting flesh filled the air.
Although the young man in black only had a Qi Realm Perfection Cultivation, his opponents were prisoners whose abilities had long since been crippled, relying only on their physical bodies and brawling skills.
In just a few moments, the sounds of fighting gradually died down, replaced by waves of painful groans and suppressed curses.
The young man in black forced open each prisoner’s mouth, stuffed a dark pill inside, and made them swallow.
Then, he sneered, his voice bone-chillingly cold. "A bunch of worthless trash who don’t know what’s good for them. If I weren’t forbidden from killing, today would be your last.
"Heh, you’ve taken my poison. In three months, your guts will rot and you’ll die in agony. By the time you’re dead, no one will be able to trace it back to me."
After speaking, the young man in black spat on the ground and swaggered off, leaving behind a group of prisoners filled with bone-deep hatred.
After the black-clad youth left, Li Jiyan did not appear.
Instead, he waited until the sun had set and the sky was growing dark before showing himself.
Upon entering, he first asked with concern, "Gentlemen, how did you get so badly injured? I know a little about medicine. Would you allow me to take a look?"
The eight men watched him warily, but seeing his kind face and polite demeanor, their guard lowered slightly.
The island lacked medicine, and the pain was unbearable.
They immediately agreed to let Li Jiyan bandage them.
Li Jiyan said no more. He took out Golden Sore Medicine and skillfully set their bones, stopped the bleeding, and bandaged their wounds.
As he worked, he sighed. "To commit such a brutal act in broad daylight... and a Court Scholar, no less! It’s truly outrageous. Gentlemen, rest assured, now that I have witnessed this, I cannot simply stand by and do nothing.
"If you trust me, I am willing to lead you to find that scoundrel and take revenge. Furthermore, I will definitely report this matter to the Academic Administrator. The Court’s laws are strict; they will surely grant you justice."
At these words, the light of hope immediately ignited in the eyes of three of the eight prisoners.
However, five of them remained watchful and silent, clearly half-believing and half-doubting Li Jiyan’s claims.
Seeing this, Li Jiyan didn’t press them. Instead, he appeared open and honest. "It’s only natural for you to have doubts. How about this? I’ll first take the three brothers who are willing to believe me to find that scoundrel.
"You five can follow alongside and witness it for yourselves. If I speak even half a false word, or if my intentions are malicious, it won’t be too late for you to make your decision then."
This tactic of advancing by retreating completely dispelled the last five men’s reservations. "Alright, we’ll go with you."