"I don't know either. Anyway, we're short on people. Hurry up and come back with me."
Uncle Huo took a gulp of water from the vat, only speaking after he'd finished drinking.
"Alright, I'll come back with you right away."
Jiang Feng nodded.
When they reached the door and passed over the threshold—
Crack.
Jiang Feng tripped and fell face-first onto the ground.
"Hey, Xiao Jiang! Are you alright?"
Uncle Huo just heard a crack and saw Jiang Feng sprawled on the doorstep, completely motionless.
"Xiao Jiang, don't scare me—wake up."
Uncle Huo hurried to pick Jiang Feng up, laid him in his arms, and pinched Jiang Feng's philtrum, but Jiang Feng didn't move at all.
"How did this happen? Oh no, what am I going to do?"
Uncle Huo was at a complete loss, so he could only carry Jiang Feng back inside, lay him on the bed, then fetch a bowl of water from the yard, pry Jiang Feng's mouth open, and try to pour water in, hoping to wake him up by choking him a bit.
But Jiang Feng still didn't budge.
Uncle Huo had no choice but to call for a physician.
It cost him two big copper coins; the physician said, "Looks like he hit his head. He'll need some proper rest. He might wake up in two or three days."
"This... Sigh, it's all my fault for rushing him to come back to the prison with me."
Uncle Huo wore a look of self-blame.
"In this condition, even if he does wake up, he can't go back to the prison with you. I'll prescribe a few doses of medicine. Give him one in the morning and one at night. If he hasn't woken up in three days, call me again."
The physician spoke sincerely.
"Thank you, doctor. Guess that's all I can do for now."
Uncle Huo had no other options and could only follow instructions.
After the physician left, he looked at Jiang Feng lying unconscious on the bed, sighed, and said, "Now this is trouble. Not only can't you go back, I have to stay to take care of you too. Fine, if they dock my pay, so be it. I'll go tell the Prison Chief, then come back to look after you."
After Uncle Huo left,
Jiang Feng, who'd been feigning unconsciousness on the bed, opened his eyes.
He sat up from the bed, eyebrows tightly furrowed.
As an Eighth Grade Bone Refining Martial Artist, how could he possibly knock himself out just by tripping?
The whole thing had been a ruse; it was all intentional.
Just to avoid going back to Zhenbei Prison.
After seeing Yang Qi get locked up, he had felt a bad premonition.
And now, with Uncle Huo personally coming to fetch him, he didn't need to think twice—something major must have happened in the prison.
Whether or not it involved Yang Qi,
He couldn't go back no matter what.
Even if it meant cracking his skull, he'd rather lie low outside for a few more days.
He then checked his status panel.
Name: Jiang Feng
Fortune Point: 423
Cultivation Technique: Prison Guard Health Care Skill
Skills: Prison Guard Long Fist
Realm: Eighth Grade (Bone Refining)
Divine Power: Immortality
Sure enough, he saw that his Fortune Point had increased.
After fooling Uncle Huo, his Fortune Point jumped by 62—proving that something big really had happened in Zhenbei Prison. For small-time prison guards like them, even if they never mess up, as soon as some big shot gets pissed off and picks them as a target, they can only suck it up and take the fall.
In the Great Tang, the people in power never cared whether little nobodies like them lived or died.
He'd seen it on TV in his last life—some Royal Family and Relatives, when pissed off outside, would come home and vent their anger on the servants, beating them for fun, even slicing them up like fruit.
Night fell.
"Xiao Jiang, are you awake yet?"
Uncle Huo was back.
Seems he was busy for a long time before managing to get leave.
Jiang Feng kept lying in bed.
"Xiao Jiang, you have to wake up soon. Your uncle's an old man, can't handle these scares—if anything happens to you, all this stuff of yours, I wouldn't even know where to put it in my place!"
Uncle Huo sat at the bedhead, watched him for a while, then went to the kitchen to brew Jiang Feng's medicine, grumbling and muttering as he worked.
The medicine prescribed by the physician had to be simmered from three bowls of water down to half a bowl over a small fire.
Uncle Huo minded the fire in the kitchen and fiddled around a long time before he finally got it down to half a bowl.
He was a rough guy.
Sitting on the bedside, he let Jiang Feng's upper body rest in his arms, pried open Jiang Feng's mouth, and spooned the decoction into his mouth—afraid it was too hot, he blew on it several times first.
Jiang Feng stayed motionless, letting Uncle Huo pour the medicine into his mouth, letting it trickle out at the corners of his lips.
"Swallow it, don't spit it out—man, what am I supposed to do? Fine, fine, Uncle will feed you mouth-to-mouth!"
Uncle Huo was completely helpless. He knew getting someone unconscious to swallow was basically impossible.
"Cough, cough!"
Jiang Feng choked.
His eyes blinked, his lips slightly parted.
"Xiao Jiang, are you awake? It's me—drink the medicine and you'll be fine."
Uncle Huo's face brightened—finally, Jiang Feng was showing signs of life.
He tried feeding him another spoonful of medicine—this time, Jiang Feng's throat reflexively swallowed a little, not much, but in Uncle Huo's eyes, it was a miracle. He carefully fed him, spoonful by spoonful.
Until the half bowl was done,
He laid Jiang Feng back on the bed, then wiped his mouth with his sleeve, not forgetting the small details.
Then he dozed off next to the kerosene lamp.
When he really couldn't take it anymore, Uncle Huo nudged Jiang Feng toward the wall so that he was pressed against it, then lay down on the bed together, muttering, "Old Huo's life sure is hard. Tonight, it's just you and me."
Soon after, Uncle Huo began snoring like thunder—it looked like, after seeing Jiang Feng was conscious, he finally relaxed enough to sleep soundly.
Without realizing it, he rolled up all the covers, leaving Jiang Feng completely uncovered.
Pushed up against the wall, Jiang Feng had to endure the cold, but had no choice except to tough it out until dawn.
The next day.
Old Huo got up, showing his big yellow teeth, opened wide like a hippo, and deliberately breathed a few mouthfuls of stinky air in Jiang Feng's face, trying to choke him awake with his bad breath.
Jiang Feng didn't move a muscle. He dug claw marks into the bedboard with the hand he'd hidden under the covers.
"A whole night and still not moving..."
Uncle Huo pinched Jiang Feng's face, then left in disappointment to cook medicine and breakfast in the kitchen.
"I'm here to take care of you—eating some extra of your rice isn't too much, right?"
Uncle Huo cooked himself a big pot of porridge—seeing a few eggs stashed in the cupboard below, he cracked all three in, stirring them into the boiling porridge. It was now egg custard congee.
After he'd eaten his fill,
He brought the freshly brewed medicine to Jiang Feng's room and found Jiang Feng's left eye slightly shut while his right eye stared at the beams above.
"Xiao Jiang, you awake? It's okay, you'll recover soon."
Upon seeing that, Uncle Huo quickly set the medicine down, sat on the bed, and rubbed Jiang Feng's hand.
Jiang Feng's right eye darted around, signaling to Uncle Huo: I may not be able to move, but I'm conscious, don't try anything stupid!
"Hahaha! Heaven's merciful—I knew you'd be fine! Come on, take your medicine."
Uncle Huo noticed, and was grinning from ear to ear. He pried open Jiang Feng's mouth again and started pouring the medicine in.