HMIME Chapter 3: Ancient People are truly funny

There were no windows in the dungeon, and Bai Lu didn’t know if it was day or night. But judging from the sound, the rain seemed to have stopped, so it might be morning.

Bai Lu sat cross-legged on the couch, idly playing with the slingshot in his hand.

… He wants to smoke, drink, and play with his mobile phone. Even the fighting ring that once disgusted him is very attractive now.

The opposite cell is now empty, and there was no one else to pass the time with.

Although that prisoner committed suicide because of him, Bai Lu didn’t feel the slightest guilt. According to the Prison Guard, this criminal was originally the son of an official, abusing his power and trampling a five-year-old child to death on horseback in the bustling market, then enraged, he ordered his servants to injure the child’s father.

Bailu felt that he deserved to die, and even wanted to dance on his grave.
Of course, dancing was out of the question now. This art was too early for ancient people. Bai Lu could only sit bored on the bed, leaning against the wall, watching the guards interrogate the prisoner next door.
The sound of the whip hitting flesh mixed with the man’s screams, made it particularly terrifying. Coupled with  the dim, damp, and cold environment of the dungeon, with the scent of blood lingering in the air, it felt like hell on earth.

Through the cell door, Bai Lu could vaguely see the man tied to the torture frame, covered in blood, his face bruised and swollen.

And the guards’ expressions were very cold at this time, seemingly unmoved, just fiercely wielding the whip and harshly interrogating.

It was at this moment that Bai Lu vaguely realized what era he was in. If Chu Ya had been a bit more ruthless, he might have ended up just like that prisoner.

Although he felt some empathy for his ‘neighbor’s’ situation, Bai Lu didn’t sympathize with him. There were no good people locked up in the dungeon. It was said that this prisoner had raped/killed two young women, and even in the face of overwhelming evidence, he still tried to argue his way out and refused to reveal the location of the bodies.

Bai Lu despised men who bullied women the most and wished he could go over and kick him a few times.
Thinking of women, Bai Lu remembered the sachet given to him by the women who accompanied him to the palace before.

Anyway, since he had nothing else to do, Bai Lu took out the sachet and casually squeezed it, only to hear a sound similar to paper rubbing. Was there something inside?

Curious, he opened the sachet. Besides various fragrant spices, there was also a tightly wrapped paper packet and a note inside.

Opening the note, he saw a short sentence written on it: Find the right opportunity and poison the emperor.

“?!” Bai Lu’s heart jumped, immediately clenched his fist, crumpled the note, stuffed it into his mouth, and swallowed it. No matter how reckless he was, he knew that being discovered with that sentence would mean a death sentence for his entire family until nine generations.

Bai Lu subconsciously raised his hand and touched his face: Damn it, could that Lin Xiao’an, the famous lute player at Wangyue Tower, who looked so weak and delicate, be an assassin?!

Then the other paper packet should contain the poison. Bai Lu twirled it with his fingers, and the sensation on his fingertips told him that there was indeed a powdery substance inside.

At this moment, a guard put down his whip, wiped the blood splattered on his face, walked to the door of the cell, and knocked on the wooden door frame respectfully, asking, “Young Master Lin, it’s past the hour of Chen, do you want breakfast?”

Bai Lu didn’t react at first to being called, but a few seconds later he hurriedly responded, “Yes,” and quickly stuffed the poison packet back into the sachet, tucking it into his pocket.

The guard continued, “Shall we go with the arrangements from the past two days?”

Bai Lu thought for a moment, “Is there wine?”

The guard replied, “Apologies, Young Master, His Majesty ordered that you cannot have wine.”
Bai Lu muttered irritably, “bastard Chu Ya!”

The guard was frightened, his legs almost giving way, and he nearly knelt down. The man who had just wielded the whip like a demon now looked like a mouse that had seen a cat, his face grim as he advised, “Young Master, please don’t say such things, This is….. It’s so disrespectful, you will be beheaded”

Bai Lu thought ancient people were really funny, so he deliberately teased him, “What words? Is it the sentence about bastard Chu Ya? Or is it the sentence I said before about blowing off that little bastard’s head when I gets out?”

The guard immediately knelt down as if seeing a real Buddha, vigorously kowtowing to the ground, his face turning green with fear, “Please stop talking, I will prepare breakfast for you right away.”

Soon, the prison door was opened, and two guards carried a rosewood table into the cell. Earlier, one of the guards had brought in a food container and began placing dishes on the table one by one.

A bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest porridge, a bowl of tofu and egg soup, a plate of steamed bass, a plate of sautéed duck meat, a plate of red and green shredded bamboo shoots, a plate of sweet and savory snacks, a plate of seasonal fruits, a cup of hot milk, and a pot of clear tea.

This was certainly not the kind of meal one would expect in a dungeon. Even for wealthy households in the capital city, they only have this kind of food in the morning. The other prisoners in the cell couldn’t help but turn green with envy.

As the guards arranged everything, they kept their backs to Bai Lu, probably feeling that he posed no threat, so they didn’t pay much attention to him.

Bai Lu sat on the bed, silently scrutinizing the three of them: all of them were over six feet tall, strong, with a baton tied around their waists to intimidate prisoners.

Bai Lu was skilled in unarmed combat. He was formidable in fights during his youth, and later learned some Sanda techniques from his master in the arena.

If it were his previous life, Bai Lu was 70% sure that he could defeat them and swagger out of the dungeon. But with his current body and strength, even killing a chicken would be difficult.

He now felt what it was like to be a tiger with its teeth pulled out.

Feeling worried and uncomfortable, Bai Lu’s back felt cold, his head dizzy and swollen. Despite the spread of food on the table, he had no appetite whatsoever.

He simply pulled up the quilt and lay down again.

Finally, the guards placed a pair of redwood chopsticks on the jade chopstick rest and turned to call out to Bai Lu, “Young Master Lin, it’s time for breakfast.”

Bai Lu waved his hand indifferently. “You all go ahead, I’m not hungry.”

One of the guards approached, looked at him, and hesitated. “Young Master, you don’t look too good. Have you caught a chill?”

“A chill?” Bai Lu furrowed his brow, his mind somewhat sluggish. It took a moment for him to react. “Oh, you mean a cold. No, I’m fine, I never… Ah-choo!”

The guard quickly brought a cup of hot water and and waited for him to drink it. Then he said: “Sir, I’d better go and report to your majesty. If you know that the young master is sick, his majesty will definitely let you out.”

Bai Lu glanced at him unhappily. “Do you have to bother His Majesty for everything? What does he know?!”

With one sentence, Bai Lu not only addressed His Majesty by name but also made disrespectful remarks, which greatly frightened the guard. A big, tall man could hardly even hold a cup.

Bai Lu quickly caught the falling ceramic cup, placed it on the ground, and lay back in bed, lazily saying, “Anyway, don’t bother me. I’ll just sleep for a while.”

The guard hesitated. “Alright… I’ll be outside. If the young master feels any discomfort, just call me.”
Bai Lu stretched out a hand from the quilt and pushed the back of his hand outward, gesturing him to get out quickly.

The guard bowed slightly, retreated quietly, not forgetting to lock the cell door.

Bai Lu originally wanted to sleep for half an hour before getting up to have breakfast, but he didn’t expect that as soon as he closed his eyes, the heavy fatigue surged up like a rising tide, draining all the strength from his body and draining his brain. Not quite awake anymore, he fell into a deep sleep.

T/N: Abyss is learning mandarin chinese and would like all of you to suffer with them so abyss will teach you something in every update

day 1 of learning chinese:  森林  Sēnlín – what does lots of trees(木) make? Of course a forest!