Zhou Gu had indeed tampered with the prisoner's corpse.
But he only cut out the second tongue from the prisoner's mouth before telling Li Ban to quickly remove the body.
He didn't explain about the tongue, but Li Ban could see the answer shining in Zhou Gu's bright eyes.
It worked!
It really was connected to the toxins in the prison food.
When Li Ban returned after disposing of the body, he found Zhou Gu seated behind his desk with an undisguised grin.
"Finish your tasks early today. Tomorrow you'll accompany me outside."
Li Ban thought: You're leaving right after a prisoner dies? Isn't anyone suspicious?
"Congratulations, sir. But... going out so soon tomorrow?"
Zhou Gu's smile faded as he considered this. "You're right. Hah..."
He exhaled deeply, forcing down his excitement.
"Return to your quarters and await my instructions."
"Yes." Li Ban bowed and left.
Truthfully, he hadn't wanted to warn Zhou Gu - the man's murder method had nearly implicated him.
But Zhou Gu remained his temporary protector for now.
Until Li Ban could break free, he needed Zhou Gu to stay out of trouble.
Nearly two weeks later.
Start of Spring.
The air remained chilly though sunlight offered faint warmth.
Li Ban was cultivating in the menial quarters when Wang Hua's pounding shook the door.
"Brother Li! Come quick - big job!"
Li Ban leapt from bed, throwing on his coat as he rushed out.
"Brother Wang, what's happening?"
"Two new prisoners just arrived from the Sky Pit. All off-duty jailers and guards are assembling. We need to assist."
After five months in Death Prison, this was the first new intake Li Ban had witnessed.
Curious, he followed Wang Hua to the Sky Pit, where he noticed the slave roster had completely changed.
Ke, who'd diligently farmed before, was gone. The slave who'd replaced Gu Yueqi in meal deliveries had also disappeared.
Since Zhou Gu assigned Li Ban to monitor second-level prisoners, he'd rarely visited Qingcheng County.
Procurement duties naturally fell to Liu Mu, who preferred taking Gu Yueqi or other slaves on outings.
Thus Li Ban hadn't paid attention to the Sky Pit's slave population for some time.
The only familiar face remaining was Min, who'd arrived trembling with fear.
Now Min looked haggard and pale, clearly suffering.
The two new slaves - one short and thin, the other tall - cowered without daring to raise their heads.
Li Ban glanced at them before following Wang Hua forward.
The new prisoners remained shackled in their transport cart.
Despite the lingering cold, they wore only thin gray prison uniforms speckled with bloodstains.
One prisoner was missing an arm, the wound crudely bandaged but still bleeding.
Zhang Baishan directed Liu Mu and Tree-Person B in prisoner transfer while Zhou Gu and the rarely-seen Zhao Yu supervised.
Both prisoners wore the same neck and limb shackles as the cat-woman - Obscuring Sun Locks that suppressed elemental energies.
Attempting elemental manipulation would drain their spiritual essence until depleted. Without proper Identity, they couldn't replenish it, rendering them "ordinary."
This was how Death Prison contained high-Identity prisoners.
Yet even with these restraints, jailers remained extremely cautious during transfers.
Nearly the entire prison staff had gathered.
The process went smoother than the fourth-level transfer Li Ban had witnessed before.
The two prisoners offered no resistance, shuffling limply into Death Prison under guard.
Assigned to Cells 6 and 14 on the first level, the shorter slave was sent inside to assist Liu Mu when the cell door proved too narrow.
Liu Mu, facing prisoners directly for the first time, moved with uncharacteristic clumsiness while the "helping" slave only caused more chaos.
Wang Hua watched their fumbling with curled lips of disdain.
As Tree-Person B directed operations outside, three jailers escorted the second prisoner deeper inside.
Once Liu Mu finally secured the first prisoner's chains, he scrambled out to Cell 14.
Tree-Person B left the door unlocked, ordering the spectating Wang Hua to fetch basic supplies like blankets.
With Wang Hua dispatched on errands, Li Ban waited near Cell 14 for instructions.
Passing Cell 13, he saw the cat-woman sleeping on her straw pile, undisturbed by the commotion.
Her back turned, her opinion about new neighbors remained unknown.
With no immediate tasks, Li Ban observed quietly.
He wondered why Zhang Baishan would place a prisoner next to the cat-woman.
Though cells were spaced apart, the open layout would make future private discussions difficult.
After securing both prisoners, Zhang Baishan summoned Liu Mu and Tree-Person B.
"Prisoner Six is Qiao Sheng. Prisoner Fourteen is Blood Drop."
Tree-Person B recorded diligently.
"They've eaten nothing en route. Provide minimal rations until Zhou Gu examines them and determines proper meals."
Both acknowledged the orders.
...
While attention focused above, activity also stirred on Death Prison's fourth level.
Surprisingly, the first to speak was a prisoner.
Zhai Liu pressed his face between thick iron bars, hands clasped outside his cell.
Though the face-squishing gesture should look grotesque, he retained striking beauty with added boyish charm.
"Little Jiang~ Little Jiang~ Little Jiang~"
He called for jailer Huo Jiang, currently on duty.
"Here." Huo Jiang hurried over from his post, bowing like an attendant rather than an officer.
"New arrivals upstairs?"
"Two new prisoners." Huo Jiang nodded meaningfully.
Drooling, Zhai Liu pretended obliviousness. "Are they tasty?"
"You can't eat them," Huo Jiang said helplessly, quickly changing subjects.
"Second level's had many prisoner deaths recently. Tree-person jailers suspect foul play, but Zhang Baishan ignores it. Should I investigate?"
Zhai Liu wiped his wet chin slowly... then smeared it across Huo Jiang's pristine trousers finger by finger.
"Don't stir trouble."
Huo Jiang shuddered, bowing deeper. "Understood."
In the adjacent cell, Lin Han watched everything while curled in a corner.
Though not chained up like during his arrival, the once-arrogant prisoner now trembled uncontrollably.
His terrified glances at Zhai Liu seemed to condense into palpable fear-scent...
Drawing Zhai Liu's hungry gaze.
"Want to eat..."
He stared at Lin Han, drooling again.