Early the next morning, a refreshed Huo Jiang pushed open the unlocked door to Li Ban's room.
"Li Ban, wake up, we should—"
His words came to an abrupt halt.
Cat Girl was currently balancing on one bare foot, hopping behind the privacy screen to retrieve a shoe.
Though she was fully dressed, her clothes were visibly disheveled, giving her a ravished sort of beauty.
Cat Girl looked up and met Huo Jiang's gaze. Then, as if she hadn't seen him at all, she calmly grabbed her shoe and hopped back behind the screen.
Hearing Huo Jiang's voice, Li Ban opened his eyes from where he sat in his chair, only to see Cat Girl hopping back and forth right in front of him.
For a moment, he was a bit dazed as well.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
"Once you're ready, come back here. I'll take you to Assassin Hall."
Cat Girl left through the window.
Even though Li Ban's room was on the third floor, it clearly couldn't stop a Gold Badge assassin like her.
Li Ban walked over to the window and took a look; she was already gone without a trace.
Only then did he step out from behind the screen, discovering that Huo Jiang, who had been standing at the door, was also gone.
Huo Jiang had chosen to leave quietly instead of trying to capture Cat Girl, not even shouting a single word...
He really had brought him here to meet Cat Girl.
Having confirmed the man's identity, Li Ban had nothing left to hide.
He turned around and went to the adjacent premium guest room to find Huo Jiang.
Huo Jiang was currently sitting in his room with the door wide open, drinking tea.
The overnight tea was icy cold, but it couldn't extinguish the irritation burning in Huo Jiang's heart.
He had only told Li Ban to open the door for Cat Girl, not to spend the night with her.
Should he say the Li kid was fearless out of ignorance, or that Cat Girl simply had unique tastes?
Li Ban knocked and entered. "Clerk Huo, I'm ready. We can head out."
Huo Jiang looked at Li Ban and slowly set down his teacup.
Forget it, he thought. If they have a good relationship, it's only more beneficial to the Lord's plans.
Huo Jiang stood up and picked up a long travel bag from the table. "Let's go, then. Now that you've become a prison guard, you'll have rest days. You get one day off every ten days, or two days off every half a month. If you need an extended leave for special circumstances, Lord Du usually won't stop you."
This was an endorsement of Li Ban's alternate future identity.
After that, the two of them tacitly avoided mentioning Cat Girl. Instead, after eating a meal at the inn, they hurried back.
Li Ban knew that upon his return this time, he would finally meet the real mastermind behind the scenes.
Upon returning to the Death Prison, Huo Jiang took Li Ban straight inside, then led him all the way down to the fourth floor.
The person on duty on the fourth floor right now was none other than Zhao Yu, who was about to leave the Death Prison.
In a rare change of pace, he wasn't cultivating with his eyes closed; instead, he had his head down, reading a book.
Li Ban's gaze swept over the cover of the book, catching the title: Detailed Guide to Corpse Dissection.
Zhao Yu's transfer order had already been submitted to the County Office; he would soon be heading to the Myriad Ancient Pagoda.
It was likely for work related to corpses.
Sure enough, there was onboarding training everywhere you went.
"You're early." Hearing their footsteps, Zhao Yu spoke without even raising his head.
"It's almost noon anyway," Huo Jiang said with an earnest look. "The lighting here is bad; you should go back and read. I've already delivered the transfer order. I reckon you won't be in the Death Prison for much longer."
Zhao Yu snapped the book shut with a slap. Without a single word of thanks, he picked up the saber lying across the table and left.
Huo Jiang waited until Zhao Yu's figure disappeared before walking up to the cell holding Zhai Liu.
"Lord, it is done."
Li Ban abruptly turned his head, staring at the handsome man who was hugging the iron bars and drooling.
Lord?
Huo Jiang actually called a Death Prison inmate 'Lord'?
Li Ban stared at Zhai Liu, while Zhai Liu comfortably accepted Huo Jiang's respect and Li Ban's shock.
Who could have imagined that an imprisoned convict, starved to skin and bones, was actually the mastermind behind the Death Prison?
Did the Laboratory know about this situation? Did they know about Zhai Liu?
While Li Ban was digesting this new intelligence, Huo Jiang leaned closer to Zhai Liu and whispered something.
Li Ban couldn't hear it clearly, but the two of them were definitely talking about him.
However, Huo Jiang didn't expect Zhai Liu to immediately turn around and sell him out.
"You slept with Cat Girl?"
Li Ban's breath caught in his throat.
Looking like he didn't mind making a spectacle out of it, Zhai Liu said excitedly, "No wonder she didn't kill you."
Li Ban remained silent. This kind of thing couldn't be clearly explained, nor was there any need to explain it.
After leaving the Death Prison, the only reason Cat Girl was still willing to be on good terms with him was definitely because she mistakenly believed he was a Wizard.
Wizard was the only 10th Tier identity Li Ban knew of.
But that was also the extent of what he knew.
Seeing Li Ban's silence, Huo Jiang quickly waved him over. "Aren't you going to come over and pay your respects to the Lord?"
Li Ban walked over with heavy steps. He looked at Huo Jiang, then at Zhai Liu. "Could it be... could it be that Lord Zhai is the true Head Jailer of the Death Prison?"
Huo Jiang was dumbfounded.
"Pfft, hahahaha!" Zhai Liu clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
Huo Jiang hastily scolded him, "What nonsense are you spouting? Do you really think a Head Jailer is the only Lord in this world?"
Judging by Huo Jiang's reaction, Zhai Liu's identity should be even higher than Du An's, so why was he suffering here on the fourth floor of the Death Prison?
Was he hiding from enemies, or was his identity itself something that couldn't be exposed to the light?
Did Du An know about Zhai Liu's situation?
Li Ban pursed his lips and feigned bewilderment. "I'm sorry, Lord. I'm completely confused. What exactly is this 'assassin' thing Cat Girl mentioned? And who are you people? My... my martial arts are lacking, and I've only just advanced to the 2nd Tier. I really can't be an—"
"Relax," Zhai Liu said, finally stopping his laughter. "I said you can be one, so you can."
As he reined in his smile, his face took on a hint of unfathomable, unquestionable authority.
"As for my identity, you don't need to know that right now."
Having said that, he returned to his lackadaisical demeanor.
"You just need to know that Du An is aware of the things I arrange, and he will not stand in the way."
After Zhai Liu finished speaking, Huo Jiang stepped forward to inform Li Ban of what exactly he needed to do.
"You don't need to be too nervous. The assassins of Assassin Hall also start with Tier 1 Identities. I will continue to teach you saber techniques, and the Lord will also help you improve your strength."
Li Ban felt a surge of disappointment.
Even now, they still refused to provide more information.
Seeing Li Ban's unease and disappointment, Huo Jiang smiled and said, "Li Ban, as long as you diligently complete your upcoming missions, whether it's identities or elements, you won't be left wanting for either in the future."
"Remember what I told you yesterday? When an opportunity appears, you must seize it firmly. If all you know how to do is keep your head down and grind out seniority, you'll only end up as the next Wang Hua or Uncle Qin."
Li Ban slowly clenched his fists. "If Lord Du is also aware of this matter... can I ask for his opinion on it?"
Huo Jiang narrowed his eyes, his disguise of simple honesty instantly vanishing. "You—" "Go ahead," Zhai Liu said, still smiling and completely unbothered.
His confident demeanor showed that he didn't care about Du An's opinion at all.
Since Zhai Liu had said so, Huo Jiang naturally swallowed the rest of his reprimand.
He reined in the murderous intent on his face and became peaceful again.
Li Ban's shoulders slumped. "I will follow Lord Zhai's arrangements."
Since the man was so calm and certain, there was no longer any need to go ask Du An.
What other choice did he have?
He still had to get past the immediate hurdle in front of him first.
Hearing that Li Ban had finally agreed, Huo Jiang flashed his earnest smile once more, even walking over to pat Li Ban on the shoulder.
"Haha! From now on, we're all subordinates of Lord Zhai. You don't need to look so miserable. Since the Lord is taking the trouble to send you into Assassin Hall, he definitely won't let you die in vain. We will find a way to train you so that you can become a formidable assassin as soon as possible."
The training Huo Jiang spoke of began the very next day.
However, the person in charge of his training completely exceeded Li Ban's expectations.
"Li Ban." Lu Qinghe pushed open the door to the outer study. "Come with me."
Li Ban had been absentmindedly sorting documents there.
"Are we going to the morgue?"
"Yes."
Li Ban still hadn't met the person meant to train him, but he had to finish his regular work first regardless.
When Li Ban arrived at the morgue, however, he saw Du An there.
Du An had his back to him, seemingly flipping through a ledger.
"Lord Du."
Li Ban stepped forward and bowed in greeting.
"As for Zhai Liu's requests, you just need to do as he says."
Did Du An come over specifically just to vouch for Zhai Liu?
Could Zhai Liu truly be the actual controller of the Death Prison?
If that was the case, could Zhai Liu be the real 'General'?