The three of them drove the battered Jeep towards the outskirts of the city. Xiao Shu had no idea where Li Taiming was taking her, but she had already made up her mind: if Li Taiming dared to try any tricks, she would take that bottle of Man-Eating Netherworld Worms and perish with him. It wasn't for any petty reason; given his godfather-like role, if he wasn't sent straight to hell, countless more innocent lives would be lost to the reanimated corpses he incited.

Bing Yu, however, was relaxed the entire way. Following the two of them to find Ming Xiaoyu was far preferable to being stationed at the Goldware Street killing targets. Although when wielding her throwing knives, she was indistinguishable from a cold-blooded assassin, deep down, she still yearned for a tranquil life.

The Jeep sped along, arriving outside the city walls shortly thereafter, stopping beneath a towering structure. Xiao Shu didn't exit through the right door as one might expect; instead, she maneuvered past Li Taiming’s knees and hopped lightly over the main driver's seat to get out. Seeing her action, Li Taiming felt a surge of pleasant surprise, thinking, This kid can be taught; this one’s comprehension ability is indeed higher than average. Because when they got into the car earlier, the two of them had bickered back and forth incessantly, entirely without harmony, yet now Xiao Shu had simply abandoned the exiting strategy most advantageous to her, leaving the convenience to Li Taiming.

Thus, Li Taiming, stroking the stubble on his chin, remarked to Xiao Shu, "If I had adopted you back then, you'd probably be the successor I admire most today."

Hearing this, Xiao Shu paused involuntarily. This was the second time she had heard the word "adoption"; the first time was when she accidentally overheard something at the Nangong family residence. Yet, she was, in fact, the biological son of Li Taizheng. Where did this talk of adoption come from? Doubt stirred within him. However, this was hardly the time for ancestral searching; in just two or three seconds, he swept the suspicion from his mind and refocused on the question of Xiaoyu.

"Where is Xiaoyu?" Once Li Taiming was out of the vehicle, Xiao Shu stood with one hand on her hip, adopting an air of righteous interrogation.

"Inside," Li Taiming nodded toward the city wall.

Everyone followed his gaze upwards. The wall soared over twenty meters high, topped with barbed wire that looked electrified, presumably to prevent anyone from escaping the interior. They then looked at the massive cast-iron gate before them. Hanging beside it was a small, faded sign that vaguely read, "Xiangcheng First Prison."

Xiaoyu was in a place like this? Xiao Shu was truly surprised. She grabbed the collar of Li Taiming's shirt, pointing at the prison gate, "He’s in here? If you dare lie to me, I'll make sure you regret it." Li Taiming remained remarkably calm. He pressed his left index finger and thumb against the inner edge of the handcuffs around his right wrist, applying pressure until the cuffs clicked open with a slight snap. Li Taiming's usually humorous and engaging expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold declaration: "Don't think a tiny pair of handcuffs can restrain me. You haven't seen one-tenth of the world's true face; don't go lightly denying what others tell you."

Xiao Shu fell silent then. She numbly fished the key from her pocket, unlocked her own half of the shackles, tossed the key and the handcuffs by the roadside, and followed Li Taiming toward the main prison gate.

Anyone who has been near a prison knows that beside the main gates, there is usually a small structure like a guardhouse, with a tiny door tucked against the base of the wall. Li Taiming walked ahead, rapping sharply on the small door. When there was no response, he stepped back and kicked the door with full force. With a loud BANG, the small door collapsed inward.