The news of Yang Jian's arrest quickly spread throughout Chengguan. Yang Hui specifically rushed back to her maiden home to deliver the message, only to learn that her family already knew her brother had surrendered.
The villagers of Yang Li Village also learned of Yang Jian's arrest at this time. They flocked to the Yang family's home to offer their condolences. Some even proposed organizing a petition to demand the police release Yang Jian, fearing that if Yang Jian were sentenced, Li Jian Company would collapse, affecting their employment.
After a four-hour interrogation, Yang Jian was confined to the First Detention Center of Hancheng City.
Lu Hao, through special channels, sent him a new quilt and gave him a thousand yuan, hoping to ease his suffering inside.
Having been to prison three times, Yang Jian was already familiar with the conditions. Carrying his personal belongings, he entered Cell Nine and voluntarily headed for the innermost bed, closest to the toilet.
"Hey, new guy, state your name and what you did to get in."
Just as Yang Jian was about to make his bed, a gruff voice came from beside him. He turned to see a robust man sitting by the entrance staring at him.
"Big brother, my name is Yang Jian. I'm here for gambling. Please take care of me."
Yang Jian knew the rules inside and didn't want trouble, so he answered honestly.
"Here for gambling? You won't be here long then. I can take care of you. That quilt of yours looks good, hand it over."
Since Yang Jian wasn't in for fighting or murder, the robust man's tone suddenly became arrogant.
There were seven people in this cell, all young men in their early twenties. At this moment, they all looked at Yang Jian with playful eyes. It was a rule in prison that newcomers were bullied; no matter how formidable someone was outside, they had to abide by the rules here.
"Big brother, it's so cold. If I give you my quilt, what will I do tonight?"
It was already late autumn, and the temperature in Hancheng was close to zero degrees. No matter how tolerant Yang Jian was, he wouldn't give his quilt to someone else.
"Oh ho, you dare to talk back? Guys, teach him the rules here."
The burly man gestured with his chin, and the other six young men immediately jumped off the communal bed and surrounded Yang Jian.
Seeing that a fight was about to break out, Yang Jian quickly chose a spot by the wall. If they were outside, it would be easy to take down a few punks, but the terrain here was narrow. If these guys charged at him all at once, it would be difficult to handle.
"What's going on? Do you all want solitary confinement? Behave yourselves. Anyone who fights again, I'll send you to a special place to fight to your heart's content."
Before either side could make a move, a guard appeared at the cell door, his baton repeatedly striking the iron gate.
The young men immediately deflated and quickly jumped back onto the communal bed.
Yang Jian said nothing and turned to make his bed. He knew he would be here for a long time. As long as others didn't provoke him, he wouldn't get into disputes. If he accidentally injured someone, all of Lu Hao's efforts outside would be in vain.
After being interrogated for several hours consecutively, Yang Jian was extremely tired. Once his bed was made, he pulled the covers over his head and fell asleep. The weather was cold, but with two quilts, he was quite warm and soon drifted off.
Meanwhile, the burly man and the other six sat together, muttering softly.
It was lights-out time in the detention center. The guards made their final rounds and would not return for the night.
"Attack."
After confirming the guards had left, the burly man and the six young men slowly approached Yang Jian, using the faint light from outside the window.
One of them grabbed a quilt and forcefully threw it over Yang Jian's head, then pressed down on him.
Following that, the burly man and the other five pounced, punching and kicking Yang Jian through the quilt.
This method of fighting wouldn't leave visible external wounds but could easily cause internal injuries. It was the most common method used by detention centers to deal with disobedient newcomers. Even the fiercest individuals couldn't escape this fate.
Yang Jian was no exception. Despite possessing martial arts skills, he could only curl up at that moment, trying his best to protect his vital areas.
With his head covered, he couldn't even shout.
The seven men beat him for a full half hour. Yang Jian felt like his bones were falling apart, and his whole body ached. He had been involved in the underworld for five or six years, and this was the first time he had been beaten so badly, without even a chance to retaliate.
Lu Hao's new quilt was taken away. Fortunately, they left him the thin quilts issued by the detention center.
When he woke up in the morning, Yang Jian stretched his arms and legs. Thankfully, nothing was broken, but every movement sent pain through his entire body.
"Kid, do you understand the rules now? Remember, no matter how great you are outside, you have to be obedient here. Otherwise, you'll be useless when you get out."
The burly man squatted down and patted Yang Jian's face, his expression ferocious.
When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. Yang Jian desperately wanted to beat this guy up, but he was powerless. His body hurt too much, and he couldn't possibly defeat the other person at this moment. The guy was taller than him, with thick muscle, weighing at least 230 to 240 pounds.
"Still not convinced, huh? It's fine, there are many rules here, and I'll make sure you understand them all one by one. I particularly enjoy seeing you angry and wanting to beat me, but being unable to."
Seeing Yang Jian remain silent, the burly man knew he was a tough nut to crack, but he didn't care. He was the boss here. Even if Yang Jian hadn't been beaten, he believed Yang Jian wouldn't be his match, especially with the others helping him.
"Kid, you look clean and fair-skinned. You must be wealthy outside. Someone must have put money on your account when you came in. Give me an extra meal at lunch, and I can go easy on you with some of the rules. If you don't listen, you'll have a very tough time here."
The burly man reminded him again. It was possible to get extra meals in the detention center. As long as there was money in the account, one could ask the canteen for a meat dish or buy cigarettes, though they were several times more expensive than outside.
Yang Jian still didn't respond. He struggled to get up, went to the toilet, and then, as if nothing had happened, went out with the others for breakfast. He learned from the others that this burly man was named Cheng Pu.
Detention centers did not involve labor, but there were activities for learning laws and regulations. No one caused trouble during these group activities.
At lunch in the canteen, Yang Jian spent sixty yuan to buy a portion of twice-cooked pork and ate it by himself. Cheng Pu's eyes glared at him as if they were about to catch fire, while the other six in the cell looked at him with sympathy, all thinking that this kid would be in trouble again tonight.
"Kid, you're very ignorant. Tonight, I'll let you experience what it's like to be a woman. Let's see how long you can last."
Cheng Pu walked past him with his bowl, whispering a threat.
Yang Jian didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing to eat what others saw as a feast.
After a full day of rest, Yang Jian's pain had significantly lessened. He knew Cheng Pu would teach him the rules again tonight and had to prepare for it.
His previous two experiences in prison hadn't been this complicated. If someone doesn't offend me, I won't offend them. Since they had provoked him, not fighting back was not Yang Jian's style.
Cheng Pu clearly looked like scum, someone who bullied others and committed all sorts of bad deeds outside. In the monotonous and boring environment of the detention center, bullying people became their way of passing the time.
If such a person wasn't beaten until they hurt, they would escalate their harassment. His time in the detention center would be filled with constant trouble and no peace.