[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s":3,"chapter-immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-190":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Immortal Through Martial Path, I Who Cannot Die Shall Ultimately Be Invincible",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2325408,4549,"Chapter 190: Weighty Prisoner","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-190",190,"\u003Cp>Before the Grand Lord even reached the capital, the Heavenly Prison welcomed a high-profile prisoner: Wang Shuner, the third-ranking rebel of Jinzhou and sworn brother of the Great Ming King, whose true name was Wang Ping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Prison Director Fan had not yet been officially promoted, he scribbled a note with his brush and ordered the prisoner locked in a Class-A cell, specifically instructing Chen Guanlou to treat him well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He must not be allowed to kill himself. Feed him well, give him good food and drink—ideally, make him fat and white. Above has given explicit orders: the Emperor demands this man be publicly executed by a thousand cuts. If he dies in our prison, from me down, none of you will escape blame. I’ll lose my head—and you’ll all lose yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou suddenly felt immense pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I ask, my lord, when will the court publicly execute Wang Shuner?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How would I know? It’s entirely up to the palace. They’ll say when it’s time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not for a whole year, surely?” Chen Guanlou’s scalp prickled at the thought. If he had to hold him for a year, he’d immediately apply for a transfer—he couldn’t bear this burden alone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What’s the easiest thing about the Heavenly Prison?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dead bodies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s always a way to make them die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wang Shuner must not die here—he must be kept fat and white, ready for slicing. It’s exhausting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry—he won’t be held a year. The Jinzhou campaign urgently needs to send a message to the realm. Nothing sends a clearer message than executing the third-ranking rebel leader. I estimate the upper command will give orders within a month at most.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If it’s only a month, that’s manageable—Chen Guanlou could handle it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prison Director Fan remained uneasy, fearing an accident before his departure, and reminded again: “The absolute priority: Wang Shuner must not die. Maimed, crippled, broken—it’s all fine. But he must not die. He must live to reach the execution ground.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your lordship’s instruction is etched in my heart. I’ll assign guards to watch his cell twenty-four hours a day—no accidents will occur.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Excellent!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, as the sun began to sink, several yamen runners and soldiers escorted a prisoner cart to the Heavenly Prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They unlocked the cart’s door, and Wang Shuner stepped out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment his feet touched the ground, several runners rushed forward to clamp on the wooden canghao and lock chains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A forty- to fifty-pound canghao, twenty to thirty pounds of chains, plus the chains already on his body—he carried over a hundred pounds, yet his back remained straight, his face calm, not a single eyebrow twitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fourth-rank martial cultivator, his shoulder blades pierced and his martial meridians sealed—he possessed all his martial skill, yet could not wield a single technique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou had already studied Wang Shuner’s record: he joined the Jinzhou rebels mid-rebellion, rose swiftly due to his exceptional martial prowess and bold character, beheading enemy generals in the thick of battle—so much so that the Great Ming King took him as a sworn brother and placed him third in rank, above the original senior commanders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Great Ming King valued Wang Shuner too highly, elevating him too fast, stirring resentment among the old comrades. They dared not vent their fury on the Great Ming King, so they turned it all on Wang Shuner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuner was captured because he was ostracized within the rebel army—at the critical moment, no one came to his aid, no supplies arrived, no one even warned him of the breakout. By the time he realized something was wrong, he was already surrounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a fourth-rank martialist—powerful. But the imperial army had no shortage of martialists: not just fourth-rank, but fifth-rank elites, sixth-rank masters, all deployed specifically to counter fighters like him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His capture was simply fate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he been even slightly selfish, he could have abandoned his troops and fled with his loyal followers. Or, had he assumed the worst when the Great Ming King first assigned him his mission, he’d never have ended up captured alive. With his martial skill, escaping was certainly possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The hero’s final path!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He trusted the Great Ming King too completely—he never imagined the Great Ming King would use him as cannon fodder, nor that during the breakout, he’d receive not a single word of warning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt he had failed as a man—otherwise, why would the Great Ming King abandon him?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was strong in combat, capable of leading troops. He was this powerful, yet still abandoned—surely it was because he failed as a man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his capture, he had been utterly despondent. Aside from refusing to cooperate with interrogations, he complied with everything else—kill him, slice him, he wouldn’t flinch. To show pain was to be a bastard born of a whore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After completing the handover paperwork, Chen Guanlou waved his hand and ordered the jailers to lock the prisoner away immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t trust letting the prisoner roam outside the prison—even with his shoulder blades pierced and meridians sealed, who knew if the man had cultivated some secret art to counter the court’s method? Better to lock him deep inside, in the iron-barred cell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The iron-barred cell had long stood empty, reserved for the most vicious criminals. To house Wang Shuner, several rusted bars had been replaced and freshly painted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he approached, the smell of fresh paint hit him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He personally escorted the prisoner inside, then stood at the cell door, hand gripping his waist saber, watching tensely as the jailers removed the canghao and iron shackles from his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as the jailers stepped out, he slammed the cell door shut—and locked it twice, just to be sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ordered two jailers: “You two stand guard right here. Report any incident immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shift schedule had already been arranged: three shifts per day, and every jailer assigned to guard duty received extra pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as the pay was good, even two shifts a day wouldn’t make the jailers complain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The real source of resentment was working overtime without pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having been a wage slave in his past life, Chen Guanlou understood wage slaves’ psychology: pay enough, and you’re their father. Don’t pay, and treat them like beasts—and all you get is: “Chunchi Yan Yun!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been tense for days, but seeing Wang Shuner cause no trouble—eating when fed, drinking when offered, showing no signs of suicide—he finally relaxed half his worry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today, he came personally to inspect the cell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The deepest cell had only torchlight, no skylight—pitch black, reeking of mold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how long he served, he never got used to that permanent, suffocating mold smell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He first asked the jailer guarding the door: “How is he?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jailer nodded toward the cell. “Quiet as a stone. Doesn’t say a word.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou stood before the cell, studying the prisoner. The light was dim, but it didn’t hinder him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cultivating the “Ascension Scripture” had sharpened his senses—he could see clearly even in total darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Wang Shuner’s face crawling with lice, yet he showed no reaction. His eyes were dull, lifeless—he had lost all will to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou felt a pang of concern: could this mental state last until execution day?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wang Shuner, do you have any unfinished wishes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hoping to stir even a sliver of will to live—just enough to see him through to execution—Chen Guanlou asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Shuner reacted slowly. Seconds passed before he seemed to realize someone was speaking to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted his head slowly, eyes blank. “Wishes?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1263,"2026-06-20T17:39:56.967Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","5b8a0edbbe96caf73a00d06a2a3bf82195213489be8f4ab4eeb17b8b8eca2dd9","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-191","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-189",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]