[{"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-204":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},2325422,4549,"Chapter 204: I Don","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-204",204,"\u003Cp>The sky had just begun to lighten when the Liu family’s steward slipped out the back gate and hurried toward the Heavenly Prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guard had interrogated all night and extracted nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire Liu household was plainly ordinary—no cultivators among them—and their patriarch, Liu Daowen, was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison; how could they possibly hire a fifth-rank cultivator to spy on the Embroidered Uniform Guard?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They themselves were utterly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Embroidered Uniform Guard seemed to believe their story, did not further harass them, and did not imprison them in the Imperial Prison. They merely turned the house upside down, digging up the floors of several study rooms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward trembled with fear; as soon as dawn broke and the Embroidered Uniform Guard left, he sprinted toward the Heavenly Prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a familiar face at the prison; after paying a little, he easily gained access to their patriarch, Liu Daowen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, disaster has struck. Last night, the Embroidered Uniform Guard suddenly appeared, accusing us of harboring a royal criminal. They ransacked the house all night and just now left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?” Liu Daowen shot upright, face ashen, hands trembling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They didn’t arrest anyone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No arrests. But they dug up the floors of several study rooms. I don’t know what they were looking for. Master, what do we do? I feel great disaster is coming.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did Chen Guanlou actually predict this?” Liu Daowen paced his cell, face filled with dread. After a long while, he seemed to make a decision: “Go to Jiang’s residence at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward stood still, expression troubled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What now?” Liu Daowen asked irritably, yet inside he felt three parts anxiety, three parts unease—please, let it not be bad news.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward glanced around, then leaned close to the cell bars and whispered: “Master, all the funds from the estate have been withdrawn and sent to Jiang’s household. But now soldiers and yamen runners guard the gates—we can’t smuggle out any wealth. It’s easy for me to enter the Jiang residence, but hard to offer sufficient sincerity; Jiang may refuse to see me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Daowen’s face twisted into a mask of despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gritted his teeth. “What about the things in the cellar?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been followed—I dare not go to the branch estate for fear they’ll discover the cellar’s contents. Master, what should we do now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Daowen paced anxiously. “You must go to the Jiang residence. You must see Jiang. Tell him everything the Embroidered Uniform Guard did last night.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No buts.” Liu Daowen cut him off authoritatively. “We’ve sent Jiang so many gifts, yet solved nothing. This money can’t be wasted. Just go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What if Jiang refuses to see me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know Jiang’s steward well. Have him deliver your message. No matter what, you must get a reply. You must learn Jiang’s stance. Do you understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. I’ll go to the Jiang residence at once. I’ll return to the Heavenly Prison with results.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go, go, hurry. Don’t delay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Tu was fully dressed, preparing to head to the yamen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gatekeeper came to report that the Liu family’s steward wished to see him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Refuse him!” Jiang Tu did not hesitate. “Tell him to get lost!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gatekeeper looked plainly startled and instinctively glanced at the steward beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The steward hesitated. “Sir, are you certain you won’t see him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Tu snorted, face impatient. “Why would I see him? I’m in a terrible position now. I don’t want this, but circumstances force me to sacrifice a pawn to save the general. The court may seem calm on the surface, but beneath, the waters rage. This is only the beginning. The further it goes, the more I walk on thin ice. If Liu Daowen blames anyone, let him blame his bad luck—for being too conspicuous, for drawing attention.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand. I’ll dismiss him at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell the Liu family to take care of themselves. Tell Liu Daowen to keep his mouth shut and not blabber nonsense. If he wants to die, I’ll grant him that wish.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, sir!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Liu steward received the reply—it was worse than never coming. He felt utterly hopeless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he told Liu Daowen the news, Liu Daowen burst into uncontrollable sobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou, carrying his fire-and-water staff, appeared silently before the cell. “What’s going on? Master Liu, why are you crying? Someone who doesn’t know might think our jailers are torturing you—what a terrible injustice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou! Chen Tou, save me!” Liu Daowen saw Chen Guanlou like a drowning man clutching at straw—desperate, anything to hold onto.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Liu, you’re joking. What kind of person am I? You come to me for salvation? How could I save you? Don’t panic and grasp at any remedy—you’ll turn a minor illness into a major one, a major one into a fatal one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reminder snapped Liu Daowen back to his senses. He truly was grasping at straws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wept bitterly. “Chen Tou, I’m going to die!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can you say that? The higher-ups haven’t decided yet. Calm down—there might still be a turn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou, don’t comfort me. You know there’s no turning point. Myself and the Liu family are fish on a chopping block, at anyone’s mercy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou understood: Liu Daowen had learned of the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s raid last night, and Jiang Tu was no longer an option—he had fallen into despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed in sympathy. “Master Liu, think clearly. Dying early or late—it’s all the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pah!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Easy to talk when you’re not the one facing death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Daowen sat helplessly on the straw pile, radiating utter despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou shook his head and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Daowen suddenly gripped the bars and whispered: “Chen Tou, I heard from my steward that the wealth was successfully retrieved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou nodded. “Yes, it was taken. Don’t worry—your money, every single copper, will be yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou, you misunderstand. That’s not what I mean. My steward said last night there was an incident—a masked hero escaped, despite the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s numbers. That hero… do you know him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense are you spouting?” Chen Tou’s face darkened. “What standing do I have to know a hero? Don’t ask how I retrieve the goods. I heard about your household’s commotion this morning—I knew nothing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes… Chen Tou is right. Honestly, my head is buzzing, chaotic. I have nothing but money—I don’t even understand why the Embroidered Uniform Guard targeted me. As for that masked hero’s identity, everyone is confused.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly are you trying to say?” Chen Guanlou’s expression turned hostile. “If you think I’ll still help you retrieve goods, forget it! The Embroidered Uniform Guard is watching your house—risk is too high. I don’t want to be suspected and end up sipping tea in the Imperial Prison.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou, you misunderstand. I’m not asking you to retrieve goods.” Liu Daowen gripped the bars, teeth clenched, speaking with grave seriousness: “Chen Tou, I don’t want to die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nobody wants to die,” Chen Guanlou snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I truly don’t want to die!” Liu Daowen stared at him with desperate hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell the court that. Talking to me is like preaching to a cow.” With that, Chen Guanlou turned and walked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou, don’t leave! I have a deal—a big one. I swear, I’m not lying!”\u003C\u002Fp>",1221,"2026-06-20T17:39:59.050Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ea868cebcde6a887ee568873645ec9208bf7124826ed43b90577cbc6cee7540c","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-205","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-203",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]