[{"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-227":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},2325445,4549,"Chapter 227: Keep Your Mouth Shut, Stay Safe","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-227",227,"\u003Cp>“What kind of martial art does Chen Tou practice?” asked the physician.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is there a problem?” Chen Guanlou pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The physician slowly shook his head. “No problem at all. Chen Tou’s body is extremely robust—I rarely see a guardsman as strong as you, not even among ordinary men. Your martial art must be refined!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou instantly relaxed. He had almost feared the physician had detected the secret within his body. Indeed, no matter how he was examined, he remained a man without martial meridians—unless forced to fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The physician doesn’t know—everyone sees me earning a lot and assumes I’m worth a fortune. But most of my money goes straight into my own body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah! That’s what I thought! Chen Tou trains constantly and endures the dark, damp cells of the Tianlaomiao, yet still maintains such a powerful physique—it must come from medicinal and dietary supplements. Let me write you a prescription for a medicinal bath.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you! Previously, I bought ordinary tonic formulas from clinics. I hope Physician Mu will craft me a new one. Your expertise is surely superior to any clinic’s.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha! Chen Tou has good judgment!” Physician Mu didn’t humble himself at all. He picked up his brush, wrote the prescription, and added a separate note of precautions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou paid two taels as consultation fee, but Physician Mu refused outright—until Chen Guanlou forcibly slipped the silver into his pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This visit ended happily for all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physician Mu, old and shrewd, had some doubts about Chen Guanlou’s body. He noticed Chen’s pulse was far stronger than any ordinary man’s, even stronger than most martial cultivators—yet there was absolutely no trace of martial meridians. He had no doubt Chen could punch a bull to death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never seen such a formidable martial artist before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though puzzled, he showed no sign of it. Years in the Tianlaomiao had taught him the most valuable lesson: keep your mouth shut, don’t be curious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He felt no curiosity about Chen Guanlou’s secret, no desire to investigate. He simply treated him as an ordinary man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A physician must cultivate the detachment to treat even the strangest cases as commonplace—remain calm, eyes steady, heart unshaken, to preserve peace. Like a fortune-teller: keep your mouth shut, and you’ll live to a hundred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Autumn passed, winter came!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year’s first snow arrived unusually early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy snow collapsed countless homes; bodies lay in heaps. This was the capital—outside the capital, conditions were ten times worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court demanded disaster relief—this was only proper.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of Revenue acted decisively and allocated grain supplies. But no silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no money to repair the people's homes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where had the money gone?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The autumn taxes had been collected for only a few months—and already gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry of Revenue began counting on its fingers to account for the court officials: backpay for capital officials, funds for government offices, the Ministry of War’s budget, imperial clan stipends—each drained silver visibly. Most crucially, the Ministry didn’t mention it, but everyone knew: the Emperor’s gardens and palaces took a fixed sum from the Ministry every year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ministry had a little silver left—must be reserved for year-end expenses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Last year, capital officials suffered, especially the poor lower ranks—no chance to skim profits, couldn’t even eat meat for the New Year.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This year, it couldn’t continue. Every copper must be spent with care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Snow collapsed many homes; reconstruction is needed. Everyone, think of solutions—don’t always look to the Ministry of Revenue. The Ministry isn’t a god—it can’t conjure silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why not urge the old Emperor to hand over the gold, silver, and copper mines to the Ministry to manage? Or allow the Ministry to levy mining taxes? Either option would greatly improve the Ministry’s situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Emperor would never budge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then settle for the next best: have the capital’s wealthy families, and the officials present, pool their silver to help the people through hardship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Taking silver from officials’ pockets would incite outrage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the old Emperor strongly endorsed the plan, even summoned a court assembly to unify opinions: anyone who refused to contribute was defying him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the retired Marquis of Pingjiang received notice: he must attend the court meeting to discuss disaster relief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Marquis had already received insider word: this “court meeting” was a fundraising drive—the old Emperor had set a target amount to be raised.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master let out a cold snort. “Disaster relief is a lie—this is just an excuse to squeeze silver for his gardens. The Ministry is truly broke, but the Inner Treasury isn’t. The old Emperor won’t spend his own money—it’s all been embezzled by those vermin, fattening Jiang Tu and his gang. Need silver? Simple: arrest any one of Jiang Tu’s men, confiscate his property, and the disaster relief funds are solved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scholar beside him chuckled. “Master, have you forgotten? When they seized Liu Daowen’s estate, they found hundreds of thousands in wealth—most went straight to the Inner Treasury. The Ministry got only a few crumbs.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master sneered. “The Embroidered Uniform Guard is always eager to seize property—they’ll grab it all. The Ministry is just incompetent. The Minister of Revenue is good at budgeting, but terrible at fighting for gains.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When it comes to confiscations—even with the Embroidered Uniform Guard in front—the Ministry shouldn’t stand idle. Send men to storm the scene, then take the case to the Emperor’s court afterward—you’ll still get a share, however small.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what happened? The Embroidered Uniform Guard said they didn’t need the Ministry—and the Ministry didn’t send a single man. Cowards. No wonder the Ministry has no silver. Silver is seized, not collected through taxes year after year.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master, as a military officer, thought simply and brutally: whoever has the strongest fist gets the biggest share. Others feared the Embroidered Uniform Guard—he didn’t. If he were Minister of Revenue, he’d crush every office in the court—no one would dare take a cut of the Ministry’s profits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Too bad, the Great Qian had its own customs: nobles were forbidden from holding high ministerial posts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relying on land yields? It would take forever to grow rich.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master never counted on his estates for income. The estates were just part of the family’s foundation—ensuring food and drink. To live in luxury, one must be willing to spend—and have the courage to risk everything.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How much silver will the Master donate?” the scholar asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Master laughed. “I’ll give the old Emperor face—I’m a benevolent man, so I’ll give a thousand taels at most. Unless someone else steps forward as a grand donor—then I’ll follow suit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined the palace wanted him to be that grand donor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the palace eunuch conveyed the old Emperor’s wishes to the Master, the Master wanted to curse his mother—and greet the old Emperor’s eighteen generations of ancestors.\u003C\u002Fp>",1147,"2026-06-20T17:39:59.050Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","769425d31d9df3ba0557a67fc0facbbcb00546ef363ca55ec4ddfd8c87a785b5","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-228","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-226",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]