[{"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-35":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},2325253,4549,"Chapter 35: Disaster Approaches","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-35",35,"\u003Cp>After circling the entire area, with Duan Tianlin no longer a threat, Chen Guanlou felt unusually at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hummed a folk tune as he walked toward the guard room, nearly there, when he suddenly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside and inside the guard room’s door stood two rows of tall, burly constables from the Six Ministries, each with long, grim faces, like the Ox-Head and Horse-Face patrolling their territory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, Chen Guanlou sucked in a sharp breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The officials above are truly devious—striking suddenly while everyone’s let their guard down. And tonight, half the staff are absent—either down in the Jia-cell prison gambling, or asleep in the official office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those who stayed in the guard room aren’t any better—they were caught red-handed gambling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’re done for!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou felt a flicker of relief, yet also dread—he feared being implicated. He took a deep breath and forced himself forward into the guard room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside, the guard room was utterly silent, not a single soul breathing loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stepped in, he saw the jailer Li Hu kneeling in the center—tonight’s gambling ring was his doing. The other jailers knelt on either side, trembling with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the front, Sun Daoning, Left Vice Minister of Justice, sat calmly in his chair, holding a white porcelain teacup, steam rising from the tea within, swirling and hazy, making his face appear slightly blurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Regardless of guilt or innocence, Chen Guanlou said nothing—he immediately knelt and begged for forgiveness: “Your Excellency, greetings! I failed to welcome you in time; I beg Your Excellency’s pardon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn it, these knees are so weak! Kneeling is so uncomfortable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what can he do? He’s just a lowly jailer, with no right to even raise his voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re the only one actually on duty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, it just so happens that it was my turn tonight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun, the Vice Minister, smiled faintly. “I’ve long heard the Tianlao prison is in utter chaos, its jailers steeped in every vice. Whoever enters, guilty or not, gets stripped of their skin. The most vicious people in the yamen are none other than the jailers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Chen Guanlou silently sneered inside, filled with contempt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could Sun Daoning have the audacity to speak such shameless words? It was breathtaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the worst jailer is only openly cruel. How could that compare to officials, who wipe out entire families, exterminate entire clans? A single word from them sends dozens, hundreds, even thousands to their deaths. A selfish whim fills their pockets with thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of taels. With a wave of their power, the entire populace becomes beasts of burden, doomed to eternal servitude.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to officials, the jailers’ wickedness is almost endearing. Give them money, and they’ll feed you well, treat you kindly, even fetch doctors and medicine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter how bad the jailers are, they’re still less than one percent as vile as the officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he dared only think these thoughts inside. Right now, Sun Daoning was supreme—he could say the sun rose in the west, and everyone must agree, even cry out, “Your Excellency is wise!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The entire Tianlao prison has only one jailer dutifully patrolling? Truly breathtaking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou instantly broke into cold sweat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want praise—the more they praised him, the more danger he felt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please, just get on with your investigation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You draw the emperor’s salary, yet gather to gamble while on duty! The vital task of patrolling the Tianlao is left to one man alone—this is absurd! Do you admit your guilt?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We admit guilt! Please, Your Excellency, give us another chance—we will reform!” Li Hu spoke first, trembling, his voice shaking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I have always believed in correcting past errors and rewarding merit. I am willing to give those who err a chance to change.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Li Hu and the others felt sudden joy—was Sun Daoning going to spare them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But…” Sun’s tone shifted, and every jailer’s heart leapt into their throats, “you jailers are the most vile and lowly, seeing only money and knowing no gratitude. Without a thunderous punishment, you will never learn right from wrong. Moreover, according to my knowledge, not only were you all on duty tonight—at least half were absent. Of those present, only one upheld his duty. This situation is truly breathtaking!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jailers broke into drenching sweat, nearly fainting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What did Sun Daoning mean? Was he going to execute every jailer in the Bing-cell prison?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He doesn’t even consider: this job is seen by the world as utterly base; decent families would never let their sons take it. Only they, willingly bearing this lowly role, shoulder the burden for their superiors and the court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for money—if the Tianlao jailers didn’t take bribes, and relied solely on court funding, the prison would have collapsed long ago, bankrupt and shut down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hundreds of mouths inside the Tianlao must eat. With only official funding, every prisoner would starve—three meals every nine days, all dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianlao runs only because of the jailers’ efforts, because they sacrifice their reputations to take bribes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Tianlao jailers have paid an unprecedented price for the court’s stability and the yamen’s smooth operation. Taking money? It’s only natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why enjoy the benefits they provide, yet despise them? When trouble strikes, you make them the scapegoats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every jailer present resented it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Daoning was a martial cultivator—he didn’t fear the cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the jailers were ordinary men. In winter, in the icy, damp Tianlao, if they didn’t shut the doors and gamble and drink, would they freeze to death?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every elderly jailer carried sickness—sickness given by the Tianlao, given by this job.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What, do you Bufu ?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We dare not!” Li Hu bowed his head completely. At this moment, one must submit and surrender—never argue with officials. Officials care nothing for a lowly jailer’s thoughts, nor do they understand his hardships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A base man cannot be compared to a high-ranking court official.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou’s heart remained still, utterly unmoved. No matter what Sun Daoning said, he let it flow in one ear and out the other, his mind utterly still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had seen the power of a second-rank martialist before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he so much as stirred, the man would sense it instantly. If he grew displeased, a single finger—and Chen Guanlou’s head would fall tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was grateful for Li Hu’s obedience. Serving officials meant bowing low, playing the obedient grandson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Compared to those absent, you at least show some redeeming quality.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this turn of phrase meant to spare them?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jailers’ hopes flared again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Daoning slightly lifted his chin, fixing his gaze on Chen Guanlou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou was startled—he confirmed the man was addressing him, and quickly replied: “Your Excellency, my name is Chen Guanlou.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re surnamed Chen! I’ve heard there’s a clansman of the Hou Fu serving in the Tianlao—could it be you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your Excellency, my branch severed kinship ties with the Hou Fu five generations ago, during my father’s time.” Chen Guanlou did not rush to claim kinship with the Marquis.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His records were on file at the yamen; if Sun Daoning asked, he already knew everything. If Chen dared fabricate ties, he might invite disaster. Better to speak plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never imagined a descendant of the Marquis would sink so low as to become a lowly jailer. Yet you uphold your duty—commendable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Your Excellency. I merely fulfill my duty.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1242,"2026-06-20T17:39:56.967Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","7373ae2774cf5fb7e0e5c7493af1c0281ac5f076defd560c15979d7819a91c09","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-36","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-34",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]