[{"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-55":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},2325273,4549,"Chapter 55: Courtesy First, Force After","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-55",55,"\u003Cp>Fan Yucheng spoke, and Wan Yuli’s threats fizzled out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou’s position as squad leader remained firmly in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the burden now rested squarely on his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Late at night, the jailers huddled in the guard room’s side chamber to gamble. Chen Guanlou walked out alone, silently approaching the door of Cell 27.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing was alert; sensing a gaze upon him, he immediately opened his eyes. Recognizing Chen Guanlou at the cell door, he visibly froze—clearly not expecting him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s Brother Chen,” Li Shaoqing teased, sitting up calmly. “Can’t sleep at this hour, don’t gamble—just standing outside my cell? That’s downright eerie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How are you faring in the Heavenly Prison? Are the meals to your liking? If you have any needs, speak up—I’ll do my best to fulfill them.” Chen Guanlou lowered his voice, striving to convey goodwill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had his own plan; he didn’t want to come at the man with threats right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still believed that anything in this world could be negotiated—even mortal enmity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for why he and Wan Yuli hadn’t talked? Because neither had any desire to sit down and talk. Perhaps, in Wan Yuli’s eyes, Chen Guanlou had no right to speak to him. And in Chen Guanlou’s eyes, Wan Yuli was nothing but a fart—nothing worth discussing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Heavenly Prison, everyone survives by their own wits. Whoever falls on hard days deserves it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing replied without restraint: “Bring me any books—several of them. I’ve read these prison books over and over until I’m sick of them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Easy enough. I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” Chen Guanlou readily agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing didn’t ask his purpose; they just chatted aimlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Chen Guanlou couldn’t hold back and asked: “Have you ever thought about your future?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The topic was broad, distant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing smiled knowingly. “What future? Just staying alive is enough. Can’t compare to officials from the Jixia Academy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he subtly mocking Yu Zhaoan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both were disgraced officials, both locked in the Heavenly Prison—but everyone believed Yu Zhaoan would eventually be released. He only needed the right opportunity. When the old Emperor forgot this matter—or cooled his anger—Yu Zhaoan would submit a petition of guilt, and his release would be certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou set the thought aside and said: “It’s fine to think about it occasionally. The opportunity is right before you—only those who seize it will benefit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing laughed. “So they sent you as a go-between? Are there no one else left? Or are they afraid getting involved in my case will stain them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Both. I’m a go-between for the first time in my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou admitted it openly, showing no shame in being a pawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if anyone thought he could be dismissed because he was a pawn, they’d find out he wasn’t to be trifled with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How unusual!” Li Shaoqing studied Chen Guanlou again. “By your prison’s usual methods, you’d have dragged me to the torture chamber by now, shown me the darkest corners of this place, then coerced or bribed me into compliance. But you stand alone at the door—what can you possibly do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just betting on an opportunity. Best to avoid torture if we can. Don’t you agree, Master Li?” Chen Guanlou spoke honestly, showing full sincerity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no taste for torture, no love for bloody scenes. He’d been to the torture chamber—just seeing the instruments made him nauseous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he had awakened memories from his past life, not become a true native; his worldview still leaned more toward his past life. Even if partially assimilated, he clung to a core belief in the law—he would uphold his own bottom line, even if forced to bend, he would never break it, and he would achieve his goals within those limits.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if pushed to the edge, he could become a villain—fully transform into the “lowly” jailer others spoke of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing slowly shook his head. “You’re new. Not as sharp as the other jailers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Chen Guanlou said: “Jiang Tu won’t fall—at least not yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing stared at him in shock, silent, eyes wide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou took a deep breath and added: “They’re using you as the sacrificial ram—just to increase their odds. They won’t put all their chips on you. You’re not that important.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing scratched his ear. “These words were also put in your mouth by them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who told me to say them doesn’t matter. What matters is—I’m on your side. I don’t want you to be tortured.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why should I trust you?” Li Shaoqing eyed Chen Guanlou skeptically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I only want to complete my mission. Beyond that, I have no interest in your affairs—I don’t intend to learn them. You’re my target. I don’t want my first mission to end in blood and flesh. Master Li, you may doubt my motives, doubt my loyalty—but you cannot doubt my determination to complete this mission. I show you courtesy before force—that’s my respect for you!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou stared straight into his eyes, unflinching, unashamed. Throughout, he remained utterly open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t expect his words to sway the man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what if they did? He had to try.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So tonight, he came—with sincerity—seeking a mutually beneficial arrangement. Now it was up to Li Shaoqing: would he cooperate?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher-ups wanted Li Shaoqing’s “token of loyalty”—to make him step forward and implicate Jiang Tu. Fan Yucheng, eager to please his superiors, privately took on this task. First, he tried to scare them into submission—no effect. Now he wanted to go hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a new squad leader in the Jiazi prison block, Chen Guanlou was expected to submit his own token of loyalty. He couldn’t just take benefits without getting blood on his hands—that violated prison rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Heavenly Prison, no one could remain clean.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the Heavenly Prison, once you became a jailer, you learned to become a villain—a man stained beyond washing, whose reputation matched the scorn of the outside world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To wish for purity was to defy the prison—to defy Fan Yucheng.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To officials, Fan Yucheng was a grandson. To jailers, he was heaven’s lord—life and death rested in his whim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou knew well: even if he hadn’t clashed with Wan Yuli, even if Wan Yuli hadn’t threatened him, Li Shaoqing would eventually demand his token of loyalty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he wanted to eat the prison’s food, he had to accept its unwritten rules.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing blinked, surprised to hear such sincere, insightful words from a jailer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked curiously: “Brother Chen, have you studied?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I attended private school for two years. Didn’t amount to much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What a pity!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What a pity—a scholar, reduced to becoming a jailer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Shaoqing stepped to the cell door, staring Chen Guanlou in the eye. “Go tell your superiors: I’ll give them my token of loyalty. But I won’t be a sedan-bearer. Give me proper rewards.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of reward do you want?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell your masters what I said—they’ll understand my meaning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Li Shaoqing returned to his bed, lay down, closed his eyes, and refused to speak to Chen Guanlou again.\u003C\u002Fp>",1184,"2026-06-20T17:39:56.967Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","e272a82d46b8207ed9887a9a90aeb6ed8347b0dd959c193209e0ebfed311298b","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-56","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-54",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]