[{"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-72":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},2325290,4549,"Chapter 72: His Nose Is More Sensitive Than a Dog","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-72",72,"\u003Cp>The jailers dared not make a sound; at that moment, they even forgot how to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What do we do? What do we do? Are we going to lose our heads? Will our families be implicated? I don’t want to die!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew this plan wouldn’t work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I step forward now to denounce them, will I even survive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Should I turn myself in? Should I shout out right now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was all Lu Datou and Xu Fugui’s ideas—none of it has anything to do with us; we’re innocent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as the group teetered on the brink of collapse, the pressure threatening to snap them, Sun Daoning moved toward the next prisoner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several jailers collectively exhaled, only then realizing that in such a short time, they’d been drenched in sweat—every inch of them soaked through. They paid no mind to their discomfort, exchanging glances and breaking into relieved smiles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big Brother Lu, did we make it through?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Datou silently wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Shut up! Wait until the heads fall before you speak.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Datou felt no relief whatsoever. He kept replaying Sun Daoning’s glance—what did it mean? Had he uncovered the substitution? Suspected the secret of Tianlao? Why had the man looked at them at the very last moment? Why hadn’t he done the same when verifying the other prisoners?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Datou was guilty. The more he thought, the more certain he became that Sun Daoning had discovered the secret—but why hadn’t he spoken up? Oh, he was afraid of being implicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such a massive problem in Tianlao, no one in the Ministry of Justice could stay uninvolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It must be that!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Datou struggled to convince himself, trying to ease his nerves—until the execution began. When the “Little Thief Kongkong” was publicly beheaded and the body collector dragged the corpse away, he finally relaxed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He ordered the jailers, “Go report to Xu Tou—say everything went smoothly. I have other business; I won’t be on duty this afternoon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He needed a drink to calm his frayed nerves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drinking, he naturally went to the gambling den. With money in hand, not betting a few rounds left him restless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The good news reached Tianlao; everyone understood at once and smiled, finally returning to their normal duties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unbeknownst to them, the entire jail crew’s odd behavior that morning had already been noticed by certain sharp minds. Though the jailers appeared no different from usual, to those eyes, the slightest deviation was as clear as two words written on their faces: Something’s wrong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That sharp mind belonged to Yu Zhaoan, former Right Assistant Censor of the Censorate—his gaze was like a hunting dog’s; any whisper of disturbance in Tianlao escaped his keen eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t chat with the lower jailers, because they never spoke to him—or perhaps they didn’t understand him, or maybe they pretended not to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, he had no communication with the other jailers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He only liked talking to Chen Guanlou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chen Guanlou made his rounds and passed his cell door, Yu Zhaoan immediately called out to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s happened?” he cut straight to the point, hoping to catch Chen off guard and observe his reaction. In the past, this trick had always worked—never failed to yield the information he wanted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? What happened?” Chen Guanlou stared at Yu Zhaoan with confusion, as if looking at a madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhaoan frowned. His method didn’t work? Had it failed? Or had he misjudged? He saw no trace of guilt or nervousness on Chen Guanlou’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou’s expression was utterly upright. He thought: You think this little trick can fool me? Dream on. In his past life, he’d been a master at slacking off under his boss’s nose—and still been praised as diligent and responsible. Lying without preparation, never feeling guilty—that was a mandatory skill for any office drone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most effective counterattack was to throw the question back—and accuse the other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong with you, Sir Yu? Too hot? Food not to your taste?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhaoan had always been an unshakable man; he never doubted his own judgment. Even if he was wrong, he never blamed himself—he blamed the enemy for being too cunning, deceiving him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, to him, Chen Guanlou was a masterful deceiver, acting as if it were all real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All morning, the jailers were distracted, anxious. Has something happened outside?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What could happen?” Chen Guanlou looked at him strangely. “Sir Yu, you don’t understand the lives of us lowly folk. Payday’s coming—everyone’s counting how much they’ll get. We all depend on this pay to survive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhaoan frowned. He was dissatisfied with this answer, yet he couldn’t detect the slightest clue on Chen Guanlou’s face. The man’s tone hadn’t changed at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Truly nothing happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sir Yu, can’t you wish us well? If we’re in trouble, you prisoners will suffer first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Chen Guanlou gave him the middle finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Zhaoan snorted coldly. “Don’t let me uncover the truth. Otherwise, you’ll be the first I deal with.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou snorted twice in return, wearing a look of utter disdain, then continued his rounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the rounds ended, he summoned his men. “From now on, no one is to speak to or even make eye contact with Yu Zhaoan. Ignore all his demands. Understood?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Understood.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou, what’s going on?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What trick is Yu Zhaoan pulling now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not what you think. This guy’s got a dog’s nose—he smelled something, and he’s trying to dig it out. You all know the stakes. Can you handle it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Tou, rest assured—we’ll handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is Yu Zhaoan really that powerful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Never doubt the ability of an Assistant Censor. In his prime, he rose swiftly—not just because he had powerful patrons, but because he had real talent. After years as a censor, even if he didn’t know how to investigate at first, he’s now an experienced hunter. No one should dare challenge him. Whoever breaks the law and dies? They deserve it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou’s firm words crushed the jailers’ lingering doubts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone followed the principle of avoiding trouble—so they obeyed without question. In the following rounds, not a single jailer spoke to Yu Zhaoan; even the one serving meals remained silent throughout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With their lives and fortunes at stake, no one dared act recklessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At times, Chen Guanlou would reflect: Was letting Kongkong escape truly wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was definitely wrong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From a legal standpoint, he had committed a grave crime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from the standpoint of self-interest, he had done the right thing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d captured Kongkong, who would he hand him over to? How? Even if those questions were resolved, why should he capture Kongkong? How would he explain the whole story? One lie demands countless others to cover it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the truth came out and superiors questioned him, could he possibly fabricate that he’d simply walked down the street, found Kongkong unconscious, and instantly saw through his disguise?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would believe that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the investigation turned toward him, could he still protect his secret?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he stayed hidden, his cover was now at risk of exposure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could guarantee Kongkong wouldn’t confess everything to save his own life?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any hint of danger? He had to crush it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He would never risk exposing his secret just to be an anonymous constable.\u003C\u002Fp>",1222,"2026-06-20T17:39:56.967Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","caf140fb0a10393891444b272ed98a30302aa9e9ccdc742f5338d608aa5800f3","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-73","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-71",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]