[{"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-79":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},2325297,4549,"Chapter 79: No Money, Not Even Dead Man","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-79",79,"\u003Cp>Serving in Tianlaomiao, day after day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grand Secretary Jin and his family have already set out on their exile. Cell 72 is now empty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t even two days before a new prisoner was locked in—a poor capital official, so destitute his official robe was patched, and he borrowed money just to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was such a man imprisoned?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s said he signed his name to a memorial impeaching Jiang Tu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old emperor has been in a foul mood lately; more and more court officials have been denouncing Jiang Tu—even officials from the most insignificant departments have joined in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a rage, the old emperor pulled out the most vicious memorial and threw every official who signed it into prison, to vent his fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All Jiang Tu did was ask local governments for money, rare flowers, exotic stones, and beauties under the pretense of building palaces and gardens. He relieved the Son of Heaven of burdens—no fault, only merit. Yet court ministers seized on trivial flaws and ranted endlessly, even insinuating insults against the old emperor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old emperor flew into several fits of rage but couldn’t quell the officials’ fighting spirit. Then came the fierce Jiangnan tax resistance case, which also implicated Jiang Tu. Even the rebellion in Jinzhou up north was somehow tied to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustrated and furious, the old emperor decided to arrest a batch of officials first and see how things unfolded. If the ministers still refused to show sense, executions would begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The new prisoner in Cell 72 was surnamed Jiang—Official Jiang was thrown into prison under these very circumstances. He merely signed his name, and was immediately seized by ferocious Embroidered Uniform Guards and locked away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he was a poor capital official with no wealth to extract, and because the Embroidered Uniform Guards’ cells were overcrowded, Official Jiang was luckily sent to Tianlaomiao.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tianlaomiao has its own rules—poverty is no excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Fugui and the others complained before Chen Guanlou: “Chen Tou, the higher-ups are pressing hard, demanding we pay the standard fee. But this Jiang fellow can’t squeeze out a single copper coin—what do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Official Jiang still owes dozens of taels to others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His home is so poor you could hear coins rattle in an empty room—nothing of value to be found.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He borrows money just to eat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Word is the yamen hasn’t paid salaries in half a year. Men like him, poor capital officials, are lucky to have not starved to death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“By the rules, we need at least six hundred taels. Even if we sold him, he wouldn’t fetch that much.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The jailers chattered among themselves—on one side, Tianlaomiao’s rules; on the other, a penniless capital official who yielded not a drop of oil. They, caught in the middle, were truly in a bind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou was also annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He even suspected Wan Yuli had deliberately assigned Official Jiang to his jurisdiction just to annoy him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bluntly said: “Tell Jiang to borrow high-interest loans. Tianlaomiao’s rules cannot be broken.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Official Jiang says: kill him, he won’t borrow high-interest loans. Even if he borrowed, he couldn’t repay. He’s doomed either way—better to die inside Tianlaomiao, maybe even earn a reputation after death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“These officials care more for reputation than life. Chen Tou, what should we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou rolled his eyes and snorted coldly, “He must know a few wealthy men—so many classmates and colleagues. Make him find someone to lend him money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Official Jiang is a stone in the latrine—stinking and hard. The people he associates with are mostly just like him: poor capital officials. No one seems able to lend him six hundred taels at once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou flew into a rage: “This won’t work, that won’t work—what do you suggest?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take him to the interrogation chamber.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s settled,” Chen Guanlou decreed. Tianlaomiao’s rules must be upheld—the money must be paid, even if we had to melt down the pots and pans to pay it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, Wan Yuli sent another messenger to press for payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou went to the office to meet Wan Yuli, asking for a few more days—his men were working hard to raise the money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wan Yuli chuckled coldly twice: “Don’t bring the shabby rules of the Bing-class prison to the Jia-class prison. These are court officials imprisoned by imperial decree. As long as the court hasn’t sentenced them, they’re still officials. Without an order from a superior, how dare you extort money? Chen Guanlou, can you use your brain?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou’s anger was boiling, but he forced himself to suppress it: “Official Jiang is a poor capital official, impervious to persuasion or force. If we don’t show him some teeth, he’ll never borrow or pay. Why not let me have a few more days? Perhaps I’ll find a way to get the money without resorting to torture.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How dare you! Are you questioning my decision? Let me tell you this: don’t think Fan Yucheng’s favor means you have a patron. This Jia-class prison is under my command. I tell you to pay, you pay—that’s the rule. Don’t come to me with excuses, and don’t even think of using torture. Three days. I give you three days. If you don’t get the money by then, I’ll remove you from office and send you back to the Bing-class prison.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Chen Guanlou was certain: Wan Yuli was playing an open game, laying his cards on the table—deliberately assigning Official Jiang to his jurisdiction to force him to extract money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Official Jiang was a poor capital official, known to all. Yet Wan Yuli gave him only three days—clearly meant to torment and humiliate him, to find an excuse to remove him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that’s the case, more words were pointless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou returned to his duty room, thought for a moment, and decided to visit Official Jiang in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Official Jiang was thin and bony, his cheeks hollowed out, making his eyes bulge unnaturally large. But his eyelids were wrinkled, making him look ancient. Only after reading his file did Chen Guanlou learn the man was only in his thirties—not yet forty. Yet his face looked fifty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was not tall—below average height for a man of this era. Chen Guanlou, standing at 180 centimeters, loomed over him like a giant, radiating pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tapped the bars lightly with his water-and-fire staff: “Official Jiang, newly arrived—anything you find uncomfortable?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Fengyu stared at Chen Guanlou by the cell door, slow to react: “Oh, you—you’re Chen Tou, the one they mentioned. Thank you for visiting, Chen Tou. I’m quite well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou pressed his lips together, his expression growing stern: “They told you the rules, didn’t they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know—no loud noise, no…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you joking with me?” Chen Guanlou glared coldly at him. “Tianlaomiao’s rule: six hundred taels upon entry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, this…?” Jiang Fengyu looked utterly bewildered. “I don’t have any. I truly don’t.” He rummaged through his sleeves and pockets—no copper coin to be found.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether you have it or not doesn’t matter to us—we only collect. Money means food. The yamen hasn’t paid salaries or rice allowances for months. If you don’t pay, all these prisoners in Tianlaomiao will starve. Official Jiang, you don’t want everyone to die because of you, do you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I really don’t have any money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then borrow it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t borrow it.” Jiang Fengyu remained utterly innocent throughout.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou finally understood: this man deserved to be poor.\u003C\u002Fp>",1244,"2026-06-20T17:39:56.967Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","726f5a998b98d9138ddeb03b197805e0506664ca1736802dc37a958eb92c2f99","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-80","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-78",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]