[{"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-87":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},2325305,4549,"Chapter 87: Pretty Little Daughter-in-Law","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-87",87,"\u003Cp>Drunk and fell into the water!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another drunk and fell into the water!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou was completely numb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t hear a word the prison clerk said afterward. After handing over the ledger, he thought for a moment, then called for the prison guard Chen Quan, and headed together to the county yamen to identify the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way, Chen Quan kept sighing in disbelief, unable to accept that a healthy man had suddenly vanished. The whole thing came too suddenly, too damn shocking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was more honest than Xiao Jin and cautiously asked, “Chen Tou, this has nothing to do with our prison, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou shook his head, then sighed, “Yesterday I argued with Head Li. Today he’s gone. If I weren’t certain I hadn’t done anything unlawful, I’d suspect I’d done something in my sleep. How could it be so coincidental? He died the same way as Jailor Jiang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Chen Guanlou mentioned Jailor Jiang, Chen Quan’s face turned pale. “Chen Tou, don’t scare me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not scaring you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the way, Chen Guanlou thought hard but found no clues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the county yamen, after exchanging identities, they were led to a remote, isolated building far from the main offices—cold and chilling. Even in summer, it made people shiver, perfect for storing corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The body’s inside. I won’t go in with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Working in the prison, they feared nothing more than dead bodies. Chen Guanlou and Chen Quan entered the morgue without hesitation. A single corpse lay on a wooden board in the center of the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s Head Li! It really is him, no mistake!” Chen Quan cried out first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou said nothing, but stepped closer and examined the body with his limited coroner’s knowledge. No obvious external injuries, no signs of poisoning, nails still clean—no violent struggle before death. He was still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where’s his purse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What purse?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Head Li always wore a purse embroidered with a duck, filled with silver coins. Go ask if they found it when they discovered the body.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Quan went out to inquire. He returned moments later. “Everyone says they didn’t see a purse. Maybe it fell into the water.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou didn’t know the purse’s origin, but he was certain that the coarse Li Dahong treasured it deeply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t a professional coroner and couldn’t spot anything unusual, so he temporarily accepted the claim that Li Dahong had died from drunkenly falling into the water. Then, he followed the yamen staff to Li’s home to deliver the news and arrange for the family to claim the body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Li’s home, the door was opened by a young, beautiful, gentle woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Upon learning she was Li Dahong’s wife, everyone was stunned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The yamen runners were deeply envious and whispered to Chen Guanlou, “Do prison men marry wives this beautiful? Our pay isn’t low—why can’t we find such a pretty one?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou wanted to say this was definitely an exception.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen the wives of Lu Datou, Xu Fugui, Zhang Wantong, Wan Yuli, and his own prison guards—all without exception were shrews, broad-hipped and burly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never imagined Li Dahong had married such a delicate little wife—what a stroke of luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quietly asked Chen Quan, “Did you know about this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Quan shook his head repeatedly. “I didn’t even know when Head Li got married—only that he had a family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They entered Li’s home and saw the interior and courtyard were neatly kept. They’d hired an old nursemaid to buy groceries, cook, wash clothes, and sweep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dahong’s wife was surnamed Liu, Liu Shi, and had a young maid attending her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought: if he’d married such a beautiful little wife, he wouldn’t let her do dirty, hard labor every day and turn into a haggard old woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Liu Shi learned of Li Dahong’s death, tears immediately fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder she was a beauty—she cried with such delicate grace. The yamen runners felt heartbroken, but were too tongue-tied to offer comfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Quan, also deeply moved, awkwardly said, “Sister-in-law, please bear up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only Chen Guanlou, accustomed to beauty, remained unmoved—even if she wept torrents, he wouldn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I ask, Sister-in-law, where are you from? Do you have any parents or elder brothers? Are there any relatives on Li’s side? For the funeral arrangements, our prison can assist—we can send several people to help. We can also notify both families on your behalf.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi slowly shook her head, her posture supple, her expression heartbreakingly sorrowful—Chen Guanlou thought of one word: willow in the wind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me tell you, Chen Tou, my parents are both gone, and I have a brother—but he’s not in the capital now, and I can’t reach him quickly. On Li’s side, my husband had three brothers. After our in-laws passed, they split the household years ago and haven’t been in contact since. I’ve been barren—I’ve borne no sons or daughters. But my husband had a son from a previous marriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Head Li had a son?” Chen Quan’s mouth always moved faster than his brain. “We never heard of it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Dahong was already in his thirties—having a son wasn’t unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s good Head Li has a son. Where is he? I’ll send someone to fetch him immediately,” Chen Guanlou asked urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. “I don’t know where he is.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone stared blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi continued: “Two years ago, the father and son quarreled. Da Lang ran away and never returned. I have no idea where to find him now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi looked pitifully helpless—most questions met with “I don’t know.” A typical inner-chamber woman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou acted decisively: he ordered the yamen runners to search for Li Dahong’s son. He assigned Chen Quan to return to the prison and bring more men to help—first move the body back, set up a mourning pavilion, and make the arrangements proper. All expenses would be covered by pooling contributions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi thanked them repeatedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing no one was watching, Chen Guanlou boldly asked, “Sister-in-law, what year did you marry Head Li? Are you over twenty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi’s face changed, but she answered: “No need to hide from you, Chen Tou—I married Head Li two years ago. I’m past twenty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou: …\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forgive my bluntness, Sister-in-law. In such matters, women often can’t appear publicly. Send word to your brother immediately—ask him to return soon. We’ll also find Head Li’s son as quickly as possible so he can fulfill his filial duty. You should also notify Li’s brothers. If they cause trouble, don’t fear—we’ll stand by you. We won’t let Head Li depart in unrest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Trouble? It would definitely come!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou foresaw the coming days: someone would surely cause a scene. Li Dahong had saved a good deal of money over the years—let alone the house Liu Shi lived in, Li’s relatives would surely covet it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Shi bore no children; Li Dahong’s first son might not recognize her as stepmother. Once trouble started, Liu Shi would be at a disadvantage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since ancient times, there have always been those who prey on widows and seize their wealth.\u003C\u002Fp>",1196,"2026-06-20T17:39:56.967Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","9575e92c182a93168638b35968ccd90f18f07e1b952351db147ee6ee7d6bd9f1","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-88","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-86",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]