[{"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-975":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},2326193,4549,"Chapter 975","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-975",975,"\u003Cp>“Investigate thoroughly, leave no detail unchecked.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou ordered sharply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, clean up the ends of the Tianlao Prison, ensure there are no loopholes, then settle accounts with the Six Gates Bureau. Don’t let them turn the tables on us!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But how are we supposed to investigate this?” Xu Fugui struggled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou sneered, clearly displeased. “Xu, if you can’t handle this job, let someone more capable take it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No no no, no need! I can handle it, I definitely can. I’ll follow your orders—check every single detail. Should I record everything?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not just record it—every witness statement must be documented. Use testimonies and physical evidence to eliminate any chance of the Six Gates Bureau turning the tables. You have two days. Get it solid. If you fail, your position as jailer is over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xu Fugui’s heart skipped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew full well Chen Guanlou had disliked him for a long time, but out of old ties and various reasons, had never removed him. Yet over the past year or two, the man’s patience had worn thin, growing ever more picky and dissatisfied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wiped his face, thinking he must not give Chen Guanlou any opening or leverage to dismiss him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if he beat every jailer below him, he would complete the investigation within two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With determination and execution, the investigation proceeded smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thick stack of investigation documents lay neatly before Chen Guanlou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He instructed Mu Qingshan, “Send an invitation to Meng Laoda of the Six Gates Bureau. I will visit him in person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Qingshan secretly feared the Six Gates Bureau, finding them eerie, “My lord, why not just invite Meng Laoda over for a visit?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou smiled faintly. “Invite him over, and people will mistake it for a Hongmen Banquet. No, no—better I go visit him myself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no choice, Mu Qingshan had to personally deliver the invitation to the Six Gates Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Laoda had long dealt with all sorts of underworld figures, martial artists, and officials—he understood human nature and was shrewd and worldly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the sight of Chen Guanlou’s invitation, he felt an uneasy premonition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not waiting for Chen to come to him, he dropped his current affairs and personally visited Tianlao Prison to see Chen Guanlou.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing a ninth-rank martial cultivator, one could never be too careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Meng Laoda arrive uninvited, Chen Guanlou raised an eyebrow slightly and welcomed him politely, even ordering the kitchen to prepare a full banquet. They ate and drank right in the office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meng Tou, you’re too courteous—we agreed to drink tonight, yet you came in broad daylight.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Chen Brother’s wine—even if knives were falling, I’d arrive early.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha… Meng Brother, you flatter me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Chen Guanlou gestured. Mu Qingshan understood at once and quickly handed over the file on prisoner Ma Liu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou pushed the file forward to Meng Laoda. “Take a look. You must be very familiar with this file.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Laoda’s heart leapt: Here it comes!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true purpose of this banquet had finally arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His seemingly foggy mind instantly cleared. His previously clouded eyes turned sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, he had been pretending to be drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone like him, who had long navigated official circles, knew exactly when to get drunk and when to stay sober—he had mastered the art of control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flipped through the file, saw the name “Ma Liu,” and his pupils dilated slightly. Then he calmed instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“May I ask, Chen Brother, what’s wrong with this file?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou smiled faintly. Still pretending ignorance at this point?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snapped his fingers, and Mu Qingshan immediately said: “The file records Ma Liu as a notorious bandit, a third-rank martial cultivator who killed countless people. Yet the Ma Liu held in Tianlao has no martial meridians—he’s merely an uneducated old farmer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s impossible!” Meng Laoda immediately denied it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou smiled. “It’s not just that. Look here—the height of the Ma Liu locked in the cell doesn’t match either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The file recorded Ma Liu as nearly 1.8 meters tall and weighing close to 200 jin. The Ma Liu held in Tianlao was under 1.7 meters and weighed only about 110–120 jin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed out not just height, but also other discrepancies in physical traits: facial features, birthmarks, arm length, shoe size.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The court kept meticulous records of physical characteristics—even without photographs, every possible trait was documented, precisely to prevent substitution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Laoda’s face shifted through several expressions. He closed the file. “Chen Brother, why tell me this? Are you accusing the Six Gates Bureau of delivering a fake Ma Liu to Tianlao? That’s impossible!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The prisoner was handed over face-to-face, and Xu Yuli of Tianlao signed and stamped the transfer records as correct. If there’s an error with Ma Liu in Tianlao, it’s your prison’s mismanagement—what does it have to do with the Six Gates Bureau?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True enough!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to documents and procedure, Tianlao should bear responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fault lay entirely with that bastard Xu Fugui—he hadn’t even glanced at the physical traits recorded in the file before locking the man up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he so much as checked the file and compared the prisoner’s features, he’d have spotted the discrepancy. None of this mess would’ve happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou sipped his wine. “Since I invited you here, do you think I’d speak without cause? I’ve already completed my preliminary investigation. The Ma Liu you sent was never the real one. Of course, I won’t deny our own negligence—we failed to catch the discrepancy immediately.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meng Laoda downed a large gulp of wine. “Chen Brother, you’ve said so much—tell me how to resolve this. I’ll follow your lead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you admit the Six Gates Bureau tampered with the prisoner? You substituted someone else, let the real Ma Liu escape?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t put words in my mouth. The prisoner Ma Liu is still locked up in Tianlao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Meng Brother, you seem to have forgotten—Ma Liu is to be executed publicly.” Chen Guanlou pointed at the file. “The mismatch between man and record is glaring. Do you think the execution supervisor is blind? Who will bear the blame then?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then don’t let Ma Liu be executed!” Meng Laoda’s face hardened. “I’m sure this is a minor matter for Tianlao.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou sneered, unconvinced. He spoke slowly: “Meng Brother, Meng Brother—I’ve treated you like a brother. Yet you’ve only ever tried to deceive me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you wanted to help the real Ma Liu escape, at least have the decency to pick someone with similar physical traits. I never imagined the Six Gates Bureau would be so careless—your substitution isn’t even disguised!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Are you so arrogant, or have you never regarded Tianlao Prison as anything at all? Do you think the lives of Tianlao jailers mean nothing?”\u003C\u002Fp>",1128,"2026-06-20T17:40:00.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","cf9bc9df55a394704e4017905f7f24c001a246f6fa3d5522b050755d904d399a","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-976","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-974",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]