[{"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-999":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},2326217,4549,"Chapter 999","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-999",999,"\u003Cp>“The prison warden Chen has arrived!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frail voice emerged from the dim cell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here I am! How are you, old man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine—for now, I’m not dead yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This prisoner, surnamed Cai, was an official from the previous emperor’s reign, once serving as Minister of Personnel. He offended the former emperor and was imprisoned—and then forgotten, left to rot in the Heavenly Prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did your family send you money or clothes this year?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Master Cai was imprisoned, his family held out for several years. Eventually, they couldn’t bear it anymore and slunk back to their ancestral home. They used to send him money and clothing each year to make his prison life bearable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Cai, why don’t you find someone to overturn your case? At least let your descendants take the imperial exams!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou offered the advice kindly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having a father in prison barred one’s descendants from taking the imperial exams—and even tainted relatives and friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Cai shook his head. “All dead! What’s the point of overturning the case?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There must still be survivors. Back in your prime, you were so illustrious—surely a few younger men still remember your kindness. Write them a letter; maybe things will turn around. You’re old now—don’t you want to spend your final years at home?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If they truly remembered my kindness, they wouldn’t have waited until now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t blame them entirely. The former emperor was ruthless—he killed at will. Everyone feared being dragged down with you, too afraid to speak up, or too powerless to act. But things are different now. The former emperor’s been dead for years. Your case might still be overturned.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou spoke sincerely: no matter how slim the hope, as long as a man still lived, he must try. What if he succeeded? That would be a blessed surprise!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like winning the lottery!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Cai said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou pressed on, “Your family, tainted by your crime, cannot take the exams. Their lives must be miserable—without exception, growing harder each year. Only by overturning your case can your descendants have any hope.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You always say your Cai descendants are scholarly souls—but if they study yet cannot serve in office, who would accept that? Your family is now destitute, powerless to overturn your case. Only you can do it now—by calling on the faint remnants of old favors you left behind. Don’t dig yourself into a corner, old man.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t have money to pay you to run errands,” Old Cai said bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou laughed. “You can sign a promissory note. I don’t mind.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You, you’re truly obsessed with money—even my coins you want to steal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re joking. I only earn a bit for running errands. Why not borrow from a moneylender? They’ve heard your name—they’d likely help you out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No! I can’t afford loan sharks!” Old Cai immediately refused. “Tell me first—who’s in the court now? Let me see if I recognize any names.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To overturn his case, he needed someone in the imperial court. Local officials were useless—they all depended on connections at court.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After so many years, few in the court still remembered Old Cai—or even that he was imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou began with the Council of State, then moved on to the Six Ministries and Nine High Officials…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Cai kept his eyes closed, resting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All these names are unfamiliar. My old colleagues are either dead or retired.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his imprisonment, the court had changed hands seven or eight times. Finding a familiar face was nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about the noble families? Any you know?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Court officials come and go; noble houses endure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Cai gave a bitter laugh. “I was born poor. Back then, I was constantly shunned and slandered by the great clans. They didn’t kill me outright—that was mercy enough. Why would they help a dying old man like me overturn his case? Chen Warden, I appreciate your kindness, but this is fate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you truly accept this fate? You plan to die in prison, your family branded as the kin of a condemned criminal, your descendants forever barred from the exams. Are you content?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What else can I do?” Old Cai was ancient. He moved slightly, and his bones seemed ready to crumble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a withered old man. Decades in prison had crushed all his pride and courage. What more could he ask for than to live?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou clicked his tongue. “You’re not accepting fate—you’re dead inside. After all those years as a court official, you couldn’t find a single soul willing to lift you out? You’ve fallen lower than I imagined.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Old Cai chuckled. “You’re right. I often reflect: I spent decades in officialdom, and ended up with no friends, everyone seeing me as an enemy. What a failure! Don’t bother with me. Let me die here. I eat little, spend little. The prison keeps me alive—it’s no trouble.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou wanted to say this wasn’t about money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he thought: what’s the point?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He said only, “Think it over. I’m leaving. If you change your mind, just tell the kitchen servant.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you,” Old Cai waved him off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After inspecting the cells, he returned to the office for tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This summer was unusually hot—much hotter than last year. Two basins of ice sat in the office to cool the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doctor Mu came over to bask in the chill, drank a bowl of iced mung bean porridge, and sighed in bliss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s so comfortable here—warm in winter, cool in summer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The prison is cooler.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the prison isn’t as airy or pleasant-smelling. By the way, you should tell Xu Fu Gui to ease up on the beatings. In this heat, if prisoners are too badly injured, they’ll die from their wounds. One died last night—beaten too hard, wounds turned gangrenous, couldn’t be saved.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who was it? I haven’t reviewed the paperwork Mu Qingshan sent yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seems to be someone linked to a mass murder case. The dossier has full details—just flip through it, and you’ll see.” Doctor Mu reminded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou dug through the mountain of files and pulled out the death report requiring his signature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The suspect in the family massacre was beaten to death by Xu Fugui. How does he handle things? The case is still under investigation—Six Gates Bureau has only interrogated him twice. There’s still plenty to examine. Now he’s killed him—tomorrow, the Six Gates will demand answers, and it’ll be another endless brawl. Absolute chaos!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou was growing increasingly frustrated with Xu Fugui—always careless, never thinking of the bigger picture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve been watching. Xu Fu Gui’s mind isn’t on his duties. If things don’t improve, follow your own example—appoint another warden in the Bing-cell complex.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chen Guanlou nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had long wanted to replace Xu Fugui, but out of old loyalty, he’d held off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Ma Liu case had just ended, and now another incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Xu Fugui devoted even half his attention to duty, he wouldn’t keep making mistakes. To use brutal torture on an unconvicted prisoner—killing him outright—was pure recklessness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t let the Bing-cell complex keep falling apart just because of old loyalty.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1196,"2026-06-20T17:40:00.288Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","f1446efff48d9fd38cd56dd7a43d6de2f7fd4e4b9dfd5cd1f6403fede06b1457","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-1000","immortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-chapter-998",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fimmortal-through-martial-path-i-who-cannot-die-s-cover.jpg"]