[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday":3,"chapter-the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-71":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Imperial Hound on an Eight-Hour Shift",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":20,"prevChapterSlug":21,"totalChapters":22,"novelImage":23},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":16,"volume":17,"translator":18,"content_hash":19},2225129,4113,"Chapter 71","the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-71",71,"\u003Cp>Cheng Yuanzhen had been struck by Yun Zelin, and although there was no killing intent, the difference in their realms was vast, and he had already suffered significant injuries.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>During the process of fleeing down the mountain, he kept calculating in his heart how to resolve this matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time he was about to arrive outside Tai'an City, he already had a rough plan in his heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet he faintly heard strange sounds coming from far away in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three sect leaders and the disciples of the three sects who followed him down the mountain also changed color in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These roars and wails... why did they sound so much like the situation on Mount Taishan!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone used their light-body techniques and rushed to the city gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They saw the tightly closed city gate, the officials and soldiers guarding the entrance in fear, and the scratching sounds constantly coming from the gate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Yuanzhen stepped forward quickly, grabbed the collar of the gate-guarding official, and asked sternly: \"What is going on!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the official uniform on Cheng Yuanzhen, the official thought he had finally seen reinforcements from the imperial court and burst into tears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"My, my lord!!!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This subordinate, this subordinate...\" He choked up, unable to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Yuanzhen had no time to listen to his nonsense and slapped him several times: \"What are you crying for! Answer me! What the hell is going on!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Why seal the city gate!? What happened in this city!?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official barely stopped crying and then told Cheng Yuanzhen the situation in the city one by one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He told him how Li Miao had ordered them, and what the people in the city had turned into.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he said with tears in his eyes: \"My old wife and young son are still in the city; I tried to open the gate to enter the city several times, but I held back!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Finally, you have arrived, my lord! Please save the people of this entire city!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cheng Yuanzhen looked him up and down, then calmly glanced at the three sect leaders behind him, his gaze cold, but he didn't speak for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There is a saying: A sound soul resides in a sound spirit and a sound body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A person's character will always, to a greater or lesser extent, submit to the environment they are in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the character that betrays the environment it is in is the truly rare and valuable quality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example, if a person has lived in luxury since childhood, surrounded by upright and kind people, and faces only upright and bright things, then their kindness is a matter of course. It is equally valuable, but not worth praising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a person has been displaced and hungry since childhood, and after growing up faces filth and sword light every day, yet they can still hold onto a kind heart to face this terrible world, that is truly valuable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this, the eunuch profession... rarely produces kind people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Physically incomplete, discriminated against, life and death are easy, and they rarely have a good end. The environment they face rarely allows them to be kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Cheng Yuanzhen was a \"standard eunuch.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn't care about the lives of the people in the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What he was thinking about now was whether to act and silence the people present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the soldiers in the city were the ones he had taken to Mount Taishan, without consulting Li Miao. With the city empty now, the Ming Cult had taken advantage of the void, and a large part of the responsibility lay with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right now, he didn't want to risk his life on this matter; he didn't want to enter the city to save people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people who saw him outside Tai'an City now were all hidden dangers who could testify to his flight in the future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It's just... he couldn't do it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That palm from Yun Zelin had truly landed on his chest, damaging his heart pulse; although not life-threatening, it had affected his Qi flow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three sect leaders were all first-rate experts of many years, plus the disciples of the three sects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Cheng Yuanzhen was a Pinnacle expert, with his injuries, if it truly came to a life-and-death struggle, even if he could win, it would be a pyrrhic victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the three sect leaders were also old Jianghu hands; they naturally sensed that faint killing intent from Cheng Yuanzhen, and without speaking, they had already simultaneously placed their hands on their sword hilts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmph!\" After hesitating for a long while, Cheng Yuanzhen let out a cold snort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked away the official who was hugging his leg and crying, and turned to leave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The official was stunned for a moment, and by the time he came to his senses, Cheng Yuanzhen's figure was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared blankly, then suddenly burst into tears. The other officials and soldiers were the same.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was nothing more desperate than finally waiting for hope, only to watch it shatter with one's own eyes. Several people were now in despair, even thinking of opening the city gate and going in to die with their families.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just at this moment, the three sect leaders sighed one after another.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hengshan Sect Leader Zhang Jingfeng smiled bitterly: \"Two, what do you say?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Songshan Sect Leader Zhou Yingxue let out a cold snort: \"What else can I say? Are you waiting for my Songshan Sect to flee, so you can use this to suppress my sect in the future?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hengshan Sect Leader Deng Baixuan had an ugly expression, cold sweat dripping down his forehead: \"Two, we finally escaped Mount Taishan with our lives; shouldn't we consider this further?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I know you are not people who fear death, but don't forget, the matter of colluding with the Ming Cult is still hanging over our heads.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This city is clearly the Ming Cult's plot; they've already sacrificed one Lan Lechuan, who knows what experts are waiting for us inside.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we throw our lives away here, the sects will be leaderless, and it will be even harder to survive the Ming Cult and the imperial court's schemes and revenge in the future.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jingfeng didn't speak, but Zhou Yingxue had a straightforward nature and said bluntly: \"If it were just me here, I might really have left.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Look behind us, there are still the young ones watching!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we just leave like this, my Songshan Sect will truly be finished!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Baixuan turned to look at the disciples behind him, also speechless for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Five Mountains Sword Sects were famous righteous sects, and no matter how they acted in private, what they taught their disciples was Jianghu chivalry and upholding justice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Deng Baixuan turned his head, what he saw were a dozen pairs of eager eyes, burning with fire, burning his eye sockets until they ached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, damn it, what the hell is this!\" Deng Baixuan turned his head and cursed secretly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What debt did he owe in his past life! Are there no experts in this world! Why does everything have to fall on his head!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had come happily to attend the Five Mountains Alliance meeting, even bringing the best seedlings in the sect, wanting them to see the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As a result, they were inexplicably dragged into this, several disciples died, and after finally escaping with the remaining disciples, were they now going to lead them to their deaths!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This matter was eight hundred li away from his sect; Mount Taishan didn't care, the imperial court didn't care, was it the Hengshan Sect's turn to die!?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking at Deng Baixuan, who was bowing his head and gritting his teeth, Zhang Jingfeng spoke slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Sect Leader Deng, don't think about it. If you think too much, you won't dare to fight for your life.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"We are not great heroes with heaven-defying righteousness, nor are we geniuses like Zuo Lishan, who reached the Pinnacle at a young age. We are all mediocre people who have struggled to carry our sects forward.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In front of the imperial court and the Ming Cult, we can bow and scrape. As long as the young ones don't see it, that's fine.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jingfeng sighed lightly, his palm rubbing the sword hilt at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But, no matter how different our heritages are, we ultimately practice the sword—the sword can bend, but it cannot break.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"If we leave the people of this city behind today, our swords are broken, so what 'Sword Sect' can we talk about?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Let's go, don't delay; perhaps we can save a few more lives.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Zhang Jingfeng smiled and said: \"Coincidentally, the names of the five sect leaders of our Five Mountains Sword Sects are all trees.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Shan, Feng, Ying, Bai, Liu.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A tree with a broken spine cannot hold up the beam, nor can it bear good fruit. Not to mention providing shade for those who come later.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having said that, Zhang Jingfeng walked toward the city gate first, with Zhou Yingxue following closely behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it, damn it, so you are the great heroes!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng Baixuan gritted his teeth, stamped his feet, and in the end, followed them.\u003C\u002Fp>",1547,"2026-06-17T21:41:15.265Z","2026-06-18T03:13:38.468Z",1,"Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite","9c451d14a35bc27683a9974208f00af7ff2d33f90d850ddb9331f6b90476fedb","the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-72","the-imperial-enforcer-with-an-eight-hour-workday-chapter-70",647,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-imperial-hound-on-an-eight-hour-shift-cover.jpg"]