《I Am Immortal In The Cultivation World》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: The Dao Fruit of Eternal Life Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions A traditional Chinese hat. Indigo-colored cloth moved into action with fighting force. ck pants. The word ¡°prison¡± was written inside a big white circle on his chest. Zhou Yi sized up this outfit, but could never believe that he had woken up as a prisoner of Fengyang Kingdom. Last night, they were still eating hotpot, hugging girls, and singing love songs. Sure enough, he had been transported! The thick stench of decay permeated the dark and gloomy cell. A faint grunt echoed from a dark shadow of the prisoner curled up behind the iron bars. All of them actively reminded Zhou Yi that this was not a dream. ¡°I was working like a dog before being transported here. Here, I¡¯ll still be worked like a dog. What the hell is the point?¡±* Zhou Yi rubbed his temples to relieve the intense pain caused by the sudden influx of memories. Gradually, he gained a rough understanding of his origins. His father, who shared his same name and surname, was a Sky Prison guard. Unfortunately, he died of a coldst year. After that, his mother died of depression within a few months. This prison guard¡¯s household registration had been passed down for generations. ording to tradition, he was summoned to the prison, but because he was born weak and sickly and did not possess any martial arts skills, he could only be responsible for delivering food to the prisoners. The Imperial Court was directly in charge of the prison. The prisoners were political prisoners and other serious criminals, but there were not many prisoners overall, so the work was easy. Zhou Yi stretched his muscles and bones. Just a few simple movements were enough to trigger a series of coughs, and his chest twitched violently. ¡°Ach, ach! This body is trash. No wonder he died at such a young age¡­¡± Zhou Yi suddenly felt fear in his heart. In his memory, he was a premature baby. He was born weak and sickly. By this time, he had already used up his entire family fortune. In the end, no matter how much nourishing medicine he drank, it still could not cure the w within himself. ¡°We¡¯re just getting started and I¡¯m already dying!¡± As Zhou Yi carefully checked his memories, his heart turned cold. Sky Prison guards seemed to be a lowly business, but because the prisoners were of extraordinary status, it was nheless lucrative. Father Zhou had been on duty in prison for more than 20 years. Not only had he bought a residence in the Divine Capital, but he also used his connections to hire an imperial physician in the pce to personally prescribe medicine for Zhou Yi. In the end, it was all for nothing. Thinking up to this point, Zhou Yi had no choice but to muster his courage and release a bellow from his gut. ¡°The system!¡± No reaction. Please check at N/?vel(D)rama.Org. ¡°Cheat?¡± ¡°Grandpa?¡± ¡°System father?¡± Zhou Yi called out affectionately a few times, but there was still no response. Not even a peep. Just then ¡ª A golden ray of light shone brightly in Zhou Yi¡¯s mind, revealing a Golden Core, round and beautiful. ¡°What is this thing?¡± Before he finished speaking, scenes began to appear before Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes. They were spectacr, gorgeous, and terrifying at the same time. A huge beast galloped wantonly in the wilderness, spitting out mes that filled the sky. The Bone Pce was built on a mountain thousands of feet in the air. Figures that looked like humans and ghosts rode billowing demonic clouds. A beast with the head of a wolf and the body of a snake summoned the wind and the rain. A mutant with wings rode the thunderous clouds. In the sky, Tianqiong slowly opened his golden eyes and stared coldly at the mortal world. Countless purple bolts of divine lightning descended, and everything within a thousand miles was reduced to ashes. The immortal summoned his flying sword and tore a gap in the void. Defeated, the demon sat cross-legged in a pool of blood, its skull bobbing. A Giant God, thousands of feet tall, a war chariot pulled by nine dragons, a heavenly white tiger, a sea of ck turtles¡­ The vast immortal voice buzzed, and the hazy image slowly faded. At this moment ¡ª Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The Golden Core in his mind had already retracted its divine light. It was like an ordinary golden bead that slowly floated and rotated in his soul. A wisp of information was transmitted to Zhou Yi¡¯s soul. The Dao Fruit of Eternal Life! ¡°The Dao Fruit!¡± Zhou Yi cried out. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life that I obtained after grinding to the highest level in the game I yed in my previous life?¡± Before Zhou Yi had been transported, he was addicted to a cultivation simtor. After working day and night for half a year, he finally reached the maximum level. Then, once he finally transcended to the ninth level of the Heavenly Tribtion, he was able to choose the Dao Fruit. Since Zhou Yi was already an in-game hero, the choice was practically made for him. There was only one free Dao Fruit of Eternal Life. The transcription read. ¡°Dao Fruit: Eternal Life.¡± And below that, the text read, ¡°The yer ceases growth after childhood, achieving an endless lifespan ¡ªimmortality. A free Dao Fruit without any attributes! ¡°So my cheat is the game! Load the game? Open the game? Game panel? Dico Studios??¡± Zhou Yi tried to call out a few more times. After confirming that he did not affect the game, he could only shrug helplessly. ¡°So, I¡¯m immortal now?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, so-called eternal life doesn¡¯t mean immortality. It¡¯s just that you won¡¯t grow old. Your lifespan will be endless. You can still get injured, get sick, have all kinds of idents, and be killed.¡± Zhou Yi moved his arms and legs and found that the weakness and illness had disappeared. His breathing was long and even, and his limbs were strong. ¡°The congenital deficiency has disappeared. It should be affected by the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life.¡± ¡°If I had known that I would transport, I would have added ten 648 points and obtained the best Dao Fruit skills! But of course, although the other Dao Fruits increase skills and attributes, they don¡¯t have immortality¡­¡± Zhou Yi thought about this carefully for a moment and realized that he was thinking entirely in terms of a different game. That being the case, the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life was the best choice. Even with Dao Fruits with advanced skills and attributes, one still needed to continue training for immortality. During this period, there would be nock of battles. War was fierce and dangerous. On the other hand, if one possessed the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life, one only needed to be careful and train steadily. After tens of thousands of years, one could still be an immortal and even be a Dao Ancestor. Zhou Yi recalled the terrifying scenes in the cultivation world. It was normal to move mountains and fill the sea, and a tear in the void was ordinary. Even with the help of a high-level Dao Fruit, one had to experience countless life-and-death struggles to cultivate immortality. The immortals and demons were not kind elders. Once they discovered that Zhou Yi¡¯s cultivation speed was extraordinary, they would need one heck of a furnace to burn him in! He might even have to put his pride aside, search his soul, and steal a Dao Fruit! Dao Fruit was the ultimate goal of cultivation, but without the corresponding Dao Protection Technique, having it was like a child carrying gold through a bustling city. ¡°How can I, Zhou Yi, be a brave and ruthless person?¡± Zhou Yi made up his mind to live a quiet life until he could train up to practical invincibility before roaming into the outside world to live freely. Sky Prison was really a good ce. Geographically, it was located in Ningde Square in the capital. The main gate of the capital was to the west, and the Dali Temple was to the east. It was only two marketces away from the pce. Thousands of imperial guards were heavily armed and could leave the city at any time. It was simply the safest ce in the Fengyang Kingdom. Even if there was a drastic change in the dynasty, the attack would only affect the pce. The new emperor would not release the criminals who might harm his people. He would enjoy emperor-level defense without being trapped inside the court. ¡°Perfect! Set small goals first. Sky Prison could keep me safe for hundreds of years!¡± Zhou Yi carried the rice bucket to the door of every cell and scooped a spoonful of porridge. A prisoner heard the sound and got up from his straw mat. His dark hands scooped up the rough porcin bowl. There were only a few grains of brown rice and a few rotten vegetable leaves. He overturned the bowl with a tter. ¡°I¡¯m the Assistant Minister of Rites. How dare you let me eat swine food?¡± This was the pride of a neer who had yet to leave his original identity! The prisoner beside him was more sensible. ¡°Brother, give me another spoonful. This is not enough!¡± Zhou Yi looked at the cell number and scooped a spoonful of thick porridge from the bottom of the bucket for the prisoner. ¡°It¡¯s almost the end of the month. Make sure your family delivers the money for the meal.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been another month!¡± The prisoner sighed, picked up his bowl of rice, and slurped it clean. He burped and returned to the straw mat to meditate. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Chapter 2: The Flying Rainbow Swordsman Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The prison never saw the light of day, and the aisles were lit only with oilmps. It was dim and gloomy, and it was hard to tell day from night. A prisoner had juste in and was still making scratches on the wall. He had stayed up too long and painted all over the wall. He no longer had the spirit to count the days. After all, there were few people capable of walking out of Sky Prison alive! Zhou Yi had an impression of this prisoner who was meditating. His surname was Su, and it was said that he was once a literary tycoon in Jiangnan. Because he had written a poem that went against the current era, it attracted the Embroidered Uniform Guard to investigate. Somehow, they found evidence that he had tortured his servant to death and imprisoned him. With his family giving him money, he could eat more porridge every meal! Perhaps one day, when the new ruler ascended the throne and pardoned the world, this person would be released. ¡°No wonder he¡¯s in such a good frame of mind!¡± Zhou Yi finished distributing the porridge and walked out of the cell. Voices began to sound, and then came closer. They were noisy at first, then turned into shouts of all sizes. It sounded like they were gambling. It had been 300 years since the founding of Fengyang, and there were manymon problems in the dynasty. For example, the emperor required everyone¡¯s date of birth, and the governance of officials wasx. The rules in Sky Prison were not as strict as the rules of the Founding Ancestors. Otherwise, Zhou Yi would not have been recruited. It seemed that most of the prison guards would ck off and disappear. The few lieutenants on duty would drink and gamble every day. Zhou Yipared the rules in the history books to the current situation in the Fengyang Kingdom. There was a high chance that a change in the ruling dynasty was imminent. ¡°Are you done delivering food, Zhou Yi? Come and y with me!¡± The voice of Zhang Zhou awoke him from his thoughts. Zhang Zhou kept blowing into his palm as if hoping to increase the luck of the tiles he was ying with. Zhang Zhou was a lowly official in the Imperial Court. He happened to be Zhou Yi¡¯s direct superior and had a good rtionship with his deceased father. Zhou Yi shook his head. For one thing, he was cautious and not good at gambling. Secondly, he did not have any money. The previous upant of this body had bought medicine every day to nourish his body and spent all the family¡¯s money. In the end, it was still useless and the soul from the Blue was able to upy his body. Standing behind Zhang Zhou and watching for a while, the game appeared to be simr to Pai Gow. The banker was Niu Xiaowei. The whole thing was boring. Zhou Yi calmed down and thought about how to keep training in the future. Even if he had the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life, he couldn¡¯t give up on training. What if one day, he encountered a demonic cultivator abducting people, or immortals fighting to destroy a city? Natural and man-made disasters could not be avoided by caution alone. His Dao Fruit gave him eternal life, and he would have to cultivate his Dao Protection Technique to keep it! ¡°In the memories of my predecessor, I¡¯ve never heard of cultivation training methods. I don¡¯t even know about immortals. I¡¯ve only heard that martial arts in this world are divided into Internal Qi and Body Tempering. As for the specifics, I¡¯ll have to go to the martial arts school to ask.¡± Cultivation was for the purpose of longevity. Zhou Yi had already obtained the Dao Fruit, so he would not give up on his long-term goal to seek immortality. Therefore, he could only choose Martial Dao for the time being! ¡°Should I make a bunch of money and improve my life first? If I can¡¯t get soap, I can get ess to a saltpeter greenhouse¡­¡± ¡°Or giarize some poems and songs. With fame, money¡­¡± ¡°At worst ¡­¡± ¡°Forget it for now. Currently, there¡¯s a courtyard in the Divine Capital, and the prison is in charge of food. Don¡¯t cause any more trouble because of some money.¡± Zhou Yi did not believe in the ancient business environment. In a purely official society, he had nothing to stand on but arge amount of silver. He was just a pig waiting to be ughtered. Just then¡ª A scribe came from outside and whispered something in Niu Xiaowei¡¯s ear. The lieutenant was a ninth-rank official in Sky Prison. He was in charge of ten different assignments and ten prison guards. ording to thew, Niu Su could manage 100 people. Now, there were too many ckers in the prison, and he only had 20 to 30 jailers under him. ¡°Brothers, let¡¯s get to it.¡± Niu Su threw the tiles on the table and said, ¡°Master Lei has instructed that the thief who was imprisoned a few days ago must be interrogated and branded today so as not to dy the execution.¡± Master Lei¡¯s full name was Lei Hu, and he was in charge of the prison. Not counting the imperial guards guarding outside, he could be said to be the highest-ranking official in the prison. ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it!¡± Zhang Zhou¡¯s eyes were a little red, and the shadows of themp swayed like ghosts. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°I was unlucky today and lost everything. I have to vent my anger on this guy!¡± As they were speaking, a dozen people ttered toward the torture chamber. Zhou Yi hesitated for a moment before following. The thief was in Room A-12. He opened the cell door and saw a man hanging upside down. His face was obscured by his own blood.. Zhou Yi followed behind the crowd. Perhaps because he had seen too much in his memory, he did not feel any nausea when he saw the man¡¯s miserable appearance. Zhang Zhou sshed water on the man and woke him up. Without asking a single question, he raised his whip and whipped him ruthlessly. Whap! Whap! Whap!! With each sound, another bloody mark appeared on the man¡¯s body. The whip was dipped in salt water and irritated the man¡¯s wounds. The man whimpered in pain. Only then did Zhou Yi see clearly that the man¡¯s teeth were gone and half of his tongue was broken. How could he even be expected to confess? Commandant Niu sat in an armchair and slowly sipped his tea. He whispered to the clerk in charge of note-taking. The dozen or so people around them watched the man suffer. They either looked refreshed, ignored him, or bet on how many rounds the prisoner couldst. A long while passed. Zhang Zhou grew tired of whipping. He picked up the red branding iron and casually pressed it on the man. Tsssssss! The smell of burnt flesh filled the room. The man was already on the verge of death, and only his instinctive grunts remained. Niu Xiaowei called on Zhang Zhou to stop the torturing. ¡°Don¡¯t kill him!¡± The scribe had already finished taking notes on the interrogation process. He picked up the man¡¯s palm and left a clear bloody handprint on the confession without touching the toxic acid. As far as they were concerned, evidence was irrefutable! Zhou Yi asked the prison guard beside him in a low voice, ¡°Uncle Ye, what crime did this person ¡°This thief is a gangster. His nickname is Flying Rainbow Swordsman or something like that.¡± ¡°There was a drought in Yuzhou half a year ago, and many people starved to death. This fellow led a group of people to attack the granary. They killed more than a dozen grain merchants and even beheaded the county magistrate.¡± Uncle Ye continued, ¡°The Uniform Guards tracked them for half a year and finally caught them. They were beheaded right then and there!¡± A ssic Robin Hood scenario! This was the first thought that came to Zhou Yi¡¯s mind. In ancient times, if the drought was light, hunger would be everywhere. If it was heavy, people would eat each other. This man opened the warehouse and released the grain, saving countless lives! Commandant Niu took the confession and looked at it. He nodded slightly and said, ¡°The White Lotus Society betrayed the throne. They gathered a crowd to cause trouble andmitted murder and treason! Remember to feed him well. He will be executed in a month. At the very least, he must be alive.¡± ¡°Master, don¡¯t worry,¡± insisted Zhang Zhou. ¡°Our little Zhou Yi is quite reliable.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°Shall I begin feeding him now, my lord?¡± Zhou Yi bowed and epted the order. Looking at the man¡¯s miserable appearance, he had already been tortured until he did not look human.To be sure, he did not look like he could survive a month eating porridge alone. Commandant Niu waved his hand. ¡°There¡¯s no need to trouble yourself. This thief has tempered his internal organs and is a top-notch expert in the world of martial arts. He won¡¯t die so easily.¡± Of course he was¡­ That night, Zhou Yi carried the porridge bucket over. The man had already recovered his essence, and his tiger-like eyes were wide open. His face was ck and purple, and there were blood-red whip marks on his body. Not only did he not look weak, but he even had a fiendish aura. Zhou Yi did not dare to approach him. He scooped up a spoonful of porridge and poured it into the man¡¯s mouth. However, the prisoner closed his mouth and struggled such that the porridge was identally poured into his nostrils. ¡°Ach, ach, ach!¡± The man choked and coughed incessantly. ¡°Sir, we¡¯re just government henchmen. Don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡± ¡°Zhou¡­ Dog¡­ stick!¡± The man¡¯s tongue was split open, and his speech was slurred. Zhou Yi put down the good-for-nothing prisoner and went outside to take a look. The cells on the left and right were empty, and the jailers were drawing tiles again. He returned to the man¡¯s side and cupped his fists. ¡°This hero spared no effort to help the victims. I admire him greatly. Even now that he¡¯s in prison, he won¡¯t give up on himself. If he goes to the guillotine, he will still have the strength to scold the Imperial Court!¡± The man was silent for a long time before he slowly opened his mouth. Zhou Yi helped the man wipe the dirty blood off his face and carefully poured the porridge with a spoon to prevent it from going up his nose again. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Pampered Rich Boy Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions This Martial Dao expert could really eat. Half a bucket of porridge poured straight into the man¡¯s stomach. Zhou Yi cupped his hands and said, ¡°Sir, may I know your name?¡± The man ignored Zhou Yi and closed his eyes to regte his breathing. His internal organs buzzed, and his muscles and bones trembled. Blech! The man spat out a mouthful of blood. His face was as white as snow, and his spirit immediately weakened. Zhou Yi watched from his side, noting to himself that the man¡¯s healing process wasn¡¯t going so well after all. ¡°What vicious poison!¡± The man spit blood again as he spoke. ¡°My name is Wei Chang.¡± ¡°What would you prefer to eat, sir? Shall I bring some tomorrow?¡± Zhou Yi had also brought in food for the prisoners before. He could sell it at a price a hundred times higher than outside, and the money he earned had already bought nourishing medicine. Wei Chang said coldly, ¡°I don¡¯t have money to bribe you.¡± ¡°I just want to show you I admire your actions, sir!¡± Zhou Yi said solemnly, ¡°With my personality, I can¡¯t sacrifice myself for others, but I can admire heroes. I can only send some food as a farewell to you, a hero!¡± Wei Chang closed his eyes and said nothing more. Zhou Yi left him alone. Just as he stepped out of the cell door, a voice came from inside. ¡°Do you have wine?¡± ¡°Sure!¡± ¡­ The next day. First, Zhou Yi paid a visit to the front office to pick up the porridge bucket. There were two prison kitchens, onerge and one small. The big one was for gruel, and the brown rice and rotten vegetables were casually cooked there. It was fine as long as it didn¡¯t kill anyone. Theyout of the small kitchen was exquisite. There were all kinds of ingredients for tes of chicken, duck, fish, and meat. Chef Liu was in charge of the furnace. ¡°Zhou Yi, they threw a new inmate into cell C9st night and it seems they had a bad temper. Please wait on him carefully.¡± Chef Liu handed Zhou Yi the food box that he had prepared himself. Zhou Yi asked curiously, ¡°Brother Liu, what¡¯s your background?¡± So-called special prisoners were often locked up in Sky Prison. Often, the nature of their crimes was uncertain, or they were being protected by their family or colleagues. The small kitchen prepared their meals. Chef Liu said in a low voice, ¡°I heard that Minister Long¡¯s only son got drunk at Spring Breeze Restaurantst night and got into a conflict with a merchant. He kicked his ass on the spot!¡± Zhou Yi wondered, ¡°Aren¡¯t such cases sent to the Capital Prison?¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not the whole story!¡± Head Chef Liu peeked outside. Seeing that no one was around, he continued, ¡°This fellow beat the guy to death, but he still wasn¡¯t happy. He led a group of servants into his family¡¯s house and¡­¡± Then he made a throat-slitting gesture. Zhou Yi could not help but be shocked. This Young Master Long was too arrogant. He even dared to Incredible! Zhou Yi carried the food container up to the prison. He greeted Zhang Zhou and the others and continued all the way to Prison C9. Sky Prison had three sections: Section A was where thieves and criminals were imprisoned. In section B, political prisoners or schrs were locked up, while nobles and special prisoners were sent to section C. Cell C9 was the neatest and mostfortable. It divided the original two cells into one room and one hall. Zhou Yi knocked at the cell door. Before he entered, he heard a shout. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The person who spoke was a burly man in martial arts clothing. He stared coldly at Zhou Yi. ¡°Brother, I¡¯m here to deliver food to Young Master Long.¡± Zhou Yi respectfully handed over the food box. There were four burly men outside Cell C9. Two of them guarded the cell door and the other two guarded the inner door. They were obviously in charge of protecting Young Master Long. When the man heard this, he let down his guard and took out silver needles from his chest pocket to test the meal. ¡°Get lost!¡± Zhou Yi bowed and retreated, preparing to close the cell door. A young man came out from the inner room. His clothes were disheveled and his arms were wrapped around a beautiful woman. ¡°Fourth Brother, what has my father said about when I can get out of here?¡± The Poison Tester responded, ¡°Young Master, it¡¯s a little tricky this time. That Chen guy is actually from a branch of the Duke of Qi¡¯s Estate. You have to stay a bit longer.¡± ¡°What Duke of Qi? This is Fengyang Kingdom, it belongs to my father and¡­¡± The cell door was now firmly shut. The words behind it were indistinct. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi hauled the bucket and delivered food to the prisoners one by one. Finally, he went to Prison A- 12 and observed that there was no one around. He took out a porcin bottle. ¡°Sir Wei, this is the famous Pear Blossom White, a twenty-year-old bottle of hard liquor!¡± He uncorked the bottle, and the rich scent of pear blossoms wafted out. Wei Chang was still hanging upside down. His arms and legs were bound by chains, and even his neck was handcuffed. ¡°Try it, hero.¡± Zhou Yi carefully poured the wine into Wei Chang¡¯s mouth. Wei Chang¡¯s throat gurgled as a ball of fire seemed to burn through his throat and into his stomach. It was indeed good wine. ¡°Have another bite of meat.¡± Zhou Yi took out the roasted chicken from his pocket, tore off the meat, and brought it to his mouth. Wei Chang had lost his teeth and found it difficult to bite and chew. He swallowed the chicken in a few bites.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. ¡°Drink up!¡± Zhou Yi fed Wei Chang the meat and let him wash it down with another helping of wine. ¡°Delightful!¡± Wei Chang heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°The Divine Capital certainly has some fine wine. Yuzhou has nothing on this.¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°This Pear Blossom White is only one of them. There¡¯s also Qionghua Wine, Zhao Dian Red, Yu Lu Chun, and others. I¡¯ll bring a bottle every day. I guarantee that you¡¯ll taste all the best wine in the Divine Capital!¡± Wei Chang said coldly, ¡°Nothing good in this world is truly free. You must be interested in my skills, is that it?¡± Zhou Yi looked happy and did not hide it. ¡°Sir Wei, I did have this selfish motive for treating you to wine and meat.¡± After being relieved of duty the day before, Zhou Yi had already asked around. There were many martial arts schools in the Divine Capital that taught ordinary body tempering techniques. The tuition fees ranged from ten taels of silver to a hundred taels of silver. He also had to buy nourishing medicinal soup in the future. If he wanted to learn, he would have to pay at least a few thousand taels of silver. To learn more profound body tempering techniques, one had to be a disciple of the martial arts school. In this era, bing a disciple was not for nothing. A teacher for a day was a father for life. If anything came up, a disciple would have to do it. Not only would he have to do a lot of dirty work, but would also have to fight enemies for his master. The son of a rich man does not sit on the throne! Zhou Yi wanted to learn the Dao Protection Technique, but this was not a matter worth risking his life over. As for internal energy cultivation techniques, Zhou Yi had inquired about a few martial arts schools. Only the dojo master¡¯s true heirs had the chance to cultivate them. In this way, Wei Chang was extremely valuable to Zhou Yi. Wei Chang was only in his thirties or forties, but he had already reached the highest realm and was famous in Yuzhou. The cultivation technique he casually taught was much more advanced than the techniques taught at martial arts schools. In one short month, Wei Chang would be beheaded without leaving behind any karma. It was really a chance for the best of both worlds. ¡°I have nothing to do with the Imperial Court. Why would I teach you martial arts?¡± After Wei Chang finished speaking, he closed his eyes to regte his breathing and circted his inner qi in an attempt to unleash the secret medicine of the Uniformed Guard. Zhou Yi was not discouraged. He packed up the wine pot and left the cell. ¡°Trust isn¡¯t built in a day. Take your time. There¡¯s plenty of time anyway.¡± ¡°Even if Wei Chang is unwilling to impart cultivation techniques in the end, there are other prisoners in Sky Prison. However, they are all criminals who havemitted many evil deeds. They are vile and ruthless. Even if they impart cultivation techniques, training under them wouldn¡¯t be easy!¡± A short time passed. Zhou Yi¡¯s routine was extremely regr. He slept, woke up, delivered food, drank with Wei Chang, slept, woke up¡­ In just half a month, Zhou Yi found that he was already familiar with life in the Fengyang Kingdom. He had thought that life would be boring without cell phones, games, movies, and other entertainment. However, when he went to the brothel with his colleagues, it was like a whole new world suddenly opened up to him. Thedies were well-educated and passionate, making Zhou Yi unable to forget them. Another day rolled around. After Zhou Yi had delivered the food, he came to Wei Chang¡¯s cell to drink. ¡°Hero, this bottle of Autumn Dew is only ten years old. My hands have been tight recently!¡± Wei Chang nced at it and said disdainfully, ¡°Did you throw all your silver into the brothel?¡± Zhou Yi touched his face and said, ¡°Is it that obvious?¡± Wei Chang responded, ¡°Your face is red and you¡¯re full of vigor!¡± Zhou Yi said in surprise, ¡°You know about medicine?¡± Wei Chang¡¯s tone also showed a little surprise. He did not expect Zhou Yi to be able to endure what he had to say. ¡°Medical martial arts are never shared outside of the family! Fortunately, you still know how to restrain yourself and protect your Yang Essence. Otherwise, cultivating your martial arts would be twice as difficult.¡± Zhou Yi naturally understood the principle of youth. He asked curiously, ¡°Do you think those martial arts experts didn¡¯t break their precepts when they were young?¡± Wei Chang said leisurely, ¡°Among martial arts cultivation techniques, there is nock of mystic-arts to lock essence and stabilize the Yang¡­¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s expression was solemn as he bowed. ¡°Please teach me, hero!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Chapter 4: The Nameless Mantra Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions After drinking and eating his fill, Zhou Yi was about to leave, but he felt that it was a pity that he had not learned any secret techniques. ¡°I¡¯m about to die!¡± Wei Chang suddenly said. There were still more than ten days until the execution. ¡°Then I wish you a pleasant journey, Hero. Before I leave, I¡¯ll definitely find a bottle of century-old wine!¡± Zhou Yi spoke slowly. ¡°This is all I can do.¡± After delivering wine for more than half a month, Zhou Yi¡¯s rtionship with Wei Chang had improved a lot. He knew that Wei Chang had been circting his energy to remove the poison. However, the poison that the Uniformed Guards fed him was as poisonous as leeches. In the end, it was futile. ¡°This is enough!¡± Wei Chang said, ¡°I never owe anyone a favor. If I could manage to escape, I would return the good wine to you a hundredfold. Now that the execution is imminent, I can only teach you martial arts to repay the debt.¡± Zhou Yi did not pretend to be polite. He cupped his hands and said, ¡°Please guide me!¡± ¡°I was born a lowly hunter in the countryside. I practiced martial arts at the age of 15. At the age of 20, I dominated the world. At the age of 30, I was almost invincible in Yuzhou. Everyone says that the Flying Rainbow Swordsman is talented, but that¡¯s not the case!¡± Wei Chang said, ¡°The real reason is that I was lucky enough to enter the cave abode of my predecessors while hunting and obtained a Nameless Mantra.¡± Zhou Yi was pleasantly surprised and secretly guessed that this was some kind of unbeatable cultivation technique. ¡°This mantra is quite mysterious. After I got married and established my family, I tried to pass it on to my children, but none of them seeded. Later on, I passed it on to my nsmen, and it was more of the same.¡± Wei Chang went on, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you this technique today. If you can¡¯t sense the profundity within, I¡¯ll teach you another cultivation technique.¡± ¡°Thank you, sir!¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°Even if I can¡¯t cultivate it, I¡¯ll still teach it to the heroes I meet in the future.¡± ¡°Hmph! You¡¯re smart. I hate those who do harm to others.¡± As Wei Chang said this, he was actually relieved. He had originally nned to teach ordinary martial arts techniques, but when he heard this, he decided to impart superior-ss cultivation techniques. ¡°Listen to me carefully!¡± ¡°Heaven and Earth, give birth to yin and yang, transform into all things¡­¡± There were more than 300 words in the entirety of the Nameless Mantra. Zhou Yi memorized it after listening to it carefully a few times. He silently recited it to Wei Chang twice as he sat cross-legged in the cell. ¡°¡­calm your heart, breathe slowly, gather the divine light, reach the heavens¡­¡± Zhou Yi followed the Nameless Mantra¡¯s instructions and meditated toprehend the world. However, there was no reaction. He could not sense the clear qi that Wei Chang mentioned at all. An hour passed. Zhou Yi¡¯s legs were sore from sitting cross-legged, so he had to get up and move around. Seeing Zhou Yi¡¯s expression, Wei Chang naturally knew what was going on. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be discouraged. Not a single one of my hundred nsmen was able to cultivate it.¡± Zhou Yi was feeling down, but not because the cultivation technique had not been sessful. He had other thoughts thaty heavy in his heart. ¡°Have you investigated the origins of the Nameless Mantra?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t find any traces of the origins of that cave abode, but¡­¡± Wei Chang hesitated for a moment before continuing, ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s rted to the legendary immortals. However, Dao Seeking cultivation is illusory. I gave up after investigating for a few years.¡± ¡°Immortals!¡± Zhou Yi muttered to himself. He was sure that there were immortals in this world. This Nameless Mantra¡¯s cultivation method was to sense the clear spirit qi in the world. Martial arts cultivation techniques such as body tempering and inner qi were from the human body. Apletely different cultivation method. It was most likely an immortal cultivation technique. From this, he deduced that cultivation might require some kind of talent, such as Innate Ability, Spiritual Roots, or Spiritual Heritage. On the other hand, those who could notplete the immortal cultivation techniques did not have the talent for cultivation. ¡­ Zhou Yi shrugged helplessly. Indeed, there were gains and losses in this world. Although he was a little disheartened, he was notpletely let down. The Dao Fruit of Eternal Life gave him an endless lifespan. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks This represented endless hope. Since immortal cultivation techniques required special talent, he would create cultivation techniques that did not require talent. With the power of the Dao, all things have a chance of survival! ¡°Moreover, Nameless Mantra might not be an immortal cultivation technique after all. It might be a martial arts secret technique that requires a special physique.¡± Zhou Yi was not the type of person to get stuck in a rut. In the blink of an eye, he regained his vigor. ¡°Sir, I have no fate with the Nameless Mantra. But I still need to consult you about an ordinary cultivation technique.¡± Wei Chang asked, ¡°Martial cultivation is divided into Body Tempering and Internal Qi. Which do you want to learn?¡± Zhou Yi said decisively, ¡°The Inner Qi cultivation technique!¡± Wei Chang said, ¡°Young man, don¡¯t be greedy. Do you know why internal energy cultivation techniques are rare?¡± Zhou Yi guessed, ¡°Because they are precious?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± Wei Chang shook his head and said, ¡°The body tempering external cultivation method has low requirements for talent and rapid cultivation progress. If you temper your skin for three to five years, you will still be a third-rate expert. If you temper your muscles and bones for seven to eight years, you will be nothing but a second-rate expert.¡± ¡°If your talent is not too bad, you can reach the highest realm of bodily refinement in twenty to thirty years!¡± ¡°Evenpared to this, cultivating inner Qi requires high aptitude andprehension. Ordinary people cultivate for 20 to 30 years, and their martial artsbat strength remains roughly the same as it was when they were born.¡± ¡°50 years to reach second-rate, 100 years first-rate, and 200 years to reach true mastery!¡± ¡°Two hundred years? Who can live two hundred years?¡± Zhou Yi was stunned. He had thought that internal energy cultivation techniques were precious and rare, but it turned out that they were practically useless. ¡°This is for an ordinary person! Those disciples ofrge sects are talented. They have been nourishing their bodies with medicinal baths since they were young and using True Qi to cleanse their muscles and bones. Their Internal Qi cultivation speed is three to five times faster than ordinary people.¡± Wei Chang said, ¡°With the profoundness of the cultivation technique and various pills, you can achieve 200 years of cultivation in 20 to 30 years!¡± ¡°So, the requirements for Body Tempering are low, and my strength grows quickly. Then why do I still have to waste my energy cultivating True Qi?¡± Zhou Yi was puzzled. He did not care that it would take hundreds of years. There must be a reason why the disciples ofrge sects consumed huge resources to perfect their inner Qi. ¡°Body tempering and inner qi belong to the Postnatal Realm. Above that is the Connate Grandmaster Realm. Cultivating Inner Qi is easier than refining the body by traditional means and makes it easier to N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. break through to the Connate Realm!¡± Wei Chang pondered for a moment and said, ¡°I once participated in the Jianghu Alliance Meeting and listened to a grandmaster¡¯s lecture on martial arts. Some of the essence of cultivation he spoke of is simr to that of the Nameless Mantra.¡± Zhou Yi blurted out, ¡°Sir, please teach me your internal energy cultivation technique!¡± ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Wei Chang reminded him, ¡°I¡¯ll only teach you the first chapter of the mantra. That¡¯s enough to repay you for delivering the wine!¡± Zhou Yi nodded and said, ¡°Everyone has to dream. What if I can break through to the Connate Realm?¡± ¡°If you can actually break through to the Connate Realm one day, please go to the northern border and take care of my wife and children.¡± Wei Chang suddenly thought of his family being exiled to that cold ce. ¡°Apologize for me. I did this to them!¡± Zhou Yi said solemnly, ¡°I won¡¯t disappoint you!¡± ¡°The Internal Qi cultivation technique I cultivate is called the Origin Returning Technique. Its nature is neutral and peaceful. It¡¯s the true inheritance of the Qing City Daoist¡­¡± Wei Chang recited the Origin Returning Mantra word by word. The entire chapter was actually several times longer than the Nameless Mantra. There were more than 2,000 words in the entire chapter. It took Zhou Yi two hours to memorize them. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Sir, can one cultivate both Body Tempering and Internal Qi?¡± Body refinement can strengthen the bones, tendons, and internal organs. After greater mastery, the bones will be reinforced with steel, making it difficult for weapons to injure them. Internal qi refinement can nourish the internal organs. It can be used to treat illnesses and remove poison. If one cultivated to a level of mastery both internally and externally, in the mortal world, Zhou Yi¡¯s life would not be in danger! Body-refinement could effectively reduce external injuries, while True Qi could nourish the internal organs, and the internal organs could be cultivated to Greater Mastery. ¡°Yes!¡± responded Wei Chang. ¡°I cultivate both internally and externally. I cultivate inner Qi to nourish my internal organs, which can speed up Body Tempering. Most true experts in the world of martial arts do this!¡± Wei Chang reminded him, ¡°But there¡¯s always a limit to one¡¯s strength. When one is old and weak, one¡¯s martial arts cultivation will regress, so one has to make a choice when cultivating.¡± ¡°Thank you for your guidance!¡± Zhou Yi cupped his hands in thanks. He had the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life. No matter how slow his cultivation was, if he trained for hundreds of years, he could probably kill a Connate Grandmaster with a single blow! Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Cautious Action Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Some time passed. Today was the day. It was the day of Wei Chang¡¯s execution. Zhou Yi came to pick up food delivery in the morning and realized that the small kitchen was not open, so he guessed that Young Master Long had already been released from prison. After exterminating an entire family! He had been locked up for just over half a month, and there wasn¡¯t even any interrogation. He had been given a private room within the prison. He ate and drank well, and there were girls from the Spring Breeze Restaurant apanying him. He had been better off here than 99% of the people in the world. ¡°This world¡­¡± Zhou Yi was on duty in Sky Prison. He had heard from his colleagues that the Dragon Minister was extremely powerful. The current Emperor Chongming was obsessed with martial arts cultivation. He did not attend court for 26 years and had been the Prime Minister for 19 years. It was not an exaggeration to say that the wool had been pulled over the eyes of the public. The people whispered that if the emperor ever did appear at the cour, the civil and military officials would not obey him! Prison A-13. Zhou Yi was carrying a food box. It was the typical st meal¡± for prisoners about to be executed. No matter what the crime, there would be meat and wine before execution. ¡°Hero, we¡¯re on the road in two hours!¡± Wei Chang¡¯s hair was disheveled, and the burn marks on his face made him look like a ghost. ¡°Have you brought the century-old vintage?¡± ¡°Of course I did.¡± Zhou Yi took out a porcin bottle from his pocket and opened the lid. The rich fragrance of wine floated out. ¡°A hundred-year-old pear blossoms white. That shopkeeper treated it as the treasure of the shop and refused to sell it at first. I pawned most of my family¡¯s wealth in order to convince him.¡± Wei Chang gulped down half the bottle in one go. He belched and eximed in admiration. ¡°Good wine!¡± Zhou Yi then fed the lion¡¯s head, fish gill tofu, and a dish called Buddha Jumps Over The Wall. Fat but not greasy. It melted in his mouth. Wei Chang asked as he ate, ¡°How¡¯s your cultivation of the Origin Returning Technique¡± ¡°My talent is ordinary. I can only condense a wisp of internal energy every day.¡± Zhou Yi had long guessed this. He was old and had a poor foundation. His abilities to cultivate internal energy already signified that his cultivation technique was superior. The greatest difficulty in life is to ept the ordinary and still work hard! ¡°Your perception is not bad. Unfortunately, you¡¯re getting on in years.¡± Wei Chang guided a few cultivation exercises until he had finished eating. He smiled happily and said, ¡°Not a badst meal. I haven¡¯t eaten such delicious food or drunk such good wine in 43 years!¡± Zhou Yi was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, ¡°Hero, the iron chain is broken. Can you escape?¡± Wei Chang shook his head and refused. ¡°The poison has already seeped into my bones and I don¡¯t have many days left to live. I might as well go to the site of my execution and give the Imperial Court a piece of my mind!¡± Just then¡ª They heard the sound of the cell door being unlocked. Zhou Yi hurriedly cleaned up the dishes. Zhang Zhou brought the secretary of the Ministry of Justice in. Behind him, more than ten prison guards escorted Wei Chang to the site of his execution. ¡°Those who suffer poverty for good will have shorter lives. Those whomit evil will enjoy wealth and longevity!¡± Zhou Yi sighed and continued to deliver food with the bucket. After a month of torture, the former Assistant Minister of Rites in Prison B6 was in a sorry state. Unfortunately, there was no one from his home to deliver silver to pay for his meals. He only had two spoonfuls of porridge every day and was already starving. ¡°Little brother, give me another spoonful, give me another spoonful!¡± ¡°That¡¯s all for now.¡± Zhou Yi ignored the former Assistant Minister¡¯s pleas. It wasn¡¯t that there wasn¡¯t enough to go around, but it was a matter of what was right. This particr prisoner was not a good person. His reason for being locked up in Sky Prison was very simple. He had embezzled money from the Imperial Court. It was said that the Uniformed Guard had found more than a hundred thousand taels of silver, and he had piles and piles of all kinds of gold and jewelry. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Next to him was cell B-7. Su Wenhao awoke from his meditation in good spirits. After finishing the porridge, he said, ¡°Is there something troubling you? I¡¯m proficient in mathematics and can help you solve your problems!¡± ¡°Do I give the impression that something is bothering me?¡± Zhou Yi had some sympathy for Su Wenhao. He spent most of his time in prison reciting poetry and grumbling. ¡°Is it because of this guy over here?¡± Su Wenhao pointed to the former assistant minister, who was groaning in bed beside him. Zhou Yi felt his heart drop. This wasn¡¯t some work of divination. Su Wenhao just happened to be good at reading people. Still, he nodded his head as he spoke. ¡°All my life I have hated corrupt officials. They said that he took the Imperial Court¡¯s money, but the truth is that the wealth he stole belonged to the people!¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Hehehe, you don¡¯t understand.¡± Su Wenhaoughed and continued, ¡°I recognize this fellow. His ability as an official is not bad. He did some practical work for the people, and the amount of money he embezzled was not much.¡± The former assistant ministery down and snorted. ¡°Old Su, I didn¡¯t make friends with you for nothing!¡± Zhou Yi asked curiously, ¡°Then why did he get thrown into Sky Prison?¡± ¡°Politics isn¡¯t about moral purity. It¡¯s about taking sides!¡± Su Wenhao went on, ¡°Corruption doesn¡¯t guarantee getting ahead in one¡¯s career. And getting thrown in prison doesn¡¯t guarantee corruption.¡± Zhou Yi pondered carefully and clicked his tongue. ¡°Interesting, interesting!¡± The former assistant minister spoke now. ¡°Little brother thinks it¡¯s interesting. Now give me another spoonful of rice.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Zhou Yi was tempted to tease him a bit, but thought better of it. The prisoners in this section of the prison were unusual. Many criminals were reinstated into societyter on, so it was better not to provoke them. He scooped up the thick porridge at the bottom of the bucket and poured it into a bowl for the former Assistant Minister. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Why is Mr. Su in such a good mood today?¡± This old man usually didn¡¯t speak much. After eating, he would always meditate. It might be some kind of internal cultivation technique, which would exin why he was healthy. ¡°¡®Wrongfully imprisoned, locked away for four or five years.¡¯¡± Su Wenhao was reciting a line from a poem. ¡°I have a feeling that the day I walk out of this cage and return to freedom is not far away.¡± ¡°Congrattions, then, Mr. Wen.¡± Zhou Yi cupped his hands in respect and left with the bucket. This old man had been locked up for three to four years and still hadn¡¯t changed. He couldn¡¯t control his mouth and recited poems. What did he mean by ¡°wrongfully imprisoned¡±? It was obvious that he didn¡¯t ept Emperor Chongming¡¯s judgment. The former assistant minister, who was engrossed in eating, suddenly paused, his eyes sparkling. Some time passed. Wei Chang had been beheaded. Zhou Yi¡¯s life returned to normal. Zhou Yi¡¯s father had been a jailer for most of his life. Most of the money he earned was used to treat Zhou Yi¡¯s illness, and he had bought a house in the Divine Capital. It was a courtyard called Ningde Square. If you take the old Imperial City as the first ring of the capital, Ningde Square was located within the second ring. Zhou Yi would have to work for 500 years without eating or drinking to afford it. The progress of the Origin Returning Technique was slow, but Zhou Yi was not in a hurry. His greatest advantage was time. After a long time, he would finally reach greater mastery. ¡°Reach out and touch Jie Maomao Bay. Spread out the width¡­¡± Zhou Yi hummed a little tune he had used to memorize the text. Although the Origin Returning Technique was not an advanced technique, there was something to it that would allow the Yang and solidify the essence, allowing one to be tenacious and to persevere. After the morning roll call, Zhou Yi carried the bucket to deliver the food. He encountered Chang Ning, the night duty officer. Behind him were four jailers escorting a shackled prisoner. The prisoner¡¯s hair was disheveled. Upon closer inspection, it was Su Wenhao. Zhou Yi went forward to greet him. ¡°Uncle Chang, what¡¯s going on here?¡± Zhou Yi was the youngest guard at Sky Prison and had been thetest to arrive. The other prison guards were of the same generation as his father. It was not inappropriate to call him uncle whenever they met, and he could count on the older folks to take care of him. Chang Ning snorted. ¡°Hmph! This fellow refused to submit to the emperor¡¯s judgment and even ndered the emperor¡¯s lifespan. He¡¯s been sent to the Imperial Prison!¡± The Imperial Prison where the Uniformed Guard interrogated prisoners! If one was imprisoned in the Sky Prison, there was still a chance of survival. If one entered the Imperial Prison, they could only pray for an early reincarnation so as to suffer less torture. Su Wenhao¡¯s face was ashen as he muttered to himself, perhaps reciting some obscure poem to himself. Cell B-6. The former Assistant Minister sat cross-legged on the straw mat. He nced at the porridge and beckoned to Zhou Yi. ¡°I¡¯m about to be released from prison. Hurry up and prepare some good wine and food. Otherwise, I¡¯ll teach all of you a lesson once I¡¯m reinstated!¡± Zhou Yi looked at the empty cell beside him and suddenly understood. ¡°Just a moment, sir. I¡¯ll get it ready!¡± The afternoon rolled around. A pce eunuch was sent to Sky Prison to deliver a decree. Word had gotten around about Assistant Minister Liu¡¯s meritorious deeds, and seeing that he had served his sentence, he was being promoted to Assistant Minister of Revenue. The Ministry of Appointments is noble, the Ministry of Revenue is rich, the Ministry of Rites is poor¡­ Assistant Minister Liu had caught the eye of Emperor Chongming. It was as if a rat had entered a vat of rice. ¡°In the future, you must be careful with your words and actions!¡± Zhou Yi broke out in a cold sweat. If not for that spoonful of thick porridge, with Assistant Minister Liu¡¯s personality, would he have taken revenge after he was released from prison? Hard to say! Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Death Comes At Last Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Half a monthter. As Commandant Niu drew his tile, he mentioned that Su Wenhao had died in the Imperial Prison. It was said that when he died, not many of his bones were intact. ¡°In our line of work, remember to be careful with your words!¡± Commandant Niu reminded him, ¡°Especially you, little Zhou Yi. Don¡¯t stick around chatting when delivering food to prisoners. Assistant Minister Liu asked me to tell you not to eavesdrop and stick your mouth where it shouldn¡¯t be!¡± ¡°They just barely got away with it.¡± Zhou Yi felt a lingering fear in his heart. This was really a big lesson. Fengyang Kingdom was not a society ruled byw. The life and death of an individual depended on their own interests. A single sentence could be a fatal charge! For example, Zhou Yi delivered wine and meat to Wei Chang and even called him a hero. His words were filled with praise. If someone reported that to the Imperial Court, at best, he would be exiled. At worst, he would be seen as Wei Chang¡¯s aplice. If that happened, the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life would be wasted! ¡°Don¡¯t make a fool of yourself!¡± Zhou Yi warned himself that he would see more injustice and unhappiness in the future. He had to learn to let such things go. Just stand at the side and watch. Don¡¯t ask, don¡¯t care! He would do his best just to fit in with the mortal world. Zhou Yi made a decision to just be the guy who delivered the food without any expression. He would save his smiles only for prisoners who offered him their silver. After all, the jailer¡¯s monthly sry was only five taels of silver. It was not even enough to spend an evening listening to music at Spring Breeze Tower. The better the prisoners ate, the more money Zhou Yi earned every month. To tell the truth, he was the one winning out! Another day rolled around. A new prisoner arrived. He was said to be the leader of the rebels somewhere in the south. Dark and thin, his face was wrinkled with grief. He didn¡¯t look like a generalmanding tens of thousands of men. He looked like an old farmer who should be tending his fields. The appearance of the old rural general brought some excitement to Sky Prison. Commandant Niu and a few officers tortured and interrogated him in different ways. In just a few days, the old farmer was already disfigured. Though hecked Wei Chang¡¯s hard-as-iron bones, the old farmer¡¯s mental endurance was actually better. He bore all kinds of torture methods such as mping, the branding iron, the whip, the heavy il¡­ Yet he never let out a scream. After each session, the old farmer spat out blood and still had the strength to curse. ¡°You dogs!¡± ¡°Continue if you have the guts. If you can make me beg for mercy, this old man will be your son!¡± ¡­ Zhou Yi stood to the side and listened. He suddenly saw how this seemingly frail old man could be a general. After the general was locked up for a few days, he was sent to the market to be beheaded. Dozens of people were also beheaded on the same day. From the general to the toonmander, the blood that sprayed out filled the execution ground. The onlookers cheered loudly. They just wanted to watch the show and didn¡¯t care why these people were beheaded. Zhou Yi stood at the edge of the execution site and watched as the general¡¯s head rolled. His eyes were still open as he red at the executioner without giving in. That night. Zhou Yi returned to his small courtyard and meditated as usual. After cultivating for more than half a year, hundreds of wisps of Inner Qi had umted within him. He was alreadypletely proficient at this cultivation technique. ¡°The world is dark and there¡¯s no limit to it. When it merges, the essence energy will mix together¡­ Damn it, why won¡¯t my heart calm down!¡± Zhou Yi always had the image of the old farmer in front of his eyes. He heard from him that the state capitals in the south suffered from continuous droughts, and hunger was everywhere. The government officials embezzled all the disaster relief food. There was cannibalism! This word was terrifying. Behind it were countless human tragedies. ¡°To be human is to be too empathetic. Life is exhausting!¡± Zhou Yi shook his head and did not vent the frustration in his heart. If he continued to cultivate the Origin Returning Technique, it was very likely that his Inner Qi would go berserk. ¡°How should I ease my mind?¡± After thinking it over, he finally thought of a solution. In his previous life, there were also many people who worked and lived under too much pressure. In order to avoid falling into depression, they would vent their emotions by scolding and beating up fake people. Supposedly, this was a very effective method. ¡°The person I¡¯m going to scold is so taboo that if anyone hears it, I¡¯d have to kill them. But I can write about it!¡± Zhou Yi bought a brush, ink, and a nk book. He wrote in the writing system from his previous life. Even if someone saw it, they would not recognize it. ¡°How do I write it?¡± After pondering for a moment, he wrote, ¡°In the 39th year of Chongming, the crescent moon, the day of Wuchen¡­¡± ¡°I was very upset to see the beheading of the rebel general today. This dynasty is rotten from top to bottom.¡± Zhou Yi frowned slightly. He felt that something was wrong. He was writing the diary to scold people, so there was no need to be so serious. ¡°Emperor Chongming is not a good person. He wants to live forever. It would be good if he ate a poison pill and died. At this point, criticized the pce alchemists forck of professionalism. They could use cinnabar, lead ingots, and gold. If the emperor drank it, he would surely ascend to heaven. Perhaps the alchemist really could make such pills? After all, this was the world of martial arts cultivation. It was normal for itinerant cultivators who had no hope of living forever toe to the pce to enjoy themselves. ¡°Then I¡¯ll curse Emperor Chongming. Eight princes have eight fathers!¡± Thinking of this, he immediately felt refreshed and continued cultivating. It was important to set goals. A hundred years of cultivation!¡± ¡­ Half a month passed. Zhou Yi started writing in his diary again. ¡°Today, that yboy surnamed Long was jailed for murder again. It¡¯s said that he deliberately set a fire to burn many people to death¡­¡± ¡°¡­Now that he¡¯s back in Sky Prison, he is as arrogant as ever. Just because he put too much salt in a dish, he had the guards beat me and the chef¡­¡± ¡°¡­I won¡¯t forget this!¡­¡± ¡°¡­This matter isn¡¯t finished yet¡­¡± ¡°¡­Mr. Long, I¡¯ll be waiting for my turn¡­¡± At this point, Zhou Yi was still feeling ufortable. He wrote another few hundred words to scold Emperor Chongming before letting this matter slide. Another month passed. Zhou Yi opened his diary again and wrote down what he had seen during the day. ¡°There¡¯s just one month until the New Year, and I¡¯m still not in the holiday spirit¡­¡± ¡°¡­Everyone knew that the rebellion was a false g. Yet, all the officials of the Imperial Court had tacitly agreed to behead the families of all the rebels. That¡¯s 300 people¡­¡± ¡°¡­It was said that the rebel army had already reached Yuzhou and was only a few hundred kilometers N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. away from the Divine Capital. Instead of sending troops to suppress them, the Imperial Court was still fighting among themselves¡­¡± ¡°¡­Fengyang Kingdom is doomed!¡­¡± ¡°¡­At this point, I have a few choice words for Emperor Chongming¡­ ¡­ ¡°¡­40th year of Chongming¡­¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°¡­I learned something today. There are those who can transform from a man to a woman through use of a clever disguise. No one can tell their true sex by looking at them¡­¡± ¡°¡­One pervert snuck into some women¡¯s boudoirs andmitted unspeakable crimes¡­¡± ¡°¡­There was also a makeup expert in the Uniformed Guard who pretended to be a beautiful woman and the criminal took the bait. He was finally captured alive¡­¡± ¡°¡­I mention this because I discovered new ways to vent, such as mixing somexative powder in the meals of the pervert¡­¡± ¡°¡­Perhaps I¡¯m a bit perverted myself?¡­¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s all the bastard emperor¡¯s fault¡­¡± Zhou Yi fed the rapist a few packets ofxative powder, and meanwhile, discovered a method to disguise himself with makeup. In the future, as the years passed, he could disguise himself as an old man to prevent his colleagues from discovering anything strange. It was chaotic and dangerous on the outside. How strange to find that it was safer to hide in the Sky Prison! ¡­ It was now the 50th year of Chongming. 150,000 rebel soldiers surrounded Shenjing. Their leader was known as the Eight-Armed King. The officials were terrified, and the state was growing unstable. Zhou Yi had originally thought that a change of dynasty would take ce on this day. He had prepared many grains and vegetables and hidden them in a hole in the ground of his home. It was enough to sustain him for half a year. In the end, the Eight-Armed King suddenly died. The imperial guards took the opportunity to rush out of the city gate and defeat the rebel army, putting an end to the siege of the Divine Capital. ¡°Human strength is no match for fate. Fengyang Kingdom¡¯s luck is endless!¡± Zhou Yi recorded this matter in his diary. In the end, he couldn¡¯t help but curse Emperor Chongming. ¡°The world is in chaos. The damned emperor still has to collect birth dates. I heard that some government offices will collect taxes until the 120th year of Chongming¡­¡± After three years, Zhou Yi had saved 500 taels of silver. He found a cheap dojo and began to cultivate his body tempering technique. In this time of crisis, even Sky Prison was not so safe. Martial arts was not just about learning to fight, the ability to run fast! ¡­ 45th year of Chongming. A special prisoner had been sent to Sky Prison. He was the eldest son of that damned emperor, the former crown prince. ¡°How can there be a forty-year-old prince in the world? No wonder he rebelled¡­¡± ¡°¡­The crown prince seems too mild-mannered to be the son of such a terrible emperor¡­¡± ¡°¡­Unfortunately, he didn¡¯t seed. It was rumored that the emperor was protected by a Martial Dao master. As it turned out, the Eight-Armed King¡¯s death wasn¡¯t a coincidence. He was assassinated¡­¡± Zhou Yi cursed the emperor as usual and found himself in a good mood. He had now been cultivating his Origin Returning Technique for five years. If he activated it with all his might, he might be able to shatter bricks with his palm. Yet ording to the ssification of the martial world, he wouldn¡¯t even rank. Wei Chang was right back then. It was very difficult for ordinary people to achieve anything by cultivating Inner Qi. The Body Tempering Technique that Zhou Yi had learned from the martial arts school was called the Five Tigers Mighty Fist. It was amon technique and was far inferior to the profoundness of the Origin Returning Technique. In three years, he had already reached greater mastery of the Membrane Realm, and his arms had the strength of a ferocious tiger. When blunt weapons like clubs hit his body, their power was reduced by more than half. He could already be considered a third-rate expert. ¡­ It was now the 46th year of Chongming. Zhou Yi returned from Spring Breeze Tower and took out his diary to curse Emperor Chongming. ¡°This damned emperor¡­¡± After writing these three words, he suddenly did not know what to write. No matter what words he thought of, he would flip back to previous pages and realize that he had already written them. Zhou Yi flipped through the pages again. He had been writing less and less frequently. When he first started, he was writing twice a month. Later, he found he was only writing once every two or three months. Most recently, this diary told of very few unjust cases and tragedies. The entire diary was nothing more than cursing the emperor. In reality, however, the frequency of tragedies of Sky Prison had never declined. ¡°When you see something often enough, you be desensitized!¡± Zhou Yi muttered this to himself. As time and experience umted, his emotional threshold seemed to increase. ¡°That¡¯s not right either. I¡¯ve never tired of thedies at Spring Breeze Tower!¡± At this point in the diary, there was no cursing. Emperor Chongming waspletely worthless. He had not attended court for more than 30 years and hid in Shangyang Pce, cultivating his martial arts. Helpless, Zhou Yi finally wrote: ¡°Why doesn¡¯t the damned emperor just die?¡± More time passed. Zhou Yi wrote a single sentence every day, cursing Emperor Chongming and wishing for his expedient death. ¡­ Early morning. The mist was faint, and the moon hung in the sky. Zhou Yi dodged and moved in the courtyard. His fists punched the air, and the sound was endless. Bang bang bang! It sounded like a cowhide drum or rolling thunder. In the cold winter, Zhou Yi only wore thin and short clothes. After a few punches, qi and blood surged out of his body, turning into steam. ¡°HA!¡± Zhou Yi let out a long breath and transformed into a three-foot-long white fog that condensed in the air without dissipating. ¡°After cultivating the Five Tigers Mighty Fist to the Tendon Tempering realm, I can already be considered a second-rate expert. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve never fought with anyone and don¡¯t know how to use weapons. I only have superficial strength!¡± As Zhou Yi reached adulthood, his figure and appearance had not changed at all over the past five years. After truly experiencing the mysteries of the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life, Zhou Yi let go of hisst worries andpletely became an ordinary Sky Prison guard. He couldn¡¯t be bothered with the imperial court and the world of martial arts. After hundreds and thousands of years, Zhou Yi would remain the same. Fengyang Kingdom will be long gone by then! Back at his room. Zhou Yi put on some makeup, making his skin dimmer and his face pale and sickly. He was already 27 years old. Normally, someone who spent all their time in Sky Prison would age quickly. When he was done, he went straight to the morning market. Zhou Yi found a stall and sat down. He was calling for thedy boss to serve the tofu pudding and fried dough sticks when he suddenly heard a bell. It was melodious, deep, and lingering. ng! ng! ng! After nine consecutive rings, the originally lively morning market suddenly fell silent. All the citizens looked up in the direction of the pce. Their movements were uniform, as if they had rehearsed this many times. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment. Zhou Yi continued to eat the tofu pudding with his head lowered. The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and his breakfast suddenly tasted a hundred times more delicious than usual. ¡°The damned emperor is finally dead!¡± Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapter 8: Watching from the Side Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The watchtower. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. It stood in the northeast corner, three stories high, and overlooked the Sky Prison from above. ording to the rules set by the Imperial Court, the watchtower was to be guarded by prison guards day and night to prevent martial arts experts from sneaking in or escaping. Now that the defenses werex, most of the prison guards were cking off. Naturally, no one else went to the watchtower. Zhou Yi opened the iron door of the watchtower and walked up the narrow stairs to the top. There, he discovered a figure standing on top of it. ¡°Why are you here, Warden Lei?¡± ¡°Watch the show!¡± Warden Lei inclined his head, looking toward the pce. Torch lights connected into lines, extremely conspicuous in the dark night. Faint shouts echoed in the night sky. Zhou Yi pretended to be shocked. ¡°Someone is leading troops to attack the pce. Are they rebelling?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hide your abilities in front of me.¡± Warden Lei said bluntly, ¡°That¡¯s Prime Minister Long leading troops to attack the west gate of the pce. The leader is themander of the Five Cities Division, apanied by the three major gangs in the capital and the ten martial arts schools.¡± The Five Cities Division was responsible for guarding the inner city of the Divine Capital and patrolling the 108 market cities. The three major gangs, the Green Wolf Gang, the Flying Eagle Gang, and the Golden Sand Gang, respectively controlled the brothels, gambling stalls, and horse carriages. Their subordinates numbered in the thousands. The ten martial arts schools seemed to have the least number of people, but they were all martial arts experts. They were most suitable to lead the attack. ¡­ Zhou Yi muttered, ¡°There are at least 30,000 to 50,000 people here, and the pce guards are only three to four thousand. Is the dynasty going to change today?¡± Mr. Long had been the prime minister for thirty years. Almost all the officials in the Imperial Court were his people. There were also many trusted aides in the army. The local state capitals were filled with officials from the ¡°Long Party¡±. By breaching the pce tonight and seizing control of the capital and the surroundings, it would be possible to overthrow the government. He could choose a young ruler to ascend the throne, and the Prime Minister Long would continue to control the government. Those who were more radical would directly call themselves officials of the Long Party and carry out a stable transition in the kingdom. ¡°The Prime Minister may well have fallen into the emperor¡¯s trap!¡± Warden Lei shook his head. ¡°A few days ago, the Prime Minister said that the emperor¡¯s health was fine and that he could live at least another three or four years¡­¡± ¡°Did the emperor fake his death?¡± Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows. This damned emperor no longer cared about his reputation. It was possible that he was pretending to be dead in order to trick Prime Minister Long. ¡°The emperor has not been to court for thirty-six years. Prime Minister Long has all the power in the court and his influence is spread throughout the pce. You really think something like that could get past him?¡± Warden Lei pointed in the direction of the south gate of the pce. ¡°The deputymander of the Uniformed Guard tried to attack the south gate from the inside, but he fell into a trap and is fighting with his colleagues.¡± The Uniformed Guard was the emperor¡¯s personal army. The deputymander was actually rebelling against Long! Zhou Yi felt a little happy in his heart. The emperor had been abandoned by everyone. It must not be a very good feeling. Warden Lei said, ¡°This morning, Prime Minister Long confirmed that the emperor really was dead. He left an edict to pass on the throne to His Highness, the King of Qin. In a hurry, he summoned his troops to attack the pce.¡± After the failed rebellion of the former crown prince, Emperor Chongming never appointed a crown prince. The King of Qin was the third son. Zhou Yi clicked his tongue and said, ¡°So, he didn¡¯t select either of his sons as his heir to the throne. It would seem the emperor expected this day toe?¡± Warden Lei took a moment to praise Zhou Yi. ¡°You¡¯re the only smart person in Sky Prison.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind. I like to go to the brothel on a daily basis. I listen to the storytellers there about history, that¡¯s all.¡± The storyteller Zhou Yi was talking about was a woman named Niaoniao. She was the most popr courtesan in Spring Breeze Tower recently. ¡°When I was young, I also hung around. Every day, my mother scolded me for insulting my ancestors and embarrassing the Lei family. Later, I realized that a man should make contributions to society, so I joined Prime Minister Long. In less than ten years, I was in charge of the Sky Prison.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Warden Lei muttered, ¡°If I can spend my days eating, drinking, and gambling as the head of Sky Prison, perhaps¡­ I can avoid having my family killed!¡± When Zhou Yi heard the first half of the sentence, he took a few steps back imperceptibly and pressed his palm against the cloth bag at his waist. The cloth bag was filled with lime powder mixed with poison, the recipe for which he had picked up from a certain death row prisoner. If any top martial arts expert smelled it, most of their strength would be lost. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re too sneaky. I¡¯ve been honest with you, but you¡¯re always on guard!¡± Warden Lei went on, ¡°With such a cautious personality, no wonder he refused to be promoted no matter what.¡± ¡°We¡¯re stupid by nature. We don¡¯t understand the calctions of powerful people. We might as well stay working as prison guards.¡± Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°When we¡¯re old, we¡¯ll pass the position to our sons, and our sons to our grandsons. Our children and grandchildren will all have a cradle-to-grave job. No matter who¡¯s in charge of the pce, they won¡¯t starve!¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s smart thinking!¡± Warden Lei said slowly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a message from the pce this morning, but from the butler of the Prime Minister Long. He ordered me to fake an order and lead the Sky Prison Forbidden Army to attack the Imperial City. At the same time, we were to open the cell doors and release all the prisoners to wreak havoc in the Divine Capital!¡± ¡°Sir, how did¡ª¡± Zhou Yi looked puzzled. Why had Warden Lei disobeyed Prime Minister Long¡¯s orders? On the surface, it seemed that Prime Minister Long had already gotten what he wanted. The change of dynasty was right in front of him. It would be easy to ride his coattails. Moreover, Warden Lei had already relied on the power of Prime Minister Long to rise to power. Over the years, he had taken care of many of Long¡¯s cronies. The problem was, if Prime Minister Long fell, the new emperor would definitely not let Warden Lei off when he cleaned up the imperial court in the future. Warden Lei looked in the direction of the capital. The light of the torches climbed up the city wall and quickly fell. The battle was visibly intense. ¡°I have a feeling that Prime Minister Long will lose to the emperor, so I disobeyed orders at thest minute and guarded the Sky Prison. As long as nothing goes awry in the prison, I can avoid having my entire family beheaded. We will simply be exiled instead.¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°Master Lei, perhaps you can make a contribution by mobilizing the Imperial Guard and ambushing the Prime Minister from behind?¡± ¡°What if my premonition is wrong? Prime Minister Long has been operating for thirty years. He might not be inferior to the emperor after all!¡± Warden Lei sighed. ¡°When I was young, I would have fought for it. Now that I¡¯m old, I can¡¯t enjoy it even if I make great contributions.¡± Zhou Yi secretly cursed this cunning old fox. As long as Warden Lei stabilized the Sky Prison, no matter who won, he would be able to escape unscathed. He was about to continue speaking. Just then ¡ª There was a distant rumble of hooves. The ground of the Divine Capital trembled as countless ck-armored cavalry emerged from various markets. They gathered together in an orderly manner and rushed towards the rebels who were attacking the pce. ¡°Kill!¡± A long whistle like a p of thunder muffled even the sound of hooves. Warden Lei said in surprise, ¡°When did a martial arts grandmaster appear in the army? The emperor hid himself well. Prime Minister Long will definitely lose!¡± ¡°A martial arts grandmaster!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked in the direction of the sound. Unfortunately, they were too far away from the pce. There seemed to be a silver-armored general leading the charge through the formation. The torches that were making their way into the pce stopped. There were imperial guards shooting arrows in front and martial arts grandmasters leading troops in the rear. It could be said that they were being attacked from both sides. After a few charges back and forth, the cavalry had cut the rebels, who had been forced together by the three different forces, into several separate pieces. The silver-armored general roared again. ¡°Long has been executed. Those who surrender will not be killed!¡± The rebels were leaderless and immediately broke apart. Back on the watchtower. When Zhou Yi heard this, he immediately smiled. ¡°Tomorrow, guests wille to the Sky Prison. Those who are wronged will take their revenge!!¡± Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Watching from the Side Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The watchtower. It stood in the northeast corner, three stories high, and overlooked the Sky Prison from above. ording to the rules set by the Imperial Court, the watchtower was to be guarded by prison guards day and night to prevent martial arts experts from sneaking in or escaping. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Now that the defenses werex, most of the prison guards were cking off. Naturally, no one else went to the watchtower. Zhou Yi opened the iron door of the watchtower and walked up the narrow stairs to the top. There, he discovered a figure standing on top of it. ¡°Why are you here, Warden Lei?¡± ¡°Watch the show!¡± Warden Lei inclined his head, looking toward the pce. Torch lights connected into lines, extremely conspicuous in the dark night. Faint shouts echoed in the night sky. Zhou Yi pretended to be shocked. ¡°Someone is leading troops to attack the pce. Are they rebelling?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hide your abilities in front of me.¡± Warden Lei said bluntly, ¡°That¡¯s Prime Minister Long leading troops to attack the west gate of the pce. The leader is themander of the Five Cities Division, apanied by the three major gangs in the capital and the ten martial arts schools.¡± The Five Cities Division was responsible for guarding the inner city of the Divine Capital and patrolling the 108 market cities. The three major gangs, the Green Wolf Gang, the Flying Eagle Gang, and the Golden Sand Gang, respectively controlled the brothels, gambling stalls, and horse carriages. Their subordinates numbered in the thousands. The ten martial arts schools seemed to have the least number of people, but they were all martial arts experts. They were most suitable to lead the attack. ¡­ Zhou Yi muttered, ¡°There are at least 30,000 to 50,000 people here, and the pce guards are only three to four thousand. Is the dynasty going to change today?¡± Mr. Long had been the prime minister for thirty years. Almost all the officials in the Imperial Court were his people. There were also many trusted aides in the army. The local state capitals were filled with officials from the ¡°Long Party¡±. By breaching the pce tonight and seizing control of the capital and the surroundings, it would be possible to overthrow the government. He could choose a young ruler to ascend the throne, and the Prime Minister Long would continue to control the government. Those who were more radical would directly call themselves officials of the Long Party and carry out a stable transition in the kingdom. ¡°The Prime Minister may well have fallen into the emperor¡¯s trap!¡± Warden Lei shook his head. ¡°A few days ago, the Prime Minister said that the emperor¡¯s health was fine and that he could live at least another three or four years¡­¡± ¡°Did the emperor fake his death?¡± Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows. This damned emperor no longer cared about his reputation. It was possible that he was pretending to be dead in order to trick Prime Minister Long. ¡°The emperor has not been to court for thirty-six years. Prime Minister Long has all the power in the court and his influence is spread throughout the pce. You really think something like that could get past him?¡± Warden Lei pointed in the direction of the south gate of the pce. ¡°The deputymander of the Uniformed Guard tried to attack the south gate from the inside, but he fell into a trap and is fighting with his colleagues.¡± The Uniformed Guard was the emperor¡¯s personal army. The deputymander was actually rebelling against Long! Zhou Yi felt a little happy in his heart. The emperor had been abandoned by everyone. It must not be a very good feeling. Warden Lei said, ¡°This morning, Prime Minister Long confirmed that the emperor really was dead. He left an edict to pass on the throne to His Highness, the King of Qin. In a hurry, he summoned his troops to attack the pce.¡± After the failed rebellion of the former crown prince, Emperor Chongming never appointed a crown prince. The King of Qin was the third son. Zhou Yi clicked his tongue and said, ¡°So, he didn¡¯t select either of his sons as his heir to the throne. It would seem the emperor expected this day toe?¡± Warden Lei took a moment to praise Zhou Yi. ¡°You¡¯re the only smart person in Sky Prison.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind. I like to go to the brothel on a daily basis. I listen to the storytellers there about history, that¡¯s all.¡± The storyteller Zhou Yi was talking about was a woman named Niaoniao. She was the most popr courtesan in Spring Breeze Tower recently. ¡°When I was young, I also hung around. Every day, my mother scolded me for insulting my ancestors and embarrassing the Lei family. Later, I realized that a man should make contributions to society, so I joined Prime Minister Long. In less than ten years, I was in charge of the Sky Prison.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Warden Lei muttered, ¡°If I can spend my days eating, drinking, and gambling as the head of Sky Prison, perhaps¡­ I can avoid having my family killed!¡± When Zhou Yi heard the first half of the sentence, he took a few steps back imperceptibly and pressed his palm against the cloth bag at his waist. The cloth bag was filled with lime powder mixed with poison, the recipe for which he had picked up from a certain death row prisoner. If any top martial arts expert smelled it, most of their strength would be lost. ¡°Kid, you¡¯re too sneaky. I¡¯ve been honest with you, but you¡¯re always on guard!¡± Warden Lei went on, ¡°With such a cautious personality, no wonder he refused to be promoted no matter what.¡± ¡°We¡¯re stupid by nature. We don¡¯t understand the calctions of powerful people. We might as well stay working as prison guards.¡± Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°When we¡¯re old, we¡¯ll pass the position to our sons, and our sons to our grandsons. Our children and grandchildren will all have a cradle-to-grave job. No matter who¡¯s in charge of the pce, they won¡¯t starve!¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s smart thinking!¡± Warden Lei said slowly, ¡°It wasn¡¯t a message from the pce this morning, but from the butler of the Prime Minister Long. He ordered me to fake an order and lead the Sky Prison Forbidden Army to attack the Imperial City. At the same time, we were to open the cell doors and release all the prisoners to wreak havoc in the Divine Capital!¡± ¡°Sir, how did¡ª¡± Zhou Yi looked puzzled. Why had Warden Lei disobeyed Prime Minister Long¡¯s orders? On the surface, it seemed that Prime Minister Long had already gotten what he wanted. The change of dynasty was right in front of him. It would be easy to ride his coattails. Moreover, Warden Lei had already relied on the power of Prime Minister Long to rise to power. Over the years, he had taken care of many of Long¡¯s cronies. The problem was, if Prime Minister Long fell, the new emperor would definitely not let Warden Lei off when he cleaned up the imperial court in the future. Warden Lei looked in the direction of the capital. The light of the torches climbed up the city wall and quickly fell. The battle was visibly intense. ¡°I have a feeling that Prime Minister Long will lose to the emperor, so I disobeyed orders at thest minute and guarded the Sky Prison. As long as nothing goes awry in the prison, I can avoid having my entire family beheaded. We will simply be exiled instead.¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°Master Lei, perhaps you can make a contribution by mobilizing the Imperial Guard and ambushing the Prime Minister from behind?¡± ¡°What if my premonition is wrong? Prime Minister Long has been operating for thirty years. He might not be inferior to the emperor after all!¡± Warden Lei sighed. ¡°When I was young, I would have fought for it. Now that I¡¯m old, I can¡¯t enjoy it even if I make great contributions.¡± Zhou Yi secretly cursed this cunning old fox. As long as Warden Lei stabilized the Sky Prison, no matter who won, he would be able to escape unscathed. He was about to continue speaking. Just then ¡ª There was a distant rumble of hooves. The ground of the Divine Capital trembled as countless ck-armored cavalry emerged from various markets. They gathered together in an orderly manner and rushed towards the rebels who were attacking the pce. ¡°Kill!¡± A long whistle like a p of thunder muffled even the sound of hooves. Warden Lei said in surprise, ¡°When did a martial arts grandmaster appear in the army? The emperor hid himself well. Prime Minister Long will definitely lose!¡± ¡°A martial arts grandmaster!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked in the direction of the sound. Unfortunately, they were too far away from the pce. There seemed to be a silver-armored general leading the charge through the formation. The torches that were making their way into the pce stopped. There were imperial guards shooting arrows in front and martial arts grandmasters leading troops in the rear. It could be said that they were being attacked from both sides. After a few charges back and forth, the cavalry had cut the rebels, who had been forced together by the three different forces, into several separate pieces. The silver-armored general roared again. ¡°Long has been executed. Those who surrender will not be killed!¡± The rebels were leaderless and immediately broke apart. Back on the watchtower. When Zhou Yi heard this, he immediately smiled. ¡°Tomorrow, guests wille to the Sky Prison. Those who are wronged will take their revenge!!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 10: Freedom From Selfish Desires Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Sky Prison Office. Zhou Yi pushed the door open and bowed. ¡°Uncle Niu, were you looking for me?¡± Commandant Niu gestured for Zhou Yi to sit down. ¡°Kid, your methods are too crude. Aren¡¯t you afraid of being investigated by the Uniformed Guard?¡± After hearing the prison guard¡¯s report, Commandant Niu concluded that it was Zhou Yi who had used underhanded means to kill Assistant Minister Liu. This kind of thing wasmon in Sky Prison. Officials often sent their political enemies to Sky Prison. In order to prevent their political enemies from making aeback, they would spend a sum of money to have them killed. ¡°Uncle Niu, what do you mean? I¡¯m just doing an honest day¡¯s work delivering food.¡± Zhou Yi yed dumb, being careful not to confirm or deny his involvement. Assistant Minister Liu and Luo Hu¡¯s corpses were cold. True, the dead could not testify, but that did not eliminate risk. Fengyang Kingdom was not above thew. Guilt and innocence were all determined by the higher-ups, and they could always find a way to force a confession. Commandant Niu snorted. ¡°No wonder Master Lei told me that you¡¯re the most cunning guard in Sky Prison!¡± ¡°Master Lei¡¯s words are too ttering, sir.¡± Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°Dojo Master Luo has a residence in the capital and has hidden thousands of taels of silver. The silver is all yours, but the martial arts manual goes to me, and the residence goes to the widow.¡± ¡°How particr!¡± Commandant Niu praised, looking at Zhou Yi with increasing satisfaction. He would rather give up his own interests toplete what he had promised Luo Hu. Commandant Niu couldn¡¯t have imagined such an act. After all, it wasmon to bully widows. ¡°You see, Master Luo and I are indebted to each other.¡± Zhou Yi had no desire to be in the limelight, and the nourishing medicine recipe was not the most important thing. What he really wanted was for Assistant Minister Liu to die. Assistant Minister Liu was a true viin! This kind of person had no bottom line. If he didn¡¯t wipe him out now, there would be endless trouble. Supposing Liu made the new emperor happy and was reinstated to his position, Zhou Yi could only make a run for it. Commandant Niu asked curiously, ¡°I know you were obsessed with martial arts. What have you achieved?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been weak since I was young. Practicing martial arts is to strengthen my body.¡± Zhou Yi picked up the teacup lid on the table and twisted it in his hand, instantly turning it into powder. Commandant Niu had also gone to the martial arts school back in the day, but he couldn¡¯t withstand the pain of Body Tempering. He hadn¡¯t even mastered the Skin Membrane Technique, but he still knew how to differentiate between martial arts realms. ¡°Steel muscles and iron bones. A quiet little guy like you has achieved strength like this?¡± ¡°Ten years of ceaseless training, and endless amounts of nourishing medicine. Yet, my talent is still considered inferior.¡± Zhou Yi was not being modest. ording to Wei Chang, one could train their muscles and bones in seven to eight years in the martial arts world. However, those in the martial arts world did not have the time to cultivate their skills every day. From a young age, Master Luo¡¯s most beloved disciple bathed in medicinal soup and umted his inner qi. At the age of 16 or 17, he had already perfected his muscles and bones and actually stood a chance of bing a Connate Master in the future. Zhou Yi was not jealous. After all, that genius disciple had already died in the chaos. Surviving was all that mattered. Whoever lived the longest would be a grandmaster of their generation! Commandant Niu clicked his tongue in admiration. ¡°You¡¯re already a second-rate expert in the martial world. Why don¡¯t you go out and make a living? It¡¯s much better than staying here and delivering food.¡± ¡°Second-rate is nothing. The heads of the top ten martial arts schools in the capital are all experts in refining their organs. It¡¯s said that Master Chen of the Golden Saber Martial Arts School has already begun to cleanse his marrow. He has the divine powers strong enough to send cows flying and knock whole buildings down t. Zhou Yi shrugged and said, ¡°I can¡¯t possibly livefortably in a world like that.¡± A good, stable living is everything! That¡¯s all Zhou Yi was looking for. Moreover, the Sky Prison was low and powerful, and the benefits were generous and were not dependent on official struggles. It was simply perfect! Hearing this, Commandant Niu¡¯s eyes flickered. He suddenly asked, ¡°Kid, tell me, do you think I¡¯ll be promoted to warden?¡± Zhou Yi was silent for a moment before shaking his head. ¡°It will be tough!¡± ¡°How so?¡± Commandant Niu straightened his body. He had asked many people this question, and they all congratted and ttered him. Everyone believed that only Commandant Niu could be the warden of the Sky Prison. Outsiders who dared to enter and wouldn¡¯t know the rules of the Sky Prison. It wouldn¡¯t be long before they were imprisoned themselves! Zhou Yi deliberated for a moment before saying, ¡°In order to reduce the penalty for crimes, Master Lei will definitely inform the imperial court on what he knows of the Long Rebellion¡¯s ns. How can the new emperor trust prison officials going forward? It¡¯s very likely that a trusted subordinate will be appointed as the warden.¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Zhou Yi had been at Sky Prison for 100 years. In that time, he had discovered that the staff turnover rate was so low that it was almost strictly hereditary. Warden Lei¡¯s father was a military officer. Commandant Niu¡¯s grandfather was a former prison guard. Even Zhou Yi¡¯s father and grandfather were prison guards. The residence of the fourth-rate Censor of the Imperial Court was rented. As a minor official, Zhou Yi¡¯s father bought a residence in the Divine Capital. Of course, the Censor might be pretending to be poor, but it was enough to exin the problem of the Sky Prison. Commandant Niu snorted indignantly. ¡°We have all kinds of rules here. If someonees along who doesn¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing, how can they control us?¡± ¡°They may not know the rules, but they can get the Uniformed Guard to make arrests. Who can stand being investigated? In the end, everyone will be reced, and they will set all the rules!¡± In the end, it¡¯s not the invaders who suffer, but the invaded. Seeing his face darken, Zhou Yi hurriedly expressed his loyalty. ¡°Uncle Niu, don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll definitely support you.¡± ¡°What use can a food delivery boy like you be?¡± Commandant Niu sighed. ¡°Master Lei also advised me the same way. He joined the Long Rebellion back then, which led to his family being raided and exiled. If he hadn¡¯t done it, the Lei family wouldn¡¯t The nobility of the Imperial Court would be reduced from generation to generation. After five lifetimes, their ancestors would be exhausted, and they would be no different frommoners. However, the Sky Prison was a cradle-to-grave job that could be passed on to one¡¯s descendants. ¡°Uncle Niu, don¡¯t worry. If a new wardenes in, you can help him!¡± Zhou Yi consoled him further, saying, ¡°Sky Prison has been here since the previous dynasty. No matter whoes to be the warden, it won¡¯t be long before they be a part of Sky Prison.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Sky Prison was rtively independent and had little contact with the various government offices. Once the prison door was closed, it became an otherworldly ce. No one who held such great power and benefits would think of changing Sky Prison! Lieutenant Niu nodded slightly in agreement and changed the topic. ¡°You¡¯re 27 years old this year, right? Why do you still go to Spring Breeze Tower every day? My brother has a daughter who¡¯s dignified¡­¡± ¡°Uncle Niu, I¡¯m meeting Miss Nongyu tonight to discuss the Great Dao. I¡¯d better head out!¡± Zhou Yi waved his hand. Even after being transported to this ancient world, he couldn¡¯t escape being urged to get married. It was eptable to be a prison guard. In hister years, he would have the joy of teasing his grandchildren. However, the existence of the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life made it impossible for Zhou Yi to stay with anyone. First of all, he was afraid of exposing his secret. The Dao Fruit of Eternal Life was a treasure that Zhou Yi relied on. Even with disguises or transformation techniques, it was notpletely safe. If one spent too much time with the people around them, things could go wrong at any time. Then there¡¯s the issue of his wife aging. Decadester, she would no longer be young, and Zhou Yi would not know how to treat her. On the other hand, thedies of the Spring Breeze Tower would still be young and beautiful no matter how many years passed. Moreover, they only talked about money, not feelings, and had no attachments! Lieutenant Niu nced at Zhou Yi and waved his hand in disdain. ¡°Get lost. My niece is gentle and virtuous. I can¡¯t let you harm her!¡± ¡­ He went on his way. Zhou Yi did not go to Spring Breeze Tower. All banquets and entertainment were prohibited during the imperial funeral. Of course, this did not affect the business of Spring Breeze Tower. They opened a back door to secretly wee customers, and jacked up the prices. Instead, he returned home. Zhou Yi read for a while and thought about what he had done that day. ¡°I was a bit rash to do that to Young Master Long, but after venting my anger, I feel good!¡± Being careful was not the same as being sullen and cowardly. Besides, martial arts cultivation also focused on the state of mind, especially Internal Qi cultivation. If one¡¯s thoughts were not smooth, their progress would be slow, and they might even stagnate. Since ancient times, few true experts had relied on talent and resources to advance. Most of them had powerful mental states! Zhou Yi was naturally an exception. As long as he could live forever, the strong would be withered bones in their tombs, nothing more than stories, or even forgotten altogether. ¡°There¡¯s no harm in revealing your strength to Commandant Niu.¡± Zhou Yi had long nned to reveal himself. It was not to fight for power, but to be morefortable in Sky Prison. Diminishing his desires was key. No one can control you if youck ambition. As long as it didn¡¯t affect anyone¡¯s interests, others would be unwilling to provoke him. Instead, as a rather capable and quick-witted prison guard, his colleagues would be obliged to look after him. No matter how you look at it, today was a good day! ¡°Tomorrow, I¡¯ll go see Master Luo¡¯s lover and send her to the countryside to lie low for a while. As for the silver and prescriptions in the residence, I¡¯ll go pick them up after a year or so. By then, she¡¯ll definitely be safe!¡± Zhou Yi had the most precious treasure in the world, and everything else was nothing. Right now, the Divine Capital was at its most chaotic period. The Imperial Guards, ck Knights, and Uniformed Guard were searching everywhere for traitors. What if they had already discovered Master Luo¡¯s residence? If Zhou Yi went now, he could be walking right into a trap. Then, it would be someone else delivering food the next day. Even without the Uniformed Guard, there were still Master Luo¡¯s disciples or nsmen. When the time came, there would be a battle¡­ This was all dangerous! Everything had to wait for a few years. Time was thest thing Zhou Yicked. After thinking about it, Zhou Yi got up and practiced a few times before returning to his room to cultivate the Origin Returning Mantra. The progress was slow, and he had not even reached the level of a third-rate expert. However, the cultivation method of inner Qi was always achievedter in life. It could not be rushed! The moon was bright and the stars were few. The night was still. A thin shadow leaped over the wall andnded in the darkness, clothes blending into the gloomy night. The figure crept along the base of the wall and snuck into the house. Just then ¡ª His legs buckled and he plummeted. The shadow reacted quickly. Inner Qi circted in his legs. He stepped on his left foot, then right foot and moved horizontally for a few feet to avoid falling into the pit. ¡°Goddammit, who digs traps in their yard?¡± In the moonlight, the shadow saw the spikes shining coldly in the pit, and its heart raced with fear. Its steps were light and silent, and it quickly touched the window frame of the master bedroom. It tapped on the window paper to blow incense inward. The shadow waited for a moment to confirm that the drug had taken effect. It opened the window and crawled in, rolling to reduce the sound ofnding. ¡°Ah¡­¡± There was a shrill scream as the shadow was pierced by a dozen nails on the ground. The nails were smeared with some kind of drug. The shadow felt numb and could not muster any strength. It circted its inner Qi to try to detoxify the poison, but it was useless. ¡°The Secret Drug of the Uniformed Guard. Even top experts are at the mercy of others after being injected with it!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s voice sounded at the window. He had noticed it since the shadow entered the courtyard. Besides, he never meditated in the master bedroom. He always kept a dummy under the nket of the bed. ¡°Hero, have mercy¡­¡± The shadow was lying on the ground, pleading. He was about to beg for a softening of heart, but before he could say anything, he saw a few crossbow bolts flying towards him. An hour passed. Zhou Yi leveled the ground with a shovel and looked up at the date trees in the courtyard. ¡°The dates from this tree will definitely taste good next year. I¡¯ll have to share them with my colleagues!¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 11: The World ms Down Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The New Year has begun. The new emperor, Jianyuan Hongchang, ascended to the throne. Li Wu was conferred the title of Protector General and the Long Rebellion case was investigated thoroughly. Property had been destroyed and much blood was shed. Nine out of ten rooms in the eastern city square were empty, and less than half of the officials showed up to morning court. In the end, they obtained a total of 170 million taels of gold and silver. Emperor Hongchang decreed that the Fengyang Kingdom would not collect the rice tax for five years. June of the same year. Official Li paid his respects to the Grand Marshal and led the army north. His n was clear: Destroy all rebels, pacify the six northern states, and march south. ¡­ The Divine Capital. Zhang residence. There was a funeral banner at the door, a mourning shelter in the courtyard, and a white cloth hung on the wall. At a nce, it was a miserable sight. Zhou Yi walked into the mourning shelter and lit three incense sticks for Zhang Zhou. He knelt three times and paid his respects. The filial son, Zhang Jin, kowtowed. Zhou Yi hurriedly helped him up. ¡°Brother Jin, my condolences.¡± Zhang Zhou had retired from Sky Prison the previous year and Zhang Jin was appointed to take his ce. After drinking medicine for more than half a year, he still couldn¡¯t survive the winter. A Sky Prison guard¡¯s lifespan would not be too long. It was already considered long for Zhang Zhou to live to 54. Father Zhou had died before 40. Science said that he had been working in a dark and humid environment all year round and hade into contact with all kinds of felons. He could be said to be a dweller of the darkest side of society. It had caused great pressure on his body and mind, which was why he had died early. However, people thought that he had suffered retribution. He had done too many bad things in his daily life and had damaged his virtue and lifespan. Even many prison guards thought so! Zhou Yiforted the surviving son. A steward invited him to the courtyard to rest. ¡°You came sote. Did you go to Spring Breeze Tower again yesterday?¡± Commandant Niu sat boldly, and there were servants on his left and right to serve tea. ¡°Uncle Niu, your temper is getting worse. Are you nning to quit?¡± Zhou Yi is now 32 years old. He had no choice but to make himself appear middle-aged. He had a characteristics of Sky Prison soldiers who aged early. ¡°Lord Zheng gave the position of colonel of the Imperial Guard to my fourth. Our family must repay his kindness.¡± Commandant Niu was referring to his fourth son. The first three were good students and were unwilling toe to the Sky Prison to work. After all, he was a rich young master. They weren¡¯t willing to mess around in a dirty and smelly ce. Commandant Niu had worried about this matter a lot in recent years. Now, his fourth son, who was supposed to rece him asmandant at Sky Prison, had been promoted to colonel in the Imperial Guard. Both sides of the political spectrum were incorporated into Sky Prison. The Niu family¡¯s rtionship with them was always useful. It was the best of both worlds. Five years ago, as Zhou Yi had expected, the Imperial Court appointed Zheng Gaoyuan as warden, seemingly out of nowhere. As soon as Warden Zheng came in, he implemented decisive reforms and punished corruption. Once the Uniformed Guard arrested a corrupt prison official, they didn¡¯t have to carry him far to his cell. More than half of the former warden¡¯s old subordinates had been killed. Commandant Niu was the first to submit to the warden of Zheng and ruthlessly attacked his colleagues. Of course, no matter how turbulent the situation was, it would not affect the prison guard who delivered the food! ¡°Congrattions, Uncle Niu.¡± Zhou Yi looked at Commandant Niu¡¯s white hair and the faint aura of death in his eyes. Once he stepped down, who knew how many years he couldst? The love of one¡¯s parents went far. The foundation of the Niu family was in the Sky Prison. Once they abandoned the position they had held for more than a hundred years, how could they guarantee such a stable family ie? How could they rely on those three profligate young masters who could not even pass the High Schr examination? Zhou Yi stood to the side and listened. When a family was attacked from the outside, it would not copse for a while. Most of the time, it would decay from the inside first. Then, the slightest breeze coulde along and knock it over! Colleagues and good friends gathered together to chat. In the end, the topic changed to the Anti- Rebellion Battlefield. This was the major event in Fengyang Kingdom over the past five years. The Grand Marshal had held the north front for two years and led the army south for more than three years. The battle was very intense. The court newspaper often published stories of the Grand Marshal destroying tens of thousands of enemies. Prison Guard Ye Cheng chuckled and said, ¡°The number of enemies defeated by the Imperial Court has already reached three to four million. With such arge army of rebels in the south, won¡¯t they surround the Divine Capital?¡± Zhou Yi reminded him, ¡°Brother Ye, be careful with your words. If the Li family hears this, you¡¯d better find a nice cell yourself.¡± The Li family¡¯s prestige in the Fengyang Kingdom now surpassed even what Prime Minister Long had been back in the day. After all, no matter how much power the civil officials had, they could not Rumors had long spread in the city that Li Wu had raised bandits in the south for three years! ¡°What the hell do you know!¡± Commandant Niu scolded him. ¡°There are more rebels in the south. His Majesty said that if we don¡¯t collect the rice tax for five years, the morale of the rebels in the north will copse. The south is different. We don¡¯t charge a single cent less.¡± Among those mourning with the Zhang family, Commandant Niu highest ranking. When the others heard him say this, they all came over. ¡°Who would dare defy the imperial court¡¯s decree?¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Commandant Niu did not continue. He changed the topic. ¡°Did you refine your organs? Your blood essence has already begun to decline at this age. It will be more and more difficult in the future.¡± ¡°It will be some years yet.¡± Zhou Yi shook his head. Another five years had passed, and his muscles and bones had been tempered to greater mastery. However, his Qi, blood, and organ refinement head reached a bottleneck. Skin and bone refinement was considered hard martial arts, and one would only be able to achieve sess after umting experience over a long period of time. On the other hand, refining the organs and cleansing the marrow were soft martial arts. One could not use force. Many people forcefully tempered their internal organs until their internal organs ruptured and bled. ¡°You¡¯ve been smart all your life, but in the end, you¡¯re still muddle-headed. You threw all your silver into studying Martial Dao and messing around at the brothel, and you haven¡¯t even gotten married. When you¡¯re old, who will support you?¡± Lieutenant Niu seemed to have regained his dignity. He wanted tough out loud, but he felt it would be inappropriate at a funeral. He had consulted Zhou Yi many times over the past few years. Every time, Commandant Niu had the illusion that he was a stupid boor. ¡°What if I break through to the Connate realm one day?¡± Zhou Yi spoke seriously, but everyone present felt that he was joking. One of the two grandmasters confirmed by the Fengyang Kingdom was the Grand Marshal Li Wu, and the other was the rebelmander known as the Heavenly King Cang in the south. Just then¡­ Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Someone hurried in and spoke loudly. ¡°Just now, someone saw the soldiers reporting victory. They said that the marshal destroyed the main force of the rebels and captured the two heavenly kings alive!¡± There was an uproar. Under the deliberate publicity of the Imperial Court, the news quickly spread throughout the Divine Capital. ¡­ It was the fifth year of Hongchang. September 21st. Today was the day the Grand Marshal returned to court. The eastern gate of the Divine Capital was packed. The imperial guards stood on both sides of the road and kept gathering themoners behind them, leaving a path for the army to pass. Zhou Yi took leave specially for this asion and booked a window seat at a restaurant by the street. Back then, the night was always dark and everything was happening far away, so he could not see the demeanor of a Connate Grandmaster. Now was a good time to make up for his regrets. Noontime rolled around. The ground shook. The sound of hooves could be heard. The first to enter the city were four rows of cavalry. Their ck armor was covered in sword marks, and they were filled with murderous desire. ¡°All of them have the strength of the Body Membrane Realm. No wonder they swept through the north and south easily. Back then, the damned emperor plundered the world. Not only did he use it to refine pills and cultivate the Dao, but he also secretly nurtured a martial arts cavalry.¡± As Zhou Yi looked back on this, he felt that it all seemed so long ago. He struggled to recall the arrogance of Prime Minister Long and his despotic son. At the end of the cavalry was the Grand Marshal, Li Wu. He still looked like a silver-armored general. Over the past five years, he had swept the north and the south, and his face was as handsome as jade and he didn¡¯t have a mark on him. It was as if he were just a young master who had gone out to tour the countryside. Young, handsome, outstanding, and powerful! Such a character was like the protagonist of a novel. As soon as he appeared, he caused the citizens to cheer. Zhou Yi lowered his gaze. ¡°A Connate Grandmaster is even more powerful than I imagined. And this is just a mortal. That legendary fiend¡­¡± Li Wu was followed by two prison carts. They were both made of steel and only revealed their heads. One was an old man with white hair like frost, and the other was a Daoist with disheveled hair. ¡°Are these Heavenly King Huang and Heavenly King Cang? Rumor had it that they¡¯re twelve feet tall and have stocky builds, and they eat three to five living people for every meal. Why are they so old and thin?¡± ¡°What do you know? Heavenly King Cang was once the leader of the martial arts world in Jiangnan. He had four schools and eight sects under hismand. Many masters in the rebel army originated from this.¡± The man who spoke was dressed in ck and had a sword at his waist. He was clearly a martial artist. ¡°If he led the martial art¡¯s world there, what¡¯s the point of rebelling?¡± ¡°Who didn¡¯t want to rebel back then?¡± ¡°Brother, what¡¯s Heavenly King Huang¡¯s background? I heard that he¡¯s the leader?¡± ¡°Legend has it that he was originally a Daoist priest. In a dream, he obtained an immortality technique. He can draw talismans and scatter beans to form soldiers. He is known as the reincarnation of the immortal Heavenly Lord Huang¡­¡± The man shook his head. Such an enigmatic statement was meant to brainwash the rebels. Nine times out of ten it could not be trusted. In order to motivate the people, the Imperial Court also promoted the destruction of the rebel army of two to three million! ¡­ The next day. Zhou Yi came to the Sky Prison on duty and saw a ck Knight on duty from afar. Anyone who went in had to be searched. On Zhou Yi¡¯s person, they found daggers, sleeve arrows, short crossbows, unknown poison powder, ck pills¡­ ¡°This is really for self-defense!¡± Zhou Yi exined repeatedly. In the end, it was Warden Zheng who stepped forward and let him into the Sky Prison. ¡°What¡¯s going on, sir?¡± Warden Zheng said, ¡°The two rebelmanders, Cang and Huang, are locked up in Sky Prison. The Grand Marshal has sent three thousand ck Armor soldiers to guard it.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t they send them to the Imperial Prison? Security is much tighter there!¡± Zhou Yi frowned slightly. Cang and Huang were not ordinary prisoners. A Martial Arts Union Master and a Daoist mutant. If they escaped, they could gather more troops and rebel. Zheng said faintly, ¡°Why do you care? You just deliver the food. You think you¡¯ll be held responsible if they escape?¡± ¡°Thank you for your advice, sir.¡± Zhou Yi could not be bothered to think about the struggle in the imperial court. Instead, he was quite interested in Cang and Huang. The Heavenly Prison was also guarded by the ck Armor Army. There was a sentry positioned every five steps. There were also experts secretly monitoring them. Prison cell A-1. Zhou Yi opened the cell door and saw the Heavenly King up close. A steel torture rack made overnight, an iron lock and chain as thick as a human thigh bound the Heavenly King¡¯s limbs and neck. The ck-armored soldiers outside the door stared fixedly at him. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Zhou Yi silently scooped rice and fed it to the Heavenly King. ¡°Your inner Qi is pure. It seems you have a Daoist inheritance. Unfortunately, you will only be second- rate when you die. I can teach you a supreme divine technique. You will be able to reach the Connate Realm in ten years. Do you want to learn it?¡± An elderly voice sounded in Zhou Yi¡¯s ears. He nced at the ck Armor soldiers outside the door, but there was no movement at all. ¡°This voice transmission is my unique secret technique. Not even Li Wu could intercept it, not to mention these idiots.¡± Zhou Yi nodded slightly and listened quietly. ¡°Inner Qi swirls, passing through the Central Pce, passing through the Cloud Gate¡­ And out it goes.¡± Another voice transmission had entered his ears. However, it was not a divine technique, but a secret voice transmission technique. Zhou Yi mobilized his inner Qiand circted it ording to the instructions of the Heavenly King. He tried to cough twice. ¡°Ack, ack!¡± The ck Armored Troops at the door did not react, but were still watching closely as Zhou Yi fed the prisoner. After feeding half a bucket of rice, Zhou Yi carried the bucket and left, ignoring the Heaven King who had repeatedly sent voice transmissions. ¡°You little traitor, how dare you bully me!¡± Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Chapter 12: A Robin Hood Story Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Opportunity and risk had arisen simultaneously. Most people would have seen this situation as a blessing. Zhou Yi was not like most people. King was obviously up to no good. Ordinary people were willing to take risks to gain divine skills. Learn a supreme divine technique, advance to the Connate realm in ten years, and be a grandmaster. ¡°This plot feels vaguely familiar?¡± Zhou Yi shrugged. He was not the son of an expert, and his ancestors did not have a deep grudge waiting to be avenged. Compared to the protagonist of fate, he was more like a little viin who tortured criminals to earn money. ¡°Therefore, I¡¯m already satisfied with learning the secret voice transmission technique!¡± Zhou Yi carried the bucket into cell A-2. Theyout of the cell was simr. Heavenly King Huang was chained to the torture rack, his hair disheveled, his Daoist robe stained with ck and red blood. His arms were twisted like noodles, breaking countless bones. All ten fingers were cut off, leaving only his bare palm. ¡°Heavenly King, it¡¯s time to eat.¡± Zhou Yi used the voice transmission secret technique. The ck Armour Guard guarding the door did not react. Heavenly King Huang was slightly stunned. He continued to eat as if nothing had happened. Then he asked, ¡°Who are you? Are you here to save me?¡± ¡°No.¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s mind raced as he replied, ¡°I¡¯m just hoping you ascend to heaven soon!¡± ¡°I should have known that those aristocratic families were fence sitters. They go whichever way the wind takes them,¡± Heavenly King Huang mumbled to himself. Zhou Yi frowned slightly and did not continue bluffing. After delivering the food, he went to look for Warden Zheng and said that he had caught a cold and wanted to take a month or two off. ¡°You¡¯re living like an old turtle!¡± Warden Zheng waved his hand and did not make things difficult for Zhou Yi. ¡­ Spring Breeze Tower. Singing and dancing, red sleeves waving. All seats were already full before evening. Today was the day to select the Flower Queen. The brothel pushed out ten or twenty courtesans who took turns to showcase their talents. There they yed the zither, yed chess, danced, did calligraphy, and recited poetry. One by one, the contestants were eliminated until just one courtesan remained. This contest was much more profitable for the courtesans than a typical day at the brothel. The rich magnates did not even blink as they threw out money and sang countless songs. ¡°Miss Nongyu, your zither skills are unparalleled! Take this!¡± This fat man had ten jade rings on his hands. He waved his hand and scattered a stack of banknotes. ¡°The poem made by Lady Lianxiang has spread throughout the Divine Capital. It is better than most high schrs. It should be number one!¡± The one who spoke was a schr. He couldn¡¯t throw out money like the fatty, so he called his friends to ¡°What kind of bullshit poem is that? I¡¯ve heard people say a woman¡¯s lover paid for it from outside.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t nder others¡¯ reputation. My father is the magistrate of the capital. If you dare to nder him again, he¡¯ll arrest you!¡± ¡°How dare you be so arrogant? I¡¯m at the Marquis of the Jiayuan Residence. Come and catch me!¡± ¡°Such vulgar talk!¡± ¡°Trash!¡± ¡­ The Divine Capital was the capital of Fengyang Kingdom. Throw a brick and you could hit a sixth-rate official. A mere magistrate was really nothing. However, once they started scolding a noble, there would immediately be schrs supporting them. For a moment, the crowd was in a frenzy. The procuress saw that the argument was intensifying and couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open fromughter. Nothing big could happen at the feet of the emperor. Everyone would control their tongues. In the end, the oue would be decided by the election of the Flower Queen. If the fighting went on like this, the courtesans would earn at least tens of thousands of taels of silver! In a private room on the second floor. There were no walls on the side facing the stage downstairs. One could clearly see the performance of the courtesans. When the upants were tired, they could also lower the brocade curtains to drink tea and discuss the Dao with the girls. Zhou Yi was half lying on the soft couch with women on his left and right. Someone poured wine and picked up food. From time to time, he would tell a joke he had heard in his previous life. It was easy to make the girlsugh. Then he told a tragic love story. The girls burst into tears. ¡°Now this is life!¡± Zhou Yi cuddled Yu Yixiang, feeling very happy. After applying for paid sick leave from the Sky Prison, Zhou Yi removed his elderly disguise and embraced his young and handsome appearance. He stayed at Spring Breeze Tower for more than half a month. Changing one¡¯s appearance to age was easy, but aging was extremely difficult. Zhou Yi was affected by his longevity. After he became an adult, he would not grow anymore. Zhou Yi only needed to change his skin color, face, and voice slightly. Even if Zhang Zhou was reborn, he would not recognize him. The other prison guards rarely remembered Zhou Yi when he was young. ¡°I¡¯m like a ghost, an immortal ghost, wandering the mundane world!¡± Zhou Yi swirled his wine ss and muttered, ¡°The empire and the royal family, the civil officials or generals, the geniuses of our This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. generation, the power of the dynasty, and even the wilderness are all fleeting!¡± Heavenly King Huang colluded with the Southern ns. Sky Prison had already be a gunpowder barrel. Zhou Yi would wait til the storm had passed to return. Crash! A loud bang was followed by a woman¡¯s scream, interrupting Zhou Yi¡¯s thoughts. ¡°I have plenty of money. I can sleep with whoever I want. Who do you think I am?¡± The man who spoke was short and fat, but his strength was surprisingly strong. He smashed the table with his palm and grasped the old woman¡¯s neck as he berated him. ¡°Ach, ach, ach¡­¡± The procuress couldn¡¯t speak. She felt as if her neck were about to break. ¡°Where did this country bumpkine from? How dare you cause trouble at Spring Breeze Tower!¡± Before he finished speaking, a figure had already arrived and was holding a shining de to the man¡¯s neck without any intention of holding back. ¡°We are the twin heroes of Mobei, not bumpkins.¡± The short, fat man dropped the old mistress who ran the brothel, and his body went bouncing off the ground like a rubber ball. He spun in the air and narrowly avoided the de, colliding with the swordsman. Bang! Bang! The demaster hit the wall and slid slowly down. He spat out a few mouthfuls of blood mixed with bits of internal organs. He twitched twice and fell silent. The procuress was so scared that her face was pale and she was trembling. That swordsman was a consecrator of a behind-the-scenes boss. He was a person with steel bones, but he couldn¡¯t evenst one round. She didn¡¯t dare to say anything else. ¡°Nongyu,e and serve this master!¡± ¡°Hahahaha!¡± The short and fat manughed heartily. He grabbed Nongyu¡¯spel and took her away with a few leaps. The staff at Spring Breeze Restaurant skillfully carried away the swordsman¡¯s corpse, washed away the blood, and reced the broken tables and chairs with new ones. It was as if nothing had happened. A momentter. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The guests resumed their bustle as the music and dancing started up again. ¡°How many first-rate masters has that been?¡± Zhou Yi had hung out at Spring Breeze Tower and met several first-rate experts in half a month. Among them, there were some whose depths could not be seen. It was very likely that they were top experts at the Marrow Cleansing realm. The brothel and wine shop were the most well-informed. The day after the king was imprisoned, people started discussing. Fifteen years ago, the Heavenly King was just an ordinary disciple of the Dajiang Gang. His martial arts talent was average. When escorting goods on the ship, he identally obtained a divine technique inheritance in the river and broke through to the Connate realm in just ten years. If not for the fact that he met the Grand Marshal, Li Wu, no one in Fengyang Kingdom could control him. At the very least, he could stabilize half of the country! The rumors spread extremely quickly. Clearly, someone had added fuel to the fire. The people of the martial arts world were not interested in rebelling and calling themselves kings, but they could not resist the temptation of divine techniques. All the experts of Fengyang Kingdom gathered in the Divine Capital. ¡°The aristocratic families should all be executed!¡± Zhou Yi shook his head slightly and opened his mouth to eat the grapes that the girl had peeled. ¡­ It was night. The moon and stars were dark and cloudy. The Dali Temple suddenly caught fire and instantly spread to dozens of pavilions. The mes soared into the sky and burned the sky dark red. The patrolling guards were helpless. There were many important files in the Dali Temple. The Deputy Minister of the Dali Temple immediately ordered the Imperial Guard of the Sky Prison to assist. The Sky Prison was close to the Dali Temple. After themander of the Imperial Guard received the order, he immediately sent troops to put out the fire. Not long after the imperial guards left, dozens of figures appeared outside the Sky Prison. They were tall, short, fat, thin, and all looked strange. How can a monk bepassionate and clear-cut? The gate of the Heavenly Prison was made of steel, and the four walls were ten feet thick. Even Connate masters could not st it open. ¡°When will the doors open?¡± ¡°Half an hour to go.¡± ¡°Hehehe, Bighead, didn¡¯t you say only a fool woulde?¡± ¡°You two are idiots!¡± ¡°A cave of ghosts. When this is over, I¡¯ll send you to hell.¡± ¡­ They were still talking when they heard a loud crash up ahead. Boom! The cell door copsed. It wasn¡¯t that the steel gate was broken, but that gunpowder had blown through the door jamb from the inside. The prison guards looked confused. The ck Armor Guard had already begun to get into formation. ¡°Kill!¡± A long whistle sounded as dozens of figures rushed through the prison gate as fast as lightning. ¡°How dare you! Sky Prison is sacred ground. Whoever attacks it will be killed¡­¡± Before themander of the ck Armor Army could finish speaking, a flying spear pierced through his armor and shattered his heart. Hundreds of ck Armor Guard soldiers mounted their warhorses andunched a charge. However, the battle became a one-sided massacre. Moreover, there was more than one top expert in the attacking forces. ¡°Haha¡­ Kill to your heart¡¯s content!¡± The short and fat man¡¯s weapons were two bronze hammers. The heads of the hammers were the size of human heads. They rushed through the gate and smashed around. The prison guard was injured justing near them, and was killed if they tried to engage. In the blink of an eye, more than twenty people died under the hammers. The one wearing red and white ones was covered in hammers. He stuck out his tongue and licked them. He became even crazier when he killed. The fat, short man was the first to reach cell A-1. He raised his hammer and smashed the cell bars. ¡°I¡¯m here to save you!¡± ¡°The two ck bears of Mobei¡­¡± Heavenly King Cang slowly raised his head. Under his shaggy hair was a handsome face. ¡°You¡¯re Heavenly King Cang? The short and fat man had never seen the Heavenly King, but he had heard that the leader of the martial arts world in Jiangnan was a wrinkled old man. Suddenly, his heart trembled, and his eyes were filled with shock. He trembled and said, ¡°You¡¯re the God of ughter, Li Wu!¡± ¡°You¡¯re notpletely stupid, you ck bear.¡± Li Wu shook gently, and the chains binding his limbs opened on their own. ¡°I don¡¯t care who you are, you¡¯re all going to die!¡± The stocky man¡¯s words were ruthless. The two bronze hammers flew out of his hands, but he turned around and ran like a rolling ball. ¡°I hear you like to watch dogs eat people. General Japan will find hounds tomorrow and see how many you can feed.¡± Li Wu¡¯s figure shed and instantly appeared behind the short and fat man. With a flick of his finger, invisible energy shattered his limbs and gently brushed past, sealing the acupoints all over his body with True Connate Qi. The experts outside the cell looked at Li Wu as if they had seen a ghost. ¡°Retreat!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a trap!¡± However, it was toote. Li Wu passed by them and fell to the ground. ¡°Li Wu, you¡¯re so ruthless!¡± The person who spoke had white hair and a green Daoist robe that fluttered without wind. He was an expert in the Dao Sect who cultivated inner qi. Li Wu said slowly, ¡°From today onwards, all the true disciples andy disciples of Jiangnan Tianyi Temple and Jinguang Temple will be charged with treason!¡± ¡°Amitabha!¡± The monk held a shovel in his hand. Golden inner Qi seeped out of his body, making him look like a Vajra. ¡°We can¡¯t escape. Let¡¯s attack together!¡± The two ghost-like hands were as ck as ink, emitting a foul-smelling poisonous gas as he shuttled through the cell like a phantom. ¡°Everyone below the Connate realm is an ant!¡± A green sword suddenly appeared in Li Wu¡¯s hand. Under the urging of his Connate True Qi, it nimbly spun in the air and cut the ghostly figure in half. The Daoist monk died under the flying sword after a few moves! The remaining experts no longer had the heart to resist. They abandoned their weapons and knelt down to beg for mercy¡­ Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Chapter 13: Another Disguise Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The next day. Zhou Yi came to the Sky Prison for a morning roll call. The gate had yet to be repaired. There were pools of ck and red blood on the ground and walls and the guards¡¯ shoes stuck to the ground as they walked by. The previous night, Warden Zheng had died at the hands of a traitor. Commandant Niu had been promised many times that he was next in line to take the warden¡¯s ce, but it didn¡¯t matter how many times this promise was made because Commandant Niu had also died in the chaosst night. ¡°Nothing usually happens in Sky Prison. But when things do happen, the results are earth-shattering. I have to go and pay my respects to many people during this period.¡± Zhou Yi walked into the cell. There were only a few prisoners left. It was said that the experts who broke into the prison tried to bring the prisoners with them. Many of them were high-ranking officials of the previous dynasty. The ck Armor Guards lying in ambush outside killed the traitors and the hostages with just a few charges. ¡°That would be an easy job.¡± Zhou Yi carried his food bucket and knocked on the cell bars of old Mr. Bai¡¯s cell. ¡°Mr. Bai, why didn¡¯t you take the opportunity to escape yesterday?¡± Mr. Bai was quite an interesting prisoner. He was extraordinarily handsome. When he changed into white clothes and opened his fan, he could charm countless female martial artists. Zhou Yi didn¡¯t know what crimes he hadmitted, as the dossier didn¡¯t record them. It was the Imperial n Court that threw him into Sky Prison. ¡°For now, I¡¯m innocent. Wouldn¡¯t it be a real crime to escape?¡± Mr. Bai happily finished his meal and saw that there was a lot left in the bucket. ¡°Give it all to me. Save yourself the trouble of carrying it back.¡± Zhou Yi put the food bucket into the cell and pretended to be surprised. ¡°From what you¡¯re saying, you really can get out if you want to?¡± ¡°Two days ago, I was still thinking about it. But yesterday scared me. I¡¯ll obediently endure for three to five years.¡± Mr. Bai recalled what he had seenst night and couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear. In the past, the martial arts world said that the Saint Thief¡¯s martial arts were first-rate, but his acrobatic jumping was peerless. His speed could surpass that of a Connate Grandmaster. Though he didn¡¯t show it, Mr. Bai was definitely proud of himself. Yesterday, he saw a flying sword kill someone. Only when you see the work of a true master do you understand how limited your experience has been. Why would a Connate Grandmaster need to race to catch you? His flying sword would easily cut you in two. ¡°What did you see that made you so afraid?¡± Zhou Yi was rather curious. Along the way, he talked to the remaining prison guards but did not talk about the battle in Sky Prison. None of the prison guards who were on dutyst night survived! The top experts had perfected their inner and outer hammers. On the battlefield, they were like ten thousand enemies who could break through the formation of a charging army. Even if the ck Armor Guard surrounded them, it would be difficult for them to survive. Otherwise, there would be no need for Li Wu to personally take action. Mr. Bai shook his head repeatedly. ¡°I can¡¯t say, I can¡¯t say!¡± ¡°Do you drink?¡± Zhou Yi took the wine pot from his waist and opened it. The fragrance of wine filled the air. ¡°Pear Blossom White, ten years old!¡± Mr. Bai¡¯s nose twitched as he urately smelled the age of the wine. Which child in the martial arts world didn¡¯t like wine? After being imprisoned for more than two years, his mouth had long be nd. With the fragrance of the wine, he could not help but salivate and swallow. ¡°You have to let me try some!¡± Mr. Bai knew how ck-hearted the prison guard in front of him was. He had tricked many martial arts experts from section A. The experts of the martial arts world were free and unfettered on the outside. They would take out a stack of ingots to settle the bill. That was ill-gotten wealth that was either stolen or robbed. They spent it happily but did not have any savings. After entering the Sky Prison, no one would give him money for food and he could only drink swill every day. If he really couldn¡¯t take it anymore, he would make a deal with Zhou Yi. For example, he could get two chicken legs in exchange for a unique acupuncture technique, a pot of wine for a unique secret medicine form, and could even use the martial arts world¡¯s secrets to earn a few sesame cakes. However, Zhou Yi didn¡¯t follow the rules. It was fine if he found people pleasing to the eye, but those unpleasant chicken legs were messy and mixed with alcohol. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a man of rules. Those who are punished are all people who havemitted heinous crimes.¡± Zhou Yi handed the wine pot in as he defended himself. ¡°That¡¯s putting it nicely. What¡¯s going on with the Jiangnan Hero?¡± Mr. Bai took a sip of wine and heaved a sigh of relief. Then, he took small sips, afraid that he would not be able to taste it after drinking it in one gulp. ¡°On the surface, that guy was a chivalrous hero, but in private, he was in the business of harvesting lives at the end of a sword. Isn¡¯t it only right that he has to die from his organs being torn apart?¡± Zhou Yi took out a pill from his pocket. It was red and stained with ck patterns. After observing it for a moment, he carefully put it back. ¡°The Gu worms of the Miao brothers are really mysterious. They can actually shatter the internal organs and allow the victim to survive!¡± Mr. Bai drank a few mouthfuls of wine in session, suppressed the fear in his heart, and said mysteriously, ¡°Do you believe in flying sword techniques?¡± ¡°I do!¡± Zhou Yi thought to himself, ¡°I¡¯ve even seen an immortal who shattered the void with a sword.¡± ¡­ Mr. Bai was shocked, but his words were interrupted by Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi¡¯s gaze was faint. ¡°Let me guess. Last night, General Li used the flying sword technique and easily killed the person who broke into the prison?¡± ¡­ Old Mr. Bai was also a quick-witted person. He changed the topic. ¡°Do you know who was killed? Daoist spiritual masters of the First Heavenly Temple, Jinguang Temple Zen Masters, and the great cave ghost, Bai Wuchang!¡± ¡°They¡¯re all dead people. I¡¯m not interested in hearing about their morous past.¡± Zhou Yi was quite happy. His original guess was that spiritual talents were innate and could not be blocked. Connate grandmasters could already use Dharmic formtion simr to artifact control. Mr. Bai was so aggrieved that he could not speak. He handed the empty wine pot back and prepared to lie on the straw mat to rest. From the previous night until now, when he closed his eyes, he could not sleep at all. Zhou Yi said, ¡°We¡¯re all in the martial arts world. Don¡¯t believe everyone. Don¡¯t be so cynical. If you really let that fellow go, you won¡¯t be able to atone for your sins even if you die ten times.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± Mr. Bai was a first-rate expert. He had a cell all to himself, and the Jiangnan Hero was next door. Zhou Yi said, ¡°No matter how secretive the two of you are, perhaps you can hide it from the prison guard, but can you hide it from the prisoners? Someone can overhear your words and sell you out for a chicken leg.¡± ¡­ Mr. Bai suddenly didn¡¯t want to stay in prison. Perhaps agreeing to the princess¡¯s marriage proposal couldn¡¯tpare the aggrievement he felt now. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi continued, ¡°This can be considered as saving your life, right? I heard that your acrobatic jumping is not bad. Can you teach me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sleepy!¡± Mr. Bai turned his back on Zhou Yi. ¡­ Half a year passed in the blink of an eye. Sky Prison was under themand of a new warden who had seeminglye out of nowhere. In all This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. the prisons in Fengyang Kingdom, the unspoken rules were simr. It was just that it was easier to earn money in Sky Prison. Now that the new prison guards were familiar with the ce, Sky Prison returned to its former state. ¡°Good morning, Zhou Yi!¡± The prison guard on duty at the door, Feng Qiao, greeted him. Nowadays, not many people have been around longer than Zhou Yi. Zhou Yi greeted him with a smile. ¡°You slipped away early yesterday. Afraid of having to pay the bill?¡± ¡°I have a fierce wife at home. I had no choice!¡± Feng Qiao cupped his hands repeatedly. He originally ran the county prison in Wannian County. After being transferred to the Divine Capital, he was still not used to it. The most expensive brothel in Wannian County only cost one or two taels of silver per night. After entering Spring Breeze Tower and touching a girl¡¯s hand, he had to pay ten taels of silver. Even if the girl¡¯s hand was iid with gold, it was not worth it! Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°Since themandant has gone, it¡¯s the debt of the prison. We can¡¯t spend too much.¡± Feng Qiao was instantly filled with regret. He had wanted to find out more this morning. When he returned home, he would brag to others and pretend to have enjoyed Spring Breeze Tower. ¡°There will be another chance in the future.¡± Zhou Yi chatted with his colleagues along the way and carried a bucket to deliver food. Prison cell B-7. The prisoner had not been in there very long. He was a Ministry of Official Personnel officer who had this age, he would be gone in a year or so. When the prisoner saw Zhou Yi pour the rice, he got up with difficulty and coughed violently. He slowly moved over and picked up the bowl to eat. All his actions made him look like an old man on the verge of death. Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes shed. He, who was proficient in disguise, had already discovered several ws. The expression on his face was too stiff. Even if he deliberately pretended to be dying, it was impossible for his skin to remain motionless. The skin color of his neck was slightly different from his hands, especially the ck mud that was stuck to his hands. Firstly, it was too deliberate, and secondly, it did not seep into his skin at all. Moreover, the bowl in such a weak old man¡¯s hand was extremely stable¡­ Zhou Yi left silently. Finally, he came to Mr. Bai¡¯s cell and took out a pot of wine. Mr. Bai opened the wine pot and smelled it. ¡°It¡¯s Pear Blossom White again. This wine is too strong. It¡¯s far inferior to Zhao Dian Red and Yu Lu Spring.¡± ¡°My friends from a long time ago loved Pear Blossom White. I got used to it and didn¡¯t bother to change my taste.¡± Zhou Yi tried his best to recall Wei Chang. He only remembered that he was a Tibetan man with a broad forehead and a broad face. The details of his appearance were already blurry. ¡°Tsk, tsk, tsk. You have friends despite your ck heart?¡± In half a year, Mr. Bai had be familiar with Zhou Yi, and he no longer had so many scruples when talking to him. Zhou Yi did not want to think about the past. His lifespan was endless, and he would umte countless experiences in the future, including Mr. Bai in front of him now. Therefore, he had to learn to forget. ¡°When I cultivated the Floating Step yesterday, there were a few twists and turns that didn¡¯t go my way¡­¡± Mr. Bai pondered for a moment and said, ¡°There are only two types of acrobatic flying skills in the world. The short-range dodging and maneuvering, and the long-range attack. The floating step belongs to the former¡­¡± He described the key cultivation form of the floating step in detail and exined it to Zhou Yi until the wine in the pot was finished. Before Zhou Yi left, he asked, ¡°Shall we change to Zhao Dian Red tomorrow, or Yu Lu Spring?¡± Old Bai said, ¡°Keep bringing Pear Blossom White. I¡¯m used to it and can¡¯t be bothered to change my taste.¡± Zhou Yi was slightly stunned and squatted back. ¡°I¡¯m going to find a pot of hundred-year-old Pear Blossom White, if you help me do something.¡± Mr. Bai nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s good. In the past, we wouldn¡¯t drink unless it was a hundred years old!¡± Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask what it is? If it¡¯s murder, arson, or robbery, are you going to do it?¡± ¡°You may be ck-hearted, but even you have a line you won¡¯t cross.¡± Mr. Bai said, ¡°Besides, even if it¡¯s something evil, I don¡¯t like to waste wine. What can you do if I don¡¯t do it?¡± ¡°The prisoner in B-7 seems to have changed handsst night¡­¡± Zhou Yi had talked about the origins of the prisoner and the ws left behind by his disguise. ¡°Interesting, interesting! How can I miss something so interesting?¡± Mr. Bai¡¯s eyes lit up when he heard this. He had long been bored in Sky Prison. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If he makes a move, he definitely won¡¯t escape my eyes.¡± ¡°Stay safe. That man is most likely a skilled expert.¡± Zhou Yi repeatedly reminded them not to chase after him even if he escaped. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! We¡¯re experienced. Safety first.¡± ¡­ Several days passed. Zhou Yi came to the prison to deliver food. Mr. Bai waved his hand and transmitted his voice using his inner Qi, ¡°That fellow finally made a move ¡°What did he do?¡± Zhou Yi learned more than a dozen acrobatic jumping skills from Mr. Bai. Among them, there were a few top-notch moves. He returned the favor and taught Mr. Bai the Heavenly King¡¯s secret voice transmission technique. ¡°He went to cell A-1 and searched until midnight before returning.¡± Old Bai¡¯s face revealed excitement. Who could have known that there was a Martial Dao master locked in that cell half a year ago? Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Chapter 14: Heaven Devouring Demonic Technique Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°What do we do next? Do we keep watching?¡± Seeing Zhou Yi¡¯s uncertain expression, Mr. Bai scratched his ears and spoke. ¡°When that fellow finds the secret manual of the Heavenly King, won¡¯t it be easy for us to join forces to follow him andunch a sneak attack? Why don¡¯t you poison him in advance and weaken him?¡± Bing a Connate Grandmaster was the ultimate dream of the martial arts world. Mr. Bai, who had always been indifferent to everything, was no exception. The history of Heavenly King Cang had long spread in the martial world. Before the age of thirty, he was unknown. After obtaining a divine technique, he reached the Connate realm in ten years. He became a Martial Grandmaster and joined the Alliance Leader of Jiangnan. His power was unparalleled for a time. Other beauties such as gold and silver were just supplementary items. ¡°Are you stupid?¡± Zhou Yi pointed at his clothes. ¡°I¡¯m a prison guard. There¡¯s no need to follow him.¡± ¡°True!¡± Mr. Bai suddenly understood. He looked at Zhou Yi, who was walking towards cell A1. He wanted to ask what the name of the divine technique was, but he was afraid of losing one of his few friends. ¡­ Cell A-1. It was empty. Every corner was clean. After killing the prison attackers that night, the Uniformed Guard investigated this cell thoroughly. They even scraped off threeyers from the wall. ¡°Is he trying his luck or does he know something that even the Uniformed Guard cannot find?¡± Zhou Yi had seen the miserable appearance of Heavenly King Cang. Most of his bones were broken, and he even needed to be fed, so he could not leave the fine steel torture rack. Every part of the torture rack was probed with inner Qi. Even the shackles and chains were made of solid steel. There was nock of inner Qi experts among the Uniformed Guards. They must have also probed the cell before. The Heavenly King could not hide his inheritance so simply. ¡°It must be something that outsiders can¡¯t search¡­¡± Zhou Yi suddenly had a sh of inspiration. He ced his palm on the torture rack and allowed his inner Qi entered it in the same way as the voice transmission secret technique. ¡°The Heaven Devouring Demon Technique!¡± The voice of the Heavenly King suddenly sounded in his ears, followed by a mnemonic chant of more than 3,000 words. It taught him how to devour the inner Qi of others and fuse them for his own use. There was a method to break through to the Connate realm. It was extremely simple and crude, and there was nothing mysterious about it. Internal Qi for 500 years. Once circted, it could forcefully mobilize the heaven and earth essence energy and allow him to advance to the Connate realm! At the end, Heavenly King Cang exhorted, ¡°The mutated inner qi refined by the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique is very strange. It reduces one¡¯s lifespan by 50%. Every generation has top experts.This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. They can continue to pass down the legacy and have endless wealth. The Cang family disciples must not be greedy for the Connate realm¡­¡± ¡°No wonder the Heavenly King is only in his fifties and is a Connate Grandmaster. But he looks so old!¡± Zhou Yi listened to theplete cultivation technique and used the voice transmission secret technique again. As expected, the voice of the Heavenly King Cang sounded again. Upon closer inspection, the voices in the background seems softer. ¡°This guy must be the descendant of Heavenly King Cang. If he can¡¯t find the demonic technique, something will definitely happen.¡± Zhou Yi pondered for a moment. It was better to be safe than sorry. He had risked his life to obtain the n¡¯s inheritance, so he might as well take advantage of the situation and send him away. Peace makes money! When he returned to Prison A-6, he saw Mr. Bai squatting in the corner and sighing. ¡°Whichdy are you thinking of now?¡± Zhou Yi listened to him speak, and most of what heard at this time had to do with Mr. Bai unting his beauty in the martial arts world. Something about being sixth in the martial arts world¡¯s rouge ranking, something about an extraordinary female sword immortal, and a daughter of the Jiangnan aristocratic family¡­ After hearing so much, he understood that Mr. Bai¡¯s imprisonment was not torture, but more like avoiding a debt of love! ¡°I¡¯m missing my friends from the past.¡± Mr. Bai raised his hand, his eyes filled with love as he sang a strange song he had heard from Zhou Yi. ¡°Friends, friends¡­¡± Zhou Yi interrupted Mr. Bai and said, ¡°Stop! Do you want to know the cultivation technique of Heavenly King Cang?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll tell me?¡± Mr. Bai¡¯s figure shed, leaving several afterimages in the air, and instantlynded in front of the prison door. Zhou Yi said, ¡°This cultivation technique is called the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique. It can devour and refine the inner Qi of others. The specific refinement method¡­¡± ¡°Shh! It¡¯s indeed a demonic technique. No wonder the Heavenly King could be a grandmaster in ten years!¡± Mr. Bai took a deep breath and waved his hand. ¡°It¡¯s good that you know the name. You can use it to brag to others in the future. Don¡¯t tell me the content of the cultivation technique, lest you can¡¯t help but practice it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s about bragging to a woman, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s gaze was disdainful, but he could not help but feel envious. The Dao Fruit of Eternal Life did not have a beautifying effect, and its appearance was still ordinary. ¡°This cultivation technique also has ws. After absorbing energy for five years, one¡¯s lifespan will be shortened by a year. Before one bes old, they will decline first. Even Heavenly King Cang found this difficult to reverse from the grandmaster realm.¡± ¡°All the more reason not to practice! Being strong is one thing, but being handsome is another!¡± Mr. Bai pointed at his own face. ¡°We don¡¯t rely on fighting in the martial arts world. Just with this face, I¡¯ve survived many dangers. That day in the royal pce, hundreds of swords were pointed at us. In the end, the princess personally helped us out¡­¡± ¡­ Zhou Yi could not stand this fellow¡¯s smugness and ran away with the bucket. ¡­ In the blink of an eye, another month passed. After obtaining the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique, Zhou Yi was not in a hurry to cultivate it. He was still secretly observing that person¡¯s movements. Early that morning. Zhou Yi came to the Sky Prison for the roll call. He found that the Imperial Guard was on duty outside and the Uniformed Guard was searching inside. ¡°Zhou Yi, someone escaped from prisonst night. Apparently, one of them killed another prisoner and disguised himself.¡± Feng Qiao continued in a low voice, ¡°Commandant Lu received money from Superintendent Xiao of the Ministry of Justice and interrogated the criminal in the middle of the night. He wanted to cripple him, but who would have thought that he was a martial arts expert!¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Commandant Lu had his neck broken on the spot. The prisoner fought his way out of the cell and fled. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Zhou Yi did not know what to say for a moment. From the perspective of his colleagues, he should sympathize with them. However, it did not seem right to wantonly torture the prisoners. An unspoken rule was just an unspoken rule. Those who really knew right from wrong right could only say that this person¡¯s heart was evil! ¡°When you go back to pay your respects, send some payment.¡± Zhou Yi had not been interrogated when he entered the cell. The Uniformed Guard did not care about the food that was sent to the prisoners, let alone the food that had been sent to them for fifteen or sixteen years. In the end, the matter was left unsettled. The scoundrel used a disguise technique and no one knew his original appearance and age. Naturally, an arrest warrant would be useless. It had always been a huge problem for the strong in the martial world to vite the rules. The capital and the surrounding territories were already considered stable. There were many martial arts experts entrenched in the capital. The strong ones, like Heavenly King Cang, had wreaked havoc in the south for more than ten years. The weak ones ran rampant in the viges and towns, bullying and dominating the cities and viges. Cultivation of martial arts required a lot of money. Ordinary people could not even get started on studying it, so they were oppressed and did not even have the right to be angry. Although the difference in strength between martial artists andmoners was not as great as the difference between immortals and mortals, it was not something that three to five people could resist! ¡°The supernatural world makes ss structures even more solid. People can only see the glory above and won¡¯t pay attention to the misery at the bottom.¡± Zhou Yi was not a saint who cared about the world. He only sighed with emotion. Then, he went to cell A-1 and used the secret technique to investigate the torture rack. As expected, the voice of the Heavenly King hadpletely disappeared. ¡°It¡¯s time for peace and quiet in this prison again.¡± Over the past few days, Zhou Yi had been delivering food and had secretly investigated the prisoners. He had found out which ones had dense inner qi, which ones would go to the execution ground, and which ones did not have a master outside. When anyone else obtained the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique, they cultivated their inner qi in a low-key manner and aggressively devoured the experts of the martial arts world. The hunter advanced slowly while the prey was hunted down. Regardless of whether one was cautious or reckless, ording to thews of the martial arts world, those who cultivated demonic techniques would definitely not have a good ending. However, Zhou Yi¡¯s situation was different. There were many martial arts experts in Sky Prison. What he needed to do was to choose a good target to devour! After careful selection, a first-rate expert named Yu Sheng was chosen. Yu Sheng could be considered a legend of the martial arts world who started from scratch. When he was young, he was brave and fierce. When he became an adult, he robbed houses. The money he obtained was all used for martial arts cultivation. Because of his superior talent, he quickly became famous in the martial arts world. People called him the Blood Saber. How could one not wet their shoes when walking by the river? In the end, he fell into the trap of the Uniformed Guard and was thrown into Sky Prison. He was scheduled to be beheaded after autumn. ¡°You¡¯ll die sooner orter. Instead of going to the execution site, why don¡¯t you exchange your inner Qi for a nice meal and some wine and die right here instead? That makes sense, right?¡± Zhou Yi ced his palm on the prisoner¡¯s dantian1.His inner Qi flowed into Zhou Yi¡¯s body through his meridians. The prisoner was in extreme pain. His entire body twitched, but he could not make a sound until his dantian shattered and his meridians were severed. ¡°About seven or eight years of inner Qi. Some of it has been lost in the process, but there are many more experts in Sky Prison!¡± Zhou Yi felt that the inner Qi in his dantian had thickened by more than 50%. No wonder so many people liked to cultivate demonic techniques. The feeling of getting something for nothing was really nice! ¡°Two years off my life expectancy¡­¡± Zhou Yi sensed carefully and discovered that his internal organs had changed slightly. It could be said that he had matured and aged. The Dao Fruit of Eternal Life had not moved for more than ten years. After trembling slightly for a moment, it turned his aged internal organs back to their original state. ¡°So this is the correct way to use the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life. Cultivating a demonic technique that will shorten one¡¯s lifespan but allow one to advance at lightning speed!¡± Zhou Yi muttered to himself. Ignoring the half-dead prisoner curled up in the corner, he slowly walked to the next cell. Sky Prison prisoners rarely live to the day of execution. After death, they would be examined but no one would investigate the cause of death. This kind of thing was not easy to investigate, and in fact was not allowed to be investigated, which might be a policy rted to the current emperor. Devouring inner Qi was only the first step of the demonic technique. After that, it still needed some time to refine and fuse. Zhou Yi was not in a hurry. No matter how slow it was to fuse inner Qi, it was more than a hundred times faster than cultivating the Origin Returning Mantra. There was another characteristic of the Heaven Devouring Demonic Technique that Zhou Yi was very satisfied with. Before reaching the Connate realm, there was basically no bottleneck. He only needed to find a sufficient source of inner Qi and spend time and effort to refine and fuse it. Five hundred years of internal Qi, formed naturally! The Origin Returning Mantra and Five Tigers Mighty Fist that he had previously cultivated were both orthodox cultivation techniques. Putting aside the speed of his advancement, the various sizes of the bottleneck gave Zhou Yi a headache. For example, whether refining his external muscles and bones or his internal organs, Zhou Yi pondered and studied alone for a full five years before barely mastering it. In martial arts cultivation, technique, talent, resources, and guidance from a master were indispensable. After all, a typical person¡¯s lifespan was limited. They could not rely on time to break through the bottleneck. ¡°Five hundred years of inner Qi. That¡¯s about eighty or ny people¡­¡± Zhou Yi looked at the prisoners in section A like fat pigs waiting to be ughtered. ¡°From now on, treat them better. They can¡¯t drink swill anymore. If their bodies are weak and their inner Qi dissipates, that would be my loss!¡± After that, things changed. The prisoners of section A drank thick porridge with minced meat in it. They were naturally grateful to Zhou Yi. ¡­ It was the autumn of the seventh year of Hongchang. Zhou Yi entered the kitchen to get the food bucket. Seeing that Chef Liu had prepared the food box, he instructed him to send it to cell C-9. ¡°Whose young master came in again?¡± Zhou Yi was already used to this. In the past ten years, he had seen many good-for-nothings. Coming to the Sky Prison was like a vacation for them. Some people were even proud of this. Which young master in the Divine Capital had not been to cell C-9 and enjoyed special treatment there? Any that hadn¡¯t could not be considered top-notch nobles. Chef Liu said in a low voice, ¡°I heard that he¡¯s distantly rted to the Li family. We didn¡¯t dare to ask what exactly he did!¡± The number of people surnamed Li in the Divine Capital was unknown, and there was nock of rich people among them. However, ever since Emperor Hongchang ascended the throne, the only ones in the capital who were called ¡°the Li family¡± were those who upied the Grand General¡¯s residence. The Li Wu nsmen! Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Chapter 15: Loyalty to One¡¯s Country Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°So, it¡¯s someone from the Li family. Mr. Liu, you have to use your trump card!¡± Zhou Yi opened the food box. There were four cold and four hot dishes. They looked and smelled good. The wine pot was also a hundred years old. To be able to find such good wine in one night, the warden must have put in a lot of effort. ¡°But of course.¡± Head Chef Liu pursed his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve used all the skills of my ancestors for fear of angering her.¡± There were also many unspoken rules in the small kitchen of Sky Prison, especially for cell C-9. Chef Liu had to customize meals ording to the prisoner¡¯s title, official position, and close rtives. They could not be generalized. If the Duke¡¯s family ate the same dishes as the Assistant Minister¡¯s family member, it would definitely cause trouble! These profligate young masters were extremely bored. All that¡¯s left is topete for face. One could eat cold food and drink hundred-year-old wine in the Sky Prisonand be better off than those eating four hot dishes! In the eyes of ordinary people, the reason why noble young masters were jealous of each other was that they had nothing to do and were bored to death. However, they had to follow the orders of the officials in the Sky Prison. The most powerful family in the Chongming Dynasty was the Long family. Now, the treatment that had been reserved for Young Master Long had been transferred to the Li family. Li Wu razed the Fengyang Kingdom to the north and south. After resting for a year, he led a million troops to fight with Great Yong in the north and vowed to take back the lost three states. Now, their power was even greater than the Long family of the Chongming Dynasty! N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Zhou Yi carried the food box to Prison C9 and met Lieutenant Zhu, who was in charge of day-time duty. Commandant Zhu repeatedly reminded him, ¡°Zhou Yi, you must be careful. That master is a fierce person. If he goes crazy, I won¡¯t dare to save you!¡± Zhou Yi said in surprise, ¡°Commander, we¡¯re just delivering food¡­¡± ¡°Do you know why he was sentenced to the Sky Prison?¡± Lieutenant Zhu reminded him in a low voice, ¡°He sent troops to plunder the trade route and pretended to suppress the bandits. Instead, he ughtered a few viges and imed the job was done!¡± ¡­ Zhou Yi was silent for a long time before asking, ¡°Who would dare to expose such a shocking matter?¡± To plunder and kill the innocent! Who among the nine ns of the Li family wasn¡¯t a criminal? That included Great General Li Wu. He could lead an army of a million troops to attack the north. If this matter wasn¡¯t handled properly, the world would be overturned! Now that even Commandant Zhu knew, it was obvious that he could no longer hide it. It was equivalent to announcing the Li family¡¯s crimes to the world. Zhou Yi did not think that the imperial court, or Emperor Hongchang, had the guts! Commandant Zhu said, ¡°Who else could it be? It was Prime Minister Zhang!¡± After Emperor Hongchang ascended the throne, he massacred the remaining members of Long¡¯s court. The four ministers were all implicated. Now, the person ranked as the Grand Secretary was his teacher, Zhang Zhengyang. ¡°No wonder.¡± Zhou Yi had never seen Zhang Zhengyang before, but from the rumors in the city, he only felt that this person was an important person in the empire. It was rumored that after Zhang Zhengyang became the Grand Secretary, the first time he penned a statement, he resolved a major crisis in Fengyang. It was better to be safe than sorry! It was also Zhang Zhengyang who proposed the strategy of exempting all taxes for five years to win over the hearts of the rebel army andpletely cut off the problem of the rebel army¡¯s revival. In seven years, Zhang Zhengyang was the only person who couldpare to Li Wu. Cell C-9. Zhou Yi opened the cell door and took out the dishes from the food box and ced them on the table. ¡°Time to eat, my lord.¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The prisoner sat cross-legged on the soft couch in the inner room without opening his eyes. He let out a soft snort from his nose. Zhou Yi bowed and retreated. The feeling this person gave him was not merely the arrogance of ordinary popinjays. Instead, he looked down on everyone. ¡°How fearless!¡± ¡­ Several days passed. Zhou Yi came to the small room to get food and realized that Chef Liu was not there. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this guy?¡± Word of Li Xiong¡¯s crimes had already spread like wildfire in the market. A few days prior, many people were beating the imperial drums and crying out injustice, iming to be rtives of those viges. The imperial court pretended not to hear. In the end, it was still the constables of the capital government who invited the innocent to leave one by one, then began locking them up on the grounds that they had gathered to cause trouble. After this incident, the Imperial Court became a ce for the people to vent their anger. Every day, the gate was stained with all kinds of filth. The Imperial Censor wrote a letter to the governor of the Divine Capital, stating that he had treated the people harshly, neglected his duty, and protected criminals. However, He didn¡¯t mention the Li family by name. The governor of the Shenjing Prefecture was helpless. He sent a letter to confess and apologize and then went to jail. In a short period of time, the Divine Capital could be said to have changed drastically. The center of the storm was now cell C-9. Chef Liu seemed to have gone crazy. Zhou Yi hurriedly went to look for Lieutenant Zhu and asked him about the day¡¯s food delivery. Lieutenant Zhu said righteously, ¡°He¡¯s also a prisoner in Sky Prison. He¡¯ll eat whatever others eat. There¡¯s no need to treat him differently!¡± Zhou Yi frowned slightly, then said in realization, ¡°There¡¯s news from the north?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°You son of a¡ª¡± Commandant Zhu did not hide it from them. In any case, he would not be able to hide it from them in a few days¡¯ time. ¡°At noon tomorrow, all the members of the Li n under Li Xiong¡¯s here!¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°The general requested it?¡± ¡°Things change with age! Zhou Yi, if you¡¯re so smart, why have you been delivering food your whole life?¡± Commandant Zhu said in a low voice, ¡°I heard from the warden that the general personally wrote a letter saying that the Li family should have implicated all nine sects of the family. He knelt and asked for Your Majesty¡¯s understanding. He said that thew would be merciful and only Li Xiong¡¯s branch would be executed!¡± ¡°General, you¡¯re right!¡± ¡°You are wise, General!¡± Zhou Yi and Lieutenant Zhu looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock. They felt that the full power of the capital was about to sweep over them. Cell C-9. Zhou Yi poured the gruel into a bowl. He knocked on the cell bars with his spoon and shouted. ¡°Time to eat!¡± Li Xiong nced at the swill, his eyes shing with shock, but then he calmed down. ¡°It seems that my cousin wants to send his uncle¡¯s family to his death for his own reputation!¡± Thews and ethics of this era emphasized intimacy. Li Wu¡¯s actions were despised by the big ns. Zhou Yi said in surprise, ¡°You know everything?¡± Li Xiong said coldly, ¡°Look at you people trying to curry favor. You can easily guess the change in the situation outside.¡± ¡°Tomorrow afternoon, your entire family will be executed.¡± Zhou Yi continued, ¡°Your parents, wives, and children will all die because of your greed!¡± Li Xiong was expressionless. He nced at Zhou Yi as if to mock him. ¡°Do you have a son? How old is he? Is he very cute? In the future, he might have practiced martial arts and joined the army, or taken the liberal arts exam. He might have married a virtuous wife, and you will have grandchildren. Or a daughter, who would marry¡­¡± Zhou Yi described the happy scene of a family reunion. Li Xiong¡¯s expression gradually changed. When he heard thest sentence, ¡°Your ten-year-old son¡¯s head will fall to the ground and spit blood for thest time,¡± his eyes turned red with anger. ¡°¡­ about ten years old, probably doesn¡¯t know anything. He¡¯ll ask you why he is getting his head chopped off. He will ask you, ¡®Will it hurt?¡¯¡± Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°Let me give you some advice. Before the execution, get your son drunk so that when he encounters the executioner¡¯s blunt knife, it will easily cut through his flesh. Otherwise, it will be a hundred times more painful!¡± ¡°Get out of here!¡± Li Xiong roared, ¡°What do you know? My cousin only wants to leave his name in history and has people keep an eye on his rtives. He¡¯s not even allowed to do business! I followed him to war for several years, and we left a few liters of blood on the battlefield. When I returned to the Divine Capital, I didn¡¯t have the money to hold a banquet. The joke was on me!¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be greedy about military pay. We can¡¯t be merchants, so we have to rob them!¡± Li Xiong said coldly, ¡°I fought desperately at the front line. Those bullshit nobles selling weapons to the Great Yong alsomitted crimes of treason. Why aren¡¯t they punished the same way?¡± Zhou Yi wondered, ¡°How do you exin killing an innocent person?¡± Li Xiong vented his anger, and the resentment in his heart dissipated. His expression returned to normal. ¡°Someone has to pay for the crimes of robbing merchants. Those people were unlucky enough to be chosen by me!¡± ¡°If you had led your troops into a noble house and killed the traitor who smuggled the armaments on the spot, perhaps General Li would have spared your life. However, you didn¡¯t dare to do so and only ughtered themoners!¡± Zhou Yi shook his head and said, ¡°Such a character who bullies the weak and fears the strong seems to be no different from a dog raised by flies.¡± Li Xiong slowly turned his head and finally looked at Zhou Yi. ¡°Sharp-tongued smart ass!¡± Zhou Yi shrugged and left with the bucket. ¡°When your familyester, I¡¯ll arrange for you to be imprisoned with your children. Cherish your ¡­ Fengtian Pce. Silence. The Emperor dismissed the servants to both sides of him, leaving only Zhang Zhengyang in the hall. ¡°Teacher, this storm is too dangerous.¡± Emperor Hongchang walked down from the hall and personally carried two brocade piers. He sat down and looked at Zhang Zhengyang. ¡°Your Majesty, I have no choice.¡± Zhang Zhengyang bowed, sat down, and said, ¡°The civil officials have the heart to rebel. Even if they are as powerful as the Long Rebellion, they can still be destroyed overnight. Military officials like Li Wu, who are brave enough to challenge you, whose achievements cover the world¡­¡± He paused, as if weighing his words. After a moment, he said, ¡°It¡¯s possible to abolish it!¡± Emperor Hongchang frowned. ¡°Teacher, Minister Li is devoted to the king¡¯s affairs and is strict with his nsmen. How can the Long Rebellion bepared to him?¡± ¡°This is what¡¯s terrifying. It¡¯s fine if Li Wu is as greedy and violent as the Long Rebellion, but he just had to be strict with his nsmen to buy the hearts of the people. Clearly, he has a big n! This time, Li Xiongmitted a crime. I sent someone to publicly announce it. My intention was to let Li Wu submit a letter. The Imperial Court is forced to spare Li Xiong and his family.¡± Zhang Zhengyang said, ¡°How could I have thought that Li Wu could even be so ruthless as to kill his own uncle and cousin? Such a heartless and decisive person, is he even the slightest bit loyal?¡± Emperor Hongchang was puzzled, ¡°The crimesmitted by Li Xiong are unforgivable. Teacher, why are you doing this?¡± ¡°With this, we can break Li Wu¡¯s golden body of reputation. He can lead troops and conquer the world, but he can¡¯t be famous!¡± Zhang Zhengyang said, ¡°The people will never allow a person who protects his rtives and ughters the people to rule the world. In this way, His Majesty can rest easy.¡± Emperor Hongchang shook his head and said, ¡°Teacher, the history books say that the world should be ruled by the strong. If Minister Li really has the intention to rebel, with his military prestige, I¡¯m not confident¡­¡± ¡°The history books are right, but they can¡¯t be trusted.¡± Zhang Zhengyang said, ¡°After the chaos of the previous emperor¡¯s reign, the people have only been able to live a stable life for a few years. They definitely don¡¯t want there to be any chaos. With billions of people like this, it can be said to be the general trend. It¡¯s not something that soldiers and horses can do.¡± Emperor Hongchang was silent for a long time, but he still shook his head slowly. ¡°Minister Li is loyal to the country. Back then, he followed the edict and swept the north and south. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here today!¡± ¡°If Minister Li did not betray me, I will not betray him!¡± Chapter 16 Chapter 16 Chapter 16: Connate Grandmaster This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions The next day. Sky Prison. Zhou Yi carried hisst meal and arrived at Prison C9. Dressed in white, the four sons and three daughtersy neatly on the ground, no longer breathing. The woman in mourning clothesy on the ground, her eyes nk. Li Xiong stood in the cell and looked coldly at Zhou Yi. ¡°Remember, I¡¯m waiting here with my wife and children. Tell Li Wu when hees in!¡± Zhou Yi frowned when he saw the tragedy of the father killing his children in the cell. He looked around the cell and realized that there were no prison guards on duty. The imperial court did not intend to carry out a public execution. It signaled for Li Xiong tomit suicide in the Sky Prison. ¡°The Grand Marshal is incorruptible and has made outstanding contributions. In the future, he will be worthy of being recorded in the history of the Imperial Ancestral Temple.¡± Zhou Yi had spoken to Li Xiong yesterday and had already gone slightly overboard out of indignation at ughtering the How could they speak ill of Li Wu and the imperial court today? Even if the officials wanted to kill the entire Li family, they had to praise the loyal monarch on the surface. ¡°He wille. I will wait for him!¡± After Li Xiong finished speaking, he pped the woman¡¯s forehead and then pped his head. The couple died with their skulls shattered. ¡°If you knew this would happen, why did you do it!¡± Zhou Yi pretended to panic and went out to call the prison guards to carry Li Xiong and his family out of the cell. Naturally, the Li family members woulde to collect their corpses. As for whether they could be buried in the ancestral grave, no one knew. ¡°I¡¯m in a bad mood today, so I¡¯ll choose an unlucky person to use my Demonic Technique!¡± Zhou Yi carried the good wine and dishes and swayed to Prison A-12. The prisoner was as strong as a bear and was half a head taller than the torture rack. There were a few scars on his shiny bald head. He¡¯s the type of man thatmoners would report when he walked on the streets. The prisoner nced at the wine and meat and licked his lips. ¡°Is it my turn today?¡± ¡°You sure know your stuff.¡± Zhou Yi set up the dishes and brought the meat to the prisoner¡¯s mouth. The prisoner did not stand on ceremony and ate the meat and drank the wine happily. In the end, he burped. ¡°I¡¯ve heard outside that there¡¯s a prison guard in the Sky Prison who likes to torture experts in the martial world. No one can survive his torture.¡± ¡°Do I actually have a reputation in the martial world?¡± This was the first time Zhou Yi had heard of this matter. His life was simple, and he did not care about the martial world or the imperial court. The prisoner said, ¡°The martial world calls you Old Demon of Blood Prison. It¡¯s rumored that your entire family died at the hands of martial arts experts. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so ruthless.¡± ¡°Old Demon?¡± Zhou Yi looked at his white hair and nodded slightly. ¡°This nickname is not bad. It¡¯s quite imposing. The fellow daoists in martial arts had ttered me!¡± The prisoner said coldly, ¡°You¡¯re like a turtle, hiding in the Divine Capital and not going out. Otherwise, you would have been beaten to death!¡± ¡°Maybe they came to the Divine Capital, but no one knows.¡± It had been very lively for the past two years in Zhou Yi¡¯s small courtyard in the Divine Capital. The date trees in the courtyard grew vigorously, and his colleagues praised the sweetness and deliciousness of the dates. Perhaps it was because the experts of the martial world had achieved Body Tempering, and their flesh and blood contained special energy that the dates nted were not ordinary. Zhou Yi nned to nt grape vines and invite his colleagues to try it. ¡°I don¡¯t believe it. I¡¯ll try your torture today.¡± The prisoner said proudly, ¡°Back then, Imitted a murder in the temple and I survived when 18 monks beat me till their punishment sticks were broken.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re a Buddhist disciple. Pardon me.¡± Zhou Yi cleaned up the dishes and ced his palm on the prisoner¡¯s dantian, circting the Heaven Devouring Demonic Technique. Thick inner Qi flowed out of the prisoner¡¯s body like a floodgate being opened. In just a moment, the inner Qi in the prisoner¡¯s dantian waspletely devoured. ¡°What is this¡ª¡± The veins on the prisoner¡¯s bald head throbbed, and his eyes widened in disbelief. ¡°Heaven Devouring¡­ Demonic Technique?¡± ¡°You actually know?¡± Without waiting for the prisoner to speak, Zhou Yi pped his head. Inner Qi seeped out of his body and turned his brain into tofu. ¡°The more you know, the more curious you are, and the more dangerous you are!¡± ¡­ At the beginning of the twelfth year of Hongchang. Grand Marshal Li Wu had defeated the enemy¡¯s main force at Snake Mountain and killed 200,000 people, capturing the Third Prince of Great Yong alive. Then, he chased the defeated soldiers for 1,200 kilometers andpletely reimed the old territory of the Fengyang Kingdom. When the news reached the Divine Capital, the citizens cheered. The court officials were silent. That same autumn. Li Wu led his army into Great Yong and broke through twelve cities in a row, reaching Great Yong¡¯s southern border, the Heavenly Barrier Soul Suppression Fortress. Themander of the Soul Suppression Fortress allowed Li Wu¡¯s shouts for challenge and refused toe out. Great Yong sent an envoy to seek peace. ¡­ The changes in the outside world had nothing to do with Zhou Yi. In the courtyard. Zhou Yi sat cross-legged under the grape trellis and silently circted the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique. Inner Qi that surged like a river flowed through his meridians, faintly emitting the sound of raging waves hitting the shore. ¡°In seven years, I¡¯ve devoured the inner Qi of more than 90 martial arts experts¡­ Now, I¡¯ve finally reached the 500-year limit!¡± Zhou Yi applied for leave from the prison and focused on seclusion at home until he broke through to the Connate realm. ¡°ording to the description of the Demonic Technique, my inner Qi has reached 500 years. As long as I keep circting it until I can use the power of Heaven and Earth, I can naturallyprehend the Connate Grandmaster realm!¡± His inner Qi followed his meridians and circted for more than ten heavenly cycles. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi only felt that his meridians had reached their limit. Some of his minor meridians had already cracked, but he still could not sense the Connate realm. ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhou Yi could not help but groan in pain. The pain of the cracks in his meridians was not inferior to the torture of being dismembered. At this moment, if he continued to circte his Demonic Technique, he might break through to the Connate realm, or his meridians might be broken and he would be a cripple. In the worst case, he would die. ¡°Ordinary people might grit their teeth and persevere to break through to the Connate Realm. I¡­ I will try again tomorrow!¡± And so, Zhou Yi stopped circting his energy, stood up, brewed a pot of good tea, and recited the Dao Scripture. He concentrated on calming the restlessness. The next day. Zhou Yi circted his Demonic Technique again. He had circted a few more times than yesterday and reached the limit of his meridians. ¡°It seems that my talent is really a little poor. Ordinary people with low talent will either be disheartened and disappear into the crowd or risk their lives to break through. After all, life waits for no man. ¡°Fortunately, I have the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life. No bottleneck or shackles can withstand the tempering of time. Only I am still the same even though the world has changed!¡± Zhou Yi stopped circting his energy and took out a Buddhist scripture to read. He agreed with the other exnations such as retribution and karma, but he did not agree with philosophies such as enduring pain. Time passed, autumn went and spring came. In the blink of an eye, half a year had passed. At first, someone asked why Old Zhou wasn¡¯t back yet, but they got used to it. Another day rolled around. Zhou Yi was burning incense and chanting scriptures when he suddenly had a mysterious thought. He circted the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique in his body. After circting it for dozens of heavenly cycles, his meridians still did not feel any pain. At this moment, wisps of cool air gathered into Zhou Yi¡¯s body from the outside world, like ice threads and drizzle, moistening everything silently. ¡°Is this the spiritual energy of heaven and earth?¡± Zhou Yi closed his eyes and sensed. There was a mysterious aura in the world that was faintly divided into five colors, and it was extremely thin. As the majestic inner Qi circted, it drove the five-colored spiritual energy into his body and fused into his inner Qi. As the spiritual energy gathered, the loose inner Qi gradually condensed into substance. 500 years ofpressed inner Qi had be a trickle. ¡°This is Connate True Essence? The quantity is ten times less, but the quality has increased by a hundred times!¡± Zhou Yi circted his true essence and released it from his fingertips, condensing it into a visible energy sword. He waved it at the stone b on the ground. Swish! Silently, the energy sword sliced the stone b in half. ¡°If I use my inner Qi to injure someone, its power will be greatly reduced in three to four feet. If I¡¯m ten feet away, my inner Qi will dissipate on its own. However, my true essence is different. Even if I¡¯m twenty to thirty feet away, it can still condense and not dissipate. Such methods of killing are like immortals in the eyes of mortals! No wonder the legends say that everyone below the Connate realm are ants!¡± Zhou Yi circted his Connate True Essence. After a heavenly cycle, the spiritual energy gathered in his body was almost undetectable. ¡°With such a cultivation speed, does it take hundreds of years to reach the perfected Connate Realm? The reason why it¡¯s so slow is definitely not just because of my poor aptitude. Whether it¡¯s the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique or the Origin Returning Mantra, there¡¯s no cultivation method after the Connate realm. ¡°Secondly, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the mortal world is extremely thin, so it naturally takes a long time to absorb it. Thirdly, it purely relies on one¡¯s own cultivation, where there are medicinal pills or other supplementary items or not¡­¡± Zhou Yi thought about it carefully and listed several reasons why cultivation was slow. ¡°However, I still have to cultivate in the mortal world. Even if I spend hundreds of years until I really make no progress one day, it won¡¯t be toote to go to the cultivation world. The cultivation world is different from the mortal world. It¡¯s too difficult to hide. There are too many ways to harm people. It¡¯s very difficult to cultivate in peace like now.¡± Instead, Zhou Yi felt that the mortal spiritual energy was extremely thin and was a form of protection for him. ¡°Moreover, it doesn¡¯t seem like there are no immortal cultivation techniques¡­¡± Zhou Yi suddenly recalled that the Nameless Mantra taught by Wei Chang back then was to sense the aura of heaven and earth and refine his body through cultivation techniques. Back then, he could not enter the elementary level no matter what. Now that Zhou Yi had advanced to the Connate realm, he could already sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. ¡°¡­calm your heart, breathe slowly, gather the divine light, reach the heavens¡­¡± Zhou Yi recited the incantation silently. The True Essence in his body circted on its own, and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered at a speed several times faster than before. The spiritual energy refined by the Nameless Mantra did not increase his innate true essence, but fused into his tendons, bones, internal organs, and limbs. His Body Tempering, which had just entered the Internal Organs Realm, advanced visibly. ¡°This chant is not a cultivation technique. It should be the legendary body tempering technique! In that case, can I cultivate another Connate Body Tempering?¡± Zhou Yi smiled. Whether it was martial arts or immortal cultivation, it was all to protect the Dao Fruit of Longevity. As long as it could increase his strength, he would not hesitate to spend time cultivating it. There was no difference for hundreds or thousands of years. ¡°I should be on duty tomorrow!¡± ¡­ Sky Prison. Zhou Yi greeted the guard on duty. ¡°Old Feng, long time no see.¡± ¡°Aye?¡± Feng Qiao was reminiscing about Lady Lianxiang of Spring Breeze Tower. Eight years ago, she was the top courtesan. The wealthy merchants could not get her no matter how much money they spent. Now, she only needed five taels of silver. ¡°You¡¯re not dead, Old Zhou?¡± ¡­ Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Who said I was dead?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what they say in the prison. They say that you always like to torture the experts of the martial world and kill so many people. You have many enemies outside, and they attack you in revenge, leaving not even aplete corpse!¡± Feng Qiao exined, ¡°Lieutenant Zhu even sent someone to your house. When no one answered the door, everyone believed him.¡± ¡°I hid outside for a while. I¡¯m fine now.¡± Before Zhou Yi went into seclusion, he prepared arge amount of food and locked the door. Every day, he would drink tea, read books, andprehend his state of mind. No matter who knocked on the door, he could not be bothered. During this period, there were indeed thieves who barged into his courtyard. Perhaps they were enemies or thieves. But no one could withstand a single blow from Zhou Yi. Who could withstand a punch with five hundred years of strength! Chapter 17 Chapter 17 Chapter 17: The Emperor Is Old Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Even though news of Zhou Yi¡¯s death spread, no one made things difficult for him when he came back. The prison guards cheered when he showed off his technique. Warden Liu praised, ¡°Old Zhou is a nostalgic person. Little Yu, you don¡¯t have to escort prisoners. You can just deliver food with Old Zhou.¡± Little Yu¡¯s name was Yu Jie, a 17 or 18-year-old youth. He had not been tainted by the gloomy aura of the Sky Prison for a few months. Just like when Zhou Yi first came to the Sky Prison back then, he stood obediently behind the prison guards and said little. Zhou Yi smiled. ¡°He¡¯s been in the Sky Prison for too long and am used to the smell here.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll wee Old Zhou at Spring Breeze Tower tonight.¡± Lieutenant Zhu put his arm around Zhou Yi¡¯s shoulder and said in a low voice, ¡°The prison hasn¡¯t been peaceful recently. People keep seeing ghosts at night. Old Zhou, you¡¯re a great expert now. Keep an eye out!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that.¡± Previously, Zhou Yi had been cautious. Now that he had advanced to the Connate Grandmaster realm, he could let go a little. His day went without any troubles. Nightfall came. The Sky Prison¡¯s guards changed their clothes, and they went straight to Spring Breeze Tower. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Old Feng, I heard you say that you have a fierce wife at home. Have you be more carefree now?¡± ¡°Old Zhou, you still don¡¯t know?¡± Lieutenant Zhu winked and said, ¡°This fellow bought a pair of twins at the brokerage and secretly raised them in the Divine Capital. I don¡¯t know who let out the news, but his wife from the county came and caused a scene¡­¡± ¡°I originally saw that the woman had some money at home, so I tolerated her.¡± Feng Qiao said in embarrassment, ¡°That money is nothing now. So I found an excuse and divorced her!¡± The benefits of the Sky Prison were more than ten times or a hundred times higher than that of the county prison. If they found an opportunity to escort an exiled criminal, they would earn more money than the county prison could earn for a few years. Zhou Yi did not persuade him to abandon his wife. He only has a shallow rtionship with him, it¡¯s best not to say anything. He knew that Feng Qiao would not have an easy time in the future when he saw his colleagues¡¯ disdain hidden in their eyes, even though they were smiling. After bing rich, he divorced his wife. Who dared to work with him? ¡°How are the twins?¡± ¡°Young and very smooth!¡± Feng Qiao was not blind. He could naturally tell that his colleagues despised him. But so what? As long as he did not care about his reputation and future, it really did not affect anything. After noting for half a year, Spring Breeze Tower had changed its Flower Queen again. When the procuress saw Zhou Yi, she immediately beamed. ¡°Master Zhou, you haven¡¯t been here in a while.¡± He was an old customer for 21 years. Although Zhou Yi did not fight for the Flower Queen and did not casually reward people, the money he spent in Spring Breeze Tower over the years was enough to buy a residence in the capital. These loyal customers were the foundation of the Spring Breeze Tower! Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°What is the program today?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s Master Zhou¡¯s favorite!¡± The procuress summoned the clerk and gave him a few instructions. She took down the current program, recing it with Drunken Spring. The new Flower Queen was a big-chested woman. Her red lips were slightly parted as she sang softly, ¡°¡­ Gently push the boy, it hurts¡­ Arms around each other, move¡­¡± In a private room on the second floor. Zhou Yi and Lieutenant Zhu took the lead, while the other colleagues sat on the left and right. The waiter served the dishes without any instructions. They were all ordered by Zhou Yi. The wine was 50 years old pear blossom white. ¡°Master Zhou, you don¡¯t have to pay for anything today.¡± The procuress made a few more wisecracks, causing the prison guards tough before leaving. Lieutenant Zhu said, ¡°If you¡¯reing to Spring Breeze Tower, you have to call Old Zhou over. If we ¡°Lord Zhu, you can enjoy the treatment if you spend ten thousand taels of silver here.¡± Zhou Yi roughly calcted that the annual expenditure was at least a few hundred taels. In twenty years, it had already exceeded ten thousand taels. ¡­ Lieutenant Zhu muttered, ¡°Old Zhou, why don¡¯t you learn from Old Feng and buy a few to raise at home? You won¡¯t need so much silver in your lifetime!¡± His colleagues looked at each other. No matter how profitable the Sky Prison was, they could not make money like this. 10,000 taels for the Spring Breeze Tower, money for body tempering, not to mention that the Body Tempering Soup was filled with 100-year-old medicinal herbs, and there were priceless treasures, and other expenses. It was simply difficult to calcte. Moreover, Zhou Yi only delivered food. He never went to escort prisoners. Where did he get so much money? ¡°I have many friends in the martial world. There are always peopleing to the door to offer money. The kind that can¡¯t be refused.¡± Zhou Yi did not earn much money in the Sky Prison. In recent years, when many prisoners saw him carrying wine and meat in, they would be so frightened that they promised to give him gold and silver in exchange for their lives, but he had never gone to retrieve it. The silver that was distributed in the prison was only the extra money for the prisoners¡¯ meals. After deducting the portion for colleagues and officials, it was far from enough to spend at Spring Breeze Tower. ¡°I see!¡± The prison guards suddenly remembered that the old Zhou Yi was a martial arts expert. A first-rate expert in the Visceral Tempering Realm could have a position in the Uniformed Guards. He could also make a name for himself in the martial world. For example, the Flying Rainbow Swordsman could dominate Yuzhou, and the Twin Bears of the North Desert could shake the Northwest. Lieutenant Zhu said, ¡°In the future, the money for the prisoners¡¯ meals will all belong to Old Zhou. You can discuss how much of the leftovers you want.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir Zhu.¡± Zhou Yi did not exin that most of his ie was actually from the thieves that trespassed his courtyard. Initially, they were just some petty thieves. Later on, he gained the nickname of Old Demon of Blood Prison. Some of them wanted to take revenge for their friends and family, while others wanted to subdue the demon, and they left behind many jade rings and banknotes. Zhou Yi could not be bothered to distinguish between good and bad. Since he had entered the martial world, he was prepared to die. The soil in the courtyard was three feet higher. Zhou Yi was not surprised if a zombie crawled out one day. ¡°Has anything major happened in the Divine Capital in the past six months?¡± ¡°Hehe, Old Zhou, you missed the show!¡± Lieutenant Zhu smiled and said, ¡°A few days ago, when the Grand Marshal returned to the court, tens of thousands of people in the Divine Capital watched. His Majesty beheaded the prince in front of the envoys of Great Yong and offered him to the Imperial Ancestral Temple.¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°Then why the peace negotiations?¡± After Zhou Yi came out of seclusion, he heard a few words. It seemed to be about making peace with Great Yong and returning the five cities to them. ¡°War is dangerous. No one can always guarantee victory. It¡¯s better to quit while you¡¯re ahead.¡± Lieutenant Zhu¡¯s tone changed. ¡°In any case, the Ministry of War issued nine consecutive military orders to recall General Li from the northern border with this reason!¡± Zhou Yi shook his head slightly. ¡°Lord Zhu, do you think General Li can continue to win?¡± Lieutenant Zhu said affirmatively, ¡°Of course! General Li is a famous general that only appears once in a thousand years. Ever since he pacified the Long Rebellion, he has never tasted defeat.¡± Zhou Yi looked at his colleagues and asked, ¡°Do you guys think so too?¡± ¡°Is there something wrong? General Li knows his subordinates¡¯ abilities well enough and has promoted several generals who are not that sessful. Now, they are all generals who are powerful. General Li is still a Connate Grandmaster. Since he could kill someone in a ten-thousand army, it¡¯s possible for him to destroy Great Yong!¡± His colleagues chimed in, agreeing that Zhu had a point. ¡°Then let me ask you guys¡ª¡± Zhou Yi said faintly, ¡°How old is His Majesty now?¡± Lieutenant Zhu calcted silently in his heart. The current emperor was twelve years old when thete emperor ascended the throne. Chongming Dynasty ended in its 46th year and the current emperor has been on the throne for twelve years. He was already seventy-two years old this year. Although the emperor enjoyed glory and wealth, it was not easy for him to live to 70 years old except for Emperor Chongming, who was pure-hearted and did not care about government affairs. Emperor Hongchang was already old! Although the prison guards were the lowest level of officials and could not even be rated, they were usually guarding criminals. They had heard about the struggles in the imperial court and naturally understood the dangers. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Does General Li have any rewards for recovering lost territory, defeating the enemy country, and expanding our territory?¡± Immediately, a colleague replied, ¡°The Emperor bestowed nine bestowments and a fake gilded battle- ax, his name would not be announced and he did not need to walk fast when he saw the Emperor, in addition, he was conferred the title of a Duke!¡± ¡°Ahem, ahem, ahem!¡± Lieutenant Zhu coughed and interrupted the conversation stiffly. He shouted to the clerk beside him. ¡°Call the girls over. How can we just drink when we¡¯re at Spring Breeze Tower?¡± Due to the topic, the originally lively atmosphere suddenly became boring. After a few more rounds of drinking, they dispersed and went home. ¡­ Cell C-9. Zhou Yi sat cross-legged in the inner room, using the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique and practicing the Nameless Mantra. The spiritual energy in the prison was sinister and cold. He gathered them in his meridians and refined them. It became colder and colder, ipatible with the warm true essence in his dantian. ¡°Cultivation needs to be rxed. I¡¯ll rest for the next few days and find the thief in the Sky Prison first.¡± Zhou Yiy on the bed with his ear pressed against the brick bed. His Connate True Essence circted along his meridians. In an instant, Snoring, grunting in pain, berating, walking, drinking, prison guards drinking and ying rock-paper- scissors, snakes and rats burrowing and squeaking, all kinds of sounds mixed together like countless ants crawling around his ears. Earth Communication Technique! An unknown grave robber had exchanged this method for a roasted chicken before he died. Grave robbers knocked on the ground and used the Earth Communication Technique to determine if there was any space a few feet underground. Then, through other methods, they deduced that it was a tomb or a hole in the ground. Zhou Yi used it with his Connate Realm, and he monitored the entire prison. He distinguished and blocked out useless sounds. No matter how good one¡¯s qinggong was in the world, there would still be the sound of wind and vibration when one moved. If one was not proficient in qinggong, it would be difficult to distinguish it from the noisy and chaotic sounds. Zhou Yi learned Qinggong from many prisoners. There were many famous thieves in the martial world, and there were thieves who walked on the eaves and walls. It could be said that they were very knowledgeable. As long as someone in the prison used Qinggong, they would not be able to escape the Earth Communication Technique. The first half of the night passed without idents. At dawn. The warden on duty was exhausted. He was either dozing on the table or resting in a corner. The night wind howled as a shadow entered the prison. The prison guard on duty at the door looked up groggily. Seeing no one, he continued to drift against the wall. The oilmp in the aisle of the cell flickered. Shadows were reflected on the wall, swaying with the light like struggling ghosts. The shadow went straight into the depths of the prison. Prison A2. It was empty and there were no prisoners checking in for the time being. The shadow used a key to open the iron lock and entered with familiarity. The shadow looked around, not leaving any gaps. Crack! The steel door moved without wind, shutting the shadow in the cell. ¡°Who?¡± A crisp cry sounded from the shadows. The shadow subconsciously wanted to pull open the cell door, only to see a seemingly corporeal sword energy stabbing over. Swish! The sword energy struck the cell door. The steel bars snapped. ¡°Senior, spare me!¡± The shadow retreated in fear. The gray-ck fog that enveloped him quickly dissipated, revealing the person inside. ¡°Hehehehe¡­¡± A series of strangeughter sounded in Yu Jie¡¯s ears. ¡°Kid, what are you doing in the Sky Prison?¡± The voice was ethereal and untraceable. Yu Jie¡¯s forehead was covered in sweat. He kept bowing to his surroundings, thinking that he had encountered a rare old demon. ¡°I, Yu Shitou¡¯s grandson, came to the Sky Prison to obtain my ancestor¡¯s inheritance. I have no intention of offending you!¡± Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 18 Chapter 18 Chapter 18: The Art of Talismans Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions ¡°Yu Shitou, what kind of name is that?¡± Zhou Yi recalled all the criminals in the prison and confirmed that there was no such person. There was nock of strong people who came from the bottom rung of society and climbed their way up. However, after gaining power, they would change to more domineering titles. The gang leader, Doggy Li, and the Sword God, Zhang Tiezhu, would beughed to death if word got out. As a result, many experts had simr names and often used words like Xiao, Ba, Hao, and Lie. It was very likely that they were named by the same person. ¡°I¡¯m quite knowledgeable and have never heard of this person. How dare you lie?¡± The sword energy circled around Yu Jie¡¯s head and spun gently. Strands of hair fell to the ground. If it did not miss by half an inch, it would split open his skull. ¡°Senior, please calm down. I¡¯m not lying¡­¡± Yu Jie was terrified. He gritted his teeth and said, ¡°Yu Shitou is my ancestor¡¯s real name. He has another nickname outside. His name is Heavenly King Huang!¡± ¡°Heavenly King Huang¡­¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s voice was ethereal, as if he was recalling the past. ¡°I¡¯ve met him once. I heard him mention that the Rebellion of Cang and Huang was controlled by the Jiangnan family. In the end, the two Heavenly Kings were abandoned!¡± ¡°Senior, you¡¯re right. Back then, the Heavenly King Cang had the help of the ancestral seal. Even Li Wu couldn¡¯t win.¡± Yu Jie said angrily, ¡°The Jiangnan aristocratic families originally supported our ancestors, but they secretly betrayed them, defected to the imperial court and deceived my ancestor and the Heavenly King Cang to drink the strange poison. Otherwise, how could Connate masters be captured alive!¡± ¡°I see.¡± Zhou Yi suddenly understood. Only after using the demonic technique to break through to the Connate realm did he know that the Heavenly King Cang was powerful back then. Li Wu had captured him alive. He had thought that it was because of his talent, but the truth was that he had been poisoned. The famous general was said to be open and aboveboard. No one expected him to use such underhanded methods. This made Zhou Yi¡¯s smug thoughts feel like a bucket of cold water had been poured on him. Connate grandmasters were invincible among mortals, but they were not immortal. The enemy would set traps, poison them, and use evil methods. If he was careless, he would follow in Heavenly King Cang¡¯s footsteps! ¡°How do you prove you¡¯re a descendant of Heavenly King Huang?¡± ¡°This talisman is called the Shadow Talisman. It¡¯s a secret talisman technique passed down by my ancestor. The Shadow Secret Guard that once shocked Jiangnan originated from this.¡± Yu Jie took out a talisman that was painted with cinnabar. ¡°Back then, when the Imperial Court¡¯s army attacked the Heavenly King¡¯s Mansion, I relied on this talisman to hide and luckily escaped.¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°What¡¯s the use of this talisman?¡± Yu Jie said, ¡°The shadow talisman can summon fog to protect you. You can blend into the night and be invisible.¡± Zhou Yi ordered, ¡°Show it to me and let me broaden my horizons!¡± Back then, when he sensed that the prison was dangerous, Zhou Yi hurriedly left to take refuge. After that, he never saw Heavenly King Huang again. He had originally thought that Heavenly King Huang using talisman water to treat illnesses was a strategy to gather faith and facilitate rebellion. Now, it seemed that he really had some mysterious methods. The Art of Talismans had already transcended the mortal Martial Dao. It was more like a cultivator¡¯s technique, making Zhou Yi filled with anticipation. Yu Jie did not dare to refuse. He injected his inner Qi into the talisman and the shadow talisman burned into ashes. A ck fog rose out of thin air in the cell and wrapped around Yu Jie¡¯s body. From afar, the darkness and the night seemed to have be one. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Are there any other talismans?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already used up all my offensive talismans to avoid the Uniform Guards¡¯ pursuit a few years ago. I only have a few Shadow Talismans and Divine Movement Talismans left.¡± Yu Jie took out another talisman. The texture was different from the shadow talisman. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Zhou Yi hid in the dark and stared at Yu Jie for a moment. He was not sure if this kid had offensive talismans left. It would be bad if a fewrge fireballs came his way after he revealed himself. A Connate Grandmaster might not be able to block the talisman. ¡°Didn¡¯t Heavenly King Huang teach you the Art of Talisman?¡± Yu Jie pondered for a moment and said, ¡°He did pass some down, but I¡¯m not talented enough to understand it.¡± Zhou Yi did not hide his intentions and said fiercely, ¡°I¡¯m very interested in the Art of Talismans, so I¡¯ll exchange your life for it. How about that?¡± Yu Jie firmly believed that Zhou Yi was a curmudgeon in the martial world. Such a person was entric and ruthless, so he did not dare to refuse. With a ripping sound, he tore open his sleeve and took out the blue book hidden inside. ¡°I¡¯ve recorded all the talisman techniques that my ancestor taught me. Senior, you can take them andprehend them.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi asked again, ¡°Since you have an inheritance, why did youe to this prison?¡± ¡°Senior, you might not know this, but our ancestor only imparted the entry-level talisman technique. After that, there was an upheaval and he was unable to leave behind aplete inheritance.¡± Yu Jie exined, ¡°Even if it¡¯s an entry-level talisman technique, I still haven¡¯t mastered it after studying it for several years. I can only ce my hopes on finding the subsequent content. Perhaps I can learn the Art of Talismans.¡± ¡°Heheheheh!¡± A series of strangeughter entered Yu Jie¡¯s ears, and Zhou Yi¡¯s voice revealed a cold killing intent. ¡°Kid, by saying so much, are you nning to use my hands to find the talisman inheritance?¡± Yu Jie admitted obediently, ¡°I¡¯ve already searched all the ces where my ancestor might have left his inheritance. Now, only the Sky Prison and the Imperial Prison are left.¡± ¡°The Imperial Prison¡­¡± Zhou Yi had already searched the Sky Prison, so it was very likely that Heavenly King Huang¡¯s talisman technique was left in the Uniform Guard¡¯s Imperial Prison. The Imperial Prison was filled with danger, even more so than the Sky Prison! ¡°Is it true that Heavenly King Huang received a technique from a variant human and cultivated the Art of Talismans?¡± ¡°I dare not hide it from you!¡± Yu Jie felt the killing intent gradually dissipate and heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°What everyone knows was just a cover that my ancestor told others. Back then, there was a continuous drought and that damn emperor kept raising taxes. My ancestor entered the Daoist temple to eat. ¡°But he didn¡¯t know that there was no rice in the Daoist temple. My ancestor didn¡¯t want to starve to death. So he became a wandering Daoist who secretly robbed tombs for a living. The Art of Talismans was dug out from a tomb in Mount Tai. After my ancestor cultivated it, he used talisman water to practice medicine and took in many disciples¡­¡± Needless to say, Heavenly King Huang¡¯s disciples were all over Jiangnan, and there was nock of aristocratic descendants among them. After the two of them joined forces, they rose up and called themselves Heavenly Kings! Zhou Yi stared at Yu Jie and sized him up for a moment. In the end, he did not kill him and ordered. ¡°Put the book down. You can leave now, boy.¡± ¡°Thank you, Senior!¡± Yu Jie¡¯s face lit up. He bowed to his surroundings and carefully ced the book on the ground before hurriedly leaving the prison. Zhou Yi did not take the book. Instead, he secretly followed Yu Jie to a private courtyard in Desheng Workshop. Yu Jie heaved a sigh of relief. He quickly packed up the gold and silver and headed straight for the west gate of the Divine Capital. The soldier on duty seemed to be familiar with Yu Jie. He epted a few banknotes and sent him out with a basket. ¡°This boy has a future!¡± Zhou Yi stood on the city wall and watched as Yu Jie disappeared. He went back to the Sky Prison. Prison A2. The blue book sat quietly on the floor, untouched. Zhou Yi took the wooden stick and flipped through the pages. He did not activate any offensive talisman. He found a rat and let it eat a few pages to confirm that there was no strange poison in it. Wrapping his hands with Connate True Essence, he picked up the book and read it page by page. ¡°The method of making talisman paper and talisman pen. Mixed beast blood in the cinnabar¡­ You must calm down when drawing talismans¡­ The inner Qi must be gathered at the tip of the pen¡­ It must be done in one go. It cannot be interrupted¡­¡± The content recorded in the book was not a proper technique. It was more like Yu Jie¡¯s ss notes. There were many insights mixed in. Zhou Yi flipped to thest few pages. There were fourplete talisman strokes. ¡°Dust Cleaner Talisman, House Suppression Talisman, Shadow Talisman, Light Body Talisman!¡± Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Chapter 19: Suppressing the Evil Trantor: Henyee Trantions Editor: Henyee Trantions Zhou Yi flipped through the book a few times and memorized it. The breakthrough of the Connate realm was not only about martial strength, or rather, martial strength was just an appearance. In fact, it was a transformation of the essence, qi, and mind to a higher level of life. His memory was not far from photographic. ¡°I originally wanted to reach a bottleneck in the Martial Dao and find a few cultivation techniques to cultivate. Now that I have the Art of Talismans, I can be considered half a cultivator after learning it.¡± Cultivators regarded talismans and other simr techniques as protective techniques. Immortal Dao cultivation techniques were the foundation of achieving the Dao. Pursuing techniques without any foundation was the act of neglecting the basics. Zhou Yi had already obtained the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life, so his perspective was different from cultivators. All the methods in the world that could increase strength, be it cultivation techniques, talisman or refinement of weapons, were all techniques to protect the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life. ¡°A talisman pen made from the tail hair of a white fox. A hundred-year-old white fox is best. The talisman paper is still made of animal skin. The older the beast, the higher the sess rate¡­¡± There was no need for Zhou Yi to hunt personally. The Divine Capital was where the essence of the Fengyang Kingdom was gathered. Rare and precious items like the hundred-year-old white fox fur would definitely be sent to the Divine Capital for sale. If he didn¡¯t have enough money, he could owe them first! The next day. When Lieutenant Zhu heard that the thief in the Sky Prison had been eliminated, he naturally realized that Yu Jie had disappeared. He could not help but be shocked. The other party had used his connections to enter the Sky Prison. ¡°Old Zhou, you¡¯re the Sky Prison¡¯s Sea-Calming Divine Needle!¡± The news that Zhou Yi had reached the Internal Organs Realm in his Body Tempering would soon spread to the Uniform Guards. Someone would definitelye to rope him in. The five generations of Zhou family were all prison guards and they could not be more innocent. They were far more at ease than the martial arts experts they recruited. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Lord Zhu. I can¡¯t bear to leave the Sky Prison either.¡± It would be a lie to say that Zhou Yi was not tempted by the talisman inheritance that might be hidden in the imperial prison, but he had enough patience to wait for the opportunity. Time would always be on Zhou Yi¡¯s side! A monthter. The talisman pen and talisman paper were sessfully made. Zhou Yi taught himself to draw talismans ording to the book. Naturally, he would not seed at first. His true essence condensed on the tip of the brush and could not be integrated into the talisman at all. ¡°Nothing is impossible in this world, unless you¡¯re not familiar with it!¡± In the blink of an eye, two years had passed. Zhou Yi¡¯s life was simple and calm, but he heard his colleagues talk about many important matters. At the beginning of the 13th year of Hongchang, not long after Zhou Yi broke through to the Connate Realm, the Fengyang Kingdom and Great Yong officially signed a peace treaty. The Minister of Revenue wrote that the treasury was empty and asked for the dismissal of the Northern Border Army. Since the ascension of Emperor Hongchang, there had been constant wars of all sizes for thirteen years. This reason was very reasonable. It was rumored that the Grand Secretary, Zhang Zhengyang, respectfully asked Li Wu in Fengtian Pce in front of Emperor Hongchang and all the civil and military officials, ¡°This matter is of great importance. We need the Duke to agree before we can dismiss the border army!¡± There were all kinds of versions of what happened after that. There was one where Li Wu scolded the Grand Secretary in public, and one where Li Wu surrendered. In the end, 70% of the million-strong army in the northern border was disbanded. The imperial court was in turmoil, and the martial world was in turmoil. Rumor had it that the mighty Cang family of Jiangnan had a demonic technique that could devour inner Qi. The Cang family had never been a small n. In just ten years, they had indirectly produced top- notch experts. Their nsmen seemed to have be talented martial arts geniuses. Moreover, the Cang family specialized in inner Qi, which was in line with the rumors in the martial world. In the 14th year of Hongchang, the Cang family was besieged by more than a dozen sects led by Buddhism and Daoism. More than a thousand people died, and none of the old, weak, women, and children were spared. Someone asked Master Fang Yuan of the Huasheng Temple, ¡°Does the Cang family have a demonic technique that can devour inner Qi?¡± Master Fang Yuan had a benevolent expression on his face as he chanted a Buddhist promation. ¡°Amitabha! Perhaps someone has found it.¡± When these words spread to the martial world, the Buddhist Sect had another stain on their reputation. It made the various gangs and sects mock them for a long time. After a few months, no one mentioned it again. After all, too many major events had happened in the imperial court. The Buddhist Sect would not be able to upy the trending searches for a few days. For example, if Zhou Yi became a first-rate expert, it would be considered big news in the Sky Prison, and he could still cause some ripples in the Divine Capital, but he would not even be able to cause a drop of water ssh in the Fengyang Kingdom. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks The Uniform Guards had sent people to recruit him. They had first promised him the position of an officer, and then raised their offer to sergeant. Zhou Yi refused a few times in a row and left it at that. The eyes of the world would always pay attention to thetest people and events. After two years, no one paid attention to a mere prison guard anymore. asionally, when he was mentioned at the wine table, they would even scoff in disdain. ¡°Even if such a person is an expert, he¡¯s useless!¡± At the end of the thirteenth year of Hongchang, approaching New Year¡¯s Eve. A decree spread throughout the world. The position of the crown prince of the Fengyang Kingdom that had been empty for many years finally belonged to someone. It was the eldest prince, Zhao Xian, whose wife was the legitimate daughter of the Grand Secretary, Zhang Zhengyang. ¡°No wonder he can be a Grand Secretary. This old man is very capable!¡± Zhou Yi clicked his tongue a few times and put this matter behind him. The imperial court was like a cloud to him, far less interesting than the Art of Talismans. After two years of copying and drawing, ruining several talisman pens, destroying countless talismans, it almost became instinctive for him to draw four types of talismans, he could even draw the His true essence condensed at the tip of the pen. As the pen was set on the talisman, the cinnabar became crystal clear on the talisman paper. Pfft! With a soft sound, the true essence in the cinnabar dissipated, and the talisman paper shattered into powder. Zhou Yi was already used to it. He carefully recalled the reason for the mistake and changed a talisman paper to continue drawing. In the past two years, he had gone from not knowing anything toprehending the elementary level. Zhou Yi had a premonition that he was not far from drawing a talisman sessfully. ¡°I¡¯m running out of talismans. I have to borrow a few more.¡± Zhou Yi heard that the Ferocious Tiger Hall in the south of the city had recently obtained a white tiger skin. The hall master even held a tiger appreciation banquet. ¡°Since I¡¯m cultivating the Five Tigers Fist, I should borrow it!¡± The Ferocious Tiger Hall¡¯s Hall Master, Luo Hu, did not participate in the rebellion back then. Later on, he took advantage of the fact that the boxing hall had been seized by the Uniformed Guards and obtained the second half of the boxing manual and nourishing prescription. Now, he has also be a big shot. ¡°¡­Clear as the void, the talisman formed itself!¡± Zhou Yi cleared his mind. When thest strokended, there was a faint spiritual light flickering on the talisman. ¡°Eh? It¡¯s not broken!¡± Zhou Yi was surprised. He picked up the House Suppression Talisman and observed it carefully. It was identical to the description in the book, but he did not know if it was effective. True essence poured in, and the talisman ignited without fire. An invisible wave swept across the courtyard. At this moment ¡ª It was midwinter, the dead of night. A cold wind suddenly blew in the courtyard, emitting a whining sound. ¡°Who?¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes were like lightning as he suddenly looked at the date tree in the courtyard. The originally empty ce was filled with ck fog. It vaguely looked like a human with only two red spots on its face. He turned to look under the trellis where he usually ate, drank tea, and drank wine. Some were hiding in the trellises, and some were sitting on stone blocks. Even the dining table was upied by two ghosts. More than ten pairs of red eyes stared at Zhou Yi resentfully, as if they would pounce over and bite him at any time. ¡°Ghosts?¡± Zhou Yi was not afraid at all. Instead, he was filled with interest. He gathered his true essence and grabbed a ghost. However, when the ghost shadow touched the true essence, it let out a miserable N?vel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner. scream and turned into nothingness. ¡°This is too fragile to be called a ghost. At best, it¡¯s a remnant soul or something.¡± Zhou Yi protected his body with his true essence and walked towards the ghost shadows. Woowoo¡­ The vicious ghosts retreated in fear and finally squeezed into the corner, ovepping like smoke. ¡°You died in my hands when you were alive. Even if you turn into a ghost, you won¡¯t dare to resist. Boring! Boring!¡± After Zhou Yi finished speaking, his true essence condensed into a sword edge. He shuttled back and forth in the ghost shadows a few times before they died again. Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Yuniang, the Vengeful Spirit The remnant souls in the courtyard were too weak to interest Zhou Yi. ording to his guess about ghosts in his previous life, there was definitely a ce where real ghosts existed. Sky Prison. There were many people who were imprisoned and tortured to death all year round, which fit the conditions of vengeful spirits. ¡°The reason why prison guards¡¯ lifespans are short might be because they are apanied by ghosts day and night, and their lifespans are damaged by yin energy. I¡¯ve been in the Sky Prison for more than twenty years, but I¡¯ve never heard of malicious ghosts harming anyone, so they¡¯re not powerful people. ¡°I¡¯ll draw another House Suppresion Talisman and try it tomorrow in the Sky Prison.¡± Zhou Yi nned to stay in the mortal world for a few hundred years until his cultivation could no longer improve. Then, he would think of a way toe into contact with the cultivation world. During this period, the Sky Prison was considered a base. He had to clean up the ghosts hiding in the dark. Firstly, it was to prevent the Dao Fruit of Eternal Life from being leaked. Secondly, no one was willing to let ghosts spy on them. After drawing the first House Suppression Talisman, Zhou Yi started drawing again. It was much smoother. After destroying more than ten talismans in a row, he finally seeded in drawing them again. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem that difficult to learn the basics of talismans. Yu Jie has someone guiding him for several years without seeding. Could it be that I have some talent in talisman crafting?¡± Zhou Yi was quite proud of himself. Although making talismans was not as rich as refining pills, it would also be a skill to make a living in the cultivation world in the future. The next day. When he arrived at the Sky Prison early in the morning, Zhou Yi was not sure about the effect range of the House Suppression Talisman, so he specially found a central position to activate it. An invisible wave swept across the cell, causing a cold wind to blow. The wind was mixed with faint cries and wails. The cold air brushed past his ears like someone whispering. ¡°There are indeed many ghosts!¡± Zhou Yi looked around the prison. It could be said to be their of ghosts. A humanoid shadow hung from the roof, like a bat hanging upside down in a cave. Pairs of red eyes looked at Zhou Yi in unison. Most of them were cold and heartless, while some were filled with hatred. They should have died at Zhou Yi¡¯s hands when they were alive. There were more of them in the cells. There were those squatting in the corners, those lying on the walls, and those lying on the straw mats in various postures. Prisoners slept with ghosts every day. This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Even if there was no torture, they would not live long after being corroded by the yin energy day and night. A shadow emerged from the ground and silentlyy on Zhou Yi¡¯s back. The arm condensed by the fog was wrapped around his neck. ¡°Hmph!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s true essence seeped out of his body, and the shadow melted into nothingness amidst his screams. ¡°I¡¯m merciful, so I¡¯ll send you to reincarnate!¡± His true essence turned into sword energy and swept over as fast as lightning. The remnant soul did not even have time to escape before it was shattered. ¡°Senior, please spare me¡­¡± The woman¡¯s cry came from the roof. A shadow slowly changed, and a human face appeared above her head. A misty fog condensed into an emerald-green gauze robe. ¡°A female ghost!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s figure shed andnded in front of the woman. He sized her up with interest. ¡°You look familiar?¡± The woman said, ¡°Senior, I¡¯m Huang Yuniang, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, Huang Heng. I was imprisoned a year ago, and you took good care of me¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re Huang¡¯s daughter?¡± Zhou Yi quickly recalled Huang Heng. A year ago, he was wrongly used of embezzlement. A mere fifth-grade official was charged with embezzling 3,000 taels of silver. He was originally not qualified to enter the Sky Prison, let alone his wife and daughter. The reason for this was very simple. The famous old pervert in the Divine Capital, Duke Wei, had identally seen Huang Yuniang¡¯s beauty. Ignoring his reputation as a duke and the jokes of the world, he had actually sent someone to the Huang family to propose marriage. He said that he would take Huang Yuniang as his concubine and protect Huang Heng¡¯s promotion and wealth in the future! Huang Heng prided himself on being from a schrly family. How could he ept such humiliation? So he scolds Duke Wei for being shameless. Within a few days, he was reported by his colleagues that he had received 3,000 taels of silver from the merchants during the renovation of the Imperial College. Duke Wei¡¯s original intention was to lock the family of three in a prison to sober up and continue to be inws in the future. Who would have thought that Huang Heng would die in just a short month? His wife also left in depression. In order to avoid being bullied by Duke Wei, Huang Yuniangmitted suicide in prison. Zhou Yi pitied the Huang family. When he delivered food, he would always scoop a few spoonfuls of thick porridge. ¡°At that time, you were disheveled. I was wondering why Duke Wei was so anxious and actually liked you.¡± ¡°Father said that many women in the Sky Prison were humiliated and asked me to dirty my face so that¡­¡± Huang Yuniang corrected herself. ¡°You¡¯re different. You only know how to punish bad people and evil people. You have never mistreated anyone.¡± ¡°You saw everything?¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s voice was calm as he shed out with his True Essence. After Huang Yuniang turned into a vengeful spirit, she was extremely sensitive to auras and hurriedly exined. ¡°I know that you are a Connate Grandmaster and like to drink. You like to listen to prisoners tell stories and secretly kill evil people who try to escape from prison. You turn a blind eye to those who escape with grievances¡­¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± After Zhou Yi had mastered the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique in the past two years, he could not increase his True Essence by devouring inner Qi, so he did not expose anything abnormal. The only w was probably that his appearance would never change! ¡°Why are you different from those remnant souls?¡± There were more than a hundred ghosts in the Sky Prison. Apart from Huang Yuniang, they were all muddle-headed remnant souls. Huang Yuniang answered obediently, ¡°Senior, after my death, my soul was attached to the jade hairpin. I was nurtured by the jade hairpin to preserve my spiritual memory.¡± Zhou Yi asked again, ¡°Do you know any divine powers or spells after bing a ghost?¡± ¡°I can absorb human essence and strengthen my ghost body. I can also possess and disturb people¡¯s souls.¡± Huang Yuniang said, ¡°However, I can only possess ordinary people who are weak. It¡¯s difficult for me to approach those who have strong Yang energy in their bodies. Those martial arts experts who have cultivated well have dense and powerful blood qi. If I get close, it¡¯ll be like a fire burning me.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi nodded slightly. ¡°Are you nning to hide in the Sky Prison and not reincarnate?¡± The vengeful spirit was far worse than expected, but it made sense. After all, it had only been a new ghost for a year. ¡°The hatred of my parents is irreconcble!¡± Huang Yuniang knelt on the ground and begged, ¡°Senior, please help me. After avenging my parents, I¡¯m willing to offer my life, which is the jade hairpin, and serve you every night!¡± Zhou Yi was stunned and said angrily, ¡°What are you talking about?¡±. Huang Yunan muttered, ¡°I hid in the dark and heard you and your colleagues talking about Spring Breeze Tower and Flower Queen every day, so I thought you were a yboy.¡± After her entire family died in vain and she turned into a ghost, Huang Yuniang thought it through. What bullsh*t etiquette? As long as she could avenge her parents, she was willing to be a ve. ¡°My surname isn¡¯t Ning!¡± Zhou Yi was not interested in riding a ghost and said, ¡°There are many people in the prison who are worse off than you. Just relying on a jade hairpin is not enough to transform into a ghost. Is there any other reason?¡± Huang Yuniang was silent for a moment before saying, ¡°I was good at reading ancient books when I was alive, so Father specially collected some ancient books. One of them is the Dao Scripture. I read it day and night.¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Read it out loud!¡± ¡°The Daoist scripture is called ¡®Rejuvenation Theory of Perfected Qingwei.¡± Huang Yuniang recited, ¡°Human beings are born with yin and yang¡­ Any mind-nourishing technique, the heart is like a baby, and the heart is quiet¡­¡± After memorizing it, Zhou Yi recited it a few times. As expected, he felt refreshed and could vaguely sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth more clearly. ¡°Didn¡¯t your father read such profound scripture?¡± Huang Yuniang muttered, ¡°Father could have been a ghost, but he only had one jade hairpin as a possession. Before he died, he told me not to do anything evil, so he chose to dissipate his soul.¡± ¡°Old Huang is a little stupid, but his personality is unyielding.¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°How can I help you avenge Duke Wei?¡± It was difficult for anyone below the same level to track down the assassination attempt of a Connate Master. A wisp of true essence was attached to the target¡¯s body, and it would explode on its own when it was far away. If he waited slowly for an opportunity, when the other party identally fell and bumped into him, he would take the opportunity to stir up a few things in his mind. The world would only think that Duke Wei had done all the bad things and identally fell to his death. This was a method that Zhou Yi had thought of in a short period of time. How could there be any Connate Grandmaster who would go through such trouble? There was a high chance that they would attack the Wei Family and kill him in front of everyone. A chuunibyou said, ¡°A grandmaster cannot be humiliated.¡± How domineering! ¡°I must avenge my parents with my own hands.¡± Huang Yuniang said, ¡°I¡¯m weak and can¡¯t leave within a hundred feet of the jade hairpin. Senior, please help me ce the jade hairpin under Duke Wei¡¯s bed.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°After you take revenge, you can either change ces or reincarnate. Anyway, don¡¯t stay in the Sky Prison anymore.¡± ¡°Senior, can we go to the Imperial Prison?¡± Seeing Zhou Yi¡¯s expression darken, Huang Yuniang hurriedly said, ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble you to send me out of the Divine Capital and find a shady ce.¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Why are you unwilling to reincarnate?¡± Huang Yuniang said, ¡°Even ants try to survive. I don¡¯t know if there is reincarnation in this world. Even if there is, the reincarnated body is not the same person.¡± Zhou Yi nodded in agreement. ¡°Remember Old Huang¡¯sst words.¡± Huang Yuniang kowtowed and knelt, then pointed to the sky and swore. ¡°I will remember Father¡¯s teachings and will never do anything to harm others. If I vite it, the world will punish me!¡± Duke Wei¡¯s Mansion. Backhouse. The 62-year-old Wei Kang was old and strong. He spent half a night with his new concubine, Wanyu, before he rested. In his sleep, he saw endless white fog rolling, hazy like a paradise. In the mist was a woman in green. She was as beautiful as a flower and charming ¡°Master,e here!¡± Her voice was ethereal and her figure was enchanting. Wei Kang was immediately stunned. ¡°Beauty, wait for me¡­¡± He rushed forward but missed. The woman¡¯s voice came from behind him again. ¡°Master, I¡¯m here!¡± Wei Kang only had eyes for the beautiful woman. No matter how many times he missed, he persevered and did not realize that his lower body was gradually bing transparent. At this moment The sky was already bright. The concubine did not dare to disturb Wei Kang and carefully got up to greet the Duchess. At noon, Wei Kang was still asleep. The Duchess thought that Wanyu had exhausted his body and sent someone to beat her up. Duke Wei had at least 80 concubines. Not to mention continuing the bloodline of the Duke¡¯s mansion, there were not many who could live past a year. However, Wei Kang did not care about the life and death of his concubines. Even in the evening, Duke Wei was still unconscious, like a living dead. Only then did they know that something big had happened! When the Matriarch found out about this, she hurriedly invited Imperial Physician Ge to treat him. Imperial Physician Ge carefully took his pulse and shook his head. ¡°The Duke¡¯s pulse is normal. He¡¯s only a little weak and unable to recover. He shouldn¡¯t be unconscious.¡± The Matriarch asked carefully and sent Imperial Physician Ge back to the pce. Duke Wei¡¯s eldest son, Wei Chang, took the initiative to volunteer and said that he would consult Imperial Physician Ge about his condition so that he could get a famous doctor to treat him. After leaving the door, Wei Chang lowered his voice and asked, ¡°Will my father ever regain consciousness, Lord Ge? Is his life in danger if he remains unconscious for too long?¡± ¡°My medical skills are not good. My lord, please invite someone else to take a look.¡± Imperial Physician Ge did not dare to say anything else and hurriedly got into the carriage. Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Chapter 21 Opening Ceremony In a few days time, Wei Kang¡¯s facial features were bulging, and his chest and abdomen were sunken. He looked like a corpse. The imperial physicians and famous doctors of the Divine Capital were all helpless. They could not even diagnose the illness. Huang Yuniang floated above Wei Kang¡¯s head and opened her mouth to swallow. Wisps of grayish- white fog fused into her soul. ¡°Ghosts devour the essence of the human body. It seems to be an invisible substance, but it can be fed back to the body. Therefore, essence, energy, and spirit are the foundation of a person¡­¡± Zhou Yi hid in the dark and observed the changes in Wei Kang¡¯s body. In three or five days, Wei Kang¡¯s soul would dissipate. From the looks of it, the efficiency of ordinary vengeful spirits was a little slow. The only advantage was that they were hidden strangely. Zhou Yi was about to leave and go to the Sky Prison to show his face and find an excuse to slip out. He had be a freeloader in the Sky Prison. Lieutenant Zhu found another prison guard to deliver food. Back then, he even secretly despised the prison guards who freeload in the Sky Prison. When it was Zhou Yi¡¯s turn to do it, he found out that it actually felt good! Just then¡­ The door of the Duke¡¯s residence opened, and the Matriarch personally weed the person. The young master of the residence stood respectfully by her side. Zhou Yi was immediately interested. Who had such a big face? A few days ago, the eunuch who had been visiting on behalf of Emperor Hongchang had only entered through a side door. Furthermore, the Matriarch was the biological sister of the former empress, so they had to address her as aunt. The sound of chanting could be heard. A momentter, two rows of eight yellow-robed monks took the lead. They opened the way, knocked the alms bowl, scattered the flowers, and held a banner. Then there were eight more monks with bulging muscles. Their bare upper bodies were smeared with gold powder, and they carried lotus tforms on their shoulders. The lotus tform was surrounded by silk banners that fluttered in the wind, revealing the fat Zen Master sitting inside. Zhou Yi swept his gaze across the monks. They were all experts who had achieved Bone Forging. The Zen Master sitting cross-legged had a faint spiritual energy fluctuation. ¡°Interesting, interesting! The Divine Capital is really filled with crouching tigers and hidden dragons. I¡¯ve seen too little in the Sky Prison!¡± The monks walked to the entrance of the Duke¡¯s mansion. The Zen Master slowly stood up from the lotus tform and looked solemnly at the sky above the Duke¡¯s mansion. ¡°Amitabha! Which monster dares to harm the Divine Capital?¡± The Matriarch hurriedly sent someone forward and invited the Zen Master and the others into the residence. The fat Zen Master¡¯s expression was solemn. He told the Matriarch that he had to open an altar and use decades of cultivation. In total, more than 200,000 taels of silver! Fengyang Kingdom¡¯s annual taxes would not exceed ten million taels of silver. A Buddhist monk¡¯s ritual actually required twenty to thirty percent of the national tax. ¡°Everything goes ording to Master Miaojue!¡± The Matriarch agreed decisively and got someone to get the silver. It was filled withrge silver ingots the size of winter melons. The two of them had to work together to lift them up until night fell. ¡°The abbot of the Jingang Temple, Miaojue, one of the State Masters conferred by the dog emperor back then!¡± Zhou Yi heard the discussions of the Duke¡¯s mansion and also knew the origins of the Zen Master. It N?velDrama.Org owns all content. was said that back then, he had a close rtionship with Emperor Chongming and discussed the Dao of longevity. He was one of the few experts in the Fengyang Kingdom¡¯s Buddhist sects. ¡°He¡¯s in his nies but looks simr to someone in his fifties or sixties. He must have other methods. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to fool the dog emperor!¡± Emperor Chongming asked, but he was not really stupid. Back then, many warlocks thought that no one could see through their deception and wanted to enter the Shangyang Pce to enjoy wealth. In the end, they were all thrown into the imperial prison to be tortured to death. ¡°The dog emperor would rather the country be in turmoil than be deceived. Perhaps¡­ he¡¯s seen a real immortal?¡± It was now dark. Dozens of whale oil candles as thick as arms were lit in Wei Kang¡¯s courtyard. The monks had already built the altar. Eight yellow-robed monks each held a Buddhist artifact and took turns to ascend the altar. They looked rather solemn. Whenever the people of the Duke¡¯s Mansion saw that one monk walked down the altar, they would put their palms together and bow. Miaojue sat cross-legged on the lotus tform and pressed his palms together in silence. ¡°What¡¯s this guy doing?¡± Zhou Yi frowned slightly. If not for the spiritual energy fluctuations on his body, he would have been toozy to watch the monk dance. Until midnight. ¡°Amitabha!¡± Miaojue suddenly chanted a Buddhist promation. His voice was like thunder, waking up the originally sleepy people from the Duke¡¯s Mansion. Miaojue jumped up and flew over everyone¡¯s heads,nding on the altar. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Just as Zhou Yi thought that the monk was about to use his true technique, he saw that Miaojue had started chanting again. Strands of true essence condensed on his fingertips. ¡°Wait for another hour. If the darn baldy continues to act, he will take my sword!¡± As if sensing danger, Miaojue only chanted for half an hour before taking out the bronze mirror. The bronze mirror was simple and unadorned. One side was shiny, and the other side was engraved with a sea of clouds patterns. ¡°Amitabha! Evildoer, reveal yourself!¡± As soon as Miaojue finished speaking, a figure appeared on the bronze mirror. It was Huang Yuniang. When Huang Yuniang heard that a senior monk hade to subdue the demon, she stopped absorbing the essence and stood not far from the altar to watch the monkey y. In the end, under the reflection of the bronze mirror, the ghost revealed itself. ¡°Where did this womane from?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a ghost!¡± ¡°A ghost!¡± Everyone in the Duke¡¯s Mansion noticed that Huang Yuniang had appeared out of thin air, causing a Miaojue used the bronze mirror to freeze Huang Yuniang and shouted, ¡°Burn my lifespan and give me divine weapons! Disciples, listen up! Hurry up and subdue the demon!¡± ¡°Aye!¡± The eight monk disciples shouted in unison and pounced at Huang Yuniang. The hot and masculine blood qi condensed by martial arts body tempering was extremely effective against ghosts. Just by getting close, it made Huang Yuniang¡¯s soul illusory. ¡°This group of monks¡ª¡± Zhou Yi flicked his finger, and the True Essence Sword shed across Miaojue¡¯s wrist. It circled in front of him and cut off a few more whiskers. In the past two years, the growth of his Connate True Essence was almost negligible. However, his control had improved day by day. He could transform it into various forms and control them freely within a hundred feet. Condensing the tip of the sword was only from Zhou Yi¡¯s Sword Immortal Dream! There was a pain in his wrist and the bronze mirror fell. He could no longer immobilize the ghost. Huang Yuniang floated up and instantly disappeared. The monks turned to look at the altar and saw that Miaojue¡¯s expression was dull and frightened. Then, he grabbed the pill bottle from his chest and raised his head to drink it. ¡°Poof!¡± Miaojue spat out arge mouthful of blood. His face was pale and he actually rolled off the altar. ¡°Zen Master!¡± ¡°Abbot!¡± There were exmations. Miaojue was on the verge of death. ¡°Amitabha! I¡¯ve let the Matriarch down. That demon¡¯s demonic power is powerful and she broke the Vajra Demon Subduing Formation¡­ Pfft!¡± Before he could finish, he spat out another mouthful of blood and fainted. One of the monks said, ¡°Matriarch, I¡¯ll bring the abbot back to the temple to recuperate first. The 200,000 taels will be sent back tomorrow.¡± ¡°Master, what are you saying? The Zen Master was injured because of my family matters and lost his lifespan.¡± The Matriarch shook her head and said, ¡°You can use those gold and silver as incense offerings.¡± ¡°Amitabha!¡± The monk gave the order and the others carried the pnquin away at a gallop. In the shadows, seeing that the farce was about to end, Zhou Yi said to Huang Yuniang. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it yourself. Ghosts are invisible, but you can¡¯t act recklessly. Remember to be careful in the future!¡± ¡°Thank you for saving me, Senior.¡± Huang Yuniang knelt on the ground. ¡°I have avenged my hatred. If you need anything in the future, Senior, please instruct me. I will not hesitate to die even if my soul dissipates!¡± Wei Kang had already lost 60% to 70% of his essence energy. Even if he woke up, he would not be able to live for more than a few days. Even a divine doctor would not be able to save him. ¡°It just so happens that I¡¯m also going out of the capital for a while. I can also help you find a boundary.¡± Zhou Yi put away the jade hairpin and disappeared in a sh. Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Chapter 22 Buddhism At the east gate of the Divine Capital. The monk showed the sign of the Duke Wei¡¯s residence. The soldiers on duty did not dare to check the sign and hurriedly opened the city gate to let them go. The monks were strong and did not stop even after running for more than ten kilometers. In the pnquinn, Miaojue, who should have been on the verge of death, sat calmly. If not for therge pool of blood on his monk robe, he would have looked like a different person. ¡°Fortunately, I was prepared. Otherwise, I would have caused a huge disaster¡­¡± A shiver ran down his spine as he recalled the sword light. He lifted the curtain and stuck his head out, anxiously urging the monks on. ¡°Hurry, we¡¯ll seal the temple when we return. We won¡¯t see anyone!¡± The monks knew the gravity of the situation when they heard it. Their muscles stretched, and they moved faster. Miaojue turned around and was about to lie down to rest when he quickly realized that there was This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. someone beside him. ck clothes and ck pants with a ck cloak! ¡°A ¡­ Mitahbha!¡± Miaojue cried out in fear and quickly chanted a Buddhist promation. The monks who were following outside heard the sound and asked the abbot what had happened and if he needed to rest for a moment. ¡°Cough, cough, cough! I¡¯m a little angry. There¡¯s no need to stop. Hurry up and return to the temple.¡± After saying that, Miaojue turned around and cupped his hands at the man in ck. He lowered his voice and said, ¡°Grandmaster, if you have any instructions, I will definitely do it.¡± ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± Zhou Yi sent a voice transmission, his voice old and deep. Miaojue shook his head repeatedly. He also found it strange that Duke Wei would provoke such a person. Zhou Yi ordered, ¡°Show me your bronze mirror.¡± Miaojue hesitated for a moment before obediently offering the bronze mirror with both hands. Zhou Yi observed closely and realized that there were a few small words on the side of the bronze mirror: Daoist Xuanqing has bestowed upon his disciple, Yu Lingzi. Miaojue was very discerning and exined, ¡°I don¡¯t know the background of Daoist Xuanqing. Yu Lingzi was the founder of the Jade Spirit Temple in the Divine Capital 200 years ago. Due to a major rebellion case, his legacy has been severed.¡± Zhou Yi injected his true essence into the bronze mirror and emitted a dazzling light. It was more than ten times stronger than when Miaojue used it. ¡°How did the bronze mirror fall into your hands, and what was its effect?¡± ¡°The Jingang Temple was built near the ruins of the Jade Spirit Temple. We identally discovered an underground pce, and there¡¯s a precious mirror inside. To prevent the items of the sages from being lost, we brought it back to the temple to worship.¡± Miaojue said, ¡°The mirror can manifest ghosts and freeze their bodies. It¡¯s useless against living people.¡± ¡°There are more mirrors in the underground pce, right?¡± Zhou Yi casually stuffed the bronze mirror into his pocket. ¡°I¡¯m also a Daoist. I¡¯m in the same league as the Jade Spirit Temple. Not only did you steal a treasure, but you also want to hide the Dao Sect¡¯s inheritance?¡± Miaojue¡¯s fat face turned red. He had always been the one to deceive others. Today, he met an even more shameless fellow. ¡°Senior, you¡¯re right. There¡¯s indeed a Dao Scripture.¡± ¡°Tell the men outside to stop and fetch the scriptures from the temple. Read them yourself.¡± Zhou Yi reminded him, ¡°If there¡¯s a mistake, I¡¯ll ughter the entire Jingang Temple!¡± Now, he was pretending to be a rare curmudgeon in the martial world. His words and actions should be domineering and ferocious. He was efficient and would not arouse suspicion. Sometimes, the world was strange. If you treated him cruelly, he would be obedient. If you treated him kindly, he would y tricks on you. ¡°Stop!¡± Miaohue lifted the curtain and instructed, ¡°Fa Zheng, go to the Sutra Pavilion in the temple and get the book called ¡°Jade Spirit¡¯s Exnation of the Earth Sutra¡¯.¡± Fa Zheng bowed and agreed. He used his lightness skill and sped away. Zhou Yi smiled and said, ¡°The Jingang Temple is famous in the Fengyang Kingdom. Who would have thought that it cultivated the Dao Scripture!¡± ¡°Buddhism and Daoism have never separated.¡± Miaojue said, ¡°Moreover, that scripture is quite mysterious. It has been ced in the temple for more than a hundred years, and only three people can cultivate it. The other disciples are still disciples of our Buddhist Sect!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and quickly recite the scriptures!¡± ¡°Heaven and earth are dark and there is no limit. When theybine, the essence energy will be mixed into one¡­¡± The Dao Scripture was called the Origin Returning Mantra. It had more than 5,000 words. The first part was the cultivation method. Thest 500 words recorded a movement technique. After using it, one could be as light as a feather. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Miaojue was obsessed with cultivating the Origin Returning Mantra. His martial path had only tempered his skin, but when he used the Light Body Technique, he could fly dozens of feet in the air. Jumping over was different from flying over. The former jumped from low to high, while thetter moved horizontally in the air. Two or three hours passed. At dawn, the monk, Fa Zheng, finally returned. Zhou Yi flipped through it and ced it in his pocket. ¡°Let me ask you, you could have just cast a spell yesterday. Why did you waste a few hours dancing?¡± ¡°Those wealthy families like this. If we don¡¯t conduct a big ceremony, they would find it expensive if we charge three to five thousand taels of silver.¡± Miaojue said with a bitter expression, ¡°I have no choice. The temple usually gives porridge and rice. Thend in the temple only epts 40% of the rent from tenant farmers. I have to ept more money from nobles to afford the monks in the temple.¡± ¡°Don¡¯tin in front of me!¡± Zhou Yi nced at the fat monk. He had indeed heard of the reputation of the Jingang temple. Otherwise, he would not be so kind. ¡°I talked too much.¡± Miaojue was smart. How could he not hear that Zhou Yi¡¯s tone had softened? He immediately heaved a sigh of relief. At least he had saved his life. Zhou Yi asked again, ¡°Do you know of any eerie and cold ces nearby?¡± a mon Miaojue was slightly stunned. After thinking for a moment, he said, ¡°I only know of one ce. 300 miles southeast of the Divine Capital, there¡¯s a Frost Pond. Many high-ranking officials and nobles went there to avoid the summer heat.¡± Zhou Yi shook his head slightly. It was not suitable for ghosts to live in a crowded ce. Some ¡°Senior, please wait a moment. I¡¯ll call someone over to ask.¡± Miaojue stuck his head out and asked more than a dozen monks. He turned back and said, ¡°There are three other ces that are eerie. The Ten Mile Slope Burial Mound, the ancient battlefield of Mount Great Liang, and¡­ Mount Longevity!¡± Zhou Yi patted Miaojue¡¯s shoulder. ¡°If I hear any bad news, I¡¯ll go to the Jingang Temple to discuss scriptures with you!¡± With that, he swaggered out of the carriage and disappeared under the shocked gazes of the monks. ¡°Amitabha! Which old monster is so meticulous and ruthless?¡± Miaojue was terrified and angry. He stuck his head out and scolded the monks. ¡°What are you waiting for? Go back to the temple!¡± Mount Longevity. 150 miles away from the Divine Capital, at the imperial mausoleum of the Fengyang Kingdom where the previous emperors of the Zhao n were buried. The Imperial Mausoleum was guarded by the Imperial Guards. No one was allowed to approach in case the dragon vein was damaged. Zhou Yi felt that the underground pce of the imperial mausoleum was just right for Huang Yuniang. She could roam freely in the huge underground pce, but she would never touch a living person. A gentleman should be magnanimous! Huang Yuniang vowed that she would not harm anyone. Perhaps she would be able to resist the temptation in ten or twenty years. But would she still keep her promise when she bes a Ghost King in a hundred or a thousand years? After all, only by devouring human essence could ghosts quickly be stronger! Zhou Yi¡¯s footsteps were light and slow, but his speed was not slow. Every step was dozens of feet wide, and at the same time, he was flipping through the Origin Returning Mantra. ¡°It¡¯s simr to the Nameless Mantra. It should be an immortal cultivation technique. The former gathers spiritual energy to refine the body, while this scripture refines spiritual energy into the dantian and turns it into Dharmic powers. I wonder if this Dharmic power is any different from Connate True Essence?¡± Zhou Yi did not cultivate rashly. He had toprehend the scriptures and turn the Martial Dao into the Immortal Dao. There was no need to be in a hurry to cultivate! ¡°With the addition to Huang Yuniang¡¯s scripture that increases the soul, I should be the legendary cultivator of essence, qi, and spirit, right?¡± Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Chapter 23 Honest Girl The Imperial Mausoleum was located at the southern foot of Mount Longevity. The area within a radius of 50 miles was the Ling District, surrounded by mountains and surrounded by water in the north. The Imperial Mausoleum was arranged in order from west to east. There were a total of seventeen tombs. Zhou Yi easily passed through the imperial guards and arrived at thetest tombstone of Emperor Chongming. ¡°The emperor is really the most unreasonable creature in the world. The dog emperor spent more than ten years repairing the imperial mausoleum while not attending court for more than thirty years in order to achieve longevity.¡± ¡°Senior, you might not know this, but when the Imperial Mausoleum was being built back then, Father was the construction supervisor of the Ministry of Works.¡± Huang Yuniang floated out of the jade hairpin. ¡°ording to Father, after the dog emperor¡¯s tomb was repaired, tens of thousands of craftsmen were killed to keep the secret.¡± Zhou Yi nodded slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a little about this. It was a hugemotion back then, and the Long Rebellion directly sent troops to suppress it.¡± The Imperial Court¡¯s army could not defeat the rebels from all over, but they were good at suppressing themoners. Soon, there was no sound. ¡°The dog emperor has been a fatuous ruler all his life,¡± said Huang Yuniang. ¡°But he did a good thing on his deathbed. He secretly nurtured General Li. But I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s good or bad.¡± Zhou Yi looked at the great achievements written on the tombstone and said, ¡°From now on, you will live in the tomb of the dog emperor. It can be considered making the best use of everything.¡± In the past, when he studied history, the books only wrote that a certain emperor was muddle-headed. Zhou Yi had never felt it personally, so it was very difficult for him to really be hostile to him. After experiencing Chongming for a while, Zhou Yixing had seen and heard it before. Human cannibalism. Two casual words, but countless sad or absurd fates. ere Others, such as ¡°plunder¡±, ¡°ughter¡±, ¡°great hunger¡±, ¡°executing three generations¡±, and ¡°more than half were dead¡±, were simply drawn. They were not as gorgeous as the words on the tombstone, nor did they have a trace of emotion. That was why they looked even more cold and cruel. ¡°Remember to burn the corpse of the dog emperor for me when you have the ability in the future!¡± Zhou Yi found a hidden ce and pierced through the tomb with his True Essence sword light. He sensed the huge tomb inside and sent the jade hairpin into it. The sword energy shattered the soil at This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. the entrance of the cave. After a few days, there were no more traces. Sky Prison. The remnant souls were cleaned up, and most of the cold air dissipated. The prison guards discussed it for a few days, but it was ultimately a good thing, so they left it at that. Ever since Zhou Yi took action to eliminate the thieves, although he was still a prison guard in name, in terms of treatment, he was equivalent to Lieutenant Zhu and was assigned a room. He asked the craftsmen to renovate the ce meticulously, arrange the mahogany tables and chairs, buy a superior tea set, and make a pot of Longjing tea. It was morefortable to live at work than at home. ¡°What does the matters in the imperial court and the martial world have to do with me? I might as well cultivate!¡± Zhou Yi had cultivated the Origin Returning Mantra for less than half a year. The Connate True Essence in his body had beenpletely transformed into Dharmic powers, and the efficiency of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had increased several times. Although it was only thest few decimal ces, there was still a huge improvement! Cultivation of Dharmic powers and Martial Dao True Essence had obvious advantages. They were morepatible with the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth. They were clear and could change ording to one¡¯s heart. For example, his true essence could originally condense into swords, sabers, fists, and other forms, but the details seemed to be rough. With a thought, his dharmic powers could transform into a lifelike palm. Another day rolled around. Zhou Yi was meditating when he suddenly sensed someone enter the room and silentlynd on the beam. ¡°Get down!¡± A sword light swept past. The guest on the beam could not dodge in time and fell. He gracefully flipped in the air andnded safely. ¡°How can you bear toe to me?¡± Zhou Yi sized up Mr. Bai. He had to admit that this fellow¡¯s looks had improved after more than ten years. There was a hint of maturity in his elegance. He was originally a youngdy killer, but now, he could probably charm thousands of young women. ¡°A dignified Connate Grandmaster hiding in the prison to deliver food can be said to be unprecedented!¡± Mr. Bai¡¯s eyes shed with envy, but when he thought of the tragic state of the Cang family, he felt a little d. ¡°Old Zhou, I n to get married, so I specially invited you to be my minister.¡± The minister was the best man. He followed the groom and blocked the wine lest he get too drunk to consummate the marriage. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi said in surprise, ¡®You actually got married. Which girl is so charming?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Princess Rongchang.¡± Mr. Bai took out a red invitation card from his pocket. It was gilded with golden threads and had luxurious decorations. Zhou Yi was slightly stunned. Then, he said disdainfully, ¡°You¡¯re too shameless. You¡¯ve had enough fun outside. Do you think you can harm honest girls just because you want to?¡± Princess Rongchang was the legitimate daughter of Prince Dongyang of Fengyang Kingdom. Mr. Bai had bragged many times in prison that back then, he had identally fallen into the Prince Dongyang¡¯s Pce and was on the verge of death. He had relied on his looks to capture Princess Rongchang¡¯s heart and turned around to escape. Mr. Bai put down the invitation, picked up the teapot, and took a few gulps. ¡°Are you still my brother? Do you really think I¡¯m willing to marry her? In the end, they have something on me.¡± ¡°What do you mean, do you need my help?¡± Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows. Not to mention that Mr. Bai had taught him, the two of them were good friends. Over the years, whenever Mr. Bai asionally came to the Divine Capital, he would find Zhou Yi to drink and chat. He would bring along some delicious and fun specialties from various ces. After drinking, they split up. Zhou Yi still guarded the prison while Mr. Bai continued to roam the martial world. Zhou Yi envied Mr. Bai for being free and unfettered. Mr. Bai admired Zhou Yi for being indifferent to fame and fortune. ¡°Back then, in order to escape, I exchanged a love token with Princess Rongchang. I originally treated it as a joke, but who would have thought that this girl was so stubborn that she still remembered it after so many years?¡± Mr. Bai sighed. ¡°Prince Dongyang is helpless. Seeing that the princess is getting old, he invited several top masters to look for me all over the martial world. Either marry his daughter, or¡­¡± Zhou Yi could not help but point at the door. ¡°Get out! Now!¡± ¡°Haha, remember to be on time!¡± Mr. Bai could no longer hold back his sorrow and turned it into a smug smile. He had finally won another round. The fifteenth of the month is suitable for marriage. Zhou Yi had applied for leave early and was familiar with theplicated process of marriage. When Lieutenant Zhu heard that he was attending Princess Rongchang¡¯s wedding, he was shocked at the breadth of Zhou Yi¡¯s connections. He shamelessly asked for an invitation and said that he was going to broaden his horizons. Lieutenant Zhu was someone who wanted to advance. He would not let go of such an opportunity. On that day, Yongchang Workshop was filled with red silk. From Mr. Bai¡¯s new residence to the Prince¡¯s residence, peonies were ced on both sides of the road, and the ground was covered with various petals. The fees alone cost tens of thousands of taels of silver. Not to mention Mr. Bai¡¯s new residence. Yongchang Workshop was adjacent to the pce, and every inch ofnd was worth gold. Its value could no longer be estimated with gold and silver. ¡°So you can do whatever you want just because you¡¯re handsome?¡± Zhou Yi looked in the mirror and touched his face. ¡°I¡¯m not bad either!¡± Another advantage of dharmic powers was that it nourished the body at all times, allowing the body to transform more perfectly. Therefore, there were no ugly men or women in the cultivation world. After a series of procedures, he finally married the princess. In the Bai Manor¡¯s banquet hall. Mr. Bai followed the elders of the Prince¡¯s residence. They toasted and chatted at the tables, getting to know the various Princes and Marquises. Zhou Yi apanied him and secretly said via voice transmission, ¡°Prince Dongyang treats you too well. How can he introduce you to his rtives?¡± ¡°Perhaps this is what it means to be the beloved son of a parent.¡± Mr. Bai was still jumpy yesterday, but now that he is really married, his tone suddenly changed. Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Chapter 24 Noble Business Prince Dongyang Manor was one of the founders of the country and had stood strong for hundreds of years. The marriage of the only legitimate daughter was a grand asion in the entire Divine Capital. Mr. Bai needed to know a lot of people, but they were all famous and distinguished people. He could not favor one over the other. The experts sent by the Prince Manor to drink had already been changed four times. This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. From the beginning to the end, Zhou Yi was all smiles. He let the wine enter his stomach and instantly refined it. Mr. Bai said via voice transmission, ¡°Old Zhou, pretend to be drunk so that no one will notice anything amiss.¡± ¡°Wait a little longer.¡± Zhou Yi closed his eyes and sensed carefully. A faint killing intent moved with Mr. Bai. Who in the martial world did not have a few enemies? However, they dare to cause trouble when the prince was having a wedding. It was unknown if Mr. Bai had provoked the other party¡¯s daughter or his wife. Zhou Yi was not sure how the other party would attack. The other party was far away and he was not Finally he knew all the old friends and rtives of the Prince Manor. There were about two to three hundred of them. Zhou Yi was very suspicious that Mr. Bai had probably forgotten most of them with his carefree personality. There were two banquet halls, onerge and one small. Therge banquet hall was for the rtives of Mr. Bai and the nobles of the Prince Manor. The small banquet hall was for the martial artists. The imperial court despised the vulgarity of the martial world, and the martial world despised the hypocrisy of the imperial court. It was to the liking of the guests on both sides to entertain them separately. The moment Zhou Yi stepped into the small banquet hall, he found the source of the killing intent. At a table in the southeast corner, two guests seemed to be drinking silently. From time to time, they would nce at Mr. Bai. The first few tables were still alright. They all showed some respect for Mr. Bai and the Prince Manor. Until they met the white-haired Daoist who upied the entire table alone where no one dared to approach him. The old Daoist ignored Mr. Bai and looked coldly at Zhou Yi. ¡°Is this Old Demon of Blood Prison?¡± Zhou Yi smiled and poured wine for the old Daoist. ¡°It¡¯s all martial names, not worth mentioning.¡± The old Daoist stared nkly at the wine pot. The others were either not paying attention or far away, so they did not know that the wine pot was upright and the wine was flowing out on its own. He filled the ss steadily without spilling a drop. ¡°Ahem, ahem!¡± The old Daoist coughed twice and smiled. ¡°I¡¯ve long heard of your name and have long wanted to befriend you. If you pass by the Scenic Cloud Mansion in the future, I¡¯ll wee you with open arms.¡± With such meticulous methods, it was very likely that he had perfected his internal organs and could reach the peak in the future. It was better to make friends than to make enemies. Those in the martial world were even more unwilling to make enemies, especially old and weak experts. ¡°If youe to the Sky Prison¡­ forget it. I¡¯ll definitely go to your mansion when I have time.¡± Zhou Yi nodded slightly, but his mind was actually locked onto the southeast corner. The old Daoist¡¯s aura was already that of a top expert in the martial world. The two of them were young, but they were stronger than him. Mr. Bai toasted all the way, not sensing the danger at all. ¡°Friends from the martial world, I¡¯vee from afar¡­¡± His voice suddenly stopped. Mr. Bai¡¯s face turned pale, then red and green. He subconsciously took two steps back and let Zhou Yi block in front. ¡°Pervert!¡± ¡°Pervert!¡± Two female voices sounded. Two sword lights bloomed. One pointed at Mr. Bai¡¯s neck, and the other went straight for his privates. ¡°Female?¡± Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment before he flicked the sword. An extremely terrifying force traveled to their wrists. The two women cried out in pain and their swords fell to the ground. Such a change had already rmed many guests. The experts from the Prince Manor who were secretly protecting the manor surrounded the two women and wanted to capture them alive. However, the woman¡¯s qinggong was mysterious. One flew through the air, while the other was strange and unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, they escaped from the banquet hall and disappeared. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi hid his achievements and had already left the small banquet hall. Before leaving, he could not help but ask curiously. ¡°Who are these two women? They have such martial arts cultivation at such a young age. They might break through to the Connate Realm in the future!¡± Mr. Bai didn¡¯t want to answer, but Zhou Yi kept sending voice transmissions, nagging and urging, ¡°One is the Eldest Senior Sister of the Infinite Sword Sect, and the other is the Holy Maiden of the Heaven Demon Sect¡­¡± ¡°F*ck!¡± Zhou Yi especially regretted being nosy. He should have let this scumbag¡¯s wedding fail. Therge banquet hall. After Zhou Yipleted his mission, he found a corner to sit down and rest. At this moment, the banquet was halfway through. The elders had already left the banquet, and the remaining people were the younger generation who loved wine and excitement. They were originally arrogant, but after getting drunk, they no longer had any qualms about speaking. The young master of the Earl of Ding City said, ¡°Have you heard? A few days ago, many seats were vacant in the northern border. His Majesty intends to promote the nobles.¡± ¡°The northern border is cold and barren. Will we suffer there?¡± It was Marquis Weiyuan¡¯s son who spoke. ¡°In a few days, the capital camp will have a new transfer. This is a really good opportunity!¡± ¡°The capital camp is too expensive!¡± ¡°A guerri general costs a hundred thousand taels. How many years will it take to recover this silver?¡± ¡°The northern border is much cheaper. I heard that the supervisor only costs twenty thousand taels.¡± ¡°Why should we buy the position of a supervisor? We should spend a few thousand more taels in exchange for the duty of the military weapons supervisor. That would be a huge profit!¡± They spoke one after another, purely treating military affairs as business. The son of Marquis Weiyuan shook his head and said, ¡°What do you know¡­ The Northern Border Army has fought with Great Yong a few times. It looks like a small conflict, but who knows when war will start!¡± Hearing this, everyone immediately gave up on going to the northern border. It was good to earn money in business, but more importantly, it was their lives. With their family¡¯s foundation, it would take generations for them to lose all their family business. ¡°Now that His Majesty has the intention to support the nobility, we have to seize this opportunity. At the very least, we have to get a general with real power. Only when the military power is in our hands will it be a real title!¡± Marquis Weiyuan¡¯s son said, ¡°It¡¯s worth it no matter how much money we spend. This is a long-term business. The Imperial Court distributes a million taels of silver every year. One day, we¡¯ll be able to get it back.¡± ¡°Brother Liang has a point.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ve agreed to go to the capital camp to serve His Majesty!¡± ¡°My father scolded me for not doing my job every day. Today, we¡¯ll be generals. We¡¯ll also be proud.¡± ¡°We nobles are the ones who are on the same side as the country. Everyone will rebel, but we won¡¯t!¡± ¡°Watch your mouth!¡± These young masters were drunk and thought to have taken over the positions in the capital camp. In fact, they were not far from it. After all, they had a deep family rtionship and were willing to spend money to settle things. Zhou Yi listened silently for a while before getting up and leaving the table. ¡°No wonder these people treat national affairs as business. Most things in the world are business. Loyalty and betrayal are the same, but so are prosperity and decline.¡± Someone had chosen betrayal and decline. Perhaps there was no other choice! How could Emperor Hongchang not know that these noble young masters were like dog shit? Not to mention arranging troops, they could not even remember how many soldiers they had, let alone lead troops to war. Sometimes, it was reassuring to use trash. They would drink the blood of soldiers, earn money, and do business, but they would never rebel! ¡°Another storm is brewing. I hope¡ª¡± Zhou Yi frowned slightly. For a moment, he did not know what to hope for. Was he hoping for a rebellion or a smooth transition? Before leaving, he gave the congrattory gift that he had prepared for a long time to Mr. Bai. It was a jade token that was purely handmade. The material and carving were ordinary, but the blood-red color was rather unique. Zhou Yi did not know how to refine weapons, so he simply used his dharmic powers to forcefully inject a drop of blood into the jade. This blood is connected to him. No matter how many centuries had passed, he could still recognize this jade token! Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Chapter 25 Li Wu Is in Prison Year 17 of Hongchang. Summer. A special prisoner hade to the Sky Prison. No one escorted him or dared to escort him. He stepped into the cell himself. Li Wu! The Sky Prison was built before the reform of the Fengyang Kingdom. It had a thousand years of history and had imprisoned countless nobles. Today, it weed the second Connate Grandmaster to stay. The total number of Imperial Guards on duty was not enough for Li Wu to ughter! ¡°This is really unexpected¡­¡± Zhou Yi prided himself on being a bystander. He understood the power of the Fengyang Kingdom, but he could not guess their hearts. ¡°Bring me the lunch box. I¡¯ll deliver it myself.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master Zhou.¡± Zhang Yun, the prison guard in charge of delivering food, was Zhang Zhou¡¯s grandson back then. His son, Zhang Jin, died under the knife of a thief less than two years after he was imprisoned. On ount of his past kindness, Zhou Yi recruited Zhang Yun into the Sky Prison when he became an adultst year. Cell C-9. Li Wu closed his eyes to regte his breathing. Suddenly, he sensed danger and opened his eyes to look at the prison guard who was gradually approaching. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°A mere nameless prison guard.¡± Zhou Yi replied via voice transmission. He opened the cell door, took out fine wine and delicacies from the food box, and ced them on the table. After fifteen years, he finally got to see this famous general and grandmaster up close! It was not that there was no chance previously, but Zhou Yi had always been cautious and was unwilling to approach such a person before he was confident of his safety, in case something unexpected happened. For example, the person who sought revenge on Li Wu must also be a top martial artist. When the two of them fought, others would be killed. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe that there were experts among themoners. After all, life is short. Who can reach the peak and remain nameless?¡± Li Wu¡¯s eyes were filled with admiration. He also used a secret voice transmission technique. ¡°I only found out today that there really is such an extraordinary person in the world. I admit that I¡¯m inferior!¡± ¡°You tter me, General.¡± Zhou Yi asked the question in his heart, ¡°Why did the general enter the Sky Prison today?¡± Li Wu said, ¡°Back then, Li Xiong sent troops to cause trouble and ughtered thousands of people. I am guilty of negligence and dereliction of duty as a general. I am guilty of not disciplining my brothers well.¡± ¡°You jest, General. There¡¯s no one in the whole Fengyang Kingdom who doesn¡¯t know that you run a harsh household.¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°I¡¯ve also been in this prison for decades. People from other families oftene in, but only the Li family has a Li Xiong.¡± Moreover, Li Xiong¡¯s mistake did not have much to do with Li Wu. Furtherover, he had also given the citizens an exnation for his righteousness. Li Wu shook his head and said, ¡°This is what an official should do. It¡¯s not worth mentioning.¡± ¡°General, you know what I want to ask¡ª¡±. Zhou Yi said directly, ¡°Why don¡¯t you learn from the Long Rebellion?¡± Li Wu said, ¡°Since they¡¯re traitors, how can I be like them? If there hadn¡¯t been a general back then, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t have been the Long Rebellion, but¡­ Emperor Long?¡± Zhou Yi had personally experienced the Chongming Dynasty. The dog emperor had long lost the hearts of the people. After Prime Minister Long¡¯s rebellion seeded, he could easily sit on the throne. ¡°The Long Rebellion only rebelled in the capital, and there were more than 60,000 casualties. If I don¡¯t submit, regardless of victory or defeat, it will definitely be a chaos that affects all the state capitals.¡± Li Wu muttered, ¡°The country has only been peaceful for a few years. I can¡¯t cause misery and suffering for my own selfish reasons!¡± Zhou Yi was silent for a moment. ¡°You can resign and retire.¡± Since Connate Grandmasters did not care about power, the Imperial Court would not deliberately make things difficult for them. If they were forced into a corner, they would directly attack the Imperial Pce! Li Wu said, ¡°I know that I have made great contributions to the country. As long as I don¡¯t die, the country will not be stable. Thete emperor has done me a great favor. Before he died, he instructed me to prioritize the people of the country!¡± That dog emperor only knew how to teach others. When had he ever cared about the citizens of the country? Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks When Zhou Yi saw Li Wu mention Emperor Chongming, his face was filled with emotions, so he could not scold him in person. ¡°Is your family settled?¡± Li Wu nodded and said, ¡°His Majesty has agreed that as long as I am loyal to the country, the Li family will die with the country!¡± If they died, they would be able to show their loyalty to the country! Do you believe that promise? Zhou Yi did not ask this question in the end. Li Wu might or might not believe it, but he already had a choice. Firstly, he was unwilling to start another war. Secondly, he wanted to repay Emperor Chongming for his kindness. ¡°No matter what happened to Li Wu, the conflict was resolved.¡± If Zhou Yi was in Li Wu¡¯s position, he would definitely not be able to do this. It was very likely that he would receive a military order from the Ministry of War in five years and directly lead the Northern Frontier Army back to the capital. As for how many soldiers would die, Zhou Yi did not care. In any case, my family and I could not die! How many people in the world could give up their lives and power for someone they didn¡¯t know? For example, when future generations read history, they would most likely curse Li Wu for being foolishly loyal. ¡°People like Li Wu are born heroes. They are strict with themselves and control their families. Unfortunately¡­. I¡¯ll take good care of them when the Li family goes to jail.¡± Zhou Yi was never stingy with his malicious guesses. He had previously guessed that Li Wu would rebel, but he was wrong. Now, he guessed that before Emperor Hongchang died, he would clean up the Li family and the military forces and leave the sessor to the clean and innocent Fengyang Kingdom. Times create heroes, heroes change times! After Li Wu was imprisoned, the gloom that enveloped the Divine Capital dissipated. The originally oppressive imperial court suddenly became much lighter. All the officials submitted their reports. General Li had contributed greatly to the country, please forgive him, Your Majesty. No one knew what crime Li Wu hadmitted, but everyone knew that Li Wu could not walk out of the prison alive. ¡°The Duke is indeed the country¡¯s capital!¡± The officials used all kinds of ttering words to praise Li Wu¡¯s imprisonment. They wanted to match him with the Imperial Ancestral Temple as soon as possible. Yet, when they spoke to their trusted aides in private, they despised Li Wu for being a lowly martial artist. With a million troops in his hands, he ended up with the same oue as the Long Rebellion! This matter spread to the public and caused a huge uproar! Li Wu was ostracized by all the officials in the imperial court. Even the Ministry of War did not support him. However, in the eyes of the people, he was like a savior from the heavens. At first, the crowd was in a frenzy and mored to ask the Imperial Court for an exnation. Later, there were rumors such as ¡°Li Wu marched south and wantonly ughtered themon people¡±, ¡°Li Xiong robbed merchants, it was Li Wu¡¯s silent agreement¡±, ¡°The murderer behind Duke Wei¡¯s death was Li Wu¡±, and so on¡­ After being sshed with dirty water, the Uniform Guards arrested many people. Soon, the public opinion disappeared! Just as Li Wu had said, the citizens of the Fengyang Kingdom had just settled down for a few years and were unwilling to cause any more chaos, so they did not need a famous general who could sweep through the world. On the ount that Li Wu had quelled the rebellion back then, they erected a temple and a monument for him, there was nothing else¡­ ¡°Those people thought you were dead. They built a temple and erected a monument to offer incense. They cried very sadly.¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Do you regret your choice?¡± ¡°Mr. Zhou, there¡¯s no need to persuade me. This is my own decision. It has nothing to do with others. It has nothing to do with leaving my name in history. I just don¡¯t want many more people to die!¡± Li Wu picked up his chopsticks and drank a ss of wine. ¡°Besides, there¡¯s no chance for regret now.¡± Zhou Yi frowned and waved his hand to take the wine pot. The wine was called the Nine Brewing Spring. It was the tribute wine of the royal family of the Fengyang Kingdom and was 200 years old. The wine was originally a crystalline amber red, but because there was too much medicinal powder, it turned pale. ¡°This poison is too much. A good pot of wine is ruined by the poison!¡± This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. ¡°It¡¯s not bad. Rare in the world!¡± Li Wu¡¯s expression was natural. He picked up a mouthful of food and drank a mouthful of wine, pretending that the poison did not exist. ¡°General, what are yourst words? I can still help with some small matters.¡± It was very difficult for Zhou Yi to be noble, but he might as well pay respect to noble people. Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Cmity of Extinction Zhou Yi was unwilling to get involved in the power struggle in Fengyang Kingdom, but he wanted to do something for Li Wu. In the past, when he watched martial arts dramas, there were always some martial artists who volunteered to protect a certain official. ¡°That¡¯s just the beginning of the plot. Just pretend it doesn¡¯t exist¡­¡± Zhou Yi originally thought so, but after chatting with Li Wu for a few days, he actually had the thought of bing that kind of martial artist. This move was inconsistent with the established detachment! ¡°Mr. Zhou, with your indifferent personality, you actually made such a promise. Doesn¡¯t this mean that my choice is good?¡± Li Wu pped and smiled. At some point, a few ck lines had appeared on his face, spreading from his neck to the top of his head. A Connate Grandmaster¡¯s skin, tendons, and bones were refined externally, and his internal organs and bones were refined. The Primordial Chaos in his body was one, and he was almost immune to poison. However, this poison went straight to the human brain. After it erupted, he would turn into a living dead. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s very good!¡± Zhou Yi lowered his gaze and suddenly thought of some faces. He felt inexplicably frustrated. ¡°I¡¯ve never let down the Imperial Court in my life. I only treat my nsmen harshly. Those enemies usually don¡¯t dare to show themselves. After I die, they¡¯ll definitely find my nsmen to vent their anger!¡± Li Wu pondered for a moment and said, ¡°There are a few experts in the army. Logically speaking, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems¡­¡± Zhou Yi promised, ¡°If no connate appears, the Li family will be fine.¡± Zhou Yi could kill anyone below the Connate realm with a wave of his hand! ¡°I thank you!¡± Li Wu tried to stand up and bow. Suddenly, his vision blurred and he fell back to his seat. An invincible Connate Grandmaster had fallen from a high and mighty Duke to an unstable state in the blink of an eye because of inexplicable persistence. ¡°How much secret virtue does the Zhao royal family have to be able to tolerate such humiliation?¡± Zhou Yi sighed and said, ¡°Even if there are rare old monsters, I guarantee that the Li family will not die out.¡± Li Wu said apologetically, ¡°In that case, Mr. Zhou won¡¯t be able to live in seclusion in the Sky Prison.¡± Zhou Yi shrugged. ¡°I¡¯ve been in Sky Prison for decades. It¡¯s not a bad idea to change ces.¡± Li Wu asked, ¡°Where to?¡± Zhou Yi pointed to the east. ¡°The Imperial Prison!¡± Li Wu was speechless. ¡°General Li, you don¡¯t know humor. I¡¯ll go out for the time being and change my identity before returning to the Sky Prison¡­¡± Zhou Yi stopped. He reached out and tested the tip of Li Wu¡¯s nose. He was no longer breathing Year 17 of Hongchang. The Duke, Li Wu, was imprisoned. The title ¡°Zhongwu¡± meant ¡°loyal to the king and love the country.¡± Emperor Hongchang was seventy-six years old. Despite the obstruction of hundreds of officials, he insisted on holding the Duke¡¯s funeral as the emperor. The historian described it in detail, thinking that it was a model of the ruler and minister, passed down to future generations. New Year¡¯s Eve wasing. The clouds were dense, the north wind was biting, and the snow kept falling all day. Midnight. The patrol was afraid of the cold and hid in the barracks drinking. The Divine Capital was silent except for the sound of snow falling. The Duke¡¯s Mansion. The night watchman was dozing. Shadows shed before his hazy eyes. He was about to raise his hand in greeting. The de shed across his neck, and hot blood sprayed all over the ground. Silence. ughter! One by one, the men in ck moved like cold machines, killing people as if they were cutting grass. They moved in from the periphery of the Duke¡¯s Mansion, leaving no one alive. ¡°Assassins!¡± There was a sudden scream, followed by a continuous sh of swords. The experts in the residence were woken up from their sleep. Some faced the enemy in the front courtyard, while others ran to the back. The division ofbor was clear like a military formation. The backhouse. Li Ye, who had seeded the position of the Duke, had more than a hundred martial arts experts protecting him. Commander Li said, ¡°The enemy came prepared. Why don¡¯t you change your clothes and leave through the secret passage?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t leave.¡± There was no fear on Li Ye¡¯s face. Back then, he had also followed his father to war. He pointed to the eastern residence and said, ¡°The thieves have surrounded the Duke¡¯s Mansion, but there¡¯s no movement from the Prince Anhua¡¯s Mansion. Where do you think I can escape to?¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Commander Li said in a low voice, ¡°My lord, we have to save our lives for the future!¡± N?velDrama.Org owns all content. ¡°To do what in the future? A rebellion?¡± There was a hint of resentment in Li Ye¡¯s words. ¡°Father is worthy of enjoying the Imperial Ancestral Temple and leaving his name in history. As his son, how can I rebel? Or should I say, with Father¡¯s intelligence, couldn¡¯t he predict today¡¯s extermination?¡± ¡°Grand Duke¡­¡± Commander Li Wu was loyal to Li Wu, but he did not know how to exin himself in the face of Li Ye¡¯s question. The women of the Li family hid in their rooms, their eyes filled with fear. Many of them killed themselves with daggers in their hands. Li Wu left in a carefree manner while the rest lived in fear! At this moment There were no longer any sounds of fighting in the outer residence. There were too many enemies, and the soldiers could not stop them even if they formed a military formation. The men in ck surrounded the back house, stepping on the pure white snow, leaving a series of bright red footprints. ¡°Heheheheh!¡± A signature strangeughter resounded throughout the entire Duke¡¯s Mansion. ¡°Li Wu killed my disciples. Today, I will bathe them in blood¡ª¡± The voice stopped abruptly. The leader of the men in ck frowned and gestured for his subordinates to investigate. There were a few tough people in the Duke¡¯s Mansion. They paid a huge price to invite this old monster out of the mountain. A momentter. Two of his men dragged a corpse over. It was an old man with white hair. There were sevenrge blobs on his face. On the blobs were carved words: Impermanence, Urgency, Murderous Spirit, Debts¡­ The leader checked the old man¡¯s injuries. There was only one wound, and it pierced straight through his heart. His subordinate knew that the old man was powerful and was a rare peerless expert in the martial world. He could guess that the person who attacked was terrifying. However, he was not afraid and quietly waited for his leader¡¯s next order. ¡°Kill!¡± Onmand, the men in ck rushed to the backyard. ¡°Another sacrificial warrior. How many enemies does Li Wu have?¡± The old voice sounded in the leader¡¯s ear. Before he could speak, a sword aura pierced his chest. The remaining men in ck were leaderless and their lethality decreased. A few rounds of arrows shot out from the backhouse, and with the help of the traps set up, they blocked the attacks of the men in ck. Commander Li led the charge with his men, and after half an hour, he finally killed all the enemies. ¡°Yama Wu!¡± Commander Li recognized the old man. ¡°The Great Cave Ghost that the Old Duke killed was this person¡¯s disciple. Legend has it that he has long died of old age, I didn¡¯t expect him to be alive until today.¡± Li Ye had no interest in Yama Wu and bowed to the surroundings. ¡°Thank you, Senior, for saving my life!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve repaid the favor I owed Li Wu back then. If anyonees again, you¡¯ll have to pray for good luck.¡± After hiding in the dark, Zhou Yi used the Light Body Technique and disappeared in a few shes. Li Ye¡¯s expression changed drastically when he heard this. He whispered this to Commander Li. The Duke¡¯s Mansion had already been attacked more than ten times at night. In the beginning, there were many experts in the residence, and they easily defeated the invading enemies. However, an endless stream of enemies continued to consume the strength of the residence, and now, there were less than 20% of them. The enemies of thest three attacks were getting stronger. It was all thanks to the protection of a senior expert that they couldst until today. Commander Li suggested, ¡°My lord, why don¡¯t we leave the Divine Capital and hide our identities?¡± ¡°In the Divine Capital, it¡¯s only assassins attacking. If we go out, we¡¯ll be surrounded by the bandit army!¡± Li Ye looked up at the pce. Ever since Emperor Hongchang sent Li Wu away, his body had been deteriorating day by day. Now, the person in charge of the state affairs was the crown prince. ¡°How many years did thete emperor live in the Shangyang Pce after his illness?¡± Commander Li thought for a moment and said, ¡°About seven or eight years!¡± Li Ye was silent for a long time. ¡°If I take a step back, my entire family will be destroyed¡­ Bring my name card to the Eastern Pce and invite the country¡¯s governor to have a chat.¡± Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Chapter 27 Millennium Family The moon was bright and the stars were few. Zhou Yinded in the courtyard. His face changed from an old man to a middle-aged man. He usually had this appearance in prison. With his dharmic powers, disguise technique, and Bone Shrinkage Technique, even those close to him would not be able to recognize him. ¡°The matter with the Li family is over.¡± After three secret attacks, Zhou Yi¡¯s existence had already attracted everyone¡¯s attention. Tonight, the old monster was only a step away from the Connate Realm. ¡°Connate grandmasters are even rarer than expected. Perhaps the Fengyang Kingdom¡­ only had me? Li Wu has dominated both the Fengyang Kingdom and Great Yong. Other than the Heavenly King Cang who cultivates the Heaven Devouring Demonic Technique, no one else can match him!¡± After cultivating for 26 years, he was suddenly invincible in the mortal world! Zhou Yi reminded himself that this was the Immortal Demon World. Connate was only the threshold of the cultivation world, and they did not know any spells or weapons. They would not be able to fight any of the cultivators. ¡°ording to human logic, those itinerant cultivators who don¡¯t do well know that their path is hopeless. Instead of being as lowly as minions in the cultivation world, they might as welle to the mortal world and be overlords. ¡°It¡¯s said that the Founding Ancestor of the Fengyang Kingdom has the power of ghosts and gods. Perhaps he¡¯s a down-and-out itinerant cultivator? ¡°Or perhaps the mortal world is under the control of the cultivation world, and the dynasties change ording to the will of the immortals!¡± Zhou Yi restrained his smugness. With the help of the Heaven Devouring Demon Technique and the prisoners in the prison, he had managed to step into the Connate realm. He now had the ability to protect himself and could not act recklessly. ¡°I should be careful with my words and actions. I¡¯ll focus on cultivating!¡± The next day. The snow finally stopped. It was New Year¡¯s Eve, and the shops on the street were decorated with rednterns. It was quite a festive atmosphere. The news of the attack on the Duke¡¯s Mansionst night did not spread at all. It was as if the two to three hundred people who died did not exist in this world. What the people know is only what the Imperial Court wants them to know! For example, the court before he was imprisoned. Seeing that the Li family was declining day by day, some things also spread out. It was probably just officials chatting casually, and the servants beside them listened and bragged to their rtives and friends. Word spread like wildfire. On the surface, Minister Zhang looked weak and asked the Duke for advice, but in fact, Li Wu had offended His Majesty. The officials of the country fought with the generals that Li Wu had raised for military power. Or perhaps Li Wu¡¯s direct descendant would work under a certain Minister for the sake of promotion and wealth¡­ It was hard to tell if the news was true or false. In just a year, the incense offerings in Li Wu¡¯s temple had greatly decreased. In another eight to ten years, only weeds would be left. ¡°There is nothing in this world that time cannot wear down. Except me!¡± Zhou Yi went to the prison and carried a bucket to deliver food. Zhang Yun, the prison guard in charge of delivering food, had returned home for the new year. The Sky Prison was different from other government offices. During the New Year, the prison guards could only take turns to rest. Only Zhou Yi was an exception. He went on duty as usual every day. Being alone at home was not as lively as being in prison. It was not that Zhou Yi did not have any rtives. His predecessor was from the Ningshan Vige of Ningshan County. He still had hundreds of nsmen, and his cousins with close bloodlines were still alive. Back then, Zhou Yi was born deficient and looked like he would die young. The Zhou family¡¯s elders suggested to Father Zhou that they choose a child from the family to inherit the position so that someone could inherit the position of the prison guard and the manor in the Divine Capital after Zhou Yi died. Father Zhou was on duty in the Sky Prison and had seen all kinds of dirty things. How could he not guess the thoughts of the nsmen? Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Not to mention that Zhou Yi was not dead at that time, once he agreed to the matter of session, the nsmen would also think of ways to make Zhou Yi die prematurely in the future. After a few rounds, the elders still did not give up. Father Zhou simply cut ties with thempletely! After Father Zhou died of illness, Zhou Yi inherited the position of prison guard. The Zhou family members asionally came to the capital to take a look and waited for him to die of illness. In the end, the elders and uncles died while waiting for that to happen, while his cousins had be old. So he no longer has any rtives! ¡°Old Zhou, you came at the right time. Please do me a favor.¡± Lieutenant Zhu called out and leaned over to whisper, ¡°There¡¯s a prisoner in the prison today. We need to use your torture technique to torture this fellow!¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°What did he do?¡± ¡°What else can an official do? Embezzlement!¡± Lieutenant Zhu said, ¡°However, this person is especially good at it. His nickname is Three Feet Above Sky. In the past three years, he squeezed Luyang Mansion dry. It¡¯s said that he plundered tens of millions of taels of silver.¡± The annual tax revenue of the Fengyang Kingdom was about ten million taels. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Zhou Yi wondered, ¡°A civil official can¡¯t withstand a few rounds of torture, why do you still want me to take action?¡± In recent years, there had asionally been unruly criminals in the martial world, so Lieutenant Zhu asked Zhou Yi to punish them. This was where Old Demon of Blood Prison¡¯s reputation came from. Lieutenant Zhu exined, ¡°The imperial court has arrested someone, but they haven¡¯t found the silver yet. This fellow¡¯s mouth is especially tight, and we can¡¯t use those cruel tortures, lest he identally dies.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t care about his family¡¯s lives?¡± Zhou Yi had been in prison for so many years. asionally, there would be officials who could withstand the punishment. However, his parents, wife, and children would be dragged over to be tortured. Very few people could remain indifferent. The system was naturally cruel, but Zhou Yi agreed. In this era, the n emphasized unity. The nsmen enjoyed the benefits of corrupt officials and should also suffer punishment. ¡°This fellow¡¯s family were farmers to begin with. In the early years, there was a famine and the entire vige starved to death. He had long lost his parents and rtives.¡± Lieutenant Zhu exined, ¡°He should have a wife and children, but like the silver, they¡¯re hidden somewhere.¡± ¡°This meant that he was prepared to go to jail.¡± Zhou Yi became curious and carried the bucket to Prison B7. The prisoner was lying on the straw mat, his back covered in crisscrossing bloody marks. The blood seeping from his buttocks had stained his clothes. He slowly raised his head when he heard the sound. His square face was filled with righteousness. Zhou Yi opened the cell door and squatted in front of the prisoner. He said, ¡°As a third-grade official, you have a chance of bing a central official in the future. Why do you have to be a corrupt official?¡± The prisoner fell silent andy back down. ¡°Ten million taels of silver. When the Imperial Court gets it back, a sum of it will be given to the Zhou Yi flicked his finger, and his Dharmic powers turned into needles that drilled into the prisoner¡¯s body. Following the blood flow in his body, the sharp aura streaked across his meridians. The pain from the inside out was even more unbearable than being tortured to death. There would be an end to hanging eventually However, this wisp of dharmic powers could not let the person die, and the torture would never end. Those vicious people were not afraid of death or torture, but they could not stand a needle pricking their bodies. ¡°Ah!¡± The prisoner cried out in pain. His body trembled, and his eyes were bloodshot. Zhou Yi hit a few of the criminal¡¯s acupoints to prevent him from fainting from the pain. He had to wake up and experience the punishment. A long while passed. ¡°Where is the silver?¡± Zhou Yi waved his hand and dispersed his dharmic powers. He slowly said, ¡°Perhaps you can challenge the limits of your endurance. The previous one was a ferocious person in the Marrow Cleansing realm known as a human demon. He confessed in just two days.¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­¡± The prisoner panted heavily for a moment. ¡°The silver is in the Lu family. Get the imperial court to get it!¡± ¡°The Lu family of Jiangnan?¡± Zhou Yi frowned slightly. Among the many families in Jiangnan, eight families had the longest history and could be traced back to the previous dynasty or even the previous dynasty before that. There were no millenium dynasties in the world, but there were millenium families! Among them, the Lu family could be ranked in the top three. ¡°Why? Are you afraid?¡± The prisoner¡¯s eyes shed with hatred as he spoke. ¡°I was afraid, so I had to be a corrupt official!¡± Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Chapter 28 The Crown Prince¡¯s Rebellion The evils of aristocratic families were even worse than traitors. Thetter seemed as fierce as fire, but there was always a way to put it out. The former had existed since ancient times. Everyone could see that the aristocratic families were digging up the foundation of the dynasty, but they rarely had the means to control it. Zhou Yi shook his head slowly. ¡°You¡¯re not the first to say that, nor will you be thest. The evil of the aristocratic families is not a reason to be corrupt officials.¡± ¡°Cough, cough, cough. You make it sound so easy!¡± After the prisoner mentioned the Lu family, he seemed to havepletely let go. ¡°I¡­ My parents starved to death. It was the officials who embezzled the food for disaster relief. Back then, I swore that I would cleanse the imperial court and cleanse the world!¡± Zhou Yi became a little more interested. ¡°Tell me about your experience of thinking that you have a deep grudge but are actually tacky.¡± The prisoner was rather helpless, but his death was not far away. These were probably hisst words before he was executed. ¡°Ten years ago, I became a schr and was appointed as a county official. I wanted to achieve my ambitions. However, the officials of the yamen were all upied by local nobles. Their orders could not be send out no matter what.¡± The prisoner nced at Zhou Yi. ¡°The most difficult to deal with is a lowly official like you.¡± Zhou Yi nodded slightly. How could it be said that the imperial power and officials shared the world? ¡°After passing through several counties, not only did I fail to achieve anything, but I even became a have any ambitions when I¡¯ve let time slip by without aplishing anything? So I might as well let them be. I¡¯ll read and write every day without caring about the affairs of the government office.¡± His ideals and future had been obliterated by reality, turning him into a muddle-headed official. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°What does this have to do with the Lu family?¡± ¡°In the sixth or seventh year of Hongchang, I went to Changfeng County and happened to encounter a flood¡­ The rivers overflowed and people were like turtles.¡± The prisoner recalled, ¡°As usual, I submitted a memorial and asked the Ministry of Revenue to allocate the money for food and disaster relief. ording to the procedure, the imperial court must firste to inspect the disaster, then draw up the constitution for disaster relief. It will take a long time. ¡°Most of the victims of the flood are dead. Just don¡¯t give them too much money. The small disasters that follow will pass by itself. There¡¯s no need to save them. Who would have thought that the Imperial Court would quickly give the order to transport food from the surrounding counties and allocate another 300,000 taels of disaster silver? ¡°With such disaster relief, Changfeng County will definitely be able to tide over the flood easily. I can¡¯t sleep at night and have wasted ten years. I can finally do something for the people to fulfill my parents¡¯ wishes!¡± At this point, the prisoner paused. ¡°When there was a famine back then, my parents warned me to be a good official in the future and save the people!¡± Zhou Yi straightened his posture. This criminal was indeed a little different from before. There were many corrupt officials in the Sky Prison. Zhou Yi heard them talk about their reasons for earning money. It seemed strange, but in the end, it was just their desire to enjoy themselves. ¡°Just as I was happily preparing for the relief, the Lu family arrived.¡± The prisoner said hatefully, ¡°A lowly gatekeeper pointed at the county officials and scolded them. The Lu family asked the imperial court for food and silver. Why should they give them to the people? However, this also allowed me to know that the imperial court allocated money and food had nothing to do with the memorials!¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°In the end, the money and grains were sent to the Lu family?¡± ¡°And what choice do I have?¡± The prisoner said, ¡°Changfeng County belongs to the Luyang Prefecture. The Lu family has been operating there for a thousand years. If I say no, they will makemit suicide on the same day!¡± ¡°And after that?¡± Zhou Yi did not need to ask to guess the subsequent developments. ¡°Money and grain were sent to the Lu family. The citizens of Changfeng County suffered heavy casualties and could only sell their children for a living¡­¡± The prisoner sighed and said, ¡°Back then, I was evaluated as an A-list official. The inspector praised me for my love for the people and my contribution to disaster relief. A yearter, I was transferred to Luyang Prefecture as an assistant magistrate!¡± The provincial magistrate was also a seventh-grade official, but he was promoted from a county to a province. After a natural disaster, the Lu family earned money andnd, and the criminal was promoted. Everyone was happy! ¡°From then on, I became an official of the Lu family. Every year, I scored first ce in the assessment. After more than ten years, I was promoted to the governor of Luzhou and became the leader of a region.¡± The prisoner sneered. ¡°The students who mocked me back then became good friends again. In order to curry favor with me, they gave me money, gave me courtesans, wrote poems, and ttered me! ¡°Since then, I¡¯ve embezzled money whenever I see them and I¡¯ll sell the government positions if I have. I¡¯m unrestrained¡­ and alsowless!¡± Zhou Yi snorted coldly. This person had experienced the wasted years, despair, and hadpletely fallen under the fear of death. The prisoner¡¯s gaze was faint, and his voice was ethereal. ¡°What is thew? That¡¯s the Imperial Court¡¯s method of governing the people! What is the heavens? His Majesty is the heavens, the Imperial Court is the heavens, and the schrs are the heavens!¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°However, you¡¯re going to die now.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°The moment I became ackey of the Lu family, I was already dead.¡± The prisoner¡¯s eyes were empty. ¡°So what if you kill me? No one can change the bureaucracy, and no one can save the Imperial Court!¡± Zhou Yi said coldly, ¡°Every corrupt official counts. If we catch them, we¡¯ll skin them alive.¡± The prisoner said, ¡°Then another batch of corrupt officials will be reced!¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°So the Imperial Court is rotten?¡± The prisoner shook his head gently and pointed at his face. ¡°It¡¯s not that the imperial court is rotten, nor is it that the families are rotten, but that the schrs are rotten!¡± Zhou Yi was slightly stunned. This fellow was indeed different from the corrupt officials from before. He asked curiously, ¡°You¡¯re a dog of the Lu family and an official in Luyang. How did you end up in the Sky Prison?¡± ¡°When the owner fattened the dog, he naturally had to kill and eat it, in case the dog turned over one day and became the owner.¡± The prisoner said, ¡°In this way, not only did the Lu family rob money, but they also gained the hearts of the people. The corrupt officials who caused trouble were captured by the Lu family¡¯s Lord Qingtian. The people apuded!¡± ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not the first dog.¡± ¡°Nor thest.¡± ¡°You never thought of resisting?¡± ¡°Does it work?¡± The prisoner¡¯s question stunned Zhou Yi for a long time. A family with a thousand years of heritage This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. was terrifying just thinking about it. If they didn¡¯t have cheat codes or cheats, they really wouldn¡¯t know where to start. He left the cell. Zhou Yi told Lieutenant Zhu the results of the interrogation in detail. ¡°The Lu family!¡± Lieutenant Zhu¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°Does that mean we can¡¯t get them back?¡± Zhou Yi wondered, ¡°Old Zhu, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why are you so concerned about this?¡± ¡°Nothing, nothing! Old Zhou, go ahead. I have something to do.¡± Lieutenant Zhu denied it repeatedly and slipped away with cupped hands. Zhou Yi frowned slightly. ¡°Could it be that Old Zhu is working for some big shot? A few million taels of silver is enough to support an army. There are only a few people in the entire Fengyang Kingdom who can use it!¡± It was not that he was worried about Lieutenant Zhu¡¯s safety. Everyone had to bear the consequences of their own choice. Zhou Yi was worried that he would be implicated. If Lieutenant Zhu was suspected of a big case, his good friend would inevitably be implicated. It came true. The first month of the 18th year of Hongchang Before the festive atmosphere of the new year dissipated, a shocking case happened in the Fengyang Kingdom, causing turmoil in the imperial court. Crown Prince Zhao Chi wanted to kill the emperor! The Uniformed Guards caught the imperial chef who tried to poison him on the spot. After interrogating him overnight, they found dragon robes and jade seals in the Eastern Pce. ording to the eunuch from the Eastern Pce, the Crown Prince had ordered thatshe should be addressed as His Majesty and the Crown Prince Consort as the Empress. The other concubines should correspond to the harem. Faced with conclusive evidence, Zhao Chi could not refute and admitted that he had colluded with the Duke¡¯s Mansion to plot rebellion. Hongchang was furious! The imperial guards surrounded the Duke¡¯s Mansion, and the Uniform Guards searched the entire city for the relevant Crown Prince¡¯s henchmen. Lieutenant Zhu was a new pawn under the Crown Prince! Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Chapter 29 Blood Refining Technique Now. The cell had a hidden door. Zhou Yi was outside. Lieutenant Zhu was inside. ¡°Old Zhou,ugh if you want. I can hold on!¡± Lieutenant Zhu was dressed in a pale prison uniform and had a long face. ¡°Since we¡¯ve been colleagues for so many years, can I ask a favor?¡± Zhou Yi nodded and said, ¡°Go ahead, Old Zhu.¡± Lieutenant Zhu pleaded, ¡°We¡¯re suspected ofmitting a major rebellion, so we¡¯ll definitely be raided and exiled. When the timees, can you help us make some arrangements so that our wives and children won¡¯t suffer?¡± ¡°How did you hook up with the princelings, Old Zhu?¡± It was not that Zhou Yi looked down on others, but before the rebellion, the Crown Prince had already overseen the country. How could he take a fancy to a mere ninth-grade lieutenant? ¡°I hooked up with the heir of the State Duke Qi the year beforest.¡± Lieutenant Zhu said, ¡°Later on, with the help of the prison, we plundered a lot of silver from a few criminals. That¡¯s how we caught the Crown Prince¡¯s eye.¡± The niece of the Duke Qi was the Crown Prince¡¯s secondary consort. She was implicated in a conspiracy and the Duke of the country was demoted to a marquis. Some of the corrupt officials in the prison had hidden the stolen money before they were caught. Lieutenant Zhu used his position to torture and threaten them to take out the money. The heir of State Duke Qi was in need of money to buy officials, so he did not care about Lieutenant Zhu¡¯s lowly background and pulled him into the Crown Prince¡¯s faction. ¡°Old Zhu, don¡¯t worry about this. Your colleagues in prison will definitely take good care of your family.¡± Zhou Yiforted him. ¡°After they were sent to the ce of exile, I will also greet the local bailiffs. It¡¯s hard to say that they will live a carefree life. At the very least, they won¡¯t do heavy work and be bullied.¡± ¡°Old Zhou, you¡¯re so righteous!¡± Lieutenant Zhu was inexplicably touched. Most things in the world were icing on the cake, and few people could help in times of need. Zhou Yiforted Lieutenant Zhu. When his family was pardoned, he could arrange for them to be prison guards when they returned to the Divine Capital. They would be fine after settling down. Cell C-9. There was something wrong with the feng shui in this cell. Many big shots died when they entered. Li Ye paced back and forth in the cell, looking at the aisle from time to time as if he was expecting something. Li Ye¡¯s three younger brothers were also in the same cell. They were from seven to ten years old. They looked terrified and pale. Zhou Yi came to the outside of the cell and swept his gaze across the four of them. The three young ones were born in luxury and had never followed Li Wu to war. Their essence, energy, and spirit were far inferior to Li Ye. Li Ye¡¯s eyes shed with joy as he probed, ¡°Senior, you are¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s me.¡± Zhou Yi said via voice transmission, ¡°Back then, I promised Li Wu that I would leave a bloodline for the Li family so that the heroes would not die out!¡± When the old voice entered his ears, it was exactly the same as the senior who had secretly helped him previously. Li Ye heaved a sigh of relief. This was his father¡¯sst chance of survival for the Li family. ¡°Thank you for saving my life, Senior.¡± Li Ye observed his expression and knew that Zhou Yi was unwilling to expose his identity. He asked his three younger brothers to hide in the inner room. Zhou Yi asked curiously, ¡°How do you know my identity?¡± Li Ye said, ¡°Before Father died, he sent someone to pass on a message. If the entire family is imprisoned one day, the person who delivered the food while we wait in this cell will be the Li family¡¯s Zhou Yi asked again, ¡°Did the Li family participate in the Crown Prince¡¯s rebellion?¡± Li Ye was silent for a moment before answering truthfully, ¡°I did contact the Eastern Pce and wanted the Crown Prince to ascend to the throne as soon as possible and seek survival in death. However, time was too short and I didn¡¯t have the time to contact my old friends in the army.¡± Zhou Yi said in surprise, ¡°So the rebellion was orchestrated by Emperor Hongchang himself?¡± Li Ye nodded and said, ¡°As far as I know, the Crown Prince has never had the intention to kill with poison. He only wants to force the current Emperor to abdicate.¡± Zhou Yi clicked his tongue in wonder. ¡°Emperor Hongchang is also a ruthless person. In order to eliminate the Li family, he would rather abandon his own son. Clearly, he doesn¡¯t have much time left.¡± Li Ye bowed and said, ¡°Senior, please save the Li family!¡± Zhou Yi reminded him, ¡°I promised Li Wu that I would only save one.¡± The four sons of Li Wu were wanted by the imperial court, and all of them were thorns in Emperor Hongchang¡¯s side. It was already very risky to find an opportunity to save one. ¡°I don¡¯t dare to ask for too much. I¡¯m already lucky to leave the Li family¡¯s bloodline.¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Li Ye continued, ¡°Father left behind a special technique for thete emperor. Now that the imperial family wants to destroy the Li family, I don¡¯t have to abide by the oath. I¡¯ll offer this technique in exchange for Senior taking my third brother as your personal disciple!¡± ¡°Third brother?¡± Zhou Yi wondered, ¡°You¡¯re the current Duke. If you die, most of the Li family¡¯s connections in the army will be crippled.¡± CON ¡°After Father died, those uncles avoided the Li family like the gue. How could I have any connections?¡± Li Ye said, ¡°My martial arts talent is poor, and I already have no hope of bing a grandmaster. My third brother is talented. If he can cultivate with you, he might be able to break through to the Connate Realm in the future.¡± This is property ? of N?velDrama.Org. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Is it the Flying Sword special technique?¡± Back then, when Li Wu lured and killed experts of the martial world, Old Bai had seen it with his own eyes. His flying sword could kill people as easily as cutting grass. ¡°The special technique is called a Blood-Refined Spirit Weapon. Only Connate Grandmasters can cultivate it.¡± Li Ye exined, ¡°Find a spirit artifact and bathe it in your blood. It will then be connected to your mind and can be absorbed into your body over the years.¡± Zhou Yi looked interested, but he shook his head and said, ¡°Although the special technique is good, it¡¯s a pity that I don¡¯t ept disciples.¡± The master-disciple rtionship in this era was not as simple as a teacher-student rtionship. It was not an exaggeration to say that they were parents of another surname If the teacher had something to do, the disciple would do the work. If a disciplemitted evil, his master would also bear his sins. Li Ye sighed dejectedly. The Blood Refinement Mystic Technique was the only thing that could be used. There was nothing else that could move a Grandmaster. ¡°But ¡­¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s tone changed. ¡°I have a cultivation technique that has a special requirement for one¡¯s aptitude. Very few people in the world can cultivate it. If you can enter the elementary level and cultivate for decades, you will reach the Connate Realm!¡± Li Ye pondered for a moment and understood that he had no choice. ¡°Thank you for the technique, Senior. I¡¯ll tell you the method of blood refinement first¡­¡± Then, he told Zhou Yi everything about the special technique. ¡°Such a special technique can already be considered a weapon refinement technique.¡± Zhou Yi secretly pondered and found it even more mysterious. He asked, ¡°How can I determine what a spirit artifact is?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure either, but when my father was alive, he said that there were two spiritual items in the Divine Capital.¡± Li Ye said, ¡°The Mountain and River Cauldron enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple and the heirloom jade seal of the Fengyang Kingdom. These two items were passed down from the founding ancestor and the ancestral sword refined by Father back then. They are called the Three Treasures of Fengyang.¡¯ ¡°Both of them are quite troublesome.¡± Zhou Yi had seen the Mountain and River Cauldron before. It was almost as tall as a person and weighed two to three tons. Although the jade seal of inheritance was small, it was hidden in the depths of the pce. There were countless imperial guards inside and outside. Moreover, the exact location of the jade seal needed to be investigated personally. ¡°Let¡¯s put this matter aside for now and n slowly in the future.¡± If Zhou Yi could wait, he could even wait until the Fengyang Kingdom was destroyed, and the Mountain and River Cauldron and jade seal would be at his fingertips. ¡°This cultivation technique of mine is called the Origin Returning Mantra. No one in the world can cultivate it.¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°Call your three younger brothers out and test their bones one by one. If they fail¡­ the other nsmen can try.¡± ¡°As you say, Senior.¡± Li Ye did not force his three brothers to live. There were still Li Wu¡¯s illegitimate sons and daughters in the other cells, as well as the Li family¡¯s coteral rtives. How could a n¡¯s revenge n be cut off because of distance! ¡°The world is dark and there¡¯s no limit to it. When it merges, the essence energy will mix together¡­¡± Zhou Yi taught the Origin Returning Mantra to the four brothers and waited for them to sit cross-legged and cultivate. There was no need for them to really refine their Dharmic powers. Instead, if they could attract the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it meant that they had cultivation potential. About an hourter. Li Ye was the first to stand up. He shook his head slightly and looked at his three younger brothers hopefully. Then, his second brother and third brother ended their meditation. No matter what, they could not sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth described in the Origin Returning Mantra. Only the fourth brother, Li Hong, sat cross-legged in meditation. Not only did he not feel tired, but he also revealed a look of enjoyment. ¡°Is this¡­ a spiritual root?¡± Zhou Yi keenly sensed that the spiritual energy of heaven and earth fluctuated slightly and gathered around Li Hong. The amount and speed were several times faster than when he was cultivating. ¡°The Li family has a sessor!¡± Chapter 30 Chapter 30 Chapter 30 The Master of Prosperity Li Hong woke up from his cultivation and opened his eyes to see his brother staring at him. ¡°How do you feel, Fourth Brother?¡± Li Ye believed that a grandmaster would not be so despicable as to lie to him. However, Li Hong¡¯s change determined his subsequent instructions. ¡°Very good!¡± Li Hong had cultivated top-notch internal cultivation techniques since he was young. There was a martial arts expert who tempered his muscles and bones, and he had taken many pills. At this moment, after being soaked in spiritual energy andbed, his physique and strength had greatly increased in a short period of time. ¡°After Senior saves you, find a ce to cultivate and break through to the Connate realm, then find an opportunity to avenge our nsmen!¡± Li Ye reminded, ¡°If the Zhao family is also protected by a grandmaster, there¡¯s no need to take the risk to take revenge. Change your name and continue the Li family¡¯s bloodline.¡± ¡°Big Brother!¡± Even though Li Hong was young, he understood the meaning behind it and could not help but cry out. ¡°The men of the Li family can bleed and die, but they can¡¯t shed tears!¡± Li Ye scolded Li Hong for being petty and repeatedly reminded him to focus on cultivation in the future and to be careful of the Uniform Guards. ¡°Thank you, Senior, for saving my life and imparting the technique. Regardless of whether the Li family descendants prosper or decline, they will respect you as their parents and as ancestors!¡± Li Ye brought his three younger brothers to the ground and kowtowed. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so formal.¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°When do you want me to rescue him from the Sky Prison? Do you have any ns?¡± Li Ye said, ¡°Senior, wait for a few days. When the Imperial Court gives the verdict, it¡¯s very likely that we¡¯ll be exiled to the border. If bandits attack on the way, Senior can take advantage of the chaos and save Fourth Brother.¡± Zhou Yi nodded slightly. Doing this would not attract any attention, and Li Hong would have a much safer time cultivating in the future. ¡°How can you be sure that the imperial court will exile you? In order to eliminate your family, they abandoned their own son!¡± Li Ye said, ¡°Emperor Hongchang wants to be a wise ruler and leave his name in history. He definitely won¡¯t be criticized for mistreating his meritorious officials. Spare the Li family¡¯s life and obtain a good reputation for benevolence, then send the mountain bandits to exterminate them. It¡¯s the best of both worlds!¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°If I didn¡¯t see what happened to the Lu family, I wouldn¡¯t have known Emperor Hongchang is indeed the ruler of prosperity!¡± During the reign of Emperor Chongming, the Fengyang Kingdom almost copsed, and most of the territory fell into the hands of Great Yong and the rebels. In the 18 years of Emperor Hongchang¡¯s reign, he had already swept away all decadence and restored the prosperity of the country. Li Wu had contributed greatly to this, but war was not the only thing the country had. Emperor Hongchang could handle the mess left behind by Emperor Chongming and could be considered a monarch who was truly capable of governing a country. ¡°The dog emperor himself isn¡¯t much, but his judgment of people is extremely urate. One is Li Wu, and the other is Hongchang.¡± Zhou Yi recalled Emperor Chongming¡¯s arrangements before his death. He had secretly nurtured Li Wu and schemed to kill Prime Minister Long. He had also ordered the Third Prince to ascend the throne. He had made excellent arrangements step by step. ¡°Why is such a smart person obsessed with cultivation?¡± ¡°Senior¡­¡± Li Ye saw Zhou Yi¡¯s expression change and thought that he had missed something. He added, ¡°If Emperor Hongchang judges the Li family to be beheaded, I¡¯ll have to trouble Senior to kidnap Fourth Brother on the way.¡± ¡°Why not in the Sky Prison?¡± Now that Zhou Yi was the oldest prison guard in the Sky Prison, he had survived three generations of wardens. It was easy for him to rece one person. Li Ye said, ¡°The four of us brothers are a thorn in Emperor Hongchang¡¯s side. If we make a mistake in the prison, it will definitely affect the officials in the prison. Therefore, it won¡¯t be good if we affect Senior¡¯s seclusion.¡± Zhou Yi looked at Li Ye deeply for a moment and nodded without saying anything. Such a clear-minded person could do well anywhere. It was a loss for him to be born into the Li family. The aftermath was indeed within Li Ye¡¯s expectations. The three departments of the Imperial Court held a trial. Due to the conclusive evidence of the rebellion, a verdict was quickly given. The Crown Prince was deposed as amoner and could not leave the Imprisoned Pce for the rest of his life. The rest of the aplices were either exiled or beheaded. Among them, the Li family, as the main supporter of the rebellion, was deposed of the title of the Duke of the country and will execute nine generations! After hearing the verdict, Emperor Hongchangy on the bed and called for Zhang Zhengyang. ¡°The Li family has done a great favor for the country. Even if Minister Li betrayed me, I can¡¯t betray him. I¡¯ll change the punishment to exilement. I can¡¯t let Minister Li have no sessor!¡± These words spread through the imperial court, and the officials shouted that His Majesty was merciful! When themoners heard this, they had to admit that the current emperor was a benevolent ruler who cared about old ties. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks March of the same year. The imperial court sent the imperial guards to escort the 137 members of the Li family to the northern border. Zhou Yi had already applied for leave half a month in advance. The reason was that he was visiting a friend in the martial world and the date of his return was uncertain. Warden Liu approved it sensibly and said earnestly that he would keep the sry and dividends of his job and told him to remember toe back no matter how long he went out. After all, it was difficult to find an expert who did not fight for power! Mount Longevity. Chongming Tomb. Zhou Yi¡¯s dharmic powers prated the soil and gently tapped the top of the tomb. He waited for a long time without hearing a response. ¡°Did Huang Yuniang have an ident? Emperor Chongming is in charge of a country and is famous for plundering all kinds of treasures. It¡¯s not necessarily that he doesn¡¯t have a real cultivation method. The blood-refining spirit weapon technique is one of them! It¡¯s a little unsafe to rashly send Huang Yuniang into this tomb!¡±. Zhou Yi pondered for a moment before leaving Mount Longevity. He would not try to enter the tomb. There were many methods rted to cultivation in the mortal world. If there were array formations or restrictions in the tomb, one would die if they were not careful. ¡°I¡¯lle back to investigate after my cultivation isplete!¡± Zhou Yi bought a horse and headed north along the official road. For the first time in more than twenty years, he left the territory of the Divine Capital and saw the people and scenery along the way. He was naturally happy. As the wise man said, read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles! He took shelter from the rain in the deserted mountain temple. With the help of the bonfire, he told a few ghost stories to the traveling merchants. They were clearly too scared to sleep, but they urged him to say the rest. He also encountered heroes of the martial world who would fight to the death if they disagreed. Zhou Yi cheered loudly and even kindly rewarded them with a silver ingot. In the end, the two heroes did not know what was good for them. They thought that they had been insulted and charged over. ¡°How can I be a fighter?¡± Zhou Yi shouted and fled. He even saw a valiant and extraordinary woman in the martial world who fell in love with Zhou Yi at first sight and said that she would not marry anyone but him. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Zhou Yi had always heard Old Bai brag about how carefree the people of the pugilistic world were, so he wanted to experience it for himself. So when he followed the woman to a house, before anything good could happen, seven or eight ck-haired men jumped out. ¡°Stinging kidneys¡­ Bah, robbery!¡± ¡°Old White, you harmed me!¡± Zhou Yi looked up at the sky and sighed. He had no choice but to kill all the thieves. As he walked and stopped on the way, Zhou Yi did not forget his goal. He was constantly paying attention to the imperial guards. ¡°They¡¯re almost at Snake Mountain!¡± Zhou Yi shook the reins and the horses galloped. Mountains appeared at the end of the in. He rode for another twenty miles. The mountain range in front of them was clearly visible, like a winding green python that crossed the sky. Snake Mountain! This mountain range was continuous, and there was only one mountain path among them. After crossing over would be the northern border. The Fengyang Kingdom used Snake Mountain as a natural barrier. Even in theter years of Chongming Dynasty, the Yong army was unable to break through. ¡°The plentiful mountains and deep forests are a good ce to silence them! The Northern Frontier Army has many generals promoted by Li Wu, if Emperor Hongchang doesn¡¯t make a move soon¡­¡± Zhou Yi tied the horse to the foot of the mountain and stuck a Light Body Talisman on himself before flying towards Snake Mountain. His body was as light as a feather. With a light tap on the ground, he rose into the air and crossed more than a hundred feet before slowlynding. ¡°With Qinggong and talismans, it¡¯s already 30% as good as flying!¡± About an hourter. Zhou Yi climbed up the nameless mountain and looked into the distance. The mountains were like the sea, and the setting sun was like blood. The mountain wind blew through the forest, and the green waves rolled. It was majestic. Eagles flew across the sky, and tiger roars came from the mountains. Zhou Yi looked down at the mountain path below. The imperial guards and prison vehicles were winding for a mile or two, and he could faintly hear cries. ¡°In this situation, it¡¯s not beautiful to kill someone!¡± Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Chapter 31 Northern Frontier City In the dense forest. Countless mountain bandits hid secretly and stared coldly at the prisoner carriage below. Woo-chirp A rather rhythmic bird cry sounded. The bandit¡¯s eyes shed with bloodlust as he darted out from behind the rocks, underbrush, and trees. ¡°Brother, lend me some clothes.¡± A voice sounded behind a mountain bandit. Before he could turn around, he fell silent. Zhou Yi changed his clothes and circted his Dharmic powers to use the Bone Changing Technique. After changing his face shape, he used a disguise technique and looked 70-80% simr to the dead mountain bandit. At this moment The imperial guards on the mountain path had already noticed something strange. When themander of the imperial guards, Yang Shou, saw the birds in the mountains flying away in shock, he waved his hand to signal for the army to stop and ordered the scouts to scout the mountains. After waiting for a long time without seeing any scouts return, he had determined that there was an ambush in the mountains. ¡°Form up and face the enemy!¡± Yang Shou led the elite imperial guards and quickly gathered the prisoner carriages, setting up a circr formation to await orders. ¡°Hahaha! Heavens above! I am the protector of the Heavenly King. Today, I will kill all of Butcher Li¡¯s nsmen and sacrifice them to the Heavenly King!¡± Deafeningughter rang out. Then dozens of boulders flew from the mountain and rained down on the army. ¡°A catapult!¡± Yang Shou eximed. Before he could evacuate the army, the huge rock had already fallen on his head. The boulders that were thrown down from the mountain were so powerful that no one could withstand them. They smashed into the crowd and screams rang out. After three or four consecutive rounds of boulders, the imperial guards¡¯ formation was broken up. ¡°Kill! Kill¡­¡± On both sides of the mountain, there were at least thousands of people. Yang Shou shouted, ¡°Line up, line up!¡± The imperial guards barely managed to regroup. Arrows rained down on them as they suffered heavy casualties. ¡°Kill the enemy!¡± Despair shed across Yang Shou¡¯s eyes. He was not afraid of the number of enemies, but he had other guesses. There were at least a dozen catapults and organized archers. How could mountain bandits or rebels afford to raise them? The other party was clearly using their background as a pretext. The moment the imperial guards and the mountain bandits shed, they sensed something amiss. The elite imperial guards trained every day, but their strength was no match for the bandits. After Yang Shou killed a few bandits with his spear, he could see even more clearly on the horse that the imperial guards were already retreating ¡°I can¡¯t die like this!¡± Themander had already thought of retreating. How could his soldiers fight to the death? It was unknown if they were doing it on purpose or if they had forgotten, but there were no bandits blocking the way. Therefore, after Yang Shou took the lead to escape, the imperial guards fled in all directions. The bandits¡¯ target was the prisoner carriages. They did not chase after the imperial guards and ughtered the prisoners with their weapons. The Li family members in the prisoner carriages were shackled and could not resist at all. They could only watch helplessly as they were ughtered. In the forest. Zhou Yi carried the young Li Hong and stood on a branch. ¡°Time to go. We¡¯ll check the corpsester. Maybe we¡¯ll find something unusual.¡± While the imperial guards were fighting with the bandits, Zhou Yi took advantage of the chaos to rescue Li Hong and left a bandit with a simr figure and a broken face on the prison cart. ¡°Senior, wait a moment. I want to see my nsmen die with my own eyes so that I can remember this hatred even deeper!¡± Li Hong did not cry or grieve. He listened to his mother, brothers, and loved ones scream and die under the knives of the bandits. A momentter. The nsmen of the Li family were all dead. The bandits opened the prison carriages and disyed the corpses one by one. N?velDrama.Org owns all content. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks A few bandits in long robes walked out and did a headcount. Among them, there were a few corpses whose faces were badly mutted. They also carefully identified their figures and dressing. ¡°The ones who attacked were the Jiangnan aristocratic families.¡± Zhou Yi heard the conversation and said, ¡°They didn¡¯t suspect you. They just thought that you were seriously injured in the scuffle.¡± ¡°Those are Uncle Li Chi, Cousin Li Yi, and Cousin Li Liang. They¡¯re only one or two years older than me, and their sizes are simr. Big Brother is meticulous. He¡¯s afraid that I¡¯ll be hunted down by the Uniformed Guards, so he sent people to destroy their faces.¡± Li Hong¡¯s voice was calm, but his eyes were bloodshot. ¡°To be honest, I think more highly of your brother. Whether it¡¯s the disfigurement or the perpetrator, they probably don¡¯t know the purpose of your brother doing this!¡± Zhou Yi grabbed Li Hong¡¯s cor and disappeared into the forest. Northern Frontier. Barren City. He could tell by the name that it was a bitter cold ce. The prisoners of Fengyang Country were all here. They would dig the iron mine nearby until death or amnesty. The tter of hooves woke the guards on duty. ¡°Stop!¡± The soldiers drew their swords and stopped the two horses that were galloping toward them. ¡°What are you doing in Barren City?¡± ¡°Visiting an old friend.¡± Zhou Yi fell from his horse and dropped two silver ingots. ¡°Eh? Brother, you dropped your silver!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± The city gate officer seemed to have never met such a shameless person. Even the most shameless official would secretly hand over silver. Disgusting, can¡¯t you cover your face too? The gate guard despised him, but he moved quickly. He picked up the silver, wiped it, and stuffed it into his pocket. ¡°Who are you looking for, sir?¡± Zhou Yi said, ¡°I only know that his surname is Wei and he¡¯s from Yuzhou. He¡¯s been here for about 36 years.¡± The city guard dragged his voice out. ¡°Over thirty years. Who knows if he¡¯s still alive? It won¡¯t be easy!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s sleeve trembled and two silver ingots fell. The city gate guard said helplessly, ¡°Go to the city to look for Liu San. He¡¯s in charge of the miners from Yuzhou. As long as they¡¯re still alive, he¡¯ll definitely be able to find them.¡± Zhou Yi took out two ingots of silver from his pocket. ¡°Is there a way to meet and arrange some easy work?¡± The city gate official felt that the silver was burning his hands. ¡°Then you have to go to the government office to find the manager. You can go to the government office to do odd jobs after spending money.¡± Zhou Yi continued to hand over the silver. ¡°Is there anything else I need to pay attention to?¡± ¡°Master, how generous!¡± The city guard patted his chest. ¡°When I¡¯m bringing you along, not to mention finding someone, I can even bring someone out of Barren City.¡± Zhou Yi said in surprise, ¡°You can take them away?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. If they can¡¯t be taken away, how can those people in the mine die every year?¡± The city gate officer instructed his soldiers to stand guard and not let the thieves enter the city. Then, he brought Zhou Yi and hispanion into the city. The city was in ruins, and the streets were overgrown with weeds. There was no one to be seen. The shops on both sides were empty. The broken windows and doors creaked like ghosts when the wind blew. ¡°This was originally the border army¡¯s camp. It was quite prosperous back then. Now that the border army has gone to Yizhou, there¡¯s only an empty city left¡­¡± The city guard seemed to feel guilty for epting the money and took the initiative to be a tour guide, telling the history of Barren City. ¡°Look at the General Assembly Stage. The Duke used to beat drums here¡­ ¡°This tavern has fine wine from the Divine Capital. Every time the Duke returns from a victory battle, he What the city guard said was most likely rted to the Duke. Only when they reached the northern border did they know how famous Li Wu was and how far-reaching his influence was. Li Hong followed what the gate officer said. He seemed to see his father, in charge of the soldiers at the General Assembly Stage, and drinking freely at the tavern. Zhou Yi patted Li Hong¡¯s shoulder and said via voice transmission, ¡°Remember your brother¡¯s instructions!¡± Li Hong nodded slightly and restrained his emotions. ¡°Sir, don¡¯t worry. Before I advance to the Connate Realm, I will change my surname to Zhou.¡± Silver was more useful in Barren City than Zhou Yi had expected. After being introduced by the city guard, Manager Sun was very reasonable and directly offered a price. ¡°One thousand taels for the living, and an additional two hundred taels for the registered residence. I¡¯m honest!¡± Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Chapter 32 Descendant of an Old Friend County office. The department. Manager Sun and Zhou Yi were talking about buying and selling prisoners in front of the schrs. Clearly, this was an open secret in Barren City. They depended on whatever there was to eat. The government office in Barren City relied on selling criminals for a living. 1,200 taels of silver would be used to fake the death of the exiled prisoners at the mine. They would change their surnames and enter Barren City. After a few years, they would be able to use some connections to move to another state capital andpletely be a good citizen. ¡°Mr. Zhou, don¡¯t think it¡¯s expensive. This silver didn¡¯t fall on us.¡± Manager Sun pointed upward. ¡°Master has been a schr for twelve years. Do you understand?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re Prime Minister Zhang¡¯s student!¡± Zhou Yi looked respectful and said in a low voice, ¡°That year¡¯s Pce Examination was not too peaceful. Everyone was looking at the rankings. Prime Minister Zhang took the opportunity to¡­¡± As he spoke, he made a grabbing gesture. His gaze swept across the people in the county government office and said, ¡°Do you know why?¡± Manager Sun cupped his hands and said, ¡°Please enlighten me, sir!¡± The schrs in the household pricked up their ears and noted down the secrets of the country. When they returned to drink with their colleagues, it would be the top topic of discussion. It was as enjoyable as discussing international politics at a barbecue stall. ¡°That year, the Duke won a great victory in the northern border and took the opportunity to attack Great Yong. His reputation was flourishing!¡± Zhou Yi said slowly, ¡°At that time, the Minister of War was a general in the army. He had once worked with the Duke to destroy the traitors in Jiangnan. The two of them, one inside and one outside, were invincible in the imperial court.¡± ¡°Prime Minister Zhang took this opportunity to take it down, break the customs of the country, and be the Minister of War as a civil official¡­¡± ¡°Hiss!¡± Manager Sun no longer suspected that Mr. Zhou must be from the Divine Capital. He said respectfully, ¡°Sir, please take a seat. I¡¯ll go and urge thosezy fellows to do their work!¡± ¡°Please, Manager.¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s actions were polite. He was elegant and imposing, but not superior to others. He made people feel like they were bathing in a spring breeze. Within moments, he was chatting happily with the officials. He casually mentioned some secrets of the Divine Capital, such as a certain high official who returned to his hometown and actually went to Spring Breeze GTower without settling the bill. He owed tens of thousands of taels of silver, but in the end, thedy told the Censor through pillow talk. After more than tenints, a certain official lost all his reputation and could only retire. Such rumors could not be taken seriously. How could ordinary people know the real reason for his retirement? However, people preferred to hear such gossip. Manager Sun said in surprise, ¡°What kind of ce is Spring Breeze Tower? It can actually persuade the Censor to submit a memorial?¡± ¡°When ordinary people go to the Divine Capital, they only know that the Musical House Division is a good ce, but it¡¯s actually not. Only minor officials go to the Musical House Division. The real money squandering den in the Divine Capital is the Spring Breeze Tower¡­¡± As soon as Zhou Yi said this, everyone perked up. Initially, he was just chatting with the schrs in the office. In the end, Zhou Yi pointed out three to five courtesans and the other students from the other offices came over. There were three realms in the Divine Capital, and Zhou Yi was the most familiar with them. Home, Sky Prison, Spring Breeze Tower. Zhou Yi, who had visited the Spring Breeze Tower for twenty years, had a deep rtionship with the 20-odd Flower Queens selected during this period. Hisments were clear and logical. Among a group of men, sex was the best way to get closer. It has been like this since ancient times! Zhou Yi sighed and said, ¡°The Flower Queen Su Xiaoxiao who was chosen two years ago could be considered the best in the past ten years. Unfortunately, Duke Wei took a fancy to her before she could be groomed. He spent money to buy her into the Duke¡¯s Mansion and let her be his concubine.¡± ¡°Even a prostitute can enter the Duke¡¯s Mansion?¡± ¡°Duke Wei is a big shot!¡± ¡°He¡¯s really lucky!¡± N?velDrama.Org holds ? this. IIII Everyone discussed among themselves. The Flower Queens in front did not have a good ending. Those who retired quickly married merchants and became concubines. Most of them became ordinary prostitutes after they aged. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks ¡°You¡¯re wrong. Su Xiaoxiao is the unlucky one!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s tone changed, making everyone¡¯s hearts itch. He slowly took a sip of tea. ¡°That Duke is also afraid of his wife. Su Xiaoxiao died not long after she entered the residence.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°What a pity!¡± ¡°The best in the past ten years. Not fated to meet!¡± ¡°Heaven is jealous of her!¡± ¡°I knew it. How could a mere whore have such a good life?¡± No one condemned the Duke¡¯s wife for killing her, and they even despised Su Xiaoxiao for it. It was her own fault for trying to climb up the ranks of the Duke¡¯s Mansion. The lecherous Duke Wei, on the other hand, made everyone like him because he was afraid of his wife. If even a grand duke was afraid of his wife, and I was afraid of my wife, wouldn¡¯t I be equivalent to a duke? That was the way of the world. No one could change it. They were still talking when they heard footsteps. The bailiff came through the door with seven prisoners. The mine was more than ten kilometers away from Barren City, and they had to search and verify their identification. After at least ten hours, when the sky was about to turn dark, the bailiff finally returned. There were more than a hundred people exiled in the Wei family. After more than twenty years, only seven remained. Zhou Yi swept his gaze across the prisoners and asked the oldest-looking man, ¡°Are you the descendant of Sir Wei?¡± ¡°Sir, I am Wei Jun, the third son of my father, Wei Chang.¡± On the way, Wei Jun had already heard from the guard that this gentleman was an old friend of the Wei family. He hade to Barren City to spend money to save his life. After Zhou Yi saved Li Hong, he changed his appearance. He was 45 years old and a little old. If he deliberately used this appearance to do things and exposed that he had received Wei Chang¡¯s kindness back then, it could exin the origin of his internal energy. He would not be in much trouble even if others knew about this. Instead, they would admire Zhou Yi for being grateful. Zhou Yi asked, ¡°I owe Sir Wei a favor back then. Today, it¡¯s to pay back for that. Think about it carefully. Do you want to return to your hometown or stay on the northern border?¡± ¡°Benefactor, we¡¯ve already discussed it on the way, so we won¡¯t return to Yuzhou. We¡¯ll stay on the northern border to earn a living.¡± Wei Jun replied, ¡°After a few decades, we¡¯ll go back and offer incense to our ancestors.¡± It had only been more than 20 years since the Wei Chang case. There were many enemies of the Wei family in Yuzhou. Even if they changed their names, once they were recognized and reported, the Imperial Court would send someone to investigate. ¡°Okay.¡± Zhou Yi agreed and took out a stack of banknotes from his sleeve. ¡°I¡¯ll have to trouble Manager Sun. I see that there are many empty houses in Barren City. Can you buy one for the Wei family to stay in?¡± ¡°Sir, you must be joking. There¡¯s no need to buy a dpidated house. You can just choose a ce to transfer the deed over.¡± Manager Sun took the banknotes. There were at least fifteen or sixteen of them. He said with a smile, ¡°If the Wei family is willing to stay in the city, I can arrange for them to work in the houses. They can guard the granary on a daily basis. There will definitely be food and drink.¡± When Wei Jun saw Zhou Yi looking over, he hurriedly agreed. ¡°Thank you, Benefactor. Thank you, Manager Sun!¡± The Wei family was extremely grateful to Zhou Yi. After their family was destroyed did they know the true connections. Back then, the Wei family was quite famous in Yuzhou. The Flying Rainbow Swordsman had many friends, but in the end, no one helped them. Most of the people in the martial world were good friends. asionally, one or two heroes would be popr stories. It was not wise to think that all of them were the same. ¡°Old Sun, the Sturdy Team is short of people. Why don¡¯t theye on duty here? The mine patrol is more carefree.¡± ¡°The armory is also short-staffed. There¡¯s a lot of benefits on duty at the city gate.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as easy as my ceremonial department. There¡¯s no need for a roll call every day. After all, there¡¯s not even a schr in the city!¡± The stewards of the different departments spoke up one after another. Firstly, they saw that Zhou Yi had an extraordinary background, and secondly, it was for the sake of those silver. Zhou Yi cupped his hands and smiled. ¡°Thank you, everyone. Please take care of the Wei family in the future. When you go to the Divine Capital, I might not be able to help with the matters of the Spring Breeze Tower¡¯s courtesans, but I can arrange anything else!¡± There was a sudden roar ofughter. Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Chapter 33 Tattered Soldiers and Defeated Generals The government office of Barren City followed the rules very well. After receiving the money, they immediately got to work. The eight members of the Wei family registered on the spot and got their identification documents. The dossier recorded that the Wei family had been doing business in Barren City for generations. Wei changed his surname to Wei, and his name was also given the same pronunciation. (The first Wei is the same word as State of Wei in the Three Kingdoms, the second Wei has the same word as the guard, Wei.] Zhou Yi wondered, ¡°Will there be any slip-ups?¡± ¡°Mr. Zhou, don¡¯t worry. The northern border is too barren, so it¡¯s very easy for things like this to happen.¡± Manager Sun exined, ¡°These dossiers are burned clean every year, so no one will be able to find anything. Besides, who would dare to investigate the people who came to apply for household registration?¡± Zhou Yi nodded slightly. This method was somewhat simr to the Sky Prison. There were also methods to secretly change the people in the Sky Prison, but they were extremely secretive and careful, unlike here where they did things without restraint. Even the imperial power did not infiltrate the countryside, let alone the remote Barren City. Barren City did not even have a restaurant. The government office¡¯s kitchen hosted a banquet. There were more wild game than vegetables. They drank the unique hard liquor of the northern border and bragged about various truths and lies. The atmosphere was quite lively. The county magistrate also appeared during the meal. After all, there were only a few orders a year for a big business that cost more than ten thousand taels of silver. The county magistrate¡¯s surname was Zhao and his name was Tai. He was fat and greasy and did not N?velDrama.Org owns all content. look like a schr. No matter how poor he was, he could not be a poor official. Zhao Tai was from Jiangnan. He built a small bridge in the back office and bought many beautiful servants. He ate, drank, and was carefree every day. The government office was really no different from the pce! Zhao Tai recalled the past in the Divine Capital and couldn¡¯t help but sigh. ¡°I still remember when I went to the capital to take the exam. I won first ce in reciting poems and painting at the Spring Breeze Tower. I told Miss Ruirui about my feelings. I wonder how she is now?¡± ¡°Married to a wealthy businessman in Jiangnan. Rumor has it that Miss Ruirui wants to see if the Jiangnan scenery is as good as described in the painting.¡± Zhou Yi raised his eyebrows. He did not expect to see the real person. Miss Ruirui was the Flower Queen back then and had once been famous in the Divine Capital. She might be able to enter any unofficial history in the future. She was most famous for being obsessed with the man surnamed Zhao. She even rejected the heir of the Marquis¡¯s Residence because of this. Some said that he was a member of the royal family, while others said that he was a young master of an aristocratic family. She waited in the Divine Capital for two years before finally going to Jiangnan to marry with a cold heart. Unexpectedly, the heartless man was actually a fat man. When he smiled, his eyes were only slits! Zhao Tai sighed at the change in fate. After drinking a few cups of strong wine, he returned to the back office to vent his worries. They enjoyed their meal. After the banquet. Manager Sun ordered his men to look for a courtyard with Zhou Yi and the Wei family. ¡°Mr. Zhou, there are a fewrge mansions in the east of the city.¡± The officer touched the silver in his hand. As expected of a wealthy guest from the Divine Capital, he was really generous. The Wei family quickly chose a residence not far from the county office. Most of the words on the door que had fallen. Judging from the word ¡°bow¡±, it should have once been the Zhang residence. Most of the houses in the courtyard were still intact, but the houses were empty without any furniture. It was alreadyte, and they were all rough men, so they casually tidied up a few rooms for tonight. Zhou Yi activated the Dust Cleaner Talisman, and the room instantly became tidy. He sent a voice transmission to Wei Jun to ask him questions. Wei Jun bowed and said, ¡°Benefactor, what can I do for you?¡± Zhou Yi asked, ¡°Do you know which cultivation technique Sir Wei relied on to dominate Yuzhou back then?¡± Wei Jun¡¯s gaze froze. He subconsciously thought that Zhou Yi might have saved the Wei family for his father¡¯s cultivation technique inheritance, but he still answered obediently. ¡°My father relied on an unknown incantation and a Flying Rainbow Sword Technique.¡± No matter how important cultivation techniques were, they could notpare to the lives of family members. After a few more years of digging iron ore, the Wei n would be extinct. Zhou Yi nodded and said, ¡°Looks like you¡¯re really the descendant of Sir Wei.¡± ¡°Do you want that chant?¡± Wei Jun recited word by word, ¡°Men of Heaven and Earth, give birth to Yin and Yang, transform into all things¡­¡± Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks After confirming that it was true, Zhou Yi waved his hand and interrupted Wei Jun¡¯s recitation. He asked again, ¡°Have you ever thought of revenge?¡± Wei Jun first shook his head and nodded. ¡°When Father was being chased by the Uniformed Guards, he returned home and told us that there was no need to avenge him. However, the Wei family has more than a hundred blood feuds. How can we forget them so easily!¡± ¡°If the Wei family wants revenge, don¡¯t forget this mantra.¡± Zhou Yi instructed, ¡°If the descendants of the Wei family can cultivate this technique, they will definitely be able to prosper again. If they can cultivate it to the Greater Mastery realm, there will be hope for revenge.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll remember your advice.¡± Wei Jun hesitated for a moment before saying, ¡°Benefactor, you might not know this, but I took in a foster son from the mine and he cultivated the Nameless Mantra.¡± After Wei Jun¡¯s exnation, Zhou Yi understood the reason. The Wei family had a martial arts foundation and was much stronger than the other prisoners. They were quite famous among the mine prisoners. In order not to be bullied, some solitary prisoners joined the Wei family and gradually formed a small group. ¡°Take this silver and redeem that adopted son in a few days.¡± Zhou Yi took out thest two banknotes. ¡°That Nameless Mantra has a mysterious origin. Since he¡¯s already cultivated it, he shouldn¡¯t be a ve. Remember to use your sincerity, only then will itst long.¡± These words were enough to repay Wei Chang for his kindness back then! With tears in his eyes, Wei Jun respectfully took the banknotes and kowtowed. ¡°Thank you, benefactor. The Wei family will never forget your great kindness. In the future, if we were to forget that, the Wei family will be punished!¡± The next day. Zhou Yi came to the General Assembly Stage. Li Hong sat cross-legged on it for a day and a night, both to cultivate and to reminisce. ¡°It¡¯s time to leave.¡± Zhou Yi said via voice transmission, ¡°Find a blessed ce on a spiritual mountain and cultivate the Origin Returning Mantra in seclusion. Your progress will be much faster.¡± ¡°Senior, I¡¯ve decided to stay here.¡± Li Hong stood up and said, ¡°Back then, Father dominated the northern border, and the younger generation should follow suit. The first step of this is to restore the prosperity of Barren City.¡± Zhou Yi reminded him, ¡°A person¡¯s energy is limited. Don¡¯t dy your cultivation!¡± ¡°Senior, don¡¯t worry. I gained some enlightenment yesterday and have already refined the first wisp of magic power.¡± Li Hong¡¯s fingertips flickered with spiritual light. Even though it was almost invisible, it was a true fluctuation of dharmic powers. 1111 Zhou Yi was instantly speechless. The quality and grade of his dharmic powers were equivalent to Connate True Essence. Now, Li Hong could be said to have stepped into the Connate realm, but he could not fight. As they spoke, the ground shook faintly. There was a faint hubbub. Li Hong stood on the General Assembly Stage and looked into the distance. There were chaotic figures approaching from the north. ¡°Senior, there seems to be an armying to Barren City!¡± The army marched very quickly, or rather, fled very quickly. When they approached the city gate, they saw that there were hundreds or thousands of defeated soldiers. All of them had disheveled hair and abandoned their armor. Only half of their military gs remained. Themander shouted, ¡°Open the gate! Open the gate!¡± The gate officer asked, ¡°Where are you soldiers from?¡± Themander replied, ¡°I¡¯m Liang Ying, amander under General Chai. Half a month ago, Great Yong fought an undered war. More than half of Yizhou has fallen and is about to attack!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t try to deceive me.¡± The city gate guard berated, ¡°The 300,000-strong army in the northern border is good at fighting. Five years ago, they swept through Great Yong. Could it be that some bandits are trying to trick us into opening the city gate to plunder?¡± ¡°Bullsh*t! There¡¯s nothing in Barren City. The bandits can¡¯t even be bothered to snatch it.¡± Liang Ying shouted, ¡°There are no 300,000 troops on the northern border. We can¡¯t even gather 150,000 troops. We can¡¯t stop Great Yong¡¯s million-strong army from marching south!¡± When the other soldiers saw that the city gate was not opening, they immediately started shouting ¡°Masters from the Divine Capital only know how to make money and drink the blood of soldiers¡­¡± ¡°Those nobles don¡¯t understand military affairs. They make us ntnd and transport goods to build houses every day¡­¡± ¡°I heard that the Great Yong soldiers disguised themselves as caravans and easily infiltrated Zhenbei Pass. They broke through in a day¡­¡± ¡°Open the door now, or we¡¯ll attack!¡± When the city guard heard this, he was so frightened that he repeatedlyforted them. He ordered the bailiff to quickly report to the county magistrate. ¡°The Northern routed troops¡­¡± Zhou Yi muttered to himself. Looking at Li Hong on the General Assembly Stage, he felt that there would be a change when the two of them met. Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Chapter 34 Killing and Robbing Barren City quickly became lively. The defeat of Liang Ying¡¯s troops was only the beginning. More than ten groups came after that. There were at least three to five hundred people and at most one to two thousand. After finding a courtyard in the city to stay in, he ordered the county magistrate to gather provisions. ¡°There aren¡¯t even any ghosts in Barren City. How can we gather food?¡± When Zhao Tai met the civil officials, he could bring out his backing. Facing this group of starving troops, he could not reason with them and did not dare to say anything. He could only transport the food from the mine to distribute. There were thousands of people in the city, so they could at most eat for three to five days. The generals andmanders also knew that there was no food in Barren City, so theymunicated with each other in private. After dering to the public that they would fight Great Yong, they began to plunder the surrounding viges and towns of Barren City. Soldiers were like quails. It was legal and organized into robberies. The people¡¯s homes were so empty that there was nothing left. They could only be refugees and flee south with their families. Those who dared to resist were Great Yong¡¯s spies! At the city gate.This is property ? N?velDrama.Org. Li Hong looked at the carts of food and goods being transported to the variousmanders in the city and tried his best to suppress the anger in his heart. ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve often heard Big Brother mention that back then, the million strong northern army did not dare to say that they did notmit any crimes against themoners. At the very least, they were disciplined. How did they fall to such a state in just a few years?¡± They were afraid of death in foreign wars and oppressed the people internally. The bandit soldiers were even more vicious than the rebels! ¡°It¡¯s human nature. It¡¯s difficult to be good. You have to follow all kinds of rules and keep taming and disciplining. But it¡¯s easy to be bad. Not to mention five years, you can turn from a strict army into a raider in a few months!¡± Zhou Yi said slowly, ¡°The war on the northern border is about to begin. The war is fierce and dangerous. A gentleman does not stand on a dangerous wall. Today, I will return to the capital. In the chaos, remember to prioritize your life.¡± After staying in Barren City for half a month, a series of news of defeat came from the northern border. Yesterday, the defeated army in the city almost mutinied because thest intact army in the northern border was surrounded and defeated by the Great Yong Army. The northern provinces, Yi and Su, had once been Great Yong¡¯s oldnds. But they had been Li Hong said in surprise, ¡°With your strength, you¡¯re even stronger than Father. Who in the world can make you stay?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve never even left the Fengyang Kingdom. How dare you say that the world is big?¡± Zhou Yi said solemnly, ¡°Cultivators must remember not to be arrogant. This world is so big that mortals can¡¯t walk through it in their entire lives!¡± Li Hong bowed. ¡°Thank you for your teachings, sir.¡± In recent days, he had interacted with Zhou Yi and had many wild thoughts and imaginations, which broadened Li Hong¡¯s horizons. Some of his words seemed unbelievable, but every time he thought about them carefully, they were really mysterious and extraordinary. Li Hong understood many principles that were not written in books. Although he and Zhou Yi were not master and disciple in name, they were master and disciple. ¡°I¡¯m leaving.¡± Zhou Yi was not a procrastinator. He had a long and endless life and needed to get used to parting as soon as possible. Li Hong bade him farewell with tears in his eyes. ¡°Have a safe trip, sir.¡± His parents and brothers were already dead. When he bid farewell to Zhou Yi today, he would truly be alone in the vast northern border. Zhou Yi looked back and sent a voice transmission. ¡°The chaos in the northern border is a huge and bad thing for the people, the soldiers, and the imperial court. It¡¯s only good for you. If you want to imitate the Duke, spend money to buy a guerri general.¡± With that, he mounted his horse and whipped it away. He only needed tens of thousands of taels to buy a guerri general who had the power to lead troops. No matter how dpidated the Duke¡¯s Mansion was, Li Hong could still afford it. He followed the official road south. Three dayster. In the distance, he saw smoke rising from the chimney. In front of him was the Chen family¡¯s valley. The vige chief, Old Man Chen, was a wonderful person. He had once roasted rabbit meat and brewed high-grade yellow wine for him. He was also knowledgeable. Come and read on our website wuxia worldsite. Thanks Zhou Yi chatted with him about the past and present, but he could not gain the upper hand at all. They chatted for an entire night before they were satisfied. ¡°A queer person in the wilderness!¡± Zhou Yi touched his shriveled pocket. ¡°I don¡¯t even have any silver left. With Old Brother Chen¡¯s knowledge of astronomy and geography, he wouldn¡¯t be reluctant to lend money, right?¡± He was thrifty at home, but was amply provided for when he traveled. Zhou Yi had brought 5,000 taels of silver when he went out, and on the way, he had received a few thousand taels of silver from those ¡°heroes¡±. Now, he had spent everything. While Zhou Yi was thinking, he was already close to Chen family¡¯s valley. When the wind blew, his expression suddenly changed! ¡°What a strong smell of blood.¡± Zhou Yi leaped onto the horse¡¯s back and covered the distance of a thousand feet in the blink of an eye. There was indeed smoke in the vige, but it was lit up by the farmers. Instead, two to three hundred soldiers were lighting fires at the vige entrance. The soldier on duty realized that someone wasing and shouted with his saber, ¡°What are you looking at, old man? If you don¡¯t want to die, get lost!¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the people?¡± Zhou Yi did not need to ask to guess that this group of soldiers had fresh blood on their bodies and sabers. The cooks were ughtering pigs and sheep, and there wererge and small bags of food piled up beside them. The leader said, ¡°Cut the crap. Just shoot him.¡± At themand, the bowstrings twanged and a dozen arrows shot. ¡°I¡¯ve never been fond of fighting in my life, but someone just had to court death!¡± Zhou Yi¡¯s figure swayed, and his speed was as fast as lightning. He had already exceeded the limit of an ordinary person¡¯s reaction speed. Themander only saw a faint shadow shuttling between the soldiers under hismand. The soldiers could not even scream before they died. They fell to the ground in droves like mowing grass. ¡°A ghost!¡± Themander screamed and ran toward the Chen family¡¯s valley. After ughtering more than 200 soldiers, Zhou Yi chased after them in a few leaps. His cold voice sounded in the general¡¯s ears. ¡°If you want to see ghosts so badly, I¡¯ll do as you wish!¡± After saying that, he activated the House Suppression Talisman. Ghosts floated out of the houses in the vige. Most of them had blurry faces, and a few of them had missing arms and legs. Their bodies were covered in wounds. One of the vengeful spirits was the clearest. Its neck was broken, and there were two holes in its abdomen. Blood was flowing out. Woo! When the vengeful spirit saw itsmander, its resentment soared and it let out an ear-piercing ghost roar. The other ghosts and spirits with chaotic consciousness were guided by the call of that vengeful spirit and pounced over. Themander had never seen such a terrifying scene before. This ghost was dragging half an intestine, and that ghost was holding his head. He was so frightened that his eyes rolled back and he fainted. The group of ghosts pounced on themander and was about to devour his Yang qi, blood, and essence when a murderous aura suddenly appeared to protect him. The pain was like a knife cutting through their flesh. The ghost screamed and backed away, trembling as he didn¡¯t daree forward. The vengeful spirit¡¯s eyes widened as it spat out ck fog that enveloped themander. Zhou Yi circted his Dharmic powers and used the martial arts technique of the Lion Roar. ¡°Brother Chen, leave him alive. I still have something to ask him.¡± His voice was like thunder. The vengeful spirit woke up from its ferocity and recognized Zhou Yi. Tears of blood seeped out of its eyes. ¡°Thank you, benefactor, for avenging the Chen family!¡± ¡°My condolences, Brother Chen.¡± Zhou Yi walked in front of themander and used his dharmic powers to pierce through a few acupuncture points. The excruciating pain woke him up from hisa. ¡°Are you a defeated soldier from the Northern Frontier?¡± Themander looked at the ghosts around him who stared at him with bloodshot eyes. A chill ran down his spine as he got up and kowtowed and begged. ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice either. Ever since the Northern Frontier was defeated and we fled, the Imperial Court has never issued any new military orders, nor has the army paid any rations!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t eaten for seven to eight days. In order not to starve to death, I can only plunder the