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The new year began.

The new emperor ascended the throne, inaugurating the Hongchang era.

Li Wu was appointed as the General Who Protects the Country to thoroughly investigate the Long Ni case.

Entire families were exterminated, blood flowing like rivers.

In the Eastern City Market, nine out of ten homes were empty, and less than half of the morning officials were present, ultimately yielding a total of 170 million taels of Silver.

Emperor Hongchang decreed that Fengyang Country would not pay grain taxes for five years.

That same year, in June.

Li Wu was officially appointed as the Grand Marshal in charge of the military, leading his troops on a northern campaign.

He crushed the various rebels and pacified six northern states before leading his army southward.

…

Divine Capital.

Zhang Residence.

A funeral banner was placed at the entrance, a mourning hall was set up in the courtyard, and white mourning streamers hung from the walls.

At a glance, everything appeared bleak and desolate.

Zhou Yi walked into the mourning hall, offered three sticks of incense to Zhang Zhou, and completed his respects with three prostrations and bows.

Zhang Jin, the filial son, responded with a ritual bowing, and Zhou Yi hurriedly helped him up.

“Jin brother, moderate your grief and adjust to the changes.”

Zhang Zhou had already retired from the heavenly prison last year, replaced by Zhang Jin in his position, taking medication for over half a year, but ultimately he could not survive the winter.

The life expectancy of prison guards in the heavenly prison was not very long; Zhang Zhou living to fifty-four was already considered long-lived, whereas Father Zhou did not make it past forty.

Scientifically speaking, it was due to working in dark, damp environments year-round and contact with various serious criminals, epitomizing society’s darkest aspects, placing immense pressure on both body and mind, leading to premature aging and early death.

However, people believed it was divine retribution, having done too many evil deeds and thus diminishing their moral virtue and shortening their lifespan—even many prison guards believed this!

Zhou Yi offered a few words of comfort before a steward invited him to rest in another courtyard.

“You arrived late, lad. Did you go to the Spring Breeze Building again yesterday?” Colonel Niu sat boldly, his servants attending to him with tea on either side.

“Uncle Niu’s temper is getting bigger. Are you planning to retire?”

Zhou Yi was now thirty-two years old, and unavoidably of middle age, had applied a layer of special yellow wax on his face to appear around forty—a perfect match for the premature aging typical of heavenly prison guards.

“Warden Zheng has arranged for my fourth son to take an army command position. With such a grand favor, we cannot occupy this position any longer.”

The fourth son mentioned by Colonel Niu was indeed his own; his first three sons preferred reading and did not wish to work in the heavenly prison.

After all, they were sons of a wealthy family who did not want to mingle in filthy places. In recent years, Colonel Niu had worried much about this, now exchanging the position of a Colonel for that of an army commander.

The surroundings were filled with associates from the heavenly prison; the relationships cultivated by the Niu family were still useful, achieving the best of both worlds.

Five years ago, just as Zhou Yi had predicted, the Imperial Court parachuted Zheng Gaoyuan into the position of warden.

As soon as Warden Zheng took office, he initiated sweeping reforms and cracked down on corruption. When the Jinyiwei apprehended people, there was no need to change locations; an empty cell was sufficient to detain them.

The old warden’s subordinates were decimated, and Colonel Niu was the first to join Warden Zheng’s ranks, taking a hard line against his former colleagues who called each other brother.

Of course, no matter the upheaval, it did not affect the prison guards responsible for delivering meals!

“Then congratulations to Uncle Niu,”

Zhou Yi observed Colonel Niu’s graying hair and saw a hint of death in his eyes. Once retired, it was uncertain how many years he could endure.

The love of parents for their children leads them to plan far ahead.

The Niu family’s foundation was in the heavenly prison, and after a hundred years of cultivating connections, how could they ensure the security of such a large family business if it were abandoned, especially depending on those three heirs who couldn’t even pass the imperial examination?

Many officials and nobles were confined in the heavenly prison, and Zhou Yi stood by, watching and listening.

Large families could not be toppled from the outside in a short time; they mostly decayed from within, and when the time was right, they collapsed quickly!

Colleagues and friends would gather to chat, and eventually the topic would shift to the rebellion suppression battlefield—which had been the major event in Fengyang Country over the past five years.

The Grand Marshal pacified the north in two years and had been leading his army south for over three years now. The battle was fierce, and the official reports often published victories over tens of thousands of the enemy.

Prison guard Ye Cheng chuckled, “The enemy numbers reported by the Imperial Court add up to three or four million now. If the rebels in the south really had such a large army, wouldn’t they have surrounded the Divine Capital by now?”

Zhou Yi cautioned, “Brother Ye, watch your words—let that get overheard by the Li family and you’ll find yourself in a cell.”

These days, the Li family’s prestige in Fengyang Country even exceeded that of the former prime minister. After all, no literary official, no matter how powerful, could compete with a military officer commanding hundreds of thousands of troops.

Rumors flew in the streets that the south had not been pacified in three years because Li Wu was fostering rebels to strengthen his own power!

“You know nothing!”

Colonel Niu scolded, “The south isn’t just about the rebels—the emperor said no grain taxes for five years, and the morale of the rebels in the north collapsed. The south is different; they haven’t missed a penny in land rent.”

Among the crowd offering condolences at the Zhang family, Colonel Niu held the highest status; upon hearing this, others crowded around to listen.

“Who would dare to defy the Imperial Court’s decree?”

“Hmph!”

Colonel Niu did not continue, swiftly changing the subject, “Have you managed to refine your organs with Inner Qi, Zhou? At your age, your Qi-Blood has already started to wane, and it will only get harder from here on out.”

“It will take a few more years.”

Zhou Yi shook his head. Another five years had passed, and his muscles and bones had reached peak training, but refining the organs and marrow was a bottleneck.

Skin and bone were considered “hard” skills, which could be improved over time with persistent training. Refining the organs and cleansing the marrow were “soft” skills, which must not be rushed. Many people had rushed the process, only to break their internal organs and bleed to death.

“You’ve been clever all your life, but you’ve been foolish once. You’ve thrown all your Silver into martial arts and brothels and haven’t even managed to arrange a marriage. Who will take care of you when you’re old?”

Colonel Niu seemed to find his footing again, wanting to laugh heartily but feeling the setting was inappropriate.

Over the years, he had often sought advice from Zhou Yi. Each time, Colonel Niu felt like a foolish brute.

“What if one day, I break through to become an Innate Grandmaster?”

Zhou Yi spoke earnestly, but those present took it as a joke.

In Fengyang Country, there were currently only two confirmed Grandmasters: one was the Grand Marshal Li Wu, and the other was the rebel leader in the south, known as the King of the Azure Heaven.

At that moment.

Someone rushed in, exclaiming loudly.

“Just now, a messenger from the victorious troops reported that the Grand Marshal has annihilated the main force of the rebels and captured those two Kings!”

There was an uproar among the people.

Under the deliberate promotion by the Imperial Court, the news of the victory quickly spread throughout the Divine Capital.

…

The fifth year of Hongchang.

The twenty-first of September.

Today is the day the Grand Marshal returns to the Imperial Court, and the eastern gate of the Divine Capital is packed with people.

The imperial guards stand on both sides of the road, constantly pushing the common people back to clear the way for the army’s passage.

Zhou Yi specially took leave, and early on, he occupied a window seat in a street-side tavern.

Back then, the night was dark and distant, and he failed to witness the grace of the Innate Grandmaster. Today was the perfect opportunity to make up for that regret.

Noon time.

The ground shook and the sound of horse hooves approached.

Leading the entry into the city were four columns of cavalry in mysterious armor marked with the scars of swords and blades, their killing aura intense.

“Each of them has the strength of the Skin Membrane realm. No wonder they sweep through the North and South as if it’s nothing. That Dog Emperor didn’t only scour the world to practice alchemy and cultivation but also secretly trained these martial cavalry.”

Zhou Yi now thought back, the Dog Emperor seemed like something from the distant past.

The Dragon Minister who once held immense power, the arrogant Dragon Scion, he could hardly remember their appearances.

Following the cavalry was Grand Marshal Li Wu, still looking like the armored young officer he was, having pacified the North and settled the South in five years without a trace of wind and frost on his face, like a young master out for a leisurely trip.

Young and handsome, immensely strong, with outstanding achievements and overwhelming power!

Such a personality, just like the protagonist of a storybook, incited cheers from the people as soon as he appeared.

Zhou Yi lowered his gaze, “The Innate Grandmasters are even more formidable than imagined. These are but mortals; those legendary immortals and demons… ”

Behind Li Wu followed two prison carts, made of refined steel and only revealing a head from the inside.

One was an old man with white hair like frost; the other, a disheveled Taoist.

“Could these be King of Yellow Heaven and King of the Azure Heaven? Rumors said they were twelve feet tall, with tiger backs and bear waists, and ate three to five living people at each meal. How come they look so frail and thin?”

“What do you know? The King of Azure Heaven was once the Martial Alliance Leader of Jiangnan, commanding four sects and eight factions. Many of the skilled rebels came from there.” The man speaking was dressed in dark, sturdy clothing, with a precious sword on his belt, clearly a person from the martial world.

“If you’re an Alliance Hierarch, why the hell would you rebel?”

“Back then, who wouldn’t want to?”

“Brother, what’s the background of that King of Yellow Heaven? I heard he’s the leader?”

“Legend has it that this man was originally a Taoist who dreamed of an immortal bestowing upon him the Immortal Law. He could draw Spirit Talismans and turn beans into soldiers, claiming to be the reincarnation of the Immortal Yellow King…” The man shook his head as he spoke.

Such mysterious and unpredictable tales are meant to brainwash the rebels, and nine out of ten cannot be trusted.

For the purpose of boosting morale, the Imperial Court likewise claims to have defeated two to three million of the rebels!

…

The next day.

Zhou Yi came to the prison to take up his duties and spotted the black-clad cavalry from afar.

Anyone entering was searched, and from Zhou Yi’s person, a dagger, sleeve arrows, a short crossbow, an unknown poison powder, and dark medicinal pills were found…

“This is really for self-defense!”

Zhou Yi explained time and again, and in the end, it was Warden Zheng who came forward to let him into the prison.

“Sir, what’s all this about?”

Warden Zheng said, “The two rebel leaders from the Yellow and Azure factions have been locked up in the prison. The Grand Marshal has dispatched three thousand elite soldiers dressed in Mysterious Armor to guard them.”

“Why not send them to the imperial prison? It’s much more secure there!”

Zhou Yi frowned slightly, the Yellow and Azure individuals were no ordinary men.

A Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch and an extraordinary Taoist, if they escaped, they could easily regather troops and raise the flag of rebellion again.

Warden Zheng spoke gloomily, “You should just focus on delivering food. What’s it to you if they escape? Would you be held responsible?”

“Thank you for the reminder, sir.”

Zhou Yi didn’t bother pondering over the court’s struggles but instead found the two, Yellow and Azure, quite interesting.

Inside the prison, the soldiers in Mysterious Armor also stood guard, with a post every five steps and a checkpoint every ten, plus experts hidden in the shadows to monitor.

Cell number one.

Zhou Yi opened the cell door and came face to face with the King of Azure Heaven.

Shackled in refined steel restraints, with chains as thick as thighs wrapped around his limbs and neck, the King of Azure Heaven was tightly bound.

The soldiers outside stared intently as Zhou Yi silently scooped rice and fed it to the King of Azure Heaven.

“Young man, your Inner Qi is pure, seemingly from a Taoist lineage, yet even if you practice it to death, you’d only be second-rate. I can teach you a supreme technique; within ten years, you’ll reach Innate mastery. Would you like to learn?”

The hoarse old voice reached Zhou Yi’s ears. He glanced at the soldiers outside, and there was not the slightest reaction.

“This Secret Voice Transmission is my unique skill. Not just these youngsters, even that Li Wu would not be able to hear it.”

Zhou Yi nodded silently, waiting for what was to come.

“The Inner Qi spirals, passes the Central Treasury, through the Cloud Gate… and exits from the Qi Abode.”

Another segment of sound entered his ears, but it wasn’t some supreme technique; it was the method of Secret Voice Transmission.

Zhou Yi activated the Inner Qi in his Dantian, followed the instructions of the King of Azure Heaven, and tried to let out two coughs.

“Cough! Cough!”

The soldier at the door didn’t react, still watching Zhou Yi feed the prisoner.

After half a bucket of rice was fed, Zhou Yi picked up the bucket and left without paying any more attention to the King of Azure Heaven who kept transmitting voices.

“You little thief, how dare you deceive me!”