The *Tianchan Treasure Technique*, the internal energy cultivation method Luo Jingtian had taught Chen Guanlou, was by no means some commonplace technique you could find anywhere on the street. It could be considered a mid-tier internal cultivation method.
During the day, Chen Guanlou would try to cultivate his internal energy at home.
As expected, without a Martial Vein, he soon learned the hard way. Not only did he make no progress, but his entire body was wracked with pain. His internal organs, in particular, felt as if they were being crushed by some immense force, on the verge of exploding at any second.
Fortunately, he was blessed with the Longevity Dao Fruit. As long as he had a breath left in him, the Dao Fruit would repair his body in an instant. Otherwise, he would have been gravely injured from forcibly practicing the internal cultivation method.
After this attempt, his resolve only strengthened, and he became even more determined to master it. Others couldn't practice it, but he, with his Longevity Dao Fruit, had no fear of losing life essence or suffering severe internal injuries. He could simply brute-force his way through the cultivation.
From then on, he fell into a routine: slacking off at his post during the day and practicing his techniques at night.
Thinking about his own immortality, he feared he might one day forget the present. Believing that the faintest ink is better than the best memory, he decided to start keeping a diary.
***
Daqian, 45th Year of the Taixing Era, Fourth Month, 18th Day. Sunny.
Lu Datou lost at gambling and came to borrow money from me. How could a pauper like me have any money to lend him? I could only treat him to a bowl of beef noodles.
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fourth Month, 25th Day. Light rain.
I heard Xu Fugui and Jailer Zhang are not on good terms. The two of them were butting heads in front of Jiang Yucheng.
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fourth Month, 28th Day. Overcast.
I saw him—the bastard who snatched my position. Wan Yuli. He’s in charge of the Jiazi Cell Block, the most lucrative one, where all the convicted officials are held. He clearly recognized me too. To have come after me but risen so far above, he must have powerful backing. For now, I can't afford to provoke him. I'll avoid him. Just you wait...
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 1st Day. Sunny.
A most auspicious day! Payday. A monthly salary of two taels and a bonus of eight. This iron rice bowl is mine to keep. Even if the heavens themselves came down, I'm holding on to this job.
To celebrate, I'm off to the theater to enjoy some music tonight!
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 2nd Day. Light rain.
I bought a gift and sent it to the Su Family. Old Lady Su was as snobbish as ever, but she gave me a rare smile and was uncharacteristically warm and friendly to my sister.
As long as she doesn't mistreat my sister, I suppose I can just send more gifts in the future.
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 3rd Day. Overcast and rainy.
Delivered a gift to the Liu Family. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see Liu Wanshi. The maid, Xiujuan, is quite nice, but she has too many bad habits—a little too handsy.
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 10th Day. Overcast.
Jiang Yucheng made a rare inspection tour of Tian Prison. Something feels off.
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 12th Day.
Night shift. Slacking off.
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 14th Day.
Night shift. Still slacking. Left eye twitches for wealth, right eye for disaster. My right eye won't stop twitching. I have a bad feeling about this.
***
45th Year of Taixing, Fifth Month, 18th Day. Light rain.
Damn!
***
On his nightly patrol, Chen Guanlou carried his patrol staff, inspecting the Bingzi Cell Block alone. He did a headcount, confirmed who was alive and who was dead, and made sure everything was in order.
He knew this job like the back of his hand. Aside from a few newly incarcerated inmates, the rest were all familiar faces. The only exception was the prisoner in cell thirteen, whose face he had yet to see.
After completing one full round, he was about to head back to the guardhouse to sleep.
Halfway there, he suddenly stopped.
Silence.
The prison tonight was strangely, unnaturally quiet. Even in the dead of night, there should have been some small stirrings from the prisoners. In the long corridor, echoes should have carried the sounds from the guardhouse. This was usually the liveliest time of night for the guards on duty; how could it be so quiet?
Damn it, something's happened.
No matter what was going on, he couldn't just sit and wait for death.
Without another moment's hesitation, Chen Guanlou decisively opened the nearest cell door and slipped inside, locking it again behind him.
The prisoner inside, who knows how long he'd been locked up, reeked of filth, his beard and hair covering his face like a patch of weeds. The man's eyes opened a crack. Chen Guanlou raised a hand and made a "shush" gesture.
*If you help me this one time, I'll repay you in the future.*
The prisoner clearly hesitated, as if weighing the pros and cons. He quickly made his decision, slowly closing his eyes again, pretending nothing had happened.
Chen Guanlou let out a long sigh of relief, covered himself with a pile of messy straw, and hid. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
He didn't know what was happening, but that didn't stop him from following his instincts. He wouldn't be cannon fodder. He would hide and wait for the situation to become clear.
The vast Tian Prison was as silent as a ghostly realm. The inmates seemed to have gotten word of something, as every last one of them was playing dead, looking as lifeless as they possibly could.
The prison guards who were usually so arrogant and overbearing were nowhere to be seen, leaving only a small fry like Chen Guanlou hiding under a pile of straw.
Someone was coming!
From the sound of the footsteps, there was more than one person.
Chen Guanlou peeked through a crack in the straw. One glance was all it took; he didn't dare look a second time.
A group of people wearing demonic ghost masks and black cloaks had stormed the prison.
This was the unmistakable attire of the infamous Guiyu Sect.
The Guiyu Sect was a group known only by reputation. No one had ever seen its members, but everyone knew they were secretive, furtive, and utterly ruthless. It was said that where the disciples of the Guiyu Sect go, all things end.
The sheer audacity of the Guiyu Sect, to dare break into Tian Prison.
The members of the Guiyu Sect stopped two cells away from him. One of them took out a piece of wire, inserted it into the keyhole, and in a matter of seconds, the heavy lock on the cell door clicked open.
The prisoner inside had only been brought in last month, charged with robbing a tax shipment. He had been severely tortured upon arrival and had been nursing his wounds in his cell ever since. The higher-ups were worried he would die before they could find out where the tax silver was.
One of the Guiyu Sect members stepped forward and personally helped the prisoner out of the cell.
"We respectfully welcome the Hall Master!"
The members of the Guiyu Sect all clasped their fists in salute.
One of them quickly presented a mask, a cloak, and a pair of soft, well-fitting cloth shoes.
Seeing this, Chen Guanlou was stunned. He never would have imagined that this man, whom he had assumed was a common martial world thief, was actually a Hall Master of the renowned and elusive Guiyu Sect.
The question was, if he was a Hall Master of the Guiyu Sect, why would he risk his own neck to rob a tax shipment, only to be caught red-handed by the Six Doors?
Chen Guanlou held his breath, not daring to make the slightest sound. He was terrified of dying.
To perish midway on the path to immortality—that was something he would never allow to happen to him.
The Guiyu Sect came and went with haste. After rescuing their Hall Master, they departed swiftly.
But Chen Guanlou still didn't move. He waited for full hour, and only when he was certain the danger had passed did he throw off the straw, leave the cell, and hurry toward the guardhouse.
The ground was covered in blood and corpses, and all three gates were wide open. The prison was deathly silent. He had no idea what the situation was like outside.
Chen Guanlou's expression turned grim. He knew, with absolute clarity, that he couldn't walk out of this unscathed. To walk out now would be a death sentence.
Gritting his teeth, he steeled his heart. Without any more hesitation, he made a split-second decision, ran headfirst into a wall, and decisively knocked himself unconscious.
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