Chapter 17: Chapter 17 The Emperor Grows Old

Editor: Henyee Translations

Zhou Yi resumed his duties without anyone giving him a hard time after the news of his supposed death spread.

With a slight demonstration of his skill of breaking blades with two fingers, the prison guards all cheered in approval.

Warden Liu praised, “Old Zhou is someone who remembers old times, and Little Yu doesn’t need to go and escort; just delivering the meals with Old Zhou will be fine.”

Little Yu, named Yu Jie, was a youth of around seventeen or eighteen and had yet to be tainted by the bleak atmosphere of the prison, much like Zhou Yi had been when he first came to the prison—quietly standing behind the other prison guards, speaking little.

Zhou Yi smiled, “I’ve been in this place for so long, I’ve gotten used to its smell.”

“Tonight at Spring Breeze Building, we’ll throw a welcome-back party for Old Zhou to wash away the dust of his journey.”

Captain Zhu put his arm around Zhou Yi’s shoulder and whispered, “Lately, the prison hasn’t been peaceful; at night, someone always sees ghost shadows. Now that you’re a great master, Old Zhou, keep an eye out!”

“I can’t be bothered.”

Zhou Yi, who had been meticulously careful before, could now afford to be a little more relaxed after his promotion to the Innate Grandmaster.

Nothing happened on his day of duty.

Night fell.

Changing out of their uniforms, Yu Jie and the rest headed straight for Spring Breeze Building.

Zhou Yi asked, “Old Feng, you said before that you had a shrewish wife at home, have you finally been enjoying yourself?”

“Old Zhou doesn’t know?”

Captain Zhu made a face and said, “This guy bought a pair of twins from a trader and has been secretly keeping them in Divine Capital. Somehow his wife from the county found out and made a huge scene…”

“Originally, I put up with that woman because there was some silver at home,”

Feng Qiao said with a mix of shame and annoyance, “But now all that silver seems like nothing. I found an excuse and divorced her!”

The profits of the prison were a hundred times, if not more, greater than those of the county jail, and the chance to escort exiled criminals could yield more silver than several years’ earnings at the county jail.

Zhou Yi did not try to persuade that one should not abandon the wife of his youth. To do so would be to draw needless resentment for speaking too deeply of shallow relationships, which could be seen through the feigned smiles and actual disdain in the eyes of his colleagues, predicting that Feng Qiao would not have an easy life ahead.

Who would dare to work with someone who divorces his wife as soon as he strikes it rich?

“How are the twins doing?”

“Young, very smooth!”

Feng Qiao wasn’t blind and could see the disdain of his colleagues, but what did it matter to him, as long as he didn’t care about his reputation or future?

After half a year away, the Spring Breeze Building had changed its Oiran.

The old madam of the establishment lit up with joy upon seeing Zhou Yi, “Lord Zhou, it’s been a long time since your last visit.”

As a patron of twenty-one years, though Zhou Yi didn’t compete for the Oiran’s favor or randomly give tips, the silver he had spent over the years at the Spring Breeze Building was enough to buy a residence in Divine Capital.

It was these loyal customers that were the foundation of Spring Breeze Building’s enduring success year after year!

Zhou Yi smiled and asked, “Which opera are we listening to tonight?”

“Of course, it’s your favorite, Lord Zhou!”

The old madam summoned a waiter and gave a few instructions. They interrupted the opera that had been playing halfway through on the stage and switched to “Drunken Spring Breeze.”

The new Oiran was a woman of ample bosom. With slightly parted red lips, she began her light singing of “Drunken Spring Breeze,” “…gently I push my lord, oh so tenderly… arms entwined, swaying gently…”

On the second floor in a private room.

Zhou Yi and Captain Zhu led the way, with other colleagues sitting to their left and right.

The waiter promptly served dishes without needing any orders, all favorites of Zhou Yi, and the wine was fifty-year-old Pear Blossom White.

“Lord Zhou, eat and drink as you please tonight; there’s no need to settle the bill,”

After the old madam made a few playful comments that kept the prison guards laughing, she gracefully departed.

Captain Zhu remarked, “If you’re with Old Zhou at Spring Breeze Building, you get the royal treatment. When we come on our own, we always sit scattered in the main hall and never enjoy such attentive care!”

“You would enjoy the same treatment if you spent ten thousand silver here, Captain Zhu,”

Zhou Yi casually estimated that he spent at least several hundred silver each year; over twenty years, the sum had certainly exceeded ten thousand.

“…”

Captain Zhu murmured, “Old Zhou, why don’t you follow Old Feng’s example and buy a few to keep at home? You wouldn’t be able to spend so much silver in a lifetime!”

The colleagues also looked at each other in astonishment; even with all of the prison’s perks, one couldn’t amass money so fast.

Spending ten thousand at Spring Breeze Building was nothing; practicing martial arts and body conditioning always cost more. The Body Tempering Soup alone used medicinal ingredients that spanned a hundred years and the treasures that had no market value were countless. Including other expenses, the total was incalculable.

Moreover, Zhou Yi was just delivering meals, never taking part in escorting criminals, the major source of ill-gotten gains. Where did he get all that silver?

“I have many friends in the martial world; people always come to my door offering money, the kind that’s hard to refuse even if you wanted to,”

In recent years, Zhou Yi hadn’t taken much silver from the prison. Instead, many prisoners were so terrified upon seeing him enter with wine and meat that they desperately promised gold and silver treasures for their lives, although he never went to claim any.

The share of the silver divided within the prison came only from extras for well-connected prisoners, and after dividing it among colleagues and officials, it was far from enough to cover his expenses at Spring Breeze Building.

“So that’s how it is!”

The prison guards suddenly remembered that Zhou Yi, despite his aged appearance, was a martial arts expert.

A first-rate master of the Filthy Realm could be promoted directly to a junior flag officer in the Jinyiwei or make a significant name for himself in the martial world, like Flying Rainbow Swordsman dominating Yuzhou, or the Twin Bears of the North imposing authority over the Northwest.

Captain Zhu stated, “From now on, all the extra fees from prisoners will go to Old Zhou; as for how much Little Yu gets, you two can discuss it among yourselves.”

“Thank you, Captain Zhu.”

Zhou Yi did not bother to explain, for the bulk of his income actually came from burglarizing private homes.

At first, it was just petty thieves, but after acquiring the nickname of Old Demon of the Bloody Prison, some sought vengeance for friends and family, while others were valiant young martial heroes. They often left behind plenty of thumb rings, jade pendants, and silver notes.

Zhou Yi couldn’t be bothered to distinguish between the good and the bad. Once involved in the martial world, one should be prepared to face death.

With all the corpses buried, the ground in his yard had risen by three feet. Zhou Yi wouldn’t be surprised in the slightest if zombies crawled out one day.

“In the past six months, what major events have occurred in Divine Capital?”

“Heh heh, Old Zhou, you’ve missed quite a show!”

Captain Zhu smiled and recounted, “Some time ago, the Great General returned to the capital, and all of Divine Capital came out to watch. His Majesty beheaded the prince of Great Yong in front of their ambassadors and offered his head to the Grand Ancestral Temple.”

“Then how come peace was negotiated again?”

After leaving the prison, Zhou Yi had heard bits and pieces about peace talks and returning five cities to Great Yong.

“War is full of uncertainty, and no one can guarantee a win every time; it’s better to quit while you’re ahead,”

Captain Zhu’s tone changed, “Anyway, using that reason, the Ministry of War has issued nine military orders in succession, recalling General Li from the Northern Border!”

Zhou Yi shook his head slightly, “Captain Zhu believes that General Li can continue to win battles?”

Captain Zhu affirmed, “Of course he can! General Li is a great general that comes once in a thousand years. Since quelling the Long Ni rebellion, he has never tasted defeat.”

Zhou Yi looked at his colleagues and asked, “Do you all think the same?”

“Is there something wrong?”

“General Li knows people and delegates well, having promoted a number of frustrated officers, who now are formidable generals commanding their own regions.”

“General Li is also a Grandmaster of the Innate Realm. It’s possible for him to take the head of an enemy commander amidst tens of thousands of troops, even wiping out Great Yong.”

His colleagues responded one after another, all agreeing that Captain Zhu’s words were reasonable.

“Then let me ask you…”

Zhou Yi spoke quietly, “How old is His Majesty now?”

Captain Zhu silently calculated in his heart, the current Emperor was twelve when the previous Emperor ascended the throne. Emperor Chongming reigned for forty-six years, plus twelve years since he took the throne himself, making him seventy-two this year.

Even though the Emperor enjoys all the glory and wealth, apart from Emperor Chongming, who was celibate and neglected state affairs, it is rare to live to the age of seventy.

Emperor Hongchang is already old!

Although the prison guards are the lowest-ranking officials, not even ranking in rank, they can’t help but hear about the struggles within the Imperial Court, being in charge of watching over offending officials, and they naturally understand the dangers involved.

Zhou Yi asked, “For General Li’s recapture of lost lands, defeating enemy nations, and expanding territories, what rewards did these great achievements receive?”

Immediately, a colleague answered, “He was bestowed with the nine dignities, appointed with the Yellow Axe, allowed to enter the court without haste, praised without kneeling, and ennobled as the Duke of a border county!”

“Cough cough cough!”

Captain Zhu coughed twice to awkwardly interrupt the topic and called out to a waiter nearby.

“Tell the girls to come over. How can we just drink dry at Spring Breeze Building?”

As the topic abruptly turned to this, Spring Breeze Building, which had been lively and joyous, suddenly lost its appeal.

After a few more rounds of drinks, everyone dispersed and headed home.

…

Prison Cell Number Nine.

Zhou Yi sat cross-legged inside, cultivating inwardly with the Devouring Heaven Demonic Technique and practicing the Nameless mantra outwardly.

The Spiritual Energy in the sky prison was gloomy and cold, converging into his meridians for refining, becoming even more bone-chillingly cold, clashing with the warm True Yuan in his Dantian.

“Cultivation also needs to alternate between tension and relaxation, I’ll rest for these few days and first pick out the lesser thieves from the prison.”

Zhou Yi lay on the bed, with his ear pressed against the brick bed surface, as the Innate True Yuan circulated through his meridians.

In an instant.

Snores, painful groans, scoldings, footsteps, drinking, the prison guards playing games and guessing fists while drinking, snakes and rats burrowing around noisily, all kinds of sounds were mixed together, like countless ants crawling by one’s ear.

The Earth Listening Technique!

Some unnamed tomb raider, in exchange for a roasted chicken, passed on this technique before dying.

The tomb raider would tap the ground and use the Earth Listening Technique to determine if there was a space several meters underground, then use other methods to deduce whether it was a tomb or a cave.

With Zhou Yi executing it at the Innate Realm level, the entire sky prison was within the range of his hearing.

By distinguishing and filtering out unnecessary sounds.

No matter how skilled someone is in Qinggong, there would still be the sound of wind and vibrations during their swift movements. It would be difficult for someone not well-versed in Qinggong to distinguish these from the noisy and chaotic surroundings.

Zhou Yi had learned various styles of Qinggong from many prisoners.

From the famous master thief of the martial world to the lowest sneaks who skitter across roofs, he had adopted the strengths of many.

As long as anyone in prison used Qinggong, they wouldn’t escape the Earth Listening Technique.

The first half of the night passed without incident.

At dawn.

The duty guards were weary, either dozing off on the tables or finding corners to rest in.

Amid the howling of the night wind, a shadow entered the sky prison.

The guard at the gate, drowsy, looked up to see nothing and continued slumbering against the wall.

The flame in the corridor’s oil lamp flickered, casting a shadow on the wall that, with the dancing flame, seemed like a struggling ghost.

The shadow, as if entering an uninhabited land, went straight to the depths of the sky prison.

Prison Cell Number Two.

The empty cell had no prisoners at the moment, the shadow skillfully used a key to open the iron lock and entered the cell confidently.

The shadow searched every nook and cranny without missing any gaps.

Click!

The iron gate closed on its own without any wind, trapping the shadow inside the cell.

“Who?”

A clear cry of alarm came from the shadow, who instinctively tried to open the cell door, only to see a sword Qi, solid as reality, thrusting towards them.

Swoosh!

The sword Qi slashed against the cell door, severing the bars made of refined steel.

“Senior, please spare my life!”

The frightened shadow scrambled back, the enveloping grey fog quickly dispersed, revealing the person inside.

“Heh heh heh heh…”

A series of trademark demonic laughter, an ancient and deep voice, rang directly in Yu Jie’s ears.

“Boy, what are you doing in the sky prison?”

The voice was elusive, indiscernible in origin.

Perspiration broke out on Yu Jie’s forehead as he bowed in all directions, thinking he had encountered an extraordinary old monster.

“Junior is the grandson of Yu Shitou, here to inherit what my ancestor passed down in the sky prison. I meant no offense whatsoever!”