Desirelessness Is Strength

Heavenly Prison's official office.

Zhou Yi pushed the door open and bowed respectfully.

"Uncle Niu, you were looking for me?"

Niu Xiaowei put down what he was doing and gestured for Zhou Yi to sit down. "Your methods, kid, are too crude. Aren't you afraid of the Brocade Guard investigating?"

Having just heard the report from the prison guard, Niu Xiaowei was certain that Zhou Yi had used tricks to kill Vice Minister Liu. Such things were common in the Heavenly Prison. Officials would send their political enemies to the Heavenly Prison and, to prevent them from making a comeback, would spend money to buy their lives.

"What do you mean, Uncle Niu? I'm just honestly delivering meals."

Zhou Yi played dumb, neither denying nor admitting anything.

Vice Minister Liu and Luo Hu's bodies were cold, so it could be said that the dead couldn't testify, but there was still risk involved. The Fengyang Kingdom didn't prioritize the law; guilt or innocence depended entirely on what those above said. Under torture, what couldn't be obtained?

Niu Xiaowei snorted. "No wonder Lord Lei told me that you're the most cunning kid in this Heavenly Prison!"

"Lord Lei is too kind."

Zhou Yi said with a smile, "Master Luo has a residence in the capital where he hid several thousand taels of silver. The silver goes to Uncle Niu, the boxing manual goes to me, and the residence goes to that widow."

"Thoughtful!"

Niu Xiaowei praised him, becoming even more satisfied with Zhou Yi.

Being willing to share his own benefits to fulfill his promise to Luo Hu was something Niu Xiaowei didn't think he could do. After all, bullying widows and taking everything from them was all too common.

"After all, Master Luo taught me skills."

Zhou Yi didn't want to show off, and the nourishing medicinal formula wasn't the most important thing; he genuinely wanted Vice Minister Liu dead.

Vice Minister Liu was a true villain!

Such a person had no bottom line in his actions. If he wasn't completely eliminated, he would cause endless trouble. If he managed to please the new Emperor and was reinstated, Zhou Yi would have to flee.

Niu Xiaowei asked curiously, "I've known for a long time that you're obsessed with the Martial Path, but have you achieved anything?"

"I've been weak since I was a child, so practicing martial arts is just to strengthen my body."

Zhou Yi picked up the lid of a teacup on the table, held it in his hand, and twisted it, instantly turning it into a pile of powder.

Niu Xiaowei had also gone to martial arts schools in his younger years, but couldn't endure the hardship of body training, and hadn't even trained his skin and membranes. However, he still understood the divisions of the Martial Path realm.

"Steel tendons and iron bones, crushing stone into mud. You've unexpectedly reached such strength without a sound?"

"Ten years of unwavering dedication, and never stopping nourishing tonics. My talent is already considered among the worst."

Zhou Yi wasn't being modest. According to Wei Chang, it only took seven or eight years to temper tendons and bones in the martial world, but those who wandered the martial world didn't have time to practice every day.

Master Luo's true disciple, who had been bathed in medicinal soups and nourished his body with internal energy since childhood, had already achieved great success in his tendons and bones at the age of sixteen or seventeen, and was said to have the potential to become an Innate Grandmaster in the future.

Zhou Yi envied him, but wasn't jealous. After all, that genius disciple had already died in the chaos of war.

Living is the foundation of everything.

Whoever lives the longest and outlasts their peers will be a grandmaster of their generation!

Niu Xiaowei clicked his tongue in admiration. "You're a second-rate expert in the martial world. Why don't you go out and make a name for yourself? It's much more enjoyable than being stuck here delivering meals."

"Second-rate is nothing. The masters of the top ten martial arts schools in the capital are all experts in refining internal organs. It's rumored that Master Chen of the Golden Saber Martial Arts School has already begun marrow cleansing and has the divine strength to pull nine oxen backward and lift pillars with ease, but he didn't even leave behind a complete corpse!"

Zhou Yi shrugged and said, "Fighting and fighting only leads to the execution of the whole family. How can it be as stable and comfortable as I am?"

The ultimate goal of the universe is to become a civil servant!

Zhou Yi was already standing at the end of the universe. Moreover, the Heavenly Prison had a low position but great power, with abundant benefits and no involvement in officialdom struggles. It was simply perfect!

Upon hearing this, Niu Xiaowei's eyes flickered, and he suddenly asked, "Tell me, kid, can I be promoted to Warden this time?"

Zhou Yi was silent for a moment, then shook his head. "Difficult!"

"How so?"

Niu Xiaowei straightened his body. He had asked many people this question, and they had all congratulated him and flattered him.

Everyone believed that Niu Xiaowei was the only choice for the next Warden of the Heavenly Prison.

Outsiders who dared to come in wouldn't understand the rules of the Heavenly Prison and would soon end up in the prison cells themselves!

After considering it, Zhou Yi said, "To reduce his own punishment, Lord Lei will inevitably explain Young Master Long's conspiracy to the court. How can the new Emperor trust the officials in the prison? It's highly likely that he will parachute in a confidant to be the Warden."

After ten years in the Heavenly Prison, Zhou Yi had long discovered that the turnover of official positions in the Heavenly Prison was too low, and had almost become hereditary.

Lord Lei's father was a captain, Niu Xiaowei's grandfather was a former Warden, and even Zhou Yi's father and grandfather were prison guards.

The residence of a fourth-rank censor in the court was rented, while Zhou's father, a minor clerk, had bought a house in Shenjing. Of course, that censor might have been pretending to be poor, but it was enough to illustrate the problem with the Heavenly Prison.

Niu Xiaowei snorted in dissatisfaction. "We have all kinds of explicit and implicit rules here. If someone who doesn't understand them comes, can they manage it?"

"They may not understand the rules, but they can have the Brocade Guard arrest people. Who here can withstand an investigation? In the end, everyone will be replaced, and they will set all the rules!"

When a mighty dragon crosses the river, it's not the dragon that suffers, but the local snakes that are crushed into dust.

Seeing Niu Xiaowei's face turn dark, Zhou Yi quickly expressed his loyalty. "Don't worry, Uncle Niu, I will definitely support you."

"What use is a meal deliverer like you?"

Niu Xiaowei sighed, "Lord Lei advised me the same way. He only suffered the calamity of having his family property confiscated and being exiled because he sided with Long Ni back then. Otherwise, the Lei family, serving as Heavenly Prison officers for generations, would never lack wealth, no matter which dynasty it was!"

Even the court's meritorious nobles would have their titles reduced generation by generation. After five generations, the ancestral blessings would be exhausted, and they would be no different from commoners. However, the Heavenly Prison was a secure job that could be passed down to descendants.

"Uncle Niu, don't worry. If a new Warden comes, just assist him with all your strength!"

Zhou Yi comforted, "The Heavenly Prison has existed since the previous dynasty. No matter who becomes the Warden, they will soon become part of the Heavenly Prison system."

The Heavenly Prison was relatively independent and had little contact with various government offices. Once the prison doors were closed, it became a world apart.

Whoever became the Warden, having such great power and benefits, would not think of changing the Heavenly Prison!

Niu Xiaowei nodded slightly in agreement, then changed the subject, "You kid is twenty-seven this year, right? And still hanging around the Spring Breeze Pavilion every day? My elder brother's family has a niece who is born dignified..."

"Uncle Niu, I have an appointment with Nongyu tonight to discuss the Great Dao, I'll take my leave!"

Zhou Yi waved his hands repeatedly. He had transmigrated, but he couldn't escape being urged to marry and go on blind dates.

He could accept being just a jailer, enjoying the pleasure of having grandchildren in his old age. However, the existence of the Longevity Dao Fruit made it impossible for Zhou Yi to stay with anyone for a long time.

First of all, he was afraid of exposing his secret. The Longevity Dao Fruit was the treasure that Zhou Yi relied on.

Neither disguise nor transformation techniques were absolutely safe. Staying with someone in bed for a long time could lead to problems at any time.

Secondly, beauty fades easily. After a few decades, when a woman's youth was gone, Zhou Yi didn't know how to treat her.

The ladies of the Spring Breeze Pavilion were so much better. No matter how many years passed, they would always be young and beautiful, and they only talked about money, not feelings, without any attachments!

Niu Xiaowei glanced at Zhou Yi, waving his hand dismissively.

"Get out, get out! My niece is gentle and virtuous, I can't let you ruin her!"

Off duty.

Zhou Yi did not go to the Spring Breeze Pavilion. All banquets and entertainment were prohibited during the national mourning period.

Of course, this did not affect the Spring Breeze Pavilion's business. They opened a back door to secretly welcome guests, and the prices had actually gone up.

Back at the house.

Zhou Yi read Spring and Autumn for a while, thinking about and reviewing what he had done today.

"The Young Master Long matter was a bit reckless, but venting that anger and feeling refreshed is not a loss!"

Being cautious was not the same as being cowardly and useless. Moreover, Martial Path cultivation also emphasized state of mind, especially internal energy cultivation. If thoughts were not clear, progress would be slow, or even stagnate.

Throughout history, few true experts relied on talent and resources alone. Most had strong states of mind!

Zhou Yi was naturally an exception. As long as he lived forever, experts were just skeletons in tombs, stories in novels, or people whose names were forgotten by the world.

"Exposing my strength to Niu Xiaowei is not a bad thing."

Zhou Yi had long planned to reveal it, not to compete for any power, but to make his days in the Heavenly Prison more comfortable.

In the system, those who have no desires are strong, and no one can control those who do not seek advancement.

As long as it doesn't affect anyone's interests, others are even less willing to provoke him for no reason. A capable and quick-witted food delivery jailer would instead receive more care on weekdays.

I examine myself thrice daily, today is auspicious!

"Tomorrow, I'll go see Master Luo's lover and send her to the countryside to avoid the limelight. As for the silver and prescriptions in the house, I'll go get them in a year or two, when it's definitely safe!"

Zhou Yi possessed the most precious treasure in the world, and everything else was insignificant.

Shenjing was currently in its most chaotic state. The Imperial Guards, Black Riders, and Brocade Guard were searching and arresting people everywhere. What if Master Luo's house had already been discovered?

Zhou Yi would be walking into a trap. Tomorrow, someone else would be delivering food to him.

Even if there were no Brocade Guard, there were still Master Luo's disciples or clansmen. There would inevitably be a fight... These were all dangerous!

Wait a few years for everything. Zhou Yi had no shortage of time.

After thinking it over and carefully considering everything, Zhou Yi got up and practiced a few rounds of boxing, then returned to the house to meditate and cultivate the Origin Returning Art.

The Origin Returning Art progressed slowly, not even reaching the level of a third-rate expert. However, internal energy cultivation methods always came from behind, becoming stronger with age. There was no need to rush or be impatient!

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse, the night was quiet.

A thin shadow jumped over the wall, landing in the shadows, its night clothes blending into the darkness.

The figure followed the base of the wall, sneaking towards the house.

Suddenly.

His foot went soft, and his body fell rapidly.

The shadow reacted quickly, circulating internal energy in his legs, stepping on his left foot with his right foot and moving several feet horizontally, avoiding falling into the pit.

"Damn it, who dug a trap in their yard?"

The shadow used the moonlight to see the sharp spikes in the pit shining with cold light, and his heart beat faster with fear. He moved lightly and silently, quickly reaching the window of the master bedroom, poking open the window paper and blowing in sleeping gas.

The shadow waited for a moment, confirming that the medicine had taken effect, then lifted the window and crawled in, rolling to reduce the sound of landing.

"Ah..."

A shrill scream, the shadow was covered in holes by the dozen or so nails on the ground.

The nails must have been coated with some kind of drug, because the shadow felt a numb tingling sensation, unable to muster any strength. He tried to circulate his inner energy to detoxify, but to no avail.

"A Brocade Guard secret drug. They say even top experts are helpless after being hit by it!"

Zhou Yi's voice came from the window. He had noticed the shadow as soon as he entered the yard, and he never meditated in the master bedroom anyway. The bed was just a dummy under the covers.

"Hero, spare me..."

The shadow pleaded while lying on the ground, about to come up with a heart-wrenching reason, but before he could even finish speaking, he saw several crossbow bolts shoot towards him.

Half an hour later.

Zhou Yi smoothed out the soil with a shovel, then looked up at the jujube tree in the yard.

"The jujubes it bears next year will definitely taste good. I'll give them to my colleagues!"