Chapter 59

The master leads you to the door, but cultivation is a personal journey.

The latter is about self-struggle, while the former is about following the right person and knocking on the door.

There are many people with great talent in the world who, without guidance, find the door but cannot enter, and ultimately waste their lives away.

“Introduction to Array Paths” is similar to this, the content is not profound, yet Zhou Yi doesn’t understand restrictions or inscriptions and directly delves into studying the Mystifying Array, the Gathering Spirit Array, and the Minor Five Elements Array.

The process was indeed difficult, Zhou Yi chanted all night and made many notes, yet didn’t make much progress.

At this rate, thoroughly studying it would take at least a decade.

“Hmm, not bad!”

Zhou Yi was not afraid to waste years and was not in a hurry to study thoroughly, having something to do in his long life prevented it from being dull and empty.

“Now that I cultivate essence, energy, and spirit together, progress may be slow but the foundation is solid. In the future, I’ll learn all skills such as talisman array method, alchemy, and artifact refining, spending thousands or tens of thousands of years to become an all-powerful immortal!”

Zhou Yi put away the jade slip, as for the third part of the travel journal, he had already read it many times.

Lingyun Daoren and Wei Chang had similar experiences, luckily obtaining a cultivation technique and just so happened to have a wooden Spirit Root, thus devotedly cultivating in the Daoist temple.

Until after reaching the third level of Qi Refinement, his mana stopped increasing.

Lingyun couldn’t rely on time like Zhou Yi to grind through, so he began wandering all around, seeking immortals and asking about the Dao, hoping to find the legendary Immortal Mountain Blessed Land.

“It’s probably because the spiritual energy of the mundane world is too sparse, making it difficult for cultivation to exceed the third level of Qi Refinement.”

Zhou Yi speculated in his heart, for after breaking through to the second level of Qi Refinement, the growth of mana had already slowed down significantly.

Lingyun spent decades traveling, setting foot all over Fengyang, the northern Great Yong, and the southern Great Li, but ultimately failed to find the legendary Immortal Mountain Blessed Land,

During this time, he met several Loose Cultivators. “Introduction to Array Paths” was exchanged from a leper monk in Great Yong. A monk and a Taoist traveled around Great Yong together for more than a decade, leaving behind many folk legends.

At the end of his travel journal, Lingyun sighed, although he did not enter the gates of immortality in his lifetime, it might not be a bad thing.

To have two or three friends, wander the world for a hundred and forty years, how fortunate indeed!

“When Lingyun was exploring Fengyang, he investigated several strange and dangerous places, which the Jinyiwei had already reported on before, and looking at it now, it seems that they aren’t places for cultivators.”

“However, it’s not that there were no discoveries at all. Lingyun suspected that the Jiangnan Eight Great Families, being able to pass on for a thousand years, are very likely connected to cultivators. It’s a pity he realized this too late, as his life was coming to an end and had no more intention of verifying it.”

“This matter can be left to Yuan Shun, to dispatch the Jinyiwei to closely monitor.”

Zhou Yi was not afraid of the clans, if Li Wu could suppress them back in the day, it shows that they are not really people of the immortal path, and are more likely connected by some blood relations.

Moreover, it was Jinyiwei’s normal duty to monitor the clans.

Previously it was to watch if they were plotting rebellion, now the direction has changed, to investigate whether there are extraordinary beings around.

…

Many things or people in the world are truly not worth mentioning.

The next morning.

Zhou Yi went to the Heavenly Prison to report, and saw all the jailers standing at the entrance.

Standing straight, the ranks neat and orderly, as if they were troops waiting for inspection.

Zhou Yi asked in confusion, “Old Lei, what’s going on?”

Old Lei is a descendant of the former Lei Suyu, who toiled as a jailer in the Heavenly Prison for nearly thirty years and was promoted a few years ago.

“Old Zhou, this is what Officer Yang requested; we must wait for him to inspect before we can serve in the prison. You haven’t been here for some days, and he’s lost his temper a few times, saying that he would settle it with you once you’re back!”

“Who is Officer Yang? Didn’t Old Lu say he was supposed to stay for another half a year?”

Zhou Yi looked puzzled, he had drunk with Colonel Lu before leaving the capital, who mentioned that his successor would be surnamed Luo.

“Colonel Lu was implicated in accepting bribes and selling his position to the Luo family, he has been exiled a few days ago.”

Old Lei answered, “Officer Yang is not simple, it’s said that he’s from the side branches of the Yang family among the Jiangnan Eight Great Families, related to the Minister Yang from the Ministry of War.”

“What a pity, I couldn’t bid farewell to Old Lu. Officer Yang… such means of handling things…”

Zhou Yi felt considerable sympathy, of course Colonel Lu was not a good man, his crime was definitely substantiated, after all officials in the prison could find a heap of charges on anyone.

Colonel Lu had spent his life toiling in the prison without major mistakes, only half a year away from a peaceful retirement.

Only because Officer Yang was in a hurry to take office, he relied on his family’s influence to have him exiled. It was not just breaking the rules of officialdom, his methods were also exceedingly ruthless.

At that time.

A man dressed in the uniform of the Jinyiwei approached, his hand on the hilt of his waist knife, striding boldly forward, his neck slightly raised, his gaze lowered, always looking down on people with a disdainful attitude.

His gaze swept over the prison guards before finally settling on Zhou Yi.

“Are you Lord Zhou?”

“Greetings to the esteemed officer.”

Zhou Yi bowed respectfully, “How dare I claim to be a lord? It’s just a joke between colleagues. If you dislike it, from now on it will be Little Zhou.”

“Hmm?”

Officer Yang’s gaze narrowed slightly as he looked more directly at Zhou Yi.

“It’s good you understand! You have been absent without leave for half a month, by the law you should be expelled from the prison, however, considering your previous merits, I will only deduct a year’s salary!”

“Thank you for your generosity, sir.”

Zhou Yi smiled, unconcerned about the penalty to his salary, since his main income was not from the prison anyway.

Officer Yang was surprised at Zhou Yi’s flexibility, having assumed that a capable person would have a big temper, providing an opportunity for him to assert his authority.

Then he lectured them for a while, the gist being that taking silver from prisoners in the future was forbidden, and any guard who dares to accept bribes privately would be strictly investigated.

“This is a matter the officer has emphasized repeatedly, and yet there were still those who dared to commit such acts yesterday!”

Officer Yang continued, “Bai San’er, who was on duty last night, took silver from the prisoner of Cell Nine, and this morning he has already been sent to the capital’s prison: flogged a hundred times, to be jailed for three years!”

Whoosh!

The prison guards were shocked. As minor officials in the prison, how could they not fear the terror of receiving a hundred lashes?

Such heavy punishment could easily leave a person mutilated or incapacitated.

Officer Yang said coldly, “Pay close attention. Regardless of the past, from now on, you must follow these rules!”

After Officer Yang left, the prison guards buzzed with discussion.

But with Officer Yang’s deep connections, even Warden Wu did not dare to show his face—what could a group of low-level officials do?

A resentful prison guard said, “Lord Zhou, that Yang is deliberately using you to set an example. Are you going to tolerate it?”

Zhou Yi shook his head with a smile, “What can we do if we can’t tolerate it? He’s a son of a noble family; we can’t afford to provoke him!”

Old Lei was puzzled, “By doing this, Officer Yang is antagonizing us, does he not fear the prisoners causing trouble?”

“Officer Yang is likely here in the prison to pad his resume. Once he gets some results, he’ll be promoted. He doesn’t care about what the prisoners think. After all, prisoners are just prisoners. Could they really overturn the heavens?”

Zhou Yi advised, “Just endure it for a while, suffer through a few hard years!”

Hearing this, the guards, knowing that even Zhou Yi, who cultivated martial arts, was intimidated, felt they had lost their backbone and had no choice but to comply with Officer Yang’s rules.

Afterward.

Officer Yang, after hearing reports from his confidants about all the actions of the guards following his departure, had a slightly changed view of Zhou Yi.

“This man has punitive abilities, knows when to keep a low profile, and can see the bigger picture—indeed a useful talent. Once I’ve reformed the prison, I will promote him and bring him along to serve in the army!”

“What kind of future is there in spending a lifetime cooped up in the prison!”

Zhou Yi was unaware of Officer Yang’s assessment and would not care even if he did know.

The actions of Officer Yang, which had led the prison guards to curse him behind his back, failed to recognize that they were used to all sorts of unspoken rules. When someone who abided by the law arrived, they perceived him as cold and heartless.

People may get used to and even sink into unspoken rules, but they cannot truly lose sight of right and wrong!

Zhou Yi, habitually blending in with the masses, considered himself unable to stay out of the dirt, yet would not act to obstruct Officer Yang from doing his job.