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The moon shone brightly, sparse stars twinkling in the sky.

In the courtyard.

Today marked Zhou Yi’s sixtieth birthday celebration, for which he had invited Old Bai to join him for a drink.

A bowl of noodles.

Four cold dishes and four hot dishes.

Made by Chef Liu of the servant quarters, the young assistant who could only follow his father around, chopping vegetables. Now, he has surpassed his teacher in skill, his culinary expertise even greater than his father’s.

Chef Liu, whose name was known throughout Divine Capital, crafted dishes beyond the reach of ordinary wealthy merchants and nobility, yet he never missed his duties in the prison.

The rules were numerous, the silver scarce.

Zhou Yi, curious, asked him why he couldn’t give up this job?

“Master Zhou, you were fortunate to have a good master to teach you, becoming successful in martial arts, so how would you know the taste of worries? We commoners have tough lives, and we always need to leave ourselves a backup plan.”

Chef Liu said, “When I was younger, I sought refuge in the prison twice. The first time wasn’t so bad, I just felt stifled. The second time I returned to the shop, the shopkeeper and the other workers… their bodies had started to decay…”

“Now, looking back, I sleep with one eye open at night, checking the door several times!”

Zhou Yi did not tell him that a door bolt could only stop a gentleman, but was of no use against highly skilled martial thieves.

At that moment.

The sound of the door being pushed open was heard, as Old Bai arrived carrying wine.

“To think a Martial Arts Grandmaster, celebrating his sixtieth birthday, is this modestly situated. Who would believe it if it were told?”

“After so many years, you’re finally using the front door.”

Zhou Yi, with his keen senses, frowned and said, “How did you get injured?”

Old Bai, still indignant, replied, “I crossed hands with Hei Gouzi. It’s just that I’ve grown older, so the victory wasn’t as clean. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to touch my back heel.”

Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Does that mean the crisis of the Boundless Sword Sect has been resolved?”

Old Bai nodded and said, “At least their lives have been spared. However, the sect must be disbanded and fall under the command of Jinyiwei Chen Qianhu, on standby for duties.”

Last July, Du Xiang presented a memorial stating “heroes using martial arts to break the law”, claiming that those of the martial community who broke the law were also subject to the nation’s laws!

Using this as a pretext, Jinyiwei began to aggressively hunt down criminals and sweep across martial arts sects.

Both righteous and demonic sects had a choice: either submit to Jinyiwei’s command or be arrested under charges of brawling, murder, or conspiring to rebel.

Jinyiwei was filled with great masters, especially the “Black Guards” under the command of Feng Zhong, whose strength was unfathomable; the martial community referred to him as Hei Gouzi.

At first, they only extinguished small factions, and the long-established major sects watched from the sidelines. Now it’s their turn, and they are helpless to resist.

The leader of the Boundless Sword Sect was a dear friend of Old Bai. The sect had a history of over four hundred years, even longer than the history of Fengyang Country. Without an official deed for Boundless Mountain, the local government mobilized troops to surround the mountain, while Jinyiwei arrived to capture murderers.

The sect was considered righteous, with strict rules. However, its disciples often engaged in chivalrous acts, inevitably leading to killings.

The implicit rules between government and the martial community had always been to divide and govern; now that was no longer the case!

Unable to withstand the pressure from the Imperial Court, the sect went to Divine Capital for help, seeking out Old Bai.

Zhou Yi laughed and said, “Old Bai, after this event, you can feel proud. Aren’t those elders of Boundless Sword Sect going to treat you like royalty?”

“Nonsense!”

Old Bai spat and said in a cold voice, “Those old fools think that because I didn’t ask the Dongyang Prince for help, I didn’t make enough effort. They believe I deliberately let the sect disband, just so I could marry Shu Wan back into my household.”

“It’s only human nature.”

Zhou Yi tried to comfort him with a few words, and Old Bai’s resentment began to fade.

Because Jinyiwei arrested so many criminals in their sweep across the martial community, the imperial prison was full, and those who had yet to be interrogated were temporarily held in the heavenly prison.

These heroes, who didn’t dare to openly defy Jinyiwei or the Imperial Court, instead blamed the catastrophe on some renowned martial heroes, grumbling and cursing them for their inaction.

Old Bai looked troubled as he said, “Old Zhou, what do you think of this?”

“It seems the crimes of those martial experts aren’t misplaced.”

Zhou Yi, having seen many villains in prison who took advantage of their martial strength to tyrannize others, believed that Jinyiwei’s purge was neither good nor bad.

The benefit was the Imperial Court’s strict control over martial artists, sparing common people from oppression and extortion.

The downside was that without the martial factions, new exploiters immediately arose. Power never leaves a vacuum, and sometimes the newcomers, without long-term vision, drained resources completely dry!

Old Bai sighed and said, “But with this, the martial community of Fengyang Country has declined.”

Zhou Yi consoled, “You are already sixty-two years old, with old arms and old legs, and you still have the heart to care about the martial world?”

Old Bai shook his head, “Those people from the martial world are naturally unruly. After joining the Jinyiwei and gaining power, it’s hard to say whether that’s good or bad!”

“Is that so…”

Zhou Yi’s thoughts raced, and as he looked up, he saw the moon at its pinnacle, shining in full glory.

Perhaps, the opportune time had come!

“We can give it a try first. If it doesn’t work out, treat it as a spare piece; with no desires, naturally, there will be no defeats.”

Before this, who was the most patient hunter in nature?

Wolves, crocodiles, lizards, or perhaps another, there was no clear consensus.

Now there was an answer: it was Zhou Yi!

The endless span of life allowed Zhou Yi to lie in wait indefinitely, then to erode slowly but surely, and one day he would have the Jinyiwei under his control.

The Jinyiwei had a complete and tight structure, a continuous supply of new talent, and were supported by the large sums of silver from the Imperial Court, which was much more reliable than any organization he could build on his own.

“Eventually, I must go to the Cultivation World. I must scout the path well, for to brazenly barge in is tantamount to gambling with life!”

Zhou Yi was never fond of gambling; he just needed to outwait both the bank and the idle players, and victory would naturally be his.

…

The following day.

The imperial prison.

Prison Cell Jia was bustling, never before had it been so crowded.

People from the martial world were no strangers to making enemies, and now, with foes locked in the same cell, cursing each other often escalated to fighting and killing.

The prisoners stepped back, forming a circle, allowing them to fight, cheering at the impressive moves.

The guard was used to it, standing on the outside looking on for entertainment.

The prisoners were only temporarily held in the imperial prison. In a few days, they would be rotated into the sentencing prison, where most would choose to be co-opted, transformed into Jinyiwei.

At that point, the guards would become strict, and they would come looking for trouble!

Zhou Yi observed carefully when delivering meals; most prisoners did not harbor hatred in their eyes, or rather, they dared not resent the Jinyiwei. Only a few tucked into corners had eyes filled with loathing.

Eliminating the aged ones from consideration, the rest were Zhou Yi’s “spare pieces”!

He finally arrived at Prison Cell Yi Six.

Yu Su had been in the imperial prison for four years, showing no sign of despair. On the contrary, he asked Zhou Yi for advice on martial arts, claiming it might save him from being assassinated in the future.

Zhou Yi took out a package wrapped in oil paper, “Old Yu, your favorite, Zhang’s braised pig’s trotters.”

“You are a good lad.”

As Yu Su nibbled on the trotters, he said, “My opportune moment is nearing; if something comes up later, seek me in the Ministry of War, and I will take care of anything for you as long as it doesn’t break the law.”

“How can Old Yu be so sure it will be the Ministry of War? Wouldn’t the Ministry of Personnel or the Ministry of Revenue be better, with the emperor’s generous grace?”

Zhou Yi had his suspicions about the reason behind Yu Su’s restoration; Emperor Jinglong needed a trustworthy person.

After finishing the trotters, Yu Su licked his fingers, seemingly unsatisfied, “The Ministry of Personnel is noble, and the Ministry of Revenue is wealthy, but all honor and wealth are built upon the Ministry of War.”

“I wish Old Yu bon voyage in advance.”

Zhou Yi cupped his fist in farewell, yet, deep down, he doubted that Yu Su would be able to fulfill his ambition.

Fengyang Country’s hundreds of years of accumulating conflicts had brought it to the end of its dynasty; no human effort could avert a collapsing heaven, only by truly breaking the old order could new vitality be brought forth.

The maladies were evident not only to Yu Su—the nobles and royals were also aware of the problems, yet whether they were willing to solve them was another matter!p>

Midnight.

The imperial prison was filled with the sound of snoring, rising and falling, while the on-duty guard had dozed off.

A shadow slipped into the prison, following the darkness to Prison Cell Jia Seven, finding a blind spot to begin whispering.

“Wake up, young one!”

Crisp calls in his ear startled Yan Wu awake from a deep sleep, but upon looking around, he saw no one.

At that moment, an aged and profound voice came again.

“Don’t bother looking for me. The only question is, do you want revenge?”