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Now.

The prison cell is a dark door.

Zhou Yi is outside.

Captain Zhu is inside.

“Old Zhou, if you want to laugh, just laugh, I can handle it!”

Captain Zhu, dressed in a wretched white prisoner’s uniform and with a face like he was mourning, said, “Considering the many years we’ve been colleagues, could I ask you for a favor?”

Zhou Yi nodded and said, “Old Zhu, just speak your mind.”

Captain Zhu pleaded, “I’m suspected of plotting to commit treason, which inevitably leads to my family being exiled and our property being seized. When the time comes, could you help out a bit, Old Zhou? Just to make sure my wife and children don’t suffer unnecessarily on the road.”

“Old Zhu, how did you get involved with the Crown Prince’s faction?”

Zhou Yi didn’t look down on people, but before the act of treason, the Crown Prince was already the regent. How could he take an interest in a mere ninth-grade captain?

“At the big wedding of Bai Junma two years ago, I got in touch with the nephew of Duke Qi.”

Captain Zhu said, “Later, using the convenience of the Sky Prison, I extorted quite a sum of silver from a few corrupt officials, and thus, caught the eye of the Crown Prince.”

The niece of Duke Qi was the Crown Prince’s consort. Due to the conspiracy case, the Duke was demoted to a Marquis.

Those corrupt officials detained in the Sky Prison had hidden their ill-gotten gains before the case came to light. Captain Zhu, taking advantage of his position, ferreted out the silver through severe torture and temptations.

The nephew of Duke Qi was in dire need of silver to buy his official position, so he didn’t mind Captain Zhu’s humble background and pulled him into the Crown Prince’s party.

“Old Zhu, rest assured about this matter. Your colleagues in prison will definitely take good care of your family,”

Zhou Yi comforted him, “Once they are sent to the place of exile, I’ll also talk to the local officials. I can’t promise a life of luxury, but at least they won’t be subjected to hard labor and ill-treatment.”

“Such righteousness, Old Zhou!”

Captain Zhu was inexplicably moved. It’s easy to find people who add flowers to brocade, but rare to find those who give coal in snow.

Zhou Yi consoled Captain Zhu some more, saying that once his family was pardoned and returned to the Divine Capital, he could arrange for them to be jailers. They would be safe and secure, and all would be well.

…

Prison Cell B-9.

This cell had problematic Feng Shui; many high-ranking people who entered met their doom here.

Li Ye paced back and forth in the cell, occasionally glancing down the corridor as if he was expecting something.

Sharing the cell with Li Ye were his three younger brothers, ranging from seven or eight to a little over ten years old; they looked terrified and pale.

Zhou Yi arrived outside the prison door, his gaze sweeping over the four individuals. The three younger ones had been born into luxury and were not accustomed to accompanying their father Li Wu on his military campaigns. Their vibrancy paled in comparison to Li Ye’s.

A flicker of joy crossed Li Ye’s eyes as he tentatively said, “Senior, you are…”

“Indeed, it is I.”

Zhou Yi communicated telepathically: “I promised Li Wu that I would preserve a line of Li’s blood, to prevent the end of a hero’s lineage!”

The elderly voice that reached his ears was identical to that of the senior who had acted secretly before. Li Ye breathed a sigh of relief in his heart; this was the last lifeline his father had left for the Li family.

“I thank you, Senior, for saving my life.”

Li Ye, observing Zhou Yi’s words and expressions, understood that Zhou Yi didn’t want to reveal his identity and asked his three brothers to temporarily retire to the inner room.

Zhou Yi curiously asked, “How did you know my identity?”

Li Ye replied, “Before my father’s demise, he sent word that if one day the entire Li clan was imprisoned, in this very cell, waiting for the food delivery, it would be the Li family’s last chance.”

Zhou Yi then asked, “Did the Li family really get involved in the Crown Prince’s rebellion?”

Li Ye was silent for a moment before answering truthfully, “Indeed, I have been in contact with the Eastern Palace, hoping to help the Crown Prince ascend to the throne sooner, as a means of seeking life in the face of death. However, there wasn’t enough time to get in touch with my old contacts in the army.”

Zhou Yi, surprised, said, “So, are you saying the rebellion was orchestrated by Emperor Hongchang himself?”

Li Ye nodded and said, “To my knowledge, the Crown Prince never had any intent to assassinate; he simply wished to force the incumbent to abdicate.”

Zhou Yi clicked his tongue in amazement: “Emperor Hongchang is indeed ruthless, willing to discard his own son to wipe out the Li family root and branch. Such a hasty frame-up clearly suggests his time is running short.”

Li Ye bowed deeply and said, “I implore you, Senior, to save the Li family!”

Zhou Yi reminded him, “I promised Li Wu I would only save one.”

The four sons of Li Wu were criminals in the eyes of the Imperial Court, thorns in the flesh of Emperor Hongchang. Planning to rescue even one was immensely risky.

“I dare not ask for too much; to preserve the bloodline of the Li family is already more than I could have hoped for,” he said.

Li Ye continued, “Before his death, my father left behind a secret technique, which was taught to him by the previous emperor. Now that the Imperial Clan seeks to annihilate the Li family, I am no longer bound by my oath. I offer this technique in exchange for you taking my youngest brother as your direct disciple!”

“Your youngest brother?”

Zhou Yi, puzzled, said, “You are the current Marquis of the Nation. If you die, the Li family’s connections in the military will be mostly gone.”

“After my father’s death, once-closet uncles shunned the Li family as if we were snakes or scorpions. What connections are you speaking of?”

Li Ye said, “I lack talent in the martial arts, with no hope of becoming a grandmaster. My youngest brother, on the other hand, is exceptionally gifted. If he could train by your side, he might break through to the Innate realm someday.”

“Is it the Flying Sword Technique?” Zhou Yi asked.

Li Wu had once lured and killed martial arts experts. Old Bai had seen it with his own eyes, how the flying sword slew as easily as mowing down grass.

“The secret technique is known as the Blood Refinement of Spiritual Weapons; only Innate grandmasters can practice it,” he explained.

Li Ye explained, “You seek a Spiritual Vessel, then perform a Blood Sacrifice on it. If the heart resonates with it, after years of nurturing, it can be integrated into the body and commanded as easily as one’s own limbs.”

Zhou Yi showed interest but shook his head, “Although the technique is impressive, I’m afraid I do not take disciples.”

In this era, the relationship between a master and disciple is not simply that of teacher and student—it’s akin to having another set of parents.

If the master needs help, disciples are there to toil.

If the disciple commits evil, the master also bears the blame.

Li Ye heaved a sigh of resignation. The Blood Refinement Technique was the only thing of value he had to offer; he had nothing else that could move a grandmaster.

“However…”

Zhou Yi’s tone shifted, “I possess a cultivation technique that requires a special kind of root and bone structure; very few people in the world can succeed at it. If one can master it and devote several decades to diligent practice, reaching the Innate realm is within reach!”

Li Ye pondered for a moment, understanding he had no other option, “Thank you for your generous offer of the technique, senior. I will now reveal the Blood Refinement Technique…”

He proceeded to disclose every detail of the secret technique to Zhou Yi, leaving out not a single word.

“Such a technique can already be considered Artifact Refining,” Zhou Yi mused to himself, finding it increasingly profound. He asked, “How can you tell? What qualifies as a Spiritual Vessel?”

“I’m not entirely sure myself, but my father once said that in the Divine Capital, there are two items that possess spirit,” Li Ye said. “The Mountain and River Cauldron, enshrined within the Grand Temple, and the Jade Seal, passed down through Fengyang Country; these two artifacts, alongside the Founding Great Ancestor’s Sword my father wielded, are known as the Three Treasures of Fengyang.”

“Both sound quite troublesome,” Zhou Yi remarked.

Having seen the Grand Temple’s Mountain and River Cauldron before, he knew it to be nearly as tall as a person and weighed two or three tons.

The Jade Seal, though small, was hidden deep within the imperial palace, guarded by countless imperial soldiers. Locating exactly which palace and where the seal was required personal exploration.

“Let’s put this matter aside for now; we can plan for it gradually in the future.”

Zhou Yi could afford to wait. He might even outlast the collapse of Fengyang Country, at which point the Mountain and River Cauldron and Jade Seal would be within easy reach.

“This cultivation technique I have is called the Guiyuan Technique, and less than one in ten thousand people are capable of practicing it,” Zhou Yi said. “Bring your three younger brothers to me. I will test their root and bone structure one by one. If it doesn’t work out… other family members can try.”

“We will do as you say, senior,” Li Ye replied without insisting that his three younger brothers survive. Other cells still held Li Wu’s children by concubines, and even further removed were lesser branches of the Li family.

The great plan of revenge for the clan could not be severed by the degree of kinship!

“The universe is boundless and endless; when elements combine, vital energy converges, mingling back into unity…”

Zhou Yi imparted the Guiyuan Technique to the four brothers and waited as they sat in meditation to practice. They didn’t actually have to produce Mana, but merely being able to attract the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth would indicate potential for cultivation.

About half an hour later.

Li Ye stood up first, shaking his head slightly, then turned to look at his three younger brothers with hopeful eyes.

His second and third brothers then finished their meditation, but no matter what, they couldn’t sense the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth described in the Guiyuan Technique.

Only the fourth brother, Li Hong, remained seated in meditation, not only showing no signs of fatigue but also displaying an expression of immersion and enjoyment.

“Is this… a Spirit Root?”

Zhou Yi, with his keen senses, felt the Spiritual Energy of heaven and earth fluctuating ever so slightly, converging towards Li Hong at a speed several times faster than when he himself cultivated.

“The Li family has its successor!”