Chapter 143: Becoming a Prison Warden, Major Incident

Two years passed quietly.

During these two years, Lu Yang’s life was very peaceful.

He continued serving in the Imperial Prison, cultivating in his spare time, and occasionally visiting his family in Wuyuan Province.

His cultivation also progressed steadily, and as expected, he eventually "reached" the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm.

Naturally, this caused quite a stir among those who knew him.

After all, he was only twenty-eight years old this year.

Although there were certainly cultivators who possessed even greater talent, reaching the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm before thirty was still an impressive achievement.

Lu Hai was immensely delighted when he heard the news.

"My grandson truly is blessed by heaven!"

He had said this countless times over the years, and his enthusiasm showed no signs of diminishing.

Lu Yang could only smile helplessly, having already become accustomed to his grandfather’s shameless boasting.

However, there was another significant event that took place that year.

Lu Hai finally retired.

After serving in the Imperial Prison for many decades, the old man had reached an age where continuing his duties was no longer particularly suitable.

His retirement was discussed for some time, and with Lu Yang finally reaching the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, there was no longer any reason to delay it.

Thus, after completing the necessary procedures, Lu Hai officially relinquished his position as one of the four Prison Wardens and promoted Lu Yang as his successor.

The appointment attracted some attention within the Imperial Prison.

After all, Lu Yang was only twenty-eight years old, making him the youngest Prison Warden in its history. However, no one openly objected.

There were several reasons for this.

First, Lu Yang had already spent sixteen years serving in the Imperial Prison.

He had entered at the age of twelve and gradually worked his way up, gaining rich experience in managing prisoners, supervising guards, and handling various administrative matters.

Second, Lu Hai had personally supported his succession.

As one of the four Prison Wardens and someone who had served the Imperial Prison for decades, his influence was considerable.

Finally, Wen Fanghong also approved the appointment.

As the Prison Supervisor, his approval carried the most weight.

With these three factors combined, there was little room for anyone else to question the decision.

Moreover, Lu Yang’s cultivation had already reached the Ninth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, so he was not lacking in strength either.

Even if some people privately felt that he was too young, they had no reasonable grounds to object.

Consequently, the transition proceeded smoothly.

Lu Hai officially retired, while Lu Yang took over his former responsibilities.

For the old man, this was a great relief, and he could finally spend his remaining years without worrying about the daily affairs of the Imperial Prison.

As for Lu Yang, his position had changed, but his lifestyle remained largely the same, except he now had enough income each month to sustain his cultivation just from the Imperial Prison.

...

Shortly after assuming his new position, Lu Yang made another decision, which was to promote Zhao Ming.

Having worked together for more than a decade, the two had developed a degree of trust and friendship.

Zhao Ming was meticulous, capable, and familiar with the daily operations of the Imperial Prison.

His cultivation had also improved steadily over the years, reaching the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm now.

This was more than sufficient for the position of Prison Leader.

Since Zhao Ming had been directly serving under Lu Yang for years, promoting him was a natural decision.

There were some discussions among the guards, but nobody raised any serious objections.

Zhao Ming’s capabilities were well known, and his promotion was hardly undeserved.

When he received the appointment, he was visibly delighted.

"Brother Lu, I really have to thank you for this."

Lu Yang glanced at him.

"There’s no need. You’ve worked hard enough to deserve it."

Zhao Ming laughed.

"Still, I won’t forget this kindness."

Lu Yang shook his head.

He did not think too much about it.

Having capable subordinates made his own work much easier, and Zhao Ming was exactly such a person.

...

That same year, however, an incident occurred in one of Great Qian’s border provinces.

Initially, the news was not remarkable enough to spread across the entire dynasty.

There was some unrest involving several local forces and the border army, and the situation had gradually escalated into an armed confrontation.

The Imperial Court dispatched forces to suppress the disturbance.

Such incidents were not uncommon throughout Great Qian, especially with the various political changes and the weakening of certain regional authorities over the past few years.

However, what happened afterwards caused an enormous sensation.

During the suppression, an Essence Gathering Realm powerhouse was killed in direct combat.

When Lu Yang first heard the news, he was somewhat surprised.

An Essence Gathering Realm cultivator dying was no ordinary matter.

One had to understand that the number of Essence Gathering Realm cultivators throughout Great Qian was relatively small.

They were already considered powerful figures, capable of influencing the affairs of entire prefectures and even provinces.

Moreover, such cultivators rarely fought each other openly.

It was not that conflicts between them never occurred, but the Imperial Court had established heavy restrictions on the conduct of high level cultivators.

An Essence Gathering Realm expert could easily cause enormous destruction during a battle, especially if the confrontation took place near populated regions.

Even a brief clash could result in countless casualties.

For this reason, the Imperial Court generally discouraged such individuals from engaging in unnecessary conflicts.

Even when an Essence Gathering Realm criminal was captured, the usual punishment was imprisonment or execution through established procedures.

Directly killing such a cultivator in combat was comparatively rare.

Most Essence Gathering Realm cultivators who died did so because their lifespans had reached their limits or because accumulated injuries eventually resurfaced.

An active Essence Gathering powerhouse dying in battle was still an event that might only occur once in a decade.

Thus, the news spread throughout the dynasty.

Within the Imperial Prison, the guards and officials also discussed the matter.

"An Essence Gathering Realm powerhouse actually died?"

"Not only that, but apparently, the battle was quite intense."

"I heard that several Brocade-Robed Guards were dispatched to investigate the aftermath."

Various rumors circulated, although their accuracy was uncertain.

Lu Yang listened to these discussions without expressing much interest.

However, he understood why the incident

attracted so much attention.

Nearly a century ago, several Essence Gathering cultivators had died during the battle in Canglan Prefecture.

That incident had caused an enormous sensation throughout Great Qian.

Even decades afterwards, it remained a popular topic among cultivators and scholars.

Even more importantly, it had directly influenced the Imperial Court’s subsequent policies.

The destruction caused by that battle was so extensive that the Imperial Court eventually tightened its restrictions on high level cultivators, leading to today’s situation.

The consequences had been far too severe to ignore, and now, another Essence Gathering cultivator had died in active combat.

Although the circumstances were different, the news inevitably reminded people of that distant incident.

Lu Yang sat in his office, quietly reviewing the report Zhao Ming had brought over with a calm expression.

However, he could not help but wonder whether this was merely an isolated incident or another indication of the changes taking place throughout Great Qian.

After all, the dynasty had been experiencing increasing unrest over the past several years.

The Emperor was consolidating his authority, regional powers were being weakened, various noble families were coming under investigation, and some local cultivators had begun taking advantage of the resulting disorder.

Perhaps this incident was just another consequence of those changes.