My daily cultivation progress is calculated.

Chapter 21 Iron Skin and Bones, the Embroidered Uniform Guard Takes Action

Li Chengde looked at the empty study and became somewhat angry. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the servant.

We await his explanation.

The servant immediately knelt down on the ground.

"Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The cultivation technique has disappeared!"

"What! How could the cultivation manual be gone? Wasn't it supposed to be in the secret room?"

Li Chengde slumped into the chair behind him, his face grim.

The servant was startled to see the prince in such a state.

"Apart from the cultivation manual, all other items remain untouched."

Hearing this, his expression improved. He didn't care about the cultivation technique; he had already seen it when he obtained it and knew he couldn't cultivate it at all.

Several close friends who were also masters of internal energy cultivation had tried to practice it, but without exception, they all failed.

The main reason for taking such a great risk to obtain it was to prevent Emperor Xuanwu from getting his hands on it.

As for the theft of the cultivation technique, it's possible that someone accidentally found the secret room, so it seems that place is no longer safe.

Li Chengde had been the crown prince for too long, and he feared that if Emperor Xuanwu trained him, he might remain just a crown prince until the day he died.

That's why we had no choice but to take this risk.

I'm still not sure who found out, and I'm feeling a bit upset. That's when I thought of my father-in-law.

"Go and invite the Prime Minister here. Tell him I have important business to discuss with him."

……

……

Inside the Spring Breeze Pavilion.

The newly appointed jailer in cell A was embracing a young woman, his every move displaying a rather licentious manner.

The brothel leaders could tell that this was his first time visiting a brothel, and he was initially a little reserved. Shen Yan gestured to the girls behind him to be more enthusiastic, and Xu Shaonian completely relaxed.

Shen Yan and the others were naturally happy with this, since Xu Shaonian was, after all, their future superior.

Seeing that the atmosphere was just right and it was getting late, the group decided it was time for him to spend the night with his girlfriends.

They took out the silver notes and handed them to him in perfect unison.

Upon receiving the silver note, Xu Shaonian, who was initially slightly tipsy, immediately sobered up a bit, and a playful smile appeared on his face.

"Before I came here, my elder brother told me that this prison may seem lowly, but it is actually a treasure trove. It seems that this is indeed true."

The others didn't understand what he meant, so they could only agree.

"You flatter me, Officer Xu. I'm just helping the officials with their work and doing some hard tasks. It's nothing special. I'll have to rely on you for your continued support in the future."

"That's right, it's all to share the burdens of the adults."

"Thanks to Lord Prisoner's guidance, otherwise we wouldn't be in such a good place."

Xu Shaonian was in a good mood after receiving the money and didn't dwell on the matter too much.

Shen Yan and the other troupe leaders wisely left Chunfeng Tower.

After leaving Chunfeng Tower, the group quickly began discussing the newcomer, Xu Shaonian.

"What exactly does this jailer Xu mean?"

"What else could it mean? They just feel that a scholar like him is being wronged by being assigned to work in the prison."

"He looks down on the job in the imperial prison, yet he wants the money from the imperial prison. It has to be said that this prison clerk Xu is somewhat similar to the officials in the Ministry of Justice."

"Be careful what you say, be careful what you say, you can't say anything reckless, Chen Song hasn't been dead for more than a few days."

Indeed, as the foremen said, Xu Shaonian was a bookworm, quite arrogant, and felt that going to the prison was a disgrace to his status as a scholar.

Hearing that Shen Yan was a student who had passed the imperial examinations but was still happy to work in the prison, they felt disgusted and ashamed to associate with him.

Although Xu Shaonian was in his thirties, he looked like he had never experienced the ways of the world.

Shen Yan was also a little envious. This soul, untouched by the atmosphere of the class, was just like a college student who had just entered society in his previous life.

Fortunately, he has a good older brother.

Back home, Shen Yan took out the oracle bone script books he had bought during the day and began to study them. He was still not clear about the characters on the gold scroll, and he was unwilling to give up.

"Books are really expensive these days. No wonder they say there's a golden house in books. A few books cost me more than ten taels of silver, they're practically made of gold."

After studying it for a long time, Shen Yan finally gave up. Language really does require talent.

I looked at it for a long time, but I still couldn't understand a few words.

The only thing we can do is try to find out if there are any teachers who are proficient in oracle bone script and ask them for advice.

These days, there's no Baidu or Douban (a Chinese Q&A website); if you want to understand something, you can only ask others.

After practicing the Golden Body Technique twice, Shen Yan went to sleep.

The next morning, Shen Yan suddenly opened his eyes.

The immense power of qi and blood within his body circulated throughout his entire being, causing his skin to continuously shimmer with golden light.

The Golden Body Technique has reached the minor completion stage, and I can feel the changes in my physical body.

Xiao Cheng's Golden Body Technique had already reached the ninth rank. Shen Yan was already at the ninth rank, and with the enhancement, he could be considered the number one person among the ninth rank.

Shen Yan's face lit up with joy.

"I wonder how strong they are now."

The Golden Body Technique, when practiced externally to temper the body, once mastered to a minor degree, makes it difficult for ordinary blades to injure the skin and flesh.

He went to the kitchen, picked up a cleaver, and slashed his forearm, leaving only a faint white mark.

"Not bad. Although he hasn't broken through to the eighth rank yet, he should be unmatched among those at the ninth rank."

Shen Yan could already faintly sense the power within his body, which was about to break through to the eighth rank.

He had only been practicing martial arts for a little over a month and had already reached the peak of the ninth rank. If people knew this, they would surely exclaim that he was a genius.

However, Shen Yan has no intention of making a fuss for the time being.

……

……

On an autumn morning, there was a thin mist that lingered.

Walking down the street, Shen Yan felt that something was off today.

The street, which should have been bustling with activity, had very few vendors hawking their wares.

Only small groups of Imperial Guards hurried past.

"What's going on? So many Imperial Guards have been dispatched. Could it be a major case?"

He was somewhat puzzled, so he quickened his pace and arrived at the prison.

Hearing the familiar sound of betting coming from the office made me feel a little more at ease.

"The guards are still gambling; it seems this has nothing to do with the prison."

He pulled Sun Fugui off the mahjong table, and when he saw that it was Shen Yan who had come to find him, he was overjoyed.

"Hey, Brother Shen, you've come at the right time. Lend me a few more taels of silver so I can try to make a comeback."

"Gambling, gambling, all you ever do is gamble. You'll die from this sooner or later. I have something to ask you, come with me."

Sun Fugui scratched his head upon hearing Shen Yan's reprimand, showing no shame on his face, and followed him to the side.

"I see the streets are full of Imperial Guards. Do you know what happened?"

"I really don't know, Brother Shen. If you want to know, I'll go and ask around."

"Go on! Stop gambling, save some money for your wife and kids."

Shen Yan took out five taels of silver and handed it to him.

Sun Fugui received the money and walked away happily, not returning to the gambling table, but going out to help inquire about information.

When they arrived at Prison No. 1, they passed by the jailer's cell and found it empty.

"It seems Xu Shaonian overworked himself last night; he hasn't even arrived at the prison yet."

Shen Yan was brewing and drinking tea when he saw Chen Xiaoshuan walk in.

"Boss Shen, our people have arrived."

This was the first time Shen Yan had encountered a new prisoner since arriving at Cell A.

Accompanying Chen Xiaoshuan were people sent by the Ministry of Justice.

To his surprise, this time it wasn't a convicted official who was brought in.

He was somewhat surprised to learn that the person was merely a scholar who had passed the county-level imperial examination.

After verifying his identity, he was imprisoned in the imperial prison, and Shen Yan took out the case file.