So, this was another one of those deadly questions.

But Zheng Xiu had a clear conscience, so he smiled and recounted the story of his "childish ignorance," of how the Zheng Family had dug three feet deep into their own property.

Old Wei’s expression relaxed. He was clearly aware of this incident.

Finally, Zheng Xiu chuckled. "At the time, I thought there was something to it, too. But after thinking it over, if what that Mad Military Advisor said was true, if the Immortality Secret Technique rumored back then really existed, how could my father have died on the battlefield? Destroying the Northern Barbarians Capital City would have been as easy as lifting a finger for him. Why would he have gone to his death?"

The implication was clear: it didn’t exist.

Hearing Zheng Xiu’s answer, the Emperor of Daqian, Emperor Zun’an, Old Wei... seemed to age several years in an instant.

The two eventually parted ways.

Surrounded by the Imperial Guard, Old Wei returned to the palace.

Zheng Xiu went back to his life in prison.

Old Wei walked his grand path toward a dead end.

Master Zheng continued to squat in his cozy little cell.

It seemed Old Wei had no intention of releasing Zheng Xiu from prison.

Of course, this wasn’t a major issue.

The "minor crime" of evading a mere fifty thousand taels in taxes had been punished with a caning. All that was left was to be held in custody pending a final review.

In his heart, Zheng Xiu was actually grateful to Old Wei.

Even though their statuses were worlds apart, and they had only met four times in this life.

But Zheng Xiu knew that Old Wei turning a blind eye to his actions, their tacit understanding, was the greatest help he could have asked for.

Among other things, Zheng Xiu was well aware that Old Wei had been the one to secretly provide the initial five hundred thousand taels of silver he used to revitalize the Fragrant Pavilion.

But this time...

Back in his cell.

The Prisoner Path reactivated, and Zheng Xiu once again felt at ease.

Zheng Xiu lounged in his Grandmaster’s Chair, replaying the Three Questions of the Emperor in his mind, trying to decipher Old Wei’s intentions and the deeper meaning behind his words.

With a slap to his forehead, Master Zheng suddenly figured something out.

’The older the ginger, the spicier the bite!’

’Oh, Old Wei, Old Wei... the three questions were secondary. What he was really worried about was that I’d go on a rampage and deliver a fatal blow to his own flesh and blood, the Second Prince!’

’But it wouldn’t come to that, would it?’

’Am I that kind of person?’

Zheng Xiu wondered.

He was a famously conscientious merchant who disliked violence. As long as the Second Prince didn’t cross the line, Zheng Xiu had no intention of shattering the current peace.

Having thought it through, Zheng Xiu spent a little money to have a Prison Guard buy him an expensive Incense Burner.

Facing northwest, Zheng Xiu held three sticks of incense and bowed to Heaven and Earth.

"Dad, oh, Dad, your son has been unfilial. If something major really happens, I might not be able to protect the Zheng Family’s legacy."

"But don’t you worry. If I really can’t hold on to it, worst case scenario, your son will just find another place to start over."

"And that plaque Old Wei gifted us? I’ll grab that first thing. I won’t let your death be for nothing."

Zheng Xiu was giving his deceased father a little heads-up from beyond the grave.

Getting the ugly possibilities out of the way first.

A while after the Emperor left, it was Zizi who brought him his meal.

Seeing her master looking troubled, Zizi shyly wrung the hem of her silk skirt and asked in a trembling voice:

"Master, it’s cold tonight. Would you like Zizi to... add a bit of warmth and fragrance for you?"

Master Zheng stated frankly that it was quite unnecessary. Perhaps another day.

He wasn’t afraid of the cold.

Zizi left, dejected.

After quickly sending Zizi away, Master Zheng closed his eyes and stepped into the Heart Prison.

He was in a hurry, after all.

Time in the Ghostly Realm passed at the same rate as in reality. If he wanted to clear the second act and survive until dawn, it would take Zheng Xiu the entire night.

This meant that with people coming and going during the day, he was constantly interrupted. He could only go all-in and grind through the night when it was quiet and no one would bother him.

On the Game Table, two wisps of green flame hovered, adding a touch of bright warmth to the otherwise grim and mysterious Heart Prison.

These two green flames were:

[Intimidation (some accomplishment)], [Tracking (Entry)].

Zheng Xiu was rather disappointed. ’Why does this Incarnation only have five Trait slots?’

’If only there were eight or ten slots to fill. How great would that be.’

Although he hadn’t yet managed to speedrun the Baili Village Ghostly Realm, after half a month of painful reflection and life-or-death struggles, Zheng Xiu was not far from achieving it.

As the saying goes: the prerequisite for a speedrun is memorizing the map, and the shortcut is to max out your stats.

He glanced at his Zheng Shan Incarnation.

The small Incarnation stood in the center of the Game Table like a small mountain. Even without moving or speaking, it exuded a faint, unhurried dignity.

[Name]Zheng Shan

[Birth]Painter

[Age]Thirty-two (Prime of his life)

[Muscle Strength]Thirty (Powerful Strength)

[Step Technique]Thirty (Swift as the wind)

[Constitution]Thirty (Immune to all illness)

[Appearance]Thirty-six (Peerlessly handsome, extraordinary presence, unmatched in this age)

[Will (Corrupted)]Thirty-one (Thirty-two) (Unbreakably loyal, firm as a rock)

[Destiny]Eleven (Slightly blessed)

[Physique]Twenty (Built like a beast)

[Scholarship]Thirty (Vast knowledge)

[Traits]Scouting (Entry), Medical Principles (Entry), Intuition (Entry), Taunt (Entry), Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes (Entry)

...

He sighed, stroking the words on the skin-like Paper Scroll.

He gazed at the nearly uniform list of "Thirty" and "Entry."

Master Zheng’s eyes grew a little moist.

Who could possibly know the pain he had endured over the past half-month? The near self-torture of seeking out Commander Wang to trade blows, get killed, lose limbs, and shed blood!

Who could know what he had been through these past few days!

"Thirty" and "Entry" seemed to be a threshold.

Zheng Xiu had tried repeatedly and confirmed that he could no longer squeeze a single drop of Experience Level out of Commander Wang. He had been milked completely dry, a testament to the Richest Person’s true nature.

All the Traits and Attributes that could be farmed from Commander Wang had been maxed out!

Maxed!

This was no longer just an alt.

It was a max-level alt!

"If I can’t speedrun it with this, then I... Hmph! Hmph!..."

Zheng Xiu sneered.

"I quit!"

In the process of crossing blades with Commander Wang, he had even learned the man’s [Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes].

[Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes (Entry)]Wang Cangyun, former Sword-bearing Commander of the Daqian Imperial Guard, found his inspiration while observing a scroll depicting a dragon and phoenix. He then ventured into deep mountains, sailed vast seas, scaled treacherous cliffs, slew Fierce Tigers, and battled Wolf Packs. After thirty years of hardship, he finally comprehended the astonishing, ultimate technique of the Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes. The technique consists of eighteen stances, and legend has it that upon reaching the "Extraordinary to Saint" realm, one can coil around a dragon’s body and sever its head. Unfortunately, Commander Wang possessed a Dragon-slaying Skill, but with no dragons in the world, he was unable to advance it further.

Under the "friendly" tutelage of the Treasure King, Cangyun, the two of them really hit it off, and the Experience Level for [Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes] shot up rapidly.

The Incarnation opened its eyes and stepped into the Ghostly Realm. Zheng Xiu was back at the beginning of the second act.

The treetops all around were slick with dew.

[Baili Village · Act Two · Mountain Village Mysteries]

Now, it was time to properly meet the "Late-night Butcher" who had unsportingly snapped his neck while he was AFK!

A [Medical Principles] check.

DING DING DING DING.

He discovered a number of wild herbs.

Having advanced to the "Entry" realm, his [Medical Principles] skill could now identify more wild herbs, allowing him to craft three crude remedies.

[Golden Wound Medicine], [Calming Powder], and [Soporific Medicine].

However, in his current starting location, he lacked the key ingredients for the crude [Calming Powder] and [Soporific Medicine]—ginseng and monkshood root, respectively—so he couldn’t craft them.

Zheng Xiu quickly tore a few strips from the clothes in his bag, crafted three crude packs of [Antiseptic Medicine], and kept them on his person for later use.

"Not bad."

Zheng Xiu had long wondered why his Painter was now proficient in Swordsmanship, medical arts, tracking, taunting, scouting, and so on, but somehow lacked the "Danqing" Trait.

A classic case of not sticking to his profession.

’Medicine has led me astray.’

Zheng Xiu picked up his blade, and with a light push off the ground, he glided forward.

In just a few long strides, Baili Village was right before him.

Compared to the initial "kidney-deficient Mighty Painter," Zheng Xiu’s Incarnation now moved with the swift, powerful force of a Fierce Tiger released from its cage.

By the time he stepped into the village, Wang Cangyun had just entered a house and hadn’t even had time to take a sip of soup.

Commander Wang’s spirit surged. Without a word, he drew his blade and slashed.

The first stance of the Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes!

As the blade left the scabbard, the clang of steel on wood was like a dragon’s cry—crisp and resonant.

Before the sound faded, several glints of cold light linked into a single line, aiming straight for the newcomer’s neck.

Zheng Xiu smiled, closed his eyes, and raised his blade to block.

Up, up, down, down, left.

Left, left, right, right, up.

Up, up, down, down, right.

Down, down, down, down, down.

This move was called Double Dragon Water-taking. It aimed straight for the lower body. A light hit would end your family line; a heavy one would destroy your manhood and your life.

Left, right, left, right, left.

Every one of Wang Cangyun’s slashes was lethal. Each was faster than the last, each more terrifying.

That is, terrifying to Commander Wang.

With every slash, it was as if the newcomer could predict the path of his fatal strike, placing his own blade in the way half a move in advance.

From the side, it looked as if his own blade was being drawn in, actively delivering itself into the opponent’s block.

After a few more moments, Commander Wang was so shocked his scalp went numb!

The opponent was blocking his Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes... with the Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes!

Not only that!

What made Commander Wang despair the most was that the man was... blocking his moves with his eyes closed!

Using his own technique to block his own technique, blind!

"My apologies, Commander Wang!"

’Haha! I’ve already got it all figured out!’

’I’ve memorized it all!’

Zheng Xiu suddenly pressed forward into the storm of blades. Several flashes of steel cut through his afterimage, yet he remained completely unharmed.

Zheng Xiu reversed his grip and struck with the pommel of his blade. With a dull thud to his chest, Commander Wang was easily knocked back several steps.

On the sidelines, everyone, including the young boy, was utterly dumbfounded.

The speed at which the two crossed blades was unbelievable. To their eyes, they could only see countless sparks erupting between the two figures in the dark, like a brilliant curtain of stars that stung the onlookers’ eyes.

"Just who are you!"

Zheng Xiu sheathed his long blade and stood proudly, only then opening his eyes.

In that instant, his handsome gaze seemed to rival the stars in the sky, his dark pupils bottomless.

Under the astonished gazes of all the sword-bearing Guards, the max-level alt, Master Zheng, announced his name:

"Zheng Shan. The ’Zheng’ of Zheng Haoran, and the ’Shan’ of a great philanthropist."