Zheng Xiu was sixty percent certain that the current changes were all due to the butterfly effect.

From his high vantage point, Zheng Xiu scanned his surroundings and found several familiar, conspicuous landmarks—including his own Zheng Family estate. In the front courtyard of the Zheng Family home stood a "Statue of General Zheng Haoran," glittering with gold, ostentatious and grand, and shining brilliantly in the morning sun.

The gaudy gold statue of the martyr Zheng Haoran was the most eye-catching landmark in the Imperial City.

’This is still Daqian!’

’But when did Daqian build such a tall cage?’

’Even if it’s something as absurd as ten thousand men building it overnight, how could I have been moved here without any awareness whatsoever?’

Both shocked and furious, Zheng Xiu punched the bars of the cage.

The bars, forged from refined steel, were violently bent into a deep curve, yet Zheng Xiu suddenly felt no pain in his fist.

Master Zheng was tough enough.

Zheng Xiu looked at his hard and powerful fist, but the situation was so bizarre that his feelings were a complicated mess. He didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.

CLACK. CLACK. CLACK.

The sound of footsteps drifted up from below. Zheng Xiu’s ears twitched slightly as he waited in silence.

After a short wait, a man in official robes appeared, dragging a box and panting for breath as he climbed the spiral staircase.

The man had a scar at the corner of his eye.

’It’s... no, it’s Sixth Brother.’

"Scarface Liu?"

But the man’s sharp official robes and plumed hat—so different from his usual attire—made him look completely transformed, as if he had equipped a new pay-to-win cosmetic skin. Aside from his build and that familiar scar, this new and improved Scarface Liu made Zheng Xiu feel a bit uncertain as he voiced his question.

"Aiya! Master Zheng, you’re awake! Old Liu was worried you wouldn’t be used to it last night, worried you’d catch a chill, and was just about to bring you a couple more cotton quilts! But you, Master, you just had to have those embroidered, goose-down, gold-threaded ones! I, your Sixth Brother, had to run to quite a few places to find two of the absolute finest!"

Scarface Liu slapped his forehead in vexation. "It’s a good thing you’re so robust, Master Zheng. Old Liu never expected it to suddenly start dumping snow last night! My fault! It’s all my fault!"

Looking utterly heartbroken, Scarface Liu opened the box. Inside were two neatly folded, bright red, embroidered, goose-down, gold-threaded quilts. They were embroidered with the character for "double happiness," giving them a festive air.

The corner of Zheng Xiu’s mouth twitched. He thought to himself that he’d been nearly buried in snow when he woke up. ’Anyone with a weaker constitution,’ he mused, ’would’ve probably frozen to death last night.’

Scarface Liu casually unlocked and opened the cell door, squeezed into the Celestial Prison, and started moving the quilts inside. As he passed the dented section of the bars, Old Liu glanced at it but didn’t pay it much attention.

Watching the nattily-dressed Scarface Liu, a terrifying thought began to form in Zheng Xiu’s mind.

After a moment’s deliberation, Zheng Xiu asked cautiously:

"Sixth Brother, how have I treated you in our time together?"

With his rear end sticking out, Scarface Liu busied himself with laying the quilts on a nearby soft couch. He chuckled and said, "The position Old Liu holds today is all thanks to you, Master Zheng, for putting in a good word for me with the Holy Emperor!"

"You... got a promotion?"

Scarface Liu turned back, puzzled, but still answered, "Old Liu is now the Prison Director of this ’Heaven-Gazing Platform’!" He quickly waved his hand, reassuring his master. "Master Zheng, rest assured. The whole world knows you’ve been wronged—gravely wronged! It won’t be too late to seek revenge on those who framed you once your name is cleared! Until then, Old Liu guarantees you’ll be comfortable! I won’t let you die in vain!"

’Pah! I’m not dead yet.’

After silently cursing for a moment, Zheng Xiu asked again, "What year, month, and day is it?"

"The thirty-second year of the Zun’an era, the second day of the Twelfth Moon." Scarface Liu’s expression changed as he looked at Zheng Xiu. "Master Zheng, don’t tell me you’ve fallen ill from being out in the snow?"

’The second day of the Twelfth Moon. So time hasn’t skipped. It’s still the next day.’

Ticking off points on his fingers and ignoring Scarface Liu’s odd look, Zheng Xiu asked another question:

"Is the current Emperor still Venerable Wei Yang?"

"Hush! Hush! Hush!" Scarface Liu put a finger to his lips. "Master, how can you speak the Holy Emperor’s name so directly! That’s a serious taboo!"

’So that’s right.’

"When did Old Wei visit?"

"Two days ago."

"And the Second Prince?"

"No, he’s never visited. He’s never once come to see you, Master Zheng."

"What about Lord Jiang? Jiang Gaoyi, the former Governor of Yanzhou. Do you know him?"

"Of course I know him! Lord Jiang has been completely exonerated, and it’s all thanks to you, Master Zheng! It just so happened that the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Lord Zhou Ji, died suddenly. The Holy Emperor, on your recommendation, admired Lord Jiang’s integrity and gave him an extraordinary promotion. Now Lord Jiang is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. When Old Liu sees him these days, I have to respectfully call him Lord Jiang!"

The Prison Director of the Heaven-Gazing Platform reported to the Ministry of Justice. With Jiang Gaoyi now the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he had become Scarface Liu’s direct superior.

’What a twist of fate!’ 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

’And you’re the one who whipped Lord Jiang back then.’

Zheng Xiu’s expression was odd. He offered half a second of silent mourning for Sixth Brother’s now-bleak official career before continuing his questions.

"Am I still the Richest Person?"

"Master Zheng, you! What’s wrong with you?! Who in the entire Imperial City doesn’t know you’re the number one Richest Person?!" The rapid-fire questions startled Scarface Liu, who now thought Zheng Xiu had lost his mind. Heartbroken, his eyes welled with tears. "Old Liu will go and fetch a famous physician for you at once! Even if it costs me this official’s hat, I can’t let you die a miserable death here, Master Zheng! How could a perfectly fine man like you freeze his wits away?"

"Sixth Brother, there’s no need for that!"

Zheng Xiu waved his hand to stop Scarface Liu. His sixty-percent certainty had just become one-hundred percent. But Zheng Xiu felt no joy, only a chill crawling up his spine and a tingling numbness on his scalp.

’There was never any "Zheng Shan" in this world, but I, Zheng Xiu, created him!’

’Zheng Shan’s actions in the Ghostly Realm were supposed to be illusory, but now they have become real!’

’No wonder the second line of the [Experience] panel said that Zheng Shan had retired from the Jianghu. I haven’t entered any other Ghostly Realms since then, so Zheng Shan hasn’t made any public appearances. Isn’t that the very definition of retiring from the Jianghu?!’

’The [Experience] on the Paper Scroll has replaced the past, turning it into actual "history"!’

’And as time passed, that piece of history I created has influenced my "present"!’

’The butterfly effect?’

’Yes, but not quite.’

’If it were a true butterfly effect, then when reality changed, I should have received new memories to go along with it—anyone who’s seen a sci-fi movie knows that. But I haven’t. Does that mean that only the worldline has shifted, and I am...’

’...the sole observer?’

...

「The second day of the Twelfth Moon.」

「Sunrise.」

Early winter had arrived quietly.

The first snow of the season in the Daqian Northern Domain fell upon the Imperial City.

The fine snow, like pear blossoms, had blanketed the vast Imperial City in a coat of silver overnight.

On the walls of the Imperial City, jet-black crows watched warily over the lands outside the city.

Within the city, four black towers, each about ninety feet high, loomed over the southern, eastern, western, and northern districts. Swarms of crows circled amidst the swirling, goose-feather flakes of snow. The white of the snow and the black of the crows—a stark contrast as the birds darted through the blizzard—added a chilling atmosphere to the scene.

In the center of the Imperial City, a majestic palace gleamed, resplendent in gold and jade. A flight of stairs led ever upward to the highest throne hall, which sat precisely ninety-nine feet taller than any other structure in the city.

The once-bustling city was somewhat deserted today with the onset of winter. The streets were empty, save for a few hawkers calling out their wares—steaming hot buns, fresh soy milk, griddle cakes, and candied fruit skewers.

Three strangely dressed figures—two women and a man—were walking down the road.

Two women and one man, all were clad in black, close-fitting martial attire. A long sash was tied at each of their waists, from which a jet-black token was strung.

Two of them carried a square, entirely black box on their backs, its contents a mystery.

The woman leading the trio was in her early twenties. Her long hair was tied up high in a smooth ponytail, and a lock of black hair fell over her forehead, obscuring her right eye and partially hiding her face. Her expression was cold, showing neither joy nor sorrow. She alone carried nothing on her back, making her stand out from the other two.

The style of the woman’s martial attire was different from the other two. Their cuffs were embroidered with cloud patterns, with specks of starlight hidden within the clouds.

The woman with the ponytail, however, had crescent moon patterns embroidered on her lapels and cuffs, making them particularly conspicuous.

The black-clad youth followed behind them. The Black Iron Wood Order at his waist swung back and forth, faintly revealing the characters: "Twenty-Eight Constellations · Dou Xie."

"Sister Xi’er, why isn’t our superior carrying a ’Black Box’? Does that mean members of the ’Twelfth Moon’ don’t have to carry ’Soul-Chasing Lamps’?"

The youth, bored during their walk, sidled up to the other woman and whispered his question.

"You were just promoted to the Twenty-Eight Stars, so you don’t understand a lot of the rules yet. Don’t ask too many questions. You’ll figure it out in time. Also, among the Twenty-Eight Stars, we address each other by our ’Constellation’ names. Remember, when we’re on assignment, call me ’Yue Yan’." The beaming Yue Yan leaned down slightly and patted the youth’s head. Her eyes opened a fraction wider, and her smile broadened. "Understand, Young Brother Xie?"

The young man, Dou Xie, shivered violently and quickly shut his mouth, not daring to utter another word.

Yue Yan was satisfied with the results of her "training."

The trio arrived at the Gate Office of the Six Gates. Yue Yan stepped forward to state their purpose.

Guo Zifei, the Top Divine Hunter, soon received a report from his subordinate.

"Chief! Chief! Someone’s here saying they want to open a coffin for an autopsy!"

"Open a coffin? Whose coffin? We’ve got plenty of corpses in the mortuary right now," Guo Zifei said, looking up from his desk with a puzzled expression.

"They said they’re here to examine the body of the former Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Lord Shi Wentong!"

"Still investigating?" Guo Zifei muttered upon hearing this. ’How many times have they investigated this already? Anyone would be fed up with this much hassle.’ A flash of annoyance crossed his face. "Lord Shi’s case is closed and ready to be handed over to the Ministry of Personnel! Who else could possibly investigate? Without a warrant, I’m not approving anything for anyone!"

SHING!

A gust of wind rushed in, and an object, sharp as a razor’s edge, flew in from outside, embedding itself in the door pillar next to Guo Zifei with a sharp THUNK.

A chill ran down Guo Zifei’s spine. He slowly turned his head to look at the Black Iron Wood Order embedded in the door pillar.

The words "Upper Three" were strikingly engraved upon it.

"Ye Weiyang. Twelfth Moon. Upper Three. Feng Bei." Feng Bei stepped into the Gate Office, her hands clasped behind her back and her jet-black ponytail flowing behind her. She spoke politely, "Apologies. ’Ye Weiyang’ has never needed a warrant to investigate a case."