After traveling for a day in [Post Station Feng Bei], Zheng Xiu’s Spirit was exhausted. He had barely stepped off the Path before he groggily fell asleep.

He had been staying up almost every night since his imprisonment, so it was rare for him to get a peaceful night’s sleep.

A light snow fell during the night. With a brazier warming his cell, Zheng Xiu didn’t stir, sleeping soundly until dawn.

In the early morning, a thick layer of frost coated the solid steel bars of his cell. The dawn light refracted through the ice crystals, casting a magnificent, seven-colored glow that added a touch of festive cheer to the frigid prison.

The cell door was suddenly pushed open. In truth, ever since Scarface Liu had become the Prison Director of Heaven-Gazing Prison, even the lock was just for show, hanging half-latched and never truly secured. Perhaps Scarface Liu was trying to create an opportunity for Zheng Xiu to escape, but a certain someone wasn’t rising to the occasion.

The sound of the door jolted Zheng Xiu from his sleep. As he wondered why his reflexes had become so sharp, his eyes opened to see Scarface Liu’s scarred, fleshy face crowding him.

"This is bad! This is bad! This is bad!"

Scarface Liu burst in, his face a mask of panic.

Zheng Xiu shoved Scarface Liu’s face away and knitted his brows. "What is it?"

"We’re done for! We’re done for!" Sweat broke out on Scarface Liu’s forehead. "Master Zheng, we’re in big trouble! Some ’Imperial Censor’ popped out of God-knows-where today and wants to inspect this month’s torture records for the Heaven-Gazing Platform!"

The Imperial Censors belonged to the Inspectorate.

This office was established by the Late Emperor of Daqian. It began as something like an anti-corruption department, with low-ranking officials who wielded broad authority.

Anyone who was an official in the Imperial City, no matter how high or low their rank, had some sort of background. They were either a child of Destiny, like Jiang Gaoyi, or had a powerful backer, like Scarface Liu. The Inspectorate wouldn’t dare offend any of them lightly.

Even if they had no children, they might have an eighty-year-old mother to worry about. Offending someone could have far-reaching consequences for one’s entire family.

Over time, after weathering storm after bloody storm, the Inspectorate had gradually fallen out of the core circle of power once the dust settled. In recent years, its role had become more symbolic than practical.

Every official knew it was enough for the Inspectorate to simply exist; there was no need for it to actually exercise its power.

Old Wei was naturally aware of this and had tacitly allowed the Inspectorate to remain a figurehead for many years. But when the day came that it needed to be deployed, it was a loaded gun.

So why was it suddenly making its presence felt now?

’Something is off.’ This was Master Zheng’s first time in prison; he had no idea such a thing even existed. "And then what?"

Scarface Liu said, "And they actually have one! Old Liu here deliberately tucked your record into the very last page, but that bastard was definitely looking for it. He kept flipping through that thick ledger until he found Master Zheng’s name!"

"But I was only..." Zheng Xiu started to say he had only been beaten once, but on second thought, he realized that had happened before the butterfly effect. He changed his question. "So he found it. What does he want?"

’Is he here for money?’

If that was the case, Master Zheng had nothing to fear.

Scarface Liu said guiltily, "It says seventy-six times."

Zheng Xiu froze. "I was beaten seventy-six times?"

’I was tortured and I didn’t even know it?’

’How can they call *that* torture?’

Scarface Liu shook his head vigorously. "Of course it’s fake! The moment Old Liu here took office, I altered the torture records."

"You’ve really got some nerve!" Zheng Xiu gave Scarface Liu a thumbs-up.

"But that’s the problem," Scarface Liu said, his face a mask of misery. "That son of a bitch doesn’t believe it! He insists on having someone administer the punishment in person to verify it!"

Getting tortured in prison wasn’t exactly a surprise, but the timing—not sooner, not later, but right now—puzzled Zheng Xiu.

However, after a moment’s thought, Zheng Xiu nodded, flicked his sleeve, and stood ready in his cell. "Let him come!"

"Wha—!"

Scarface Liu was about to say, ’Master Zheng, you’re so delicately built, you’ll be beaten to death!’ when a shout echoed from the stairs below. "Announcing the arrival of Imperial Censor Lord Chen!"

Scarface Liu’s face fell. He wavered for a moment before saying anxiously, "No! That son of a bitch is breaking procedure! I’ll go get help from Old Jiang! This is the Ministry of Justice’s territory!"

Scarface Liu held the position of Prison Director. Renovating this cell into a small suite had already been a transgression. Now, someone had sicced an Imperial Censor on them, and there was definitely someone powerful pulling the strings. If Scarface Liu charged in blindly without understanding the situation, he’d just be the first one to fall as cannon fodder.

So Zheng Xiu patted Scarface Liu’s shoulder and smiled. "Don’t worry. Let him do it. I’ll be fine."

The moment the words left his mouth, Zheng Xiu felt there was something odd about the way he was talking.

’A little too flamboyant.’

The Imperial Censor’s arrival was announced with great fanfare. Soon, a group of people appeared outside Heaven-Gazing Prison.

The man in the lead, dressed in an embroidered official’s robe, was the very same Lord Chen from the announcement. He looked to be about sixty, with a Fu Manchu mustache and a large mole on his left cheek from which a curly hair sprouted. With his scrawny build and shifty, beady eyes, he looked like bad news from a mile away.

He was followed by several subordinates, the most striking of whom was a bare-chested giant of a man. The man’s head was encased in a strange iron cage that left only his mouth and eyes exposed. In his hand, he carried a threaded iron rod stained with blood—clearly an instrument of torture.

When Imperial Censor Lord Chen came up and saw that a cell in Heaven-Gazing Prison had been renovated into something as exquisite as a small villa, his eyes widened. As Scarface Liu’s gaze flickered nervously, Lord Chen let out a dry chuckle. "Worthy of the Marquis Zhonglie, a descendant of the Zheng Clan. Such great Majestic Wind."

"Lord Chen?"

Zheng Xiu sized him up. ’I’m sure there’s no one like him in my memories. Perhaps he was just a minor figure in the past, but now that I’ve altered history, he’s become an Imperial Censor.’

He sighed softly. ’You have me to thank for this Majestic Wind of yours,’ Zheng Xiu thought. Naturally, he didn’t say this aloud. Instead, he calmly opened the cell door and stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Lord Chen snorted and remained outside. He cleared his throat twice, pulled a scroll from his sleeve, and began to read the confession aloud.

It was the usual boilerplate about a clear sky and a just world, the righteous path between Heaven and Earth, the tragic death of Princess Yu Run, a murderer on the loose... and now, as the net of justice closes, the truth has finally been found: the killer is Marquis Zhonglie, Zheng Xiu. The document concluded by stating that Marquis Zhonglie, moved by the Holy Emperor’s grace, had confessed to his myriad sins and would offer his signature and fingerprint as proof.

’Well, well.’ 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Zheng Xiu raised an eyebrow. ’The classic "beat a confession out of him" routine.’

After rattling off the lengthy, thousand-word confession, Lord Chen asked, "Marquis Zhonglie, Zheng Xiu, do you plead guilty?"

Zheng Xiu just smiled and shook his head. "According to Daqian law, a capital crime must be tried in open court, with all the facts laid bare. Furthermore, to sentence a Marquis Zhonglie to death requires a joint trial by three ministries. I’ll set aside the fact that you’ve skipped every one of these procedures for now. I will ask only one question: do you have irrefutable proof?"

"Your confession will be the irrefutable proof."

"Then I refuse to confess,"

Zheng Xiu said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Lord Chen, knowing the routine, was not surprised. He waved a hand. "Thirty strokes with the staff! Let’s see if you’ll talk then!"

’What a familiar routine!’

’I was wondering why my prison stay was so comfortable. Turns out the "beat a confession out of him" routine is still standard procedure. Scarface Liu just never tried it on me because we’re on good terms.’

’Let’s see... this is my third day in Heaven-Gazing Prison. This seems to be right on schedule, procedurally speaking.’

Zheng Xiu gripped the bars with both hands, preparing to take the punishment on his feet.

"On the ground!"

Lord Chen roared.

"The Holy Emperor has decreed that I, the Marquis Zhonglie, need not kneel to anyone outside the imperial court—not even to the Holy Emperor himself. And you’re telling me to get on the ground?"

Lord Chen slapped his own forehead, as if he’d forgotten this detail in his haste. ’He doesn’t even have to kneel for the Holy Emperor. If the Marquis Zhonglie had actually complied and gotten on the ground...’ HISS. Sucking in a sharp breath, Lord Chen instantly dismissed his own command as if he’d never said it. He shot a look at the executioner. "Then do it while he’s standing! Hit him while he’s standing!"

The executioner, a man nearly two meters tall and covered in corded muscle, hefted his rod, ducked his head to enter the cell, and took his place behind Master Zheng.

The sight made Scarface Liu’s heart leap into his throat. This early morning surprise inspection had terrified him. ’Don’t tell me they actually plan to beat Master Zheng to death?’

’Why now, of all times?’

Scarface Liu had always assumed Zheng Xiu’s imprisonment was just for show and that someone would get him released sooner or later. He never imagined someone would actually try to do him real harm.

’Could it be... that the Zheng Family is really in trouble?’

’Or is a political storm brewing outside?’

The executioner raised the iron rod high, his muscles tensing like steel cables, every fiber defined.

"Strike!"

WHOOSH!

With a savage grin, the executioner swung the rod. It cut through the air with a whistling sound as it descended on Zheng Xiu’s back.

Zheng Xiu had planned to just endure the blow with his [Unbreakable] Ability, but he had a sudden idea. He activated [Projection] instead.

The Incarnation currently projected onto him was [Machoman Zheng Shan]. Since he was facing away from the cell’s entrance, he wasn’t worried about anyone noticing the change in his aura.

CRACK!

The sharp sound of his bones expanding blended with the wet thud of the rod striking muscle. Zheng Xiu’s head snapped up as he checked on the Ravens.

Among the circling flock, a few Ravens seemed to sense the anomaly, cawing a few times in his direction.

’Not a strong reaction!’

’This will work!’

[Your body has been tempered by severe torture. Your Constitution has gained a small amount of Experience Level.]

This vicious blow made Zheng Xiu beam with delight. ’So this "torture" thing really works!’

The combination of [Unbreakable] and [Machoman Zheng Shan] was like putting armor on top of armor, rendering him completely Indestructible. Not only did the blow not hurt, it actually felt as satisfying as a trip to the best massage parlor.

But in the eyes of Lord Chen and Scarface Liu, the scene was entirely different.

When the rod struck, Zheng Xiu’s head snapped up. To them, it looked as if he had gone rigid from the searing pain—a truly miserable sight.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

The executioner carried out his orders like a machine. Each blow sent Master Zheng slumping further against the bars, his back arching with the impacts.

Master Zheng didn’t make a sound at first. But on the sixth strike, he let out a cry.

"Ahhh~"

Scarface Liu watched, dumbfounded. The successive blows had torn through Zheng Xiu’s clothes, leaving his back raw and red. ’Master Zheng can endure so much!’

"What a man of iron!" Tears welled in Scarface Liu’s eyes, and he felt a strange sense of inspiration.

Lord Chen, however, thought something was off. ’That cry... why did it sound a little too... ecstatic?’

"Stop! Spare him!"

A voice echoed from below just as the executioner was raising his rod for the eighth strike.

"Hmph! Who dares to subject the Marquis Zhonglie to unsanctioned punishment without the approval of the Minister of the Ministry of Justice?"

A look of shock appeared on Lord Chen’s face. ’Didn’t we already agree on the plan?’ he thought frantically. ’What part of the act is this?’

Scarface Liu was shocked as well.

’Who is it this time?’

’Why is Heaven-Gazing Prison so lively today?’

But Zheng Xiu was the most shocked of all.

Shocked and furious.

He had been happily farming his Experience Level, only remembering to cry out and put on an act after the fifth strike.

’Who the hell is clueless enough to interrupt me while I’m farming EXP?’

A man with dark, sinister eyes, yet who put on an air of gentle magnanimity, strode up the stairs. He wore a magnificent, gold-trimmed robe.

With all these arrivals, the small platform outside Heaven-Gazing Prison was starting to feel rather crowded.

Whatever Lord Chen was thinking, the newcomer’s arrival was, at the very least, a complete surprise to both Scarface Liu and Zheng Xiu.

It was His Highness the Second Prince!

The beating stopped.

The executioner ceased his punishment.

Now at leisure, Zheng Xiu glanced back at the "anxious" Second Prince and the "shocked" Lord Chen.

’Isn’t this a little too coincidental?’

’Are you motherfuckers using my actual hide to stage this self-injury ploy?’

’Couldn’t you just put on a simple ’good cop, bad cop’ routine?’

’If I didn’t have a few tricks up my sleeve, those blows could have seriously injured me.’