"Of course," Zheng Xiu said, sensing Scarface Liu's dismay and offering some consolation. "I'm not actually a picky eater. However, Sixth Brother, before we eat, I have a small favor to ask."
Zheng Xiu pinched his index finger and thumb together, leaving only the barest sliver of a gap to show just how "small" this favor would be.
Scarface Liu glanced at the tiny, almost non-existent gap and immediately relaxed.
Besides, he'd received a nice reward yesterday and was expecting more, so he wasn't about to refuse. Old Liu patted his chest and declared cheerfully, "Master Zheng, you know me. Never mind one favor—even two, three, four, or six! As long as it won't cost me my job or my head, Old Liu will make it happen. Consider it done!"
Zheng Xiu stood up. After grinding all night, his joints popped and cracked as he stretched. He moved closer to the bars and whispered a few words into Scarface Liu's ear.
As soon as Scarface Liu heard him, his face fell. He stumbled back a few steps, his expression turning miserable. "Master Zheng, this is against the rules! If my superiors find out, you'll... you'll... you'll get Old Liu fired from his cushy job!"
Zheng Xiu just smiled and shook his head, slowly lifting a sleeve to his mouth.
"It might be an iron rice bowl, but at the end of the day, it's still just iron."
With a quick bite and a rip, Zheng Xiu tore his plain brocade tunic. A thin gold leaf fluttered out. As it caught the sunlight, the glittering metal seemed to sting Scarface Liu's eyes.
Zheng Xiu casually placed the gold leaf in front of Scarface Liu.
"One: All I want on this fine morning is a basin of fresh water to wash my face."
RIP.
Good man Zheng tore open his other sleeve. Another gold leaf.
"Two: I'm terribly homesick and wish to see my family. While they're here, they can bring me a few clean sets of clothes, some buckets of hot water to wash off this Filthy Qi, and maybe a few bites of pastries from home. That's all."
A third gold leaf fell.
Scarface Liu, who had been backing away, scrambled back with a thud and squatted down. His eyes glazed over, fixed on the small leaf.
"It's just a simple wash, a bath, a change of clothes, and a family visit. That's all."
"It's all perfectly reasonable, logical, and in accordance with the laws of the Daqian Empire. How could that possibly get you fired? Tell me, am I right or am I wrong?"
Good man Zheng tossed the three gold leaves out of the cell with an air of perfect justification. The dumbstruck Scarface Liu took a long moment to come to his senses before asking in utter disbelief, "This... how was this not found during yesterday's search?"
Zheng Xiu just blinked, offering no explanation.
As Scarface Liu gathered the three gold leaves, clutching them tightly to his chest as if afraid he'd lose them, he sprinted out of the prison to run the errand for Master Zheng. On his way, he finally figured out why they hadn't been found yesterday.
The one who had searched Master Zheng privately yesterday was his own subordinate.
'That bastard!'
Scarface Liu left the Prison Camp, his heart aching with regret.
While waiting, Zheng Xiu took the opportunity to close his eyes and enter the Heart Prison. Using his Zheng Shan Incarnation, he ground out a few more runs against Mountain Bandit Li Dachui.
Ordinarily, after grinding all night, he would have been sick of it and ready to try exploring Baili Village. But now was clearly not a good time to venture into the unknown parts of the Ghostly Realm. With no other choice, Zheng Xiu could only stick to the grinding route he knew best and get himself hacked to pieces a few more times.
After grinding all night, he was almost certain that with the Zheng Shan "Birth," it was nearly impossible to get past the main road guarded by Mountain Bandit Li Dachui. He had, of course, tried walking in the opposite direction, but that path was completely deserted, without so much as a place to shelter from the rain. After just a few more steps, he had run into another group of mountain bandits.
Resigned, Zheng Xiu had no choice but to go back to getting mixed up with Li Dachui again.
Besides, he was fairly certain that the "frail and sickly" Zheng Shan would catch a fatal chill in the downpour and die of illness long before dawn.
Death by illness or death by bandits—it was death either way.
The fastest clear-route was still to walk straight, get drenched in the rain, and grind against Li Dachui. The priority was to raise his Experience Level.
This grinding route could quickly increase his [Will], [Step Technique], [Muscle Strength], [Constitution], [Intuition], and [Scouting], yielding the highest returns.
[Step Technique] and [Constitution] were Master Zheng's biggest sore spots, so he couldn't afford to neglect them.
While he was grinding Li Dachui, Scarface Liu, who had gone out on his errand, had one of his men bring Master Zheng a basin of fresh water and a clean face towel.
Coincidentally, the Prison Guard who brought the water was the very same one who had searched Zheng Xiu the day before. He was a veteran here—quick, efficient, and all smiles. Zheng Xiu was very satisfied with his service. After all, he had secretly slipped the man a large silver ingot yesterday.
After rinsing his mouth and washing his face with the cold water, Zheng Xiu felt completely refreshed and ate his meal at a leisurely pace.
After his meal, feeling full of food and energy, Zheng Xiu seized the opportunity to grind out two more runs.
「Not long after.」
A commotion suddenly erupted from the prisoners in the corridor. For reasons unknown, they all scrambled to the bars of their cells, shouting and yelling.
Within the Ghostly Realm, where rain fell in sheets like a waterfall, Zheng Xiu was in the middle of a perilous fight, surrounded by several mountain bandits. He would periodically land a punch, knocking a bandit from his horse. In the midst of the struggle, he was covered in bloody cuts and gasping for breath—fighting fiercely despite his exhaustion.
Hearing the commotion from the real world, Zheng Xiu quickly chose Mountain Bandit C's blade and offered his neck to it, ending the round.
As for why he chose Mountain Bandit C instead of A, B, or any of the others, the reason was simple: after grinding nearly a hundred runs overnight, Zheng Xiu had become intimately familiar with every single bandit.
Master Zheng had even numbered each of them. Mountain Bandit C was particularly diligent; his blade was always polished and sharp. A single cut from him meant a clean decapitation, which caused Zheng Xiu the least amount of pain upon death.
The prisoners' shouts grew more and more frenzied. Some even started banging their heads against the bars of their cells.
A light, elegant fragrance suddenly wafted through the corridor, instantly dispersing the foul odor.
Five women appeared, their faces hidden behind veils. They wore soft, sable-collared satin cloaks that failed to conceal their slender, graceful figures. Like a flock of chattering songbirds, they hurried down the corridor, heading straight for Room A.
Scarface Liu followed the flock of women, keeping a respectful distance. A troop of Prison Guards trailed him like shadows, sticking close to Old Liu's rear.
"What are you all gawking at! Get back to work!"
Scarface Liu saw his men staring, their eyes about to pop out of their sockets, and chided them with a laugh.
Unlike the other Prison Guards, Scarface Liu had little interest in women and possessed excellent self-control. He directed the others to bring out thick curtains and screen off the other cells.
"Screen them off! Look sharp, all of them!"
The fact that the Imperial City's Richest Person was imprisoned here was no secret in this little dungeon.
Seeing the spectacle, many of the prisoners figured out what was happening.
Even if they were unhappy about it, most of them didn't dare say a word.
Scarface Liu had plenty of men. Once the other cells were completely screened off from view, other guards, who had already started boiling water and preparing buckets and basins, began bringing everything over.
It all sounds more drawn-out than it was; Scarface Liu's men completed the entire series of tasks in about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Everyone had been paid, so they worked with a certain flair.
The guards' eyes kept drifting toward the flock of beauties in front of A Cell.
This hellhole was so male-dominated you'd be lucky to find a female rat, so the arrival of even an old woman would have caused a stir. To say nothing of these women, whose dress and bearing marked them as uncommon beauties. Only after another cold reminder from Scarface Liu did the guards reluctantly tear their eyes away.
Seeing the grand procession, Zheng Xiu was inwardly speechless.
'Didn't I tell you all to be more discreet?'
'If word of this gets out and people think Master Zheng is throwing a party in prison, wouldn't that ruin my reputation as Good man Zheng?'