Perhaps many people have had a similar experience.
Sometimes, while fast asleep, you're hit by a sudden, jarring feeling of falling, or of drowning in the deep sea. The descent, the suffocation, the weightlessness—it jolts you awake, legs kicking out, shooting bolt upright in bed like you're doing a sit-up. You're drenched in a cold sweat, yet you can't recall what you were dreaming about.
But Zheng Xiu was definitely not asleep.
He was speed-running a dungeon.
But as he entered "Baili Village, Act II" and the words [Divine Travel] flashed before his eyes, he suddenly felt the ground beneath his feet vanish, and he began to fall.
SPLASH.
He had fallen into water.
The water was deep.
And heavy.
In that instant, Zheng Xiu felt as if he were plunging into an abyss, and his eyes flew open in terror.
Before him, a splash of tender green under the dim light seemed vibrant with life, encircled by a halo of rich golden light that stung his eyes. Zheng Xiu rubbed them forcefully and raised the Copper Mirror. He saw that his eyes were bloodshot and a stubborn stubble had appeared, a sign of his vigorous yang energy. He glanced out the small window and realized it was nearly dusk. He had unknowingly been grinding away in the Ghostly Realm for an entire day.
Zheng Xiu, who had grown accustomed to the "pain of death," was thoroughly unnerved by the sudden "sensation of falling." He vigorously rubbed the goosebumps that had broken out on his arms. After a moment, he felt a little better and let his thoughts drift back into his Heart Prison to see what he had just comprehended.
Sitting on the butt-bruising Bone Chair, Zheng Xiu stared intently at the Incarnation on the table.
Behind the Incarnation was a hazy, phantom-like shadow. The shadow was distinctly human in shape, with features that closely resembled Zheng Xiu's. At a glance, it looked like a trick of the eyes, as if one were seeing double.
The Incarnation's special trait was still 'especially long,' with no other changes.
There were some changes to its special effects, but Zheng Xiu found them hard to describe.
Puzzled, Zheng Xiu waved his hand and summoned the Paper Scroll.
[Host]: [Zheng Xiu]
[Path]: [Prisoner]
[Derivation]: [Observing the Sky from Prison (Initial Path)][Divine Travel (Initial Path)]
[Talent]: [No merchant is honest (Initial Path)]
[Experience]: [White Carp's Initial Search for Secrets, Tumultuous Times Shock Waves (Newcomer to the Martial World)]
...
Zheng Xiu pondered the changes to the information on the Paper Scroll.
He had once been forcibly infused with the "Rules."
Until now, all his gains in the Ghostly Realm had been reflected in his Incarnation.
This time, however, after he completed Act I, "A Rainy Night Without a Blade," and was about to enter Act II, "Strange Tales of a Mountain Village," a new Derivation appeared.
Zheng Xiu lightly traced his finger over [Divine Travel], and a line of small text appeared.
[Divine Travel (Initial Path)]: Your body is in prison, but your heart is outside. When the form does not move, the spirit moves; when the spirit does not move, the will moves. You can use this to travel to other places within a certain radius.
He rubbed the bump on his forehead, lost in thought. A moment later, he had an idea.
"Divine Travel!"
As Zheng Xiu focused on the thought, he was suddenly overcome with the ethereal sensation of becoming an immortal.
'Whose handsome back is that?'
Zheng Xiu snapped out of his floaty, immortal-like trance and found himself looking down at the back of a handsome, well-built figure with long hair. The person was bowing their head in deep thought, and the swirl of hair on the back of their head was as deep and captivating as the ocean waves.
'That's me!'
Before long, Zheng Xiu realized.
It was his own body, sitting cross-legged in the dungeon!
'Then who is this "I"?'
In his shock, Zheng Xiu looked down at his hands and saw that his five fingers were nearly transparent. He was floating above the prison cell, completely weightless.
'Did my soul leave my body?'
'Did I really become an Ah Piao?'
Zheng Xiu didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but a moment later, this feeling was replaced by intense joy.
He tried to press his hand against the wall, and his nearly transparent palm passed straight through without any resistance.
CLANG!
A noise came from the opposite cell. A disheveled old man was staring at the cell across from him, his eyes wide in terror as if he had seen a ghost. He stood stunned for a moment, then rubbed his eyes vigorously, his expression one of sheer terror, as if he had indeed seen a ghost.
With another thought, Zheng Xiu felt a powerful suction force from his physical body, like an invisible vortex, pulling him back.
POP~
He was back.
"You... you... you..."
Zheng Xiu's cell-neighbor trembled all over, his lips pale. He stammered for a long time without forming a complete sentence, his expression and the look in his eyes screaming the word "ghost" without actually saying it.
"My lord, you aren't feeling unwell, are you?"
Zheng Xiu knew his little stunt must have scared the wits out of his neighbor. He opened his eyes and said with a perfectly straight face.
CLANK CLANK—
It would have been better if Good man Zheng hadn't spoken. The moment he did, the old man's shackles and manacles clanged together as he scrambled on all fours into a corner, pressing his back tightly against the wall. He rubbed his eyes again, a look of bewilderment on his face.
"Are you perhaps faint with hunger?"
Zheng Xiu tilted his head and asked with concern.
'Got to respect the old and cherish the young, after all.'
"This old man clearly saw... behind you... behind you... there was... there was..."
Zheng Xiu looked behind him in "surprise." Seeing nothing there, he chuckled. "I have no quarrel with you, my lord, past or present. Why do you frighten me for no reason? Let's not even mention that in broad daylight, under a clear sky, all evil spirits retreat. Furthermore, I have lived my life with a heart as pure as the bright moon and a conscience as clear as a mirror. I have nothing to feel guilty about, so naturally, I won't be frightened by you, my lord."
"Are my old eyes really playing tricks on me?" The old man muttered to himself. He looked again and again, but the "Ah Piao" was gone. He began to suspect there was something wrong with his eyes. And Zheng Xiu was right; leaving aside whether such unclean things even existed, if they did, they certainly wouldn't come out to cause trouble in broad daylight.
"Hmph!" Soon, the old man was angered by Zheng Xiu's words. He spat to the side. "Bah! You?"
Seeing the man look at him as if he'd run into his father's murderer, Zheng Xiu decided to lay off the Ah Piao theatrics for now and asked curiously, "My lord, could there be some misunderstanding between us?"
"No merchant is honest! All crows under heaven are black!"
'No merchant is honest?'
'He's right.'
Zheng Xiu thought of the "Talent" on his Paper Scroll and sighed internally. 'This is a gift from Heaven itself. It's a "Talent." I can't help it, you know.'
So, Zheng Xiu decided not to engage with him further. He couldn't be bothered to offer a warm gesture only to be met with a cold shoulder. He lay down on his bedding, closed his eyes to rest, and began contemplating how to use [Divine Travel].
Zheng Xiu couldn't be bothered to waste his breath explaining. When he had first been imprisoned, he'd overheard a Prison Guard mention during meal distribution that his neighbor was a former honest official, jailed for a mistake made in the line of duty.
It was hardly surprising that an honest official would despise the rich.
Besides, the fact that Zheng Xiu was the Richest Person was built on money. It was an indefensible truth, and there was no way to explain it away.
Was he supposed to boast about all his good deeds, like relieving the poor, caring for fallen women, and providing re-employment opportunities for the jobless?
No need.
For now, the [Divine Travel] Ability seemed similar to the legendary "Primordial Spirit Emergence."
Wait.
Zheng Xiu's eyes snapped open.
'Assuming a person has a "Soul," I was in the Heart Prison at that time. And in the Heart Prison, I can also control the Incarnation, [Zheng Shan].'
'Here's the question.'
'Was the "Ah Piao" that used Divine Travel to leave my body me, Zheng Xiu himself, or was it my Incarnation, [Zheng Shan]?'
While Zheng Xiu was contemplating this, the upright old man was still muttering incessantly, as if the injustice of his imprisonment stemmed from the Richest Person, Zheng Xiu, and he had now lumped all his hatred onto him.
"What I, this old man, hate most in life are unscrupulous merchants like you who get rich by immoral means and accumulate wealth unjustly!"
"Colluding with corrupt officials, committing every depraved and heartless act imaginable!"
"Pah!"
"And you dare speak of clear skies and clean mirrors! If this old man ever gets out of this wrongful imprisonment, I will have all you unscrupulous merchants arrested, your homes confiscated, your assets handed over to the Court, and I won't spare a single one of you!"
Zheng Xiu rolled his eyes.
Just then, the iron door's chain was pulled open with a CLANG, and a fierce gust of wind blew in. The big, burly Scarface Liu hurried into the cellblock, carrying a basin of fine food and wine.
As soon as he reached Zheng Xiu's cell, he squatted down and said in a low voice, "Master Zheng, this is bad. Someone is asking to see you by name!"
Zheng Xiu was amused.
Scarface Liu glanced around furtively, mainly toward the entrance. He asked uneasily, "Master Zheng, could it be that the gold leaves... were discovered?"
Zheng Xiu waved his hand. "Relax. It's just a few gold leaves. Even if they were discovered, they wouldn't do anything to you. Just enjoy yourself for a few days." He paused, his nostrils flaring as he sniffed the air for a moment, then asked, "Is that... food from my Fragrant Pavilion?"
"They said these are all signature dishes from Fragrant Pavilion. Something about a 'Hundred Phoenixes Greet the Birds,' 'Golden Boy and Jade Maiden,' 'Overwhelming Fortune,' 'Rising Step by Step,' 'Second Spring,' 'Morning and Night'... Aiyo, I'm telling you, these dishes aren't cheap! If Old Liu hadn't said they were for you, Boss Zheng, they would've cost me a good half of a gold leaf!"
Scarface Liu proudly rattled off the dish names, inwardly delighted. He had done quite a bit of homework for this, and just memorizing the menu had taken a lot of effort. 'Aiyo, it's killing this old man,' he thought.
Zheng Xiu understood. The unspoken meaning was that Scarface Liu hadn't paid a thing.
"Why did you order dishes that sound nice but aren't filling?"
Scarface Liu froze. "You haven't even seen the food. How do you know it's not filling?"
"Obviously. I'm the one who racked my brains to come up with those names. Others might not know if they're filling before they eat, but wouldn't I?"
"Old Liu has been foolish!" Scarface Liu wailed, his brows knitted in anguish.
"Forget it. Give it to him. He's been hungry for a few days," Good man Zheng said, pointing at his neighbor, planning to repay grievance with virtue. "You were saying someone's looking for me?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Scarface Liu finally remembered the reason for his panic and quickly said, "A big shot wants to see you! He's even set up a table outside the Prison Camp, covered in food. It smells incredible. I, Old Liu, only realized after coming back that I prepared this basin for nothing!"
"A big shot?" Zheng Xiu seemed calm. He had expected someone to come. He went along and asked, "Who?"
Scarface Liu's expression changed slightly. He leaned closer. "The Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Shi Wentong!" His face quickly crumpled. "Master Zheng, tell me... we've spent a fortune bribing our way into this cushy job. I'm not going to get dragged down with you today, am I? To be honest, Master Zheng, I, Old Liu, was hoping to retire on this job!"
"Oh, so it's Lord Shi(t)!" Zheng Xiu stood up and raised his hands. "Then I must go and see him. Unlock these for me."
Scarface Liu put down the food, unlocked the cell and entered. Hearing Zheng Xiu's words, he hesitated.
'This is against the rules.'
"I, Zheng Xiu, am a man of principle. I can lose my head, I can spill my blood, but I absolutely cannot be made a laughingstock. Don't worry. If I tell you to unlock them, then unlock them. I won't drag a brother down with me. Whatever happens, I will take responsibility. You can rest assured."
Scarface Liu remembered the two jugs of fine aged wine that the Zheng Clan's Second Lady had someone deliver during the day. He had a sudden realization. 'Boss Zheng is truly the Richest Person in the Imperial City, his predictions are god-like,' he thought. 'Besides, I've already taken the gold leaves. If the higher-ups really decide to investigate, what's a few more mosquito bites on a bloody wound?'
With this thought, Scarface Liu's mind was clear. Since he'd already been bought, he might as well be bought completely. And so, Scarface Liu deftly unlocked Zheng Xiu's manacles and shackles.
Being called "brother" made Scarface Liu feel giddy with delight. He watched as Zheng Xiu, freed from his restraints, leisurely straightened his clothes, clasped his hands behind his back, and strode out of the cell.
"I didn't expect it to be Lord Shi(t) from the Ministry of Revenue. That's a bit of a surprise."
Scarface Liu had sharp eyes. Seeing that Master Zheng's expression was not exactly friendly, he followed him a few steps and couldn't help but ask, "Do you... have some sort of grudge against that Lord Shi?"
Zheng Xiu shook his head. "Not really. Just the little matter of stealing his wife."
"What old bastard is this!" Scarface Liu grew furious upon hearing this and drew his whip. "Aiyo, I can't believe it! That Lord Shi looks like he has one foot in the grave, yet he still dared to touch Master Zheng's wife? Wait, that's not right. Master Zheng, aren't you unmarried?"
"No. I stole his wife."
Zheng Xiu glanced back at the dumbfounded Scarface Liu.
'Who were you calling a bastard just now?'