For the next few days, Zheng Xiu was worn out, switching back and forth between his three identities: the Richest Person, the Mighty Man, and the Young Master.

Just as Zheng Xiu was pondering how to approach Yan Jiji to ask, "Could I trouble you to hammer a mountain back together?" and agonizing over how much to pay for the job,

He received news that a location outside the city had been locked down by troops, and all passing vehicles were being thoroughly inspected.

Needless to say, that "location" was the mountain where Feng Bei’s home was.

A mountain had been cleaved in two, forming a canyon. A power capable of creating a "natural landmark" was difficult to hide from the common folk, and even more so from the eyes of the Emperor.

The entire city was in an uproar.

This made matters worse for Ye Weiyang, who were already busy dealing with strange cases from out of town. Rumor had it that because Ye Weiyang’s upper ranks in the Imperial City were spread thin, they had no choice but to dispatch the [Spirit Binder] "Tiger-Wolf" Bi Shui—who rarely handled fieldwork—to investigate the "true culprit."

That mountain was the home of Ye Weiyang’s Upper Three Feng Bei. It could barely be considered Ye Weiyang’s territory, but it was a matter of pride for the Twelfth Moon. For a "mysterious person" to cleave Feng Bei’s mountain in two was a slap in the face—the kind that splits the face in half. It was a vicious, humiliating attack.

That such a major incident could happen so close to home implied a mysterious, unregistered Miracle Master was lurking near the Imperial City. Either way, it was enough to draw the full attention of the Great Emperor and Ye Weiyang.

Zheng Xiu felt a fresh wave of panic upon hearing the news, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Asking Yan Jiji to fix the mountain was out of the question now. Even if she really could hammer it back to its original state, Zheng Xiu couldn’t possibly risk blowing his cover to get it done.

’It’s over. There’s no way I can pull off a grand deception and get Feng Bei’s mountain hammered back to normal.’

’So what about Feng Bei? Should I try to lay some groundwork beforehand?’

’For example, ask if she’s interested in staying with the Zheng Family long-term, and that she shouldn’t be a stranger?’

’Or maybe find a reason to pin the blame on someone else?’

’I could say I received top-secret intelligence that the Incompleteness Tower resents her and is preparing to retaliate viciously.’

’Brilliant!’

「On the road south to Yizhong County.」

Zheng Xiu tried both approaches.

First, he nonchalantly asked her if she wanted to stay at Master Zheng’s home long-term.

Feng Bei shook her head without a moment’s hesitation and said she did not.

Two days later, Zheng Xiu tried again, telling her that since she had thwarted the Incompleteness Tower’s plans time and again, they would surely not let her off the hook.

But Feng Bei just said calmly, "It is of no concern. Let them come."

In the end, Zheng Xiu had no choice but to abandon his plan to "lay the groundwork."

He understood the principle of protesting too much.

’Maybe Feng Bei won’t even be that angry in the end?’

For now, he set aside the matter of Feng Bei’s destroyed home.

It was only then that Zheng Xiu finally understood the greatest difficulty of the [Surprise Cage] challenge. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

From now on, his [Deceit Jiazi] had become a true "ultimate ability"—one that couldn’t be used lightly except in a critical moment.

Once he activated [Deceit Jiazi], it was like holding a nuclear bomb set to a timer. He had to find a target and get rid of the bomb within a limited time.

But complaints were just complaints. In truth, the Mighty Man still liked things huge.

The "massive" boost was, in a word, massive. No question about it.

The journey to Yizhong County was a leisurely one, with just the two of them—a man and a woman—traveling alone.

As they spent more time together on the road, Feng Bei gradually began to talk more, especially when facing the man who had saved her life all those years ago.

But rather than talk about herself, she would more often, out of the blue, ask Senior Zheng Shan about what he had been doing for the past twenty years.

She always felt that even though Senior Zheng Shan claimed to have been in seclusion for twenty years, hidden from the world, there must have been many stories from that time.

Because whenever Feng Bei looked at Zheng Shan’s face, she felt it was etched with untold stories.

As the saying goes, telling one lie requires telling a thousand more to cover it up.

Zheng Xiu was now experiencing this profound life lesson firsthand, silently weeping inside with no one to whom he could complain.

Facing Feng Bei’s questions, he could only rack his brain to cook up tales of Senior Zheng Shan’s "personal experiences" over the years.

「Nine days after leaving Jiayang City.」

They were only about a hundred miles from Yizhong County.

The Mighty Man was telling a story from horseback, and Feng Bei was listening with rapt attention.

"Once, I crossed a thousand mountains and traversed the great oceans. All alone in a small boat, I drifted at sea for ten days and ten nights without food or drink."

"I first sailed east, but an ocean current forced me north, where my boat struck an iceberg."

"I was forced to abandon ship. With a great leap, I landed on a massive ice floe."

"When hungry, I would hunt birds and eat their flesh raw; when thirsty, I would shave ice and drink the melted snow."

"After an endless polar day, I suddenly looked up and saw a strange, indescribable radiance. Countless wondrous and incomparable colors pulsed in the darkness, expanding and contracting."

"Reds, purples, oranges, and yellows. The brilliant light filled the entire sky. This is called an aurora."

"Beneath the aurora, there was an island. On the island stood a volcano, rumbling loudly, and next to the volcano, the land was covered in ice and snow."

"Later, I learned by chance that the place was called Ice and Fire Island."

"On that island lived a gorilla who called himself King Kong. When he stood, he was taller than a mountain."

"There was also a blind man wielding a great saber who called himself the Golden Lion King."

"On a starless night, Ah Zhen fell in love... ah, no, the Lion King met the gorilla."

Zheng Xiu wracked his brain, weaving together scraps and impressions from various stories into a single narrative.

Just as Zheng Xiu was about to narrate the "Golden Lion King’s Epic Battle Against the Mighty She-Kong," he spotted a roadside eatery called "Food is Heaven" and abruptly cut his story short.

A few dusty, square tables were set up by the road. Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, a blind man sitting by the door shot his head up and began to holler, "Cured beef! The finest cured beef! The finest aged yellow wine! Your money back if you don’t like it!"

"A blind man?" Zheng Xiu pulled on the reins, halting his horse with a "Whoa." He jutted his chin toward the man. "Let’s go take a look."