Chapter 81: Chapter 75: The Super Miracle Master Organization Named "Zheng Clan

To avoid scaring anyone with the peerless beauty of the Zheng Shan Incarnation, Zheng Xiu canceled the Projection the moment the executioners stopped.

The loss of a few inches in height wasn’t too noticeable in his bearing.

"Stay your hand!"

White mist billowed from the Second Prince’s mouth, and his forehead was beaded with sweat. He had clearly run all the way up the towering cliff to the Death Row prison.

"Who told you to carry out this torture?"

The Second Prince’s eyes were murderous as he glared at Lord Chen.

THUD!

Lord Chen dropped to his knees, his face deathly pale and his lips trembling.

The Second Prince ordered a subordinate to snatch the confession document. After a glance, he said coldly, "A Ministry of Justice case, and the Inspectorate dares to interfere?"

Lord Chen lowered his head and said nothing.

The Second Prince asked again, "Daring to force a confession from Marquis Zhonglie in a place like this? Whose idea was this?"

Cold sweat broke out on Lord Chen’s forehead. "It... It was an order from above."

"Hah? Above?" The Second Prince’s voice was frigid. "The Inspectorate and the Secret Ministry answer only to my Imperial Father. Are you telling me my Imperial Father ordered you to beat a confession out of Marquis Zhonglie?"

"I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare! I wouldn’t dare!"

Lord Chen slammed his head on the floor—THUD, THUD, THUD. When he looked up, his face was a mess of blood and tears. He wept and begged, "Your Highness, please ask no more! I... I dare not say!"

"Ahem, Your Highness, we are pressed for time."

At his side, the Second Prince’s subordinate coughed twice. The Prince seemed to recall something and waved his hand impatiently. "Get lost."

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!!"

Lord Chen scrambled away with his men in tow.

The Second Prince pointed at Lord Chen’s hastily retreating figure and made a throat-slitting gesture to the subordinate at his side.

The subordinate nodded in understanding.

The whole time, Zheng Xiu had been quietly watching the Second Prince put on a show.

At first, Zheng Xiu thought they were putting on a good-cop-bad-cop routine—a self-injury gambit using his own flesh and blood.

But the longer he watched, the less convinced he was.

If it really was a self-injury gambit, Lord Chen deserved an Oscar for a performance that convincing.

’Fine, I’ll see what you’re playing at.’

Having just "enjoyed" a thorough beating, Zheng Xiu decided to wait and see how things developed.

The Second Prince glanced at Scarface Liu, who caught his meaning and nodded repeatedly. "Only Lord Chen was here tonight. He beat Master Zheng something fierce, used unauthorized punishment. I’ll definitely have to report this to Lord Jiang! Oh, shoot, my stove downstairs is still on! I’ve gotta go watch the fire! Can’t let the pot burn through!"

Scarface Liu shot a worried glance at Zheng Xiu and winked. Zheng Xiu instantly read the subtext, thinking to himself, ’Old Liu’s only been an official for a few days, and he’s already got the bureaucratic air about him—loves to beat around the bush and speak in code.’ 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Scarface Liu could tell that a battle between titans was brewing in Heaven-Gazing Prison this morning; anyone who got involved was doomed.

Scarface Liu was a low-ranking official whose words carried no weight. In truth, he couldn’t really help.

His words carried a hidden meaning: he was going to hurry and fetch reinforcements, namely the newly appointed Minister of the Ministry of Justice.

Zheng Xiu shook his head gently, signaling that it wasn’t necessary, then made a gesture as if carrying something.

Zheng Xiu was telling Scarface Liu to fetch him a healthy breakfast, his usual order.

But Scarface Liu’s expression changed dramatically. ’That gesture,’ he thought, ’he wants reinforcements!’

After Scarface Liu left, the Second Prince dismissed his own subordinate. After a moment’s hesitation, he strode into the cell.

"Oh?"

Watching the Second Prince’s actions, Zheng Xiu recalled the last loop. This Prince was acting like a completely different person. ’Interesting.’

The Second Prince and Marquis Zhonglie were now alone in the cell.

Zheng Xiu didn’t bother with the courtesy of offering the Second Prince a seat.

That stool was his, and not even the Emperor himself could sit on it.

They could both stand for all he cared.

The Second Prince watched Zheng Xiu, who was still standing ramrod straight after a brutal beating, and sighed to himself. ’As expected of the Zheng Clan’s bloodline, a true son of Zheng Haoran.’

After a moment of silence, the Second Prince noted Zheng Xiu’s amused smile and gave a bitter laugh. "Marquis Zheng, you must think that Lord Chen and I were putting on a show for you."

"Hah?" Zheng Xiu smiled and shook his head. "I am but a humble commoner. What could I have possibly done to deserve Your Highness putting on such a play for me in this filthy place?"

Speak to men as a man, and to ghosts as a ghost, as the saying goes.

When it was to his advantage, he was "Marquis Zhonglie."

When it wasn’t, he was "a humble commoner."

The subtext was clear: ’You play your games, but leave me out of them.’

Zheng Xiu was still trying to figure out the reason for this early morning drama.

It was just too much of a coincidence. The moment his Evil Child Incarnation went out on patrol with Feng Bei, trouble had kicked off back here.

The timing was too perfect, leaving Zheng Xiu unable to determine whether the problem was with his own power base, or if this was a complication arising from his Evil Child’s Mystic identity being exposed.

Be that as it may, Zheng Xiu’s face remained a mask of detached amusement, as if to say, ’I’m just going to watch you perform.’

’If I hadn’t heard you ask me how to spell the word ’death’ in the last loop, I might have actually fallen for your crap.’

A flicker of conflict showed in the Second Prince’s eyes.

But it didn’t last long. The Second Prince took a deep breath. "Marquis Zheng, you and I are both intelligent men, so let’s not beat around the bush. I will be completely honest with you, and I hope you, Marquis, will also speak your mind."

"That depends on how ’honest’ Your Highness’s ’honesty’ really is."

"Time is short," the Second Prince said, his speech quickening. "I’ll keep it brief."

"I’m listening."

"Marquis, do you know why you were imprisoned in the first place?"

Zheng Xiu froze at the question.

’Why are we back to square one?’

But he said aloud, "Because the national treasury was empty, and you needed me to part with my fortune to save my life?"

The Second Prince was taken aback, then gave a bitter smile. "Marquis Zheng, there’s no point in this if you’re just going to keep changing the subject! Can you truly be unaware? The network your Zheng Family has built over the years, that troop of Death Warriors you support... have they not long been a thorn in the side of certain people?"

Zheng Xiu remained silent.

Having started, the Second Prince continued, "Daqian has known twenty years of prosperity. After the Northern Barbarian Chaos, the nation is at peace! In the open, we have the peerless might of the Divine Martial Army. But in the shadows, great oddities hide in the cities, among the common folk! Although I have not yet stepped upon the legendary Path or acquired any Miracle Technique, I know full well how strange and terrifying Miracle Masters are!"

"And you, Marquis Zhonglie, Zheng Xiu, led by the likes of Qing Shisan, Ji Hong’ou, and Pei Gaoya—over the years, you have quietly and subtly gathered a group of these Odd People and Mystics!"

"Are you telling me you don’t know? How many Miracle Masters over the years have tried to infiltrate the Zheng Family estate, to take your head and steal your fortune? Yet of all those who entered, forget about finding a body—legend says they all vanished from the mortal realm, without a trace! Not even bones remained!"

"In the eyes of some, your Zheng Family has long been considered a Dragon’s Pool and Tiger’s Den right here in the Imperial City!"

"Legend says that even Ye Weiyang is unwilling to provoke the Zheng Family for no good reason!"

"You’ve patiently built your fortune over the years, never deploying them rashly. My Imperial Father has long known the Zheng Family harbors numerous Miracle Masters, but your Miracle Masters have seeped into every corner of the city like water. From street peddlers and skilled goldsmiths to the city’s Actors, the shadow of Zheng Xiu is everywhere!"

"If they can’t eliminate you all in one fell swoop, who would dare to provoke you?"

"Some even suspect that your four famous ’Golden Flowers,’ renowned throughout the city, have also gained insight into the Path!"

"Your head Tailor joined Ye Weiyang—was that not at your instruction? And Ye Weiyang, knowing this full well, simply turns a blind eye. Clearly, they wish to show goodwill to you, Zheng Xiu!"

"Marquis Zhonglie, oh, Marquis Zhonglie, don’t you realize we are at a critical juncture?!"

"You know all of this perfectly well, so why do you insist on playing the fool with me now?"

The Second Prince seemed to be unburdening himself of a bellyful of grievances. Once he started, it all came pouring out.

His original intention was to lay out everything he knew about the Zheng Family’s secrets, lest Master Zheng continue to play dumb at such a crucial time.

He was so engrossed that he failed to notice Master Zheng’s eyes growing wider and rounder the more he spoke.

’Wait a minute.’

’That’s... that’s an information overload. I’m having trouble processing it all.’

’In other words...’

’The butterfly effect from when I, as the Zheng Shan Incarnation, saved Feng Bei and Wei Chen in Baili Village...’

’...not only saved those two, but also made the old Emperor healthy;’

’...got me a new cell in the Sky Terrace Villa;’

’...the former head Tailor, Xi’er—the same fierce woman who once tried to strip Zheng Er naked to check for a birthmark, and who is now Constellation Yue Yan of the Twenty-Eight Constellations—is an undercover agent I sent into Ye Weiyang;’

’...because of the Brotherhood, the Zheng Family Mansion has become a Dragon’s Pool and Tiger’s Den in the eyes of certain insiders;’

’...the vast street network formed by the Thousand-Mile Eye and Sharp-Eared has become the root system of the great Zheng Family tree, allowing the slightest whisper of trouble in the city to be reported back to the family.’

’It was as if I, Zheng Xiu, had planted an Apple seed in the past. In the last loop, I reaped an apple tree. This loop, I’ve just taken over the entire Garden of Eden?’

’In other words, had I, Zheng Xiu, somehow inexplicably become the leader of a super-organization of Miracle Masters in the Imperial City?’

Zheng Xiu was dumbfounded.

’The Zheng Family is that badass, and I had no idea?’

’This world has changed way too much!’

’So how in the world did I get thrown in jail in the first place?’