Another Lucky Draw! Epic Trait!

[Shen Qingshan knew full well how terrifying the yamen prison was and refused to let Han Sheng take you away.]

[Just as the two sides were about to come to blows, a stern voice rang out.]

["Flag Officer Shen, what are you doing?"]

[The newcomer was Feng Yucheng, Chief Officer of White Cloud County's Monster Slaying Division and Shen Qingshan's immediate superior.]

[His Martial Dao realm was second to none in White Cloud County; he had already reached the Soul Tempering Realm!]

[Once Feng Yucheng stepped in, Shen Qingshan knew there was no way he could keep you today.]

[Helpless, he could only watch as you were taken away.]

["Fourth Brother, don't worry. Your brother-in-law won't abandon you. I'll definitely appeal to the County Magistrate and seek justice for you!"]

[You understood by then that this was a trap. To keep Third Sister's family from being implicated, you repeatedly said:]

["Brother-in-law, don't worry about me! Protect Third Sister and my niece!"]

[This was only a simulation. You were not afraid of death; at worst, you would just draw a few fewer traits.]

[Inside the County Yamen prison, you were tied to an interrogation rack.]

[Before you lay a dense array of torture instruments: branding irons, whips, nose-cutting knives, foot-chopping axes, nail chairs, wooden donkeys...]

["Chen Yi, I advise you to confess honestly and admit your guilt. Otherwise..."]

["I confess."]

["Hm?"]

["That's right. I killed them. I did all of it, damn it. Where's the confession? It should already be written, right? Bring it over. I'll stamp it with my fingerprint. Everyone's busy."]

[...]

[Han Sheng was dumbfounded.]

[He had prepared a whole slew of practiced lines, precious experience honed through his past torture-induced confessions—enough to make even ghosts tremble in fear.]

[He had also prepared a complete Great Memory Recovery Technique, along with a full set of professional tools. No matter how strong-willed a person was, they would not be able to endure it.]

[How was none of it needed?]

[He had not even started questioning you, and you had already confessed?]

As expected of me. When it came to suffering less...

Not to mention that you did not have Super Beast Pain Perception equipped.

Even if you did, it would only dull the pain, not erase it.

It was obvious that protesting innocence would only get you tortured until you confessed anyway. Better to admit it outright and save yourself a beating.

[Han Sheng pulled out the confession document and went through the formalities anyway.]

["Chen Yi, do you confess to the Fire Prosperity Village Case?"]

["I confess."]

["The Xiping Village Burglary and Murder Case. Do you confess?"]

["I confess."]

["The Guangtian Village Ox Killing Case. Do you confess?"]

["Confess, confess, confess. Hurry it up. Isn't this just balancing the books? I get it, I get it."]

[After you pressed your fingerprint, Han Sheng had no temper left and sent you back to the prison cell.]

[A few days later, the yamen held court. The fat, big-eared County Magistrate sat above, went through the motions, and ultimately sentenced you to penal military service.]

["Penal military service?"]

[You were rather surprised. Under normal circumstances, you would definitely have been beheaded, just like Shen Qingshan in the last simulation.]

[The County Magistrate spoke absentmindedly.]

["In recent years, the war situation with the Southern Border has grown tense. The court has bestowed great mercy: any capital offender whose circumstances are excusable may have their sentence commuted to penal military service."]

[Presumably, you had balanced plenty of books for this County Magistrate, which was why your circumstances were now "excusable."]

[On the day you set out, a pair of steel-hook Spiritual Artifacts was driven through your shoulder blades, sealing the circulation of your Blood Qi and leaving you unable to exert much martial strength.]

[Otherwise, escorting a Martial Artist like you would require assigning several Martial Artists of a higher realm. The yamen could not afford that expense.]

[Chen Yun and Shen Qingshan brought their daughter to see you off.]

["Time to go! Don't delay us!"]

[The yamen runners responsible for escorting you said impatiently.]

[Third Sister approached with a beaming smile and slipped some silver to the two yamen runners.]

["Sirs, why not go have a little wine to warm yourselves before setting out? There's no rush..."]

[The yamen runners walked away with smiles on their faces.]

["Don't say too much!"]

["Yes, yes, yes..."]

[Watching Third Sister bow and scrape before two lowly yamen runners, you felt awful inside.]

[Shen Qingshan sighed. "Your brother-in-law is useless. I couldn't save you."]

[Chen Yun could no longer hold back her tears. "Fourth Brother, your brother-in-law did his best too. He could only get your sentence changed to penal military service..."]

[Only then did you learn that the reason you had avoided the death penalty was because Shen Qingshan had been pulling strings outside.]

[This time, Third Sister's family savings and the wealth Shen Qingshan had inherited from his ancestors had likely all been drained dry.]

["Third Sister, Brother-in-law, don't worry. Penal military service is pretty good. If I earn military merit, maybe I can even return home in glory!"]

[Shen Qingshan knew very well how difficult it was for a low-level Martial Artist to earn merit on the battlefield in this world of Martial Artists.]

["Fourth Brother, twenty li outside the city, I arranged for two trusted men to receive you. They'll pretend to be highway bandits and knock out the guards. After that, you..."]

["Brother-in-law, there's no need for this."]

["Fourth Brother..."]

[The County Magistrate had threatened you: if you dared run, Third Sister's entire family would be punished by association.]

[You did not want to implicate them.]

[Third Sister's family watched you leave. She had already wept herself into a tearful mess, while your still-innocent niece waved at you and called, "Uncle, come back soon!"]

[Third year, age twenty.]

Beginning trait draw...

Draw successful!

"Eidetic Memory" (Purple): You possess superhuman memory. Everything you see and hear will be firmly remembered.

Adjust traits?

Yes/No

Oh—

Chen Yi's mouth instantly formed an "O."

A Purple Epic trait with a 1% probability, and he had drawn it just like that?

I'm pretty lucky, huh?

On second thought, that made sense.

He could even draw a Mythical trait with a 0.001% probability. Wasn't 1% a mere drizzle?

He absolutely had to equip Eidetic Memory.

To earn merit on the battlefield through force, he would have to compete in Martial Dao strength.

Chen Yi's current level was clearly nowhere near enough.

But if he possessed memory far beyond ordinary people, perhaps he would be given an important role.

That damn County Magistrate. Once I earn merit and become a general, I'll come back and chop you to pieces!

[You used "Eidetic Memory" to replace "Dragon Plays with Phoenix."]

[Looking at "Dragon Plays with Phoenix" in the trait pool, you felt deeply regretful. This time around, you had not even gotten the chance to experience its effects.]

[White Cloud County was located in Baling Commandery, Qingzhou, of the Dagan Dynasty.]

[The Dagan Dynasty had unified the entire Central Plains, with two capitals and eighteen provinces.]

[South of Qingzhou lay Suzhou.]

[The Southern Border Army, located at the southernmost edge of Suzhou, was your destination.]

[This world was vast. Crossing the distance spanning two provinces took you more than a full year.]

[South of the Central Plains lay the Southern Border, whose area was not much smaller than that of the Central Plains.]

[The Southern Border had over a hundred small nations. They fought among themselves without end and often harassed the Central Plains.]

[The Southern Border Army existed to intimidate and resist threats from the southern frontier.]

[As a convict sentenced to penal military service, after entering the army camp, you were assigned to the unarmored, weaponless Logistics Battalion. You were responsible for dirty, exhausting work such as cutting wooden stakes, pitching tents, and handling camp sanitation.]

[The dozen or so soldiers sharing your tent were also convicts sent to military service for their crimes. They were all like veteran ruffians; whenever no one was watching, they became a disorderly, undisciplined rabble.]

[Among them was an old soldier named Old Liu, the leader of the men in this tent. Seeing you as a newcomer, he prepared to give you a taste of his authority.]

["New guy, what did you do to end up here?"]

["Murder."]

["How many did you kill?"]

["More than a hundred, I guess."]