Chen Jin raised a hand and gestured for him to wait.
He leaned against the door, closed his eyes, and gradually steadied his breathing. Under the power of the Flesh of Vision, the wounds on his back healed rapidly, leaving only the tears in his clothes.
He tapped his forehead. "[Acquire Worldview]."
The crisp sound of pages turning rang in his mind. An illusion of blackened, withered bamboo slips slowly unfolded before his eyes:
Exploration records left by countless Walkers surged into his mind. This was the basic information network shared among the Walkers of Yanfu. As long as they were willing to pay points, they could even obtain more in-depth classified information.
"The power system in this world is mainly divided between bureaucrats, who establish rules, and litigators, who twist them. But other special powers are hidden in the shadows, too." —Anonymous.
"The rules place too many restrictions on winged bugs like us! I hate rule-based horror stories!" —Anonymous.
"The rules explored so far include the Night Curfew Law, Slander Law, Poetry and Book Discussion Law, Gold and Cloth Law, Garrison Law, and Forced Labor Law. Details as follows: ..." —Recorder: Zhao Jianzhong.
He had come to this Fruit to achieve a peak breakthrough in his Flesh of Vision inheritance. He had collected some related information before, but it hadn't been very detailed. Now, he understood more about this world.
He opened his eyes again and pretended to rummage through his clothes, then triggered his Personal Mark with a thought.
The next moment, a perfectly round, lustrous Southern Pearl with a soft, iridescent sheen appeared in his palm. He held it out before the innkeeper.
"A Southern Pearl!" the innkeeper cried, staring so fixedly at the pearl that his eyes nearly bulged out.
"This Southern Pearl should be enough to pay for a year's lodging here, right?"
Although the currencies used in the various Fruits of Yanfu weren't interchangeable, rare items like gold and pearls were hard currency in most worlds.
Gold, the ashes of stars, was a precious material that the Walkers of Yanfu also collected. Pearls, meanwhile, could now be cultivated artificially in Heaven-Jiazi-Nine at little cost. So Chen Jin kept a few in his Personal Mark for trading with the locals.
He was sure this pearl was valuable enough to buy the entire inn.
The innkeeper took the pearl with trembling hands, almost reverently, and examined it closely by the dim oil lamp.
That luster, that perfect roundness... His throat bobbed. He had only heard of pearls of such quality in rumors. They were probably fit only for the nobles in Xianyang Palace.
After his initial elation, cold reality quickly seized him: how could a mere innkeeper protect such a treasure? And how could he sell it off? If he were found out, he'd be killed!
In an instant, he weighed the risks and benefits. Greater fear crushed his greed, replaced by a thought that promised a better reward.
He suddenly stepped back, all greed vanishing from his face and giving way to a fearful, savage expression. He raised the wooden Identity Tablet, carved with runes, and roared at the top of his lungs toward the enormous Law Eyes in the sky outside the door: "I wish to report a crime! This man stole tribute!"
To him, accepting the pearl would mean certain death. But reporting this unknown vagrant and turning in the tribute wouldn't just leave him blameless—it might even earn him great merit! The reward could well exceed the value of the Southern Pearl.
Besides, he hadn't stolen anything. His hands were clean.
As for Chen Jin, the innkeeper's reaction wasn't unexpected. He had considered many possible outcomes, including being reported.
There was no way he could stay in this Fruit and work for some "spirit coins."
The Human-Bingzi-Twelve sequence was already quite far along. That meant the passage of time in this Fruit was close to that of Heaven-Jiazi-Nine. He didn't have time to waste here.
He had to escalate the conflict, break the stalemate, and find a way through as soon as possible.
The eyes in the sky instantly responded to the innkeeper's report.
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, the inn's wooden door was smashed open, sending splinters flying.
Four Great Qin guards stood at the entrance like bronze statues. They wore dark lamellar armor, their faces stern, the blades of their long halberds gleaming coldly in the dim light.
They entered the inn with almost ritualistic steps, immediately taking up positions on all sides and surrounding Chen Jin.
The leading guard fixed Chen Jin with a piercing gaze. His voice rang like clashing metal, each word stirring the invisible power of the rules around them:
"I represent the laws of Great Qin in judgment. You have violated the Gold and Cloth Law by possessing tribute in private! By law, you shall suffer—tattooing!"
The moment he finished speaking, Chen Jin felt a searing sting on his face! It was as if an invisible, red-hot iron needle had appeared out of nowhere, rapidly carving into his left cheek!
His flesh burned. A clear blood-red character, "thief," appeared in seal script. Before the blood could even trickle down, the wound had already formed.
"Amputation of the left toe!" The guard's second decree followed without pause.
Crack!
A clear, teeth-grating sound came from Chen Jin's left big toe! It bent at a bizarre angle and snapped, the piercing pain shooting straight into his brain.
It all happened too quickly, almost as if words had become law, the rules turning directly into punishments inflicted on the flesh!
Yet Chen Jin only swayed slightly. He didn't even cry out. He glanced down at his broken toe, then touched the searing tattoo on his face.
The next second, the bloody character carved into his face vanished as if erased. His flesh writhed furiously, and the wound healed in the space of a breath, without leaving even a trace of redness.
At the same time, a faint click came from inside his left boot. It was the sound of his bones reconnecting and resetting. His broken toe had already healed!
Then he darted forward and threw a punch!
The Squad Leader's pupils contracted, but he was well trained and dodged without hesitation. "Reckless resistance to the law! Strike together!"
The four halberds quivered at once, their points aimed at Chen Jin.
Chen Jin rolled his knuckles and merely tilted his head with a smile. Suddenly, his feet blurred into a streak.
"Pierce the ribs!" the Squad Leader bellowed. All four halberds shifted at once, their points tracing four silver arcs that sealed off Chen Jin's escape.
But Chen Jin didn't dodge. He slammed his left arm into the blade of the guard on the far left. As blood sprayed, his right hand had already clamped onto the shaft and twisted with all his might.
The guard felt a sharp pain in his palm. The moment the halberd slipped from his hands, a knee smashed into his chest, and he flew backward with a muffled groan.
The remaining three guards held their formation, their halberds interlocked like a net.
The Squad Leader thrust his halberd straight at Chen Jin's face, but Chen Jin bent backward at an impossible angle. As he evaded the point, his left hand grabbed the shaft and slid up it, while his right fist smashed into the Squad Leader's wrist.
The crack of breaking bone rang out. The Squad Leader screamed and stumbled backward, but Chen Jin had already seized his halberd. He swept it around, knocking the weapon from another guard's hands, then struck him squarely in the temple with the shaft.
"Mountain!" the guard shouted.
Clang! The halberd shaft struck his temple, but the sound was like metal hitting stone.
"Forest!" the Squad Leader roared. The four quickly shifted positions, their halberds joined end to end to form a rotating iron ring.
They stepped through some kind of battle formation, their breaths linked and their movements perfectly synchronized. The injuries they'd sustained in the fight began to heal.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
Chen Jin staggered. The flogging, which had stopped as soon as he entered the inn, resumed—and he was hit with three lashes in a row.
The inn no longer "sheltered" him.
Enduring the pain, Chen Jin shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight at the guard on the left.
The guard reacted swiftly, turning his halberd sideways to block Chen Jin's heavy punch with its shaft!