Southern Pearl

Chen Jin raised his hand in a "wait a moment" gesture.

He leaned against the door panel and closed his eyes, his breathing gradually steadying. Under the influence of the "Flesh of Vision," the wounds on his back healed rapidly, leaving behind only the jagged tears in his clothing.

He tapped his forehead: "[Acquire Worldview]."

A crisp sound of turning pages echoed in his mind as the phantom of a withered black bamboo slip slowly unfurled before his eyes:

Exploration records left by countless Walkers flooded his mind like a tide—this was the shared fundamental intelligence network among Yanfu Walkers. As long as one was willing to pay points, even deeper classified information could be obtained.

"The power system of this world is primarily divided into bureaucrats who formulate rules and litigators who twist them. However, other special powers hide in the shadows." — Anonymous.

"The rules are far too restrictive for winged insects like us! I hate Rule-based Weirdness!" — Anonymous.

"Currently explored rules include the Night Curfew Law, Slander Law, Poetry and Book Discussion Law, Gold and Cloth Law, Garrison Law, and Forced Labor Law. Details are as follows:..." — Recorder: Zhao Jianzhong.

He had come to this fruit for the peak breakthrough of the Flesh of Vision inheritance. He had collected relevant information before, but it lacked specificity. Now, he had a much better understanding of this world.

He opened his eyes again, pretending to rummage through his robes while his consciousness triggered his Personal Mark.

The next moment, a round, lustrous Southern Pearl with a soft, iridescent sheen appeared in his palm, which he handed to the innkeeper.

"A Southern Pearl!" the innkeeper gasped, his eyes fixed on the bead, nearly popping out of their sockets.

"This Southern Pearl, in exchange for a year's stay here. Is that enough?"

Although currencies were not universal between the various fruits of Yanfu, rare items like gold and pearls were hard currency in the vast majority of worlds.

Gold, as the embers of stars, was a precious material also collected by Yanfu Walkers, while pearls—now that Heaven-Jiazi-Nine could artificially cultivate them—were low in cost. Thus, Chen Jin kept a few in his mark to facilitate trades with natives.

He believed the value of this pearl was enough to buy the entire inn.

The innkeeper took the pearl with trembling hands, almost reverently, and examined it carefully against the dim oil lamp.

That luster, that roundness... his throat bobbed. He had only heard of such quality in rumors; surely, only the nobles in Xianyang Palace were fit to enjoy such a thing.

After the ecstasy, cold reality gripped him: with such a heavy treasure, how could a small innkeeper like him keep it? How could he fence it? Once discovered, it would mean death!

In an instant, the pros and cons were weighed. Greed was suppressed by a greater fear, replaced by a thought that promised more profit.

He suddenly stepped back, the greed on his face vanishing, replaced by a grimace mixed with terror. He raised his wooden, rune-carved "Identity Tablet" high, and toward the direction of the giant "Law Eyes" in the sky outside, he roared with all his might: "I wish to report! This man has stolen tribute!"

To him, accepting the pearl was a path to death; but reporting this drifter of unknown origin and turning in the tribute was not only blameless, it might even be a great merit! The reward might far exceed the benefits this Southern Pearl could bring.

At least it wasn't him who stole it; his hands were clean.

As for Chen Jin, the innkeeper's reaction was not unexpected. He had envisioned many possible follow-ups, and being reported was one of them.

It was impossible for him to stay in this fruit to work for "Spirit Coins."

The sequence of Human-Bingzi-Twelve was already very high, which meant the time flow of this fruit was similar to Heaven-Jiazi-Nine; he had no time to waste here.

He had to escalate the conflict, break the stalemate, and find a breakthrough as soon as possible.

The eyes in the sky responded to the innkeeper's report instantly.

Almost as the voice fell, the innkeeper's wooden door was smashed open, sending splinters flying.

Four Great Qin guards stood at the entrance like bronze statues, clad in black lamellar armor with cold expressions. The blades of the long halberds in their hands shimmered with a chilling light in the dim environment.

They stepped into the inn with a ritualistic gait, instantly occupying the four cardinal directions and surrounding Chen Jin.

The lead guard's gaze was like lightning, locking onto Chen Jin. He spoke with a voice like clashing metal, each word invoking the invisible power of the surrounding rules:

"I represent the laws of Great Qin in judgment! You have violated the Gold and Cloth Law by privately possessing tribute! According to the law, you shall receive—the Facial Tattoo!"

No sooner had the words fallen than Chen Jin felt a searing, stinging pain on his face! It was as if an invisible, red-hot iron needle had appeared out of thin air, rapidly carving into his left cheek!

The skin scorched, and a clear, bloody seal of the small seal script character for "Theft" instantly appeared. Before the blood could even drip down, the wound had already formed.

"Sever the left toe!" The guard's second decree followed immediately, without a gap.

Crack!

A clear, teeth-grinding sound of bone fracturing came from Chen Jin's left big toe! His toe instantly bent at a grotesque angle, snapping. Piercing pain shot straight to his brain.

It all happened too fast—it was almost as if the law became reality, with the rules directly manifesting as physical punishment!

However, Chen Jin only swayed slightly; he didn't even scream. He looked down at his broken toe, then raised a hand to touch the burning tattoo on his face.

The next second, the deep, bloody character on his face was wiped away as if by an eraser. The flesh writhed madly, and the wound healed in a breath, leaving not even a red mark behind.

At the same time, a faint "click" came from inside his left boot—the sound of bones automatically reconnecting and resetting. The broken toe had already healed!

He then lunged forward, throwing a punch!

The Squad Leader's pupils constricted, but, well-trained, he dodged the punch without hesitation and shouted sharply: "Violent resistance against the law! Combined attack!"

The four halberds vibrated in unison, their tips pointing at Chen Jin.

Chen Jin cracked his knuckles, tilted his head with a smile, and suddenly left a half-afterimage in his wake.

"Pierce the ribs!" the Squad Leader roared. The four halberds shifted in unison, their tips tracing four silver arcs to seal off Chen Jin's path.

Unexpectedly, Chen Jin did not dodge. His left arm slammed hard into the halberd blade of the leftmost guard. As blood sprayed, his right hand had already gripped the shaft of the halberd and twisted with force.

The guard felt a sharp pain in his palm; the moment the halberd was ripped from his grasp, he took a knee to the chest and flew backward with a muffled groan.

The remaining three Guards held their formation steady, their long halberds interlaced like a web.

The Squad Leader thrust his halberd straight at Chen Jin's face, only to see the man bend his body in an uncanny arc. While dodging the tip, Chen Jin grabbed the shaft with his left hand and climbed upward, his right fist slamming heavily into the Squad Leader's wrist.

The sound of bone snapping was sharp and jarring. As the Squad Leader retreated with a scream, the man snatched the halberd from his grip, flicked it back to knock away another Guard's weapon, and swung the shaft to strike the man squarely in the temple.

"Mountain!" that Guard bellowed.

Clang! The halberd shaft struck his temple, producing a sound like metal hitting stone.

"Forest!" the Squad Leader roared. The four men quickly adjusted their positions, their halberds connecting end-to-end to form a rotating iron ring.

They stepped in a rhythmic battle formation, their breathing synchronized and their movements fluid as one, the injuries they had just sustained beginning to mend.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Chen Jin stumbled. The whipping that had ceased upon entering the inn returned, delivering three lashes right out of the gate.

The inn was no longer "protecting" him.

Enduring the agonizing pain, Chen Jin shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, charging directly at the Guard on the left.

The Guard reacted with lightning speed, leveling his halberd to block Chen Jin's incoming heavy punch with the shaft!