Chapter 38

Consciousness returned to Mo Yin’s body, and his mind felt heavy and dizzy. This sensation was quite unusual. It took him at least half a minute to fully feel his consciousness settle back into his body.

“Respected Coordinator, are you alright?”

The voice of the system was sickeningly sweet and excessively flattering.

Mo Yin raised an eyebrow in surprise. Every time he failed a mission, the system sounded as if it were mourning a lost father. Why was it so cheerful this time?

“I’m fine,” Mo Yin replied.

Pushing himself up with his knees, Mo Yin stood. “I’ll give the report later. I’m going to the training room.”

“Alright,” the system responded. “Take your time adjusting.”

The training room was next door, also belonging solely to Mo Yin. He adjusted the room’s mode to “physical techniques.” Several dark shadows flickered within the training room and rushed towards Mo Yin. Standing still, Mo Yin focused, and as the shadows approached within arm’s reach, he swiftly lifted his leg, sweeping it horizontally. With a sharp sound, the foremost shadow’s neck was instantly crushed by the kick.

Mo Yin played for about ten minutes, then went to the training room’s bathroom for a shower. Amidst the splattering water, he slapped his thighs, feeling as if he had almost forgotten what his legs felt like. He had nearly stumbled when he first stood up. After playing for a while, he finally felt completely recovered.

That world was truly impressive. Even after leaving it, he could still influence his body from his consciousness, albeit minimally. The previous world was incapable of such a feat.

Mo Yin pondered, realizing the terrifying realism of that world. The Alliance was so stingy, always lacking in resources. Why would they go out of their way to construct such a realistic world for a coordinator who constantly disrupts worlds?

It seemed highly unlikely.

Mo Yin left his residence and poured himself a drink, organizing information in his mind as he sipped.

The Lord seemed eager to control every corner of the planet. How could he voluntarily prevent the system from completing the task? The system wasn’t unwilling to follow but rather unable to. Perhaps the entire world was beyond their control.

Despite causing the task world to collapse again, the Alliance didn’t criticize him. Instead, the system was unusually polite. The Alliance probably benefits somehow from his tasks. Perhaps in energy, which is what they need the most.

The energy of the entire world is so high that it can even affect him. His mental strength is already top-notch. The Alliance tolerates his repeated disruptions because opening these worlds requires exceptional individuals like him.

After analyzing and organizing all the information, Mo Yin leaned back, his mind filled once again with the mixed expressions of Pei Mingshu and Pei Qing, their faces filled with shock and pain as the world collapsed.

The cold liquid slid down Mo Yin’s throat as he closed his eyes, shivering as if electrified.

He didn’t care what schemes the Alliance was plotting behind his back, nor did he care whether his actions harmed or benefited the Alliance. To him, the Alliance was nothing but nonsense, and the damn tasks held no meaning for him.

All he wanted was pleasure. Everything else was irrelevant.

Mo Yin glanced down at his crossed legs. Though he was mentally euphoric, his body felt nothing.

Should he try?

He licked his lips.

Compared to the mental pleasure, the physical sensation was another dimension. The fiery memories lingered in his mind, but they didn’t ignite any flames within his body.

Mo Yin sneered, not wanting to force himself needlessly.

For the next two days, Mo Yin stayed in his area, resting. Life remained as dull and monotonous as ever. The pleasure from the world’s collapse gradually diminished. By the third morning, Mo Yin came to headquarters without the system’s prompting for the first time.

“Coordinator, do you want to continue with new tasks?”

“Any problem?”

“Of course not!”

The system’s tone was excited. “Coordinator, you truly deserve praise. You’ve fully recovered in such a short time.”

“Will you follow this world this time?”

The system fell silent for a moment. “I’m sorry.”

Mo Yin smiled, sitting on the sofa. “Understood. Let’s not waste time. Let’s get started.”

The icy blue net enveloped him once again.

Mo Yin stared at the energy-jumping grid, his mental focus intense. When the massive energy approached, he forcefully manipulated his mental power. Like a mirror, his normally calm mental strength surged forward, colliding head-on with the immense energy—

A strong dizziness spread throughout his body, and he found himself in an extremely narrow passage, squeezed by a great force.

“A baby is born, a baby is born—”

“Hui Niang, Hui Niang, wake up! Quickly, call someone! Hui Niang is not well!”

“You, child, what are you doing here?”

“Who taught you these characters?”

“What is your name, where do you live?”

“Well then, come in and listen to the class from now on.”

“Congratulations, Zigui, you’re the top scorer in the high school exam, truly the pride of our Lantian County!”

“Zigui, your parents must know of your glory from the underworld, they must be content now.”

“Mr. Mo, you might as well admit it. Even if you protest, it’s futile. There’s physical and circumstantial evidence. You’re sentenced to exile for embezzling 1,873 taels of silver.”

…

In the blink of an eye, Mo Yin experienced twenty-three years of life in this world as if it were his own.

As a baby, he cried when he was born, and his mother died in a difficult childbirth. His father had long been conscripted by the court and was already dead. He was an orphan from the start, but he managed to survive with the help of villagers. At the age of five, he showed extraordinary talent, often tracing characters he saw on the ground with branches. Seeing his exceptional potential, the village scholar took him in, taught him, and gave him the nickname “Zigui.”

In the seventh year of Longyuan, at the age of fourteen, Mo Yin participated in the juvenile examination under the guidance of the scholar and passed. After that, he passed the courtyard examination in the following years, and eventually, with his talent and effort, he became renowned throughout the capital. He was hailed as the “Lantian Beauty.” In the imperial examination, he was appointed as the top scholar, causing a sensation in the entire capital. He was only nineteen when he became the youngest top scholar in the history of the dynasty.

In the late spring of that year, the weather was still cold, and it even snowed in March. The current emperor held a banquet in the plum garden to honor Mo Yin’s achievements. Mo Yin sat under a snow plum tree, his profile was cold and aloof, surpassing even the snow. From afar, it was hard to distinguish between plum, snow, and man. The emperor couldn’t help but praise, “The plum is like snow, the snow is like a person, all without a speck of dust.”

Being praised by the emperor, Mo Yin naturally rose in the ranks. In just four years, he rose to become the Minister of Revenue.

Although his career was prosperous, Mo Yin didn’t feel particularly happy. When the emperor appointed him as the top scholar, it was merely because he found him good-looking. Even under the pearl curtain, the emperor lazily commented, “That kid looks good, worthy of the name ‘top scholar.'” It had nothing to do with appreciating his talent.

The emperor acted recklessly, promoting or demoting officials based solely on his whims, and his mood was volatile. Today, if he was pleased, he’d reward an official effortlessly; tomorrow, if displeased, demotion or exile was common. Officials served with trembling fear, just like concubines in the palace, all vying to please the emperor.

Mo Yin, with his naturally icy temperament, simply focused on his own affairs. While his colleagues went out of their way to ingratiate themselves, he kept his distance. He remained aloof in the court, never engaging in private interactions. He thought that by being a solitary minister and doing more practical work for the court and the people, he would live up to the inexplicable title of “top scholar.”

However, how could one stay unscathed in the political arena?

When the city suffered from a severe drought and relief efforts failed, causing widespread unrest and rebellion, the emperor grew furious. He ordered the Ministry of Justice to investigate, and inexplicably, all evidence pointed to Mo Yin.

Initially, Mo Yin tried to defend himself, but after several rounds of torture, he stopped speaking.

With factions competing fiercely within the court, what could a powerless top scholar like him do to extricate himself?

His home was confiscated, and he was exiled three thousand miles away.

This was the fate of a diligent official after four years of service.

Snowflakes fell like goose feathers, swirling in the wind. The bone-chilling cold seeped through Mo Yin’s body as he lay prone on the ground. He wore nothing, exposed to the elements, except for the heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles. Frost formed on his eyebrows and eyelashes, and his lips turned blue, dry, and parched. His cheeks twitched slightly from the cold against the rough gravel ground.

“You’re stubborn as a rock. Even in such dire straits, you won’t speak.”

“Stubborn? Hmph, I’d say he’s just lowly. Hey, top scholar, look at yourself now. Won’t you reveal where that silver is hidden? You have no parents, no children. Who will benefit from your silence? Why not tell us a bit? You could live more comfortably for a few days. What do you say?”

Escorting prisoners was a tough job, but escorting a corrupt Minister of Revenue was a lucrative assignment.

Some who missed out on the lucrative task sneered, “That Minister of Revenue is as stubborn as they come. The Ministry of Justice interrogated him eight times, tortured him countless times, but he still won’t confess or reveal where the silver is.”

They smirked, “Just because he’s as stubborn as a rock, we have the skills to squeeze a few drops of oil from his bones.”

At the start of his exile, they were relatively polite to Mo Yin, suggesting he give them some silver. If he did, they promised a smooth journey, ensuring his safety until he reached Wuxi. Once there, they could handle everything for him.

Mo Yin remained stoic, ignoring their remarks with a cold expression, resembling a snowman.

Gradually, their patience wore thin.

Since he wouldn’t accept their offer of goodwill, they wouldn’t be polite anymore.

Compared to the Ministry of Justice, these guards were much more ruthless. While the Ministry of Justice had to consider Mo Yin’s previous status as an official, these guards had no such qualms. Whipping and caning might be excruciatingly painful, but they still left some dignity intact.

These guards, however, knew Mo Yin’s past glory and felt the need to humiliate him further.

Today, with heavy snowfall, they removed Mo Yin’s shackles and stripped him naked, allowing the wind and snow to assail him. They stood under a rocky overhang, mocking and jeering.

Vulgar insults continually assaulted Mo Yin’s ears, but he found himself wanting to laugh.

Success.

He had anticipated the energy attempting to strip away his mental power, confronting it head-on. Upon entering this world, he discovered, as expected, that he had brought a thread of mental power into this body.

It was an exceedingly rare amount of mental power, almost negligible compared to what he possessed personally.

Mental power was the greatest miracle in human evolution. It first appeared in a person suffering from a severe illness. Not only did they miraculously overcome the disease, but their overall physical capabilities also grew stronger. Strength, endurance, intelligence… all increased exponentially. Some individuals awakened mental power in dire situations, thus beginning the era of great evolution.

Mental power, like a mirror or a spark, maximizes human potential. The stronger one’s mental power, the greater the amplification of their physical abilities. When mental power was abundant enough to materialize, it reached another level. It became the medium for all forms of power manipulation. Its master could control all manipulable energies. Legend had it that the strongest could even manipulate time and space.

Of course, the thread of mental power Mo Yin brought into this world was far from reaching terrifying heights.

But it was… sufficient.

“Water…”

His hoarse voice scattered in the wind, sounding particularly weak. The others couldn’t help but laugh, “Water? Water is a rare commodity in this desert. Top scholar, if you’re thirsty, just open your mouth. When the snow melts in your mouth, you’ll have water, won’t you?”

“It’s freezing, how can we let the top scholar drink snowwater?” one person smirked, then glanced slyly at his companion, nudging him with his elbow. “Let our top scholar have a few sips of something warm.”

Understanding the hint, the companion chuckled.

“You, lad, it’s so cold my balls have shrunk. I’m not doing it.”

“We’re almost there. If we don’t get tough now, our trip will be in vain. Wait and see, if he still won’t talk, I’ll use him as a urinal for the remaining days. Let’s see if he talks then!”

“Well, you go ahead. I don’t need to go.”

The group pushed and teased each other, while Mo Yin lay on the ground. His senses were now ten times sharper than before, allowing him to hear their words clearly.

After a while, the person with the idea came over and grabbed Mo Yin’s hair, grinning, “Top scholar, let me serve you some water.”

Mo Yin struggled to get up, his wrists leaving bloody imprints from the heavy shackles. Being dragged to a wind-sheltered rock, he hit his forehead on the ground, blood streaming, quickly freezing into a red frost on his forehead.

Gasping for breath, Mo Yin raised his face in the snow, and though the man was determined to humiliate him, the cold made him hesitate. When he tried to take off his pants, Mo Yin spoke hoarsely, “I hid the one thousand two hundred taels of silver in the outskirts of the capital.”

The man’s hand froze as he was about to take off his pants, and he exclaimed, “What did you say?”

“Get me some clothes.”

Mo Yin had rarely spoken during the journey, aside from occasional groans when he couldn’t bear it anymore. Now, as he spoke up, the man immediately believed him, joyfully saying, “Master Mo, that’s the right move! Wait here, I’ll be right back.”

Mo Yin leaned against the rock, his chest slowly rising and falling. His ribs were visible, and he absentmindedly wondered why his situations were always so dire in these worlds.

At least it was better than the first world. He still had all his limbs, a kind of progress.

After a while, the guard returned alone, carrying the key and prison clothes. He seemed reluctant to share this wealth with the others. As he unshackled Mo Yin, he said, “Master Mo, you’ve had a tough time these days. Don’t worry, as long as you give us a hint, we brothers will take good care of you. When you arrive, there will be good food and drink waiting for you.”

Mo Yin slowly put on the prison clothes.

They were still thin, but at least they covered him.

“Master Mo,” the guard squatted down, his breath forming mist in the cold air. “Now, can you reveal a little? Where did you hide the silver?”

Mo Yin blinked, frost falling from his eyelashes, and his gaze lowered.

“I don’t have the strength to speak loudly,” Mo Yin whispered. “Come closer.”

The guard eagerly leaned in.

Mo Yin’s gaze lifted faintly, and with a pair of bloody, blurred hands, he swiftly grabbed the shackles from the ground and choked the guard’s neck.

The guard’s forehead bulged with veins, his eyes bloodshot, his tongue protruding from his mouth. His feet kicked up clouds of sand, and a ghostly, icy voice sounded, sliding past his ears.

“The silver… is in the underworld.”