Chapter 123: Chapter 111: There’s a Mole
After a few rounds of drinks, Scarface Liu was in high spirits, buoyed by the fine wine and flattery. At just the right moment, Zheng Xiu clapped his hands, dismissing the attractive courtesans who had been cooing and plying them with wine. Zheng Xiu could tell Scarface Liu wasn’t interested in that sort of company. Once only the two of them were left in the private room, Zheng Xiu’s expression turned serious. "Sixth Brother," he said, "we are brothers, and I have something I need your help with. For you, it would be a simple matter."
Scarface Liu might have been tipsy, but he wasn’t stupid. He didn’t know the full extent of the Zheng Family’s resources, but he could imagine enough. The fact that even Master Zheng had to resort to such a roundabout approach sent a jolt through him, clearing some of the alcohol from his head.
He was about to speak, but Zheng Xiu waved a hand dismissively and smiled. "No need to be nervous, Sixth Brother. Just think of this as a business deal we both agree to. After you hear me out, if you’re not interested, then the moment you walk out that door, it’ll be as if I never said a thing. We’ll still be brothers, and I’ll always remember how you took care of me in prison. But if you agree, I swear I will never mistreat anyone who sides with the Zheng Clan. I will personally guarantee that your family will want for nothing for the rest of their lives."
Old Liu fell silent for a moment, then grabbed the wine jug and took a long swig. "Ahh, that’s the stuff!" he exclaimed, before rubbing his neck. "Is this the kind of thing that could get my head chopped off?"
Zheng Xiu considered this, then smiled. "Not necessarily. If heads are going to roll, mine will be the first on the chopping block, not yours. Besides, didn’t I make it out of prison safe and sound?"
"Heh!" Old Liu chuckled. He suddenly remembered the spectacle and commotion on the day Master Zheng was released from prison and broke into a wide grin. "Alright, then I, Old Liu, am in!"
Zheng Xiu was taken aback. "Don’t you want to hear what the business is first, Sixth Brother?"
"To hell with listening! Younger Brother Zheng has already acknowledged me, Old Liu, as a brother. If I start humming and hawing and making a fuss, how could I, Scarface Liu, ever show my face again? And don’t forget, I’ve got some distant imperial connections! Who’s to be afraid? If you say one, Younger Brother Zheng, I, Old Liu, will never say two!"
Having said all that in one breath, Old Liu raised his wine jug and boomed with laughter. "Let’s drink to it!"
"Excellent! To your spirit, Sixth Brother! Let’s drink!"
The two tilted their heads back in unison, draining the wine from their jugs.
In the end, of course, the deal was struck.
Scarface Liu was even more honorable than Zheng Xiu had imagined.
When Zheng Xiu finally explained his idea—a plan to operate on the fringes of the law, punishing the wicked in a manner akin to "enacting justice on Heaven’s behalf"—Scarface Liu’s eyes lit up with excitement. He insisted that the role of Prison Guard in this "Eternal Purgatory" had to be his, and no one could pry it from him.
Scarface Liu had not yet glimpsed the Path, so he was naturally unaware that Zheng Xiu was offering him not just a business, but a life-changing opportunity. However, not even Zheng Xiu could be sure what the final result would be.
It was just that according to his self-summarized "experience pack theory," he, as a natural-born [Prisoner], was a super experience pack on par with Feng Bei. As long as Scarface Liu conscientiously abided by the rules Zheng Xiu laid down, glimpsing the Path was practically guaranteed.
While his "Mighty Man" persona was accompanying Feng Bei, riding through wind and snow and about to leave the borders of Yizhou State, Zheng Xiu held a secret discussion in the Zheng Family dungeons with the three core members of the Brotherhood: Qing Shisan, Pei Gaoya, and Ji Hong’ou.
Building the "Eternal Purgatory" was not a task that could be accomplished by one or two people alone. But Tycoon Zheng had plenty of people behind him; there was no need for him to struggle by himself. The Zheng Clan was a behemoth that even Ye Weiyang treated with a healthy dose of respect, so Zheng Xiu had no shortage of manpower.
A problem that could be solved with money was no problem at all.
According to the plan, he only needed to have each person handle a single part of the process. This would both allow them to cultivate their own Paths according to their respective rules and, when all the pieces came together, would allow them to covertly transport people into the prison. There, they would undergo "reeducation by whipping" and have the Concept of "prison" implanted in them.
After some discussion, the group picked the first "lucky" soul, from a list twenty pages long, who would soon be entering the Eternal Purgatory.
