I'm Already the Richest Man, Why Did My System Just Arrive?

Chapter 238: Chapter 159: Plotting

The World in the Painting.

This was Gongsun Mo’s memory.

Somehow, he had recorded his memories within a ”Cannibal Painting.”

Inside the painting was an overpowered woman named Xie Luohe, who looked identical to Feng Bei.

In a premium room at the inn, Zheng Xiu spread out a sheet of yellowed paper, took up a brush, and neatly wrote down name after name.

”Gongsun Mo.”

”Xie Luohe.”

”Chu Chengfeng.”

”Feng Bei.”

”Tycoon Zheng.”

Zheng Xiu looked at the characters on the paper and nodded in satisfaction.

Meticulous.

Thin lines crisscrossed between the names, forming a relationship web that seemed simple yet was fraught with suspicion.

Staring at the relationship map, Zheng Xiu pondered for a long time before finally circling Xie Luohe’s name.

’Whether it’s because she looks just like Feng Bei, or because she and Gongsun Mo were supposedly ”buried together,” she has to be the key to cracking this Ghostly Realm.’

’To crack the Cannibal Painting, I have to start with Xie Luohe.’

’I can’t just rely on my past experiences to deal with this, or I’ll stumble and fall here easily.’

’Since this is Gongsun Mo’s memory, the flow of time can’t be measured by common sense. But no matter what, I can’t let my guard down or delay for too long. I have to get out of here as soon as possible.’

’The most crucial thing right now is to find a way to get close to Xie Luohe and confirm whether Feng Bei is like me—experiencing Gongsun Mo’s memory from Xie Luohe’s perspective.’

”Wait, is it possible...” Zheng Xiu stroked his smooth chin, lost in thought. ’That this is both of their memories?’

However, Zheng Xiu had thought of many things, but there was one that he just couldn’t figure out.

If he used the theory of the ”Ghostly Realm” to explain the predicament he and Feng Bei were in, one point didn’t make sense.

The Ghostly Realm existed between the Common World and Darkness. How could a painting Gongsun Mo made two hundred years ago have created this strange ”Memory Space”?

He had originally planned to quietly wait for the ”National Preceptor” Chu Chengfeng had mentioned to arrive in Kang City, and he did wait obediently for two days.

During those two days, Zheng Xiu, in his identity as ”Gongsun Mo,” was led by the kind-hearted Chu Chengfeng between teahouses and inns, witnessing many interesting events of the Jianghu.

Zheng Xiu noticed that there was indeed a ”Government Office” in Kang City, but as long as no ordinary citizens were killed, the Government Office generally wouldn’t intervene.

Whenever someone died on the streets, once the Government Office confirmed it was a grudge killing within the Martial World, they wouldn’t get involved at all, simply taking the body away and calling it a day.

By the third day, Zheng Xiu could no longer sit still. He decided to make some bold attempts to further explore this strange world.

For example, trying to find a way to leave Kang City.

Or, self-harm.

Or even doing things clearly out of character for Gongsun Mo, like ”visiting a brothel.”

They all failed.

The ”forms” of failure were bizarre and varied.

He tried every conceivable way to sneak out of Kang City, but he would always run into a group of Martial Artists having a brawl. Gongsun Mo would get caught up in all sorts of messy situations, and then Chu Chengfeng would appear out of nowhere, descending from the heavens to ”rescue” him.

Zheng Xiu tried to hang himself, but the brand-new roof beam inexplicably broke.

Growing bolder, he tried to slit his own throat, only to wake up drunk, with the Iron Sword he had secretly bought having vanished into thin air.

As for visiting the brothel, that was even more bizarre. The moment he entered, expertly picked a girl he found attractive, and turned around, his money pouch had vanished. He was promptly thrown out of the brothel.

This was simply too much.

Unable to even manage ”a day trip to the brothel,” Zheng Xiu finally confirmed one thing.

Back in the inn, Zheng Xiu took the paper filled with writing from his robes and solemnly wrote another line in a blank space.

”World’s Will? Gongsun Mo?”

Zheng Xiu let out a long sigh and put down the brush.

He looked at his reflection in the mirror, at the fair and handsome face, feeling utterly helpless.

At that moment, Zheng Xiu couldn’t help but feel the frustration of having immense Divine Power that he couldn’t use.

He knew how strange this place was, he knew his own predicament, and he had tried to change things. Yet, he could only obediently use his own eyes to experience everything as Gongsun Mo, unable to alter a single thing.

Zheng Xiu murmured to his reflection in the mirror, ”Are you Gongsun Mo?”

”Are you still alive?”

”What the hell do you want me to do?”

BANG.

As Zheng Xiu was muttering to himself, the door was violently kicked open. He instinctively clutched at his clothes.

It was Chu Chengfeng who had barged in.

”My apologies, my apologies! I was being reckless!”

The moment he entered, Chu Chengfeng saw Younger Brother Gongsun’s eyes go wide with a look of terror, as if he were staring at a lecher, and he immediately apologized.

”Are you painting?”

Upon entering, Chu Chengfeng had spotted the paper spread out on the table and leaned in for a closer look, his face full of curiosity.

”Brother Chu, you misunderstand. I was just writing in my diary.”

Zheng Xiu calmly stepped in front of Chu Chengfeng, quickly folding the paper.

In his haste, Chu Chengfeng had vaguely glimpsed the name ”Xie Luohe” on the paper, so he asked in confusion, ”Younger Brother Gongsun, what is a... ’diary’?”

”Lately, as I’ve been discussing the Jianghu over tea with Brother Chu, I’ve had some insights. My heart has been stirred, and I feared I would forget these feelings one day, so I jotted them down in a few words on paper. I call it a ’diary.’”

Comprehension dawned on Chu Chengfeng’s face. ”So, you scholars write your turbulent feelings down on paper!”

”Ahem, that’s right.”

Zheng Xiu picked up the long-cold cup of tea from the table and took a sip.

”No wonder Xie Luohe’s name was written on it!” Chu Chengfeng suddenly let out a knowing chuckle, a look of tacit understanding on his face.

”PFFT!”

Zheng Xiu sprayed a mouthful of cold tea all over Chu Chengfeng’s face, completely dumbstruck.

”I was just kidding before,” Chu Chengfeng said, wiping the tea from his face with one hand. Seeing Gongsun Mo’s flustered, red-faced, water-spewing appearance, he exclaimed in shock, ”Younger Brother Gongsun, don’t tell me you’ve actually fallen for that Xie Luohe!”