Finn looked around him in shock and disbelief, unable to speak.
Finn's face was covered in severe bruises.
His right eye was swollen, dark purple and blue, and his lips were cracked and bleeding.
The three soldiers who had brutally beaten Finn were holding him by his arms.
Two of them were on Finn's right and left, dragging his body forward violently and without mercy, while the third led the way through massive corridors.
Finn looked around in a daze, unable to understand what had happened or where he was now.
He had merely slapped a single soldier by accident…
And now he was in this situation.
To make matters worse, because of his newly acquired rubber body, beating him had become more difficult than usual.
As a result, the soldiers had beaten him even more violently—for an entire hour.
An hour.
An hour of hellish torture and brutal beating.
And the worst part?
Finn was just a thirteen-year-old child.
Yet they beat him like this—cruelly and without mercy—over an unintentional act that hadn't even harmed them.
This was outright abuse of a child.
And this… was only his first day in this world.
How was he supposed to survive in a place like this?
The soldiers finally stopped when they brought Finn into a large hall containing a massive throne.
They threw Finn violently onto the ground, forcing him to kneel.
The soldiers stepped forward, then knelt respectfully, lowering their heads toward a figure sitting on a simple chair.
"The soldiers salute the General!!"
General Wei Tsang Lan looked at his three soldiers, then at Finn coldly, and said:
"What is going on here? Why did you bring this boy here? And why did you beat him?"
One of the soldiers lowered his head and replied:
"We found this boy near the barracks, General. That area is restricted to civilians and filled with soldiers guarding the borders of our great empire.
When we asked him what he was doing there and how he passed the guards, he spoke in an incomprehensible language and then attempted to attack us.
So we disciplined him and taught him a lesson, General."
The General looked at the soldiers coldly and said:
"Then why bring him to me? You could have simply followed protocol—detain him for a certain period and then send him back to where he came from."
"We brought him here because he spoke a language we have never heard before."
"Hm? An incomprehensible language? What is strange about that?
The Great Zhou Empire is vast—perhaps this boy comes from a remote region that uses a language different from our traditional one," the General said with mild surprise.
The soldier quickly lowered his head and said:
"I assure you, General, that his language is truly incomprehensible. We have never heard anything like it before.
He may be a spy from a hostile empire or nation, which is why we brought him here."
The General looked at them, then said:
"Very well. If that is the case, summon Yuan Inscription Expert Kim Jonglong and tell him to prepare a Yuan Translation Inscription to interrogate this boy."
"Yes, General!!"
One of the soldiers immediately ran off to summon Kim Jonglong.
"Is there anything else you wish to say?"
The General asked impatiently.
Another soldier quickly replied:
"Yes, General… this boy's body is… strange."
"Strange? What do you mean? Explain yourself."
"What I mean, General, is that this boy's body can stretch like rubber.
His body has extremely high defense, and physical attacks had little effect unless we used Yuan Qi—despite him having no training at all."
"Hm? Rubber? What nonsense are you talking about?"
The General said irritably. He had no time for such absurdities—he had to defend the empire's borders against the Black Poison King and his forces.
"I mean his body stretches, General. Look,"
the soldier replied solemnly.
He forcefully pulled Finn's cheek and stepped back several paces.
Finn's cheek stretched unnaturally—several meters long.
The soldier released it, and Finn's cheek snapped back to normal length with a loud impact.
Finn cried out in pain and shut his eyes as tears gathered.
"What the hell is this?"
The General stood up slowly, shocked.
He walked toward Finn and personally conducted several tests.
He pulled Finn's arms and legs, discovering they stretched to terrifying lengths—so long that he suspected Finn's arm could wrap around the massive hall three times.
He conducted further tests and discovered that everything in Finn's body was rubbery—bones, joints, skin, muscles… even his hair.
He then punched Finn several times with great force and was stunned to find that Finn's body absorbed the blows like a sponge.
Finn was only affected when Yuan Qi was used.
This was shocking—especially since the General could shatter rocks and earth with his bare hands using only physical strength.
The General stepped back and stared at Finn as if he were an alien, watching him with shock and caution.
Finn looked around as tears began gathering in his eyes again due to Wei Tsang Lan's treatment.
But he clenched his teeth and refused to let them fall—he would not show weakness before strangers.
General Wei Tsang Lan noticed this clearly.
"A strong-willed boy,"
the General thought, nodding in appreciation.
At that moment, Kim Jonglong entered the hall.
He quickly engraved several Yuan seals onto a small necklace, then placed it around Finn's neck.
Kim wiped sweat from his brow—this was a second-level inscription and not easy for him.
He turned to the General and informed him that the inscription was complete.
The General nodded, thanked Kim, and dismissed him.
"Now… can you understand me, boy?"
Meanwhile, Finn was carefully observing the hall and everyone within it.
He recognized Wei Tsang Lan as well.
The General looked exactly as he did in the manhua—long black hair reaching his shoulders, tied back with a clasp, violet eyes, a black beard, sharp and stern yet handsome features.
"General Wei Tsang Lan… which means I'm in Tsang Lan territory,"
Finn thought to himself as he felt his body slowly recovering from the beating.
現在你明白我的意思了嗎,孩子?你… you understand the words that come out my mouth kid?.
Finn stared at the General in shock when he understood his words, then looked at the necklace around his neck.
"This must be a Yuan seal! Amazing—now I can finally communicate!"
"Boy, do you understand what I'm saying?"
The General asked again to confirm.
Finn nodded vigorously.
"Yes… yes, I understand what you're saying!!"
The General smiled in satisfaction and immediately asked:
"Who are you, boy?
How did you reach the soldiers' barracks?
And can you explain why your body stretches like rubber?"
The General fired off questions rapidly.
Finn looked at the General, thought for a moment, and decided not to reveal the truth—that he was from another world and that their world was merely a manhua he once read.
"My name is Finn Coloniel. I come from a distant land called America.
As for my rubber body… I don't know. I was born this way."
Finn answered each question calmly.
The General raised an eyebrow.
"America? What empire is that? Where is it located? And what were you doing in the Great Zhou Empire?"
Finn replied calmly despite his fear:
"America is not an empire—just a small village that survives through trade with other cities.
It lies outside the borders of the Great Zhou Empire.
I came here with a trade caravan, but we were attacked near the Black Waters region.
I was the only survivor… and then these soldiers found me."
Finn lied skillfully—though nervously.
He hoped that by mentioning the Black Waters region—one of Tsang Lan territory's greatest enemies—the General's suspicion would lessen.
The General narrowed his eyes, doubting Finn's words.
Still, if Finn truly passed through the Black Waters region, there might be some truth to his story.
He continued questioning:
"Then how did you survive the bandits and make it here, despite having no training and not even opening a single Qi vein?"
Finn swallowed and replied:
"I… I don't know. I was trying to run, then I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was here."
The General remained suspicious but did not press further—Finn was far too weak to pose any threat.
"Very well. Since you are an innocent trader attacked by bandits in the Black Waters region, I will allow you to stay for a few days to recover.
After that, I will order a soldier to escort you back to your village. Is that clear?"
Finn immediately lowered his head.
"Clear! Thank you, honored General."
Finn thanked General Wei Tsang Lan deeply—despite the fact that the General had beaten him moments earlier simply for having a rubber body.
But this was his reality now.
Clinging to pride or hatred was not in his interest—especially when they could kill him with a single finger if they wished.
"Take him away,"
the General waved his hand.
As the soldiers moved to take Finn away, Finn said:
"Excuse me, General… but I wish to retrieve my belongings that the soldiers took from me."
"What belongings?"
"An old book that belonged to my father… and a crystal passed down through my family."
Despite the hatred in Finn's heart toward the entity that sent him here, he would not abandon the items it gave him—they might help him in the future.
The General gestured to the soldier who had taken Finn's items.
The soldier immediately brought forth the old, tattered Japanese book and the empty white crystal.
The General examined them carefully.
They seemed ordinary—or perhaps their contents were beyond his understanding.
He sighed and returned them to Finn.
Later, the soldiers escorted Finn to a small room outside the palace.
Meanwhile, General Wei Tsang Lan reflected on the events.
He was still astonished by Finn's rubber body—but not overly shocked.
After all, there were people in this world blessed with unique and powerful gifts from the heavens.
Literally.
One of them had even been the imperial prince—Prince Zhou Yuan.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yuan had lost the blessing of the Sacred Dragon and became crippled, unable to cultivate.
The General sighed sadly at the prince's tragic fate, then rose and headed to a meeting concerning the threat of the Black Waters region and the Black Poison King.