Chapter 4

Li Xiaofeng looked at Dzerzhinsky, who had fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, and felt a deep admiration. No wonder Dzerzhinsky, who had spent half his life in prison and exile, could sleep so peacefully in such a terrible environment, like a newborn baby.

Looking at the cold, hard bedding, the strong smell of sweat and mold was more irritating than DDT. Cockroaches and fleas were very active, and rats would occasionally dart out from the bedding. Well, even Li Xiaofeng, a celestial soldier—no, a celestial being—couldn't remain calm. Having been to hell, he could confidently say that, in terms of hygiene, even the toilets in hell were better than this place.

Since he was here, he had to make the best of it. Li Xiaofeng silently encouraged himself. If Dzerzhinsky could remain calm, so could he. Compared to the terrible environment, he had more important things to figure out. From his conversation with Dzerzhinsky, he learned that he had been transported to pre-revolutionary Tsarist Russia, specifically March 10, 1917.

Two days earlier, on International Women's Day, the textile workers in Petrograd had spontaneously taken to the streets, shouting for bread. Subsequently, about 130,000 workers from 50 factories joined the strike and demonstration, marking the beginning of the February Revolution.

What puzzled Li Xiaofeng was how this Andrei Petrovich Sperovsky had gotten involved in the revolution and ended up in the Peter and Paul Fortress. From the fragmented memories he had found, this 17-year-old boy didn't seem like someone with revolutionary ideals.

Andrei Petrovich Sperovsky was born into a merchant family in Novgorod. His father, who had started as an apprentice in a grain shop, later became an accountant through self-study and eventually became wealthy through business. He now owned a re-export trading company in Sweden and had made a fortune by selling grain during the war. He was not an only child; he had an older brother named Konstantin, who was five years older. Both brothers had received higher education and were students at St. Petersburg State University.

In short, Andrei's life was very comfortable, and he had no inherent hatred for the Tsar. How did someone like him end up on the path of revolution? Moreover, the three souls and seven spirits of the original Andrei seemed to have been deliberately scattered, which was why Li Xiaofeng could possess him. This was a mystery!

Of course, it wasn't really a mystery. Li Xiaofeng understood that the biggest problem was that the original Andrei's three souls and seven spirits had been scattered, leaving only a few fragments. The information these fragments could provide was extremely limited, forcing him to guess about many things. This was truly frustrating!

However, Li Xiaofeng couldn't complain too much. It was already a great opportunity to be given a chance to live again. Being picky would invite punishment. Of course, he had no good feelings toward heaven, whether as a mortal or a celestial guard. Despite his many bad habits, he was generally a kind and good person. But his long, dark life had taught him one thing: good people don't get good rewards, and evil lasts for a thousand years!

Therefore, Li Xiaofeng resolved to be a thick-skinned and black-hearted person in this life, to live comfortably, luxuriously, and with dignity!

Of course, to achieve this ideal, he had an urgent problem to solve: his status as a celestial soldier. He could clearly feel the divine power surging in his soul. According to the rules of heaven, anyone with divine power was under their jurisdiction. Now, he was essentially a private descent to the mortal world, even if it was out of necessity. Heaven, which claimed to be just, wouldn't understand his plight and would likely grab him and destroy him with five thunderbolts.

Li Xiaofeng didn't want to die, especially after all these changes. His desire for life was almost hysterical. Even if heaven didn't punish him, he didn't want to return to his promising job as a gatekeeper.

Li Xiaofeng cautiously used his divine senses to check the situation in heaven. Honestly, this was quite difficult and further revealed the limitations of his new body. The good news was that there seemed to be no other deities in this world, at least not the heaven he despised, so he didn't have to worry about his safety. The bad news was that his new body seemed incompatible with his soul, making it difficult to use his divine power. Even the simplest detection spell made him dizzy and almost faint.

Mortal bodies truly couldn't withstand the power of the divine!

Li Xiaofeng sighed. Although he was just a half-trained celestial soldier, he understood that there was no free lunch in this world. Andrei was just a mortal, naturally capable of only mortal strength. As a minor celestial soldier, he was still connected to the divine. Forcing divine power into a mortal body would result in self-destruction.

Having a second chance at life, Li Xiaofeng didn't want to be a human bomb. For now, he could only avoid using divine power and slowly refine his body according to the path of cultivation. When his body could withstand the vast divine power, he would be complete.

Of course, Li Xiaofeng had no interest in achieving perfection. He was the only one with divine power in this world, and even if he became a deity, he would be alone, like running a private server. What was the point of having fancy equipment and high levels if he was alone? It would be better to enjoy life in the mortal world.

Thinking of the happy scenes of dominating the mortal world, Li Xiaofeng was excited. He couldn't wait. He no longer cared about the cockroaches, rats, and pungent odors, and sat cross-legged on the bed to begin his cultivation.

However, Li Xiaofeng knew his intentions were good, and his future was bright, but cultivation was a long-term process. Even the true immortals of the upper realms and the cultivators of the lower realms took hundreds or even thousands of years to achieve their goals. Overnight success was only for the protagonists of起点 novels. He was prepared for a long battle. But he didn't expect his estimate to be so far off.

After the first small cycle, Li Xiaofeng almost drowned in the surging spiritual energy. The concentration of spiritual energy in this world was far beyond his expectations. If he hadn't stopped in time, he would have been overwhelmed.

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Li Xiaofeng was a bit scared. Even the spiritual energy in heaven couldn't compare to this place, which was several orders of magnitude higher. According to his understanding, the larger the city, the thinner the spiritual energy. The level of spiritual energy here was comparable to the legendary immortal realms.

But that didn't make sense! A major city with millions of people, a place like the Russian version of a maximum-security prison, should have been polluted, not rich in spiritual energy. It didn't add up!

In fact, Li Xiaofeng only knew part of the story. The level of spiritual energy in this world was similar to his own. He had mistaken it for being rich because, in his world, he was a minor cultivator, and the powerful cultivators had absorbed most of the spiritual energy, leaving little for him. In this world, he was the only one, so he felt the spiritual energy was abundant.

Of course, this was both good and bad. In cultivation, haste makes waste. Rapid progress could lead to spiritual breakdown. But his past misfortune had created good luck in this life. Although he had been refined in Laozi's furnace, he didn't gain the same abilities as the Monkey King. However, it was just right for him, purifying his soul. Before possessing Andrei's body, he was a pure soul. This foundation wasn't strong, but it was pure.

Because it was pure, it resisted evil, making it less likely to suffer spiritual breakdown. So, a slightly faster cultivation speed was harmless. More importantly, his cultivation speed wasn't that fast. He was lazy, which was why he had spent ten years in heaven without even understanding the simplest celestial book, and had been sold without realizing it.

After completing nine cycles, he "honestly" stopped. Stretching, he felt refreshed, like a protagonist in a martial arts novel who had taken a miraculous pill and transformed his body, expelling all the impurities.

"Comrade Andrei Petrovich, did you soil your pants?" Dzerzhinsky, who had been sleeping below, was woken by the overwhelming stench and asked, pinching his nose.

Li Xiaofeng was taken aback. In a sense, Dzerzhinsky was right; whether the filth was expelled through the anus or not didn't matter. He didn't know how to respond. After a long pause, he asked, "Is there water to wash? Comrade Felix Edmundovich?"

"Really soiled your pants?" Dzerzhinsky's eyes nearly popped out.

Li Xiaofeng quickly explained, "No, I had a nightmare and broke out in a stench of sweat..."

Dzerzhinsky sighed, "Endure it. We only get to bathe once every three months..." He then covered his head with the dirty blanket.

Li Xiaofeng: "@#￥%……"

It turned out Dzerzhinsky wasn't lying. The prisoners in the Peter and Paul Fortress only got to bathe once every three months. The next day, during the break, he saw many inmates with dirt like tree bark on their skin.

Of course, this didn't surprise Li Xiaofeng. He had seen many dirty people at the South Gate, and the filth and odor of those people were several orders of magnitude worse. Compared to them, these inmates were just small bugs. What truly drove Li Xiaofeng crazy was the fierce German Shepherd standing guard at the gate!

It wasn't that the dog was the Heavenly Dog from the myth. It was just a purebred German Shepherd. What truly caught his attention was the bowl of dog food. Although it looked like a broken bowl, it had a famous name in heaven: the Treasure Basin!

"Damn it!" Li Xiaofeng rubbed his eyes, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or if the world was too crazy. The treasure that attracted wealth in the hands of the God of Wealth was now a dog food bowl. What the hell was going on in this world?