The midday sun beat down mercilessly outside the Hall of Resolve, baking the earth into a stifling, oppressive heat.
Ren Ye (Prince Zhu Zigui) hurried out, scanning the courtyard. He was about to dash after Consort Xu's departing carriage when Lotus, a maidservant waiting at the foot of the steps, spoke first.
"Your Highness," she curtsied. "The Consort left a message. She requests your presence in her chambers tonight at the Hour of the Dog. She emphasized... you should be freshly bathed and attired."
Ren Ye paused, looking towards the receding carriage carrying Xu Qingzhao, his thoughts churning. He had intended to catch her, to probe this suddenly unpredictable "wife" whose depths he couldn't fathom. Her behavior in the hall had been wildly out of character, shedding the aloof, detached persona she usually wore like a monk's robe.
Yet, for Ren Ye, her actions – whether manipulation or a bid to use him as a weapon – signaled opportunity. Trapped without allies, being useful to someone meant he still held value. Things couldn't get much worse. More importantly, such a stark change screamed player involvement. If Xu Qingzhao was a player, her sudden "assistance" likely tied into her own mission objectives. That meant she probably didn't want him completely sidelined just yet. Contacting her first, especially after her "help," wouldn't seem overly forward.
He hadn't expected her to summon him. Interesting. This puts her on the front foot. Fine. Tonight, I play the fool and let her make the first move.
He turned back to Lotus. "Did she say anything else?"
"Only that, Your Highness." Lotus blinked, then added with a hint of emphasis, "But Snow, her attendant, was very specific about the bathing and fresh attire before you... attend."
A ripple of poorly concealed gossipy interest passed through the waiting eunuchs and maids.
Bathing? Fresh clothes? What exactly does she have planned? Hoping to rekindle some marital warmth after three years? A flicker of wry, long-dormant confidence stirred within him. Well, the foundations are still solid. And I've kept up with the theory...
The crunch of heavy boots on gravel shattered his reverie.
"YOUR HIGHNESS!!!" A bull-necked young man, clad in white python robes and a black cap, charged towards him, throwing himself to the ground in a dramatic heap. He wailed, "Commander Wang died unjustly! Give the order! I'll carve that treacherous Chief Administrator Li Yan into dog meat right now!"
Ren Ye recognized him instantly: Hong Jiadi, nicknamed "Blockhead," a Squad Captain under the late Commander Wang Jingzhong. In the treacherous pit of Huai Palace, Blockhead was one of the vanishingly few Zhu Zigui could still trust – alongside his personal eunuchs and maids like Lotus. A martial prodigy from the Southern Marches, Blockhead had been brought to the palace at six by the late Prince. He wielded a single saber with terrifying speed and ferocity. Raised alongside Zhu Zigui, their bond was unshakeable, bordering on unnervingly close. In Zhu Zigui's memories, Blockhead was the epitome of the unswervingly loyal attack dog.
As kids, Blockhead only needed two questions:
"Who do we cut down today, Young Master?"
"Where are we going to bully the weak and oppress the maidens today, Young Master?"
After the late Prince's death, Zhu Zigui had placed him in the Elite Guard, hoping he'd quietly build loyalty among the troops. That plan now lay in ashes with Commander Wang.
"Commander Wang died under suspicion," Ren Ye said, fixing his gaze on this volatile lieutenant. "Administrator Li was performing his duty by reporting. Mind your words. Get up."
"It was that dog Li Yan's scheming!" Blockhead spat, scrambling to his feet, tears streaking the dust on his cheeks. "If Your Highness can't kill him openly, let me handle it! I'll kidnap his first wife, sell her to the Southern barbarians to tend their warhorses! Or grab his eldest son, make him a pimp in the lowest brothel! I'll do it clean, no traces!"
"..." Ren Ye stared, momentarily speechless, a wave of despair washing over him. Zhu Zigui, Zhu Zigui... look at the caliber of men you surrounded yourself with! Eunuchs, maids, and this... walking blunt instrument.
"Prepare my carriage for the Hall of Tranquil Thought," Ren Ye commanded, turning sharply.
The Hall of Tranquil Thought, nestled deep within the private residence, had been the late Prince's study – his equivalent of an Imperial library. As the carriage rolled, Ren Ye pondered his desperate situation, while Blockhead sniffled and whimpered like a kicked puppy beside him. The grief was genuine, Ren Ye noted; Blockhead had clearly cared deeply for Commander Wang.
Inside the ancient, faintly musty hall, Ren Ye dismissed the attendants at the main door. "Lotus, guard here. Blockhead, with me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Ren Ye glared at the still-whimpering lieutenant. "Enough of the waterworks. Inside."
Blockhead, looking wounded, pushed open the heavy doors. The interior was impeccably clean but held an unnatural chill, as if the warmth of life had long fled. Memories told Ren Ye that Zhu Zigui, overwhelmed after his father's death, had avoided this place entirely.
Ren Ye scanned the shadowed room. "Search with me."
"Search for what?" Blockhead wiped his eyes.
"A secret Imperial Edict. Tear this place apart." Ren Ye gestured sharply. The Star Trace Gate's second task was clear: restore the Imperial Brush's power. The clue? A hidden edict. The late Prince's sanctum was the obvious place to start.
"Yes, Your Highness." Blockhead nodded, his simple mind latching onto the concrete task.
They divided the room. Ren Ye combed through the writing desk and towering bookshelves, while Blockhead rummaged through the late Prince's private tea nook and resting area, punctuating his search with the occasional muffled sob.
Ren Ye initially ignored it. But with Blockhead his only reliable muscle, some guidance seemed prudent. Flipping through dusty memorials, he asked quietly, "Commander Wang's death grieves you deeply?"
"Of course! Besides the late Prince and you, Commander Wang treated me like his own son...!" Blockhead's voice cracked.
"And do you know how I feel?" Ren Ye asked, his head pounding from the futile search.
Blockhead pondered this deeply, then shook his head.
"Beyond grief, he was my right arm," Ren Ye stated flatly. "Who feels the loss more keenly? You, or me?"
Blockhead remained silent.
"Today's humiliation will be repaid. If not tomorrow, then in three years. Five years. But repayment requires survival," Ren Ye pressed, now crawling under the massive desk. "Selling Li's wife to barbarians gets you killed. Remember this: True menace isn't shouted. It's nursed silently in the heart."
Blockhead stared, bewildered. "Your... Your Highness... you... you never talked like this before."
"Consider the old me... dead," Ren Ye grunted, finding only dust bunnies under the desk. He switched tactics. "You've been in the Elite Guard for years. If chaos erupted in the palace today, how many men would follow your orders?"
Blockhead furrowed his brow in intense concentration. "The Guard's situation is complicated. When Commander Wang was alive, I might have had some pull..."
"Skip the preamble. Give me a number."
"I... I am on good terms with some of the other Squad Captains..."
"Enough! After two years of supposedly 'cultivating loyalty,' how many men will obey you?!"
"Uh..." Blockhead hunched his shoulders. "I can only guarantee... one man will follow my orders absolutely."
"One? Someone important? A Deputy Commander?" Ren Ye felt a spark of hope.
Blockhead met his gaze earnestly. "Just... myself, Your Highness. I can guarantee I'll obey myself."
"Motherfu—!" Ren Ye choked back the expletive.
"Your Highness insults my mother? Why?"
"Shut up. Don't speak to me," Ren Ye snapped, his brief hope shattering. He should have known better than to expect strategic thinking from this brick. "Just find that damn edict! If you don't... I'll have you tending an entire battalion's warhorses! Personally!"
Silence descended. Both men focused grimly on the search, turning the hall upside down. Hours passed. Dust motes danced in the afternoon light slanting through high windows. They found nothing but mundane administrative records, ancient texts, and ornamental scrolls.
Exhausted, Ren Ye slumped into the late Prince's imposing chair, staring at the carved ceiling beams. The logic was sound. If the edict is hidden in the palace, it has to be here. Where else?
Nearby, Blockhead frantically tapped panels, driven by visions of equine servitude.
Ren Ye sighed, pushing himself up. His gaze fell again on the Sovereign's Blade resting on its stand behind the Prince's chair. A massive sword, its scabbard gleaming with inset gems and gold, its hilt carved into a fierce dragon's head. He'd noticed it earlier, dismissed it. Zhu Zigui's memories included humiliating failures to even lift the blade. Worthless.
But it was mentioned in the Gate's tasks. Worth a try.
"Blockhead, we'll check the late Prince's bedchamber next," Ren Ye announced, stepping towards the sword stand.
"Your Highness, wait! Let me check here again...!" Blockhead pleaded, panic rising at the thought of his potential future career. "Just fifteen minutes! Please!"
Ignoring him, Ren Ye reached behind the throne. His fingers closed around the cool, heavy scabbard. He lifted.
THOOM!
As the blade left its stand, thunder seemed to detonate inside Ren Ye's skull. Clarity, razor-sharp and terrifying, sliced through his confusion. His very soul shuddered.
Hiss!
A thin line of searing pain lanced across his right palm. Blood, hot and sudden, welled and dripped onto the dull metal.
FWOOM!
The blade erupted. Not with fire, but with an impossible edge – a pressure of pure, world-cleaving sharpness that rocketed upwards, aimed at the heavens. It struck the hall's vaulted ceiling.
CRACKLE!
The air shivered. The hall groaned. Ancient protective wards flared to life across the walls and ceiling – intricate glowing runes forming a shimmering, dazzling barrier. The blade's unleashed power crashed against it, contained, muffled, hidden from the outside world.
[Ding—]
[Congratulations, Prince of Huai. The Sovereign's Blade answers your call once more. May your martial path be glorious, your victories unmatched.]
The Gate's cold voice echoed in Ren Ye's ears. A subtle, vital connection thrummed between him and the weight in his hand.
Simultaneously, ten other players scattered throughout Huai Palace received their own message:
[Ding—]
[You have entered the Main Questline. A crucial legacy has been awakened.]
Meanwhile, Blockhead, still kneeling near a bookshelf, gaped. Behind the Prince's throne, where the blade had rested, the stone wall silently cracked open, revealing a dark passage descending into shadow.
...
Huaiwang Manor.
Within the ears of the other ten players, the voice of the Stellar Rift System sounded simultaneously:
Attention Players: Congratulations. A player has triggered a pivotal Legacy Event. You will now unlock the Main Quest.