Failed?
Impossible!
It makes no sense!
In the side chamber, the woman stared at the shattered remains of the Mother Gu, her heart filled with stunned disbelief. She meticulously replayed the entire plan in her mind but could find no flaw.
A dormant Soul-Snaring Gu had no aura, no life signs; it was indistinguishable from an inanimate object, supremely stealthy. The only remotely capable person around the Prince was Blockhead, and that oaf was nothing but a crude brute. How could they have possibly detected the Gu inside the hall?
Had they tipped their hand beforehand? Unlikely. The person who delivered the Gu had been chosen at random. He hadn't even known what he was doing before the act. How could he have given it away?
After much thought, only one possibility remained: that waste of a Prince, Zhu Zigui, possessed some means of self-preservation she hadn't anticipated.
Could he… be a Player?
Although the Star Trace Gate's mechanics were generally fair, and players in role-playing scenarios were rarely assigned high-perspective roles like Princes or Emperors, she couldn't rule it out entirely. This Star Gate's world was vast, its content bizarre and unpredictable, defying conventional logic.
It seemed she would have to treat this "game" with even greater caution.
Her analysis complete, the woman changed into a large, hooded black robe and slipped away from the side chamber.
Her figure was exquisite, her beauty breathtaking. Every movement oozed a seductive charm that could contend for the title of top courtesan even in the capital, a city renowned for its beauties.
…
At the Hour of the Hai (9-11 PM), night enveloped Huai Palace in silence.
A patrol of night watchmen, carrying lanterns and clad in armor, passed by the gates of Li Yuan (Pleasure Gardens).
Suddenly, the lead soldier stopped. "Do you… hear that?" he whispered, tilting his head. "A woman… moaning?"
The others halted, ears straining.
After a moment, one replied with a lewd grin, "I hear it. Sounds positively wanton."
"Must be some official enjoying himself in Li Yuan again."
"That loud? It carries all the way out here?"
"Heh, when the pleasure's overwhelming, control is hard," another chuckled.
"..."
As they gossiped, they crowded against the Li Yuan wall, trying to peek over.
Li Yuan was originally the Prince's pleasure ground, housing hundreds of singing girls and skilled beauties. But now, with the Prince struggling to survive, a caged bird of the court, it had become a private "health club" for those treacherous officials. Midnight often saw secret trysts within.
While the soldiers猥琐地 (lecherously) tried to peek, the woman in the black robe left through a side gate, seemingly unnoticed, as if invisible.
At the Hour of the Zi (11 PM-1 AM), the robed woman left the palace under cover of darkness and arrived at a thatched cottage in the hills.
Inside, by the faint candlelight, she saw an old Daoist priest sitting on the bed. She bowed gracefully. "This humble servant greets Celestial Master Xu."
Xu, an advisor to the current Emperor, had arrived in Qingliang Prefecture the day before regarding the Heaven's Pardon Bearer but had not shown himself at the palace.
"Was the Gu deployed?" Xu asked, expressionless.
"This servant meticulously planned the deployment," the woman replied calmly, without subservience or fear. "But somehow, that waste of a Prince detected it, likely because someone died in his place. I don't know what method he used."
Silence filled the cottage. Xu didn't react angrily; the woman didn't tremble with fear over her failure.
"Imperial Decree," Xu stated abruptly.
"Your servant receives the decree! May the Emperor live ten thousand years!" The woman prostrated herself.
"The Heaven's Pardon Bearer has awakened. Opening the Tomb of the Late Dynasty's Princess is urgent. I command Liu Linger to infiltrate the Hall of Tranquil Thought secretly. Within two days, find the tomb passage map hidden in the Prince's secret chamber and uncover the secrets hidden there." Xu's tone was flat. He paused. "Do you understand?"
Liu Linger's delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly as the cold voice of the Star Trace Gate echoed in her ears:
[New Mission Received: Find the tomb passage map hidden in the Prince's secret chamber and investigate the secrets concealed there.]
[Time Limit: Before leaving this Star Gate.]
[Failure Penalty: The Emperor will deem you useless. He will kill you.]
Hearing this "reminder," Liu Linger's face darkened. She gritted her teeth. "Your servant obeys the decree."
"This humble Daoist has other matters and cannot appear at the palace for now. If you succeed, inform me using the token."
"Yes," Liu Linger replied, rising.
"Go," Xu said dismissively, closing his eyes.
Liu Linger turned and left the cottage, her pretty face stormy.
…
In an unused, inconspicuous side room of the Prince's chambers, the lights were out, plunging it into darkness.
Ren Ye lay on a hard wooden bed, eyes wide open, sleepless.
Blockhead, cradling the famed blade "Summoning Moon," sat on a wooden chair to the right of the door, breathing evenly, ears attuned to the slightest sound.
Ren Ye hadn't wanted Blockhead to "share his bedchamber," but after the Gu incident, he was genuinely rattled. He was forced to share quarters with the hulking warrior, even briefly considering inviting him onto the bed for closer protection.
"Blockhead, any movement out there?" Ren Ye couldn't help asking.
"Just two mice foraging. Nothing else," Blockhead replied.
Ren Ye was surprised. "You can hear mice?!"
"Martial artists train the five senses first, then the body. Within fifty paces, no sound escapes me," Blockhead said with some pride, then added flatteringly: "But compared to the late Prince, this is mere trickery. On the Southern Marches battlefield, I saw the late Prince unleash his powerful aura. Without moving a muscle, he routed an enemy general. That is the pinnacle of martial arts."
Ignoring the boast about the late Prince, Ren Ye followed a different train of thought. "So… if I were to have a… 'candlelit discussion' with a concubine, you could hear that too?"
"I cannot hear it," Blockhead shook his head.
"Huh? But you said nothing within fifty paces escapes you?"
"Your Highness's… discussions… are very brief," Blockhead stated bluntly. "They are over before I have a chance to listen. So, I do not hear them."
"You dare insult your Prince?! I'll have your head!" Ren Ye was utterly defeated by this reply.
Blockhead just chuckled heartily.
Ren Ye sighed, then asked with meticulous attention to detail: "That scented ash I asked you to spread in the corridors earlier. Did you do it?"
"It is done."
"Is the main door to these chambers guarded?"
"Lotus is there," Blockhead responded promptly. "I've even set simple traps near the privy Your Highness uses. Any intruder would trigger them."
"Good." Ren Ye nodded slowly.
The room fell silent again, but before long, Ren Ye suddenly sat up. "Wait! Gas! These chambers are ventilated! What if someone releases poison smoke…?!"
"Your Highness can rest easy. I have ordered all eunuchs and maidservants to sleep in the rooms lining the four corridors leading here. If there were poison smoke, they would detect it first." Blockhead responded patiently. "If Your Highness is still concerned, tomorrow I will select eight specific individuals to stand guard at the door, dedicated to... sampling the air for toxins."
Ren Ye was speechless for a moment. "I trust your methods, Blockhead."
In the darkness, Blockhead could sense his master's anxiety and fear. He spoke up, "Your Highness, sleep. As long as Blockhead draws breath, no one can harm you."
What a true brother, Ren Ye thought, deeply moved.
…
The full moon hung high, stars glittering.
Liu Linger, still in her black robes, slipped back into Li Yuan. In her side chamber, she shed her disguise and changed into a very pink, delicate set of sleeping robes. Sitting lazily before her bronze mirror, she reached for a comb to tidy her hair when a voice suddenly echoed in her ears.
[Death Mission Trait Triggered — Last Words:]
[Do you have regrets in life?]
[Do you have shameful secrets?]
[Unspeakable pain and remorse?]
[You have experienced Liu Linger's story here. Now, please leave behind your own.]
"Last words? Pah! Nonsense!" Liu Linger started, feeling profoundly irritated by the ill omen.
After failing the Gu mission, the Star Trace Gate had warned her of punishment but didn't specify what. Then, she'd received the investigation mission from Xu, bluntly stating failure meant death.
It didn't take a genius to guess that failing the preliminary mission had drastically increased the difficulty of the next one.
Swish!
A blank sheet of paper and a writing brush abruptly appeared on her dressing table.
"Heh." Liu Linger looked at the two items, a mocking smile curling her lips. What decent person would write down their secrets? Disgusting!
A quarter of an hour later, the candle flame flickered. Liu Linger was bent over the table, brush in hand, her beautiful face serene and peaceful as she wrote her story.
Somehow, the brush and paper seemed to possess a magic, an irresistible urge to confess...
"My name in the real world is Wang Hong. Inside the Qingliang Town Star Trace Gate, I 'play' Liu Linger.
My identity card is: Courtesan.
My entry artifact is a painting titled: 'Spring Breeze, Picture of Intent.'
My special ability is related to this, which fits my style perfectly.
In the real world, I was a hostess in a nightclub for many years. I've seen all sorts of people, men, countless ones. Generous spenders, those with perverted tastes, poor pretenders playing rich. In short, I understand men. It's accumulated job experience, my advantage.
I'm different from those women who enter the trade but always complain about their helplessness.
I didn't have a gambling father, a sick mother, or a younger brother waiting to buy an apartment.
I did this line of work purely because I'm lazy. I didn't want a normal job.
When I was young, I just played around, fell in love. Now I have no education, no background. How much could I earn working for someone else?
Three or four thousand a month?
Pfft~ That's not even enough for one pair of my shoes.
This era laughs at poverty, not prostitution. If you have money, even your parents look at you differently.
Besides, I got married at 18, was someone's wife for three years, and had a daughter. That little brant spends even more than I do. Everything has to be the best.
The first three years of marriage were smooth. My ex-husband made some money in the lumber business and treated me well. But then he overextended, ended up buried in debt.
No money? How are you supposed to live like that?
Hey, big brother, I married you at 18. I have the looks, the figure. You didn't think I'd actually share your debt burden, did you?
To avoid being dragged down, I filed for divorce. The kid was awarded to me. I did that so he could legally provide some child support, drawn from assets not yet seized in the litigation.
The law should protect the vulnerable, shouldn't it?
After the divorce, I went to Jinhai Entertainment City on Tainan Street. I worked as a waitress for three days first, sussed out the situation and the job details, then told the foreman my intentions and officially started my new career.
Being a hostess isn't hard. To me, it's just like managing a marriage. If a man has money to support me, then I make sure these men find me pleasant to look at, feel proud to be seen with me, and enjoy themselves, body and mind.
Some say it's selfish, shameless. But these days, aren't the stupid ones those who aren't selfish and who do have shame?
I have a talent for handling men, and a clear head about it.
Back then, even though I stayed up late, drank, my overall life was active. I made good money. Nothing in this world comes without a price. I figured that out early too.
Working over twenty days a month, taking the kid on trips, shopping, living it up during my time of the month... life was quite comfortable.
I was very content back then...
Years flashed by. I was aging day by day. I transitioned from the front lines to management, became a mama-san. But my income increased instead of decreasing. After all, my strength was never just sleeping with people, but using my brain, studying what men really want.
Except... the kid grew up. Went to university. And for over two years now... she hasn't spoken a word to me...
We had a huge fight. Smashed almost everything breakable in the house. It started because she very委婉地 (indirectly) asked me if I could... stop doing this line of work.
A prefecture-level city isn't that big. There are only a few famous entertainment spots. Rumors spread. Maybe... she felt my job embarrassed her in front of friends and classmates.
Others can say whatever they want about me. Over the years, this old lady has been called a whore to her face more times than I can count. I'm used to it.
But hearing it from her... I just snapped.
What?!
I raised you with money earned on my back, and now you think the food you ate was dirty?
Damn it, I'll beat you to death, you ungrateful wretch! I don't remember how many times I slapped her, but she left in a miserable state. We haven't spoken since.
Later, I found out that the reason she fought with me that day was over some trivial argument with a female teacher. The teacher had publicly yelled at her, 'Skip class and mess around like this, and you'll end up just like your mother...'
When I found out, I was furious. I called up an old ruffian from out of town who used to frequent the club. We knew each other well.
I had him... teach that teacher a severe lesson. But I also paid a price...
I am a whore, after all. Trading my body for things is only natural!
I dropped out of junior high. I have no upbringing. But I think teachers should be educated. They shouldn't be like me, acting like shrews. They deserve respect, and should respect everyone struggling through life.
But that teacher didn't understand. So I had to educate her.
Well, that's my story.
At 35, I was chosen by the Star Trace Gate, quite by chance, and became a Player.
I also learned this world is far more profound than I ever understood.
I love this bizarre world. It doesn't care about morality, background, or methods. In the end, there's only victory and failure.
All are equal. Everyone has a chance to defy fate.
At 36, I joined a players' organization. It's called the Bell Society.
The opportunity and the artifact to enter this Qingliang Town Star Gate were given by the Bell Society. And... I must achieve final victory. I absolutely cannot lose!
But... is this for that little brat, that ungrateful wretch?
How could it be? I am an ex-treme-ly sel-fish woman!
I am Wang Hong.
I'm here. That means the rest of you can only fail."
The brush stopped. The white paper floated up, slowly burning away into specks of light that vanished into the air.
For some reason, when Liu Linger looked up, her face was streaked with tears.
…
In the side chamber of the main residence.
"Blockhead!"
Ren Ye, who had been lying quietly, suddenly sat up and shouted.
Swish!
Blockhead instinctively drew his blade. "What is it, Your Highness?" he responded instantly.
"I've thought of a way to lure out the one who planted the Gu," Ren Ye said from his bed, eyes gleaming with excitement.