A cooling sensation erupted from Er Leng's lower abdomen, washing through his entire body and shooting straight to the crown of his head.
The burning desire and obsession he felt for Liu Ling'er were instantly suppressed, vanishing without a trace.
In the pitch-black corridor, Er Leng's mind gradually cleared, his eyes refocusing.
He saw Lian'er, her right hand clutching a glowing talisman pressed against his stomach, her pretty face set in a stern expression.
"I... I... what happened to me?" Er Leng came back to himself and grabbed Lian'er's arms fiercely: "That... that female thief! Did she... break my vow of chastity?!"
"Filthy creature, get off!" Lian'er spat with extreme disgust, twisting away to free her arms and standing protectively next to Ren Ye.
"Huh?!"
A look of utter agony crossed Er Leng's face as he grabbed his hair, memories flooding his mind, instantly replaying everything he had done over the past two days.
Pain, regret, shame, and the humiliation of having been... taken... by Liu Ling'er...
"Heavens, what have I done?!"
Er Leng fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face like a river: "Your Highness, just kill me... I have failed you. I couldn't resist that sorceress's temptations. I lied! Yesterday at the Spring Fragrance Garden, she wasn't using light-foot techniques... she just bewitched me and dragged me into the grove...!"
Three paces away, Ren Ye looked at Er Leng, his expression grave. "Did she have accomplices? Did you meet with anyone else today? What artifacts did she have? And this evening in the bedchamber – did you really set traps?!"
"Wuuuuh...!"
Er Leng was truly broken, sobbing like a child filled with bitter regret. He answered without even thinking: "I don't know if she had accomplices, but whenever I met her, she was alone. From last night at the Spring Fragrance Garden, it was like a demon possessed my heart... I could only think of... being with her. This afternoon, using the excuse of going to the guards' camp, I met her privately and... told her everything about the situation in the secret chamber. When she went down into the chamber, she was holding a scroll painting, I don't know if it was an artifact or not. This evening in the bedchamber, I did set hidden weapon traps... but those were... meant for you, in case the plan failed."
"Shameless villain! Lust-crazed fiend!" Lian'er cursed, her expression fierce.
Ren Ye's rapid-fire questions were all about things he had secretly had people observe; Er Leng didn't know this. His answers came quickly and truthfully, proving he was no longer in his simping trance.
No time for more chatter. Ren Ye looked at Er Leng, stepped forward, and offered curt consolation: "Even I might not have been able to avoid that grove. I asked the Princess Consort; it's likely you were under a beguilement spell... Get up. I have urgent tasks for you."
"Hmph! Even if His Highness had gone into the grove with that woman, he would have surely seen through her tricks," Lian'er added, displaying staggering double standards.
Er Leng looked up, a flicker of hope amid his despair, mustering his courage: "Your... Your Highness still trusts me?"
"In this entire vast estate, besides you and Lian'er, who else can I trust?" Ren Ye's eyes bore into him. "At the main hall entrance, I left twelve eunuchs. Go quickly and lead them in guarding it. Until I succeed, not a single person gets through."
"Even if I die, I won't let a single person through," Er Leng gritted his teeth, his face a mask of solemn determination.
"Go. Now."
Er Leng stood up, wiped his tears with a stubborn, simple-minded determination, and strode forcefully towards the main hall entrance.
Ren Ye took the talisman from Lian'er and hung it around his neck again. "Call the others. We're going to the secret chamber entrance..."
This talisman was called the "Talisman of Clarity." It had the power to sharpen the mind, ward off evil, and break all ghostly enchantments. It was a gift from the Princess Consort. Originally, she gave it to Ren Ye so that when his Noble Fate of Heavenly Pardon waned and his yang spirit grew weak, he wouldn't be infected by unclean things. Who would have thought it would first be used on Er Leng...
Thirty breaths earlier.
Liu Ling'er, holding an ancient-looking lamp in her right hand, crouched before the secret chamber's iron door, carefully studying the patterns on its surface...
She seemed intensely interested in this door, even trying to pick at the rust stains with her left hand.
Snap! Suddenly, Liu Ling'er felt an inexplicable pang of dread. She immediately focused her intent to sense her surroundings and discovered that the subtle connection she had with Er Leng... was gone.
Huh? Where's my simp?
Gone? Dead?
Instantly, her scalp prickled. She sprang up and ran towards the secret passage exit.
Screeeech... THUMP!
A jarring, grating sound rang out, followed by the crash of heavy objects meeting – the sound of the secret passage door slamming shut.
Liu Ling'er paused momentarily, stopping in her tracks. She didn't rush out blindly but instead looked around...
The chamber was bathed in the dim lamplight. Shelves were lined with a dazzling array of items. Her brow furrowed deeply as she randomly grabbed a case file from a shelf and opened it.
Blank!
The file contained nothing.
Swish!
Immediately, she picked up a second, then a third case file, flipping them open. They were all still blank.
It's over.
I've been counter-ambushed.
In an instant, Liu Ling'er realized her predicament, yet not a trace of panic showed on her face.
This woman had no higher education, no professional skills, but after nearly twenty years navigating the underworld, what kind of person hadn't she met? What situation hadn't she experienced? Drug addicts, gangsters, perverts, bosses with peculiar tastes, cops, high officials... she'd been in holding cells and led people to places you don't talk about. These experiences were beyond the ordinary. Furthermore, she'd been a Star Gate player for years; strange occurrences were nothing new.
So, at this moment, she was (fǎn'ér yìcháng qīngxǐng) , on the contrary, exceptionally clear-headed. Her heart wasn't fluttering, her thinking wasn't scrambled.
What to do?
That useless Prince Huai must have been replaced. There's definitely another player competing with me, and since he dared to make a move, he must be somewhat confident.
The outside is surely set with a trap. Relying solely on my own abilities, escaping will be difficult.
I have to call for help. And I need to be decisive.
But how?
Liu Ling'er thought for a brief moment, then immediately yanked an oval-shaped token from her waist. This thing was called a "Dispatch Token," a unique tool for the Imperial faction, capable of miraculous long-distance communication.
No hesitation!
Liu Ling'er immediately poured her intent into it, calling out. The token flickered with a faint light.
"I am a player from the Imperial faction. My name is Liu Ling'er, my role is Courtesan, affiliated with the Pleasure Garden." She spoke clearly and calmly into the token. "I've discovered a secret chamber in the Hall of Tranquil Mind at Prince Huai's estate. The information here is significant, and I've already obtained a crucial artifact – the Construction Records of the Tomb of the Previous Dynasty's Princess. This item is related to the one with the Noble Fate of Heavenly Pardon; it will definitely be useful later. Fellow faction members, whether you help me or not is up to you."
This was a group "message"; all Imperial faction players would receive it. Liu Ling'er didn't bother hiding her identity with flowery language but laid it out directly from the start to show sincerity.
The token flickered faintly. It was silent for less than three breaths before a voice, impossible to tell if male or female, responded: "I am a player from the Imperial faction. You can call me 'Little Warwolf.' How do you want us to help you?"
"I've been counter-ambushed by Prince Huai, trapped in the secret chamber. I can't get out," Liu Ling'er replied.
After this question and answer, the token fell completely silent again.
Liu Ling'er waited a moment, then urgently transmitted again: "If we can't get this important artifact, the faction mission fails, and we all die!"
"I'm not going first. I'll watch a bit longer," Little Warwolf refused curtly and then went silent.
After a long moment, a familiar voice came through: "If you haven't actually obtained the Construction Records of the Tomb of the Previous Dynasty's Princess... you will die very, very badly."
It was Elder Xu's voice, filled with coldness and malice. Yet, Liu Ling'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She could still be saved.
Although only Little Warwolf from the Imperial faction had replied, the others must have gotten the message too. Their lack of response didn't mean they wouldn't act.
"My time is limited. If you want to win, you need to hurry!" Liu Ling'er wasted no more words, throwing out that line before storing the token and preparing to fight for her life.
Hall of Tranquil Mind.
Ren Ye, leading Lian'er and a group of combat-inept young eunuchs armed with crossbows and hidden weapons, had completely surrounded the secret chamber entrance.
"Get ready!" Ren Ye growled, rolling up his sleeves, his eyes bloodshot, his face sallow and waxen.
The Hour of Yin [3-5 AM], stars twinkling in the night, the cold wind biting like knives.
Prince Huai's Estate, Main Entrance of the Hall of Tranquil Mind.
Er Leng was fully "awake" now and filled with immense guilt. He and Zhu Zigui [Prince Huai] were similar in age and had grown up together since childhood. Usually, when bullying people or seeking pleasure, they were inseparable.
When the old Prince was alive, he had even trained Er Leng to be his son's close guard and future general...
Sigh... Luckily, His Highness had that talisman, or a real disaster would have happened...
Er Leng felt uneasy and deeply fearful. He stood on the high steps with the twelve young eunuchs, his gaze even more vigilant as he scanned the surroundings.
However, he didn't quite understand Ren Ye's thinking. He had clearly said Liu Ling'er had no accomplices, yet he was still made to guard here. Wasn't this a waste of manpower? Sigh, perhaps His Highness's wisdom had returned to its previous level... What Er Leng didn't know was that after Ren Ye entered the Star Gate, he received a direct prompt: there were three factions in this scenario. If Liu Ling'er was a player, and nearly three days had passed since the scenario started, she might have already found teammates. That's why he ordered Er Leng to guard here – better safe than sorry.
"Keep your ears sharp! If there's movement inside the hall—!"
Under the lantern light, just as Er Leng was about to instruct the eunuchs, his ears twitched, and his face stiffened. "Hoofbeats. Warhorses!"
"Where? I don't hear anything?" a young eunuch asked nervously, looking around in confusion.
Er Leng turned, looking out past the main courtyard of the Hall of Tranquil Mind, his expression grim. "Someone's coming. A lot of them...!"
"Guard Captain Hong... I... I don't hear anything."
"Indeed, it's quiet all around—"
Clatter-clatter-clatter!
Abruptly, the sound of urgent hoofbeats erupted. The two main roads in front of the Hall of Tranquil Mind's main courtyard gate trembled violently as an aura of lethal intent rapidly spread.
"Qingzhou Guard here to protect His Highness! Stand aside!" Banners bearing the character "Qing" flashed outside the courtyard wall as shouts rang out. The original guards from the personal troops camp stationed here watched as over a hundred armored soldiers on large warhorses galloped past, kicking up dust.
"Whoa!" The horses halted. A general, tall and imposing, wearing silver armor and a steel sword at his waist, jumped down from his horse. He strode swiftly to the hall entrance and kicked the heavy vermilion lacquer doors open.
This man was Zhong Kuishan, Commander of the Qingzhou Guard of Qingliang Prefecture. He had followed the old Prince for over a decade but had ultimately defected to the imperial court.
Striding through the gate, Zhong Kuishan lifted his chin and shouted, "I received a secret report! Someone has broken into the Hall of Tranquil Mind tonight intending to assassinate Prince Huai! Stand aside! I am taking my troops in to protect His Highness!"
His shouts echoed. The hundred Qingzhou Guard soldiers behind him drew their steel swords and advanced three steps in unison.
A hundred men drawing blades – their killing intent (mànyán) – spread, a powerful pressure washing over the high platform like an invisible wave. The young eunuchs behind Er Leng instantly began to tremble, their legs shaking like sieves.
Swish-swish...!
As soon as the words fell, light leaping sounds came from the surrounding high walls. Over forty men in black robes, with python-patterned sabers at their waists and silver crowns on their heads, appeared like ghosts, standing motionless on the wall tops.
"Heh, what a coincidence. I also received a secret report about intruders sneaking into the Hall of Tranquil Mind tonight."
A man with a somewhat effeminate appearance, wearing a silver robe embroidered with two giant pythons on the chest, stood tip-toed on the screen wall, almost floating, his gaze arrogant. "This Commander has come to join the excitement."
This man was Wu A Si, Commander of the Prince's Raptor Guard – the intelligence and covert operations unit.
The black-robed men on the walls were all his eagle-dog agents.
On the high platform, seeing the Raptor Guard appear, the young eunuchs very wisely collectively sidestepped, promptly clearing the path into the hall.
Only Er Leng remained standing alone at the entrance now.
None of them were idiots. In this situation, it wasn't about loyalty anymore; everyone just didn't want to die.
The Qingzhou Guard and the Raptor Guard were not organizations known for their mercy!
Clatter-clatter...
Another series of urgent hoofbeats sounded outside the Hall of Tranquil Mind courtyard. A crowd of officials in court robes rushed in, a chaotic mass of people and horses.
The leader – was none other than the court's chief lapdog, Chief Administrator Li Yan.
Beside him followed a group of officials from Qingliang Prefecture and local yamen guards, about another hundred people.
God knows how these officials, who lived down the mountain, managed to gather so many yamen guards in such a short time and arrive at the estate so quickly.
However, the educated man used more polite language. Chief Administrator Li Yan stepped forward, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Zhong Kuishan, and said, "I heard there are intruders in the estate. I fear this may be related to Southern Border spies. Guard Hong, step aside. Let us handle this..."
"Piss off!" The crude military man didn't have so many flowery pretenses. Zhong Kuishan cursed and, completely ignoring Er Leng's presence, stepped forward to enter the hall.
Behind him, the hundred Qingzhou Guard followed, blades ready.
The yamen people and the Raptor Guard, seeing the Qingzhou Guard move first, grew anxious.
Swish-swish...!
The Raptor Guard agents leaped down from the high walls, pressing towards the hall, hands on their python sabers. The surrounding officials and yamen guards also began trotting forward, eager to rush inside.
A forced confrontation! Another one, but this time they brought blades and spears.
The cold wind brushed his face. Er Leng stood on the high platform, the tear tracks on his face not yet dry. He slowly raised his hand, rrrip, tearing a corner from his garment, and deliberately, slowly, tied it around his face, covering his eyes.
Liu Ling'er's beguilement art began with the eyes. Er Leng had developed a phobia because of it, hence tearing the cloth to blindfold himself.
The moment his eyes were covered, his heart instantly became as calm as still water, the very sound of the wind in his ears seeming to fade away...
Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps sounded as Zhong Kuishan prepared to force his way into the Hall of Tranquil Mind.
Er Leng didn't move a muscle, his words (jiǎnjié) – concise, blunt. "The Prince ordered me to guard this place. I cannot allow a single person to enter."
Zhong Kuishan paused, then couldn't be bothered with arguing. "Whether your master survives tonight is uncertain at best. Get lost!"
Stillness. Quiet. Body relaxed...
Er Leng, blindfolded like a blind man, moved clumsily, his hand feeling for his waist. "Commander Zhong. My blade is very fast. If you insist on entering, you will die."
Silence fell on the high platform, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Zhong Kuishan's mouth twitched as he looked at the blindfolded Er Leng. He actually didn't take another step, standing just five paces away, and yelled, "He's definitely colluding with the intruders! Kill him!"
Thump-thump-thump...!
The poised Qingzhou Guard soldiers instantly surged onto the high platform, charging collectively with drawn swords.
Swish!
Blindfolded, Er Leng moved the instant his fingers touched Inviter of the Moon [Yāo Yuè, his saber].
A flash of cold light.
A blur of movement.
He met the charge of the hundred soldiers head-on.
Zhong Kuishan, five paces away, felt only a wave of chilling air blast towards his face. He drew his steel sword almost instinctively, his movements extremely fast.
Clang!
The clash of blades rang out like a bell.
Crack...! Snap!
A gleaming steel sword shattered into pieces, falling to the ground.
Zhong Kuishan stood on the steps, his expression stunned...
A moment later, his neck stiff as he looked down. The silver armor on his chest was split open, his entire torso cleaved apart, gushing hot blood...
Behind him, Er Leng stood straight as a pine, his right hand resting on the now re-sheathed famous saber, Inviter of the Moon.
A single slash had cleaved through armor. Blood flowed unrestrained on the royal high platform.
Thud!
Zhong Kuishan fell onto his back, his body twitched a few times, and then he was still, dead.
"I am the Prince's guard!"
"I have no other skill, save that my blade is fast! Take one step forward, and you will die!"
His cold voice exploded in the ears of the crowd, the corpse at his feet still warm.