Chapter 63 063 Beep—Duan Lansheng's favorability bar is activated for the third time…

Lu Yuanyuan suddenly slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her expression shifting dramatically, startling everyone at the table.

Everyone looked at her with puzzled expressions and asked with concern, "Senior Sister Lu, are you alright?"

"What's wrong?"

"Is there any new discovery?"

Lu Yuanyuan snapped out of her daze, her gaze sweeping over pairs of clear, black and white eyes, and suddenly came to her senses.

No, she shouldn't have revealed such a detailed clue so directly. After all, on her first day at Mount Shu, she had already established herself as someone with amnesia.

More importantly, she wasn't originally involved in this instance. It proceeded smoothly without her. So, shouldn't she have provided this clue? Otherwise, wouldn't she be stealing the show?

Lu Yuanyuan hid her numb hands behind her back, rubbed them together, and sat down: "Oh, it's nothing. I just thought this monster was too cruel and wicked. I was so angry that I got a little agitated."

Everyone: "..."

Lu Yuanyuan took a sip of tea to conceal her expression.

There was nothing unusual about it, and everyone accepted her explanation. Only Duan Lansheng seemed to sense something and glanced at her thoughtfully.

Just then, Xiao Ru, who had been listening in, suddenly raised a hand, her fair and delicate fingertips slightly curled: "I remember the scripture from earlier. I've seen it before. It shouldn't be from a nunnery, but from the palace of Yong Kingdom."

Lu Yuanyuan paused slightly as she drank the water.

Does Xiao Ruo know the origin of the Lotus Sutra?

Sure enough… she wasn’t wrong; this instance had a character responsible for providing clues. That character was Xiao Ruo.

Everyone's attention was quickly drawn to Xiao Ruo's words, and Qi Chang gestured for her to continue: "I would like to hear more details."

Xiao Ru opened her large, watery eyes, wrung her hands, and said, “Before you captured me and brought me to Mount Shu, I spent some time in the mortal realm. One day, I was taking a nap in the mountains when I encountered a lost carriage. I led them the way, but I was accidentally bitten on the hind leg by an animal trap. Because I was in my original form at that time, the carriage owner mistook me for a real fox and took me to her secluded hot spring palace to escape the cold, where she bandaged my wound. In her room, I saw a rare copy of the Lotus Sutra, and the text on it was exactly the same as the one Duan Lansheng had seen. There’s no mistake!”

A junior disciple stared wide-eyed and pressed, "Who is that woman?"

Xiao Ruo said with certainty, "She has a noble status, a large retinue of servants, and everyone calls her 'Consort Xie'."

In the Yong Kingdom, there was only one Consort Xie. The scriptures, the monster that devoured dragon offspring, the emperor's concubine, the possibility of pregnancy... everything fit together perfectly.

Duan Lansheng finally looked at her, his brows furrowing slightly: "You're not mistaken?"

"What kind of blind person do you think I am!" Xiao Ru snorted, meeting his gaze without fear, and said, "Life and death are at stake, and everyone has taken such good care of me, I won't lie or deceive you!"

The spoiled little demon is like a flame that can melt people. The aloof little Taoist priest, just like the beautiful woman, seems to be a perfect match, complementing each other perfectly.

If she hadn't shamelessly disrupted the plot in her past life, this scene would have already played out and become the norm.

As if touching a deep nerve, Lu Yuanyuan's heart sank, and she put down her teacup with a slight feeling of something stuck in her throat. Just then, the system notification sounded, pulling her back to the main point: "Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering the advanced instance 'Infant Devouring'."

[Instance Name] Baby Eater

[Character Positioning] A minor character in the main group, a fighter jet in the background.

[Probability of Encountering Danger] 50%

[Probability of death] 50%

[Instance Progress] 10%

[More information] has been unlocked. Please click to expand for details.

Lu Yuanyuan scanned the text from top to bottom, a hint of doubt creeping in: "Wait a minute, I remember when Duan Lansheng first asked me if I wanted to come to the mortal realm to take on a mission, the storyline you mentioned was called [Puppet]. Why is it called something else now?"

System: "They're different. [Infant Devouring] is a main story dungeon, while [Puppet] is a hidden storyline. The main story dungeon is an unavoidable part embedded in the main storyline. The hidden storyline can be seen as a conduit that accompanies the main storyline. The entrance to it will only appear once. If you miss it, it's gone forever, and it won't open again under normal circumstances."

Lu Yuanyuan: "I see."

Meanwhile, now that it's been determined that the monster's next target is likely Consort Xie, the most effective method is to infiltrate her inner circle, replace her palace servants, protect her, and search for the monster's tracks.

However, Consort Xie was the most honored woman in Yong Kingdom, and it was not something that could be approached so easily.

Qi Chang looked at Lu Yuanyuan and thought to himself that this was truly fate.

Consort Xie's son is currently in Xiangcheng and happens to be an old friend of Lu Yuanyuan. That makes things much easier. By having Yue Hong directly convey their intentions to his mother, they can skip the step of having to go through layers of palace servants to relay their message and approach Consort Xie as discreetly as possible.

"I understand, thank you, Miss Xiaoruo, the clues you provided are very helpful." Qi Chang stood up and said in a deep voice, "Everyone, please disperse for now. Yuanyuan, Lansheng, you two stay."

Lu Yuanyuan had already guessed that Qi Chang wanted her to be the middleman to contact Consort Xie.

Sure enough, once everyone had left, Qi Chang succinctly explained his plan: the three of them would go find Yue Hong together at dawn tomorrow.

Consort Xie is in imminent danger. If the demon succeeds again and devours the second dragon prince, its power will grow to a terrifying level. They must reach the capital as soon as possible to stop it.

After the discussion, Lu Yuanyuan and Duan Lansheng left Qi Chang's room.

Because she still felt uneasy, Lu Yuanyuan ignored Duan Lansheng after she came out and walked quickly ahead of him.

Go back and get some sleep, and you should be able to adjust your mindset.

Duan Lansheng closed the door, and seeing that she wasn't waiting for him, he was taken aback and quickly caught up with her. Finally, he grabbed her hand at the corner of the corridor: "Yuanyuan, wait a moment."

Lu Yuanyuan was pulled back by him and had no choice but to stop.

In the dim light, Duan Lansheng studied her expression and asked, "What were you trying to say when you slammed the table just now?"

Lu Yuanyuan replied dismissively, "I didn't mean to say anything."

Duan Lansheng wasn't fooled, but he sensed her sudden coldness and frowned. Recalling the timing of her slamming her hand on the table, he suddenly realized: "Could it be related to that scripture?"

"I told you, it's not true..."

Just then, a light suddenly appeared on the other side of the corridor, a door opened, and several disciples came out. In the quiet of the night, their voices carried clearly through the dark corridor: "Miss Xiaoruo, you should rest well."

"You must apply the medicine on time; a sprained ankle is no small matter."

...

The group chatted noisily for a few moments, then walked over together after the door closed. They were only a few steps away, almost turning the corner. Lu Yuanyuan stiffened slightly, not wanting anyone to see her with him, and reflexively pushed Duan Lansheng behind the screen.

Duan Lansheng's eyes darkened. He did not resist, but he did not let go of her wrist either, and pulled her in as well.

Lu Yuanyuan was caught off guard by his move and stumbled backward, both of them ending up behind the screen. Several disciples had already turned around. Going out now would be even stranger, making it seem like they were doing something unspeakable behind the screen. Lu Yuanyuan restrained herself and didn't move.

The screen let in a faint light, allowing glimpses of people outside. The two stood on the darker side, their faces locked in a narrow space, staring directly at each other.

The disciples, unaware that anyone was there, chatted amongst themselves about the mission. To avoid disturbing others in the late hour, they lowered their voices slightly, but they were still quite clear.

Will Xiao Ru come with us to the royal city this time?

"Probably. I never imagined she had a connection with Consort Xie. She's beautiful and kind-hearted. If all demons were as good as her, the world would be at peace."

"Then I can spend more time with her, hehe."

"What's there to be happy about? The king is in love, but the goddess is not. Didn't you see who Xiao Ruo's eyes were fixed on and kept circling around the whole way?"

"ah?"

"What? Only a blind person wouldn't be able to see that."

...

Behind the screen, it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, not even a breath. Yet, the gazes that crossed paths in the darkness were tangible.

Lu Yuanyuan tried to pull her hand away, but felt her wrist being gripped tightly. Duan Lansheng seemed to want to say something to her, but his lips moved and then he closed them, seemingly mindful of the presence of others outside.

The air seemed to become stuffy and stagnant. Lu Yuanyuan turned her head away, avoiding his gaze, and whispered, "I heard that Xiaoruo injured her leg for you?"

She was just trying to break the awkward silence by making conversation.

Upon hearing this, for some reason, Duan Lansheng's expression softened. He shook his head and said, "I didn't do anything."

Lu Yuanyuan turned back and looked at him distrustfully: "That's what everyone says." The implication was: Stop pretending.

Despite being questioned to her face, Duan Lansheng wasn't angry. He gave a barely perceptible smile and patiently and earnestly explained, "She followed us and got caught in a maze. In trying to get her out, we missed our first chance to break through the maze, which is why we were trapped for a few more days. When we had the second chance to break through, there were two paths to take. I chose the shortcut, and she twisted her ankle on the way. That's why they say she was 'injured for my sake'."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

What the heck?

She's been fantasizing about a damsel in distress rescuing a hero and going through thick and thin together for so long, and this is it?

Lu Yuanyuan pursed her lips, belatedly realizing the embarrassment of having overthought things. This guy was going on and on, making it seem like she cared a lot. Just then, everyone outside walked away, and she forcefully pulled her hand back, saying, "If you don't have it, just say you don't. Why go on and on explaining? I was just asking casually."

In the darkness, Duan Lansheng remained calm and nodded, "I know, it was my own decision to confess."

Lu Yuanyuan: "..."

For some reason, the feeling of punching cotton seemed even stronger to her now…

"Never mind, today's probably not a good day for chatting. Let's just let this go." Without looking at his expression, Lu Yuanyuan quickly turned and fled.

The following day, as planned, the three of them went to the Prince's Mansion where Yue Hong was temporarily staying.

This time, Lu Yuanyuan told Yue Hong and his group their identities and purpose without reservation.

Yue Hong knew about the concubine's death in the nunnery, but he didn't know it was related to a demon. Now, after hearing the description of the concubine's death, reading the nuns' signed confessions, and learning that the demon might be targeting his mother, his expression completely changed.

At this time, there was no news from the palace that Consort Xie was pregnant. However, it was possible that she was newly pregnant, and the imperial physicians had not yet detected it. In this respect, the sense of smell that monsters had evolved to hunt for food was far more acute.

Since it concerned his mother's safety, Yue Hong dared not take it lightly in the slightest.

As it happened, he was also planning to return to the capital for a while anyway. It turned out that the position of Empress of Yong Kingdom had been vacant for so many years, and the Emperor finally intended to make Consort Xie Empress. The coronation ceremony was scheduled for early autumn, which was about a month away.

Lu Yuanyuan was quite surprised, and thought of her original fiancé, Yue Qi, the crown prince of Yong Kingdom.

The Yong Kingdom's system is based on primogeniture. Consort Xie becoming Empress will not shake Yueqi's position as Crown Prince. However, this change means that Consort Xie's child will also become a legitimate heir.

In other words, once she becomes empress, Yue Hong's threat to the crown prince position will no longer be just a rumor; he will truly be qualified to compete for the crown prince position.

The brothers were already outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds, and this undoubtedly added fuel to the fire of their conflict.

Originally, Yue Hong might not have been able to find the time to return for the coronation ceremony. However, his recent disappearance had truly frightened Consort Xie. Even knowing he had safely returned to Xiangcheng, Consort Xie was still worried; as a mother, she insisted on seeing him with her own eyes. Therefore, the Emperor issued an edict ordering Yue Hong to return for the coronation ceremony, and also to stay in the capital for a while longer to recover his health.

The royal city boasts abundant water and soil, and a nurturing environment, far superior to the harsh and desolate border regions.

They already had plans to return, so it could be said that their goals aligned perfectly with those of Mount Shu.

At the normal pace, it would take at least a month to return to the capital. Time is precisely what they lack most right now; every day of delay increases the danger for Consort Xie.

In order to buy time, Yue Hong accepted Lu Yuanyuan and others' suggestion to split into two groups. One group would send a secret message to the emperor via military orders, while he himself would travel light, with only a few elite soldiers, and travel with the disciples of Shu Mountain. They would use their swords to travel most of the way, which would shorten the journey time by at least half.

After reaching a decision, the group wasted no time and began packing their bags and setting off that same day, also planning their route.

Inside the Prince's mansion, Yue Hong's elite personal guards packed all the luggage he needed to take and placed it in the courtyard. The junior disciples of Shu Mountain then sorted and put it into their Qiankun bags.

Xiao Ruo naturally wanted to join the trip, but no one here was willing to let her do any heavy work. She sat under the shade of a tree and lazily took a nap. When she woke up, she saw that everyone was still busy.

Duan Lansheng stood in front of the carriage, holding an account book in his hand, and was counting the supplies.

Xiao Ruo twitched her fox ears, patted her skirt, stood up, walked over to him, and asked, "Duan Lansheng, are you still busy?"

Duan Lansheng glanced at her: "What is it?"

Xiao Ru wrinkled her nose cutely and said, "Don't look at me like that! I've been reflecting on myself these past few days. Last time in the illusion, I really troubled you too many times. So, I asked someone to get me a sword these past two days, and I plan to learn a few self-defense techniques so I won't hold you back next time."

She clenched her fist with great energy and made a sword-wielding motion.

Duan Lansheng withdrew his gaze, his pen still writing, while the elite soldiers beside him were stunned by the vibrant and beautiful young woman.

Xiao Ruo seemed oblivious to the admiring glances from others. She took a step closer and said coquettishly, "But I feel like I'm progressing so slowly. Could it be that I don't have any talent for swordsmanship? We're both foxes, so why don't you teach me sometime..."

Duan Lansheng remained silent until he finished writing the last word, then handed the ledger to the soldier beside him before looking at her. He glanced at her for a moment from under her eyelashes, then calmly said, "You certainly don't have it."

Xiao Ru's smile froze: "..."

The words "give me pointers" stuck in my throat, neither coming up nor coming down.

She took a deep breath, turned her gaze away to the open house in the distance, and changed the subject: "Haven't they decided on the route yet?"

Duan Lansheng followed her gaze and walked through the garden of the Prince's Mansion. He could see several people standing in front of the desk in the study. Yue Hong, Song Wei, Qi Chang, and others were gathered together, discussing the route back to the capital.

As the only person who originally knew Yue Hong, Lu Yuanyuan was also dragged away by Qi Chang.

Xiao Ru rolled her eyes slightly and asked softly, "I heard that Sister Lu used to go from the mortal realm to the immortal realm. Did she know the third prince of Yong Kingdom before? Don't you think they seemed to have a good relationship?"

Duan Lansheng's face darkened, and he said stiffly, "I don't think so."

He seemed unwilling to continue the conversation and strode towards the study. After taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and coldly added, "She and I are best friends."

Xiaoruo: "..."

Xiao Ru gritted her teeth and stood still, hearing an electronic voice in her mind: "Beep beep—Duan Lansheng's favorability bar failed to activate for the third time. Please find another target or try again later."

That icy face, that stinky straight man.

What's the use of having a pretty face if you can't even fart when you hit someone with a stick? And you call yourself a fox spirit? Aren't fox spirits supposed to be seductive and flirtatious?

She's completely different from the dating guides she has; she has absolutely no romantic instincts and is completely unapproachable.