Chapter 72 072 She had no other choice; going home was more important...
In the blink of an eye, the Luoshui sacrificial ceremony had reached its fifth day.
For several days, the ceremony proceeded in an orderly manner, and all was calm both inside and outside the palace. If the progress bar of the dungeon hadn't been stuck at 50%, Lu Yuanyuan would have suspected that this time the BOSS had abandoned the difficult task of Consort Xie and turned to an easier target.
The fact that this thing hasn't moved yet is quite impressive, I must say.
This kind of unpredictable surveillance and covetousness is truly unsettling. Like a chilling sword hanging overhead, it could fall at any moment, drawing blood from one's neck.
That night.
A muffled rumble of thunder tore through the sky, and the earth trembled, as if a colossal beast roared from behind a hill. Soon after, a torrential downpour began, shaking the branches and leaves.
Lu Yuanyuan curled up in bed, and heard a loud "bang" in her dream. Her eyelids trembled slightly, and her sweet dream was shattered.
A flash of white lightning illuminated the sky, vaguely outlining the shapes of tables, chairs, and counters in the darkness.
Lu Yuanyuan rubbed her sleepy eyes, sat up, and searched for the source of the sound. It turned out that the noise was coming from the fork stick propped up against the window.
Tonight, Huang Ying is in charge of keeping Consort Xie company. She sleeps in the small room next door. After autumn, the nights are chilly, but if all the doors and windows are closed, it's too stuffy, so she left a crack in the window before going to bed.
The past few days had been sunny, but tonight a sudden gale-force wind, lightning, and thunder caused the forked pole to slip off the ground.
Lu Yuanyuan pulled back the covers, kicked off her shoes, went to the window, picked up a bamboo pole, and propped the closed window back up. As she bent down to adjust the window angle, her gaze swept across the dimly lit courtyard, and she inadvertently noticed that the door to Cui'er's bedroom across the street had been blown open a crack by the wind.
Hmm? Did you not lock the door properly, or did you get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night?
Lu Yuanyuan paused in confusion, fixed the window, and tiptoed out, her footsteps as silent as a cat's. But she had only emerged halfway when she saw a familiar figure holding an umbrella, hurrying through the rain and back into the courtyard. As the umbrella closed, Cui'er's face was revealed.
It seems like it was just getting up in the middle of the night.
Watching Cui'er return to her room, Lu Yuanyuan yawned, closed the door, and climbed back into bed.
The next day.
The rain fell all night and stopped at dawn. But the sky remained overcast, with thick, dark clouds in a bluish-gray hue, like a veil of smoke. Lu Yuanyuan buried her face in the pillow and lingered in bed for a while before getting up to wash.
Pushing open the door, I happened to see a palace maid walking out of Cui'er's room, carrying something in her hands. The girl was very young, and her clothes were of a lower rank than Cui'er's, so she seemed to be an ordinary palace maid assisting the head maid.
Upon meeting Lu Yuanyuan, the other woman immediately stopped and greeted her respectfully, "Sister Yuan."
Lu Yuanyuan's current public identity is that of a close attendant of Consort Xie, on equal footing with Cui'er. The young palace maids and eunuchs all address her as "Sister." Lu Yuanyuan nodded, glancing at what the other woman was holding. It was a pair of shoes, made of moon-white soft silk, adorned with delicate embroidery, with a jade bead held atop a cherry-colored tassel at the toe—not the standard-issue palace maid shoes. Unfortunately, the toes were a bit muddy and dirty.
Lu Yuanyuan asked curiously, "This is..."
The young palace maid said in a soft voice, "These are Sister Cui'er's favorite shoes. They got muddy from the rain, so she asked me to clean them for her."
Mud on a rainy day?
Lu Yuanyuan frowned slightly, a strange feeling creeping into her heart. Just then, she heard the sound of someone getting up coming from Consort Xie's bedroom. Lu Yuanyuan paused, temporarily putting aside her thoughts, and turned to go inside.
.
It rained all night, and the river is wetter than ever before, with ripples and a misty haze.
Lu Yuanyuan stood in the crowd, glancing at the sky several times, wondering if the Yong Kingdom's sacrifices could still proceed if it rained again.
Her prediction came true. Halfway through the ceremony, a torrential downpour began from behind the clouds. The sacrificial boat reached the middle of the river, where the fire was mercilessly extinguished by the rain, leaving only black smoke rising into the sky.
Lu Yuanyuan: "..."
A murmur rippled through the crowd on the shore. It was obvious this was no good omen; it was like ancestors refusing offerings from their descendants.
Fortunately, similar incidents had occurred in previous years. After all, it couldn't be guaranteed that the weather would be clear throughout every sacrificial ceremony, so there were ways to make up for it. All that was needed was to hold a make-up ceremony, which required Consort Xie and the Emperor to attend together. Therefore, after the morning ceremony, Consort Xie could not return to her temporary palace to remove her costume and rest comfortably. Instead, she had to stay in a residence near the Luo River, ready to be on call at any time.
This mansion was intended for the emperor and his ministers to rest. Although it was not as secluded as the imperial palace, the environment was still quite nice. There was a lake in the mansion, and the shore was planted with trees whose names I did not know. Pale pink petals, almost silvery white, fluttered everywhere and landed on the lake, creating ripples and shadows of fish.
No sooner had Lu Yuanyuan returned to the residence with Consort Xie than a familiar palace servant came to find her, saying that His Highness the Third Prince had brought someone and invited her to the Lakeside Pavilion for a chat.
Lu Yuanyuan recognized the handsome young eunuch as Zhang Gonggong's apprentice and had a guess in her mind. Upon hearing this, Consort Xie smiled and nodded, saying, "Go ahead, take your time, there's no need to rush."
With Huang Ying here, it shouldn't be a problem even if she leaves. Lu Yuanyuan quickly slipped under the eunuch's umbrella and asked him to lead the way.
Thick felt curtains have been hung on all four sides of the pavilion in the middle of the lake to block the wind.
The young eunuch arrived at the pavilion, stopped, and lifted the curtain for her. A warm breeze wafted in, revealing stone benches covered with animal hides and underfloor heating, making the space feel as warm as spring.
Yue Hong was nowhere to be seen in the pavilion; only a young girl stood there. Her hair was styled in two buns, and she wore an elegant lake-green robe with embroidery on the collar and sleeves—the attire of a female official in the Wenxiu Palace.
Lu Yuanyuan's gaze settled, and a joyful smile appeared on her face: "Third Sister!"
San Niang looked up at the sound: "Sister!"
She stepped forward excitedly, seemingly wanting to hug Lu Yuanyuan, but hesitated shyly as soon as she raised her hand. The next moment, however, Lu Yuanyuan embraced her, and she was enveloped in a fragrant and warm hug, her face flushing instantly.
Lu Yuanyuan laughed and picked her up, lifting her so high that her feet were off the ground, and rubbed the little girl's thin back. When she let go, even the base of her neck was bright red.
Lu Yuanyuan pulled her over and sat her down on a chair, asking about her recent situation. In such a short time, Third Sister seemed to have adapted to life in the royal city and had grown up quite a bit. When she talked about what she learned every day in the embroidery room, her eyes sparkled and she was full of energy, looking quite accomplished.
Lu Yuanyuan listened with a smile, genuinely happy for her.
However, as they chatted, Lu Yuanyuan suddenly noticed that even in such a warm pavilion, Third Sister seemed to be afraid of the cold, her calves were shivering, and her shoes were lightly tapping the ground.
Something was wrong. Lu Yuanyuan frowned slightly, bent down, and reached out to touch the other person's shoes. Sure enough, they were cold and damp to the touch.
Third Sister's shoes were so wet they could be wrung out, and her socks inside were probably soaked as well.
Yeah, with this torrential rain today, it's normal to get your shoes wet when you're outside.
Lu Yuanyuan stopped what she was doing and looked up: "Why didn't you say anything when your shoes got wet?"
Seeing that Lu Yuanyuan didn't care about the mud on her shoes and reached out to check them, San Niang seemed flattered and stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening. She then shyly withdrew her leg and said, "It's okay, it will dry in a while."
"In this weather, it's not so easy for your feet to dry. Wet shoes will make your feet too cold. Come on, I'll take you to change into a new pair." Without waiting for a reply, Lu Yuanyuan put her arm around Third Sister's shoulder and helped her up.
Lu Yuanyuan was willing to give her spare shoes to Third Sister, but unfortunately, Third Sister was too old and too short for her, and the shoes wouldn't fit. Luckily, there were many palace maids here, so spare clothes were plentiful.
The storeroom where clothes were stored was deserted and quiet, filled with the faint scent of soapberries. Lu Yuanyuan climbed the wooden ladder, rummaged through the drawers, and found clean shoes and socks. Third Sister's feet were white with cold; changing into dry shoes and socks made her much more comfortable, and warmed her heart. She stretched her legs, swung them, and looked at Lu Yuanyuan on the ladder with a hint of admiration: "By the way, sister, I heard from His Highness the Third Prince that you are now serving Consort Xie."
Lu Yuanyuan nimbly leaped down the wooden ladder: "Yes."
At the same time, I added in my mind: For now. When to leave depends on when we finish the remaining 50% of the dungeon...
Suddenly, Lu Yuanyuan froze.
Ever since the Luo River sacrificial ceremony, she had developed the habit of checking the progress bar whenever she had a spare moment. At this moment, she subconsciously glanced at it as well. She discovered that the progress bar, which had been at 50% that morning, had silently and dramatically increased to 65%!
The progress bar doesn't rise for no reason. Any slight movement or change sends the same signal—some major event that can determine the course of the dungeon has just happened!
A strong sense of foreboding gripped her heart, and Lu Yuanyuan's expression changed drastically. Without bothering to explain to Third Sister, she rushed towards the courtyard where Consort Xie was.
From a distance, she could see that the guards outside the door had indeed all fainted. She rushed into the house and saw a familiar person lying on the ground.
Lu Yuanyuan was shocked and rushed over to help the other woman up, turning her over: "Huang Ying, are you alright?"
Huang Ying's features contorted in pain, cold sweat pouring down her face. She managed a weak breath and gripped Lu Yuanyuan's sleeve tightly: "I...I'm fine...inside..."
“Cui’er…she…ate the osmanthus cake…she’s fine. I was careless…I didn’t…I didn’t give it to Consort Xie…”
Lu Yuanyuan didn't let go of her. With a solemn expression, she checked her pulse, pried open her lips, and saw that her throat was tinged with black spots, so she knew that she had been poisoned. Fortunately, although the poison was dangerous, it was not incurable for a Golden Core cultivator, so she breathed a sigh of relief.
She put Huang Ying down and hurried into the room, only to find it in complete disarray. Consort Xie, who had been resting on the couch, was nowhere to be seen. Cui'er lay face up in the corner, convulsing. Her condition appeared far more serious than Huang Ying's; black blood oozed from her eyes, nose, and mouth, and she uttered incoherent murmurs: "Pain... antidote..."
Lu Yuanyuan helped her up, opened her throat to check, and then picked up a broken piece of osmanthus cake from the ground and smelled it. Her heart sank heavily.
During this time, everyone's attention was focused on Consort Xie, but no one paid equal attention to the palace servants around her.
Whether before or after the ceremony, Cui'er had countless opportunities to come into contact with outsiders... No, perhaps she fell into the trap even earlier.
Perhaps, before the Shu Mountain disciples arrived in the capital, that thing had already secretly gotten involved with Cui'er.
It should have been expected that even the worldly-wise Consort Yu would be completely bewitched by that demon, willing to stay in the austere nunnery to be with her "lover." This was enough to prove that the demon was a master of bewitching magic. It was entirely reasonable for Cui'er to fall for it.
The image of the dirty embroidered shoes from earlier that day flashed through her mind, and her jumbled thoughts gradually cleared. At this moment, Lu Yuanyuan finally understood where that strange feeling from back then had come from.
—The only rain these days was last night. The mud on the toes of those shoes must have gotten there last night too.
Things you like should be cherished. In the dead of night, what reason would you have to specially change into your favorite pair of beautiful shoes to go out? Perhaps, Cui'er wasn't going to the toilet last night, but rather carefully dressed up to meet her "lover."
Just then, Cui'er in her arms slowly turned her dull eyes. Her face was ashen, and her hands were scratching at the air: "Pain...why does it hurt so much? Antidote...save...me..."
Lu Yuanyuan grabbed her hand and whispered, "He lied to you."
Cui'er shuddered and murmured, "Impossible, impossible, he said it would only hurt a little, he said he would save me..."
A trace of sorrow flickered in Lu Yuanyuan's eyes: "There is no cure for mortals who eat this stuff."
If she wasn't mistaken, the demon had gleaned information about Consort Xie's guards from Cui'er, and perhaps already suspected that some of the guards were actually cultivators in disguise. Breaking into the palace to snatch someone would be tantamount to walking into a trap. Therefore, it needed a pawn to do its bidding.
Cui'er is that chess piece.
Under the monster's coaxing, Cui'er brought in the osmanthus cake that had been spiked with something. To ensure the plan went smoothly and to dispel the suspicions of the others, the monster even instructed Cui'er to eat it first.
As for the consequences of eating it—it's clear that this thing didn't tell Cui'er the truth.
The plan wasn't perfect. By sheer luck, a blind cat caught a dead mouse, and a nightingale, caught in a moment of carelessness, stumbled upon a beautiful nightingale.
After arriving in the mortal realm, the food, clothing, and daily necessities of the Shu Mountain cultivators were all provided by the palace. This wasn't the first time Huang Ying had eaten palace pastries; perhaps seeing that Cui'er, a mortal, had no problem eating them, she lowered her guard.
Little did they know that the monster was so vicious that it had planned to use Cui'er as a sacrifice from the very beginning and had no intention of letting her live.
A Golden Core cultivator's body is far more resilient than that of an ordinary person. Even if Huang Ying had taken the same poison, she could still manage. But once Cui'er was poisoned, even a Great Luo Immortal couldn't help.
Cui'er's throat emitted a dying "crackling" sound. Lu Yuanyuan gripped her shoulders tightly, looking into her unfocused eyes: "Cui'er, where was Consort Xie taken? You must know, right?"
Cui'er rolled her eyes, strained with all her might, and raised her trembling hand, pointing in one direction. The next second, her hand suddenly went limp and fell, her eyes open, lifeless.
Lu Yuanyuan's face tightened slightly as she gently laid Cui'er back on the ground.
Before Cui'er died, she was referring to the northwest.
Following the typical formula of movies and TV dramas, in situations like this, anyone who goes to hunt down the culprit alone will ultimately become cannon fodder. The most sensible course of action would be to signal to other cultivators of Mount Shu, summoning companions to join the pursuit.
Unfortunately, it's pouring rain today, so even if the signal is sent, the people on the river might not see it, and she'll have to deliver the message herself. Currently, all the heavily armed guards inside and outside the mansion are incapacitated, leaving her as the only one who can move.
Meanwhile, Consort Xie found herself in grave danger. The monster's path couldn't always be a straight line. She feared that if she went back and forth to report, the clue of the "northwest direction" would lose its relevance.
The sooner we go after her, the greater the chance that Consort Xie will return unharmed.
Therefore, this is not actually a multiple-choice question.
A painful groan came from behind. Lu Yuanyuan got up, helped her to the wall, and briefly explained the current situation. Huang Ying clutched her stomach, her face pale, and said with difficulty, "...We have to go after them."
“You’ll collapse halfway there in your condition; it’ll be a waste of time.” Lu Yuanyuan interrupted her, saying, “I’m going to chase after Consort Xie. When they return, tell them that I…”
Just then, hurried footsteps came from under the eaves: "Sister, I can help you!"
The two turned their heads in surprise at the same time: "Third Sister?"
Third Sister ran breathlessly to the corridor; clearly, she had followed Lu Yuanyuan all the way there. Meeting their gazes, Third Sister's face flushed red, and she said urgently, "I heard what you were saying. I know the way; I can go and call for help for you, that will be faster!"
...
This mansion is less than three miles from the Luo River.
The winter wind, mixed with raindrops, lashed my face like knives and filled my throat. My throat lining was congested, cold, and painful.
Wearing a straw hat, San Niang ran breathlessly to the banks of the Luo River. Looking into the distance, the river was shrouded in mist, with large boats moored there, visibility extremely poor. Even straining her eyes, she could only make out the bright yellow flag flying from the boat closest to the ferry, with the emperor at the bow. Beside him, a familiar figure flashed by—it was none other than Duan Lansheng.
Third Sister was excited. She swallowed hard, tasted a faint fishy smell, and was about to step forward.
Suddenly, the cold glint of weapons sliced through the air, and two longswords blocked her path. A guard shouted, "Stop! Which palace maid are you? You can't just barge in here!"
Third Sister's gaze lingered on their clothes, and the words of advice she had heard before setting off echoed in her ears—
"Third Sister, when you reach the shore, someone will definitely stop you and question you. When that happens, don't rush to hand over the message; first observe their attire. If you encounter someone from the Crown Prince's faction, remember, don't say anything."
Be careful in everything, and don't push yourself too hard.
...
Although she wasn't very familiar with court affairs, rumors of a strained relationship between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince had been circulating for a long time. There must be a reason why Sister Lu gave her these instructions.
Judging from the color of their armor, these two soldiers were the prince's men.
Moreover, looking around, most of the soldiers on the shore were also the Crown Prince's personal guards, dressed in the same uniforms.
Third Sister took a breath, swallowed the news of Consort Xie's accident, and said, "I have something urgent to report."
The two soldiers exchanged a glance and said, "What urgent matter do you have? We are the Crown Prince's personal guards and can relay your message."
Third Sister naturally refused to speak. But no matter what excuse she gave, the soldiers showed no intention of letting her pass, their weapons blocking her way without flinching: "Royal sacrificial ceremony, no trespassing allowed. Do you think this is your home, that you can just walk in as you please? You can't pass until you explain yourself!"
After a while of arguing, a hint of suspicion crept into the eyes of the two men as they looked at her. With a gritted tooth, San Niang turned and left.
She couldn't waste any more time here. With so many ships, it was impossible to search them one by one. The only certainty was that the Shu Mountain disciples couldn't be too far from the emperor; she needed to find a way to get closer…
Just as she hurried across a patch of waist-high grass and ran toward the next dock where the small boats were moored, she suddenly heard a soft, sweet voice from not far away: "Hey!"
San Niang paused, stopped in her tracks, and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw a small boat moored on the deserted lake, and a pretty young girl dressed as a palace maid stood at the bow, waving to her.
Third Sister exclaimed in surprise, "Sister Xiaoruo? What are you doing here?"
When she was first brought back to Xiangcheng, she was settled in the manor and had a few encounters with Xiao Ruo, who was mixed in with the disciples of Shu Mountain.
Although they were complete strangers and had barely exchanged a few words, strangely enough, the first time San Niang's eyes met those of this quirky and beautiful woman in Xiangcheng, she inexplicably felt a fondness for her. She couldn't explain why herself.
She remembered that Xiao Ruo was a good friend of the cultivators from Mount Shu, and was with Sister Lu and the others. Everyone liked her very much.
Xiao Ru jumped off the boat, scratched her cheek, and said with a smile, "It's a long story. I'm a palace maid now. Oh, let's not talk about that. I just saw you talking to a soldier over there. Did something happen?"
...
The small boat swayed gently as it passed through the white mist and headed towards the center of the river.
The closer we got to the center of the river, the thicker the fog became, and the heavy rain splashed water across the surface. People on the same boat began to have trouble seeing each other's faces.
Third Sister turned around and looked at the increasingly distant riverbank, her tense nerves relaxing considerably.
As Xiao Ru rowed, she looked over curiously and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to get on the boat? What trouble have you run into?"
Just now, Xiao Ruo, upon learning that she wanted to take a boat, agreed to help her without asking any further questions. Grateful and relieved, San Niang hesitated for a moment before telling the truth: "Her Highness Consort Xie is in trouble, and I need to go there to find Sister Lu's friend for help..."
Suddenly, the two of them heard a strange clanging of weapons coming from a large ship in the middle of the river. Immediately afterward, there was a splash as someone fell into the water.
"Sister Xiaoruo, did you hear that?"
"I heard it! What's happening up there... Ahhh!"
Suddenly, the small boat they were in began to rock violently. Xiao Ru cried out in surprise, the oar slipped from her hand, and at the same time, a dark shadow emerged from the water.
Before Third Sister could even see what it was, the bottom of the small boat trembled, and something came up. Xiao Ru's scream came from the white mist.
The one who flipped onto the boat was an assassin dressed in black, who was now using his arm to strangle Xiao Ruo's neck!
Because of the dense fog, the other side seemed not to have noticed San Niang's presence. Upon seeing this horrifying scene, San Niang trembled, but instead of abandoning the boat and fleeing, she picked up the oar that had fallen to her feet, suppressed her fear, shouted, and rushed forward.
Arms raised high, her blood boiling in her veins. In a daze, time seemed to rewind to the most desperate night of her life. The difference was, that night her hero was Sister Lu, and now it was her turn to be the hero.
At that moment, she had no other thoughts but that if it were Sister Lu, she would never abandon ship and run away... She wanted to be that kind of person too!
With all her might, San Niang plunged the sharp end of the oar deep into the assassin's back. Wounded in a vital spot, the assassin coughed up blood, his arm loosened, and in a fit of rage, he gripped the hilt of his sword and lashed out at San Niang.
"ah!"
Xiao Ru gasped for breath, touching her throat, nudged the dead assassin aside with her elbow, her face pale, and leaned against the side of the ship, coughing violently.
The assassin's attack came too suddenly, catching her completely off guard, which is why she was caught off guard and strangled with deadly accuracy. But in a fair fight, the assassin was no match for her. However, before she could even make a move, the NPC named Third Sister rushed up, which took her by surprise.
When the flashing stars in her eyes faded, Xiao Ruo slowly straightened up and realized that there was no longer any sound from San Niang around her. She turned around and saw that San Niang's head had been struck squarely by the heavy hilt of the sword, and she had rolled into the boat awning, lying motionless with a pool of blood under her head that had seeped onto the deck.
Is... has she fainted? Or is she dead?
Xiao Ru swallowed hard, stood up unsteadily, and decided to go over and check on the other person's breathing.
Just then, two dark figures swiftly flew over the small boat. Suddenly, as if they had seen something, they turned back in disbelief.
They were actually two disciples of Mount Shu!
The two hovered in the air on their swords, looking down at Xiao Ruo with a mixture of surprise, joy, and doubt: "Miss Xiao Ruo?"
"Xiao Ruo, it really is you! What are you doing here?"
"You left a letter and left last time, we thought we'd never see you again!"
For a fleeting moment, Xiao Ru's expression subtly changed, but in the dim light, it seemed like an illusion. She steadied herself against the cabin, shifting her position imperceptibly to shield herself from view, then tilted her head back, her face beaming with delight: "My goodness, it's been so long! I've been wanting to know why you're here..." She paused, then shook her head with a hint of distress: "No, this isn't the time for reminiscing. What's with this assassin?"
One of the Shu Mountain disciples said, "They must be spies from the enemy country. They were hiding in the cabin and tried to assassinate the Emperor of Yong. There were ten of them, but fortunately they have been forced to retreat."
"After their assassination attempt on the emperor failed, they probably wanted to seize a small boat and escape under the cover of the thick fog, which is why they boarded your ship."
Xiao Ru said thoughtfully, "So that's how it is."
She wondered why this wasn't mentioned in the script she read. It turned out that the incident was related to the emperor, who wasn't a potential romantic interest for her. The assassin was just a highly skilled mortal who had little to do with her and posed no threat, so naturally, it wasn't recorded in the official script.
At this moment, a question from a Shushan disciple on the right brought Xiao Ruo's attention back: "Xiao Ruo, you weren't hurt just now, were you?"
"Yes, do you need us to stay and help?"
Xiao Ru came to her senses and said understandingly, "I'm fine, you don't need to worry about me. I can get back to shore by myself. There must be quite a few people who have fallen into the water. You should go and do your work to save people."
Seeing that she was indeed not injured or bleeding, only that her clothes were wet, the two Shu Mountain disciples nodded, said a few reluctant words, and then flew away on their swords.
Watching the two walk away, Xiao Ruo let out a soft breath.
Unexpectedly, at that moment, her ankle was suddenly grabbed tightly. Xiao Ru was startled, staggered, and almost fell onto the deck.
Looking down, I saw that Third Sister had woken up sometime earlier and crawled out of the cabin. Her face was bruised and her nose was swollen, with sticky blood running down her nose. She grabbed my foot and hissed, "Why...why didn't you...tell them just now..."
Wasn't this NPC unconscious?
Xiao Ru gasped, sensing a slightly unpleasant situation.
—Regarding Consort Xie's ordeal, she read the script through the system last night and learned that Consort Xie would definitely be kidnapped during the Luoshui sacrificial ceremony.
What's meant to happen will happen. So no matter how hard the Shu Mountain cultivators in the story try, it's useless. At crucial moments, there will always be moments of irrationality or various coincidences that help advance the plot and achieve this development.
After Consort Xie is kidnapped, a plot branching point will appear.
According to the system, this instance is destined to be bloody. Consort Xie's child will definitely not survive, and Consort Xie's own life is firmly tied to this branching point.
Two paths extending from the branching point appeared before Xiaoruo.
The first option is to secretly assist the disciples of Mount Shu in rescuing Consort Xie and achieving the "Demon Appearance, Buddha's Heart" achievement.
The second option is to side with the Crown Prince, use him as a pawn to kill Consort Xie, and achieve the "Path to Becoming King" achievement.
Indeed, Yue Qi currently seems to have a firm grip on the position of Crown Prince, but his birth mother, Empress Yuan, has been dead for many years. Consort Xie enjoys continued favor, is pregnant, and is about to be crowned Empress, making her position even more prestigious and secure. Between the Emperor and his son, the presence or absence of a woman acting as a mediator and whispering in their ear makes a significant difference. Even the most magnanimous person would find it hard not to feel a sense of crisis.
If Consort Xie were no longer around, the Crown Prince would be free of a major worry, which would be equivalent to crippling Yue Hong.
The system also stated that the first path is paved for winning over Yue Hong, and it involves increasing Yue Hong's favorability. The second path corresponds to the Crown Prince.
She's been trying to win over the Crown Prince for so long, and she's finally achieved some success. There's no reason for her to abandon her efforts. Even a fool would know what to choose.
Moreover, the "Path to Kingship" ending is actually easier to achieve than the "Demon Appearance, Buddha Heart" ending.
She didn't need to go through fire and water, nor did she need to personally take risks. All she needed to do was slow down the Shu Mountain cultivators and prevent them from discovering Consort Xie's disappearance so quickly.
This relieved Xiao Ruo. She wasn't a cold-blooded person who enjoyed fighting and killing; if she were asked to kill someone herself, she might not be able to do it. Acting as a plot device greatly reduced her psychological pressure.
Yes, she did stall for time. But ultimately, the real culprit is the boss of this whole situation, and the Crown Prince's ambition to seize power. Even if Consort Xie is dead, the blame shouldn't be placed on her, should it?
According to the system's script, for the past half month, Consort Xie has been protected by two NPCs from Mount Shu.
When the incident occurs, one of the NPCs will make a foolish mistake, falling into the monster's trap and losing the ability to move. The other NPC will then go alone to rescue Consort Xie, while also sending a palace maid back to deliver the news.
What she had to do was stop this young palace maid.
Of course, she would never do something as cruel as luring a palace maid onto the boat, killing her, and then pushing her into the water.
Anyway, the fog on the river is so thick today, and the current is so swift. All she needs to do is lure the other party onto the boat. With the protagonist's halo, no matter who the NPC is, she can just beckon them with a flick of her finger and make them feel good about her and trust her. Then, she can pretend to be lost in the fog and naturally buy time, leaving the NPC on the way to deliver the message.
Not a drop of blood is shed throughout the entire process, and afterwards, one can absolve oneself of responsibility without arousing suspicion.
But to everyone's surprise, things didn't go as planned. First, assassins arrived, and then Third Sister witnessed her dismissing the Shu Mountain disciples...
Xiao Ru grabbed the gunwale and tried her best to pull her foot out of San Niang's grasp, but failed.
This NPC was as thin as a sugarcane. He had been hit on the head by the sword hilt and couldn't even crawl, but somehow he still had so much strength and refused to let go. His five fingers were white, yet he stubbornly held onto her ankle.
After much effort, Xiao Ruo finally managed to break free from her opponent. She took two steps back and saw that her stockings had been left with five hideous bloody marks.
The rain was pouring down harder and harder, and the small boat beneath our feet was tossed about like a leaf in a storm, spinning in the eddies. The icy river water gurgled in from the side of the boat.
Things had already progressed to this point, and reason told Xiaoruo that she should silence Sanniang forever. Otherwise, what had just happened would definitely be exposed. Yueqi's favorability wasn't maxed out yet, and she had to leave herself a way out; she couldn't let her image on the Shu Mountain side collapse.
However, she really didn't have the guts, nor did she want to kill anyone... But in the current situation, as soon as she leaves, this NPC probably won't have the strength to swim out of this storm, and will most likely sink with the ship.
Xiao Ru bit her lip, struggled with her conscience for a long time, and finally made a decision. Without further hesitation, she cast a spell and left on the water.
She had no other choice; going home was more important.
This cannot be considered that she committed murder; the culprit was Jiang Shui.
If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for waking up too early, listening to too much, and for falling into the water and not being able to swim.
As soon as Xiao Ruo left, the river surged even faster. The small boat finally lost its balance and capsized.
Blood splattered in the murky river water, and in the blink of an eye, it swallowed up the figure of Third Sister.
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