Chapter 76 076 Duan Lansheng suddenly made a move, grabbing Xiao Ruo's neck...
The air in the room was filled with a faint medicinal fragrance.
Lu Yuanyuan lay on her side in the bedding, curled up in a ball, with what looked like wet tear stains still on her eyelashes.
Duan Lansheng was sitting with his head down, his expression aloof, holding a warm cloth and carefully wiping her cheeks, neck, wrists, and knuckles to make her more comfortable. Even though he could have had palace servants attend to her now that he was back here, he hadn't entrusted anything else to him except for changing her clothes.
Qi Chang stood with his hands behind his back by the bed. Unlike Duan Lansheng, who took it for granted that he should be close, he consciously stood two steps back and said in a low voice, "She has suffered this time... It's really thanks to her, otherwise, Consort Xie and her unborn child would certainly not have survived."
Yesterday, after learning from Third Sister that Consort Xie was in trouble, they flew to the northwest like shooting stars. Upon arriving near the imperial mausoleum, they were drawn by a strange sound of weapons clashing and encountered an unbelievable chaotic scene—two groups of people were fighting outside the mausoleum.
One side outnumbered the other, their faces masked and dressed like bandits. The other side was smaller, composed entirely of armored soldiers, who, judging by their attire, were all men of the Third Prince, Yue Hong. They protected a disheveled, pregnant woman in fine clothes behind them, preventing the bandits from getting any closer.
The Shu Mountain bandits, observing from above the battlefield, found it extremely strange. In this world, even the most rampant bandits usually only preyed on unarmed civilians; they didn't dare provoke government troops. Moreover, many bandits were just ordinary people before they became bandits. At most, they were stronger and more ruthless, forming groups that eventually became a scourge that even the government struggled to eradicate. Once they faced soldiers on the battlefield in real combat, their simple skills were completely inadequate. Yet these bandits were all exceptionally skilled, their moves ruthless. They not only fought the elite troops to a standstill but also, relying on their numbers, forced the soldiers to retreat repeatedly, their blades nearly striking Consort Xie several times.
If no one had come, it would have been only a matter of time before Consort Xie died under a hail of blades.
Fortunately, the arrival of the Shu Mountain bandits turned the tide of the battle. Seeing the situation was dire, some bandits fled, while those who couldn't escape bit into the poison under their tongues and committed suicide. It was thanks to the timely dislocation of one of them's jaws that they were able to leave one alive for interrogation.
From Consort Xie's tearful account, they learned that Lu Yuanyuan and Yue Hong were trapped inside the tomb. They quickly pried open the entrance to the underground palace, only to find no one there, and instead, another empty tomb chamber. The original stone hall had been moved by a mechanical device.
"There's so much space down there, how long would it take to find it? Let's just blow the whole place up!"
"Don't be impulsive! If we blow up this underground palace, the people below will be buried alive. We have to follow the previous method, pry open the stone slabs first, and then go in one by one."
Although they had chosen the least impactful method, they still triggered the protective mechanisms of the imperial tomb. The shockwaves came even faster than the first time. They had only pried open an entrance that was only wide enough for a child to pass through when rocks began to fall from below.
"There are too many stones!"
"Wait a minute, look carefully before you go down!"
Duan Lansheng clenched his fists and said sternly, "No, I can't wait, I have to go down!"
This was the first time Qi Chang had seen Duan Lansheng so agitated. Before he could stop him, he saw Duan Lansheng transform into a snow-white shadow, darting into the cave in fox form and disappearing among the falling rocks.
Looking back now, the imperial tomb had undergone a collapse, and some places were so narrow that even a dwarf couldn't squeeze through. Only Duan Lansheng, who had transformed into a fox, was able to move quickly through the intricate and winding passages.
If Duan Lansheng had arrived even a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Lu Yuanyuan's physical injuries had healed, but she was exhausted both physically and mentally, and was still unconscious. It was unclear what she had experienced down there, but she couldn't sleep soundly. Duan Lansheng gently brushed aside the stray hairs on her cheek, letting her hold his hand.
Qi Chang rubbed his nose, inexplicably feeling that he was standing there superfluous. Suddenly, he remembered something else and said, "By the way, how is that Third Sister doing now? Is she still with Huang Ying? We owe her a lot this time."
Duan Lansheng paused for a moment and then hummed in agreement. Once Lu Yuanyuan stopped talking in her sleep, he carefully tucked her hand back into the blanket, stood up, and said, "Senior Brother Qi, could you please watch over her for me?"
"Hey? Where are you going? Are you going to see that Third Sister?"
Duan Lansheng's eyes darkened slightly, like the murky surface of a storm-filled sea, and he said calmly, "I just remembered something I need to take care of."
.
On the banks of the Luo River, in the Crown Prince's tent.
"Miss Xiaoruo, your tea has gone cold. Let me bring you some hot tea."
Xiao Ru sat in front of the dressing mirror, absentmindedly responding. The treasure box in front of the mirror was filled with exquisite treasures: a brass mirror inlaid with tourmaline and rose quartz, coral hairpins, and plump, lustrous pearls... Xiao Ru held her delicate face in her hands, picked up a hairpin, and dangled it under the lamplight.
Although this world is set in ancient times, the craftsmanship of these ornaments is truly superb. It's a pity that none of them can be taken back to her world.
Xiao Ruo was bored, so she played with the hairpin for a while, put it down, and turned to ask the palace maid holding the wine pot beside her, "Where is His Highness the Crown Prince?"
The palace maid bowed and gave the same answer as last night: "Reporting to Miss Xiaoruo, His Highness the Crown Prince has not yet returned."
Xiao Ru frowned.
The assassination attempt just happened yesterday. As the heir apparent, the Crown Prince naturally has to fulfill his duties as the heir apparent, staying by the emperor's side and stabilizing public sentiment. Perhaps he had too many things to handle, which is why he didn't return home last night.
She understands the principles.
But for some reason, she had been feeling uneasy since this morning, with a sense of unease constantly lingering in her mind like dark clouds obscuring the sun.
Logically, there was nothing left for her to worry about. She stopped the palace maid NPC responsible for relaying the message, successfully buying herself some time. The Crown Prince, having heard her plan, also took action—he planned to use a secret letter to lure Yue Hong to the imperial mausoleum, then send several times more assassins to intercept and kill him. Afterwards, he could shift the blame onto a demon.
To be honest, when she learned of the Crown Prince's plan, she thought it was too reckless. After all, Yue Hong was the alternate male lead, and according to the original plot, he wouldn't die in this instance, much less be killed by the people the Crown Prince sent. Just letting the Crown Prince act like this—who knew if it would have far-reaching consequences and affect her reward distribution?
However, upon further reflection, it was all the Crown Prince's own idea, not her instigation, so neither success nor failure should be blamed on her. Moreover, in the original story, the Crown Prince and Yue Hong were originally in a life-or-death competitive relationship. This scenario had a bug from the beginning where two storylines ran parallel, so it's normal for the Crown Prince's behavior to change slightly.
More importantly, she simply couldn't stop him. She knew the Crown Prince's temperament; once he made a decision, his advisors could only assist him from the sidelines, not influence his resolve. Therefore, after offering a few words of advice without success, she gave up trying to persuade him further.
In any case, as long as she successfully stalled for time, she had already met the conditions for obtaining the reward "Path to Kingship". Everything else was irrelevant to her.
Since yesterday, Xiao Ruo has been keeping a close eye on the outside world. She heard that the cultivators of Shu Mountain didn't discover Consort Xie's disappearance until almost dark. In other words, she has fulfilled the requirements of the [Path to Kingship].
Unable to pinpoint the source of her inexplicable unease, Xiao Ruo puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, then stood up abruptly, glancing at the palace servants behind her: "Don't follow me, I want to be alone for a while."
The palace servants stopped at her command. Xiao Ru swung her arms, left the tent, and walked towards the shallow beach on the bank of the Luoshui River. The place was quite quiet, with withered trees forming a forest, their slender branches pointing straight upwards. The river breeze rippled the surface of the water. Standing here and feeling the river breeze for a while, her heart seemed to feel less heavy.
Xiao Ru squatted down, picked up a stone from the shallows, and idly tossed it into the river.
Just then, she suddenly heard the rustling sound of boots crunching through fallen leaves behind her. Startled, she turned around abruptly and saw Duan Lansheng walking straight towards her.
The shadows of the trees cast dappled patterns on his pupils. His expression was cold.
Two cold, sharp gazes, like arrows, seemed capable of piercing her flesh.
For some inexplicable reason, Xiao Ru's eyelids twitched twice. She quickly wiped her hands on her skirt, tilted her head playfully, and said, "Duan Lansheng? What are you doing here? Long time no see, were you looking for me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Duan Lansheng suddenly grabbed Xiao Ruo by the neck and lifted her off the ground, her feet also leaving the ground!
Xiao Ru's eyes widened, her blood rushed to her head, her face flushed crimson, and her feet kicked wildly in terror, unable to find a foothold. As a fox demon, she naturally possessed self-defense skills. But no matter what magic she used, the hand encircling her neck remained unmoved; her demonic power… wasn't even enough to withstand half a move from the person before her!
how so?
Recalling the last time she saw Duan Lansheng, although he was indifferent to her at the time, he never had such a chilling murderous intent!
Xiao Ru's lips trembled, the suffocating tightness blurring her vision. The hairpin in her hair slipped and fell to the ground. She felt Duan Lansheng's hand tightening; this madman… really wanted to kill her!
Although she was bound to the system, she wasn't invincible in this world. The system had said that if she died, there wasn't necessarily a chance to re-land. Even if she could start over, all the goodwill she had accumulated over the years would be wiped clean.
What a joke! She's gone through so much to get to this point where she's almost home, she absolutely can't die here!
While struggling, Xiao Ruo called out to the system in her mind. As a fox demon and the female lead, she had stored many life-saving skills in the system, one of which was called [Charm]. When used on a member of the opposite sex, it could increase the other person's affection for her and reduce their hostility.
However, to her despair, the system rejected her request: "Beep beep—The [Charm] function cannot be activated because the [Duan Lansheng Favorability Bar] could not be successfully activated."
Oh no, she forgot that this seemingly wooden fox demon's affection bar was grayed out!
If her vocal cords hadn't been suppressed, Xiao Ru would have burst into a tirade: "Isn't he the male lead candidate? How could he kill me! Stop him!"
System: "Beep beep—Due to the failure to successfully activate [Duan Lansheng's Favorability Bar], the binding force on the candidate male lead cannot be applied."
There's no hope for this idiotic AI! Xiao Ru's eyes filled with tears as she frantically recalled recent events. Soon, she guessed the crux of the problem. Stretching her neck, she pleaded tearfully and haltingly, "No...it was me...it was...it was the Crown Prince who forced me...don't kill me..."
Duan Lansheng's brows remained furrowed, his face as cold as ice, and his arm did not sway even slightly.
He seemed to want to kill her, but didn't want to get his clothes dirty.
Since transmigrating into this book, although she has experienced many life-or-death trials, every man she has encountered has treated her with gentleness. Even when conflicts arise, they are resolved quickly and quietly. But at this moment, Xiao Ruo finally felt a chilling fear, as if her entire body had fallen into an ice cave, and heard the sound of her throat about to break.
If this continues... it really won't work...
Just as a person loses precise control of their body when near death, Xiao Ru's face turned increasingly purple, and her fox tail and ears uncontrollably protruded. Finally, she sobbed and screamed in her mind, "System! Use the [Golden Cicada Shedding Shell Capsule] on me!"
...
On the other hand.
Lu Yuanyuan huddled listlessly in bed. She could hear Qi Chang, who was guarding the door, talking quietly with someone else. She was awake, but her body didn't want to move at all.
The long and arduous "Infant Devouring" instance has finally come to an end, and everything has settled down. She has gone from being an insider to an outsider, and can finally see the content of the instance she never experienced through the written descriptions.
Consort Xie and her unborn child returned safely.
The third prince, Yue Hong, died in the imperial mausoleum, and his remains were never found.
Lu Yuanyuan raised her hand and blankly touched her lips. The helplessness, grief, and regret she felt when she touched Yue Hong's flesh were still so clear. She slowly shrugged, and tears silently slid down her left cheek, seeping into the pillow.
At that time...
If only she hadn't dodged or stopped Yue Hong.
She remained motionless, letting her tears flow silently and then dry quietly in the wind. Her mind was like a stagnant pool, but she knew the system was still there. Her lips moved, and she spoke: "I still can't understand why Yue Hong died."
In the mortal realm instance, Xiao Ruo was supposed to be involved in a love triangle with two princes, wavering between her brothers. But this time, Crown Prince Yue Qi seems to have already captured Xiao Ruo's heart and become the winner of the competition.
San Niang went to the Luo River to seek help, but Xiao Ru intercepted the message. Perhaps because she liked the Crown Prince, Xiao Ru decided to help him. The Crown Prince thus learned of Consort Xie's whereabouts and planned to lure Yue Hong to the same place, hoping to eliminate both of his thorns in his side at once.
Looking at it from beginning to end, everything makes sense.
There is only one place that cannot be explained no matter what.
That is, "northwest" and "imperial tomb" are two very different concepts.
The message relayed by Cui'er to her, and then by her to San Niang, only mentioned that Consort Xie had been abducted to the northwest, but the exact location was unknown.
So how exactly did the Crown Prince narrow down the search area and pinpoint the location of them being imprisoned inside the imperial mausoleum?
Even Lu Yuanyuan herself only realized she was in the imperial mausoleum after overturning Princess Manjushri's urn of ashes.
There are only two possible explanations.
Alternatively, the monster might be an accomplice of the Crown Prince, with whom he had been exchanging information. This hypothesis, however, is clearly flawed. If they could communicate and conspire, the Crown Prince could simply have the monster kidnap Yue Hong; why go through the trouble of sending a secret message?
Or perhaps the Crown Prince possesses far more information than anticipated. It's even possible that someone has seen the script for this world before.
The person who has read the script is unlikely to be the Crown Prince himself. Based on Lu Yuanyuan's understanding of him, if he had read the script, he would have treated it as a divine book revealing destiny, and wouldn't have taken it upon himself to send someone to intercept and kill Yue Hong. Because in the original script, Yue Hong wouldn't die in this scenario.
If it's not the crown prince, then who is this person?
Familiar and unfamiliar faces flashed through her mind, fading, overlapping, and finally settling on a delicate face. Lu Yuanyuan's fists slowly clenched, and her red and swollen eyes turned cold: "System, if I say I have a suspect, can you make a judgment?"
The system seemed to leave for a while before replying a few minutes later: "Host, according to the test, there are currently no signs of collapse in this world, and the behavior of each character is consistent with their character settings. Only if there is a clear case of outrageous behavior can a judgment be made."
Lu Yuanyuan couldn't help but throw off the covers and sit up, saying, "Are you serious? Yue Hong was the backup male lead. He got involved in this mission and ended up dead. Isn't that a complete mess?"
The system's voice remained calm as always: "Firstly, this task, from the very beginning, showed signs of time compression and parallel execution, so bugs are normal. Secondly, the target of this instance is Consort Xie, not her child—this child originally referred to the baby in her womb. But Yue Hong is also her child. Although the specific target is different, judging from the text description, his involvement in the instance and his death is not out of character."
"..."
System: "Thirdly, host, don't forget that this is a Mary Sue world centered around the female lead. If we compare the female lead to Earth, the alternative male leads are merely her satellites. The female lead can favor any of her satellites. And the Earth won't stop rotating even if one satellite is missing. Moreover, when an alternative male lead falls in love with an NPC, he can no longer be 100% defined as an alternative male lead."
Lu Yuanyuan's throat bobbed, her fingertips dug into the blanket, trembling slightly.
Is accepting reality the only option?
In this world of cultivation where the dead can be brought back to life and flesh can be healed, is there really no other way to save it?
How could she accept, how could she be willing to let Yue Hong end up in such a tragic way, shattered to pieces?
It all ended like this because of her!
Suddenly, she found something in the tangled mess, looked up abruptly, slapped the bed excitedly, and said, "System, that...that resurrection card! Didn't I have a reward called a resurrection card? I haven't used it yet, take it out quickly, I need to use it to resurrect Yue Hong!"
System: "You mean the [Resurrection Qualification Card]?"
Lu Yuanyuan grasped at a straw and said urgently, "Yes, you didn't say it couldn't be used by others!"
Ironically, the origin of the [Resurrection Qualification Card] item was due to her accidentally activating Yin Xiaozhu's side story [Bitter Night] and witnessing him shedding his snake skin, thus obtaining this special reward.
Because it was so hard to come by, she had been reluctant to use it, storing it in her system inventory for so long. She had almost forgotten about this treasure.
System: "The [Resurrection Qualification Card] must be applied to a complete body, and Yue Hong no longer has a body."
"..."
After a pause, the system slowly added the second half of the sentence: "But it's not without a way to remedy the situation."
Lu Yuanyuan's heart leaped into her throat, almost choking her. She couldn't breathe, unable to go up or down: "…………"
I'm talking about something important, can you finish in one breath instead of pausing for breath!
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