Chapter 21: Twenty-One Cuts "The concubines in the harem are at odds"...
When Luo Mingshu heard the words "fish head tofu stew", her sensitive nerves tensed up.
She recalled the passionate days when she argued with that anonymous cultivator on the Spirit Network. She sent messages time and time again, trying to maintain her dignity as a troll from the Four Directions Water Mirror, but the other party was always faster than her.
He even insulted her... fish head tofu stew...
Even though he offered her a business deal worth tens of millions of spirit stones, Luo Mingshu still couldn't tolerate it.
Regardless of whether this person was the anonymous monk or not, she simply couldn't finish her meal.
Before Luo Mingshu could protest, a bowl of fish head and tofu stew was served, and the delicious aroma reached Luo Mingshu's nose.
In short... it's so good!
Luo Mingshu shifted her position on the stool, but ultimately did not stand up. She swallowed hard.
Xie Changming originally didn't want to eat, but since it was fish head tofu casserole served, he sat down, took out a porcelain bowl, and ladled soup into it.
Luo Mingshu sat obediently with her hands on her knees, and naturally accepted the bowl of fish soup that Xie Changming ladled out.
She took the soup bowl from Xie Changming's hands: "Gao Fei, thank you for making the soup for me."
Xie Changming: "..." I scooped it for myself!
Luo Mingshu asked him, "What is your name on the Spirit Network?"
Xie Changming felt slightly ashamed to reveal the name of his spiritual network, so in a moment of distraction, Luo Mingshu snatched the soup bowl away from him.
"Anonymous cultivator," he reported truthfully, since there was no point in hiding the title. However, he didn't ask about Luo Mingshu, because he had no interest in her.
Luo Mingshu choked on a mouthful of soup and coughed. "You anonymous cultivator, it really was you."
She never expected that the teammate she had been eagerly anticipating would be him.
Even Lu Yaoyao is better than this idiot, Luo Mingshu thought to herself.
Because her gaze was so resentful, even Xie Changming couldn't ignore it.
"Why are you looking at me?" Xie Changming slowly sipped the soup in his bowl, glancing casually at Luo Mingshu.
"You... Gao Fei... you just wait." Luo Mingshu muttered through gritted teeth. She decided that before she could clear this exploration scene, she would definitely trick him.
Anyway, that vicious female supporting character is capable of anything. Anonymous cultivator, you're doomed.
Xie Changming: "?" My teammate, she really seems to be sick.
The dinner was relatively harmonious thanks to the delicious fish head and tofu stew, but Luo Mingshu secretly harbored ill intentions.
After she took her leave, she returned to the palace. She planned to visit the Empress the next day. If the Empress was in a state of confusion, she might not be able to bring herself to seduce her.
After a busy day, Luo Mingshu finally remembered the purpose of her visit. She was there to find someone, primarily Liu Hongying, and secondarily Wei Qing. Wei Qing's cultivation level was much lower than Liu Hongying's, and his exploration depth was probably not as high as Liu Hongying's. Therefore, she should use the Soul-Summoning Bell to sense Wei Qing's location.
She took out the Soul-Summoning Bell, but there was no response. It seemed that Wei Qing was not in this exploration area.
Luo Mingshu felt that she was very busy; she must be the only serious person in this trial scene.
Speaking of this trial scenario... there are other competing teams as well. She not only has to find a way to pass the level, but also has to find a way to eliminate the other competing teams.
Luo Mingshu recalled the Consort Neng she had seen outside the Yingtian Palace. Her name was strange, and she must be a major competitor. There was another competing team in the Yingtian Palace that had not yet surfaced.
She summoned her maid, Fa, and began to inquire about the situation.
"In Yingtian Palace, besides the silly Consort Gao who is familiar with me, there is another one named Consort Neng. Didn't you say there were four consorts in total? Who is the last one?" Luo Mingshu asked.
The maidservant bowed and whispered, "Your Highness, that lady's name is..."
——
When Lu Yaoyao woke up, she was just as bewildered as Luo Mingshu, but with the system by her side, she was more adapted to this special situation.
She turned over and sat up in bed. Based on her years of experience doing system tasks, she deduced that she must now be a concubine in some palace.
Lu Yaoyao was very confident. She believed that she was more familiar with this mission mode than others. She thought she could quickly complete this exploration scene and then find Wei Qing to earn a lot of points.
But she could never have imagined how treacherous this trial would be.
Lu Yaoyao first checked the hints given to her by the Spirit Network, and she realized that her code name in the exploration scene was related to the name of her Spirit Network.
Upon seeing this message, Lu Yaoyao perked up, because her online name was very catchy: "[It's Fairy Yaoyao]". Whether it was Yaofei or Fairy Consort, she was already far ahead of others in terms of title.
Lu Yaoyao confidently called her maid in, but as soon as the maid entered the room, she called out, "Your Highness, Consort Ya."
——
Luo Mingshu had already sprawled on her desk and started laughing wildly. The maid was afraid she would choke, so she kept patting her back.
After seeing Consort Gao and Consort Neng, she never imagined that there could be someone with an even more unpleasant name.
"Ah Fei, holy crap, who would come up with this name? Are they sick?" For the first time, Consort Luo Mingshu felt like she was standing at the very top of the name hierarchy.
She laughed until she was breathless. After calming down, she remembered that there were still two explorers who had not yet surfaced, so she asked, "Besides the concubine, are there any other important figures?"
“There’s a skilled imperial physician and a bodyguard,” the maidservant quickly replied.
Goodness, all the characters that often appear in palace intrigue novels are here, and it looks quite convincing.
Luo Mingshu finally understood. There wasn't a single normal person here, so coming up with a proper name for the spiritual network was crucial.
She roughly understood that the cool imperial physician and Consort Ya were together, and Guard Bao and Consort Neng were also in a team. Everyone else was a combination of consorts and other professions, but she and Consort Gao were somewhat passive, as both of them were consorts and it was difficult for them to find out outside information.
Luo Mingshu stroked her chin and began to analyze the situation, but the direction of this exploration scene was far beyond her expectations.
Just as she was pondering whether the cool imperial physician was more likely to obtain the poison, or whether the guard Bao had an advantage in seducing the empress, a maid suddenly presented her with a smooth jade pendant: "Your Highness, it's time for your daily connection to the palace network."
Luo Mingshu took the jade pendant with trembling hands. She thought to herself, "No way." The jade pendant lit up, and sure enough, an interface resembling a square water mirror appeared on it.
Without a doubt, she is the most powerful user of the Spirit Network. The appearance of something like the Palace Network in Yingtian Prefecture is definitely due to her influence.
Luo Mingshu felt like she had been seen through, but her hands still skillfully opened the palace website and began her surfing journey.
The so-called mysterious exploration in the Misty Star Sea was nothing more than going online in a different place—that was all there was to Luo Mingshu.
Someone logged onto the official website before her and posted a new message there.
[Consort Neng: Is this the trial in the Misty Star Sea? How could this be? I just saw a beautiful girl outside the Yingtian Palace during the day setting up ten cannons to bombard the emperor, but she didn't die! How terrifying! We are cultivators, how did we end up here as concubines engaging in palace intrigue? And besides, I'm a man!]
[Guard Bao: Now you're getting your comeuppance for secretly reading so many ancient palace intrigue novels sold at street stalls.]
Aside from her anonymous teammate, Luo Mingshu temporarily listed Consort Neng as her second greatest enemy. It turned out that this detestable palace intrigue was because of him!
[Guard Bao: But this is strange, why is our mission to kill the emperor?]
At this moment, in the Imperial Hospital outside the palace, Shui Qingnian clenched the jade token in her hand... Her cold, vertical pupils narrowed slightly.
She... was seen through. The Misty Star Sea had actually peered into her deepest desires and clearly projected them into the scenario mission.
Shui Qingnian watched the constantly scrolling information on the jade tablet and observed her opponents' movements. She was extremely serious; among the six, she was the only one who was ambitious and wanted to complete the trial seriously.
However, she soon received a message.
[Ah Fei: QAQ!!! Cool Imperial Physician, are you my teammate?]
[Ah Fei: My name is so ugly, I don't want to post on the palace website anymore. Could you please ask if anyone has seen a jade bracelet? I've lost something.]
Yes, not long ago, Lu Yaoyao discovered that the system that had been with her was missing, the jade bracelet had fallen to an unknown place, and even the voice that had been ringing in her mind was no longer responding to her.
Shui Qingnian: "..." What kind of teammate am I? Does "Cool Imperial Physician" sound better?
[Cool Doctor: Find it yourself.]
[Ah Fei: You're so fierce QWQ!]
While they were secretly chatting privately, Luo Mingshu had already returned to her old ways on the palace website, displaying her argumentative nature.
[Consort Mei: Just you wait, I will definitely kill the emperor, and I will marry the empress. What do you have to compete with me?]
Sure enough, shortly after she spoke, another person quickly appeared.
[Gao Fei: It's me.]
Upon seeing him, Luo Mingshu was reminded of the days when she fought against the anonymous cultivator. As a result, the two of them started hurling insults at each other on the palace website as usual, leaving the other two completely baffled.
These two concubines...aren't they a couple?!
It was the quick-thinking guard Bao who immediately posted a new message on the palace website. She was already planning to eliminate her rivals, and this propaganda war was the first step.
[Guard Bao: Shocking! Consort Mei and Consort Gao are at odds, exchanging insults on the palace website late at night. How can the concubines in the harem be so disunited? How can they act like this? Should they be expelled from Yingtian Palace?!]
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