So, is Yu Mengjing trying to seduce her?

Despite the outrageous nature of this conjecture, Yuan Qingzhi couldn’t find a better explanation for his bizarre behavior at this stage.

Once her train of thought was diverted, the blazing anger from being forcefully dragged into the bath pool also subsided.

Nearby, Yu Mengjing continued to act up.

His attitude was dismissive as he started putting on airs. “Trespassing into the Forbidden Hall without orders. Go receive your punishment yourself.”

“…Yes, Head Priest.”

When Yuan Qingzhi reacted, Yuan Xiangming bowed his head and exited the Forbidden Hall.

The Forbidden Hall was dim; she couldn’t see his expression, let alone know if her Senior Brother remembered anything or had misunderstood.

“What are you looking at?”

Only when the hand loosely circling her waist suddenly tightened did Yuan Qingzhi realize that the teenager’s dark red eyes had not left her face for a second.

She looked up just in time to catch the faint, bewitching smile on his lips.

Yuan Qingzhi’s heart skipped a beat: It’s over, I guessed right.

You had to know that this dog, Yu Mengjing, had always been supremely arrogant.

From his first appearance at the Holy Spring, she noticed his gaze never lingered on anyone else’s face.

He didn’t even properly look at the innocent noble young lady who was bewitched and lost her life.

Perhaps only when watching the Holy Spring dissolve the flesh and blood did he show a pleased expression.

In Yu Mengjing’s mind, he believed he was the most attractive person in the world, viewing everyone else as an ugly freak.

Only when he aimed to achieve a specific goal, and when he was genuinely malicious, would he adopt a gaze that seemed solely focused on you.

To put it delicately, it’s referred to as a deep, affectionate gaze; to be blunt, it’s simply hypocrisy.

However, with Yu Mengjing’s abilities ineffective against her and his unpleasant personality, there was no way he could be her type.

Where did he find the confidence to think he could seduce her?

“Why aren’t you talking?”

Yu Mengjing closely watched her gaze toward Shi Honghua, asking with keen interest.

The teenager’s eyes held scrutiny, not missing the slightest micro-expression.

Who knows what he thought of, but he curved his lips.

“What, finally fallen for me?”

Yuan Qingzhi felt complicated.

She sized him up with the look one gives a crazy person, then slowly steadied herself and swam towards the side of the pool.

Fortunately, Yu Mengjing, having achieved his goal and basking smugly in his beauty, didn’t stop her.

Someone who can mass-produce crazy people must also be crazy.

Thinking this, Yuan Qingzhi felt stifled, like she had overlooked something.

“Where are you going?”

Yu Mengjing felt inexplicably alarmed by her gaze. He sensed things slipping out of control, and his smile faded.

“Replying to Your Lordship. Going to change clothes, then continue working.”

“Eh? No, you must stay here.”

The teenager dragged out his voice, dissatisfied. “Someone will bring clothes in.”

Before setting the trap, he had imagined many reactions: panic upon suddenly seeing her lover during an intimate moment, desperate attempts to explain, even finally succumbing to his bewitchment…

Yet the girl before him chose none of these.

She seemed only symbolically shocked for a moment, and then nothing.

It felt like punching cotton.

Yu Mengjing, accustomed to controlling people’s hearts, hated this feeling.

He reminded her considerately, “You wouldn’t want me to alert the people outside, would you?”

“…”

Hearing this, Yuan Qingzhi could only halt her steps.

She knew Yu Mengjing just didn’t want her to have contact with Yuan Xiangming.

But deep down, she feared the unpredictable divine and demonic methods described in the first volume of Night Journey Chronicles.

No matter how impatient, she didn’t dare defy him openly and could only put on a smiling face.

Forget it. In reality, it wasn’t like she willingly worked overtime for her boss either. No difference.

No matter what, the play must go on. Fifty million is waiting for her in reality. For money, what’s a little suffering for an office drone!

After psyching herself up, Yuan Qingzhi used the time to change clothes to make her brain work furiously.

Yu Mengjing didn’t mention the jade pendant, and she couldn’t bring it up either, so she could only let the misunderstanding persist.

That was a small matter; the most vexing issue now was how to connect with Yuan Xiangming.

Looking at the clothes she had changed out of, Yuan Qingzhi had a flash of inspiration, recalling the male lead’s true identity and purpose from the original script.

Since she couldn’t contact Yuan Xiangming, could she make him contact her?

So she groped in the dark, folding the cuffs a few times, seemingly inadvertently placing the wet garment on the very top.

Then she stood up and carried the basket of clothes to the door—there were two doors in the Forbidden Hall; she deliberately chose the one Yuan Xiangming had entered through.

Creak.

Seeing the door open and the wet clothes taken away, Yuan Qingzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She had just turned around when she nearly bumped into the mask, her hair standing on end.

“You’re so slow.”

Just because she was delayed for a moment, Yu Mengjing had approached again.

He leaned down, his long, wet hair draping over her shoulder, spreading a damp patch. The already dim room had the creepy vibe of a fierce ghost coming to claim her life, making one utterly afraid to look up.

Perhaps because he’d never had interpersonal relationships to speak of, he had absolutely no sense of personal space. This was even more true when he had seductive intentions.

Yuan Qingzhi didn’t know if he had noticed anything, but her primary goal was still to create distance.

However, just as she was about to say something, noisy commotion erupted from outside the hall, followed by the sound of a door being pushed open.

Hearing this, Yuan Qingzhi’s heart leaped into her throat.

Ah ah ah, was the little trick she pulled just now discovered? This fast?

Soon, the clamor ceased, and one sinister voice echoed within the hall.

“Lord, did that lowly candidate offend you? Why suddenly order clean clothes to be sent…”

The teenager interrupted impatiently before the question was finished, “What business is it of yours?”

Thanks to this Priest, Yu Mengjing’s attention was diverted entirely.

He straightened up, his face instantly turning cold. “Since when were you qualified to question me?”

The clergy member outside panicked at once.

“Apologies, Lord! That’s not what we meant!”

“Yes, Lord, we were worried you were offended!”

“Oh? Is that so?” Yu Mengjing smiled faintly. “Violating the divine palace rules. You know what needs to be done.”

The moment he finished speaking, with almost no hesitation, the muffled sound of a sharp weapon piercing flesh came from the deep darkness.

The voice that had intruded first became intermittent, interspersed with roars and heavy panting caused by him stabbing himself and others stabbing him.

After about four or five minutes, the sound of bleeding stopped, replaced by a thud hitting the floor.

“Lord, our deepest apologies. We will take our leave now.”

Footsteps approached, dragging the heavy corpse outwards.

This was quickly followed by hurried cleaning.

Soon, the hall door closed again, leaving the Forbidden Hall in empty silence.

Yuan Qingzhi, having heard the entire process, felt her scalp tingle.

In the first volume of Night Journey Chronicles, Yu Mengjing’s most heavily described aspect was his power of bewitchment.

Like the noble young lady, who had earlier gone mad immediately after seeing his true face.

And now, with just a light sentence, he held the power of life and death.

“What are you thinking about?” The teenager suddenly turned his head, his gaze accurately capturing her face.

No need to look; Yuan Qingzhi knew her face must be pale right now, no acting required.

“…Nothing.”

Who knows what Yu Mengjing was thinking, but after the interruption, he seemed to have completely lost interest in bathing.

After changing into a new set of robes, equally vibrant as blood, he crouched beside her, watching her light the lamps.

Lighting lamps was a tedious and boring task. He watched for a while and lost interest, talking ceaselessly instead.

“You saw that group of ugly freaks outside when you entered the Forbidden Hall just now, right?”

“They’re really annoying, you know? Always been bothering me for no reason, plus they’ve kept me trapped here for so long. And they always abuse me, forcing me to wear this mask—seriously, this mask is really ugly, eh? It completely covers my perfect face. What a waste of heaven’s gifts.”

Clearly, he was highly skilled at using his advantages.

While deliberately creating an ambiguous atmosphere, his whining tone was also used perfectly, instantly closing the distance, making one can’t help but feel sympathy.

The cold wind whistled as thousands of red ribbons billowed. The teenager crouched in the center, becoming more worked up as he spoke.

“There are guards stationed everywhere outside the Forbidden Hall, monitoring me constantly, step by step. It’s dead boring. But speaking of which, it’s almost time these days, didn’t expect to be interrupted by you today…”

If Yu Mengjing truly wanted to bewitch someone, even the gods and buddhas in heaven couldn’t help but be moved.

Unfortunately, Yuan Qingzhi let these sob stories go in one ear and out the other.

If it were anyone else, they would definitely feel deep sympathy. But she had read the script; she knew not a single word from Yu Mengjing’s mouth was true. He was loyal only to his own desires.

Besides, how did those Priestesses outside bully him? He tricked people like idiots, leading them around by the nose, and even picked an unlucky soul for sacrifice whenever he felt like it!

“Hey, are you listening to me?”

The teenager’s voice suddenly turned dangerous. “I’ve said so much, don’t you have any thoughts at all?”

What thoughts could I have? What an annoying man.

If it were an ordinary person trapped in the Forbidden Hall, Yuan Qingzhi would be willing to believe it, but for Yu Mengjing himself… could confinement restrict this living ancestor? Dream on!

“Y-yes, I’ve been listening carefully to Your Lordship.”

Although she felt rebellious on the inside, she still had to submit outwardly.

“Lord, it truly hasn’t been easy for you to live until today.”

Not being beaten to death is also a kind of strength.

“Right? Right?” Yu Mengjing completely missed her underlying meaning, instead picking up the conversation enthusiastically.

Next, Yuan Qingzhi was forced to listen to several versions of the tragic story of a “beautiful teenager bravely surviving imprisonment within an evil cult.”

She felt Yu Mengjing would have a great future if he switched careers to writing novels; after all, he could spin stories out of thin air and, ridiculously, even make them self-consistent.

At first, Yuan Qingzhi was endlessly annoyed; later, she managed to ignore him calmly.

Perhaps seeing her somewhat unresponsive attitude, the teenager suddenly produced something as if by magic.

“Oh right, your jade pendant is still with me.”

Yuan Qingzhi, who was nodding off, instantly perked up.

She quickly reached for it, but Yu Mengjing lazily lifted the string, retracting the pendant again.

“Lord, please return the jade pendant to me,” Yuan Qingzhi emphasized heavily, acting frantic. “This is something my master ordered me to deliver to someone else.”

“Hm?” Hearing this, Yu Mengjing narrowed his eyes slightly. “Is that so?”

“Yes! Eldest Miss came to the dungeon that day and specifically told me to get the pendant back, otherwise I’d be in deep trouble.”

The teenager glanced at her, didn’t say if he believed her or not, noncommittal.

Yuan Qingzhi decided to take the initiative. “So. When will Your Lordship be willing to return the pendant to me?”

“Depends on my mood.”

This dog!

Actually, Yuan Qingzhi didn’t particularly want the pendant back; she was just following Wu Wu’s character setting in the script.

Less trouble is better than more trouble. Basically, as long as Yu Mengjing stopped targeting her!

Who knows if her prayers worked, or if he realized Yuan Qingzhi wasn’t the pendant holder and acting up in front of her served no purpose for his amusement, but for the remainder of the time, he indeed settled down quite a bit.

Only when daylight broke did Yuan Qingzhi finally finish the required cleaning.

Amidst the glares and curses of two rows of Priestesses, she dragged her exhausted body away.

Upon returning to the candidate quarters, she immediately collapsed into sleep.

Meanwhile, the Forbidden Hall returned to its usual empty silence.

After the candidate left, Yu Mengjing resumed his state of utter boredom.

He nimbly flipped back onto the beam and started expressionlessly throwing small stones at the ever-burning lamps again.

Strange. Clearly an ordinary, unremarkable candidate, timid as a mouse. Even if temporarily thwarted due to the mask, if he truly wanted to, controlling her would be as easy as flipping his hand.

At times, she made him feel as if he were losing his grip on quicksand slipping through his fingers.

The lamp stands, just restored by Yuan Qingzhi, were once again knocked down by stones. Starting from who knows which one, the glazed covers shattered, oil spilled everywhere, igniting a spreading flame.

The teenager stared at the fire with disgust, then suddenly seemed to remember something and looked up towards the hall door outside.

Earlier, after Yuan Qingzhi entered the Forbidden Hall, the outside seemed to fall under a pause button, suppressed and silent.

The clergy members ceased their arguments, each gaze fixed gloomily on the towering, eerie Forbidden Hall.

“Lowly candidate, should have died to atone, yet she got the chance to approach His Lordship.”

“If she can’t even handle the small task of serving food…”

Not far away, Yuan Xiangming, who was on patrol, took all this in. He couldn’t help but press his fingers to his brow.

The people in the Holy Spring Divine Palace were truly too strange.

If this continued, could his grand plan of rebellion, painstakingly plotted to avenge his family’s deep-seated hatred, really succeed? And if it could, what about the heart he once had to abandon?

Thinking back to the scene he witnessed in the bath pool earlier, the feeling of his heart constricting was still vivid. That young lady’s face was clearly unfamiliar, yet she often gave him an astonishing sense of familiarity.

Finally, this bizarre atmosphere gradually subsided as dawn approached.

Guards persuaded the lingering clergy members to leave. Before long, tranquility returned outside the Forbidden Hall.

His mind unsettled, Yuan Xiangming patrolled back and forth.

Through the crowd, his gaze happened to sweep over the basket of wet clothes on the ground that hadn’t yet been dealt with. His eyes abruptly stopped.

Just then, the golden bell inside the divine hall rang again.

“Commander Shi!”

Yuan Xiangming didn’t have time to say much, so he quickly gave a meaningful look to his trusted subordinate.

Seeing the latter understand and step forward to collect the clothes, only then did he ascend the steps of the Forbidden Hall, his heart heavy with thought.

Twice he had set foot here in one night, but after experiencing the bath pool incident, his mood this time was completely different from the last.

He knelt halfway just inside the small gap of the pushed-open hall door, bowing his head. “Head Priest, what are your orders?”

A long moment passed with no response, only the chilly draft whistling mournfully.

At the edge of his vision, along with the red ribbons, appeared a section of reddish gold anklet.

Clang—

Something was thrown out from within the Forbidden Hall, rolling twice on the ground, landing precisely at Yuan Xiangming’s feet.

It was a plain white jade pendant, carved with the character “师” (Shi).

“Commander Shi, this is yours, isn’t it?” The teenager’s nonchalant voice floated down from above.

“…Replying to Your Lordship, it is indeed this servant’s possession.”

“Well then, that’s interesting.” The corner of a dark red robe swayed slightly, continuously applying pressure. “I obtained this jade pendant from a candidate. You should be aware, illicit relations are forbidden within the divine palace. Once discovered, it will be dealt with as the crime of disrupting the palace.”

The Holy Spring Divine Palace had extremely high requirements for its clergy, listing various crimes and corresponding punishments.

Unfortunately, after the new Head Priest took office, these rules became mere decorations; the only remaining method of disposal was being thrown into the Holy Spring to feed the fish.

“Please investigate clearly, Lord!”

Sure enough, hearing these words, Yuan Xiangming’s pupils abruptly contracted. “That jade pendant was given by this servant before entering the palace! As for why it was given… There is indeed a past connection.”

Based on his observations while guarding the divine palace these past few days, he knew better than anyone that lying before this mysterious, treacherous Head Priest who could perceive people’s hearts was meaningless.

Thus, weighing the pros and cons, he proactively confessed the past incident from years ago outside the palace—being injured, rescued, and unexpectedly pledging his life to another.

Only, describing it again after so many years, Yuan Xiangming felt as if those past memories were covered by a layer of glazed glass, lacking any sense of reality.

As if… he wasn’t describing his own personal experience at all.

“Oh, so there was such a past.” Yu Mengjing, already knowing everything, propped his face on his hand, suddenly bringing up an unrelated topic. “I recall the old emperor was planning to appoint you as the princess’s consort?”

“His Majesty did mention this matter some time ago, but this servant has already politely declined.” His train of thought abruptly interrupted, Yuan Xiangming frowned, then quickly smoothed his expression. “In this life, this servant only wishes to stay together with my beloved woman. I request that the Head Priest grant this wish.”

Alright. The fish is hooked.

Yu Mengjing, repeatedly thwarted by Yuan Qingzhi, finally regained the pleasure of fooling people.

“Aiya, aiya, what a poignant and moving love story. As Head Priest, this one is naturally willing to help lovers unite.”

The teenager curved his lips in satisfaction. “Although you didn’t see her face clearly during the recovery back then, the Commander and that kind young lady who treated your injuries share feelings stronger than gold, mutually in love. Since it’s true love, it’s impossible for you not to recognize each other, right?”

Yuan Xiangming hesitated for a moment, instinctively feeling something was wrong, but having no reason to refute, could only say, “Yes.”

“Good then. Later, you will follow me. If the destined lovers can recognize each other even without the token, then this one shall make the decision and fulfill the union of you two paired mandarin ducks.”

Hearing this, Yuan Xiangming bowed his head even lower.

After a long moment, he finally said, “Thank you, Lord, for your profound grace.”

---

“Wu Wu! Wake up!”

Having not slept all night, Yuan Qingzhi should have slept until the afternoon.

Unfortunately, she had only lain down for two hours before being woken by the Priestess doing room checks.

Thanks to Yu Mengjing, she had now become a thorn in the side of many clergy members, who tormented her whenever they got the chance.

Looks like I can only find another time to sleep.

Forcibly awakened, she sat up, rubbing her sleepy eyes, and folded her quilt.

Just then, the familiar sound of the yueqin came from far below the opera stage.

“Second act of the opera, begin—”

At this, Yuan Qingzhi became fully awake.

Night Journey Chronicles was different from other operas.

The operas collected within it usually only had three acts, mostly following the three-act structure of exposition, rising action, and climax.

Evil Omen was the same. Discounting the first two acts, the third climactic act was typically very short, possibly only a few hours or a single night, leaving very limited room for change.

Time was running out; she had to connect with Yuan Xiangming as soon as possible.

However, just as she stepped out of the candidate quarters, Yuan Qingzhi overheard some hurried clergy members whispering.

“The Head Priest suddenly went to the main hall? I heard he’s spot-checking the progress of the Ritual Master candidates learning the Prayer Dance.”

“How is it… are there any particularly outstanding candidates?”

“It’s unclear, but I believe the two sisters from the Xie family have a high probability.”

Yuan Qingzhi felt a sudden jolt.

Alright, alright! Didn’t expect that after entering the second act, the plot, which had gone off like a stampeding alpaca, could actually be pulled back on track.

She hurried towards the main hall.

Unexpectedly, the moment she stepped over the threshold, the teenager seated at the head, looking bored, glanced over.

Behind him, Yuan Xiangming stood with arms crossed, holding his sword, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

“I almost forgot, there’s still one fish that escaped the net who hasn’t demonstrated the Prayer Dance.”

Yuan Qingzhi, being singled out: ?