Since they had entered the second act, and Yu Mengjing had interfered, she still hadn’t managed to meet Yuan Xiangming, instantly increasing her sense of urgency.

So, on the way to the main hall, Yuan Qingzhi, who couldn’t stop feeling overwhelmingly sleepy, forced herself to wake up while walking, organizing the current plot progression in her mind.

The Xie sisters entered the palace to participate in the Ritual Master selection with ulterior motives.

Xie Shuyao wanted to meet Shi Honghua to confirm their relationship and seek answers; Xie Niyun aimed to create trouble.

In short, neither of them wanted to become the Ritual Master.

After all, according to Qing Nation rules, clergy members could choose whether to freely leave the palace and return to secular life every ten years. But the Head Priest and Ritual Master, who led the priests and priestesses respectively, were different—their positions were for life.

Once selected, they had to serve the Qing God for their entire existence, a life of lonely monastic devotion, observing ascetic practices, never allowed to step outside the divine palace for their whole lives.

This rule was crucial; it was a significant catalyst leading to the tragic Bad Ending (BE) for the male and female leads in Evil Omen.

In the original Evil Omen script, the female antagonist Xie Niyun, with the help of her lackey Wu Wu, successfully met with the male lead Shi Honghua.

Coincidentally, their moonlit meeting was witnessed by Xie Shuyao, leading to a misunderstanding.

Fortunately, Shi Honghua and Xie Shuyao were truly in love. Even with Xie Niyun’s interference, nothing could stop them from gradually drawing closer.

Just as the truth was about to come out, the newly awakened Yu Mengjing happened to obtain the love token jade pendant.

Sensing the unusual atmosphere among the three, purely for his entertainment, he directly ordered the Old Sacrificer to appoint Xie Shuyao as the Ritual Master.

Knowing she was about to become the Ritual Master, Xie Shuyao felt her life was hopeless.

In utter despair, she threw herself into the Holy Spring to commit suicide.

Meanwhile, Shi Honghua figured out the whole story but couldn’t undo it.

After avenging his family’s deep-seated hatred and overthrowing the Qing dynasty, he knelt beside the Holy Spring and killed himself to follow his love in death.

The entire story was a tragedy written large with “fateful mistakes”, causing countless opera fans throughout history to sigh in regret.

In the original script, there was also a segment where clergy members went to the main hall to check on the progress of learning the Prayer Dance.

The problem was that Yu Mengjing, who should only have appeared in the third act, had seemed early.

With this shit-stirrer involved in the plot point of checking the Prayer Dance, Yuan Qingzhi didn’t dare imagine how things could ultimately develop.

Her mind was filled with countless thoughts as she arrived at the main hall.

Yuan Qingzhi hadn’t anticipated her timing would be so off, arriving just as everyone else finished demonstrating. Consequently, she was naturally singled out by someone.

“Isn’t there still one person missing?”

Seeing her, the young Head Priest revealed a familiar, malicious smile beneath his mask. “Since all the other Ritual Master candidates have displayed their Prayer Dance, there’s no reason she shouldn’t, right?”

“The Head Priest is correct!”

“Yes, since it’s an inspection, all candidates should be inspected; otherwise, how can the Ritual Master be chosen?”

The moment he finished speaking, the surrounding clergy members, blinded by Yu Mengjing’s charm, immediately agreed, a hundred voices echoing the call.

Everyone in the hall, intentionally or unintentionally, looked towards the teenager, as if drawn to a magnetic pole impossible to look away from.

Yuan Qingzhi: “…”

Across the crowd, she saw Xie Shuyao frown worriedly, while irritation colored Xie Niyun’s brow.

The other Priestesses and Priests all wore expressions of schadenfreude, waiting to watch the joke unfold.

“Hasn’t she been punished these past few days, missing a lot of Prayer Dance training?”

“I bet she can’t even dance the first short segment. Might as well stand there obediently and accept punishment.”

The matter of Yuan Qingzhi being punished to work in the Forbidden Hall had already drawn many eyes.

This group of fanatical psychos didn’t see working all night as punishment at all, but rather as a reward—a chance to be alone with the Head Priest, fueling intense jealousy.

Stared at by so many people, Yuan Qingzhi, forced into the situation, could only walk to the space in the center of the main hall.

She took a deep breath and squeezed out a smile. “Then I can only humbly show my poor skills.”

With that, she flicked her water sleeves and began performing the Prayer Dance.

In truth, after watching the instructions twice, Yuan Qingzhi had memorized all the essential movements of the Prayer Dance. With her natural opera talent, she grasped it instantly.

However, to deceive others, she deliberately exaggerated or reduced the movements, greatly diminishing the aesthetic appeal.

But she couldn’t slack off too much; she had to finish the dance at least, otherwise who knew what excuse Yu Mengjing would use to punish her next.

While Yuan Qingzhi was trying hard to act, up at the head seat, the teenager propped his chin on his hand, displeasure gradually coloring his brow.

He saw through Yuan Qingzhi’s deliberate underperformance at a glance.

Just as he was about to speak, his peripheral vision caught Yuan Xiangming’s gaze, and he immediately changed the subject. “What is this candidate’s name?”

The old Priestess beside him hurriedly replied, “Replying to Your Lordship, this is the young lady of the Wu family, named Wu Wu.”

Seeing Yu Mengjing’s noncommittal expression, the old Priestess added embellishments, “This Wu Wu, her family background isn’t very prominent; her father is merely a minor official of the fifth or sixth rank. She only got to enter the palace for the selection by following Eldest Miss Xie around, working like a dog, running errands, and pleasing the Eldest Miss.”

Listening to these words, confusion appeared in Yuan Xiangming’s eyes.

For some reason, he instinctively felt the Priestess’s description didn’t match the Wu Wu candidate.

“What?” The teenager wearing the golden mask had an intriguing expression. “Has the Commander recognized his beloved?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Yuan Xiangming quickly denied it. “Lord, this matter is no child’s play. This servant fears… I still need some time.”

The Head Priest, using an excuse to come to the main hall today for a spot check, was a legitimate procedure approved by the Old Sacrificer, ostensibly to help matchmake Yuan Xiangming with the unknown noble lady.

But once he regained his senses, it wasn’t hard to detect the undisguised malice beneath the Head Priest’s seemingly magnanimous words.

There was only one chance. If he chose the wrong person, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Following behind the Head Priest, seemingly guarding him, Yuan Xiangming had been closely observing all the noble young ladies, trying to find the person who rescued him on that stormy night through their expressions, mannerisms, voice, and movements.

Unfortunately, when exchanging the love token back then, they had been careful to avoid suspicion and hadn’t left much information.

Consequently, Yuan Xiangming could rely only on vague impressions to select a few candidates.

Without further information, he couldn’t make a final decision.

And Miss Wu… she always gave him an unshakable sense of familiarity.

Furthermore, Yuan Xiangming couldn’t determine how she knew the rebel army’s contact code.

Thinking it over, it seemed necessary to meet her personally and talk.

Yuan Xiangming carefully chose his words. “Lord, if possible, I hope to speak with these few young ladies individually.”

Hearing this, Yu Mengjing smiled.

His eyes remained fixed on the main hall, but his voice was nonchalant. “Didn’t we discuss this before, Commander Shi? But to put it another way, since you and that young lady are truly in love, how could you not recognize each other?”

As if echoing him, a Priestess turned her head, her pitch-black eyes staring directly at Yuan Xiangming.

“Commander Shi seems to have misunderstood something. Helping you is an order from the Head Priest’s great mercy. An extreme penalty would be imposed upon discovery if palace guards and candidates were found entangled. I advise Your Excellency, the Commander, to quit while you’re ahead and not raise further objections, lest you anger His Lordship.”

“…Yes.” After a long pause, Yuan Xiangming averted his gaze.

He had been on duty in the divine palace for some time and had naturally noticed that some clergy members had pupils blacker and larger than normal people’s, sometimes encompassing the entire eye.

These individuals’ words were also more extreme than usual, and their actions were full of malice.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were having seizures.

In the Qing Nation, the divine palace was on par with, or even transcended, the imperial palace.

The divine palace must surely have been involved in the bloody vengeance, the clan massacre, back then.

Yuan Xiangming had tried every means to get transferred here from the imperial palace to understand the situation within the divine palace and clear obstacles for his upcoming revenge plan.

Naturally, he couldn’t afford further complications now.

Soon, in two days, all his backup plans would be deployed… At that time, these problems would all be easily resolved.

“However—” the teenager deliberately drew out his voice, having enjoyed Yuan Xiangming’s apprehensive expression enough, suddenly changing tack, “—if it’s just ordinary contact, it’s harmless. I’m also curious which noble young lady created such a beautiful story with the Commander.”

“Wait, Lord…” the old Priestess hurriedly interjected, “This does not comply with regulations.”

“Are you questioning me?” Yu Mengjing looked up, displeased.

For an instant, a sharp, treacherous, blood-red aura seemed to solidify around him, making one’s hair stand on end.

Yuan Xiangming was startled, his fingers already touching the cold hilt of his sword.

But only for an instant.

Soon, the teenager reverted to his usual innocent-looking appearance, even proactively lowering his stance, speaking in an exceedingly gentle tone, “It’s just the time it takes for a few incense sticks to burn. I won’t do anything. Right? Priestess.”

As she gazed at the golden mask, the old Priestess’s pupils momentarily became almost entirely engulfed by ink-blackness. A strange expression crossed her face—reminiscent of greed and craving, yet also hinting at a deeper malice stirring beneath the surface.

Ultimately, the sliver of white prevailed.

She gasped heavily, indicating assent through silence.

The conversation ended, and Yuan Qingzhi’s stumbling Prayer Dance also happened to conclude.

She gathered her water sleeves and walked to the side.

Xie Niyun gave two symbolic claps. “Passable. Didn’t embarrass me this time.”

“Right, that thing I told you to do yesterday, did you get it done or not…?”

Halfway through her sentence, Xie Niyun suddenly fell silent.

Yuan Qingzhi instinctively felt this wasn’t the Eldest Miss’s usual reaction. She sharply turned her head to look and saw someone dismissing the Priestesses and Priests with an excuse, then strolling over grandly with Yuan Xiangming.

“Lord—”

The Head Priest’s sudden arrival naturally caused a stir among the noble young ladies.

The teenager’s appearance that night had been too stunning, effortlessly capturing everyone’s attention.

According to Yuan Qingzhi’s secret observations, excluding the main and supporting male and female leads, any character without a significant role in the play seemed to acquire a stupidity halo upon seeing Yu Mengjing, becoming single-threaded thinking organisms.

Everyone naturally forgot the noble young lady who died tragically that night, unaware that beautiful things also contained potent poison and danger.

“Why would His Lordship suddenly come to the main hall?”

The noble ladies scrambled, chattering all at once.

“The Ritual Master selection is about to end; this one naturally needs to come and decide the candidate.”

“Then, do you have a favored candidate, Lord?”

“Well… that’s a secret.”

The teenager was accustomed to being the center of attention like this. A dismissive smile hung beneath his mask; even a casually tossed-off answer could make the other noble ladies blush excitedly.

Looking at it this way, Yu Mengjing seems like a pathogen. The longer the exposure, the higher the chance of lowered intelligence; continuous contact turns one into the pathogen’s slave, losing one’s mind.

Thinking this, Yuan Qingzhi almost chuckled at her wildly imaginative thoughts, accidentally letting her genuine emotions slip.

Unfortunately, some people don’t like seeing others too happy.

“Aiya, aiya, Miss Wu Wu.”

Instantly, all eyes in the hall focused on her.

The teenager produced a folding fan from somewhere, tapping it against his palm as he spoke lazily, “The Prayer Dance just now was rather unsightly. Come to the Forbidden Hall tonight for punishment; this one happens to need to supervise you personally.”

Yuan Qingzhi: “…?” Hold on, this familiar tone… are we supposed to be close?

Feeling the dagger-like gazes from all directions, Yuan Qingzhi, now the target of public criticism, mentally stuck pins into a little doll of Yu Mengjing over and over.

“Why is the Head Priest being so amiable to someone who offended him?”

“His Lordship is beautiful and kind-hearted, naturally, he wouldn’t stoop to her level.”

Meanwhile, the main culprit remained utterly oblivious, unfolding his fan and putting on a beaming face again as he plunged into the gaggle of noble ladies.

Yuan Qingzhi focused, eavesdropping for a bit, confirming the story he was peddling was the same “beautiful teenager bravely surviving imprisonment within an evil cult” tale he’d told her last night.

There were even a few inconsistencies compared to last night’s version; clearly, such basic errors shouldn’t occur, but the drama queen spinning the tale was too lazy, unwilling even to bother noting things down.

Yet, the noble young ladies completely bought it.

They had lived in secluded mansions, clad in brocade and eating jade, never wanting food or clothing.

Where would they have heard such a tragic story? They immediately shed tears.

“Heavens!”

“I never thought those Priestesses and Priests were like that!”

“It’s simply too outrageous!”

Forget the noble ladies; even the guards at the back of the main hall couldn’t help wiping their eyes upon hearing it.

Yuan Qingzhi: “…” Are the clergy just going to leave this menace here? Can someone come and manage him?!

If this weren’t inside the play, she’d take down these people’s names to sell them health supplements when they got old.

Just then, Yuan Xiangming, following behind Yu Mengjing, suddenly spoke up. “Young ladies, greetings.”

Hearing his voice, both Xie sisters instantly focused.

Yuan Qingzhi’s heart clenched.

Glancing around, she saw it was crowded and chaotic, not to mention that Yu Mengjing was standing nearby, perfectly positioned to hear and intervene.

She mentally raised her guard.

Just days ago, Yu Mengjing had deliberately kept Yuan Xiangming away; why was he suddenly doing the opposite today?

Something was fishy!

“Excuse my impudence, but which young lady accidentally lost this item?”

Before Yuan Qingzhi could even think it through, Yuan Xiangming concisely opened his palm.

Her eyes were sharp; she immediately recognized the extremely familiar jade pendant.

Seeing it, Xie Niyun quickly nudged her with an elbow and said, “That’s my jade pendant! I gave it to Wu Wu a couple of days ago to pass on for me. Didn’t expect her to lose it. Many thanks to Commander Shi for helping find it.”

Xie Shuyao, standing on the other side, suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with disbelief and uncertainty.

Seeing this, Yuan Qingzhi’s heart sank.

In the prequel plot of Evil Omen, Wu Wu is indeed entrusted by Xie Niyun to steal the love token from Xie Shuyao, which she exchanges with Shi Honghua.

Xie Shuyao, unable to find the token anywhere, didn’t overthink it, assuming it was lost.

But now, seeing the pendant appear in Yuan Xiangming’s hand, combined with Xie Niyun’s words, how could she not understand?

At least now, Yuan Qingzhi couldn’t ignore the questioning gaze coming from Xie Shuyao.

However, Xie Niyun had shifted the topic onto her, so she could only stammeringly respond, “Y-yes, this is indeed the jade pendant Eldest Miss Xie gave me. I didn’t expect that when I accidentally intruded into the Forbidden Hall that day, I dropped it in the panic and haven’t been able to find it since.”

“Is that so?” Yuan Xiangming stared intently at Yuan Qingzhi, then suddenly glanced sideways at Xie Niyun. “Eldest Miss Xie, could you please describe this jade pendant?”

Xie Niyun’s smug expression instantly froze.

She had zero interest in Shi Honghua, only wanting to snatch things from Xie Shuyao. How could she possibly have taken a proper look at the love token?

Just then, a calm voice sounded, “The character ‘Shi’ (师) is carved on it. A crack on the left side, and an indelible bloodstain soaked into the center.”

Sometime, somehow, Xie Shuyao had already composed her expression. She no longer looked at Yuan Qingzhi but directly at Yuan Xiangming, stubbornness filling her eyes.

Yuan Qingzhi: !!!

Even though that dog Yu Mengjing isn’t playing by the rules again, the famous scene of the male and female leads looking at each other and recognizing one another can still stubbornly appear!

Unbelievable.

Ultimately, it was Yuan Xiangming who conceded first, averting his gaze.

“I see, I understand now.” He glanced again at Yuan Qingzhi, who was currently daydreaming, then abruptly turned his palm over, putting away the pendant. “Since it cannot be determined which young lady it belongs to, I shall keep this item safe for now. Please forgive my impudence in disturbing you today, young ladies.”

The old Priestess standing guard immediately stepped forward to remind, “Head Priest, it is time to return to the hall.”

Having watched a good show, Yu Mengjing’s mood improved considerably. For once, he didn’t get angry at the urging words.

Before leaving, he didn’t forget to affectionately tap Yuan Qingzhi on the head with his folding fan. “Don’t be late tonight.”

Once again, Yuan Qingzhi is pierced by gazes: “…”

Watching the group depart, she mentally apologized to the female lead who had previously shown her kindness.

Having chosen this identity to enter the play, often one’s words couldn’t come from the heart, and one’s actions were beyond control.

However, looking on the bright side, if the female lead successfully recognized Yuan Xiangming, the result could only lead to the predetermined tragedy of Evil Omen.

If her intervention in the plot could manage to confuse Yu Mengjing’s attention, perhaps she could even save the female lead through a strange twist of fate.

Thinking this, Yuan Qingzhi turned to leave.

However, she hadn’t taken two steps before being stopped.

“Hey, you’re Wu Wu, right?” The noble young ladies who had gathered earlier all surrounded her.

“You look so ordinary, and you even offended His Lordship. I don’t know how you favored him.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

Yuan Qingzhi: “…” Hey, I can hear you!

The group leader sized her up, her tone condescending yet forcing a conversation. “Tonight, when you go to the Forbidden Hall, tell us.”

“Huh?” Yuan Qingzhi was confused. “Notify you of what?”

“To rescue the Head Priest, of course!”

Mentioning this, several noble ladies took handkerchiefs from their sleeves, dabbing gently at tears, not forgetting to lower their voices to avoid the Priestesses.

“His Lordship is truly too pitiful, constantly being bullied by those clergy members.”

“Yes, yes, always confined in the Forbidden Hall. Such a noble status, yet he needs the Old Sacrificer’s approval to step out.”

“That’s right, tonight we must rescue the Head Priest from dire straits!”

Yuan Qingzhi: Huh?

Listening to this group of noble ladies, she was dumbfounded. “Wait, you guys believe what the Head Priest said?”

Her words immediately drew a unanimous attack.

The noble ladies turned towards her in unison, their faces hostile.

“Otherwise?”

Yuan Qingzhi hesitated, wanting to say more. Taking a closer look, sure enough, a faint black fog already clouded the eyes of many noble ladies.

After the ‘guidance’ of the past few days and the lessons from the original script, she knew that once Yu Mengjing’s bewitchment took hold, no amount of persuasion would work; it was an irreversible process.

But then again, should she watch these girls jump into the fire pit?

She tried to hold back, really tried, but couldn’t resist adding one more sentence. “Sometimes you can’t judge people just by appearances. The more beautiful something is, the more poisonous it often is. One person’s side of the story is always full of holes. You should at least verify things before making a decision. Have you not considered the consequences of getting caught at all?”

These simple words completely ignited the noble ladies’ anger.

The leader stared at her coldly. “Wu Wu, we only thought you were somewhat clever since you usually follow Eldest Miss Xie, thus giving you this chance to atone for your crime by meritorious service. We didn’t expect you to be so ungrateful, even daring to slander the Head Priest! To think His Lordship pleaded for you back then, truly unappreciative of good intentions.”

“Exactly!” The other noble ladies chimed in supportively, united by shared hatred, rolling their eyes dramatically.

Watching their retreating backs, Yuan Qingzhi couldn’t help sighing.

She knew this would be the result.

Because of this matter, Yuan Qingzhi, for once, didn’t dawdle today, instead heading towards the Forbidden Hall early.

After finishing her duties, she started the stakeout again. Her legs were numb from crouching when she finally saw the large group of noble ladies approaching together in the distance.

Although bewitched by Yu Mengjing, the noble ladies knew they couldn’t be too conspicuous, acting rather furtively. Unfortunately, they had only taken a few steps near the Forbidden Hall, not even fully approaching, when a patrolling squad of guards caught them on the spot.

The guard captain’s face darkened. “What are you doing here?”

Because Yuan Qingzhi had tipped them off, no matter how glibly the noble ladies tried to explain, the guards turned a deaf ear, directly taking them all away.

Watching this, Yuan Qingzhi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Thankfully, she was clever enough to use this method to prevent a tragedy.

Otherwise, it was tough to say what would have happened next.

But strangely enough, the area around the Forbidden Hall was tranquil today, just like when she had accidentally stumbled in.

It was eerily silent, without a single person in sight.

Having resolved a significant issue, Yuan Qingzhi wearily pushed the heavy hall door open and slipped inside.

The strangeness wasn’t limited to outside the Forbidden Hall, but inside.

The previous two times she came, the moment she stepped inside, she was caught by a particularly annoying fellow.

But today, she had walked to the center of the main hall without seeing any sign of Yu Mengjing.

Only the flickering, burning lamps on the floor and the red ribbons hanging from the dome indicated that this was indeed the unapproachable forbidden ground within the divine palace.

“Strange, where is he… He clearly said something about punishing me just now.”

Yuan Qingzhi scanned the area. She didn’t see anyone in the bath pool, nor on the crossbeams.

The vast Forbidden Hall contained only her solitary figure.

Since no one was around, Yuan Qingzhi was happy to slack off.

She yawned, found a remote corner, folded a cloth strip twice, sat down, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

She didn’t know how long it had passed before a clamor of noises awakened her.

She rubbed her eyes, just about to lift the palace lantern, when she was frozen in shock by the scene before her, instinctively covering her mouth.

Sometimes, the red ribbons within the Forbidden Hall had caught fire, illuminating her vision.

More than a dozen clergy members in white robes clustered in the hall’s center.

Their expressions were fanatical, their hands gripping knives.

The candlelight reflected off the blades, illuminating the thick bloodstains upon them.

The beautiful teenager was being dismembered, piece by piece.

Through the gaps in the crowd, the head wearing the golden mask suddenly turned.

—Amidst the pervasive eerie red glow, “he” accurately spotted her, terrified in the deep darkness beyond, and suddenly smiled.