With just one look, Yuan Qingzhi recoiled as if she’d seen a ghost, quickly averting her gaze.

“H-Head Priest.” Her voice stammered, her mind reeling.

Damn it! How did she run right into the final boss!

This is bloody wrong! Yesterday she was thinking about staying far away from Yu Mengjing, how did she end up delivering herself to his doorstep today!

“A new Priestess candidate?”

Fortunately, the Head Priest seemed relatively calm at the moment, his tone revealing neither pleasure nor anger. “This is the sealed Forbidden Hall. Guards patrol every hour, and few people usually come here. How did you wander over this way?”

“I, I’m not sure either,” Yuan Qingzhi mumbled. “Someone gave me directions just now…”

Halfway through, she suddenly stopped.

Wait, the Priest who gave her directions earlier was suspicious!

The Old Sacrificer who presided over the purification ceremony two days ago had already hinted that the Head Priest, despite his seemingly revered status in the divine palace, was actually under confinement.

The Priestesses had repeatedly warned the candidates, emphasizing again and again that they absolutely must not approach the Forbidden Hall where the Head Priest resided.

If caught, the consequence was being thrown into the Holy Spring to feed the fish.

Unless someone intentionally wanted to harm her.

Yuan Qingzhi was furious internally, unable to understand how, despite acting humby and cautiously these past two days, she had managed to offend these clergy members.

She could only brace herself and say, “I did not intend to disturb you, Lord. I shall take my leave now.”

“—Hold on.”

The voice from high above suddenly drew near, bringing with it an indescribably rich fragrance.

The corner of her eye, illuminated by candlelight, was abruptly filled by a section of crimson robe.

“Am I mistaken? Why do you seem to be… avoiding me?”

Icy breath ghosted across her forehead, carrying the distinct flirtatiousness of a young man.

If there were a heart rate monitor, Yuan Qingzhi suspected hers would definitely be soaring past one seventy.

She used almost all her strength to keep from taking a step back, forcing out dryly, “You jest, Lord.”

The Head Priest didn’t say whether he believed her or not, instead changing the subject. “Am I some kind of monster? Why don’t you look up at me?”

Yuan Qingzhi: “…Because your face is a gift from the Qing God, mortals must not gaze upon it.”

Thank you, Old Sacrificer, for that explanation earlier.

She swore her brain hadn’t worked this fast even during her college entrance exams.

“Is that so.” The Head Priest remained noncommittal.

But clearly, this most troublesome boss in Night Journey Chronicles was not someone who played by the rules.

Just when Yuan Qingzhi thought she had bluffed her way through and was about to take her leave, a cold hand suddenly reached out.

It landed precisely on her jawbone, which was tucked in timidly like a quail’s.

The touch was gentle, yet carried an undeniable force.

Before Yuan Qingzhi could even exhale, she was forced to tilt her chin upwards.

Clang— The palace lantern held tightly in her hand crashed to the ground. The silk caught a spark and instantly burst into flame.

The thousands of flickering candles on the Forbidden Hall floor, along with the burning flames, illuminated the dim light here.

By the firelight, Yuan Qingzhi saw a treacherous yet beautiful picture.

The young Head Priest wore a dark gold mask covering most of his face, revealing only a sharply defined jawline and lips that were almost too thin.

He hadn’t expected Yuan Qingzhi to be unable to even hold a lantern steady; his handsome brow furrowed slightly in displeasure.

But even so, it did nothing to diminish his natural, almost invasively aggressive beauty.

The tense atmosphere caused by the fire lasted only a moment.

Soon, the Head Priest moved nonchalantly, glossing over the incident.

Thousands of red ribbons billowed in the wind.

The teenager revealed a lazy yet universally effective, bewitching smile.

Then, pinching her chin rather disdainfully, he pressed his voice into her lips.

“Since you’re here, take me out.”

His tone was matter-of-fact, entirely without inquiry, even carrying an air of bossy arrogance.

The moment he finished speaking, something flashed through Yuan Qingzhi’s mind like lightning.

Within the vast Forbidden Hall, it was so quiet only the sound of burning candles could be heard.

Having received no reply for a long time, the disdainful Yu Mengjing couldn’t help but glance sideways.

He shifted his gaze slightly, deigning to look at her face, then looked away again uninterestedly.

An utterly unremarkable face, boring to the extreme.

If he hadn’t rashly gone to the Holy Spring last time to check the sealing status of the Night-Red Shrine, leading to increased patrols around the Forbidden Hall afterwards, Yu Mengjing wouldn’t have needed to send out a completely bewitched hidden contact to use a borrowed knife outside.

Fortunately for him, his luck was quite good.

The hidden contact had just left the Forbidden Hall when they saw a noble young lady who hadn’t yet grasped the current situation in the divine palace.

Not only was she acting furtively, but she was also wearing ill-fitting Priestess clothes.

Falling into the sight of a professional troublemaker like Yu Mengjing, it was obvious something was fishy.

However, this time, his calculations were doomed to fail.

“The Sacrificer Lord said the Head Priest should recuperate in the Forbidden Hall and must not go out casually.”

The girl, who should have been obedient, suddenly broke free from his fingers, tucking her chin back against her chest like a quail, her voice trembling. “If there is nothing else, this servant won’t impose further and will take leave now.”

After saying this, Yuan Qingzhi, barely keeping her expression together, turned and left without further delay.

The moment she realized she had stumbled into the Head Priest’s hall, she knew things were bad.

She hadn’t been idle these past two days while aiming for the fifty million offered by the Si Tian Jian; on the contrary, she’d been busy as a bee, working non-stop.

Besides inquiring about Yuan Xiangming’s whereabouts, she had also done quite a bit of probing, gathering information on why Yu Mengjing, the final boss, had appeared early in the first act.

It had truly been thankless work.

Normally, these clergy members at the Holy Spring Divine Palace acted somewhat human, at least capable of normal conversation.

But the moment Yu Mengjing was mentioned, they became like different people, instantly turning dark, twisted, and manic, accusing her of coveting the Head Priest or saying she wasn’t even worthy to carry his shoes, completely impossible to communicate with.

Relying on the power of money provided by Xie Niyun, Yuan Qingzhi arduously paved her way and finally managed to gather some intel.

It was said the current Head Priest was the best vessel for the Qing God’s descent, possessing residual gifts from the Qing God.

To prevent these powers from accidentally harming others, he had to be sealed with a special golden mask, and his true face must not be looked upon directly.

Furthermore, due to the noble status of the divine vessel, the entire divine palace protected him like the apple of their eye, catering to his every need.

In earlier years, even the old emperor residing in the palace at the foot of the mountain had to frequently come up to pay respects.

His life couldn’t be more comfortable; the only explicit restriction was not going out casually.

But the problem was, others might not know, but how could Yuan Qingzhi not know?

What divine vessel? This was Yu Mengjing himself!

The genuine article, no deception!

He’d put on a disguise, opened a side account, and personally entered the fray to stir up trouble and spread warmth (in a sarcastic tone).

If Yu Mengjing hadn’t suggested she take him out, Yuan Qingzhi might have still considered everything that happened today an accident.

But since he did say it, it meant… the one who led her to the Forbidden Hall was absolutely this damn dog!

Not only did he lure her here, he wanted to order her around? Does this guy have no shame?!

Did he think she watched Night Journey Chronicles for nothing, huh?!

In the first volume, so many unlucky saps were toyed with by him; losing family fortunes was a minor matter, many more had long since become piles of white bones.

At this moment, it felt as if those predecessors were shouting at her across time and space: —Run!

Thinking this, Yuan Qingzhi’s steps grew faster and faster, eventually breaking into a near run, as if something unlucky was chasing her.

LMAO, this wave is called the opera character and the performer overlapping.

Yu Mengjing, who had never expected to be flatly refused: ?

The teenager stood rooted to the spot.

His bare feet, adorned with golden anklets, stood firmly on the trailing red robe, the tips of his toes crushing fallen wax drippings.

His face was tinged with a rare speck of astonishment.

His usually invincible ability having met defeat, Yu Mengjing couldn’t help but question life a little.

He knew his bewitching ability like the back of his hand.

As a demon born from human desires, charm was innate.

Anyone who saw his true face, with just one glance, would fall into a deep abyss of mad love.

The more desires, the more inner filth a person had, the easier they were swallowed by their own inner darkness, willing to dig out their heart, hammer out their marrow, and offer him everything.

Even though the current situation wasn’t like before—all eight seals on the Night-Red Shrine were intact, and the golden mask blocked the view, preventing anyone from seeing his full face…

But as desire itself, with his abilities, dealing with a mere noble young lady should have been an easy catch.

Yu Mengjing had never even considered the possibility of failure.

“Could it be that she has someone in her heart, unwavering in her devotion?”

No longer looking at the retreating figure who nearly tripped over her overly long hem while running, the teenager casually pulled over a dangling red ribbon and meticulously wiped the fingers that had touched another person moments ago.

Logically speaking, only an extremely small number of people could resist his ability to some extent.

For example, the Commander of the Palace Guards recently transferred to duty at the divine palace.

Although Yu Mengjing hadn’t made a move himself, he had sent people to lurk near him frequently these past few days to gather information.

He eventually learned that Shi Honghua had a mutually beloved woman before entering the palace, and coupled with his strong willpower, he was able to maintain his sanity.

If one’s heart belonged to another, deeply in love, then indeed they might remain unmoved by his charm.

Furthermore, Shi Honghua did indeed possess great destiny and was constantly making moves in private, which seemed normal.

But the young lady just now—her six roots were impure, turbid and filthy.

Yu Mengjing could clearly feel the chaotic, foul scent of desire on her.

Such a person should have been the most likely to succumb.

“Ha… somewhat interesting.”

Although his plans were proceeding steadily, life was too boring, and entertainment was hard to find.

Having encountered such an interesting event, of course, he had to play it to the fullest.

After wiping his fingers, Yu Mengjing tossed the red ribbon aside and pulled the golden bell hanging from the dome.

He spoke lazily, “Someone’s here. Someone trespassed into the Forbidden Hall.”

The clear, ethereal bell tone echoed in the empty Forbidden Hall.

Along with it, the clamor of footsteps grew louder and clearer from the corridor outside.

Yuan Qingzhi, who had just rushed into the corridor and was currently struggling to run in the dark, nearly cursed out loud.

Because the palace lantern had fallen and burned out, her night blindness forced her to proceed in darkness, stumbling along, nearly falling head over heels several times, only managing to persist through sheer willpower and sense of direction.

Yet this scoundrel Yu Mengjing had no martial ethics!

Calling for backup was one thing, but then he made a false counter-accusation!!!

“Who are you?! How did you end up in the Forbidden Hall?”

“Where did this outsider come from, so ignorant of the rules!”

Soon, Yu Mengjing saw the scene he desired.

The saber-wielding guards stationed outside the Forbidden Hall and those bewitched Priestesses and Priests, who loitered around the perimeter whenever they had nothing better to do, rushed in together.

Caught in their midst was a dejected girl with dead fish eyes.

Yuan Qingzhi, dragged back like a chick: …I hate this.

“Head Priest! This candidate actually dared to disturb you… Wait, she doesn’t seem to be a candidate.”

Soon, a sharp-eyed Priest noticed her ill-fitting clothes.

After summoning several Priestesses and asking, they confirmed this face wasn’t among the candidate ranks, causing another immediate commotion.

“Who exactly is she? Investigate quickly!”

“Daring to offend His Lordship! Unforgivable, she must be tortured!”

“Don’t worry about that for now, first find out her origins! If she’s one of the rebels, death by a thousand cuts wouldn’t be excessive!”

Yuan Qingzhi’s hands were bound, forced to kneel on the ground.

Dozens of people surrounded her, chattering noisily.

Someone pulled her hand, someone tugged her sleeve.

Coupled with the dimness of the hall and the cold draft blowing out many candles, her vision blurred into indistinct blobs, making it impossible to see clearly.

“Lord!” After about thirty seconds, a Priestess abruptly looked up. “Found it! This is something she was carrying!”

Yuan Qingzhi startled, subconsciously tightening her grip on the Exquisite Dice, only realizing belatedly that people within the play couldn’t see her awakening item.

“What is it?”

“Unclear, seems to be a jade pendant?”

“Jade pendant?”

The Head Priest raised his hand slightly, taking the jade pendant found on her, examining it nonchalantly.

“Lord Shi, you’ve arrived! The culprit has been caught, right ahead…”

Just then, Yuan Xiangming, having received news that someone had broken into the Forbidden Hall, arrived in a hurry.

The late-night wind was fierce, whipping up the hems of robes and, at the same time, illuminating his face, which changed color dramatically the moment he saw the jade pendant.

Then, he looked at Yuan Qingzhi. Recognizing her as the one who had strongly resisted among the noble ladies that day, a sense of helplessness appeared in his expression.

The Priests knelt in a circle on the ground, each holding a candlestick high.

Under the flickering firelight, Yu Mengjing’s gaze lightly swept over the character “师” (Shi) carved on the jade pendant, landing precisely on the Commander of the Palace Guards.

Through the gaps in the crowd, Yuan Qingzhi clearly saw him slowly reveal a sweet smile.

That smile was steeped in mire, brimming with pure malice.

“Is it really true love… Let me test it properly for you.”

As if finally finding a passable amusement in his long, boring existence, the teenager’s interest was instantly piqued, his mind filled entirely with—stirring things up!

It’s over. She thought miserably.

The jade pendant meant for the male and female leads to recognize each other had ultimately fallen into Yu Mengjing’s hands, just as the script dictated.