“Do you all know who the Virtuous Prince is?
It is said the Virtuous Prince was born beneath a blood moon, carrying a fearsome killing aura from birth. Back then, a wandering Daoist once prophesied that one day this child would slay the dragon and become the new ruler under heaven.
The old emperor died obsessed with alchemical elixirs, the young emperor is still a child. Floods ravage the south, locust plagues devastate the north, and the borders are consumed by slaughter and pillage.
The people have suffered under this world for too long. Martial artists of extraordinary skill have flocked to his cause, swearing to overthrow this rotten hollow dynasty.
To enter the game as an assassin and reshape heaven and earth, that is the Virtuous Prince.”
The storyteller on stage snapped his storybook shut, speaking with fiery passion, and the audience below applauded loudly in admiration.
Tang Li sat in a second floor corner, spitting out sunflower seed shells.
“So he’s rebelling, then he’s rebelling, why dress it up with so many excuses? They’ve practically written him a full biography already.”
“Host, you’ve rested for three days. Aren’t you going to complete the mission?”
Three days ago, Tang Li had repaid the hundred taels she owed the system, and the plot repair had reached one hundred percent. She had thought she could peacefully run a little food stall and enjoy a leisurely ancient vacation.
Who would have guessed this broken food system would issue another mandatory task, conquer the original novel’s villain Wen Shuyu and raise his favorability to one hundred.
Tang Li naturally refused.
Why struggle when lying flat was an option? She was pursuing a food and wellness lifestyle.
The system immediately produced a mountain of tyrannical contracts taller than a person. There were so many words they made her dizzy, but she saw the final line clearly.
Failure to complete the mission would result in immediate erasure of the host and her family.
Signed in unmistakable characters.
Tang Li.
“Fine, I agree.”
Once again, Tang Li bowed to survival.
As for why she had spent three straight days camping in the teahouse, naturally it was in the noble name of completing the mission, and absolutely had nothing to do with Manxiang Tower’s milk tea, white as snow, fragrant beyond belief, and unbelievably delicious.
“You don’t understand.”
Tang Li lifted a finger solemnly.
“With men, you have to lure them. You can’t just keep taking the initiative.”
“…?”
Lure him where? She had not even seen the target.
The system flooded the screen with question marks in outrage.
“Besides, if I want him to fall in love with me, I need a strategy.”
More question marks.
“Love must be proven through action. Love what he loves, worry over what he worries about. According to the original timeline, he should be troubled right now by the Virtuous Prince’s assassins. If I solve this for him, he’ll definitely fall in love with me.”
The system fell silent, seemingly considering the feasibility.
The more Tang Li thought about it, the more brilliant it sounded.
“Teacher System, help me locate the Virtuous Prince. Let this golden finger save my little life one more step.”
“…”
Invincible Gambling House.
The hall blazed with light, heavy with the metallic smell of copper coins. The central gambling table was surrounded by people, greedy eyes locked on the rolling dice clattering in their bowl.
In the original novel, the Virtuous Prince’s remaining followers were barely mentioned. The entire story was about the male and female leads falling in love.
So the system could only vaguely locate this place. When Tang Li asked for the assassins’ names and appearances, it merely warned that the plot was deviating and needed correction.
Well, a food and romance system handling political intrigue was indeed pushing its limits.
At least it had narrowed the scope.
As for identifying the Virtuous Prince, she would have to figure that out herself.
Tang Li circled the gambling house first, studying the terrain.
There were two floors.
The first housed ordinary gamblers.
The second floor, accessible only to nobles with special tokens, was closed to common guests.
Clearly, the chances of finding assassins upstairs were much higher.
After all, commoners could hardly build a rebellion. Power struggles had always been games for nobles.
A group of dancers with flying buns and red gauze skirts passed through the corridor, carrying silver wine ewers.
Tang Li’s eyes lit up.
She had found a way upstairs.
Not long after, she emerged from behind a screen, adjusting her skirt.
“Teacher System, how long will this sleeping powder last?”
“Half an hour at most. Hurry!”
Tang Li nodded. Taking up a silver wine pot, she headed toward the staircase.
The servants guarding it only looked her over briefly before letting her pass.
On the second floor stood an even larger gambling table.
Four seats marked the four directions, carved with Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise.
The Vermilion Bird seat was empty.
The other three players were deeply engrossed.
The winners shouted to raise the stakes, the losers clutched their heads in frustration.
“You there, what are you standing around for? Pour me wine!”
The man seated at Azure Dragon barked.
Tang Li responded sweetly, slipping into her dancer role as she poured for each of them while quietly observing.
The Azure Dragon man looked like a rough martial figure, broad and muscular, with a heavy sword on his back.
He was winning the most.
After draining a cup, he rolled up his sleeves and shoved forward another pile of chips.
On his arm, Tang Li noticed dark blue-black tattoos, intricate and eerie.
This one looked highly skilled.
Possibly an assassin.
“Qingjiang Jiao, luck favors you today.”
An effeminate voice sounded.
The white robed scholar seated at White Tiger raised a folding fan over his face.
“And you still dare follow?” Qingjiang Jiao laughed.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
The man called Bai Shan let out a sinister laugh and pushed in more chips.
Tang Li sharply noticed the fan’s edge glinted coldly.
Hidden weapons.
A classic assassin trait.
“Amitabha, this monk shall fold…”
At Black Tortoise sat a high monk in cassock and prayer beads, palm raised in blessing, compassion on his face.
But his other hand gripped his gambling chips tightly.
Clearly he was the constant loser.
“Master Miaoshan, how boring. Does Wanshan Temple lack silver?” Bai Shan mocked sharply.
“Amitabha…”
“Help me! Help me!”
A ragged little boy suddenly scrambled onto the table.
“It’s coming to bite me! It followed my scent!”
He clung to torn pant legs, screaming in terror.
“My apologies, honored guests.”
An old woman in purple gauze swayed over.
“My little brother fears dogs. He was bitten as a child and developed a madness. I’ve disturbed everyone’s enjoyment, tonight’s drinks are on me.”
Qingjiang Jiao ignored the disruption entirely and continued shaking dice with bloodshot fervor.
Bai Shan covered his nose in disgust at the child’s smell.
Only Miaoshan looked shaken.
As though some hidden sin had been dragged into daylight.
Cold sweat drenched him.
His fingers trembled around his prayer beads.
“Amitabha, there are matters at the temple…”
“Even if your temple is burning, you’re not leaving,” Bai Shan sneered. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re pretending.”
“Save me! She’ll kill me!”
The child clutched at Miaoshan’s robe.
Miaoshan hurriedly tore free his sleeve, muttering prayers.
This time Tang Li clearly saw bloodstains beneath his cassock and skulls carved into his prayer beads.
No true compassionate monk.
Very likely a false monk assassin.
The purple-clad old woman strode over, yanked the boy down, threw him to the floor, then kicked him viciously while smiling apologetically at the guests.
Then she dragged him off like livestock.
When she reached Tang Li, she suddenly stopped.
Her yellowed cloudy eyes narrowed.
“You… are not one of our dancers. Who are you?”
Step by step she advanced.
Damn!
She had been exposed.
If discovered now, not only might she die, she could also alert the assassins.
Tang Li forced herself calm, though her heartbeat thundered.
She could almost hear sweat dripping to the floor.
Fine!
If it came to mutual destruction, so be it.
She hid her hand behind her back, gripping the remaining half packet of sleeping powder.
One step! Two!
The old woman’s grotesque face drew nearer.
If she came one step closer, Tang Li would throw it straight in her face.
“Proprietress, that’s hardly fair.”
A young man in black suddenly appeared, half his face covered by a ghost mask.
With agile ease, he stepped between them and shielded Tang Li.
“How can you make my Mu Niang pour wine for other guests?”
His cool voice carried reckless ease and arrogance.
And strangely…
It sounded familiar. He idly twirled a golden token by its cord.
His exposed lips curved in a faint smile, though his eyes were cold as ice.
Tang Li noticed his token differed from the others.
The three gamblers all carried pale silver tokens.
His rank was clearly much higher.
She also noticed faint calluses on his long fingers and the subtle scent of blood on him.
Not a decadent young noble.
More like an evil ghost crawling out of hell.
Could he be the Virtuous Prince’s assassin?
But why would he help me?
“Teacher System, who exactly is he?”
For a moment the system seemed to crash.
Then came a shocking answer.
“He is… Wen Shuyu.”
Who?
Why was the conquest target here?