Crouched in the corner, Li Ruoshui rubbed her hands trying to warm herself up in this gloomy dungeon.
A damp, cold wind seeped in through the cracks in the walls.
It was March and the cold weather still lingered about, the warm season hasn’t arrived yet in the northern hemisphere. And the thin, goose-yellow dress she wore doesn’t help in this cold dungeon. As the cold air creeped in, the two silk ribbons tied at her waist drooped down from the dampness weighing them down.
Li Ruoshui looked at the other women in the dungeon and could only sigh softly.
At the very least, she could rub her hands and stomp her feet. The others around her had been drugged and were nearly immobile. They could only rest weakly against the damp, cold walls. In fact, many were already reduced to the point of pale, nearly blueish, faces.
“System, when will that male supporting lead arrive here?”
【Please be patient, Host.】
Li Ruoshui crouched in the corner, hands tucked into her sleeves. Her expression was desolate and her head was hung downwards like a homeless tramp by the roadside.
“If I had done something wrong, the law should’ve punished me, not make me suffer inside this book..TwT”
Li Ruoshui was here entirely because of the System.
It had sent Li Ruoshui into a detective romance novel called Game Of Cats And Mice. The mission given to her by the System was to figure out a Strategy to romance the gentle and devoted Male Supporting Character, Lu Zhiyao.
Now, to establish a connection between Li Ruoshui and Lu Zhiyao and increase the chances of success, the System made her transmigrate into one of the cannon fodder characters… the one who supposedly was kidnapped and was nearly human trafficked in the novel, but saved by the OG group.
The System had also sent the male supporting character a ‘Special Bounty’ soon after she found herself here, claiming that he was currently on his way to save her.
‘Claiming’ was the key word. An hour ago, the System said; He was almost here. Yet, it’s now telling her to wait patiently in this bloody cold prison.
“No, it’s too cold. If he doesn’t come soon, I’ll have to try and find a way out myself.”
As soon as those words left her mouth, the door at the dungeon entrance opened. The light that streamed in illuminated a small part of the dungeon, and a long shadow stretched in from the entrance.
It was a tall, stout mean-looking woman.
Following her were several men in black, carrying silk cloaks.
“Mama Yang, please slow down! Be careful not to fall.” They spoke in a fawning tone.
She walked slowly down the stairs. Her steps were careful and powerful, each one giving a sense of pressure as the sound echoed down the cold dungeon walls.
The dungeon door closed again with a ‘thud’. The men clad in black clothing with lit torches, the warm orange light dispelling some of the gloom and chill.
Her features were set into a harsh shape. With a menacing look in her eyes, she walked to the cell door, her gaze sweeping over them as if they were livestock. It felt like she was appraising their quality and estimating their price.
Li Ruoshui frowned slightly, and then saw Mama Yang’s gaze turn towards her. Her expression turned contemptuous and her tone impatient.
“So you’re the one who tried to run away yesterday and injured two of my people?”
???
Li Ruoshui was stunned for a moment. She had just arrived… could it have been the original owner of this body?
“You’re much too stubborn. We need to grind down that temper of yours, before sending you out.”
“W-whatt do you mean grind down!?” Li Ruoshui frantically calling for the System in her heart, but there’s no response.
You’ve got to be kidding me! Why’s the System silent?! Now, of all times!
Mama Yang took out a cloth package, revealing a row of silver needles that glinted ominously under the torch light.
“These won’t leave any wounds. Insert them into a person’s fingertips, and even the most stubborn ox would cow at my feet.”
Li Ruoshui took one look at the needles on display and her brows involuntarily twitched. She almost yelled out instinctively: Oxen only have hoofs, Where did the fingertips come from!?
“Wait wait wait! If I apologize, will you forgive me?”
A smart person knows when to bend and when to stand firm, when to advance and when to retreat. Especially situations like this. Who would want needles inserted on their bodies like that? Only a psycho would!
Mama Yang snorted derisively, pulling out one of the long needles, then looking at her: “What do you think?”
Mama Yang’s face leaned closer and Li Ruoshui helplessly pressed herself against the wall, the original middling comfort it gave now turning into an obstacle in her way.
“If there’s no chance for forgiveness, you don’t need to get this close…”
Mama Yang took her hand, saying slowly, “You’re a pretty girl, and you look clever. Why were you so foolish yesterday?”
As the silver needle touched Li Ruoshui’s fingertip, Mama Yang paused, and sighed.
“You need to be obedient when you serve your future masters. This set of needles belongs to your buyers. If you’re naughty again, you will experience the same ordeal you’re about to experience today.”
“Wait! Look. Someone broke in!!”
Li Ruoshui tried to distract the old woman and snatch her hand back but couldn’t break free of Mama Yang’s grasp. She could only stare intently at the dungeon entrance and pray for a miracle.
The men in black picked their ears indifferently. Mama Yang sighed, and pulled out another silver needle. The warm light reflecting off the needle flickered in her lifeless eyes.
“Trying to mess with me? One more needle then.”
Li Ruoshui’s eyes widened. She tried to pull her hand back again with force, but couldn’t match the woman’s strength.
“No no no! Please, I was just joking!”
She just wanted to lay low and survive… yet, it seemed like the world was forcing her to suffer. Is this the end?
At that same moment, when she thought that everything was over, the wooden door at the top of the dungeon opened with a loud creak. The light coming through the door immediately lit up the interior of the dungeon.
A figure cut through the light, and a wooden cane came tapping down the stairs.
Mama Yang and the others immediately stood up and turned around to face the entrance, frowning as they watched this new arrival.
The person entering from the doorway wore white robes, with hair long enough to reach his waist. He carried a long sword on his hip. His face is unclear with the light overshadowing behind him. As he slowly descended the stairs, he seemed to follow the sound of the crackling torches until he was not far from the cell door.
His eyes were closed in a manner that felt soft and a light smile graced his lips. His entire being felt like the lingering spring snow, pure and clear, yet without a trace of coldness that usually came with it.
“Someone gave me a special bounty today. I was curious, so I came down here to see.”
“So, tell me. Which of you is Li Ruoshui?”
【Mission target Lu Zhiyao has arrived. Please seize the opportunity, Host. The mission begins now.】
【Friendly reminder: The bounty missive he received contained a name. Please deliberate carefully.】
Hearing the prompt from the System, Li Ruoshui snapped her mouth shut before she could speak without thinking.
The original book stated that before meeting the male and female leads, Lu Zhiyao was the only one who knew his own name.
However, her forbidden knowledge came into place and she technically shouldn’t know his name. Sooo… they didn’t know each other at all, she reasoned. ‘Whatever happens, happens.’ Her future self will just deal with this later.
…
Did the System have some enmity with her in a past life or something? Why does it feel like it’s constantly putting her back against the wall with these scenarios?
Nobody responded to him. Strangely enough, Mama Yang and the others didn’t move either, just staring at him intently.
A woman leaning against the wall struggled for a few seconds to prop herself up before breaking the silence with a weak voice.
“I am.”
Li Ruoshui silently turned her head to look at the girl that spoke up.
Even if she was not the real Li Ruoshui, she would still fight for this sliver of chance to live. Was she going to do whatever it took to stay alive? It sure seemed like it. [1]
Lu Zhiyao raised an eyebrow and tapped his bamboo cane towards the cell.
Mama Yang watched him closely, but her steps were actually moving her backward. One of the men in black raised his sword and charged forward. However, before he could even swing the sword, he was sent flying onto the cell door, vomiting a large mouthful of blood upon crashing into it.
Li Ruoshui gasped, and became puzzled. Wasn’t he supposed to be the gentle type? Wasn’t this fighting style a bit too jarring?
Lu Zhiyao turned his head in the man’s direction, smiling pleasantly: “If I were you, I would stay quiet and not make a single move.”
He walked to where the young woman had spoken and crouched down. His white robes pooled on the ground, the firelight reflecting on them like a pure white cloud suffused with the essence of sunset.
“Are you Li Ruoshui?”
His voice was as warm as a clear spring, immediately easing much of the young woman’s tension.
“Yes.”
“Then do you know my surname?”
The young woman was tongue-tied. She only remembered the bounty part of what he said but had overlooked the word ‘special’ in front. She scolded herself for being too impulsive. Yet, with a gambler’s mentality, she decidedly ventured a guess. [2]
“Su.”
Li Ruoshui: …
Well, guessing that surname had some logic to it. After all, someone as attractive as he was probably wouldn’t have a common surname.
Lu Zhiyao lowered his head and chuckled softly, then stood up and faced the crowd.
“Interesting. She knows my name, yet you hide yourself away? You’ve just made things a little more interesting.”
The corners of his brows lifted slightly, raising a smile reminiscent of the purity of fresh snow.
“How about we play a game? Shall we find out who Li Ruoshui is?”
If you were to ignore that smile of his, his aura and words were more akin to a villain’s than that of the actual villains present.
Mama Yang glanced at the dungeon entrance and stiffly forced a smile onto her face.
“Young master, how do you wish to play this game?”
“I’m blind. I can’t see.” Lu Zhiyao smiled, the firelight glinting on his curved eyelashes like scattered flecks of gold. “How about this: whoever can prove they are Li Ruoshui, I will take them with me.”
Upon hearing this, the listless young women in the dungeon all suddenly perked up. They all started spouting all sorts of nonsense [3], and someone even started reciting the ‘Hundred Family Surnames’[4] from memory. Everyone was trying to guess his surname.
After all, it seemed like there was no harm in guessing. If they got it right, it meant a chance at life.
Only Li Ruoshui looked at him silently. Doubt bloomed in her heart as she studied him more.
Wasn’t Lu Zhiyao supposed to be the gentle, the devoted, and the kind male supporting character?
Why does he give her such a dangerous feeling?
Her intuition had always been acute; she had relied on it many times in the past to avoid disasters. She didn’t doubt her own feelings. There must be something wrong with Lu Zhiyao. However… in the book, he seemed so devoted and gentle…
“Found you.”
A figure suddenly crouched down in front of her—white robes, black hair, eyes gently closed, smiling as he “gazed” at her.
Li Ruoshui leaned back again, pressing herself tightly against the wall, inwardly lamenting her mistake.
She had been so lost in thought earlier that she forgot to yell out a couple of times like everyone else.
Lu Zhiyao leaned close to her. White jade prayer beads wrapped several times around his wrist clinked softly. The hanging tassels brushed against the back of Li Ruoshui’s hand, making her feel itchy there.
“What is my surname?”
His eyes were curved, his tone rising at the end, the anticipation in his voice nearly overflowing.
“Lu.”
Li Ruoshui relaxed her shoulders. Since she had to get to know him anyway, she might as well just say it.
Lu Zhiyao was silent for a moment, then laughed out loud, his features softening.
“In this world, only I know my name. How did you come to know it? Tell me, I’ve thought about it for a long time and I can’t figure it out.”
Li Ruoshui licked her lips, deliberating. How could she even explain? Truthfully, she hadn’t known either or why.
Nevertheless, her intuition told her that Lu Zhiyao merely wanted a sufficiently interesting reason, one that was interesting enough to pique his curiosity again.
“It’s a long story. How about you rescue us first, and then I’ll tell you.”
Lu Zhiyao stood up, the prayer beads at his wrist clinking.
“Then you’d better find an interesting reason soon. Heads roll very fast. If your reason isn’t interesting enough, your fate will be worse than theirs.”
He turned to face the crowd, drew the sword from his waist, and smiled.
“I’ll give her some time to make one up, so I’ll be a bit slower. Who wants to go first?”
Mama Yang gritted her teeth, exchanging glances with the men in black beside her. Several of them rushed him together, their moves aimed at vital points. None of them were trying to show any mercy.
The flash of blades and shadows swept through the dungeon, the torchlight flickering harshly as the wind caressed the flames. Lu Zhiyao, fighting one against many, didn’t fall behind in the slightest.
【Warning! Disclosure of the System or the mission is not permitted. Violators will be immediately eliminated.】
Hearing this, Li Ruoshui really wanted to drag it out and give it a beating. Wasn’t the System the cause of all this?!
She could already see that Lu Zhiyao was no kind soul. As for the description in the original book, well, he was facing the female lead then, while she was just cannon fodder.
“Hmm?”
A soft exclamation pulled Li Ruoshui’s attention back. She looked up and almost blurted out ‘holy sh*t’.
The villains hadn’t even lasted a minute before they were all on the ground, dead without a sound. One of their torches laid on the floor, illuminating the growing red pool on the ground.
After that soft sound he let out, Lu Zhiyao turned to face her. The firelight on the ground stretched and blurred his features.
“My apologies. I got a bit excited and went faster than I initially thought.”
Li Ruoshui swallowed.
That was way too fast! Villains, please stand up and buy me a little more time!
The other women in the dungeon were already frightened into silence. They were afraid that making the slightest sound would attract his attention, as for the ‘villains’ their blood is already bathing them.
He stepped forward, walking through a puddle of blood, the droplets stained the hem of his robe. He finally stopped right in front of Li Ruoshui.
Lu Zhiyao’s eyes curved as he smiled and bent down to tower over her. Drops of blood fell from the sword in his hand, sounding exceptionally clear in the quiet dungeon.
“Have you thought of one yet? Your interesting reason.”
Chapter Notes:
[1] The idiom “死道友不死贫道” (sǐ dàoyǒu bù sǐ pín dào) literally means “better for the fellow Taoist to die than this poor Taoist.” It reflects a self-preservation mindset where one prioritizes their own survival over that of others, even allies.
[2] The ‘special bounty’ was an “专属悬赏令” (zhuānshǔ xuánshǎng lìng), an “Exclusive Wanted Notice” sent specifically to Lu Zhiyao. The System stated it contained Li Ruoshui’s name, but Lu Zhiyao’s question reveals it must have also contained his name, which is supposed to be a secret, creating the central paradox for the protagonist.
[3] The phrase “胡说八道” (húshuō bādào) literally means “to talk eight kinds of nonsense.” It’s an idiom meaning to speak irresponsibly or talk nonsense without basis.
[4] Part of the canon of Classical Chinese literature is the Hundred Family Names 百家姓 Bǎi jiā xìng. The Han Chinese have a small number of family names, and one colloquial way to refer to the Chinese people is as the 老百姓 Lǎo bǎi xìng Venerable hundred surnames or just 百姓 Bǎi xìng Hundred names. The term refers to the ‘ordinary working people’ not the government or rulers. There are actually 504 names in this list of names which dates back to the Song dynasty. Link To The Surnames
TLN: Holla, it me Entropy. Long no see. How are y’all doing? These past few years I’ve been barely not dying 😀 Anyways, I got an editor/PR now! Here’s to the start of a new story~
Also, Cakieee says hi (mysterious editor). Too shy to introduce herself smh. You can thank her for all the emojis and reactions throughout the chapters… do let us know what y’all think about her usage of them though!