The person Zai Zai wanted to take Su Xi to meet was a well-known wandering Daoist of the Yan Kingdom. He was said to have come from the Changchun Temple over a hundred years ago and was now more than a century old. Rumor had it that several emperors of different nations had once granted him audience, and that he had left behind many legendary tales—stories of souls already bound for reincarnation being summoned back into this world.
In the past decade or so, this wandering Daoist had been traveling across countries, leaving no trace of his whereabouts. Because of this, Zai Zai had spent several months tracking him down through General Zhenyuan.
Zai Zai had never believed in gods or spirits before. Yet after mistaking Su Xi for a ghost or deity, he began to believe such things might be real.
Whether the old stories about the wandering Daoist were true or not, many of the Yan Kingdom’s books on spirit inquiry and soul summoning were indeed compiled by him and his disciples.
Therefore, no matter what, finding him meant finding a glimmer of hope.
And if even this wandering Daoist could not provide that hope, then there would truly be no way under heaven to make Su Xi appear in the world again.
At this moment, the men under General Zhenyuan were already escorting the Daoist to the Changchun Temple. All Zai Zai and Su Xi needed to do was go there and wait—they would soon meet the famed wandering Daoist in person.
───♡───
Outside the screen, Su Xi watched as Zai Zai, overjoyed, ordered the horses to be prepared, ready to head to the temple at once. His face was filled with hope, and that expression stirred a mix of emotions within her. For a moment, she didn’t know what to do…
Find an excuse—say she had something to attend to tonight and couldn’t go with him to Changchun Temple? Then stay offline for a few days and conveniently miss the meeting with the Daoist?
The very moment this thought appeared in Su Xi’s mind, she quickly rejected it. No, no, that would be far too unfair to Zai Zai—too irresponsible.
Besides, even if she avoided seeing the Daoist this time, Zai Zai would surely find another way, another chance to bring her before him.
…One could escape the first day of the lunar month, but not the fifteenth.
Since sooner or later Zai Zai would learn that they belonged to two different worlds—that though she could accompany him all his life, she could never truly appear before him—then it might as well be tonight. He would be sad, yes, but Su Xi thought, he already had his own ambitions, his own friends, teachers, and allies now. He would be all right.
Su Xi’s heart was in turmoil. After hesitating for a long while, she finally tugged lightly at Zai Zai’s left sleeve, signaling, All right, I’ll go with you.
But at that moment—perhaps because the journey to Changchun Temple had triggered a new quest—a message suddenly popped up on the screen:
【Please receive Main Quest 10 (Intermediate): Seek out for the protagonist an official of the court, of at least zheng second rank or above, who possesses prestige and influence, and convince him to firmly stand behind the protagonist and support his ascent to the throne.】
Su Xi felt a headache coming on. How was she supposed to complete this? There were already several high-ranking officials in court who admired Zai Zai, but his identity as a prince had yet to be revealed. No matter how much they appreciated him, how could they support a mere concubine’s son from Prince Ning’s manor to seize the throne? Wouldn’t that be considered treason!
Logically, this quest should only be unlocked after Zai Zai’s true identity was restored.
Just as she thought this, another prompt appeared:
【Hint: This quest runs parallel with Main Quest 9. It is a sub-quest of Main Quest 9. Point reward: 8.】
So that was it! Su Xi immediately understood—this meant that while finding the nun at Changchun Temple to reveal Zai Zai’s true parentage, she also needed to bring forth an official of zheng second rank or above, so that the identity of the Ninth Prince would be known to him as well—!
Then… this meant that tonight’s trip to Changchun Temple would trigger both Quest 9 and Quest 10 at the same time?!
A moment ago, Su Xi had still been immersed in quiet sorrow over not being able to meet Zai Zai in person—but upon receiving the new quests, she instantly grew tense.
Zai Zai was galloping ahead on horseback, heading toward the temple, occasionally glancing sideways at her. His eyes shone brightly as he urged her to keep up. Su Xi tugged his sleeve reassuringly, signaling that she was following—but in truth, she had already secretly switched the interface to another panel.
There were many court officials of zheng second rank and above, but judging by the current situation, among them only three could possibly fulfill the conditions of Quest Ten—those who, after learning Zai Zai’s true identity, would be moved to support his rise to power.
They were: Grand Commandant Yun, General Zhenyuan, and the Minister of War.
Their respective ranks were zheng second rank, zheng first rank, and zheng second rank—all qualifying perfectly.
Su Xi first opened the page for the General’s Mansion and found that the protagonist was no longer there for the night. However, the mansion remained brightly lit; many officials were drinking heavily. General Zhenyuan, in rare high spirits, had drunk more than usual and was now half-drunk, practicing drunken boxing in the courtyard.
In this state, there was no way to drag him to Changchun Temple, so he had to be given up for now.
Just as the screen switched to General Zhenyuan’s side, a notification suddenly appeared:
【Congratulations on completing Quest Eight (1/2): Become the successor in General Zhenyuan’s heart, and make preliminary military achievements during the northern rebellion. First stage completed. Half of the points rewarded: +6.】
It seemed that after these past few months, Zai Zai had fully gained General Zhenyuan’s recognition and trust.
In the general’s mind, he had already decided to bring Zai Zai to the northern frontier for military training.
Su Xi didn’t know whether to feel joy or worry. Joy—because the quest was half complete, and Zai Zai’s points had increased; he had also successfully been promoted to cong fourth rank. Worry—because once they went to the northern border to suppress the rebellion, the quests would only grow harder, and Zai Zai would inevitably be in danger.
But thinking too much was useless. For now, she had to solve the current task.
Next was Grand Commandant Yun. Su Xi switched the interface to the Commandant’s Mansion—he wasn’t there.
He seemed to be occupied tonight, currently in the palace meeting with the emperor.
Su Xi began to panic, afraid that all three men would be unavailable, making it impossible to complete the quest. Fortunately, at that moment, the Minister of War was sitting neatly in his seat, advising another official beside him not to drink too much. He looked perfectly sober.
He would do.
Su Xi had to find a way to get the Minister of War to Changchun Temple—and quickly.
Meanwhile, Zai Zai was already galloping at full speed, nearing the city gates. Su Xi felt her scalp go numb. Was Zai Zai too anxious or what?! At this rate, the Changchun Temple sequence would be over before she even managed to bring the Minister of War there!
Wait—there it was. Su Xi suddenly remembered the first entry in Zai Zai’s harem column—the Minister of War’s daughter, Miss Han Yue.
Now that she thought about it, no wonder Han Yue had been given a proper name—she was meant to be useful at this very moment.
Su Xi immediately switched the interface to the Minister of War’s mansion.
By now, it was late at night. Han Yue was already asleep in her boudoir.
With no other choice, Su Xi exchanged some sleeping powder from the in-game store, scattered it in the room, then rolled the girl snugly in her quilt—like a spring roll—and held her up.
She then pushed open the window and deliberately made a loud clang!
The drowsy maids startled awake. When they rushed over, they found the room empty, the window wide open.
One maid screamed, “Assassins! The young lady’s been kidnapped!”
Another ran to the courtyard, calling for the guards: “Where’s the master? Quick, go to the General’s Mansion and tell the master—the young lady has been abducted by assassins!”
On the desk, stirred by the wind, lay a sheet of paper left behind by Su Xi. Drawn upon it was Changchun Temple, with a writing brush pulled halfway out of the brush holder and placed across the top.
The Minister of War was a clever man. He would surely understand the message—it meant he was to come alone, or the hostage would be killed.
After finishing all this, Su Xi slowly shifted the interface bit by bit until she reached Changchun Temple, found an empty nun’s room, gently placed the still-sleeping Han Yue on the bed, and tucked her in carefully.
She moved quietly, her every step light. Changchun Temple was vast, and no one noticed a thing.
Su Xi let out a small sigh of relief. The next step was simply to wait—for Zai Zai and the Minister of War to arrive, one after the other.
───♡───
Changchun Temple stood on a mountain a few li outside the capital. The autumn night air was dry, carrying the faint fragrance of osmanthus across the slopes. From afar, the dim lights of the temple flickered atop the mountain, barely illuminating the stone steps that wound their way upward. The surroundings were cold and silent.
Zai Zai had brought only the messenger guard with him. When their horses reached the base of the mountain, they could go no further, so Zai Zai dismounted and told the guard to tie both horses to a tree below.
He stepped up the mossy stone steps, his robes brushing over the withered yellow leaves scattered across them.
His eyes shone with a startling brightness.
That night, perhaps only Su Xi, watching from beyond the screen, knew that no matter how much hardship Zai Zai had endured these past few months, his efforts would ultimately come to nothing.
Her heart ached faintly, yet she forced herself to keep watching as he strode up the mountain with firm, unrelenting steps, never once seeming tired, until he reached Changchun Temple.
The wandering Daoist had not yet arrived.
However, two Daoists of the temple already knew about the matter—General Zhenyuan’s men had informed them in advance. Thus, even though it was late, they had stayed up, waiting at the temple gate to welcome him.
When they saw Zai Zai and his guard appear at the entrance, their robes faintly frosted from the cold, they hurried forward to salute him.
Su Xi, outside the screen, was startled at first, then realized: Zai Zai was now an official of cong fourth rank in the imperial court. Naturally, the Daoists would bow to him.
…The little one she had raised suddenly wielding power—it was hard to wrap her head around that.
“Please, Commander Qi,” one of the Daoists said respectfully, “rest for a while in the side hall. When the Patriarch arrives, we will come to summon you.”
Lu Huan’s heart was restless. He could not be bothered with courtesies or formalities, merely nodding before striding quickly toward the side hall. After a few steps, he turned and said to the two Daoists and his guard, “You need not follow.”
If they followed, he would not be able to speak with the spirits.
Lu Huan walked alone toward the side hall.
Earlier, when Su Xi had switched the interface to Changchun Temple, she hadn’t been able to find the sweeping nun NPC that was supposed to trigger the truth-of-origins storyline. But now, a series of “……” dialogue boxes began popping up in the upper right corner of her screen.
Su Xi’s heart leapt. She dragged the screen around anxiously until she finally spotted two figures in the rear courtyard—an elderly nun holding a ruler, scolding another middle-aged nun who was sweeping the ground.
The dialogue boxes kept flashing:
> “Don’t think that just because you once served as a maid in the palace, you’re better than the other nuns and can slack off! I’m warning you, don’t use your knee pain as an excuse. If you don’t sweep properly, I’ll sweep you right out of the temple! Changchun Temple isn’t a place where people eat for free!”
> “And you—still dreaming about going out to meet the new Commander Qi who’s arriving tonight? What are you thinking? Do you really believe you can curry favor with a high-ranking official?”
The amount of information in this dialogue was astonishing. So, this nun had once been a palace maid—and tonight she was desperate to see Zai Zai. Clearly, she was the sweeping nun mentioned in Quest Nine!
Su Xi hurriedly switched back to the side hall, grabbed Zai Zai’s sleeve, and gestured urgently for him to follow her. Quick, quick, quick!
Zai Zai, waiting anxiously for the wandering Daoist, was too restless to sit still and had been pacing back and forth. When his sleeve was tugged, he looked down in confusion. “Where do you want to take me?”
Fortunately, the wandering Daoist had not yet arrived. Su Xi thought, If he shows up now, Zai Zai won’t have time to go to the back courtyard and meet that nun! She had to seize this chance to pull him over there!
So she tugged harder.
Lu Huan’s robe was nearly torn from her pulling, and he couldn’t help but laugh. “All right, all right, I’ll go with you—don’t be so anxious.”
