Chapter 3: A Clash of Titans
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In the vast courtyard, only Lin Nan, Fatty, and that mysterious white figure floating on the lake remained.
Even the ever-watchful bodyguards had somehow vanished without a trace.
The Yihong Courtyard was eerily quiet.
“Whoa! Is that a ghost?!”
The strange scene on the lake scared Fatty so much that he forgot his heartache, cold sweat pouring down his face as if he were facing a great enemy.
Lin Nan replied coolly, “She’s not a ghost; she’s Ru Yu.”
Ru Yu?
The star of the Yihong Courtyard?
Fatty blinked in surprise.
But if she’s not a ghost, how is she floating in the water like that?
“Fatty, you should wait outside. I have a few words with her.”
Fatty just said “Okay.”
At this point, he was well aware that Ru Yu was anything but ordinary.
And since Lin Nan told him to stay away, the woman must have some hidden side to her.
The less he knew, the safer he was.
After spending time with Lin Nan, he understood that this guy always had his best interests at heart.
This time… well… he’d let it slide.
Next time they faced something dangerous and he was left out, he’d truly blow his top!
“You all chat; Fatty’s gonna take a hike!”
Fatty suddenly felt a chill run down his spine; Ru Yu’s gaze swept across him like ice-cold daggers.
He wished he could just disappear from the scene right then and there.
“Bang…”
That was the sound of Fatty tripping over his own feet.
“Ouch…”
As his suppressed groans finally faded beyond the courtyard walls, Lin Nan turned his attention fully to Ru Yu.
“You really didn’t d*e.”
Ru Yu’s figure gradually solidified, but even so, her feet remained perched above the water, casting no reflection.
Draped in a flowing white garment, she stood there, the sunlight shining just right and a gentle breeze blowing, yet the edges of her dress held no ripples.
Her gaze was as unyielding as ice, completely untouched by the light.
“You’re alive too.”
Ru Yu spoke with a captivating smile, “I never thought you could summon the Cold Moon Witch to help you… you’re quite lucky.”
“I’ve always been lucky,” Lin Nan replied, grinning.
How could his luck be bad?
He was probably the only player in the whole game world with two accounts!
“How did you know I was still alive? In the Heavenly Sword Sect, it seems I didn’t leave any clues.”
Ru Yu’s cold aura began to dissipate, and she smiled as if they were meeting for the first time.
Lin Nan didn’t answer immediately.
She had just mentioned summoning the Cold Moon Witch, suggesting she was aware of the hidden main quest’s contents and the skills offered by the Ji Shen organization.
This somewhat verified his previous guess:
The system could accept NPC applications and relay them to the players through mandatory or optional quests.
Perhaps the task he had accepted was too daunting, so the system tossed in an extra, limited-use cheat code— the so-called summoning skill.
As for why Ru Yu’s application was converted into a mandatory hidden main quest with a punishment for failing to meet the deadline, that had him baffled.
Could it be that her request triggered a plot directly related to him or the female character?
This is why the system escalated it to a must-do quest with no room for negotiation.
With that thought, Lin Nan felt he was starting to form a clearer picture.
As for Ru Yu’s question, he could explain it well.
“Lady Ru Yu, as the top performer of Yihong Courtyard and the mastermind behind it, you must be clever and meticulous.
In the Heavenly Sword Sect, you were able to lay a trap for me before dying, hoping I would buy you some time.
A woman as smart and beautiful as you would never underestimate her own life and would always leave herself a way out.
So, what I buried down there is not you at all.”
At that moment, Ru Yu’s smile was as pure as first love.
No wonder she could become the star performer without question; such an innocent smile was beyond what the usual girls in the pleasure quarters could replicate.
“Is there more?”
Lin Nan added, “Of course.
Once a question arises, it needs verification.
What amazes me is how the jade pendant you gave me turned out to be real.
Perhaps, you never imagined I would return alive from the Heavenly Sword Sect’s pressures.
Since it was a genuine jade pendant, your expression when talking to me wouldn’t be fake.
I would unknowingly believe you, becoming a part of your grand scheme.
Of course, you might have left a backup plan.
If I were fortunate enough to survive and showed up with the real jade pendant to take over the Yihong Courtyard…
To deal with a man, it’s nothing but beauty and money.
And the Yihong Courtyard has both in spades.
Now that I have the golden key, how could I easily give it up?
In your plan, over time, I’d be sure to sink into this place, unable to extricate myself.
By then, dealing with me would be as easy as squashing a grasshopper.”
Ru Yu chuckled lightly, “So, you decided to go against the grain and dismiss Si Yan without hesitation as soon as you arrived at the Yihong Courtyard.
You intend to keep this up until I can’t help but appear.”
Lin Nan nodded, “Exactly. The Yihong Courtyard is both your brainchild and an excellent spot for gathering intelligence.
Even losing one girl would be an unbearable loss for you.
Thus, you had no choice but to show yourself to stop me.
Even if you were truly dead, I’d never hold onto the Yihong Courtyard.
I won’t become a pawn of your organization.”
Ru Yu floated closer to Lin Nan, her exposed foot lightly skimming the water’s surface, leaving no trace as if under some magical spell.
“You’re right.
The reason I appeared isn’t just to stop you from destroying the Yihong Courtyard, but also to learn everything related to the Cold Moon Witch.
Will you… share?”
At this point, Ru Yu was standing quite close to Lin Nan.
Although he knew that the Ru Yu in front of him might simply be a projection, her real appearance and the faint fragrance enveloping her were truly captivating.
No man could likely resist such temptation.
But Lin Nan, having lost his physical body, seemed only to admire beauty, lacking any other interest.
Moreover, compared to Ru Yu, the female character he played was even closer to perfection.
Why gaze at her when he could gaze at himself?
Lin Nan gazed at her with pure eyes, “Perhaps I’ll share.
But based on the principle of equivalent exchange, I also want to know what this ‘Ji Shen’ organization behind you is all about—what do you want with the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Thousand Bird City?”
Seeing that her performance was like playing a flute to a cow, Ru Yu felt a bit defeated inside.
What was up with this guy, who showed no signs of wavering in front of her charm?
Ru Yu beamed, “If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine.
To deal with her, we just need to capture you.
After all, being able to summon her means you’re the one the Cold Moon Witch favors most, right?”
As she spoke, several men in black suddenly appeared around them.
Their swords were drawn, gleaming ominously in the sunlight.
