### Chapter 3: An Empty Building
==============================
The night was deep.
The Male Character was sleeping soundly with Fatty, but they couldn’t shake off their curious minds, thinking about sneaking out after midnight to investigate.
Master Sister was too busy drinking to remember the task at hand, and as disciples of Falling Sunset Peak, they felt it wasn’t polite to remind her.
With no other options, they decided to rely on themselves and hoped they might dig up some useful clues.
“Whew…”
The sound of snoring gradually got louder.
Fatty, you’re really asleep, aren’t you?
Just as the Male Character was about to wake Fatty, he suddenly noticed a shadow slowly approaching outside the paper-thin window.
He quickly held his breath and lay back down.
After a moment, the already locked wooden door creaked open with a quiet “creak.”
What the heck, how did that tightly locked door swing open so easily? This doesn’t feel good.
Who dared to sneak into the Flowerless Palace guest room at this hour?
The Male Character clenched his fists tightly under the covers, waiting for the intruder to come close so he could strike.
But in the next moment, he flipped out of bed before he knew it.
“Greetings, Master Sister! I never expected that even in the dead of night, your beauty could overshadow the moon and flowers. The moment you stepped into this room, my heart started racing uncontrollably—it instantly hit me that you had arrived!”
His eyes sparkled like he just won the lottery. “Looks like my instincts were spot on!”
Luo Ying covered her mouth and laughed, “Don’t tell me you caught a whiff of alcohol again?”
“Of course not! Even if it smelled like alcohol, it would be sweet!” The Male Character said earnestly, without blinking.
Luo Ying chuckled, “Alright, enough of your nonsense. Leave Fatty here; you’re coming with me to a certain place.”
The Male Character glanced back at the still snoozing Fatty and decided it was best to give up on waking him.
The two quietly slipped out into the night.
Perhaps because most people were utterly exhausted after a long day dealing with the plantation rescue, the Flowerless Palace was unusually quiet. Only a few sleepy guards were wandering around nearby.
They quickly ascended into the sky.
Luo Ying whispered to the Male Character, “Hold onto my waist; we might be moving quite fast.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
As a character managed by the System, the Male Character originally didn’t have a sense of gender, but after spending more time with the System’s consciousness, he seemed to gradually understand the differences between males and females.
For instance, right now, if a woman allows a man to touch her, it probably means she has a certain fondness for him, or at least, doesn’t dislike him.
Just as he was deep in thought, the speed picked up, and icy winds whipped past him.
He quickly directed his focus forward.
“Master Sister…”
“Don’t talk. I’ll explain when we get there.”
Luo Ying zoomed ahead like a bolt of lightning, darting across a vast ocean for a solid hour until an island finally began to emerge beneath them.
They softly landed on the sandy beach.
Luo Ying put away her flying sword while scanning the area and quietly said, “I spent five unforgettable years in Half Moon City with White Peach. We drank together and fought together, and to make things more entertaining, we even created a unique combat sign language just for the two of us to coordinate during battles.
On our very first meeting, White Peach made a dangerous gesture at me from afar.”
The Male Character suddenly connected the dots, “So that’s why you said things felt off.”
Luo Ying smiled, “To keep you alert while I get tipsy—thank you for your hard work these last couple of days.”
The Male Character hurriedly responded, “It’s nothing, really!”
Her words were like a key that unlocked a series of realizations he hadn’t grasped before.
“Wait, you mean the incident at the plantation was also orchestrated by the Second Palace Master just to create a chance for you two to talk privately?”
“Exactly. The two women around the Second Palace Master may appear to be maids, but they’re actually spies responsible for monitoring her,” Luo Ying’s tone turned serious.
The Male Character felt a chill run down his spine. “You don’t mean the Flowerless Palace is being targeted by Ji Shen…”
Luo Ying shook her head, “No, it’s not that dramatic. But one thing is certain: the Great Palace Master and Ji Shen share a close relationship; otherwise, the Second Palace Master wouldn’t have been reduced to a mere puppet.”
“So, the location of this island was secretly shared by the Second Palace Master with you.”
Luo Ying nodded, “Yes.”
Seeing that Luo Ying had no intention of elaborating further, the Male Character decided not to press on.
After all, being in enemy territory meant they had to be extra cautious.
If they encountered a high-level opponent, their conversation on the beach might have already been eavesdropped on.
But since Luo Ying had initiated the conversation, it was likely she had detected no imminent threats nearby and felt comfortable discussing the matter with him.
There was a cave by the beach, with faint flickering lights visible from within.
However, Luo Ying suddenly stopped in front of the cave and murmured, “Strange, where did everyone go?”
The Male Character caught a faint whiff of something foul.
Before he could figure it out, Luo Ying dashed into the cave like lightning.
The Male Character quickly followed her.
But after just a few steps in, his stomach churned again.
The sight inside was utterly grotesque. In the dim light, mangled limbs and bl**d were strewn everywhere, and the ground was crawling with maggots.
Deep inside the cave, a small mountain of skulls could be seen, with swarms of white maggots writhing among them—sickening to behold.
But Luo Ying appeared unfazed, carefully tiptoeing to search for useful clues.
The Male Character struggled to keep pace, nearly succumbing to the overpowering stench.
How on earth was Master Sister able to endure this? Did her sense of smell get dulled from drinking too much?
Yeah, that must be it.
After a thorough search, aside from finding a rusty iron cage, they discovered nothing but bodies.
And behind the iron cage lay a depression filled with corpses in various states of decay, the topmost one seeming to have died just two or three days ago, bearing giant-like features.
Just one glance was enough for the Male Character to lose it, retching uncontrollably.
Luo Ying frowned slightly and pulled the nearly fainted Male Character out of the cave.
As the fresh sea breeze hit their faces, the Male Character finally started to feel better.
“Master Sister, why were there so many dead people inside?”
Perhaps trying to alleviate the awkwardness, knowing Luo Ying was likely in just as confused a state, he asked a question that might not even have an answer.
Luo Ying gazed up at the starry sky, lost in thought.
“Are we perhaps too late? Did Ji Shen clear out early?”
Luo Ying replied, “That’s a possibility. But if Ji Shen were to leave, the Flowerless Palace would have at least caught wind of it, right? So, we still have a chance.
Before dawn, let’s give this island a thorough look.”
Fortunately, just an hour later, the two stumbled upon a row of simple stone houses built from rocks on the other side of the island.
After a search, the Male Character found a chaotic room that resembled a command center, where he uncovered a map of the island marked with red tags.
…
P.S.: Votes, please!
