Chapter 60: Tang Feng, the Troublemaker

Behind the curtain, atop the bed.

The ever-cold and composed Xu Qingzhao, upon hearing Ren Ye’s inquiry, displayed no inclination to engage in further discussion. “Let’s begin.”

“Alright,” Ren Ye hesitated briefly before nodding slowly.

He had initially considered using this opportunity to bring the princess consort over to his side. However, after careful thought, he realized that pushing too hard might backfire. It would be better to focus on his task and hope that exemplary service could sway her…

The two sat facing each other, adjusting their breathing.

Xu Qingzhao’s breath was soft as orchids. As she gently raised her arms, an array of interwoven Yin-Yang patterns emerged beneath them.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

At this crucial moment, a series of urgent knocks echoed through the air.

Xu Qingzhao’s eyes shot open instantly. Her delicate face hardened with cold severity as her icy voice rang out: “What is it?”

“Your Highness, Princess Consort! A musician girl named Qinghe claims to have urgent news to report to the prince!” Xue’er’s anxious voice sounded from outside the hall. “I tried to stop her twice… but this madwoman is threatening to set the palace on fire!”

Despite her pressing desire to absorb the Heavenly Pardon Qi, Xu Qingzhao took the initiative to say, “Go quickly and return.”

“…My beloved consort, warm up for me. I’ll be back shortly.” Ren Ye, unable to fathom what nonsense Tang Feng was up to this time, leapt barefoot onto the ground, his hair disheveled, and stormed out.

Moments later, having dismissed Second Fool and Lian’er from the side chamber, Ren Ye, visibly irritated, turned to Tang Feng and demanded, “What’s the matter?”

Tang Feng, upon seeing Ren Ye clad only in undergarments, disheveled hair, and bare-chested, stared in shock. “Ah, so that’s how you ‘absorb Qi’?! Stripping down for aromatherapy?”

“Could you act like a normal person for once?!” Ren Ye was on the verge of losing it. “Are you here to torture me?”

Tang Feng sauntered forward with an exaggerated sway of his hips. From his sleeve, he pulled out a token. “This is called a Disc Command. You’re familiar with it, right?”

“I am. What about it?” Ren Ye nodded.

“Inject your consciousness into it. There’s information inside,” Tang Feng said, handing over the Disc Command without elaborating further.

The Disc Command was a communication tool exclusively for players aligned with the imperial court. However, it couldn’t be summoned in the real world and was only functional within Qingliang Prefecture. Upon entering, the Spring Breeze Delight had automatically bound itself to Tang Feng.

Ren Ye furrowed his brows, accepting the Disc Command and channeling his consciousness into it.

Voice 1: “Chief Historian Li Yan is hosting a feast at his residence, openly inviting everyone from Prince Huai’s palace to attend. The banquet starts at the Hour of the Rooster (5-7 PM). Anyone going?”

Voice 2: “Only an idiot would go! The Star Gate explicitly warned us: there’s a mole among the court players. Why show up just to expose yourself?”

Voice 3: “What, you think our dear Lord Li might be the mole?”

Voice 2: “Fool! Back in the Hall of Tranquility, Li Yan was nearly executed by Prince Huai. How could he possibly be a mole?”

Voice 4: “You don’t get it. Li Yan wants everyone to use this feast as a chance to confirm identities before heading into the tomb. And, I’ve also heard… the Imperial Inspector Liu actually escaped from the palace dungeon and is now hiding at Li Yan’s residence.”

Voice 5: “Seriously? Did Lord Li rescue Imperial Inspector Liu?!”

Voice 4: “It’s true. My informant saw it with their own eyes.”

The Disc Command contained a flurry of voice messages, but they were indistinguishable in terms of gender or the number of speakers involved.

After listening, Ren Ye quickly withdrew his consciousness and turned to Tang Feng with a solemn expression. “What do you make of this?”

“Did you anticipate that Imperial Inspector Liu would seek out Li Yan?” Tang Feng asked bluntly.

Ren Ye frowned, sitting down on a chair. “I did. Before I released him, I had a hunch he’d seek out Li Yan. That man is a staunch supporter of the court faction. From my character’s perspective, the palace coup in the Hall of Sincerity and the armed conflict at the Hall of Tranquility were both driven by him. If Imperial Inspector Liu supported Li Yan’s coup previously, it means there’s a baseline of trust between them—or they may have had a prior ‘under-the-table’ agreement.”

“So, your plan was to let Imperial Inspector Liu return to serve as a mole by Li Yan’s side and observe the court players’ hand?” Tang Feng asked, his sharp gaze unwavering.

“The answer is yes.” Ren Ye’s thoughts were crystal clear. “I believe the tension between the Opportunist Faction and the Court Faction isn’t insurmountable. Cooperation is possible. By using Imperial Inspector Liu as our eyes, we can gather a great deal of information.”

Hearing this, Tang Feng couldn’t help but shake his head. “I think you’re both right and wrong.”

“How so?”

“If I were Li Yan, I’d never let Imperial Inspector Liu, know too much. As long as we’re in different factions, competition is inevitable,” Tang Feng replied decisively. “Information in the Star Gate is incredibly valuable—the more I know and the less others do, the better my chances of success. That’s why I think Imperial Inspector Liu’s real value will lie within his own faction, not in the Court Faction.”

Ren Ye looked at Tang Feng with some surprise. “Did you come up with that yourself?”

Ignoring the remark, Tang Feng paced barefoot back and forth, deep in thought. “I’ve made my decision.”

“What decision?”

“I’m going to crash this ‘Sow Feast,’ infiltrate Chief Historian Li Yan’s estate, and uncover the situation among the court players,” Tang Feng declared with a determined glint in his eye.

“No way!” Ren Ye immediately rejected the idea, shaking his head vehemently. “I know what you’re thinking. You have a Disc Command in hand, and since you’re an Court Faction player, if you play your cards right, you could potentially meet up with them tonight and figure out how many of them there are and what roles they hold. But you’re overlooking a very critical point.”

“And what’s that?” Tang Feng asked, his interest piqued.

“All the court players know I killed Liu Ling’er. They’re aware her entry token ended up in my hands, so they’d reasonably guess I’d bring a teammate into this scenario. And that teammate would have a Disc Command,” Ren Ye explained, getting up. “Here’s the key: Liu Ling’er was female. Even if the character roles changed, any new entrant taking her token would likely still be female. So the moment you show up, the other court players will immediately investigate any female characters. What if they force you to reveal your supernatural abilities? What if they demand proof of your entry token? You’d blow your cover in seconds. Got it?”

Tang Feng looked at Ren Ye with an almost proud expression, as if seeing a protégé excel. “Not bad for a former anti-fraud officer. Your logic and reasoning skills are on point…”

“Spare me the flattery—it’s basic analysis,” Ren Ye retorted impatiently. “You’re not going.”

Tang Feng blinked, then asked, “Can your duplication ability work on me? If I could demonstrate supernatural abilities different from Liu Ling’er’s, wouldn’t that be enough to pass their scrutiny?”

Without hesitation, Ren Ye shook his head. “My abilities won’t work on you.”

“…Then could you ask the Princess Consort to lend me two supernatural artifacts?” Tang Feng’s mind was clearly spinning with new ideas.

“I already confirmed earlier that the Princess Consort is a player,” Ren Ye countered, waving the suggestion away. “Don’t even think about it. In Qingliang Prefecture, we can’t use our profession-based skills, except for those granted by the Star Gate itself. She can’t even use her own supernatural abilities, let alone bring any usable artifacts here.”

“Well, that’s a bit of a pickle.”

Tang Feng’s gaze remained fixed on the floor as he paced briskly, visibly deep in thought.

“I’ve told you—it’s not worth it.” Ren Ye added firmly, “Even if I somehow handed you two supernatural artifacts, would that guarantee your success? Have you considered the possibility that you might be the only female character among the court players? Wouldn’t that make you a sitting duck? You’d be outnumbered and turned into mincemeat!”

Tang Feng’s body froze mid-step as her eyes suddenly lit up. She turned to Ren Ye, looking like she’d just had a stroke of genius. “You’ve given me an idea.”

Ren Ye blinked, puzzled. “What idea?”

“Thud, thud!”

Tang Feng quickly stepped forward, her tone brimming with excitement. “Think about it: Liu Ling’er was female, so whoever used her token to enter would logically also be female—it fits the ‘Songstress’ identity tag, right?”

“That’s literally what I just said.”

“So here’s the key: being female is the problem. You’re absolutely right—any female player will immediately be targeted by the other Imperial players and forced to prove their identity.” Tang Feng paused dramatically. “But what if I change back to being male?”

Ren Ye stared at her, dumbfounded. “Do you think slapping on a fake mustache will fool them? Stop kidding yourself…”

“I’m serious, not joking,” Tang Feng emphasized anxiously. “If I’m a man, no one would suspect me.”

“And how are you going to turn into a man?” Ren Ye asked with his arms crossed.

“Do you remember the special item given during the second act’s entry?” Tang Feng grinned as a talisman appeared in his hand.

The item was called the Disguise Talisman. Ren Ye had also received one when entering the act, but its intended purpose was to conceal identities in Prince Huai’s residence and avoid revealing their connection to Prince Huai.

“What are you going to do with that? I’ve already sensed it—it’s useless in Prince Huai’s residence,” Ren Ye frowned.

“No, no…” Tang Feng shook his head lightly, entering a laser-focused state. “Do you remember how the Star Gate described this item? It said it was a mystical method left behind by a powerful and mysterious Daoist… Pay attention, it explicitly called it a mystical method!”

Hearing the words “mystical method,” Ren Ye’s pupils contracted sharply as if realizing something.

“Heh!” Tang Feng’s grin became both smug and mischievous. “What does your Imperial Brush say? It can replicate any mystical ability encountered within the Star Gate, right? So, what would happen if you used your Imperial Brush to replicate the Disguise Talisman?”

“What the heck…!” Ren Ye stared at him dumbfounded, a chill running up his spine.

Tang Feng’s eyes glinted red, and his mischievous smile made him look anything but trustworthy.

“Is this even possible? Can the game mechanics even work like this?” Ren Ye, a novice to Star Gates, asked with uncertainty.

“Test it, and we’ll know!” Tang Feng urged. “Use your talisman to test it.”

“Will it work?”

“Just do it! If I can turn into a man, I can definitely infiltrate!” Tang Feng’s excitement was almost manic, resembling an obsessive scientist in pursuit of discovery.

“Fine.”

Without further argument, Ren Ye raised his hand, summoning the talisman, and activated the Imperial Brush.

“With a stroke of the brush, I craft a legacy for millennia; on the stage of history, I paint mountains and rivers!”

A dazzling light erupted as the Imperial Brush glowed brightly.

A clear radiance shot up from Ren Ye’s crown, and countless silhouettes flashed through his mind—figures of people he had seen before, including family members, movie characters, online photos, and strangers on the street.

After hesitating momentarily, he randomly selected one figure in his mind and lightly directed it toward Tang Feng with his palm.

Swish!

The silhouette overlapped with Tang Feng’s body. His stature and facial features changed rapidly. Within seconds, he transformed into an unremarkable middle-aged man—still wearing women’s clothing.

“It worked!” Tang Feng exclaimed joyfully, inspecting his arms. “It really works!”

As he spoke, the brilliance of the Imperial Brush dimmed, and it returned to Ren Ye’s consciousness. Ren Ye, meanwhile, felt utterly drained. At the same time, a notification echoed in his ears:

[The Imperial Brush has depleted its Stellar Energy and will recharge after 12 hours.]

Slumping onto a chair, Ren Ye stared blankly at the jubilant Tang Feng. At this moment, he finally understood why Huang Wei had sent such an eccentric teammate into the Star Gate with him.

Tang Feng was indeed unconventional, but his unorthodox thinking broke boundaries. Or rather… his ideas were creative, bordering on madness.

“Now I can go,” Tang Feng said firmly to Ren Ye. “As a man, no one will suspect that I took Liu Ling’er’s Identity Tag.”

…

At the Chief Historian’s Residence, in the kitchen.

An elderly man was feeding firewood into a stove.

Suddenly, he froze, muttering in disbelief, “The Disguise Talisman… why is there an extra one? Wait, no, one of them is fake…!”

Boom!

In an instant, an overwhelming surge of perception engulfed the entire Prince Huai’s residence before spreading across all of Qingliang Prefecture.

Moments later, the old man broke his composure and cursed furiously, “Damn it! I wasted my money—there’s a bug in the game!”