Chapter 75: Mr. He’s Letter

“Whoosh!”

The glinting axe flew toward his face with a piercing sound as it cut through the air.

“Creak!”

The door slammed shut with a grating noise as Ren Ye quickly ducked down.

“Thud!”

The greasy, twisted axe embedded itself into the wooden doorframe, sinking nearly an inch deep. The handle wobbled, emanating a strong stench of blood.

That single moment nearly scared the life out of Ren Ye—he felt as if even last night’s meal might come shooting out of him.

I was just taking a look! Did they really need to go this far? he thought. If I hadn’t dodged fast enough, my head and neck would’ve parted ways by now!

“Creak!”

Without thinking, Ren Ye pushed the door closed again, locked the latch, and held his breath, waiting for a while. Only after confirming no one was coming upstairs did he finally let out a long sigh of relief.

He sank back into the chair, his mind replaying the day’s harrowing events. His mouth was dry, and instinctively, he reached for some water. But just as he picked up the teacup, he remembered the rabbit head from earlier.

This place… he thought with a shiver. It’s too damn horrifying. You never know what you’re eating or drinking.

Still, he couldn’t go on for days without food or water while stuck inside this tomb.

Gritting his teeth, Ren Ye poured himself two cups of tea and gulped them down.

Thankfully, the tea tasted normal—like well water—and nothing seemed amiss.

He sat back down, took out his waterskin, and filled it with the remaining tea. Then, from inside his coat, he pulled out a piece of dry rations wrapped in white cloth and began eating.

As he ate, his gaze fell on the leather robe lying on the table.

Earlier, he had focused his thoughts on the robe, hoping for some kind of response, but the Star Gate system didn’t give him any notifications.

No supernatural properties, no special functions, not even a tool—it wasn’t something he could store in his consciousness space. It seemed to be nothing more than an ordinary leather robe.

Most likely, the robe had been made very recently, and the source of the material was all too obvious.

Though he felt a strong aversion to it, Ren Ye figured the robe might serve some unknown purpose since it was a prize from their earlier victory. Reluctantly, he decided to keep it on him for now.

After finishing his dry rations, Ren Ye sat by the flickering candlelight and retrieved a piece of letter paper from his coat.

This letter had been obtained during the chaotic battle at the apartment complex. It was a “trophy” collected by the Vigil Keeper, and someone had noticed it had accidentally fallen from Mr. He.

Ren Ye had glanced over the letter before, knowing it had something to do with the Princess’s Tomb, but now he decided to examine it more closely while the coast was clear.

He unfolded the letter, and its contents came into view:

“According to popular accounts:

In the eighth year of Emperor Wu’s reign during the Great Qian Dynasty, early autumn—

The elder Prince Huai received a secret edict from his father, Emperor Wu, instructing him to covertly investigate the tomb of the Eternal Peace Princess¹ from the previous dynasty. He was tasked with finding a treasure capable of extending the Great Qian Dynasty’s fortunes and ensuring the lasting prosperity of all of Shenzhou.

Upon receiving the edict, the elder Prince Huai secretly assigned the task to the Secret Intelligence Division, which spent over three months searching and reviewing historical records—both official and unofficial—related to the Eternal Peace Princess.

Eventually, they discovered that while both the official and unofficial records mentioned the tomb being located in Qingliang Mountain and consisting of nine layers reaching the heavens, no one had ever actually found it or even seen it. The tomb seemed to be hidden from the world, shrouded in mystery.

After another two months of preparation, the elder Prince Huai obtained more concrete information. Rumors suggested that the Eternal Peace Princess had a particular fondness for peach blossom cakes and their fragrance…

Even in death, she was said to have longed for the man who first brought her peach blossom cakes.

Not long after, the elder Prince Huai ordered Qingliang Mountain to be blanketed in peach blossoms the following spring.

In the ninth year of Emperor Wu’s reign, spring—

When the peach blossoms bloomed across Qingliang Mountain, the tomb of the Eternal Peace Princess finally revealed itself.

Initially, Prince Huai sent a hundred people into the tomb to investigate, but he soon discovered that only eleven could enter.

Scholars who studied the records surmised that the tomb’s intricate mechanisms were likely related to the man who had first gifted peach blossom cakes to the Eternal Peace Princess.

That man’s name was Li Mu.

At the height of his fame, he was known as the greatest swordsman in the world. However, during the final years of the Jing Dynasty, he disappeared without a trace.

The eleven people sent into the tomb by Prince Huai never returned after a month.

But one of them, consumed by intense resentment, appeared to Prince Huai in a dream…

In the dream, the man was crazed, repeatedly telling Prince Huai:

‘They’re all dead… all dead… The tomb’s mechanisms are entirely tied to Li Mu… We reached the third level and couldn’t take another step… We… we lack… a key person…!’”

Under the flickering candlelight, Ren Ye finished reading the letter with a deep frown.

From the style of writing, the letter resembled a “clue card,” but he couldn’t be sure if it was real or fake.

The contents seemed somewhat credible. After all, the old woman’s story had also mentioned Li Mu and the Eternal Peace Princess’ deep admiration for him.

But to construct an entire tomb revolving around Li Mu just because they met at a poetry lantern festival? And for the princess to remain infatuated with him even in death?

This… Ren Ye thought, is peak hopeless romantic behavior.

Not even Tang Feng would do something this absurd.

Did this Li Mu have further interactions with the princess later on?

Ren Ye carefully folded the letter again and tucked it into his chest. He thought that before verifying the authenticity of the letter, he couldn’t act on the information it contained. Otherwise, it might lead to unnecessary danger, possibly even death.

If there’s an opportunity, he could also show the letter to Li Yan. As the Chief Historian, Li Yan held a certain status within the court and might have more comprehensive information.

“Bang!”

Just as this thought crossed his mind, a muffled sound came from outside.

Ren Ye shivered, immediately tiptoeing to the window with a hunched posture.

This time, he acted smarter. Mimicking the cautious methods of ancient spies, he moistened his fingertip with saliva, poked through a thin layer of the window paper, and sneakily peeked outside.

What he saw made his heart skip a beat—a large axe was now embedded in the door of Room 11.

After recalling for a moment, Ren Ye remembered that Room 11 belonged to a tall, rugged, middle-aged man with a fierce appearance.

It was likely that this guy had tried to step out and look for teammates, only to almost get axed by the little dwarf…

If that was the case, it was oddly comforting.

Now he wouldn’t have to worry about getting “stabbed” in his sleep or staying up all night to figure out who was meeting with whom.

Let them do whatever they want!

Forget it—he was going to get a good night’s sleep.

With this thought in mind, Ren Ye picked up the fur robe, folded it into a pillow, placed it on the bed, and dove in, shutting his eyes to sleep.

…

The next morning, during the hour of the Dragon (7–9 AM).

“What the hell! Where am I?!”

A raspy voice boomed like a broken gong, exploding in Ren Ye’s ears.

Still groggy, Ren Ye hadn’t even opened his eyes before instinctively sitting upright. Slowly, his surroundings became clear—grass, trees, men, women, willow branches…

“What the hell is this place?! Where’s the inn?!” Ren Ye’s expression froze as he frantically twisted his neck to survey his surroundings.

He saw that including himself, ten people were lying on the grass. Their heads were pointed outward, their feet inward, forming a large circle.

As for the inn where the terrifying events of the previous night had unfolded—it was completely gone.

The old lady, the dwarf, the young boy and girl… they had all vanished without a trace.

The group was now in the wilderness, resembling a bunch of campers who had spent the night outdoors. Their clothes were damp with dew.

“Hey! Where’s that creepy inn from last night?” Tang Feng sat up, his face twisted in exaggerated shock.

Before long, the other players on the ground woke up. Some appeared calm, while others looked terrified. In the end, they exchanged glances but chose to remain silent.

“I… I’m kinda scared!” Tang Feng’s face went pale, his large eyes filled with fear.

“What are you playing at?” Player No. 1, Imperial Inspector Liu, sneered disdainfully.

“…Why are you scolding me?” Tang Feng asked, looking pitiful.

“Last night, you were the first to eat the rabbit head. Out of everyone here, you dug in with the most enthusiasm. Even I wouldn’t have dared to do that.” Imperial Inspector Liu, adhered to a simple principle—sarcasm above all else. “Don’t act scared. It’s exhausting to watch. For all I know, you might be more daring than me.”

“Scoundrel!” Tang Feng shot him a glare, her cheeks flushing red but not bothering to argue.

“This was a ghost inn to begin with. Appearing out of nowhere and vanishing just as suddenly—it makes sense,” Inspector Liu declared as he got up, dusting himself off. Without hesitation, he asked bluntly, “Anyone wanna come with me to take a leak? Guys or girls, I don’t care.”

It was hard to tell whether Inspector Liu was an idiot or just bold to the point of recklessness.

Inviting someone to accompany him for such a thing was abrupt. If someone agreed, it could create an opportunity for private interaction, which might raise suspicions.

Was he trying to find an ally?

Everyone glanced at Inspector Liu but chose not to respond.

“…Tch. You all act like you’re professors or something.” Imperial Inspector Liu spat in disdain, not bothering to wait for anyone. He headed straight to a nearby grove and relieved himself with an audible “splash.”

The sound of trickling water made the group collectively roll their eyes.

It seemed he really did just need to relieve himself, as it was evident he had been holding it in.

At this moment, Ren Ye slowly stood up and spoke softly, “It looks like there’s only one path leading up the mountain. How about we all go together?”

“Whoever lags behind is likely to be targeted,” said Player No. 6, a horsekeeper with a scarred face. He instinctively touched the scar on his cheek. “Let’s stick together, then.”

“Let’s go.” Player No. 3, Xing Tao, also stood up.

Soon, the others, including the princess and Li Yan, got to their feet, nodding in agreement.

After thinking for a moment, Ren Ye casually suggested, “Since we’ve all changed appearances, why don’t we address each other by our table numbers for the next few days?”

“Ptooey!”

Before he could finish, Player No. 11 suddenly stood up and spat a mouthful of phlegm directly at Ren Ye.

Caught mid-sentence, Ren Ye didn’t see it coming and had no time to dodge.

“Splat!”

The sticky, disgusting spittle landed squarely on Ren Ye’s face.

The stench hit him immediately. Ren Ye froze, his eyes cold as he turned to glare at Player No. 11—a burly man with a menacing face.

Their eyes locked. The burly man’s lips curled into a mocking smile, but he said nothing.

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Everyone watched the two of them, their expressions a mix of amusement, shock, and awkwardness.