Chapter 40

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Chapter 40:

Li Chunzhou squinted slightly when she heard the words spoken by Jian Hou.

Qi Leyuan felt a strange sensation, as if he knew where the Time Beast was, but every time he tried to think about it, his mind suddenly went blank, like a cat chasing a light dot and thinking it caught it, only to find nothing there when it lifted its paw.

This feeling was like someone playing a game with Qi Leyuan using a laser pointer to decide where the light dot falls, but the switch was not in Qi Leyuan’s hands.

Liang Wenshi, the Fifth Prince, said, "Isn’t this a violation? This is a problem that your Main God System should take care of, it’s not our concern! Since there is such a major mistake, why haven’t you activated the emergency evacuation to get us out of the Dungeon?"

Jian Hou from the Astronomical Bureau replied, "According to the rules, indeed we should activate the emergency evacuation, but the problem now is… I can no longer contact the Main God System outside the Dungeon."

The chat channel fell silent.

Jian Hou from the Astronomical Bureau added, "I think it’s not just me, in these past few days, I believe everyone has also tried, no skills can be used here."

"Huh?" Qi Leyuan, bewildered, flapped his wings. Just yesterday, he had used a voice orb, and even a few days ago in the first Sub-dungeon, he had clearly used skills in front of the fierce Red Bean. How could Jian Hou say that skills couldn’t be used here…

Pebble, the eunuch, remarked, "It’s exactly the same as the Dungeon in the palace – in the Peaceful Heart Courtyard, there is an energy barrier that prevents people from getting close to Consort Shu and leaving the Peaceful Heart Courtyard. I thought only the second Sub-dungeon was like this."

Seeing this, Qi Leyuan remained silent and closed his mouth. Since everyone else was experiencing this, the issue was likely with him. Where was the difference between him and other players? Was it because of Lady Chun? Or was it because of Li…

His mind went blank for a moment, then Qi Leyuan suddenly snapped out of it, furrowing his non-existent brows, thinking, "Huh, what was I just thinking?"

Unable to remember, he simply continued reading the text on the screen.

Huang Yuanwu, "So what should we do now?"

Jian Hou (Astronomical Bureau), "We need to quickly pass through the Dungeon, check if the clearance conditions have changed, if there are any problems. After leaving the Dungeon, I will report the situation here to the Main God System."

Liang Wenshi (Fifth Prince), "You said you are the Administrator, right? Can’t you give us clues or help us pass through quickly?"

Jian Hou (Astronomical Bureau), "I indeed designed this Dungeon, but all we did was to set its operation mode and difficulty level. I am not familiar with the specific details, we can only rely on working together to pass through the Dungeon."

As an Administrator, Jian Hou’s only task is to transfer energy from the higher-dimensional world into a Dungeon world like this one, just like a divine bestowal, blessing whoever it touches.

The more resentful a person is, or consciousness entity, the more energy they receive. In a way, entities like ‘Jian Hou’ resemble more of a dark deity than a god.

Once the energy transfer is complete, the Administrator’s only duty is to sit in front of the monitor and observe the operation of the Dungeon World, ensuring it can function properly before releasing players into the world.

Therefore, ‘Jian Hou’ not only manages this world but also hundreds of other Dungeon Worlds. He doesn’t have a deep impression of this particular Dungeon, vaguely remembering four Sub-dungeons. Unable to contact the Main God System now, it’s impossible to investigate information about this Dungeon.

Cheng Yingchu (Courtesan), "Wait, even if you don’t know the details, what about the initial rules? There are seven rules in total, with the last rule stating that one of the first six rules is false. Which one is the false rule?"

Jian Hou (Administrator), "It’s the curfew rule."

Liang Jiayou (Fourth Prince), "Really? It’s so simple?"

Jian Hou (Administrator), "This Dungeon originally was just a B-level Dungeon. Because more than a hundred groups of players kept dying here, it gradually upgraded to an S-level Dungeon. The curfew is fake, it was set like this from the beginning. If we follow the normal timeline, it’s impossible to complete all four Sub-dungeons within thirty days. This rule is meant to test people’s courage."

Qi Leyuan thought to himself, if Jian Hou and Li Chunzhou weren’t pushing, with their current investigation speed, they wouldn’t have solved even one Sub-dungeon yet.

Gu Cai (Merchant), "Looks like we have to investigate everything ourselves in the end."

Linlang (Maid), "Who is ‘He’ mentioned in the sixth rule?"

Jian Hou (Astronomical Bureau), "Originally, ‘He’ was referring to an evil spirit. The way to solve the Sub-dungeon is either to break the cage or to kill the evil spirit."

Zhong Zhiye (Cabinet Minister), "Wait, let me add something. Little General Gu reported the findings at Spring Flowers Tower to the Cabinet. He suggested that we focus on investigating the case from twenty years ago and the residence of Minister Liu."

Shi Gu (Beggar), "I just analyzed it. Based on what Jian Hou said earlier, I think the guard next to Liu Yuming is likely the little boy who survived from the case twenty years ago, among the Dragon and Phoenix twins."

Lai Xiang (The Princess), "Oh no, stop talking, this old man wants to sleep with me, what should I do?!"

Cheng Yingchu (The Courtesan), "Which old man?"

Lai Xiang (The Princess), "The Duke Gong, I just slept with his concubine a few times and now he caught me, he said I have a strong personality and must sleep with me, I can’t believe it! I’m a man!!"

Ji He (The Fifth Young Master of Ji family), "How about… you say you’re on your period?"

Hongwu (Hanlin Academy Compiler), "I have finished organizing the files from Shunqing province. After the wife and daughter of the deceased passed away, the only remaining son was indeed adopted by Minister Liu, and kept as a personal guard."

Shi Gu (The Beggar), "Just as I expected."

Yan Qingze (The Merchant), "Oh no, isn’t Liu Yuming rumored to be fond of young boys and has a strange relationship with his guards? It’s quite perverted to target young boys…"

Hongwu (Hanlin Academy Compiler), "Also, the testimony of the wife from that year seems a bit strange to me, but I can’t pinpoint what’s odd about it."

Linlang (The Palace Maid), "Send it over for me to take a look."

[Hongwu]（Scholar at the Imperial Academy）: (picture)

[Linlang]（Maid）, "It doesn’t match up, the time of death and when his head was cut off don’t match."

[Hongwu]（Scholar at the Imperial Academy）, "So, the person was first killed and then had their head cut off?"

[You Rurong]（Investigator）, "The official records speculate the time of death was in the morning, but judging from the wound on the neck, the time of the beheading was in the afternoon, with over two hours in between. However, the wife clearly stated in her testimony that she saw her husband in the afternoon."

[Kong Yangping]（Servant at the brothel）, "The conclusion seems quite clear, either she committed perjury or something supernatural is at play."

[Ji He]（Youngest son of the Ji family）, "I feel the former is more likely."

[A’ping]（Beggar）, "Indeed, but if the wife did commit perjury, why would she do it?"

[You Rurong]（Investigator）, "I have an idea, since the curfew was a lie, I might as well set off now, travel overnight to Shunqing province, inquire about the details of the case back then, and see if there’s anything we missed."

[Shi Gu]（Beggar）, "Your idea seems a bit hasty, but A’ping and I could sneak into Shangshu Mansion quietly to take a look."

A’ping (beggar), "I’m fine!"

Cheng Yingchu (prostitute), "Okay, then it’s settled."

Lai Xiang (princess), "Wait, the matter isn’t over yet! Using the excuse of borrowed water can only last for seven days, right? What should I do after that?!"

Gu Cai (merchant), "If everything goes well, we will leave in seven days. If we don’t leave by then, we are likely to be in serious trouble. Just relax and stop complaining."

***

In the evening, when Li Chunzhou returned to Spring Flowers Tower, Qian Chaoxin and Young Master Zhao were already waiting for her in the elegant room.

Qian Chaoxin kept adjusting his hair ornament and tugging at his collar, fidgeting like a bird trying to attract a mate.

Zhao Junyuan didn’t want to come to this place with Qian Chaoxin in the first place, but was dragged here by his friend. He was already annoyed and seeing Qian Chaoxin’s behavior, he endured and held back his temper.

Qian Chaoxin, oblivious to Zhao Junyuan’s feelings, cheerfully asked, "Hey, Zhao, how do you like my outfit today?"

Zhao Junyuan clenched his teeth but couldn’t help himself, angrily said, "Brother Boyuan, as a scholar, how can you be so infatuated with a courtesan? It’s really a disgrace to our morals!"

Ignoring him, Qian Chaoxin coldly snorted as Zhao Junyuan continued, "In my opinion, this Miss Li is probably just leading you on. You need to wake up!"

Qian Chaoxin stood up discontentedly to argue with him, "What do you mean she’s leading me on? I share common interests with Lady Chun. You don’t understand anything! Even if she is leading me on, it’s because she appreciates me as a person. Why isn’t she leading you on then?"

Zhao Junyuan chuckled, "How can you talk about sincerity with these courtesans? Even if she already knows you, doesn’t she still ask you to introduce new clients? Otherwise, why would she want you to bring me here?"

Qian Chaoxin looked disdainful, "Don’t be too confident, Zhao. Lady Chun is just using you to bring us closer together."