After a brief moment of contemplation, he coughed. The indistinct figure guarding the bedside moved silently to the door, standing watch to prevent any disturbances.

In haste, he wrote a short note with the pen and ink he carried. After unscrewing the pen barrel, a slender, delicate fox emerged. It ate two beans the old Court Official offered and then, with the note in its mouth, vanished in a flash.

Soon after, the old man's consciousness suddenly dimmed, as if he were plunging into darkness.

At the end of the darkness lay a vast, flowing, cold river. Among clumps of crimson lycoris flowers, a ghostly palace stood upon a plain of white bones.

The old man's consciousness instantly fell into the deepest part of the palace, where he saw several waiting shadows.

In the highest seat, the figure behind the hanging screen was motionless, as if in a deep sleep.

Only a man below the throne, handsome to a ghostly degree, spoke, "We are already aware of the details. You have worked hard, Lord Middle Counselor, traveling to Dongxia as an envoy despite your illness."

The old man respectfully bowed his head in response, "Your Majesty and the esteemed lords are too kind. I have merely fulfilled my duty."

Below the throne, the man pondered for a moment and then suddenly said, "His Majesty has His own arrangements for Xiematai. However, there is another important matter we must entrust to you."

The aged Middle Counselor prostrated himself on the ground, kowtowing towards the throne above. "This servant will gladly sacrifice everything to repay the imperial favor."

Then, he heard the man's calm voice, "Since you, Lord Middle Counselor, resolved to undertake this diplomatic mission while ill, you must have already prepared yourself for what's to come, haven't you?"

After a brief silence, the old man's fingers twitched, and then his whole body began to tremble.

Soon, under the gaze of the handsome man, the old man bowed his head deeply. "...I... understand."

"Very well."

Below the throne, the man slowly closed his paper fan.

The old Court Official's consciousness began to blur.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back in the silent infirmary; everything remained unchanged. Only, in his hand, there was a small bottle: the Huangquan Drug.

He slowly propped himself up. Gazing at the medicine bottle in his hand for a long time, he gave a silent, bitter laugh. Then, he raised the bottle, tilted his head back, and drank it all.

But no cold sensation came from his mouth.

Empty?

After a long moment, he opened his eyes in astonishment. Before his open mouth, a large ladle had appeared at some unknown point.

It skillfully caught the Huangquan Drug from the bottle, not a drop spilled.

"What are you doing, Lord Middle Counselor?" Older Cousin, who had appeared at the window at some point, looked down. Holding the ladle, he flashed a brilliant smile at the old man. "You mustn't do this!"

Staring at that smile, the old Court Official's lips moved numbly, as if trying to say something.

But in the end, a thousand words died on his lips, becoming only a ghastly laugh, and he collapsed weakly onto the bed, as if all his strength had drained away.

What is this? After all my schemes, am I still trapped in Kongming's snare?

He lowered his eyes wearily. Now, things are really looking bad.

Time flew swiftly. Accelerated by the Joyful Framework, Xiematai had thrice welcomed an ethereal morning sun. Daylight broke.

The brief night ended once more. The sheer number of intense battles had been overwhelming, especially the final, miraculous stage performance—a duel between Princes that likely left many young women in the audience with excited nosebleeds.

Even before the duel concluded, some artistic masters had already slapped together risqué 'Prince x Prince' images on the Darknet. Click rates instantly soared to an all-time high for the fan-art section. Among those who quietly 'liked' the posts were a well-known (but preferring to remain anonymous) Lady Crow and a mysterious registered Scholar with an ID starting with 'H'…

After the duel, the sixteen major online casinos on the Darknet began frantically raking in bets. The amount wagered on Huai Shi winning the championship even briefly broke into the top three.

At its peak, it surpassed the original second-place holder—a mysterious individual who had yet to reveal their identity—and even came close to challenging Ye Xueya's top position.

Unfortunately, it was a sudden burst of popularity with insufficient staying power. Under the slow, steady climb of the original first and second-place holders, Huai Shi fell back to third after four hours.

The main reason was Di Ting, who, with a smile, was withholding information about Huai Shi. Tomorrow News was also scheming, planning to reveal it at an opportune moment to manipulate the odds.

Although information on a Legendary Investigator's identity could be bought for a little extra money, Huai Shi's Rank and his solo fighting style made it difficult for him to attract more attention in this fiercely team-based competition.

With the arrival of dawn, after a long day and night of fierce contention, the clearance data for all key areas surfaced.

'Mitsukoshi Great Building': 100% completion, 41 victors. Ye Xueya's Dongxia Social Security Office firmly held four Dark Gold Level Items, eleven Border Relics, and one Legion Contract.

'Asakusa Temple': 61% completion, 22 victors. After a hard-won victory, the Yingzhou Money Tycoon Sodom Group obtained two Dark Gold Treasure Boxes and a Legion Contract. Meanwhile, the defeated Renxia Hall decisively shifted their strategic focus, achieving 40% completion in Ame Yokocho and acquiring four Border Relics and one Dark Gold Treasure Box…

'Little Cat Paradise': 92% completion, 24 victors. Virtually every project leader who survived to the end received a completion reward.

Huai Shi alone, however, accounted for over forty percent.

Of this, ten percent came from frenzied hunting in the revival round, and thirty percent was due to Little Cat's hidden quests and the benefits conferred by the Prince title.

The masked Mysterious Guest ventured into Daiba alone. Relying on two Dark Gold Level Items and an eerie Stigmata Ability, they fought ten opponents single-handedly, almost wiping out the three teams attempting to clear Daiba. They secured seventy percent of the completion rate for themselves and earned one Stigmata Relic.

As the statistics scrolled, they quickly reached the end.

'Akihabara', ranked in the top five of all regions: 92% completion rate.

Total victors: 13.

For a moment, everyone was stunned. Only thirteen people?

Thirteen people completed Akihabara, notorious for its numerous and complex tasks, and pushed the completion rate to 92%? It was almost like a miracle!

Could it be that some elite team arrived later?

Then, on the screen, the number jumped.

It became 12…

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