Chapter 30: The Saint’s Secret

Night. In Lan Wuze’s room.

As the plan got underway, Lan Ling, his older sister, had snuck into the room unnoticed.

She settled onto the sofa, crossed her legs, and looked at Lan Wuze by the window, tilting her head.

“Little bro, even if you gave that kid a key card, can he really get to the Saint?”

Her tone held curiosity.

“The defense at Qiong Lan Base isn’t just a show. If he gets caught, won’t he sell us out?”

“He won’t.”

Lan Wuze didn’t turn around. He stared at the night outside, a faint smile pulling at his lips.

“The spirit I awakened is a mental type: Puppet Spider. If that punk Asimu gets caught, I’ll break his mind on the spot and make him a fool.”

“Asimu is just a brat from some nowhere town with no backing. Even if Yan Yue investigates, as long as Marshal Lei Ze speaks for us, there’s no hard evidence to trace it back.”

Lan Wuze spoke calmly.

He had no guilt whatsoever about sacrificing Asimu.

He then raised an eyebrow, lost in thought.

“Sis, don’t be so glum. The kid might actually manage to get in, since something’s off at Qiong Lan.”

“What’s off?”

Lan Ling frowned.

“The Saint’s quarters are heavily guarded in the daytime, no fly could get in.”

“But at night, especially once she’s asleep, the defenses loosen. They pull most guards and servants away, leaving only the basic automated system. That’s also why recently the realm lord from the Royal Spirit Desert got so close to the Saint.”

“That does seem weird. Why?”

“Who knows.”

Lan Wuze smiled, a hint of intrigue in it.

“Anyway, it works in our favor. We’ll have the kid probe it. This is also the kind of intel Marshal Lei Ze wants.”

“Of course, the most important thing is…”

“The Saint’s condition.”

****

At the same time,

In the hallway, Asimu was moving along the wall in quick steps, careful with each stride. His heart hammered in his chest. Sweat made the key card in his palm slippery.

Surveillance cameras hung at intervals in the ceiling corners, their red indicator lights normally blinking. Now, every single one was dark.

It looked like they had been switched off in advance.

He quickened his pace, passing through door after door, swiping the card, going through. Each door opened smoothly. No alarms. No guards.

Too smooth.

So smooth that Asimu felt something was off.

Is this the defense of the Saint’s residence? It’s too… too careless?

But he didn’t stop. He sped up.

If the security is this lax, maybe he really could meet the Saint.

Excitement swelled inside him.

.

.

.

Following the map Lan Wuze gave him, Asimu finally reached the end of the corridor. There, a white door appeared.

The doorframe was carved with intricate snow lotus patterns, and a faint moonlight leaked through the gap… along with the refreshing fragrance of snow lotus, the Saint’s scent that soothed the soul.

Asimu stood before the door, his finger hovering, less than an inch from the wood.

He swallowed hard, his heart hammering almost painfully.

Then he pushed the door open.

—

The room was dark.

Moonlight seeped through the curtain gaps, draping a silver veil over the furniture. The scent of snow lotus hung in the air, several times stronger than in the hallway, clearing Asimu’s head for a moment.

The boy didn’t dare lift his head once he stepped in.

He kept his eyes down, watching the carpet beneath his feet, moving slowly and carefully toward the source of the strongest snow lotus smell, which was the bed.

At bottom,

Asimu knew that sneaking into the Saint’s chamber was already a grave disrespect. If he accidentally caught a glimpse of something he shouldn’t, he’d be a total degenerate… Though even his current actions already made him despise himself.

“Saint,” he called softly, his voice hoarse and trembling.

Seconds passed, no response.

Only his own breathing filled the room.

“Saint, I’m sorry to disturb you… I’m Asimu… the one from the Blessing Ceremony…”

He paused, fingers twisting at his clothes.

“I… I know this is rude, but I want to ask you for a favor.”

“If you agree, I’ll do whatever you want afterward.”

.

.

.

Still no answer.

After several attempts, nothing changed.

Huh? Is the Saint… And wait, this is the Saint’s room, right? Why does the atmosphere around me feel… wrong?

Nervously swallowing, he lifted his head tremblingly.

Then,

?!!!

!!!

Wait, this is…?!

The boy’s eyes widened, his mind went blank.

Confusion vanished from his face, replaced by an indescribable shock and terror.

Unease gripped him like an icy hand around his throat, his heart, every nerve.

Asimu felt his mind eroding under something unnameable.

He wanted to scream, but only a ragged, broken rasp escaped.

“What… what is this?”

His voice sounded as if squeezed from the depths of hell.

“This… it’s not the Saint…”

“A monster… a monster…”

The boy’s knees gave out, and he collapsed on the floor. He scrambled backward, clawing at the ground.

His nails broke, blood seeping, but he felt no pain.

All he wanted was to run, to get away, to forget what he had just seen.

In that moment he also understood why Luoxue’s residence hardly had any guards at night.

Those people… they knew about this, and they still…?!

—

Meanwhile, back in Lan Wuze’s room.

Lan Wuze was leaning against the sofa, eyes closed.

He was remotely controlling his spirit puppet spider.

The spider was perched on Asimu’s shoulder, sending back all sounds, images, even scents to his perception.

When Asimu successfully sneaked to the door of the Saint’s residence, Lan Wuze’s lips curled.

Good.

Next, he only needed to use the spider to forcibly control Asimu’s body at the critical moment.

Everything was on track.

But then,

Just as Lan Wuze was enjoying himself, everything abruptly cut off.

No warning.

A snap and a click, like someone snipping a taut string.

The connection between the spider and Lan Wuze broke instantly.

Huh?!

Lan Wuze’s eyes snapped open, his expression darkening.

“What’s wrong?”

Lan Ling asked, puzzled.

Lan Wuze said nothing.

He took a deep breath, then slammed his fist onto the table.

Bang!

A crack spread across the surface; a water cup tipped, spilling tea.

“Damn it!”

“What exactly happened?”

Lan Ling’s brows knitted tightly.

“There might be some special barrier or something in the Saint’s room,”

Lan Wuze said, voice low, anger barely contained.

“My spirit puppet spider was forcibly disconnected the moment it passed through that door.”

“Forcibly disconnected?”

“No, not interference. It was wiped out completely.”

Lan Wuze clenched his fist, pressing a hand to his chest in pain.

“I didn’t even have time to react. It just vanished.”

His expression grew darker.

After all, his plan was nearly half done. And now at this critical final step, something like this had to happen?

Lan Wuze was surely losing it.

“I’ve never heard of such a barrier… Wait… What?”

Mid-sentence, his expression shifted again. He looked oddly at his sister.

Or rather, at the pure white teddy bear in Lan Ling’s arms.

“This… this is?”

“This?”

Lan Ling looked down at the bear, hesitated, then held it up.

“This… I found it in the corridor just now and picked it up.”

“Found it? Picked it up?”

Lan Wuze muttered, his expression growing more and more strange.

A sense of unease spread silently through his heart.

Reflected in the bear’s button eyes was Lan Wuze’s own gloomy face.

Wait?

Is this doll… smiling?

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