Editor: Xinghe
Proofreader: UM3
Translator: YuQiChen/Churen
Even though Fu Yichen’s martial arts skills were formidable, at this moment, he only wanted to break through and escape. However, he was unfamiliar with the terrain, and in the middle of the night, he felt like a headless fly. Moreover, not all of the Ninth Prince’s men were useless, especially the Ninth Prince himself. He was able to hold his own against Fu Yichen for dozens of moves, causing Fu Yichen’s situation to become troublesome.
Without time to ponder the changes in the plot and without the energy to fight back, Fu Yichen fought while retreating. By now, he had multiple injuries, especially from the solid palm strikes of the Ninth Prince. The so-called internal injuries made his qi and blood unstable, causing turbulence within, even affecting the speed of his skills. Fortunately, after he rushed out of the palace, the Ninth Prince did not personally pursue him.
With the help of laji, Fu Yichen evaded to a hidden place, even though he was heavily injured. Thankfully, it was easy to hide during the night. In the end, Fu Yichen managed to leave behind the relentless pursuers.
When he finally shook off the group of people, Fu Yichen sat down against a tree stump, gasping for breath. Then he spat out a mouthful of blood, and the turbulent qi and blood gradually calmed down a bit.
However, before Fu Yichen could catch his breath, laji trembled and timidly said, [Wuwuwu, host, this place is so eerie, host.]
Fu Yichen’s heart skipped a beat, suddenly feeling a bad premonition. ‘What’s going on?’
[Wuwuwu, I can’t sense anything anymore.]
For no reason, Fu Yichen’s heart jolted and his mind quickly searched through the plot. Soon, he had a bad guess. ‘The Misty Forest!’
Indeed, there was such a part in the plot, but it was the Ninth Prince who used the Male Lead to lead them into it after the tyrant was injured. Moreover, at the beginning, the two of them were unaware that they had entered a devilish forest that the locals avoided at all costs.
But Fu Yichen knew what it meant to enter. Within a short time, he couldn’t leave even if he knew the plot. However, Fu Yichen didn’t expect that even laji would lose its sensing ability. The plot not only changed, but it also advanced due to his early arrival. However, one thing remained unchanged – the ultimate goal was still to bring him into this Misty Forest, a place he had always wanted to avoid.
With this thought, wouldn’t Su Zhan also have to come in? Fu Yichen suddenly became worried. What would happen if he wasn’t there? And with the plot’s strange power reaching this level, even if he left a few hundred top imperial guards, it would probably be futile. Most importantly, how should he handle the Ninth Prince?
Fu Yichen’s heart tensed up in an instant. Compared to being heavily injured and trapped in the devilish forest, Fu Yichen was clearly more concerned about Su Zhan facing the Ninth Prince alone outside.
In fact, after Fu Yichen left, Su Zhan had been anxiously waiting at the inn. He couldn’t even think of sleeping, his mind filled with the scene in the original plot where the tyrant was injured. He couldn’t control his constant thoughts, even though he kept reassuring himself that everything was fake, including their bodies. But it was useless. The pain was real and their feelings were real.
Until the sound of fighting came from outside the door, Su Zhan didn’t have time to figure out the whole situation before being taken out of the inn by the people guarding the door. As they ran, a group of people chased them relentlessly. After a few brief encounters, Su Zhan keenly realized that these people were clearly after him, and their goal was not to assassinate him, but to… capture him.
At this moment, even if Su Zhan was in a hurry and afraid, he gradually realized that things were not that simple. It wasn’t until he completely shook off the people behind him that Su Zhan had time to think carefully. At this point, apart from him and Eunuch Fu, there were only six of the eight elite imperial guards left.
In such a short time from Liu Wei’s appearance until now, they had been ambushed, and the other party clearly came straight for him. From this, it could be seen that their identities were most likely exposed, and besides the Ninth Prince, there couldn’t be anyone else capable of such methods.
With this thought, Su Zhan realized that the person in the most danger at the moment was Fu Yichen, who was alone and unarmed. If they had already been discovered, there might be a trap waiting for him outside the study!
“We must go back and save him.” Su Zhan looked at the town faintly visible in the moonlight, with no doubt in his voice.
“But, Madam…” Eunuch Fu was full of dilemma. After all, the Emperor had repeatedly instructed to protect the safety of the Madam, but the Emperor’s own safety couldn’t be delayed.
“You wait here.” Su Zhan made a decisive decision and ultimately left one person to accompany Eunuch Fu, while he and the remaining five returned straight to the Ninth Prince’s residence. He was certain that Fu Yichen must have encountered trouble, and he couldn’t believe that a group of NPCs were able to drive the plot forward. So, no matter what happened at the Ninth Prince’s residence, no matter what changes occurred in the plot, and even if he had no martial arts skills and might be a burden, he had to go back.
As expected by Su Zhan, something did happen at the Ninth Prince’s residence. But the worst part was that when they went there, not only did they not find any trace of Fu Yichen, but they were also surrounded by the Ninth Prince and his men. It seemed that they had walked right into a trap. Su Zhan was immediately filled with regret and guilt. Unfortunately, at this time, the power of the plot came into play and the Ninth Prince immediately spotted Su Zhan, who was being protected by several elite imperial guards.
“Retreat quickly!” Su Zhan inwardly cursed, but before they could leave the Ninth Prince’s residence, the Ninth Prince had already made a move against the people around him. In the blink of an eye, Su Zhan was caught by the Ninth Prince.
“Tsk tsk tsk,” the Ninth Prince’s gaze was sharp and age had not left too many traces on his face. Instead, it added a few more mature and charming features unique to a grown man. “Indeed, a beauty. No wonder, no wonder.”
Su Zhan clenched his fists and pursed his lips, wanting to curse out loud that he wasn’t a beauty. This was undoubtedly the line that the Ninth Prince said when he first saw the male protagonist. Sure enough, there were some problems with the plot, as it skipped over many intermediate processes. But before Su Zhan could speak, the Ninth Prince continued arrogantly.
“The beauty is here to find your husband, right?”
Su Zhan really wanted to spit at his face, but he kept repeating in his heart that a true man can bend and stretch. So he suppressed the anger inside him and bit his tongue to hold back the words that almost came out. In such a situation, good acting skills as an actor became particularly crucial.
“Where is he?” Su Zhan tried to make himself appear more vulnerable, but his gaze was unusually determined and resolute. Only then could he avoid falling into the common mould, right?
Indeed, a hint of appreciation flashed in the eyes of the Ninth Prince, but quickly gave way to surprise. “You… you’re actually a man?”
Very well, another scripted line, acting, he’s good at it. Su Zhan raised his head without fear, “So what if I am?” The so-called fearless protagonist, the “fragile body with a strong heart” and all that.
Sure enough, a few traces of curiosity flashed in the Ninth Prince’s eyes. It was evident that he had taken an interest in this person. “Not bad, not bad.”
“Where is he?” Su Zhan coldly asked again. The more he showed his ignorance of the situation, the more the Ninth Prince admired him.
The Ninth Prince narrowed his eyes and sneered sarcastically, “Do you know the Misty Forest?” Su Zhan was immediately taken aback, only to hear the arrogant Ninth Prince continue, “Little beauty, you’re probably going to be a widow. Why not follow me?”
Su Zhan had no martial arts skills and the Ninth Prince, who held him captive, knew it all too well. It was precisely because of this that Su Zhan caught him off guard when he suddenly pulled out a handful of white powder from his pocket and threw it at the Ninth Prince’s face.
“Damn it, you bastard!” Su Zhan seized the opportunity and threw another handful of unidentified powder at the arrogant face of the Ninth Prince. After holding it in for a while, he finally blurted out his pent-up words.
And then, while the Ninth Prince was raging in anger, Su Zhan swiftly broke free from his grasp, got up, turned around and ran. Unfortunately, he hadn’t run more than a few steps when two people caught up with him. Su Zhan was immediately alarmed, and in that instant, he mustered all his strength, hating how his useless body limited his abilities.
Fortunately, the pursuers behind him didn’t catch up. Su Zhan ran while looking back, only to discover that those skilled palace guards had blocked the way for him. Su Zhan didn’t care about anything else, he lifted up the troublesome skirt with both hands and ran as fast as he could. Faintly, he could hear the furious roar of the Ninth Prince behind him.
Su Zhan ran all the way without knowing the direction, directly rushing out of the city gate. Then, he didn’t know what kind of forest he had entered. At this moment, all he had in mind was that he absolutely couldn’t fall into the hands of the Ninth Prince. He had to find that so-called Devil’s Forest.
It wasn’t until there was no sound behind him that Su Zhan cautiously checked his surroundings, making sure no one was chasing him. Only then did Su Zhan release the tension in his nerves and sat down on the ground, gasping for breath.
“I’ve had enough.” Su Zhan took a deep breath, feeling a bit resentful. At the same time, he touched the things that Fu Yichen had prepared for him in his pocket. They were all there, which made Su Zhan feel slightly relieved. Then he asked the system in his mind, ‘Do you know in which direction the Misty Forest is?’
[System unable to sense, unable to sense… unable to sense.]
Through the system’s repeated response, Su Zhan slowly realized, ‘Could it be that I’m already here?’
Sure enough, the next moment, Su Zhan realized that all around him, in every direction, were identical blurry trees. He had unknowingly entered this forest. After walking in the dark for a few hours but finding himself still going in circles, Su Zhan finally exhaustedly confirmed that this was undoubtedly the Misty Forest.
A chill ran through Su Zhan, causing him to shiver uncontrollably. As he looked around, everything was pitch black, with no sense of direction. Alone and helpless, Su Zhan sat on the ground, wondering how he would find that person. He truly missed him like never before.
The real Su Zhan was definitely timid, and his previous life had been comfortable and smooth. So everything he encountered after unexpectedly entering this bizarre and eerie novel world was already absurd to him. But at least before, no matter how terrible the situation was, he had someone by his side. The key was that it was the person he liked, so he unconsciously ignored his surroundings.
Until now, when he found himself alone in the Misty Forest with no visible direction, Su Zhan’s fear resurfaced. But he was still a man, and Fu Yichen was waiting for him. So he had to grit his teeth and persevere.
In fact, both of them, who were in dire circumstances but only concerned about each other, overlooked one thing. Since the power of the plot was so mysterious that it could forcibly change the storyline to achieve the ultimate crucial plot, it was inevitable that the two of them, no matter how far apart, would be drawn or affected by some strange force and eventually meet.
It wasn’t until the next day, when Fu Yichen saw Su Zhan appear in front of him, that he suddenly realized this problem, feeling a mix of joy and anger.
At that time, Fu Yichen was unable to move due to internal injuries and was lying on the ground gasping for breath. Suddenly, he heard a sound behind him and turned his head only to see Su Zhan standing there, dishevelled and leaning on a stick, looking dazed.
Probably due to the dense undergrowth of the jungle, Fu Yichen saw that Su Zhan’s clothes were torn and tattered, his hair a mess. There were also faint marks on his arm from the stick… He looked extremely dishevelled.
This Su Zhan, who was like a star, seemed out of place and somewhat resembled a beggar. Fu Yichen felt like laughing, but somewhere in his heart, he couldn’t help but feel a warm and sour feeling.
Before Fu Yichen could say anything, Su Zhan rushed towards him and then embraced him tightly, causing his severely injured body to ache. Of course, Fu Yichen grimaced and endured the pain while laughing.
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