Chapter 56

Chapter 55: Puppet on Strings 3

Shen Cangli left all the guest reception arrangements to Lin Zhian, then eagerly dragged Zhai Feng into their bridal chamber.

The bridal chamber had been arranged by Shen Cangli long ago, and it was decorated quite tastefully.

Zhai Feng loved swords, so the walls and wooden racks of the room were adorned with many treasured swords, all collected gradually by Shen Cangli over the years.

He had even once offered them to Zhai Feng as gifts, but Zhai Feng hadn’t accepted them.

Shen Cangli didn’t feel particularly disappointed about this.

In his logical thinking, if Zhai Feng didn’t want to take the swords, having them in his own home was just as good. After all, after marriage, his home was Zhai Feng’s home too.

So the room hardly looked like a bridal chamber—it resembled an armory.

Still, Shen Cangli had the servants hang red lanterns outside, and inside the room there were festive red silk ribbons, red candles, and “double happiness” symbols everywhere.

The bed’s canopy was embroidered with a large “double happiness” character. Behind the canopy, Shen Cangli and Zhai Feng sat side by side, each holding one end of a red silk ribbon.

Shen Cangli turned his head and smiled at Zhai Feng. “Did you see the expressions on those people downstairs just now? They looked like they’d seen a ghost…”

He reached out, covering Zhai Feng’s neck with his hand, and untied the red cloth wrapped around it. A gruesome scar immediately came into view.

That piece of red cloth was not part of the wedding attire.

But to prevent others from noticing what had happened to Zhai Feng, Shen Cangli had no choice but to dress him this way.

At that moment, gazing strangely at the scar several times, Shen Cangli said, “If they saw this wound, knew you had taken your own life, their expressions would be even more spectacular.”

At this, Shen Cangli’s expression even carried a hint of regret.

But his hands did not stop moving. Soon he untied the knot on Zhai Feng’s sash and removed his bright red outer robe.

After this, Shi Zong received a system notification—

【A special scene has appeared, triggering the temporary opening of the special item shop】

【The shop provides a large number of items for players to choose from】

【Avoid Kiss Card: 20 points】

【Item effect: During a kiss scene, the player’s consciousness temporarily detaches from the character, experiencing no effect or sensation—effectively skipping the kissing scene】

【Forced Mosaic Card: 40 points】

【Item effect: If a scene requires character nudity, using this item will make your body appear as a mosaic to others】

【No more fear of undressing—start with the Forced Mosaic Card! Don’t hesitate, buy it now!】

…

There were many similar items.

The most expensive was the 【Avoid XXOO Card】, costing 200 points.

The system helpfully added a reminder—

【Temporary shop opens for only three minutes. Players, choose quickly!】

Shi Zong: “……”

—Designing scenes that force players to participate, then making them spend hard-earned points to avoid them… the system really knows how to milk the players.

Shi Zong glanced at Zhai Feng beside him and noticed that his outer robe had been removed, and his inner shirt was partially undone, revealing half of his arm.

The inner shirt outlined his well-proportioned, muscular physique, with several abdominal muscles faintly visible beneath the white fabric.

Although Shen Cangli was a bit unhinged, his taste in people wasn’t bad.

Shi Zong quickly selected a few item cards from the shop, just in case. But after a moment, he surprisingly didn’t use a single one.

He pulled the red silk ribbon from Zhai Feng’s hand, climbed onto the bed with him, and pressed close.

One hand supported himself by Zhai Feng’s ear, while the other lifted a strand of his hair and twirled it around his finger. Looking down into his eyes, he asked, “How does the bridal chamber start? Third Brother, how about you kiss me first?”

During this, He Zhen’s mind also received notifications from the system.

His consciousness seemed split in two: one half stayed on the bridal bed acting out the scene with Shen Cangli, the other half visited the item shop briefly.

He guessed that Shi Zong’s situation was probably the same.

But why did it seem… he hadn’t used any items at all? He didn’t skip this part directly?

The bridal chamber was called Wanfeng Residence.

The “Feng” naturally came from “Zhai Feng.”

Wanfeng Residence was built over the water pavilion. It was lotus season, and the red lotuses dyed by the moonlight surrounded the entire pavilion, like a cold yet vivid flame.

The wind blew into the room, making the red curtains sway gently.

Outside, the cold moonlight and the vivid lotus flowers appeared faintly and intermittently.

In this night scene, the candlelight reflecting “double happiness” shone into Shi Zong’s jet-black eyes.

He propped his head up with one hand, leaning sideways against He Zhen, and said again, “Wait, maybe I should kiss Third Brother myself.”

At this moment, He Zhen’s emotions were undoubtedly complex.

His heart raced because Shi Zong was so close.

Yet simultaneously, he felt a subtle anger and displeasure, difficult even for himself to grasp.

He wanted to kiss the person in front of him immediately, but also wanted to stop him, grab his hand, and pull him beneath himself, questioning whether not using an item meant Shi Zong wasn’t taking the scene seriously, whether anyone could do this to him…

But all these chaotic thoughts dissipated as Shi Zong’s slightly parted lips drew near.

He Zhen’s mind nearly went blank.

Staring at the approaching lips, he could only feel Shi Zong’s warm breath and the faint scent of sandalwood from his body.

Yet at the critical moment, a system alert suddenly popped into He Zhen’s mind—

【OOC Warning: You are not Zhai Feng, and you are not truly controlled by Shen Cangli. You cannot accept intimate acts between men.】

【The player must find a way to avoid the “bridal chamber” scenario, or it will violate character settings.】

【However, you must still impersonate Zhai Feng and stay with Shen Cangli, so choose a method that will not arouse his suspicion. The sooner he doubts your identity, the fewer points you will earn.】

He Zhen: “………………”

Shi Zong leaned over Zhai Feng lying on the bed, his gaze full of affection, every line of his face radiating tenderness, as if he truly wanted to kiss him.

But during this, he was carefully observing Zhai Feng’s expressions, unwilling to miss any sign of abnormality.

Just as their lips were about to meet, Zhai Feng suddenly let out a muffled groan, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. His neck then slumped, and he went still.

Just as expected.

Shi Zong’s eyes immediately turned cold.

But he had to maintain Shen Cangli’s character, so he quickly “reacted in shock,” leaped off the bed, and shoved open the doors of Wanfeng Residence.

“Someone! Quickly, bring Wu Yunxi here! Now!!!”

An hour later, Wu Yunxi finished treating Zhai Feng. As he was leaving Wanfeng Residence, Shi Zong stepped forward and asked, “Third Brother, how is he? Why does he look like… like he suddenly died again?”

Wu Yunxi said, “I’ve used this technique to revive many people, and normally this shouldn’t happen. But perhaps every person’s constitution is different. Zhai Third Master has practiced the Zhai family’s secret techniques, which might conflict with my resurrection method.

“Master, please forgive me. I will stay at Fengling Crossing for the time being, in case anything happens again to Zhai Third Master. I will also monitor his condition at all times to improve my resurrection technique.”

“Thank you for your trouble.”

Shi Zong nodded to Wu Yunxi and quickly went inside to the bedside.

Zhai Feng lay on the bed, his complexion even paler than before.

He opened his eyes to look at Shi Zong, but his gaze was unfocused.

It was as if, unless Shi Zong used the silk threads on his fingers to convey his intentions, he was nothing more than a wooden figure incapable of expressing anything.

Night had deepened, and all outsiders had been sent away by Shi Zong. The world felt as if only he and Zhai Feng existed.

Shi Zong raised the back of his left hand and saw that there were no red-line storylines active, so he withdrew the obsessive expression Shen Cangli would have toward his beloved and instead looked at Zhai Feng coldly.

If another soul truly possessed Zhai Feng’s body, there was a very high probability he wouldn’t want to enter the bridal chamber.

So Shi Zong didn’t rush to use any item; instead, he sought to provoke the scenario to observe “Zhai Feng’s” reaction.

If “Zhai Feng” didn’t respond, then Shi Zong would effectively have kissed a data-stacked NPC, which was no problem. The bridal chamber scene could be skipped using an item card.

But if “Zhai Feng” acted, the likelihood of possession would be very high.

Why vomit blood now, of all times, just before the kiss?

This could only indicate that, if he allowed this scene to unfold, it would violate his own character setting—

He had taken over this body with a purpose, not to play romantic games with Shen Cangli.

Thus, after testing, Shi Zong concluded that it was highly likely Zhai Feng had already been possessed.

This meant he wasn’t an NPC, but a player.

Wu Yunxi had said earlier that no one he revived had ever suddenly vomited blood and fainted.

This further confirmed that Zhai Feng had most likely been pretending.

At this moment, looking at Zhai Feng, Shi Zong immediately said, “I know you’re not Zhai Feng. For Shen Cangli’s character to realize this, it might require triggering a special storyline.

“But as a player, since I’ve already noticed it, I can quickly find a way to trigger that storyline.

“So you have two choices—

“First, explain your origin to me clearly.

“Second, wait until Shen Cangli discovers you’ve possessed the body of the one he loves, and he will tear you apart.”

Pausing for a moment, Shi Zong gently touched the person’s cheek and, with a tone of regret, said, “I imagine he will say at that time…

‘So you were only a substitute for the one I loved.

‘You’re far from the real Third Brother.’”

He Zhen: “……”

Casting a complex and deep look at Shi Zong, He Zhen formed a hand seal and struck outward. In an instant, thousands of red lotuses in the pond withered.

The red lotuses fell, as if the fire surrounding the water pavilion had been extinguished, and Fengling Crossing darkened slightly.

At this moment, Shi Zong received a new storyline—

【You accidentally discovered that Zhai Feng was using a technique, and that technique clearly did not belong to any orthodox sect—you even sensed a trace of demonic energy…】

Shi Zong couldn’t help but be slightly surprised, and he looked at Zhai Feng with a probing gaze.

In this game, the information possessed by the player and the character they play is not completely synchronized.

For example, in Changming Town, during exploration, Shi Zong had already discovered all the truths, yet Jiang Wan’er never awakened.

This was a game—if the player wanted Jiang Wan’er to awaken, they had to trigger and complete a specific storyline.

The situation now was the same.

Shi Zong, through reasoning and testing, knew that Zhai Feng had likely been possessed.

But for the story’s Shen Cangli to realize this, there still needed to be a storyline trigger that existed within the logic of the story itself.

Shi Zong wanted to save time and figure out the story as soon as possible, so he could judge whether he was at risk. He chose to directly interrogate the player currently hidden inside Zhai Feng’s body.

He guessed that the player would not cooperate willingly, so he had already prepared many lines of reasoning.

For example, if the player refused to speak the truth, Shi Zong could use Shen Cangli’s character setting to continue demanding the bridal chamber scene, forcibly triggering a red-line storyline.

He wanted to see how the player hiding in Zhai Feng’s body would try to evade it this time.

Perhaps, after trying a few times, it could trigger the storyline point where Shen Cangli would begin to suspect Zhai Feng’s identity.

After all, every time Shen Cangli tried to get close to his beloved, Zhai Feng would vomit blood or faint—he should have noticed something was wrong.

However, the actions of the player controlling Zhai Feng’s body were clearly beyond Shi Zong’s expectations.

Shi Zong guessed that, in the system prompts the player received, there must have been a line like this—

【Hide your demonic energy. Do not let Shen Cangli discover it, or he will suspect your identity】

Thus, Zhai Feng boldly used demonic energy to destroy so many red lotuses, clearly actively helping Shi Zong trigger the “Shen Cangli suspects Zhai Feng’s identity” storyline point.

It was as if he had decided not to hide anything from Shi Zong anymore.

Without knowing that the person in front of him was He Zhen, Shi Zong could not understand why he acted this way and felt a bit astonished.

He Zhen had indeed deliberately used demonic energy, giving up the task points for that portion and directly triggering the storyline in which Shen Cangli would suspect Zhai Feng.

In fact, he hadn’t originally intended to hide anything from Shi Zong.

Before entering the game, he repeatedly dreamed of scenes in the King of Hell’s court, with Emperor Song Yuqin whipping Ming Yue. Instinctively, he felt that Shi Zong did not like calling him “Third Brother.”

If Shi Zong knew the person behind Zhai Feng was him, who knew how annoyed he might get. Moreover, unless the forced storyline required it, Shi Zong certainly wouldn’t call him that again.

Luckily, He Zhen’s character setting also required him to hide the truth, so he played along naturally.

But Shi Zong was worthy of being Shi Zong.

Since he had already suspected his identity so early, He Zhen simply stopped pretending in front of him.

Demonic energy appeared on Zhai Feng.

This triggered a new red-line storyline—

Shi Zong, playing Shen Cangli, grabbed the neck of the “Zhai Feng” in front of him, but when he saw the wound bleeding, he withdrew his hand.

The person in front of him was no longer the Zhai Feng he had longed for, yet he still had Zhai Feng’s appearance, and when he smiled, he resembled Third Brother so much that Shen Cangli was caught in a dilemma.

He didn’t know whether to tear this person apart or continue keeping him.

Tear him apart? He couldn’t bear it.

He couldn’t bear to see this body get injured again. Moreover, once the flesh was damaged, when he finally found Third Brother’s soul, how could he safely place it?

But leaving him alive, he felt so much hatred—tonight was supposed to be his and Third Brother’s wedding night, and now everything was ruined by this impostor!

【Player Shi Zong, you have two choices——】

【First, kill the “Zhai Feng” in front of you to vent your anger】

【Second, treat him as Zhai Feng’s stand-in and love him; even if the soul is different, you can at least continue to love this body】

【Your choice may affect the subsequent storyline】

Shi Zong: “……”

Choosing the first option probably wouldn’t help.

This person’s magic seemed strong, and with demonic energy on him, he wouldn’t be easy to kill. Moreover, he could possess another body—destroying this flesh wouldn’t stop him from living again.

For Shen Cangli, doing so would be satisfying, but for player Shi Zong, relevant story clues might be cut off entirely.

Furthermore, the resurrection of Zhai Feng was entirely orchestrated by Wu Yunxi. If he and a demon were secretly plotting something, acting rashly could result in Shi Zong dying in their conspiracy.

So Shi Zong decisively chose the second storyline path.

Then, according to the red-line storyline requirements, he formed a hand seal and cast a spell. From the void, numerous binding demon chains suddenly shot out, chaining He Zhen’s hands and feet.

Shi Zong walked to him, looking him over like a spectator of a prisoner: “Tell me, who are you? Are you a demon?”

“I am the Great General of the Demon Clan, Chi Lie,” He Zhen said. “A hundred years ago, I led my troops against the celestial army. The Four Great Families gave the Celestials the Shui Guang Pearl, causing my army to be defeated. My body was split in two, my demonic soul scattered, and only in recent years have I barely reformed. I couldn’t recover my old corpse, so I had to survive using the body-possession technique.

“This technique is peculiar—when it senses someone dying, my demonic soul automatically travels to them. That’s how I entered Zhai Feng’s body.

“I can read his memories, know his relationship with you, and understand the effect of those threads. So I wanted to use this connection to have you help me eliminate the Four Great Families.

“My current demonic energy is far weaker than before. Retaliating against the Celestials is a task for the far future. But I can start by eliminating the Four Great Families of the cultivation world, to avenge myself and the Demon Clan.

“So I pretended to be Zhai Feng under your control, hoping to subtly manipulate you into aiding my revenge. But that was only my plan.

“It wasn’t until just now, in the bridal chamber, that I realized… as the Great General of the Demon Clan, it’s shameful to use this method for revenge.”

“Tsk. I see. But——”

Shi Zong’s face actually broke into a mysterious smile.

He reached out and patted He Zhen’s face. “The way you say that… it’s just like Third Brother. When he refused me, his expression was exactly like yours.

“Maybe I really can treat you as him.

“Even if you don’t measure up to even a finger of his… I am just too lonely.”

He Zhen: “……”

At this point, the forced storyline temporarily ended.

Seeing the red thread on his hand darken, Shi Zong immediately changed expression and asked He Zhen: “So you mean you weren’t conspiring with Wu Yunxi? You just happened to possess Zhai Feng’s body?”

He Zhen nodded.

“You don’t want to kill me either?” Shi Zong asked.

“I don’t intend to kill you. I only want to pretend to be your lover to use you for revenge,” He Zhen said. “But that Wu Yunxi is definitely suspicious. We should both be on guard.

“The number of players in this dungeon is unknown, and the background is quite vast. After a brief adaptation period, we could face the risk of death at any moment. That’s why I am willing to quickly share the story with you.

“We need to gather as much information about the dungeon as possible before the system’s adaptation period ends.”

In the first two dungeons Shi Zong had experienced, he had never encountered a player dying.

But this time, it wasn’t certain.

If the number of players was very large, it meant that before the official murder occurred, many could die from all sorts of risks.

Shi Zong very much agreed with the player in front of him and squinted, studying him closely.

The way he spoke, the current arrogant expression, just now using demonic energy to trigger a storyline…

—This person is He Zhen, right?

Why isn’t he revealing his identity?

Shi Zong’s memories of his past life still felt distant.

He could hardly imagine how his former self, facing that godlike war god who killed anything in his path, and the stern, imposing Song Emperor, could have called him “Third Brother.”

He could, however, imagine his current feelings.

Calling an 18-year-old He Zhen, who was much younger than him, by that title, Shi Zong couldn’t help but feel a slight awkwardness—but only a slight one.

After studying He Zhen up and down a few more times and seeing that he still wouldn’t reveal himself, Shi Zong decided not to expose him immediately and instead teased him.

He stepped forward and sat beside He Zhen, reaching out to touch the demon-binding chains on his right hand, then looked into his eyes. “During the bridal chamber, why didn’t you use a skip-item? Trying to take advantage of me?

“Do you like men?”

He Zhen: “……”

Shi Zong continued, “I think you’re right, that Wu Yunxi doesn’t seem like a player—maybe an important NPC, maybe a mini-boss. Now we’re basically a team; we might need to work together to escape his schemes.

“So don’t stay so silent. Talk to me, get to know each other, it’ll help with cooperation later. How old are you? What do you do for work?”

After a brief silence, the sound of chains sliding could be heard as He Zhen raised his hand and grabbed Shi Zong’s wrist.

He asked, “Why didn’t you use a skip-item? You ask my age and occupation—is it that if I’m the right age, you’d just go along with this act… yet you don’t even know me.”

He Zhen paused there.

Perhaps he suddenly realized that Shi Zong already knew who he was, and that he had been teased.

His Adam’s apple moved as he frowned again. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I know, you didn’t use an item to test whether Zhai Feng was possessed, to see if he was a player or an NPC.

“But what if the Zhai Feng character is just an NPC? Would you really… with him?”

Shi Zong glanced at him and said lightly, “If he’s an NPC, it should be easy, right?”

He Zhen: “……”

—Easy? Easy how?

Giving He Zhen a half-smile, Shi Zong asked, “You didn’t drink any spiked wine this time—what’s this act about? Don’t tell me, your demonic energy messed with your mind, hmm? My little General Chi Lie?”

After a long silence, He Zhen met Shi Zong’s gaze, his tone carrying a hint of scolding. “What nonsense do you keep saying all day?”

This time Shi Zong froze. “…?”

Inside the red-silk-decked Wanfeng Residence, the atmosphere turned somewhat subtle.

Breaking the tension was Lin Zhian.

He arrived with an invitation in hand and said, “The lights are still on; I suppose the Valley Master has not yet rested? We received an invitation from the Zhongli family. The head of the Zhongli family, Zhongli Zhenhai, is getting married in a month and sincerely invites the Valley Master to attend the ceremony.”

After Lin Zhian left, the red thread on He Zhen’s hand lit up.

Looking at Shi Zong, he began reciting his lines: “We demons are different from the hypocrites of your Immortal Cultivation world. Just because I didn’t accept you today… doesn’t mean I never will.

“You can treat me as a substitute. I can play Zhai Feng’s role in front of you. Even in bed, whatever you want, I’ll try to fulfill it.

“I have only one condition: you must help me kill Zhongli Zhenhai. He had a share in the Water-Glowing Pearl incident back then…

“No, not just Zhongli Zhenhai. At this wedding, the remaining heads of the Four Great Families will also attend. I want you to help me kill them all.”

Shi Zong slipped fully into character, adopting a contemplative posture.

Then he lazily sat on a bamboo chair, looking at He Zhen with a thoughtful expression, reciting his lines: “The one who came back isn’t really Third Brother, yet Wu Yunxi hasn’t realized it. I can’t rely on that mediocre doctor to get Third Brother back for me.

“At the moment, it seems Third Brother is truly dead. Until I find another way to resurrect him, you, as this substitute, can temporarily ease my longing. As for those Four Great Families…

“I can feel that Third Brother liked me, but he cared too much about others’ opinions. Seeing those four old men disapprove, he wouldn’t be with me. Now he’s dead; they must be held accountable.

“If Third Brother really can’t come back, I could consider killing them. As for you—”

Shi Zong looked at He Zhen, lifting his chin, “There’s a month until the wedding. Whether you can be a good substitute depends on how you behave during this time.

“So, find a way in this month… to please me.

“If you make me happy, I’ll take care of killing those four old men for you.”

While reciting these melodramatic lines, Shi Zong’s mind was thinking:

Could it be that he and He Zhen are truly the killer and the accomplice this time?

What kind of deadly risks will they face now?

Elsewhere, in the Immortal Cultivation World, the Zhongli family.

In the forbidden area of the back mountain.

Zuo Sanqiu, playing Zhongli Wen, walked into a cave filled with talismans and secret arts.

Deeper in the cave, light shone.

A waterfall poured down from the sky, falling into a pool.

In the center of the pool, on a stone platform, lay a corpse.

The corpse was a woman, wearing a vermilion hairpin and a silk skirt. Even with her eyes closed, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

“Mother… Father is going to marry someone else.

“But I won’t allow that to happen.

“That demoness cannot enter, this wedding cannot take place!

“You must live again, alright?

“I’ve learned a resurrection technique. You can come back to life.”

As he finished speaking, Zuo Sanqiu, playing Zhongli Wen, raised his right hand. Several threads sprouted from his finger joints, penetrating his flesh and extending to the woman lying on the stone, entering her crown, heart, and limbs.

Once the threads replaced the meridians and grew inside her body, Zuo Sanqiu beckoned with his finger, and she stood up.

“My child… you’ve grown so much.”

A moment later, the woman smiled at Zuo Sanqiu and spoke.

Immortal Cultivation World, Zhao family.

In a garden filled with peach blossoms, fallen petals formed a bed. A fair-faced young girl lay quietly upon it.

But her body was already stiff, clearly having been dead for some time.

Zhang Qijun, playing Zhao Yueshan, stared at her with a possessive, obsessive gaze.

After a moment, threads sprouted from his right hand, all entering the young girl’s body.

“Yin Yin, I know you admired Zhai Family’s Third Young Master…

“But I heard he’s already married to Shen Cangli.

“You want to confront them… even kill them? A month from now, the head of the Zhongli family will marry. I heard Shen Cangli and Zhai Feng will also attend.

“I’ll take you to settle the score with them.”

Author’s note:

Little He: I’m jealous of myself.

Little He: The substitute turns out to be me.