Isn't Today March 27th?

The moon shone bright, with only a few stars in the sky.

"So, what have you decided?" Ai De Wen looked at He Wei Ni Ya, who was sitting by the window. "There's no need for us to keep waiting here, is there?"

He Wei Ni Ya glanced at Ai De Wen. "You don't want that Corpse Piece anymore?"

"Of course I do, but I don't think there's much hope left—at least, not from that person." Ai De Wen shrugged. "You beat him into that state a few days ago. Unless there's something wrong with his head, he probably won't dare come looking for trouble with you again... at least not alone. There's not much point in us waiting here."

He Wei Ni Ya said nothing. She merely tapped her staff lightly, looking lost in thought.

Two days had passed. He Wei Ni Ya's injuries had fully healed, yet she had not left. She wanted to see whether there was another chance to make a move against Luo Qi. After all, if she missed this opportunity, who knew how long it would take to find another holder of a Corpse Piece.

At the same time, she was waiting for Bai Wei to come find her. The battle between her and Luo Qi had caused quite a commotion. If Bai Wei was nearby, there was no reason he would not have received word. Once he did, he would surely guess that she was the one who had acted. Then, as long as Bai Wei came to investigate, he should be able to find her easily with that eye of his.

But Bai Wei had not come.

There were only two possibilities. Either Bai Wei had never received the news, or he had received it but could not come.

He Wei Ni Ya hoped it was the former. If it was the latter, it could only mean that Bai Wei was either in poor condition or caught up in some trouble he could not escape.

If that was the case, He Wei Ni Ya had to consider what she could still do now.

"They're sending reinforcements here."

Ai De Wen spoke again, interrupting He Wei Ni Ya's thoughts.

"What?"

"They're sending reinforcements here." As Ai De Wen repeated himself, he tapped his temple. "I can sense my colleagues getting closer. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be Nightmare Followers. Looks like they know we haven't left and are planning to drag us out."

"The Nightmare Followers of your church pose no threat to me."

"I know, but the reinforcements definitely won't be limited to people from our church." Ai De Wen said, "They failed the first time, so they'll certainly come fully prepared next time. Think about it: Rhine, Eternal Nightmare, Contract Land. At least three major forces will be hunting the two of us..."

"Even if it comes to that, I can still get away."

But I can't!

Ai De Wen nearly shouted it aloud.

Ai De Wen knew his own strength well enough. If Luo Qi had faced him that night, he would likely have been taken down in a single exchange.

And it was easy to predict that, because of the previous failure, the major churches would intensify their hunt for him. If He Wei Ni Ya abandoned him at a time like this, he would be utterly finished. So Ai De Wen had to bind himself tightly to He Wei Ni Ya.

"All right, Miss He Wei Ni Ya. I know you may have some misunderstandings about me." Ai De Wen said, "But please believe me, I have never harbored ill intentions toward you. Whether you have a Corpse Piece or not, I would never set my sights on you. We're companions, aren't we?"

What made Ai De Wen most uneasy these past few days was He Wei Ni Ya's attitude.

After that night, He Wei Ni Ya had become noticeably more wary of Ai De Wen. He also knew it was because he had accidentally exposed his ambition to seize her Corpse Piece.

But there had been no helping it. Those were Visas' Corpse Pieces!

They came from the strongest, most perfect, most eternal body in the history of this world!

The temptation was no less than a little chick meeting a busty beauty, or Rhine Father meeting a little boy... no, no, even that could not compare. Visas' body—ptui, Visas' Corpse Pieces were absolutely the thing most capable of making people abandon every principle in this world!

If not for his lack of strength, and for the fact that he had wanted to play it safe and wait for He Wei Ni Ya to die naturally, Ai De Wen would definitely have taken the risk that night.

Unfortunately, there were no such ifs. His retreat that night left him desperately trying to make amends now, hoping that He Wei Ni Ya would not turn against him while he still held that forbidden knowledge.

When He Wei Ni Ya saw Ai De Wen state it so bluntly, she immediately revealed a half-smiling expression. "Oh? Is that so? You really don't want my Corpse Piece?"

You really do have one!

Ai De Wen's heart stirred again. He instinctively wanted to nod, but barely forced himself to hold back. Then he declared righteously, "Of course not. Even if you really have one, I can't take it. Given the current situation, I still need your strength to deal with those church dogs! So, we should go seize other Corpse Pieces instead."

"So that's why you suggested going to Nameless Town to seize fake Corpse Pieces?" He Wei Ni Ya asked. "Are fake Corpse Pieces useful too?"

"Of course." Ai De Wen nodded repeatedly. "As long as there are enough of them, they can have an effect."

Ai De Wen then explained the principle to He Wei Ni Ya.

After listening, He Wei Ni Ya asked, "If that's the case, why didn't you go directly to Nameless Town from the beginning?"

"Nameless Town is the black market merchants' territory." Ai De Wen said helplessly. "With my strength, trying to rob the black market merchants' headquarters is basically a fool's dream. But if it's you, there shouldn't be much of a problem. At the very least, it should be easier than trying to snatch that finger from Bishop Luo Qi again."

Faced with Ai De Wen's expectant gaze, He Wei Ni Ya once again fell into thought.

Indeed, if what Ai De Wen said was true, robbing a large number of fake Corpse Pieces from the black market merchants' headquarters would be much easier than stealing that finger from Luo Qi again. He Wei Ni Ya had no reason not to choose the easier option... if she truly was on Ai De Wen's side.

But the problem was that He Wei Ni Ya had never intended to help Ai De Wen complete that forbidden research. Who knew what he might create?

At the very least, before gaining Bai Wei's approval, He Wei Ni Ya would not help Ai De Wen continue his research. She only wanted to use Ai De Wen as bait.

So how should she proceed from here... hmm?

He Wei Ni Ya frowned slightly and turned to look out the window.

In the tranquil night, she seemed to hear something.

A gentle melody, as though it could blend into the moonlight.

She immediately retreated. That melody shifted from gentle calmness to violent fury, and then, with a boom, the entire windowsill was blasted apart.

He Wei Ni Ya, who had retreated to safety a step earlier, looked at the several figures that had suddenly appeared before her and the familiar staffs in their hands. After a brief moment of surprise, she chuckled.

"Oh? There are Players too?"

Several Players immediately aimed their staffs at He Wei Ni Ya.

"Sinner He Wei Ni Ya!" The leading Player's words brimmed with barely restrained fury. "We finally found you!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes." He Wei Ni Ya raised her staff as well. The Seventh Notes painted on her body lit up one after another. "I thought I would never fight Players again in this lifetime."

"You destroyed Holy Sound!"

"No." He Wei Ni Ya said calmly, "I only destroyed you."

"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell?!" Luo Qi burst out of his room, his clothes disheveled, and stared anxiously at Mina and Fenris outside. "What the fuck was that?! Did that bastard come after us?!"

There was another Little Priest inside the room, equally disheveled. He had originally wanted to rush out after Luo Qi, but upon seeing the two high-ranking figures from Star Remnants and Eternal Nightmare standing outside, he wisely shrank back in.

"Bishop Luo Qi." Mina, who never slept at night, spoke to Luo Qi with considerable calmness. "Someone is fighting."

"What the fuck kind of nonsense is that?! Of course I know someone is fighting!" Luo Qi roared. "I'm asking who is fighting! Or did you move the plan ahead?"

After their discussion during the day, Luo Qi had agreed to the two men's plan. They had intended to act against those two tomorrow night.

They had chosen tomorrow night because they were still waiting for more reinforcements to arrive, including Holy Sound Players, Rhine Knights, and Guardians drawn from Contract Land.

Moreover, Spotless Night was the night after tomorrow, while De La Town was only a little more than half a day away from Nameless Town. If they acted tomorrow night, they would have exactly one day to reach Nameless Town and walk straight into the trap.

It was simply a perfect plan!

Luo Qi felt he would soon get to see that damned tongue die horribly. After days of humiliation, the thought gave him indescribable pleasure and swept away his previous listlessness. So he had decided to enjoy himself properly tonight, then personally send that damned tongue on its way tomorrow.

Unfortunately, before he had fully enjoyed himself, just as he was about to shudder, a thunderous explosion rang out.

He himself was fine. After all, he was a Bishop of one region and had seen his share of storms. A sudden incident on this level could not affect him at all.

But the Little Priest keeping him company was different. He had been frightened stiff, and Luo Qi's expression had twisted along with him.

"We did not move the plan ahead... at least, I didn't." Mina looked at Fenris. "Lord Fenris, was it your order?"

"Of course not." Fenris shook his head. He still looked as though he had not woken up. "My subordinates and I have been cultivating in dreams. We have not participated in the real world at all."

"Then what the hell is going on?!" Luo Qi suppressed his fury. "The three of us are the ones in charge here, yet none of us knows anything. What the fuck is this..."

Before he could finish, Luo Qi's Chief Knight hurried over. "Bishop! It's Holy Sound! Holy Sound Players!"

Holy Sound Players?!

The three of them turned to look. The Chief Knight knelt on one knee before Luo Qi and said, "My men have seen them. Holy Sound Players are fighting someone in the southeast of town. It looks like they are fighting that Forbidden Scholar and..."

"Of course I know who it is!" Luo Qi immediately grabbed the Chief Knight by the collar and lifted him up, roaring, "But who told them to attack ahead of schedule?! Didn't you make it clear to them? We were supposed to act tomorrow night, not today!"

"I-I don't know." The Chief Knight looked utterly wronged. "And Bishop, I'm not the one responsible for contacting the Holy Sound Players."

Luo Qi immediately looked at Mina and Fenris. Mina awkwardly raised a hand. "We were responsible for the communications."

"You?!" Luo Qi immediately threw the Chief Knight aside and stormed up to Mina, roaring, "You got even the date wrong?!"

Mina's lips twitched. She resisted the urge to wipe away the saliva Luo Qi had sprayed across her face and struggled to remain calm. "Impossible. Anyone else could get the time wrong, but we would not. Don't forget, we are those who gaze upon the stars."

"Who gives a fuck whether you gaze at stars or not?!" Luo Qi showed Mina no courtesy at all. "The facts are right in front of us. They've already acted ahead of schedule, and you're still making excuses?!"

Pushed this far by Luo Qi, even a clay Buddha would feel anger. Mina's expression darkened as well.

"Bishop Luo Qi, I can respect you, but if you insult Star Remnants like this, my teacher may not be pleased."

When Mina brought up Isaiah, Luo Qi's expression stiffened briefly, but his fury only grew. "Are you threatening me?! This is obviously your fault..."

Mina raised her hand and tapped lightly. A star chart immediately appeared between them.

Then the star chart shifted. Specks of starlight formed words before finally turning into a letter.

"This is the original letter I used to contact the Holy Sound Players." Mina said coldly. "Bishop Luo Qi, you may look at the date."

Luo Qi glanced at the date on the letter. It was indeed March 27th, which was tomorrow.

But so what? It could easily have been forged.

Just as Luo Qi was about to say that, Fenris stepped forward and interrupted his fault-finding. "There's no point arguing over this now. Since Holy Sound has already made its move, we can't just stand here and watch."

They were acting a day early?!

His reinforcing Knights were still on the road, and only a few Guardians from Contract Land had arrived. The encirclement had not even formed.

More importantly, Spotless Night was not until the night after tomorrow. It was unknown whether Isaiah's preparations had been completed.

But there was no helping it. Since the fight had already begun, there was no taking it back.

Luo Qi forcibly suppressed his anger, turned, and roared at the Chief Knight, "What are you standing around for? Give the order to move!"

If they waited any longer, that incomplete Holy Sound troupe would probably be slaughtered by the tongue!

Thus, the forces of the three major churches immediately closed in on the site of the battle.

But by the time they arrived, the battle was nearly over. More than half of the Holy Sound Players lay in pools of blood, their lives and deaths unknown.

The battlefield had already shifted.

Luo Qi was about to pursue them when he noticed, from the corner of his eye, a Player who still had one breath left. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed him by the collar.

"Fuck! Who told you to attack ahead of schedule?!" Luo Qi shouted. "Don't you know what date it is today?!"

The Player opened his mouth blankly. "Isn't today March 27th?"

"Who the fuck told you today was March 27th?!"

"Who... who told us..." The Player frowned, thinking over the question. But before he could come up with an answer, the life in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only a murmur. "Yeah... who told us today was March 27th..."

Outside De La Town.

Bai Wei stood atop a hill, quietly watching the distant battlefield. Then he pulled up his collar, covering the bloodstained corner of his mouth.

"The show has to begin early." He said with a faint smile.