You Blame Me?

The Cultivation World, inside the Stone House.

"Madam Shen... no, Madam Yun. Raising Yun Xian's Favorability sure is difficult."

Three Side Quests in a row, and the last one was practically a Tutorial Stage!

And after all that, her Favorability was only at 45.

"Little Heroine was much easier..."

Mu Ye gazed at the results panel, filled with emotion.

Sometimes, a couple of kind words were enough to raise her Favorability by several points. Little Heroine was just so... simple.

The most important thing about this Side Quest was probably the Dynasty Widow achievement.

Only with that achievement could he learn Madam Shen's true name and the identity hidden behind it.

"Yun... Dynasty Widow. So Yun Xian is royalty from the Tianqi Dynasty?"

Madam Yun's explanation in the carriage had felt almost like a heartfelt confession.

Clearly, this identity meant a great deal to her. She wouldn't reveal it to anyone but someone extremely close.

From that, it seemed even Shen Qingchan didn't know.

Inside the carriage.

Mu Ye had been so absorbed in the satisfaction of completing the Side Quest and checking its results that he hadn't answered at all.

So much time passed that the only sounds were the wheels rolling over the bluestone pavement and the clamor of pedestrians outside, making the carriage feel all the quieter by contrast.

After speaking, Madam Yun seemed to be waiting.

She glanced at him again and again, but he gave no response... not even a question.

Most people's first reaction would have been to ask why. For example, why could he call her Miss Yun? What exactly was the Feng Family plotting against her?

But he... didn't react at all.

A subtle feeling stirred in her heart.

At last...

"You... why aren't you saying anything?" Madam Yun looked outside and spoke as if making casual conversation.

"?" Mu Ye.

What was he supposed to say?

He was still basking in the rush of having just shown his might, defeated several Third Grade experts, and crushed Feng Wuque with a single slash.

The most satisfying part of this Side Quest had been that stretch.

It had genuinely felt like playing a Soulslike game: reload again and again, predict the enemy's moves, then make it through without taking a hit.

So what if they were Third Grade experts?

Of course, predicting Feng Wuque's second-phase power-up was practically cheating.

To anyone watching, it must have looked like something only possible with battle-hardened experience and an intimate understanding of the opponent.

As for the Old Man in Black who came later...

In a straight fight, without Demon Subduing Body, the Geng Metal Grass-Cutting Sword could only just keep him in check. Winning would have been difficult.

Mu Ye hadn't been in top form.

And the old man was, after all, Fourth Grade.

Still, judging by his earlier encounter with the masked thief and the chains on his body, there was a good chance he'd been forced to stay with the Feng Family.

If he were truly some honored guest of the family, why would they lock him up with chains that hard?

So before entering True Mode, Mu Ye had already been thinking about how to deal with the Man in Black.

He could try cutting through the old man's chains with the Geng Metal Grass-Cutting Sword during the fight and see if they could turn from enemies into allies. If that failed, they could settle things with a fight to the death.

Unexpectedly, it seemed the masked thief had been right after all.

They hadn't exactly become allies, but once the chains were broken, the old man clearly had no will to fight.

From there, Mu Ye had smoothly defeated the surrounding Xifeng Army, broken through the door, and rescued Madam Yun, who had nearly been coerced by the Feng Family!

Mu Ye was baffled. What else was there to say?

Her Side Quest was done. He was going to log off and get some rest.

"You must be curious..."

Seeing the Demon Sealer remain silent, Madam Yun turned her gaze back to him and decided to take the initiative once more. "The Feng Family treated me differently. They didn't just want to swallow up the Shen Family's estate... they wanted to cooperate with me."

"Actually..."

Madam Yun sighed softly. "Have you heard of Prince Liang of Beishan?"

Mu Ye's thoughts stirred. He had heard of him.

These past few days, aside from grinding for secret martial arts, he'd occasionally heard stories about the Tianqi Dynasty at the martial arts school. It was part of the world's background, after all.

Prince Liang of Beishan was said to be the twenty-fifth legitimate descendant of the Tianqi Emperor, only two generations removed from the present day.

The interesting part was that during Prince Liang of Beishan's time, the dynasty had rotted from within, and the people were suffering. He was stationed in the south, defending against demons, but the court kept withholding his army's pay. So he simply rebelled, then led tens of thousands of Beishan Army soldiers straight to the dynasty's capital.

And then... he broke through the capital and dragged down his own brother, the emperor of that era.

He became the twenty-sixth Beiliang Emperor of the Tianqi Dynasty.

The Beiliang Emperor was somewhat better than his brother. He managed to extend the Tianqi Dynasty's life by a few decades, but the next generation was no better.

And because the Beiliang Emperor had usurped the throne without a rightful claim, none of his descendants were willing to keep the peace.

Not many years after his death, the newly enthroned emperor had barely taken the throne before he began neglecting state affairs and plotting to slaughter his siblings. Using the pretext of curbing the vassal lords, he meant to eliminate them one by one.

The others saw what was happening and thought, Good grief, you want us dead? Then don't expect us to honor our brotherly bond.

The throne changes hands in turn; this year it's my family's. Our father seized the throne himself, so what do we have to fear?

And so chaos broke out, wars raged without end, and demons laid waste to the world. The dynasty sank into the final days of its decline.

"I'm a descendant of Prince Liang of Beishan..." Madam Yun murmured. "My bloodline is legitimate royalty... The Feng Family wants to use my identity. On the surface, they're establishing the Taiping Martial Alliance, but in truth, they want to use Taiping City as their base and launch a rebellion."

"The Feng Family was once the Grand Ancestor Emperor's right-hand support. They were hailed as the Prince of Equal Rank, and they've coveted the throne for a long time..."

"..." Mu Ye.

So she really was a Dynasty Widow.

Well, this world was a mess.

No wonder Madam Yun had seemed extraordinary from beginning to end. That kind of bearing wasn't something an ordinary wealthy family could instill.

"So..." Mu Ye suddenly thought of something. "You knew from the start what the Feng Family was after?"

Wait. Mu Ye had just thought of something else. The two demons in the Tutorial Stage had gone straight for Madam Shen.

In the second Side Quest, Madam Shen had asked him to investigate where the demons came from. That was how he'd deduced that the Feng Family was behind them.

But according to Madam Yun, the Feng Family didn't want her dead.

If she died, how could they use her to control the vassals? Without Madam Yun's identity, the Feng Family would have no claim to launch a rebellion.

"Those two demons... weren't the Feng Family's doing. Someone else was behind it," Madam Yun said calmly. "They were responsible for what happened in Chishui Village... They wanted to get rid of Shen Tianxing and leave me with no one to rely on."

"So you had me investigate the demons just to find a reason to point the finger at the Feng Family?"

"Because sooner or later, they would have made a move against you."

Mu Ye couldn't help admiring her. After he'd completed the Tutorial Stage, Madam Shen had probably already been thinking of having him help her deal with the Feng Family.

The Side Quests that followed... had simply been part of her plan all along.

"The space beside one's bed..."

"So the name of this Side Quest didn't just refer to the Shen Mansion... It referred to her, too..."

Silence settled over the carriage once more.

"Do you blame me?" Madam Yun suddenly asked.

"?" Mu Ye.

Blame her for what?

Without her Side Quests, he wouldn't have known what to do with all those Paradise Coins.

[1, Madam Shen, you really are resourceful. When I rescued you, you may already have been planning to use me, weren't you? Is this how you treat the person who saved your life? (He stepped out of the carriage, eyes cold)]

[2, The world bustles for profit; the world rushes for gain. That's all there is to it. There's no point in blaming you or not blaming you. (His heart was as calm as a still lake)]

[3, Woman, do you know the consequences of doing this? (A wicked smile)]

[4, Have you ever wondered why I chose to help you?]

"..." Mu Ye.