Hidden Quest

In a corner of the wall, screened by two thick stalks of bamboo, everything in the shadows was indistinct.

Only when Zhao Xun drew closer did he make out a human-sized statue.

The wind parted the clouds, and as moonlight fell across the statue's face, its eyes seemed to move.

With the light shifting and bamboo leaves casting swaying shadows, Zhao Xun wasn't sure whether his eyes had deceived him.

He approached the statue, stopping only when he stood right in front of it.

It had the appearance of a young girl, her hands held before her chest in prayer.

It was strange to place a statue in such a neglected corner.

Besides, there was no moss, cobwebs, or dust on it. Clearly, someone had been taking good care of it all along.

Ruby, with her love of statues, seemed to be the only person who would do that.

Ruby had managed to find it even in a place this well hidden... Or had the statue originally stood somewhere else, only to be moved here later?

Perhaps this was the statue he needed.

At that thought, Zhao Xun reached toward the statue's chest.

Just as his fingers were about to touch the cold marble, he clearly saw its eyes turn. Those eyes should have been lifeless, yet he felt as though they had locked onto him.

This time, he was certain he hadn't imagined it.

Before he could do anything, a translucent window suddenly appeared before him.

[Congratulations to player Zhao Xun for triggering a Hidden Mission. This mission consists of three stages.]

[Stage one: investigate the history between the Witch and the statue.]

Zhao Xun was somewhat surprised.

He had considered that the game might have side quests or Hidden Missions in addition to the main quest, but he hadn't expected to trigger a Hidden Mission through such a coincidence.

A completely random coincidence.

Moreover, the information provided by the Hidden Mission all but confirmed that this statue was the target of his main quest.

In other words, the "statue's heart" he needed belonged to the statue before him.

"Hey, man, why are you just standing there?" Shen Yalong's voice suddenly came from behind him.

Zhao Xun quickly turned around.

Shen Yalong was about to get up. Once he had confirmed that the burly man had left, he had relaxed, and all his strength had drained away at once. He had slumped to the ground and sat there for quite a while.

Now that he had recovered a little, he wanted to leave as soon as possible.

But the moment he looked up, he saw Zhao Xun standing motionless a short distance ahead.

With the burly man-the greatest threat-gone, Shen Yalong's wariness of Zhao Xun had reached its peak.

He wasn't about to consider them teammates just because they had hidden from the burly man together.

Seeing Zhao Xun suddenly standing still made him worry that Zhao Xun was up to something again.

Zhao Xun strode over to Shen Yalong, blocking his view, then pointed back the way they had come. "Leave that way."

He wasn't sure whether a Hidden Mission could no longer be triggered by other players once someone had activated it, or whether any player who saw the statue could trigger it.

To be safe, he couldn't let Shen Yalong see the statue.

That meant he had to get rid of Shen Yalong immediately.

"Why?" Shen Yalong looked baffled.

"Because you can't beat me." Zhao Xun kept it short.

Shen Yalong: "..."

So we're not even pretending to be reasonable now? Just straight-up bullying me with force!

This is infuriating.

But he really couldn't win.

Damn it. Once I get stronger, I'll make sure I wipe away today's humiliation!

Reluctantly, Shen Yalong turned around and headed back the way they had come, listening carefully for any sounds outside.

However resentful he felt, he only dared complain inwardly. His fear of Zhao Xun kept his feet moving without pause, and he ran faster than a rabbit.

Only after making sure Shen Yalong was far away did Zhao Xun return to the statue.

"Hello," he greeted her politely, then got straight to the point. "Do you know Ruby?"

The statue stood motionless, offering no response.

"I know you're different from ordinary statues," Zhao Xun continued. "You're not an inanimate object."

The statue still didn't move.

Zhao Xun thought for a moment, then stopped talking and suddenly reached toward her chest.

His movement was too fast, and he showed no sign of pulling back.

Just as his hand was about to touch her, the statue shielded her chest with one hand and slapped his hand away with the other.

"So you really are a living statue." Zhao Xun smiled.

The statue had refused to respond, clearly intending to play dead.

That same movement had made her eyes shift earlier. When he tried it again, she gave herself away, just as he had expected.

This showed that the statue was not only alive, but also aware of herself as female.

"What do you want?" the statue demanded, her tone displeased.

Her voice was clear and bright, perfectly matching her appearance as a young girl.

"Were you the one who saved Ruby when she was about to be burned at the stake?" Zhao Xun asked directly, wasting no time on pleasantries.

The statue froze and remained silent for a long while.

Zhao Xun wasn't impatient. He continued, "The townspeople all said that a wind carrying sand and stones suddenly swept through the execution ground. When it stopped, Ruby was gone. If Ruby had been able to untie the ropes herself, she would have escaped long before that. She wouldn't have waited until she was about to burn to death. So someone else must have helped her escape."

Zhao Xun smiled and pointed at the statue. "Since the Witch didn't do it herself, it could only have been a statue close to her."

"How can you be so sure I have anything to do with Ruby?" the statue asked in confusion. "This is the first time we've met. You've never seen me with her."

"The maids at the Duke's Manor all said Ruby loved statues more than anything, and that she diligently cleaned and polished every statue in the manor each day," Zhao Xun said matter-of-factly. "Though I don't know why you came 'alive,' now that you're sentient, Ruby must be the human you've had the most contact with. You should be on very good terms with her."

In truth, the most direct reason was the Hidden Mission's explicit statement, but he couldn't tell her that.

Apparently deciding that he had already seen through her, the statue simply adopted a proud air. "I saved Ruby. What are you going to do about it?"

"So you hid Ruby?" Instead of answering, Zhao Xun asked another question. "Do you know where she is now?"

The statue fell silent again, and even her slightly raised chin lowered.

Although she said nothing, her reaction made it clear that Zhao Xun had guessed correctly.

Zhao Xun softened his tone. "Don't worry. I have no intention of hurting Ruby, or of handing her over to the Public Security Office."

The statue immediately retorted, "I don't believe you! You humans do nothing but lie!"