"Hey, get up, get up. Let’s skip the formalities," Doctor Tang said cheerfully, pulling Jiu Yue back to sit down.
Meeting Jiu Yue felt like a stroke of luck to Doctor Tang. He poured two cups of tea, ready to chat with her all night, but the moment he slid the cup toward her, the already cracked table—bearing four or five fissures—finally gave way.
With a loud crash, it shattered into pieces. The two of them fell into an eerie silence for a moment.
Then they exchanged a glance and pretended nothing had happened.
"This village is too poor. The table’s quality is terrible—it broke just from holding a cup of tea," Doctor Tang grumbled.
"Exactly! What a scam. We didn’t even do anything," Jiu Yue chimed in.
Having reached a consensus, they wordlessly stood up and walked outside.
"The scenery here isn’t bad either. Let this old man show you around," Doctor Tang said, clasping his hands behind his back. Jiu Yue folded her arms, and the odd pair strolled leisurely through the village.
Along the way, Jiu Yue listened as Doctor Tang recounted many stories about her master’s past.
He spoke of how her master had wanted to uphold justice but could never bring himself to be ruthless when it mattered, and how he had never fully grasped the complexities of the world.
"Many of his enemies were spared because he showed them mercy…" Doctor Tang wiped his face, his tone heavy.
"Nangong Cang and I often complained about him behind his back. In our line of work, who knows what he was thinking? Every defeated foe would claim they’d learned their lesson, and he naively believed them every time."
As Jiu Yue listened, she dredged up memories of that gentle, refined man—her master.
But then Doctor Tang abruptly changed the subject.
"Still," he said to Jiu Yue, "if not for his mercy, you wouldn’t exist in this world."
Jiu Yue froze. After a long pause, she asked the question she’d been weighing carefully: "Who was it that took me away?"
Doctor Tang sighed and lowered his gaze. "Your master."
Jiu Yue skeptically tapped her ear and asked again, incredulous, "Who?"
Doctor Tang met her gaze squarely and repeated, word by word, "You heard right. It was your master who took you from the Great Yan palace."
Jiu Yue: "…"
System: "…So you’ve been calling your enemy ‘Master’ all this time?"
Jiu Yue wiped her face, at a loss for how to process this revelation…
But Doctor Tang said, "Kid, don’t stress over it. Feel free to hate him—he’s dead anyway."
Jiu Yue: "…"
The sudden truth left her speechless. After a moment, she couldn’t help but ask, "Why would he take me from the palace for no reason?"
"Why?" Doctor Tang gave her a strange look, then chuckled. "What else? For money, of course!"
In their line of work, wasn’t money the whole point?
Payment for services rendered—that was the rule.
Jiu Yue pressed, "Then who paid him?"
"I don’t know," Doctor Tang sighed. "Your master never told anyone. The client wanted him to kill you right there in the palace, but…"
He suddenly stopped when a dog tugged at his sleeve, gnawing and shaking it wildly.
Jiu Yue was frantic. She grabbed his sleeve and yanked. "But what?!"
"…" Doctor Tang’s lips twitched. He didn’t drag it out. "But your master said you were too adorable. He couldn’t bring himself to do it, so he just took you away instead."
"You were premature, weak, and still needed milk. That kid panicked and came running to me, begging me to help him raise a child."
Doctor Tang sounded exasperated, but when he glanced at Jiu Yue—her eyes downcast, expression unreadable—he couldn’t help but try to defend his late friend.
"Kid, in our line of work, getting attached is the worst mistake… but your master did put in the effort…" He didn’t get to finish.
The dog still hadn’t let go.
Such a mood-killer! Stupid mutt! Doctor Tang cursed and wrestled with the dog.
Leaving Jiu Yue alone, squatting on a rock.
"Host, don’t be sad," the system offered awkwardly. "In the original plot, the female lead also hated her master after learning the truth. She even renounced her martial arts to sever ties with him, even though he was already dead… But since you still need to forge your own path, I don’t recommend giving up your skills!"
Jiu Yue: "…"
Her lips twisted in disbelief. "I sincerely suggest your main system retire early and let a competent system take over as the scriptwriter."
System: "…Sniff, you know you’re not allowed to insult the main system."
"Shut up! Or I’ll insult you too!" Jiu Yue snapped.
The system didn’t dare make another sound.
Jiu Yue was genuinely impressed. At this point, she felt that the original protagonist—who awakened her consciousness to seek revenge against Prince Ping—was truly the heroine of heroines!
In the original plot, the female lead was supposed to marry Prince Ping, the man who killed her sister and toyed with women’s hearts, for a happy ending—already absurd enough.
But then, after learning the truth about her master, she was supposed to renounce her martial arts and cut ties with him—seriously?! What was she thinking?!
What did her master do wrong? He was just one link in the chain! The real villain was the one pulling the strings from the shadows!
That person lurked unseen. Even if her master hadn’t taken the job, someone else would have—and they might not have been swayed by her infant cuteness.
Yes, hating her master was understandable.
But Jiu Yue didn’t hate him… and she believed the original protagonist wouldn’t have either.
She tilted her head back, gazing at the starry sky, and slowly calmed down.
"Hey, dumb system," she called out, lying back with her arms behind her head and one leg propped up unconsciously.
The system timidly reappeared… After observing her for so long, it could tell from the slight bounce of her foot that she wasn’t as furious as before.
"…I’m not a dumb system," it muttered weakly.
"Fine, trash system then," Jiu Yue scoffed. "In the original plot, who hired my master?"
The system hurriedly answered, "Consort Ning, one of your father’s favored concubines."
"Compile everything about her and send it to me," Jiu Yue ordered. "Every detail."
She’d realized this system had no initiative—it never spoke up unless she asked.
Useless thing!
The system gave a meek "Oh" and started typing furiously.
Jiu Yue continued, "And in the original story, how did the protagonist return to Great Yan and reclaim her princess status?"
The system replied, "After discovering Prince Ping already had a wife and child, the original protagonist left heartbroken… She eventually wandered into Great Yan, stumbled upon her grandfather, and after being recognized, returned to the palace as a princess."
Jiu Yue rubbed her chin.
So the original protagonist must have awakened after meeting Mu Ling… Even though things had diverged from the plot, she was already in Great Yan now.
She could just follow the script from here!
Jiu Yue quickly made up her mind. Once she reached the capital, she’d "stumble upon" her grandfather too and smoothly reclaim her princess title!
Everything was looking up!
Jiu Yue clenched her fists, her eyes shining with renewed determination!
