"I just want to make it clear," (Y/n) said, seated on a stool as Monkey meticulously stylized her hair to make her look more masculine. "I will not pursue any of these women. Not if it's to break their hearts later on."
"Don't you worry about that." he smiled. "Just be yourself, giving them that famous (Y/n) charm will be enough." he kissed her cheek. "Trust me."
She furrowed her eyebrows, not believing him one bit. After getting their backstories together, our group of protagonists now in disguises made their way to the castle. Nian Zhen scratched her scalp through her wig.

"Stop that." Monkey, turned into a beautiful human woman, slapped her hand away. "I'm already allowing you to keep that stupid big coat on-"
"It's not stupid!" she glared at him.
"-Don't mess up your disguise even more."
"I immediately hate this."
"That's just what happens when you can't even change your hair color." Qiuyu said, now wearing a light armor, not looking away from his strand of now-brown hair that he was inspecting, thinking it looked weird.
She glared at him too.
"Don't worry Nian Zhen." (Y/n) smiled, also wearing a similar armor. "You'll do great, just remember to stick together."
Nezha gave them a thumb up, assuring that he'll keep an eye open for the Emperor, giving them a heads up for his arrival. Along with watching over whatever place they couldn't.

"And (Y/n)?" Monkey said after he helped Nian Zhen get on the Horse with her new dress.
"Mmh?"
"I won't get to say it as much so... Remember:" he pressed his fingertips on her mouth and made a kissing noise, since he couldn't kiss her with his makeup. "I love you."
She blushed, her heart skipping a beat. With the two 'ladies' on the Horse's back, the group were stopped in front of the gates by two soldiers. Qiuyu stepped up and gave them a fake message signed by a high ranked imperial official, given to them by Nezha.
"Lady Peishan and Lady Wanjie." he gestured towards Monkey then Nian Zhen. "Two late additions to the group."
The soldiers looked at Nian Zhen, suspicious, who quickly moved her hair to hide her lack of ears.
"Famous for their beauty, but mostly their minds." he added.
"Sure..." they leaned towards each-other and whispered. "Well it is the right signature, we can't just deny them entry."

They eventually let them in. After taking the Horse to the stables, they led them to a large lounging area inside, where all the ladies were silently chatting around a table with trays of food and tea on it. They stopped and turned over when they noticed the newcomers.
"Lady Peishan and Lady Wanjie." the soldier announced.
Nian Zhen was this close to bowing but once she noticed Monkey just walked up to the group, she quickly followed him.
"Ladies." he just nodded his head.
"Hi!" a young woman with short light brown hair stood up and went up to them. "It's so nice to meet you two! I'm Liu Lanzhi."
Hearing this name, Qiuyu's eyes widen. (Y/n) noticed.
"What's wrong?" she whispered.
"Nothin'." he lightly shook his head with a faint smile. "I knew someone with a similar name is all. Never thought I'd hear it again today."
"I see..."

"And I'm surprised." an older woman with beautiful long black hair and a mole above her lips leaned back in her seat with a raised eyebrow. "How many more people are coming in?"
"Just us." Monkey smiled as him and Nian Zhen took a seat next to each-other.
"Why did you arrive late?" another one asked in a gentle voice, tilting her head. "Did something happen?"
"Maybe they wanted to bring in the best for last." Monkey smiled.
"Or maybe you're just an afterthought." the older woman said.
(Y/n) frowned for a quick second.
'That was unnecessarily mean.'

The woman laughed.
"I'm just teasing, don't be so stuck up. We're all friends here."
"Oh I know, and I hope we all get along."
The ladies' gaze then shifted to (Y/n) and Qiuyu, who were still standing in the middle of the room. Neither of them seemed to feel awkward, unlike anyone would be if they were in their shoes. Both Monkey and Nian Zhen discreetly gave them a look that said 'Don't just stand there, say something!' Only now did (Y/n) panic.
"Ah!" she bowed, a hand on her chest, and cleared her throat to then speak in a deeper voice. "We are honored to protect you ladies, my name is Mei-hui!"
"I apologize for my partner's rudeness." Qiuyu bowed only slightly. "Seems like he was in awe by such a gorgeous sight. The name's Qiuyu, pleasure to serve ya."

"Ooo~, that country accent." Liu Lanzhi whispered to the woman with a gentle voice.
"Wow, I have never seen two people who are such opposite." the rude one laughed. "Is this your first time Mei-hui? You look so nervous."
"Y-yes." (Y/n) scratched her cheek with a bashful look. "I've had a lot of...missions before, but none of them involved so many beautiful ladies."
"Aawww!!!" the women all said.
"Yeah, careful girls, this one's a charmer." Monkey covered his grin with the tips of his fingers. "Despite his innocent face, on our way here, his words were as sweet as honey."
"What?! That's not-!" she exclaimed, blushing, but then stopped herself.
'It I deny what he says, it'll look suspicious.'
"Isn't he adorable?" Monkey cupped his face in his hand, looking at the other ladies who agreed with him.
'Monkey you tease!' she glared at him. 'You'll pay for this!'

"We best be off now." Quiyu placed a hand on her shoulder. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for us." he nodded before the two of them left.
Soldiers were already standing by every door and every window, some of them stepped aside so that they could join them. (Y/n) gave them a small 'thank you' as she and Qiuyu took their place.
"So!" Monkey leaned back in his seat. "What did we miss?"
"Oh nothing, we were just chit-chatting."
"We should introduce ourselves again." Minhua suggested. "I'm Minhua."
'We know.'
"I'm Qinbao." the rude one reached for a snack on the table, she seemed to be the only one who's ever touched them. "If I'm being mean, I apologize. That's just my character." she chuckled.
"My name is Shuchun." the one with a gentle voice said. "I do hope we get along."
"And I'm Liu Lanzhi."
"You already told them that." Qinbao tapped her arm.
"Oh!" she let out a carefree laugh, scratching her head. "Sorry!"

"Alright alright, it's nice to meet you all." Monkey then gestured towards himself and Nian Zhen. "Well you know us: Peishan and Wanjie. We may not look like it but we're not from around here." he leaned closer. "Where are you all from anyway?"
"I'm originally from the city of Ch'ien." Qinbao said. "But I've been moving around for a year or so now."
'The one with the rich brat?!' (Y/n)'s eyes widen in surprise. 'I didn't know the city was named after his family. Maybe they founded it...'
"I'm from a town by the North border." Liu Lanzhi smiled. "Traveled a whoooole lot to get here!"
"I'm from a small village in the middle of nowhere." Shuchun chuckled nervously. "Very few people know about it, even I can't pronounce its name it's so old."
"Try, maybe I know it." Lanzhi leaned closer. "Like I said, traveled a whoooole lot."
"It's um..." she thought for a long moment. "Walk South for a couple of months, then East for seven days and six nights. Passed a mountain, the next say you'll find a forest. That's where it is."

There was a moment of silence. Everyone looked at her confused. Even (Y/n) looked at her with big eyes.
"I told you!" she exclaimed, flustered to be the center of attention. "It's not even on any map."
"So you're like a diamond in the rough then!" Lanzhi tilted her head.
"Kinda like you isn't it?" Qiuyu glanced at (Y/n).
"...I suppose so- Diamond?" she suddenly looked at him, her cheeks a bit pinker. "I wouldn't really say that."
"I was referring to your village, but whatever you wanna hear." he shrugged, containing a chuckle.
"Ah-" she pursued her lips and looked away.
'With his voice, you'd think everything he says is flirty!' she lightly shook her head. 'I'll have to think twice next time.'

"And I come from Chentang Pass." Minhua said.
"Ooo~!" the ladies all said together.
"Okay. That's going *way* farther than me." Lanzhi nodded, pointing at her. "You beat me on this one."
Minhua chuckled.
"Not just that." Monkey leaned closer. "Isn't that where the Third Prince Lotus is from?"
"Yes. Yes, well..." she flipped her hair to be behind her shoulders, clearly concealing excitement. "He's kind of my guardian."
The ladies all suddenly squealed, scaring (Y/n) and Nian Zhen in the process.
"Oh my Lord no waaaay!" Qinbao exclaimed. "You're lying."
"I'm not! He's been my family's guardian all thanks to one of my ancestors who saved him when they were kids."
'Saved him?' (Y/n) tilted her head. 'Could it be that the story shifted over the years...?'

"Do you think that'll give you an advantage?"
"What do you mean Qinbao?"
"I mean, when the Emperor comes and learns of this, he'll be more interested in you for sure."
"I believe he'll be interested either way."
"Ooo~ alright." she nodded as she reached for another snack. "If you say so."
Just then, a man walked into the room. His attire was different from the others', he must a general of some sort. One of the two soldiers from earlier came up to him and whispered to him as he gave him the message from the 'imperial official'. He read it, looked at our four protagonists - which made (Y/n) gulp and Nian Zhen look down - before humming, putting the paper in his pocket. He walked up to the group of women and bowed.

"My ladies." he said. "I heard you've all arrived, now we can get started." they began to stand up, but he raised a hand. "Please, stay seated. This is but a simple ten question test. Its sole purpose is to give the Emperor an idea of your level of general knowledge and culture. See if you shall take classes once you've entered the imperial harem. If you have any questions...?"
Liu Lanzhi looked around, see if someone would say something, and shifted nervously in her seat when no one did.
"Good." the man nodded. "Now then."
The ladies were given writing equipment and a scroll each. On it were columns to write their answers. The general read from a list of questions, he started with a very easy one, which the ladies had to write down, then show to everyone.
'With all these people watching?' Nian Zhen glanced around. 'So if we get a question wrong... This feels very much like school.'

Thankfully, she did just fine. The same couldn't be said for everyone. Although Lanzhi was fine at first, once the questions got a bit harder (more political-oriented), she kept failing, even though the answer was 'obvious'. The ladies were laughing at her, even Nian Zhen did in disbelief that someone would get it wrong.
"You know what, Liu Lanzhi?" Qinbao said. "You are very pretty. Just want you to know."
"Yeah," Shuchun nodded. "intelligence isn't everything."
"I know that!" Lanzhi huffed.
"Thank you ladies." the general said after he collected everyone's answers. "Feel free to do whatever you wish for the rest of the day, as long as it is within the castle grounds."
"Are we going to be with guards at all time?" Shuchun asked.
"It's only for your protection, these mountains are dangerous."
'Didn't seem like it when we came in.' (Y/n) tilted her head.
"I will see you after dinner tonight." he bowed before walking away.

"Hey Minhua." Lanzhi nudged her. "Wanna look around with me?"
"Sure." they both stood up. "Oh, but if we have to be chaperoned at all times. Then..." she looked around, her eyes meeting (Y/n)'s. "Mei-hui, will you chaperon us?"
She didn't react. Qiuyu nudged her and she realized that her name was Mei-hui for the time being.
"Ah- Me?!" she pointed at herself, which made them laugh. "Uh..."
She looked to her 'fellow men', who didn't seem bothered by the idea, and looked back at her.
"Yes, of course." she rushed to join them.
Qiuyu puffed a chuckle and she glared at him before leaving with the two women. Meanwhile, Nian Zhen leaned towards Monkey and whispered in his ear.
"I fuckin' hate it here I actually want to die."
He loudly wheezed and laughed. When asked about it, he just said that she told him a really funny joke. And now the poor girl had to come up with a really funny joke to say to everybody.

(Y/n) kept her distance from them, not wanting to disturb their time together. To her surprise however, instead of exploring the castle, they found a quiet corner to sit in, away from everyone. They were suddenly very serious, Lanzhi looked in distress.
"Like, what was that?"
"I know." Minhua shook her head with a sigh. "I didn't say anything, but-"
"Did you see the way she laughed at me? In front of the whole palace? I felt *so* stupid."
"Yeah, that was just unnecessary."
"*So* unnecessary. What's her deal? Like I'm sorry I don't come from a rich city like you!"

"Will you be okay?"
"Yeah... Thanks for letting me vent to you."
"Hey, I told you: come to me when things get too heavy."
"But why-?"
The two women turned towards (Y/n), who was taken aback.
"I'm so sorry!" she covered her mouth. "I spoke out of term."
"No, go ahead." Minhua smiled. "Ask away."
She gulped, not knowing if the lady was angry or not.
"If you don't like it... Why don't you just ask her to stop?"

Lanzhi blinked twice.
"If I do, she'll think I'm a baby. I don't wanna seem too sensitive."
"There's nothing wrong with wanting to be respected."
"...Huh." she mumbled, her gaze wandering as she pondered over those words. "Maybe."
"You're not just a pretty face after all." Minhua chuckled.
"Oh- Uh, no, I-"
"Shall we go back?" she stood up.
"Yeah," Lanzhi exhaled as she did too. "let's go."
"After you." (Y/n) took a step to the side.

The three of them started walking back, with Lanzhi ahead of them, her mind still elsewhere. Because of that, when she went around a corner, she bumped into Qiuyu.
"Oh! I'm sorry." she blushed.
"Why hello again."
He placed his hands on her shoulders and gently made her take a step back, then slowly slid his hand down her arms before letting her go. He didn't look away from her eyes, and neither did she.
"I should be the one apologizing." he nodded. "Tell me somethin', do you believe in fate?"
"Excuse me?"
"Or should I bump into you a second time to be sure?"
"I- Well-" her face got redder.
"You're cute when you're speechless." he leaned a bit closer. "You know that?"
"Qiuyu stop." (Y/n) stood by her.
"What? Jealous?" he raised an eyebrow.
"Now's not the time to play around." she frowned. "She has a lot on her mind and you are not helping."

He wanted to laugh at how her genuine intention made the situation only more 'romantic drama'-esque. The two 'men' glared at each-other for a moment, during which Lanzhi forgot to breathe. Finally, Quiyu let out a 'heh' and leaned back.
"Ladies." he nodded before walking passed them. "I'll see you around bro." he waved without looking back.
(Y/n) huffed before looking at Lanzhi with a concerned expression.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah." she nodded.
"If he bothers you again, don't hesitate to tell me."
"...Thank you."
She let the two ladies go ahead of her again. Lanzhi hit Minhua's arms and the two of them silently freaked out about what just happened with excited disbelief. (Y/n) couldn't help but sigh when Lanzhi ended up not saying anything to Qinbao once they got back. Not knowing that this little 'incident' had become what clouded Liu Lanzhi's mind all day.

At the end of the day, the ladies and the soldiers were dining separately. Monkey and Nian Zhen (the rich kids) were enjoying their large variety of fancy food, while (Y/n) and Qiuyu (the country bumpkins) had a simple, same-for-everyone menu, which they didn't complain about.
"So what do you guys think?" one of the soldiers asked at some point.
"Gotta say, I reaaaally thought this was gonna be boring." another one said with his mouth full. "I mean, why would I be a bodyguard while others get that sweet sweet battlefield glory?" he finally swallowed. "But! These broads? Still single until the Emperor shows up? Boy am I glad to be here! You know what I'm saying?!"
The men laughed. Qiuyu only hummed and (Y/n) was doing her best not to frown. She quickly understood that, whatever came out of her mouth, these men would consider it weird for another man to say. So she has kept quiet.
"You think you can get one in the bag before him?! You could only dream of competing against the Emperor!"
"Well y'know, maybe these ladies will wanna get one last taste of another man before only getting with one for the rest of their lives!"
They all cackled. (Y/n) contained the need to vomit, and to punch this guy. She took the first opportunity to leave early to bed. She changed into her pyjamas, took off her leaf binder and laid in her bed. Qiuyu joined her soon after, changing back to normal as soon as he closed the door behind him.

"For the record," he said as he began to change clothes without much care. "I don't like these guys either."
"I wanted to yell at him so badly!" she whispered harshly. "But I knew we'd be in trouble if I caused a scene."
She looked at him and quickly looked away, her face red, when she saw him shirtless, his back facing her. Though, he still had his bandages. She slowly glanced back to see if he'd change them for the night. The small two bed bedroom was lighted by a single candle, but she could see that they looked cleaned. Whatever wound he may have has healed for sure. He glanced back at her and she once again quickly looked away.
"The bandages! I was looking at the bandages!" she clarified.
"I know." he smiled, his back facing her again. "Figured you're not that type of person."

"...How long have you had them?"
"Mmh... A little over a century and twenty years maybe."
"Wow. Was the wound that bad?"
"I don't wear 'em because of a wound, not anymore anyway." he paused. "It's just...stuff I don't wanna see."
"Then why do you wear an open robe?" she frowned.
He took a moment to answer. He looked at her with a faint smile.
"'Cause I don't wanna forget about it either."
"It being...scars?"
He just shrugged.

"Does it still hurt?"
His smile became tighter as he glanced to the side.
"Well I hope it gets to a point were it doesn't."
"Thank lady." he nodded. "But when that happens, I'll have to wear a shirt don't I? I'm sure you'll be uncomfortable with me being actually shirtless."
She got a bit redder just thinking about it, but quickly shook her head.
"Even if I never see, will I someday know what's under those bandages?"
He looked her in his eyes, his own not blinking.
"...Yes. You will."
The certainty of his answer made her smile. The two of them got to bed, but they didn't fall asleep. They instead waited for all the lights to go off, indicating that everyone fell asleep, then they went out the window and into the stables. They were joined by Monkey and a very sleepy Nian Zhen. But she got a lot livelier when she took off her wig and intensely scratched her head while Monkey turned back into his true form.

"Hey buddy." (Y/n) said in a small voice as she patted the Horse. "I missed you so much, were they good to you?"
He nodded.
"I'm glad then."
"Hey (Y/n)~." Monkey turned her around and cupped her face in his hands, speaking in an even smaller voice.
"M-Monkey!" she placed her hands on his arms, but didn't push him away.
"I missed you sooooo much." he squeezed her cheeks like she was a dog.
"Disgusting!"
The whole group looked over to see Nezha joining them.
"You're just jealous 'cause you're single and you could never get a girl because you're always eight years old." Monkey glared.
"Yeah say that to the thousands of love letters I get everyday. You don't even have a mailbox."
"I don't need one, you just-"
"Don't start you two." (Y/n) sternly said, pointing at them both. "This is a briefing, so let's start. Ah, but before that..." she took out something wrapped in cloth and unwrapped it, which turned out to be a ham leg. "There you go Horse." she placed it in front of him. "Next time, I'll put my meal's meat aside for you."

He neighed in delight, after being given nothing but hay and grains all day - which he refused to eat - this was very welcomed. As he started to eat, they all gathered in a circle and told Nezha about the test. His first question was how Minhua did, and seemed very proud when they told him she got all the questions right.
"After that, we split up for a bit." (Y/n) looked at Monkey and Nian Zhen. "Did something happen when we left?"
Monkey snickered and covered his mouth to not laugh. Nian Zhen sent him daggers before letting out a heavy sigh and running a hand through her hair.
"I got humiliated." she said. "Wukong set me up to say a shitty joke."
"I saved the day by saying this was a setup to her *second* joke."
"Now I gotta think of another *actually* funny joke!" she groaned and held her head. "This is why I never took the 'lady' route and went out to have an actual career!"

"Anyway." Monkey continued. "As for dinner, it was just one sarcastic remark after another. I also put my grain of salt in there. You could cut that tension with a knife, it was so much fun!"
"I don't understand why they're beating around the bush so much." (Y/n) tilted her head, her eyebrows furrowed. "If they don't like each-other, why pretend that they do?"
"To keep face (Y/n)." he said. "Everyone trusts someone who has no problems with anyone. If these girls show anger or disdain, it could look really bad to some people. And if the Emperor doesn't like that, that's game over."
"...I always thought being a concubine consisted on just being liked by the Emperor and keeping him company and entertained." she looked down. "But it seems to be more complicated than that."
"*Way* more complicated!" Nezha exclaimed. "They're not here to be friends with the guy, they're here to elevate their social status, no matter what or who stands in their way."
"What a cruel world the imperial harem is." Qiuyu shook his head.
In this moment, (Y/n) felt bad for these women.

"So what happened on your end?" Monkey asked her. "'Cause there's no way you explored the castle in such a small amount of time."
"Well..."
She explained what happened, then Qiuyu told the part when he came in. Which made Monkey cackled, and Nian Zhen speechless.
"That is such a scene out of a romance book!" she laughed.
"Was it?" (Y/n) blinked twice, confused.
"You see what I mean when I say you're perfect for the role?" Monkey gestured towards her. "You don't even realize what you're doing!"
"I'd say first day for team seduction was a success." Qiuyu smiled. "We got the first one in our pocket. Two left go." he looked at her. "We should get to that shy village girl next."
"Shuchun! Right!" she looked at team manipulation with a more serious look. "Do you know where she is now?"
"Uh, in bed?" Nian Zhen frowned. "Where else could she be?"

"You seem very interested in her." Monkey raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"I'll take care of her."
Everyone looked at her with big eyes.
"(Y/n)!" Monkey placed a hand over his heart. "Should I be jealous?! I didn't know you were like me!"
"Huh?" she sent him a confused look. "What are you- Oh! N-no!" she quickly shook her head. "That's not what I meant!"
"Then what *do* you mean?" Qiuyu asked.
"I...don't want to say before I'm certain." she shook her head before changing the subject. "What about Qinbao? She might be tricky."
"Oh *we'll* take care of her." Monkey smirked. "I'll be sure to crack that shell of hers."

"What about you Nezha?" she asked as they all looked at him. "Did you find anything we didn't?"
"Yes!" he suddenly leaned closer. "During dinner, soldiers - of a rank higher than you guys - went to report to the general. They told him *everything* that happened concerning these ladies, *including* your lil drama scene."
"Oh no!" (Y/n) covered her mouth. "They saw us?"
"I didn't even notice." Qiuyu clicked his tongue. "That's the imperial guard for you."
"We're in so much trouble!" she began to panic. "What did he say?!"
"That's the thing. Nothing."
"...What?" everyone frowned.
"Yeah, he dismissed them and kept working on paperwork."
"That doesn't make sense." Nian Zhen mumbled.
"That is weird." Monkey scratched his chin, thinking.
"Either way, we can just keep going, maybe even turn this to our advantage." Qiuyu said. "Although, let's not act too carefree and keep an eye out for these guys."

Everyone nodded and talked over what the two teams were going to do tomorrow. Once that secret meeting was over, Nezha left and our four protagonists were about to go back to bed.
"But before that." Monkey gently took (Y/n)'s hand, a smirk on his face.
He pulled her closer to kiss her. But she quickly covered his mouth with her hand. He leaned back and saw her frown.
"That's for this morning."
"You're still mad about that?!" was what he wanted to say, but with his mouth covered, it was unintelligible.
But knowing him, she knew what he meant.
"You made a fool out of me!"
He licked her palm and she suddenly removed her hand in disgust with a loud 'ew!'. To which he just cackled and stuck out his tongue.
"You're not helping your case." she wiped the saliva off on his clothes. "No more kisses until the mission's over."
He gasped.

"Oh come on~!" he rolled his head. "You're killing me right now!"
"That's what you get for being a jerk."
"I'll sneak up in your bed at night." he said more quietly in her ear.
She looked at him with big eyes, her face red imagining the scene.
"If you're gonna do this," he continued with a mischievous grin. "I'll make sure it's gonna be torture for both of us."
She groaned.
"Fine-"
He almost immediately kissed her. Though it caught her off guard, she kissed him back. Nian Zhen cringed and turned away while Qiuyu simply looked elsewhere, he also covered the Horse's eyes.

In the middle of the night, a piercing scream echoed throughout the castle, waking everyone up. Monkey quickly stepped into the hallway, then Nian Zhen and the other women. Except for one.
"That's Minhua isn't it?!" Liu Lanzhi exclaimed, her messy hair covering her eyes.
"Minhua?!"
They all went to her door, but found it locked closed.
"Minhua! Are you there?!" they all banged on it.
No responce.
"We have to call the guards- Oh!" Qinbao turned around to see Qiuyu coming this way with big steps. "Qiuyu was it?! Minhua is-"
Not needing any explanation, Qiuyu lifted his foot and arms, then kicked the door open.
"O-Oh my." the ladies blinked twice, then quickly remembered the situation they were in.

They all rushed into the room. Minhua was out of bed, pressed against the wall opposite of it in fact. Her whole body was shaking.
"Lady!" Qiuyu rushed over and crouched beside her. "What happened?"
"S-Something, someone entered by the window!" she pointed at the window above her bed. "They had a knife, they tried to kill me!"
"What?!" the ladies exclaimed.
"But then they jumped out right before Qiuyu entered."
As soon as she had pointed, Qiuyu quickly went for the window while the others stayed by Minhua's side. He looked to all directions, but saw no one. He even looked around the room. Only then did a handful of other guards in their pyjamas came in, out of breath, and asked what happened.
"It's safe now." he closed the window and looked over at her. "But I don't think the lady will wanna stay in this room."
"We can share mine." Lanzhi helped her up. "I have two beds in there."
"Thank you Lanzhi."
"Don't mention it." she said as everyone left the room.

"You guys guard the room the whole night." Qiuyu walked passed the other guards.
"Huh?!" they all exclaimed. "Hey, what gives you the right to order us around newb-"
"Shut up!" Qinbao got all up in their faces, making them lean back. "If it wasn't for Qiuyu, Minhua could've been kidnapped! Or worse! You're too slow, you stay here!"
"Y-Yes ma'am!" they stood to attention.
"Thank you Qiuyu." Minhua said.
"Oh don't thank me." he waved a hand. "I didn't catch the bad guy, and I broke your door."
"But you looked so cool doing it!" Liu Lanzhi exclaimed.
"You're too kind." he looked back at Minhua. "Will you be okay?"
"I think so, yes."
"Don't worry, I'll protect her!" Lanzhi huffed.

He chuckled and patted her head. Her eyes widen.
"You're very brave." he said softly, then lifted her hair to see her eyes. "So cute." he whispered, loud enough for her to hear.
Her heart skipped a beat. Seeing the look of awe on her red face, he let out a small 'ah', as if he just realized what he was doing. He abruptly removed his hand and cleared his throat.
"Sorry." he said, still hiding half of his face with the back of his fist. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call for me."
Then he walked away. While the girls were silently freaking out, Monkey and Nian Zhen managed to catch a glimpse of his face as he walked away: stone cold, emotionless.
"That is legit scary." Nian Zhen whispered to him.
"This guy has no heart." he whispered back, both of them equally disturbed.

As soon as Qiuyu came back to his bedroom, (Y/n) bombarded him with questions. Dressing back into a man would've taken too long, that's why she didn't go with him. He told her everything that he knew.
"My Lord..." she took a moment to process this new information. "And you didn't see anyone?"
"Nope." he shook his head. "And I didn't sense anything either, so it was very probably a human."
"Who could it be?" she began to think deeply. "An intruder? The gates around the castle are heavily guarded, so they're either really good-"
"Or this operation comes from inside."
She looked at him.
"Remember when she talked about the little prince being her guardian." he developed. "Maybe someone took it as a threat and bribed one of the soldiers into doing her dirty work."
"Or, even then..." she looked down with a frown. "Minhua couldn't even tell their gender for sure."

He tilted his head, raising his eyebrows.
"Are you really suggesting that one of these women did it? They were already in the hallway when I came in. They'd have to be as fast as a demon-"
"Or just really good."
There was a moment of silence. Qiuyu was taken aback. (Y/n) was so kind to these girls before, now she's assuming the worst of them? Or did she have a specific someone in mind? She sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"If only we could ask Nezha."
"We can't, we already had our briefing. We'll have to wait until tomorrow night."
"He was right to be worried." she looked around. "A passive head of the guard, women wearing friendly masks, and now an attacker? This place is full of secrets."

The next day, soldiers had to wake up much earlier for breakfast, so that they can guard the ladies as they ate theirs. But they weren't really in the mood for eating. Instead, they demanded that the general would come see them. He stood in front of their table and bowed before they explained everything that happened last night. Our group of protagonists noticed that Minhua was rather calm, despite talking about such a recent and scary experience.
'I'd still be shaking in my boots if I was her.' Nian Zhen thought.
(Y/n) thought back to what Monkey said last night.
'Is she putting up a tough front...?' she thought, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I've already heard about the incident from my men. Though thank you for reporting this to me." the general bowed again. "My deepest apologies for letting this happen."
"Do you know who the attacker was?" Lanzhi asked.
"Unfortunately, not yet. We are conducting an investigation, interrogating every guard that was on night duty. Lady Minhua, I will have to ask to speak with you at some point during the day, to get additional details."
"We already told you everything! Why should she-?!"
"It's alright Lanzhi, thank you." Minhua tapped her arm before nodding to the man. "Understood captain."
"Thank you." he bowed.
Our group of protagonists wondered: once he finds out who it was, will he be as passive as he was when his men flirted with possible future imperial concubines?

"I have a question." Shuchun spoke. "When will the Emperor come?"
"He was scheduled to arrive today, but recent events have pushed this date to three days."
"Huh?!" the ladies' eyes went big.
"We have to stay here longer while a madman's on the loose?!" Qinbao whined. "Let's just join the harem already!"
"I apologize. I'll make sure you'll be under constant surveillance."
(Y/n) and Qiuyu glanced at each-other. Would that affect their mission?
"Which is why I ask that you spend the majority of the day outside, in the gardens. That way we can have a constant visual on you. If someone suspicious comes around, we will see them."
Nian Zhen already felt a sense of dread at the idea, and (Y/n) once again felt bad for these women. She thought about their overall situation.
'This place is more of a cage than anything else...'

Monkey on the other hand was brimming with excitement, so was Liu Lanzhi surprisingly. As it turned out, she was a fan of sports games. The gardens had plenty of space, so while some could sit by the koi pond, others could freely run around and play games. Right now, while Nian Zhen, Shuchun and Minhua were by the pond, the others were playing cùjū: the players had to thrown the ball through a goal set up on top of two tall bamboo sticks. To get it up there, players could use their hands or their feet. (Y/n) was positioned closer to the pond, while Qiuyu was closer to the game.
Nian Zhen being an introvert, Minhua and Shuchun did most of the talking. But once Minhua left to go see the general, there was a bit of an issue. Nian Zhen was completely content with just sitting there in silence.
'This is nice.' she thought.
But (Y/n) did not share that sentiment.
'I want to start a conversation, but I know it'd be out of place. But I feel so awkward!' her eyebrows furrowed, though she tried to keep a straight face. 'Someone just say something please!'

Unbeknown to them, Shuchun was feeling the same way.
"So..." she glanced at her. "Where are you from?" she slowly asked, hesitant to even speak. "I just realized you've never actually told us."
Nian Zhen blinked twice, she didn't expect the shy one to initiate a conversation. Hell, she didn't expect one of these ladies to initiate a conversation with *her*.
"You know Lǜ Léi Chéng?"
Shuchun gasped.
"The city with the Grand Games of Glory?!"
"Well, I live right beside it."
"Oh." she couldn't help but chuckle.
'I have heard of some grand games of glory.' (Y/n) thought. 'But I've never heard of the city itself.'

"Have you seen them? At least the last ones?"
"No..." she looked away. "I've never attended to one actually."
"Really? Why?"
"I was just never interested in sports."
"Have you been to the city at least?"
"...A couple of times. But not for too long."
"Oh..." she brought a hand to her mouth, her eyebrows furrowed. "Is it because of the large population of demons there?"
That question made both Nian Zhen and (Y/n) look at her.
"I get it." she continued. "I'd be scared too."
"...No." Nian Zhen said between her teeth. "I just have very protective parents that don't let me out of the house."
"Ah~ I see I see."

As they continued their small talk, the game had become more heated. And although Monkey has been holding back a lot ever since they started, every once in a while, he would get heated himself.
"I got it!" Liu Lanzhi reached for the ball.
"Not so fast missy!" Monkey hit it before she could.
As soon as he did, he realized how much strength he put in that hit. The ball cut through the air, making a whistling sound as it went straight for Shuchun. The players panicked and opened their mouth to warn her, but it would be too late, it was going too fast. She's gonna lose her head. Thankfully, (Y/n) heard that whistle coming closer and with quick reflexes, she stood in front of the two ladies and raised a hand to get whatever was coming towards them. She initially thought this was an actual attack, considering what happened last night, so she wanted to create a barrier to stop it. However, the ball collided with her hand before she could do anything else. It kept rotating in her palm a couple of times before finally falling on the ground. Everyone watched, speechless. She looked back at Shuchun and Nian Zhen.
"Are you okay?"

"Are *we* okay?!" Nian Zhen exclaimed as the two of them stood up. "Are *you* okay?!"
"I'm fine." she gently blew air on her palm. "Just a little scratch, it's nothing." she smiled.
"(Y- Mei-hui!"
She turned over to see Monkey rush up to her.
"I got too into it." he scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay." she picked up the ball and handed it back with a smile. "You were having a lot of fun, I can't blame you for that."
He smiled softly and took it back.
"That was incredible." Shuchun said with a look of awe. "Thank you."
"No need to thank me. I would never let you get hurt."
She said 'you' as in plural, referring to the four ladies. But of course, no one thought of that when they heard it. Shuchun blushed, her eyes big.

"Ooo~." Monkey smiled and walked backwards. "Best go back to the game while they're having a moment."
"Sheesh Liu Lanzhi," Qinbao glanced at her. "if you've gotten the ball, this wouldn't have happened."
"Huh? How is that *my* fault?" she raised an eyebrow, clearly holding back her anger.
"You keep missing all the time, need to remind you that we gotta deal with this monster." she nodded towards Monkey, who huffed with pride as he puffed up his chest. "We had to go two against one, and my back's starting to hurt from carrying this team."
"I'm the best cùjū player in my town I'll have you know."
"And the people in that tiny town told you you were good at this. I blame them." she laughed.
Liu Lanzhi laughed with her, but it was forced.
"You know what," she huffed. "I think I'll go take a break. You two can play on your own."
"Honestly though, I'm tired too." Monkey rolled his shoulders.

And so the three ladies joined Shuchun and Nian Zhen by the koi pond.
"You don't seem that tired Qinbao." Lanzhi tilted her head.
"I'm not gonna play by myself."
"Are you sure? Don't you wanna show off how good you are?"
She clicked her tongue.
"I'd rather show off to the people I play against. When they experience my skills, instead of just watching on the side-lines and blindly praising me for being the best player."
They gave each-other a side eye. You could feel the animosity between these two. Liu Lanzhi eventually huffed and turned away, then her eyes met (Y/n)'s. 'Mei-hui''s words came to her mind and she pursued her lips.
"...Please stop doing that."

"Huh?" Qinbao looked at her. "What was that?"
"Look I know you said that being mean is your 'character', I know it's all fun and games." she looked at her with a serious expression. "But sometimes it feels like you don't respect me."
"I... What?"
Qinbao looked around and saw everyone was looking at her.
"What are you talking about?" she waved a hand. "Of course I respect you. We're both here for a reason."
"You do go overboard every once in a while. And everytime, it's towards Liu Lanzhi." Monkey said before looking away. "Just sayin'."
She clearly didn't like this turn of event. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"Yeah that's true! What is up with that?!" Lanzhi pointed at Monkey before looking back at her. "You say you respect me, yet you always make fun of my background. I'm sorry I didn't grow up in a fancy manor with fancy clothes and an education and-" she had more to say, but knew that she'd look hysterical if she kept going, so she stopped herself with a scoff.
At that point, Qinbao was looking at her with big eyes. Her expression was unreadable and it made Lanzhi look away. A moment of silence passed.

"Hah." she finally said. "You say that, but you sure are assuming a lot about me."
She looked back at her.
"Yeah Chi'en is a rich city. But don't you know that's where the poorest people reside too?" she frowned. "Where I come from, we don't call it 'being mean', we call that asserting yourself. If you don't do that, people will think you're weak. And you know what they do to weak people."
Everyone looked at her in silent shock. They didn't expect her to be this honest.
"All my life I had to work for this spot. It took everything in my power to get away from this poor life 'cause I know that wasn't what I deserved. I deserve a life free of fear and worry."
"Oh Qinbao..." (Y/n) felt her heart twist.
"I didn't realize I was being extra with you. Sorry." she looked down and to the side. "I guess... Maybe you reminded me of me, a few years back."
"I... Wow, okay." Lanzhi ran a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry I assumed all that stuff about you."
"It's cool, it's cool." she waved a hand. "Thank you for calling me out on this. See? You can stand up for yourself." she hit her in her arm. "You're already a bit more like present-me."
"Oh Lord no!"

They all laughed. (Y/n) smiled, happy that they finally talked it out.
"Oh man..." she heard some of the soldiers nearby whisper to each-other. "Was hoping this would turn into a cat fight."
"That would've been hot." they snickered. "Could you imagine..."
She clenched her fists, but decided to focus on the nice things that were happening in front of her.

"When I tell you it took everything in my powers to not go to her!" Nezha gritted his teeth, immediately ranting about the attack after the group gathered for tonight's briefing.
"I can't believe you didn't see who it was." Monkey shook his head.
"Hey! I need to sleep too!"
"Do you even love your niece?"
"Listen here you piece of shi-!"
"Would you both shut up!" Nian Zhen harshly whispered. "Do you *want* us to get busted?!"
They both huffed, folding their arms. She let out a heavy sigh.
"Without (Y/n), these two bicker even more." she rubbed her face.
"I know, but she looked very serious about doing this thing." Qiuyu shrugged.

"What's this 'thing' anyway?" Nezha frowned.
"Can't you fly around and find out for yourself you annoying fire fly?" Monkey glared at him.
"I will burst you into flames. Don't *you* wanna know what she's planning?"
"Yes and it's killing me not to know. But I refuse to be on the same side as you."
"She said she'll tell us everything once she gets back." Qiuyu continued while the two of them bickered.
Nian Zhen sighed again and asked the Horse to sit in between these two big babies.

On her way, she kept glancing around, carefully looking around corners before walking through hallways. Her heart was racing but she kept her mind focused. There was the door, and no one to guard it. There was no lock, at least none that you can see. She's observed it since her first day here, and she's finally discovered its secret. She took out the key she stole before coming here and began to feel around the door until she found a hidden panel that she could slide, revealing the key hole. She took a deep shaky breath and opened it. The general's office. She gulped and quickly began her search. Opening all that could be opened, closets, drawers, documents.
"What are you looking for?"
Shuchun gasped and quickly turned over to see (Y/n) standing in the doorway. She hasn't taken off her disguise.

"M-Mei-hui." she said as (Y/n) walked in and closed the door behind her. "I was looking for the general but he wasn't here, so I... Um..."
"You can drop the act you know?" she calmly said, walking over to one of the oil lamps hanging from the ceiling and lighting it up. "I've had my eyes on you since the first day I got here."
Shuchun's eyes widen.
"South for a couple of months, then East for seven days and six nights. Passed a mountain, then through a forest." she continued. "That's where *my* village is. And I've never seen your face before in my life."

She turned around and was suddenly pushed against the wall with a knife to her throat. She didn't struggle. They looked into each-other's eyes for what felt like a while. Shuchun's eyes were now piercing and cold.
"Is Shuchun even your real name?"
"I just said random directions, how was I supposed to know it even led somewhere?" she said, her voice deeper and more monotonous.
"What are you looking for?"
"You're an imperial soldier aren't you? Take a guess."
She had no idea. A moment passed.
"If you knew all this time, why didn't you say anything?" she asked.
"I wanted to be sure."
"Well congratulations, you are a fool. If you've acted sooner, you would've been alive."
"You mean you're actually going to kill me?"
"...I mean just that."

"No." she tilted her head. "I don't think you will."
"You don't think I will?" she smiled, frowning. "Minhua has already been attacked, a murder would be the logical next step. No one will think there's a traitor."
"If you wanted to kill me, you would've done it already."
"...I'm doing this my own way. Tell me where those documents are."
Instead of answering, (Y/n) raised a hand and gently held Shuchun's wrist. She pressed the knife on her throat but was taken aback when (Y/n) did nothing else. She just placed her hand on her wrist, never once breaking eye contact.
"...You can't kill me." she said. "I don't think you've killed anyone. I've seen a lot of people who have killed, humans and demons. I don't see it in your eyes." she paused. "Isn't that true? Isn't that why your heart is beating so fast?"
Shuchun glanced at her wrist.
'He felt my pulse.' her glare became darker as she spoke. "That's not true."
"Or is it thrill that you're feeling? Do you want me to cry and beg for my life, for you to spare me? I'm sorry Shuchun, but that's not my style."

"...Now that you know my true intentions, what will you do, huh?"
"Nothing."
"What?" her expression fell.
"Will you tell me who forced you to do this?"
"Forced? No one is forcing me."
"I don't believe you. I don't believe you want to do this. No average person would want to embark in such a dangerous mission."
"Not if the cause is worth it."
"Well, is it?"

No answer, just a nod. (Y/n)'s eyebrow furrowed.
'Why does he look so sad?'
"Stop looking at me like that!" she pressed the knife further. "I will-"
Her voice was caught in her throat when she saw the drop of blood running down 'Mei-hui''s neck. Though he didn't show any reaction at all.
"Let me warn you Shuchun." (Y/n) said. "Once you kill me, there is no going back. People will mourn me, try to avenge me, many will cry. And even if you get away with it, what you did, the sight of me, might haunt you forever."
Shuchun's breathing became deeper with anxiety. But she put up a tough front.
"Why do you treat me like this? Why are you so kind to an enemy? I'm a traitor, you're supposed to kill me."
"Because you're not my enemy Shuchun." she said. "I want to help you."
"Then, are you a traitor as well?"
"No, I don't want to help your cause. Frankly, I don't know anything about it. I want to help *you*."

The lady huffed, her grip on the knife's handle tightening. She knew what she was supposed to do, and she would indeed get away with it. However, her hands were shaking, her heart was racing, and Mei-hui's constant eye contact made her freeze in place. His words, so grim yet spoken so softly, echoed through her mind as she replayed the series of event that led her here, wondering when it all went wrong. Her vision became blurry, and she realized that she was crying. She let her hands fall to her side and took a step back.
"I could just die now." she covered her eyes with her arm.
This made (Y/n)'s heart ache. What happened to her to think like this?
"Dying is never the first and only option." she placed a hand on her shoulder, caressing it gently. "You're already choosing your own path instead of the one that you were put on by others, that's already amazing of you."
"...I suppose I can just go through with joining the harem now."
(Y/n)'s eyebrow furrowed. This wasn't what she had in mind either. She sighed.
"Can I ask you this? What was your mission?"
"Just..." she rubbed her eyes. "Documents regarding new battle strategies. And also...kill the Emperor once I've gotten close enough to him."
"...Putting an innocent woman up to this." (Y/n) mumbled, frowning. "Cowards."

Shuchun sniffed.
"And before you ask. I didn't attack Minhua." she said. "She has nothing to do with why I'm here."
"Okay." she nodded, then leaned a bit closer with a soft smile, now with both hands on both her shoulders. "Thank you, for being so brave."
"...When you protected me during the game, even though you knew...?"
"Of course. Like I said, I didn't want you to get hurt."
She sniffed again and hugged her. She hugged her back.
"There there..." she patted her back. "It'll all be okay."
"Oh Mei-hui..." she whispered.
She didn't hug her out of a need for comfort. (Y/n) waited for her to calm down before escorting her back to her room. She then went to the secret meeting.

"Oh my Lord (Y/n)!" everyone exclaimed except Qiuyu when they saw the blood on her throat.
"Oh yeah. I forgot about that." she chuckled. "Don't worry, it's not very deep-"
Ignoring her, Nezha and Monkey put a neck brace on her. Then they both let out a huge sigh of relief, like they made her avoid death, as she gave them a weird look.
"What kind of shenanigan did you get yourself into?" Qiuyu asked.
"I'll be honest, I'm a bit confused myself." she said as she removed the neck brace. "But I'll tell you all that happened."

[Part two out of three done! 👏
Update on the book! Third prototype came in and for some reason, all the images (illustrations, title cards, etc) were blurry! 😭 Despite being fine the last time! It might've been because I messed up some of the settings so I tried again. Prototype n'4 should arrive tomorrow 🙏
Also! A friendly reminder to check out the artist corner, cause we got a bunch of new amazing artworks!
I'll see you guys later! Love y'all 💖]