Chapter 3
It happened in a flash.
I had barely run a few meters when several cracking sounds came from behind me. The door crashed down!
With no choice, I fled along the covered walkway. There were no servants outside, only cold wind wandering through the midnight garden and a slithering sound drawing closer behind me.
That wasn’t the worst part.
The worst part was that strenuous exercise drained my health bar!
Watching the red above my head shrink, I couldn’t help slowing down. Within seconds, that wet sound was right behind me. A cold, slimy tentacle slid onto my shoulder, and a mournful voice drifted beside my ear.
“My lady doesn’t love Ah Chi and Ah Bi anymore—”
“My laaady—aaah—”
Driven to the edge by the chase, I turned and swore.
“Aaah yourself! Shut the hell up!”
Ahead, a faint line of light showed through the lush, dark plants.
Delighted, I rushed through the flowers.
Unfortunately, there was another person on the other side. He held a white lantern and gazed absently up at the enormous bowl of the moon.
I grabbed the lantern and swung it behind me!
The two petite young men had fused into a squid-like creature. It stood upright, more than two meters tall, with eight tentacles ending in hands and feet planted on the ground.
One grab, one twist, and the lantern shattered!
Knowing we were in trouble, I shoved the man beside me. “What are you standing there for? Run!”
“Run? Why?”
He sounded puzzled by my frantic urging.
Then his long arm swept up, and he caught the giant squid by the neck with one hand!
Ashen moonlight shone on his floor-length gauze robes, making him look ethereal and mysterious. Tall and elegant, he said in a cold, deep voice, “With me here, no one may harm my lady!”
Before he finished speaking, he had ripped the thing open. Thick gray-black fluid gushed out, splashing like a waterfall and coating my head and face!
He wasn’t done.
Having torn the twins apart like a squid snack, Pei Yu wiped his hands and tossed the indescribable heap into the central courtyard.
“Attend me.”
Two short figures emerged along a path through the flowers and stood at his side, hands lowered.
“Take this to the private kitchen. It will nourish my lady.”
I shuddered. “N-no, no, thank you.”
Pei Yu turned toward me. Even through his veil, I could feel his displeasure.
“I-I’m on a diet.”
“Oh.”
Though unhappy at being refused, he didn’t insist. He walked away in silence, looking a little dejected.
“Wait!”
I caught his drifting gauze sleeve, my tone earnest.
“Want to watch the moon together?”
To progress the story, I had to invite Pei Yu into a nearby stone pavilion to admire the moon.
The twins were gone, but the quest still needed completing.
He sat behind the table, his hands loosely crossed on its surface. White as jade, with distinct joints, they were beautiful as works of art—especially the natural lines around the knuckles.
Hands that belonged in romantic moonlit scenes had just dismembered an octopus several times his size?
What was the logic here?
The night shimmered, the bright moon pouring out light.
In reality, this should have been a lovely evening. Facing the silent humanoid monster a short distance away, however, I could only lie through my teeth with a cheesy line. “The moonlight is beautiful.”
Pei Yu said nothing.
Though his eyes were hidden beneath his veil, I felt their gleaming, icy scrutiny. I pressed on. “Just like you.”
His hands suddenly clenched. “Is that so?”
“Of course.”
“Then why did you lift my bridal veil on our wedding night and never seek me out again?”
“…Well, uh.”
The game’s designer had quite an imagination. This suicidal setup was absurd!
I was about to plead youthful ignorance when he sighed. Moonlight stretched his shadow across my vision, a long black abyss.
“Never mind… This is the first time anyone has invited me to watch the moon. Let us not waste such a fine night.”
Another message appeared: [Pei Yu’s affection +5. Current affection: 70/100.]
???
That worked?
Before I could untangle the logic, he said mildly, “Tonight has moonlight and wind, but no music… Zidu would like to play the qin for my lady.”
He beckoned into the shadows.
A servant brought a jade qin. Pei Yu swept back his sleeves, turned the tuning pegs, and plucked the strings. He really meant to play a tune.
Since he was in the mood, I could only listen. Once he’d enjoyed himself, I could try coaxing some information out of him.
But as the music flowed, I grew incredibly sleepy.
Full-immersion games often stimulate the brain directly, so all five senses feel much like they do in real life.
Almost at once, the mounting drowsiness became irresistible. I collapsed unconscious across the table.