A Psychiatrist's Bizarre Game Journey / Dream of the Mist

## Chapter 320, Section 315: The Grand Imperial Examination (Part 30)

"..."

This statement contained a lot of information, and Zhou Ke'er couldn't help but fall silent and ponder for a while after hearing it. She thought to herself, "The guy with the gavel that Leng Chi Tu mentioned must be Wei Mingquan... and Leng Chi Tu's background in this module is that she's the legitimate daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei, which means that Wei Mingquan and the Prince of Zhenbei aren't on the same side..."

Then, a eunuch claiming to be sent by the emperor came to rescue Cold-Eating Rabbit... The emperor issued an order to protect the faction of the Prince of Zhenbei, which means that at least these two sides are on the same side. But Cold-Eating Rabbit just made a cryptic statement that the emperor is the Prince of Zhenbei... This is quite questionable, considering one is stationed on the frontier for a long time, while the other lives deep in the palace. Unless the emperor can be in two places at once...

"!!"

Thinking of this, a flash of inspiration seemed to strike Zhou Ke'er. "Wait... clone, clone! Didn't Song Yi just say that Wei Mingquan... that young Longquan Sword Wei Mingquan, is the product of the storyteller Wei Mingquan through cultivating some kind of technique?! And since this technique originated from the Ancient Tomb, there's a high chance that the royal court, which controls the Ancient Tomb, also possesses it... If the emperor also cultivated this technique, that would make sense!"

"Huh? What eunuch sent you here... The emperor sent a eunuch to save you, and the eunuch who saved you said you should come here to find us... Doesn't that mean that the emperor has been watching everything we do?! How is that possible!"

Dior also grasped another key point and couldn't help but ask in shock.

"Well... I don't know either!"

Cold-cooked Rabbit pouted pitifully, "I'm just a poor little thing who was just rescued, how would I know what happened!"

Zhou Ke'er was still lost in thought: "But, although it's theoretically possible, it doesn't make sense. Why would the emperor do this? For immortality? Then why send the Prince of Zhenbei, who is supposed to be his clone, to such a dangerous place on the frontier? What if something goes wrong and the Prince of Zhenbei dies? Wouldn't all his efforts be in vain? It's impossible that the technique can create an infinite number of clones. That's highly unlikely..."

Or perhaps, because he didn't trust someone else with military power, he created a new "self" to wield it? That makes sense, but the question is, why choose this moment to send the Prince of Zhenbei back to the capital? Is it to destroy the martial arts world, or is the emperor's true form dying, and he wants to use this opportunity to have the Prince of Zhenbei ascend the throne so he can continue his reign? Hmm? Wait... if the true form dies, will this cultivation technique still be able to continue?!

Thinking of this, Zhou Ke'er immediately looked up at Song Yi, the only one present who knew a lot, and asked without hesitation, "Senior Song, may I ask about the technique that Wei Mingquan used to create avatars... If his original self dies, can the avatar still live? Also, how many of these avatars can exist at the same time?"

"Oh, this..."

Song Yi was still pondering how the emperor knew they were here and there, and suddenly lost track of Zhou Ke'er's jumping thoughts. He paused for a moment before reacting and hesitantly replied, "This... I don't know either. The only one who knows this skill is Wei Mingquan, and he's never died. How would I know if another Wei Mingquan would still be alive after he died? As for how many can exist at the same time... I can't be sure either, but at least I've never heard of a third Wei Mingquan appearing, so there should only be one."

"Well..."

The answer was exactly as expected. If Song Yi had actually come to some conclusion, Zhou Ke'er would have been even more suspicious.

However, aside from that, regardless of what the emperor and the Prince of Zhenbei are planning to do this time, it seems... what is their purpose in sending Lengchi Rabbit over? Because no matter how Zhou Ke'er thinks about it, it seems that what they are doing has nothing to do with the emperor's side, and it's very difficult for them to get involved...

Could it be...?

Zhou Ke'er's eyes narrowed slightly. She stared at Song Yi in silence for a moment before suddenly speaking up, "Wait, I almost forgot... You didn't even ask what happened when you were fighting Wei Mingquan just now... Also, what was the purpose of your sudden fight, and... why are you so concerned about this matter? Finally... what do you want us to do by bringing us all here?"

"...Yes! Yes!"

Dior was waiting for Cold Rabbit's answer when he suddenly heard Zhou Ke'er's question. He looked at Song Yi as if he had just realized something and said, "I overlooked that. It's true... I was dragged into this mess by you in the first place. What exactly is your purpose?!"

"Heh, it's simple... because he's also one of the Prince of Zhenbei's men! Don't get confused, he's one of the Prince of Zhenbei's men, not the Emperor's! This young lady just got it wrong, the Prince of Zhenbei is indeed the Emperor, but the Emperor is not the Prince of Zhenbei!"

Just then, Shi An, who was lying on the ground unable to move, suddenly spoke up.

"!"

Upon hearing this, Song Yi glanced at Shi An in shock, her lips trembling slightly, almost unable to resist asking aloud.

"Wait, what do you mean?! What do you mean by that?"

Zhou Ke'er was stunned when she heard this. She couldn't figure out what Shi An had said for a moment, so she quickly squatted down and asked him.

"It means... the emperor wants to become the Prince of Zhenbei, and then become the emperor again, while the Prince of Zhenbei... doesn't want to be made emperor."

Shi An seemed not to understand Zhou Ke'er's subtext and explained again in a roundabout way.

However, Zhou Ke'er seemed to understand a little better now, and tried to ask again: "What you mean is... that the Prince of Zhenbei is indeed an incarnation of the Emperor, but he is not directly controlled by the Emperor, but has his own thoughts and personality... and the Emperor summoned the Prince of Zhenbei back this time in order to... 'possess' the Prince of Zhenbei, right? And the Prince of Zhenbei doesn't want to 'die' like this, so he wants to make a final struggle... is that right?!"

"How did you know about this?! This is impossible... Who are you?!"

Seeing that Zhou Ke'er had already revealed most of the inside story, Song Yi saw no need to hide anything anymore. He immediately put on a shocked expression and questioned Shi An.

"...Because, after the throne is inherited by the Prince of Zhenbei, everyone in the palace except the crown prince will be killed."

Shi An took a few breaths. "What Miss Honghe said just now is correct. I am indeed the son of the current emperor, but only a son born out of wedlock. By chance, when I was a guest at the home of Wei Mingquan, the Dragon Spring Swordsman, I accidentally discovered clues about this matter. After that, I secretly investigated on my own and finally deduced this conclusion..."

"So you're just doing this to protect yourself?... Your goal is to prevent the emperor from successfully possessing your body, is that right?"

Zhou Ke'er nodded thoughtfully—now, the situation became much clearer.

## Chapter 321, Section 316: The Grand Imperial Examination (Thirty-One)

"The story is certainly full of twists and turns, but..."

Dio walked up to Shi An, squatted down, and looked at him, his eyes flashing with a crimson light. "But this is your court's own business. What does it have to do with me, an envoy? Isn't it a bit too much to drag me into this for no reason?"

"Heh... First of all, whether you get involved or not, is that something I planned? Is it something I can decide? You might as well save that question for Song Yi! Secondly... do you really think you have absolutely nothing to do with this?! Do you think anyone would believe that?"

Shi An lay sprawled on the ground, too lazy to struggle or get up. Instead, he simply lay there, letting his strength recover, and coldly snorted as he replied, "Among us here, is there anyone who has absolutely nothing to do with this?! Is that even possible?!"

"Me? I feel this matter has nothing to do with me. I'm just a lowly guard of the Prince of Yan. What could I possibly have to do with this? Even if the emperor's possession succeeds or fails, or the Prince of Zhenbei manages to save himself... in short, whatever the outcome, what impact will it have on me? None!"

However, he didn't expect Zhou Ke'er to be so blunt and expose him: "You say that our presence here is related to this matter? That doesn't make sense! Look, you're a prince, that guy's a princess, and Song Yi is a subordinate of the Prince of Zhenbei. They all have direct connections with the parties involved in this matter. But what about Dio and me? We have absolutely no connection, okay? We just accidentally got dragged into this mess!"

"...Now we're in touch."

Shi An was momentarily speechless after Zhou Ke'er's retort, but quickly continued to answer.

"First of all, this kind of contact is passive, which is different from the active contact you just mentioned. Secondly... even if we do make contact, so what? Do you think that will force us to join your side?"

Zhou Ke'er continued to undermine him without holding back: "I am a guard of the Prince of Yan, directly under the Emperor. How could I possibly collude with you and betray him? As for Dio, as an envoy, he would certainly choose the safest course of action. Not disobeying the Emperor and not interfering in this matter is the most appropriate course of action no matter how you look at it, right? As for her..."

Zhou Ke'er pointed to the cold-cooked rabbit—she couldn't very well know what she was doing since she hadn't introduced herself—and added, "Judging from the fact that the Emperor sent people to protect her, even if the Prince of Zhenbei has been possessed, her safety is still guaranteed. So... the only ones here who have no choice but to help the Prince of Zhenbei are you and Song Yi, right?"

"And look at yourselves, two seriously injured. How are you going to stop the Emperor? Even if Song Yi wasn't injured, he couldn't defeat Wei Mingquan and could only flee in disarray. Meanwhile, any eunuch on the Emperor's side could easily defeat Wei Mingquan... Do you think you have a chance of winning?"

Zhou Ke'er said, her voice piercingly.

Outside, cries, screams, and shouts of battle gradually rose from afar, indicating that the Prince of Zhenbei's army had already stormed into the city. This was no longer than the first cannon shot had fired, and the attack was swift and devastating, as if the garrison had offered no resistance whatsoever, or even... as if the garrison itself did not exist.

However, all of this outside is temporarily irrelevant to Zhou Ke'er.

Because... right at that moment...

Player "Zhou Ke'er" triggers an extra quest: "The Ambition of the Prince of Zhenbei"

[Bonus Task (Objective): Please explore on your own (Current exploration progress: 20%)]

[Mission Reward: Special Item]

Player "Zhou Ke'er" triggers the module's worldline quest: "Artifacts Made Easier"

[Worldline Quest (Objective): Players guide changes to the worldline themselves, and rewards will be given based on the extent of the changes.]

"... "

Zhou Ke'er remained silent for a while.

This task...

Isn't this forcing him to cause trouble?

Based on the objective of this second timeline mission, whether the emperor successfully possesses the body or the Prince of Zhenbei escapes, it's possible that it aligns with the original timeline's plot. Therefore, if Zhou Ke'er wants to obtain a better reward...

Neither of these two storylines can be chosen.

Another point worth considering is... since Zhou Ke'er triggered this world line mission, what about the others present? If Shi An is indeed a player, then since the ultimate goal he and Leng Chi Tu want to achieve cannot deviate from the two major points of this original world line, triggering this mission is of no use.

As for Dio... she might be a possibility...

"No! The army that stormed into the capital was not the Prince of Zhenbei's army!"

Just then, Shi An suddenly spoke to everyone.

"Invade the capital? What do you mean, invade the capital? What army?"

Completely out of sorts, Cold-Cooked Rabbit asked in surprise upon hearing this.

Zhou Ke'er glanced at her, ignoring the girl who was trying to get her attention, and frowned slightly: "What do you mean? It wasn't the Prince of Zhenbei's army that broke in. Could it be that the imperial army was slaughtering civilians in the capital?"

"No...listen carefully! No, if you don't believe me, why don't you just go out and take a look?"

Shi An replied with a displeased expression that said, "Anyway, you'll question me even if I tell you, so why don't you go out and see for yourself?"

"Hahahaha! That's true, it's indeed not the army of that Prince of Zhenbei, but the army of our Great Qin!"

Just then, unexpectedly, Dio suddenly burst into laughter, saying something extremely arrogant, and in doing so, he also deliberately self-destructed.

"...?"

Zhou Ke'er paused for a moment, looked Dio up and down, and hesitated for a while: "So... is it really okay for you to just say it in front of us? You know, although we can be considered adversaries here, there are priorities and degrees of importance. Aren't you just asking us to gang up on you first?"

Furthermore... this argument doesn't make logical sense, does it? If the Prince of Zhenbei was able to breach the city, it would be because the emperor allowed him to enter. But... how could the Qin army have been so easily captured without being detected or stopped? This is completely illogical!

"A few measly bread rolls? Do you think I, the dignified Dior-sama, would be afraid of you?! Take a good look at what this is!"

Dio laughed wildly, then pulled the sword that he had been carrying on his back but had never used, so much so that others thought it was just for decoration, from its plain scabbard.

"This is..."

Zhou Ke'er narrowed his eyes. He remembered that the sword Dio was holding looked exactly like the blood-red longsword that had been stuck in the city wall at the beginning.

But...didn't Song Yi say it was a counterfeit?

"This is a treasure of the vampire clan, possessing immense power that resonates with the vampire race. It's such a waste for you ignorant fools to squander it like this!"

Dio brandished his longsword, a fleeting red light flashing across it, before pointing the tip at Zhou Ke'er and her group. "I could take on ten of you!"

## Chapter 322, Section 317: The Grand Imperial Examination (Thirty-Two)

The vampire's most precious treasure?

Zhou Ke'er was slightly taken aback upon hearing this. Even according to the legends of the old era, there was no such thing as a "sword" among the thirteen sacred artifacts of the vampires, let alone a type that leans towards a Chinese longsword.

However... now is not the time to dwell on this issue. Since Dio dared to turn against him directly under these circumstances, it means she must have her reasons.

But the problem is... if Zhou Ke'er isn't mistaken, Dio should just be a player, and the strength of a player randomly assigned in a module shouldn't be too different... unless, she's very confident in her own strength outside the module?

"I understand everything you're saying, but there's one problem..."

Zhou Ke'er suddenly turned to Dio, who was poised to attack, and asked abruptly, "What does this have to do with you wanting to attack us? Even if it's not the Prince of Zhenbei's people who are invading, but your Qin people... that has nothing to do with us, does it? What is your purpose in wanting to attack us like this?"

Dio was taken aback by Zhou Ke'er's question. After a moment of bewildered thought, he replied, "Because... we're on different sides! And in this situation, aren't you going to stop me?"

"Stop you? You haven't done anything, so what are we stopping you for? Besides, even if we fight you to the death here, do you think we can stop the Qin army?"

Even Shi An, who was seriously injured and had just been targeted, couldn't help but say, "This kind of thing is completely pointless. I don't think you should waste your time here. If your superiors have assigned you a mission, then hurry up and do it. If not, then do whatever makes you happy. Anyway... it has nothing to do with us. Why do you, who just wandered in, insist on staying here?"

"Oh, this..."