069 Determination X Responsibility

After uttering those words, she was immediately struck by the absurdity of what she'd just said. The term "mysterious figure" sounded exactly like the kind of childish villain moniker one would find in a comic for kids. Her eyes narrowed with exasperation—this term was so broad it rivaled the infamous "relevant authorities" in its vagueness.

Yet the three people standing with her clearly lacked her brand of common sense; their minds were racing with contingency plans, thinking only of how to salvage the situation.

“At this point, there’s no use pretending any longer. If the Prime Minister dared to summon magical beasts for reinforcements, we needn’t be polite either. Let’s throw everything into the fight.” Li Yi, at that moment, looked exactly as he had when she first met him—cold, composed, exuding the aura of a true powerhouse. “The two of us will go to the barracks to seek reinforcements. I don’t believe a mere command medallion will open more doors than the face of Li Yi himself.”

As he spoke, Li Yi’s gaze shifted to the stoic young man who always followed him. The young man, as ever, wore a blank expression, unimpressed by the inconvenient truth that both he and Li Yi were temporarily incapable of fighting. Guided by his unwavering principle that Li Yi’s word was law, he gave Li Yi a respectful fist salute. “Yes, sir.”

Having assigned his own task, Li Yi turned his eyes to her and Lance.

She looked utterly lost, while Lance faced Li Yi with unwavering resolve. “I’ll handle the mysterious figure—as long as I know where he is.” As he spoke, a golden sphere of lightning formed in his palm. Currents clashed, split, and grew within the orb, until it became a solid gold sphere—at a glance, it looked like a child’s toy painted gold, yet it radiated such pure power that it made one shudder.

Even after splitting into so many bolts of lightning, the sphere remained intact. The energy contained inside was so immense it was almost visible to the naked eye—a testament to the power Lance harbored within, not to mention his mastery over magic and control. Still, even for such a formidable mage, confronting a magical beast of strategist-level strength would be a struggle.

Sang Qing glanced worriedly at Lance. Tracking down the mysterious figure wouldn’t be difficult—there were eyes everywhere in the palace. But finding him was one thing; defeating him was another. If their actions triggered chaos, risking both her own life and Lance’s was one thing, but if it endangered the entire plan, that would be unforgivable.

“I’m confident,” Lance said, reading the hesitation in Sang Qing’s eyes. “Even if I can’t subdue him in one blow, I can ensure I withdraw without causing a scene or losing control.”

“And if you can’t get out?” she pressed, locking eyes with him.

“If I can’t escape, I have ways to destroy myself without leaving any leverage for others to use,” Lance replied, unwavering.

Li Yi was momentarily stunned by Lance’s resolve. Words of gratitude felt too shallow for the moment—help in a crisis was worth more than a thousand platitudes. He simply clapped Lance on the shoulder, letting the gesture speak for itself.

She stared blankly at the group as each person assigned themselves a task. With her meager abilities, she had no idea what she could actually do. To follow along would be to burden the team, but to stay behind felt wrong both emotionally and logically. Lance’s occasional reassuring glances only made her feel more like a pampered housecat, whose life revolved around eating, tagging along, and being cute.

This couldn’t go on. Lance had volunteered for a dangerous mission—was she really so unmoved? It was high time to awaken her sense of responsibility and offer to do what she could! The little angel on her shoulder urged her on.

Let them go, the devil whispered. Li Yi has connections, Lance has power—what do you have? You’d just be marching to your death. Why waste yourself?

What do I have? Of course I’m useful! Amid the battle of angel and devil, she finally snapped.

Ironically, it was the devil’s reasoning that became the driving force for her to heed the angel’s advice. Placing her hands on her hips with the swagger of a rebellious teenager, she declared, “What else is there to do? Just give it to me! Whether it’s braving fire or swords, I’m not afraid of anything!”

Without hesitation, Li Yi replied, “All that remains is the most troublesome task: finding the true king.”

“A fine task,” Lance said with a mix of jest and seriousness. “It suits her best. Just a few days ago, she came up with a slew of plausible theories about where the real king might be.”

She recalled her “royal chamber secret room theory”—as preposterous as it sounded, it wasn’t a bad guess. After all, art imitates life but also transcends it; perhaps there really was something to it. Besides, with only this task left and her words already spoken, there was no turning back. Steeling herself, she growled, “Leave it to me!”

Li Yi and the stoic young man, Lance and Sang Qing—each pair quickly set off down their chosen paths. She, meanwhile, donned a maid’s uniform and, following the route Sang Qing had mapped out, made her solitary way toward the king’s bedchamber. The soldier leading her had been personally selected by Sang Qing; cunning and resourceful, he deftly avoided all security checks, granting her a direct green passage to the royal quarters.

The king’s bedchamber was some distance from the palace where he had received them. She wondered if the king ever tired of such a commute, especially with no taxis in this godforsaken place. Her mind wandered aimlessly, but her hands never paused in their busywork.

Though the king was a pretender, the royal quarters were authentic. The grand, ornate palace was called Shouhua Hall—a name as elegant as the building itself. Perfectly situated for both light and ventilation, its gilded walls and intricately decorated eaves gleamed magnificently. Lush greenery flourished at the entrance, oblivious to the fact that their master had been replaced.

None of this concerned her, however. There was only one thing she needed to ascertain to ensure her infiltration began smoothly—wind direction.