Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Shen Yu didn't waste any more words with Ying Shiqi. He glanced at Ying Shiqi's attire and asked, "Did the Lord give you new orders this time?"

Ying Shiqi had a youthful face painted on himself by a palace maid. He glanced behind the beaded curtain, where it was pitch black and heavy, and he could vaguely see a figure sleeping against the wall.

“There is indeed a new mission.” Ying Shiqi sat down next to Shen Yu, poured himself a cup of hot water as if it were second nature, and said in a low voice, “For me and for you.”

Shen Yu looked up at him: "What is it?"

Ying Shiqi placed the blueprints on the table and said, "You've spent so much time in Kunning Palace and still haven't gotten rid of Wen Yu. The Lord is very disappointed in you. So I've given you an easier task."

Shen Yu took the blueprints. The paper was yellowed and it outlined the basic structure of a certain pavilion, as well as several intricate mechanisms and passages hidden within it.

“This is the pavilion in the middle of the pond. We’ve already infiltrated it.” Shadow Seventeen pointed to the top of the map. “The pavilion has thirteen floors. The top floor holds the most wanted criminals from Chengyuan Mountain. Our goal is to rescue them all.”

Shen Yu looked at the scene, recalling Mo Qianyu's figure from long ago, and said with an ambiguous expression, "This drawing was not easy to create; the creator must have put in a lot of effort for them."

"Who knows?" Shadow Seventeen said indifferently. "They are said to be fellow disciples. The Lord lost quite a few shadows trying to save them."

Shen Yu remained silent. Ying Shiqi glanced at him and continued, "I've heard that all the Shadows sent to rescue you were killed by the Dark Guards. You've been messing around all day and haven't performed well, so now this lousy mission has been dumped on you."

Shen Yu rolled up the blueprints and put them away. He said calmly, "Stop talking nonsense. Aren't you going with me anyway?"

“That’s true.” Ying Shiqi took a sip of hot tea and said with a worried look, “I have a hard life, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Shen Yu ignored him. He had previously observed the terrain around the pond. The pavilion was in the very center of the pond, surrounded by water. Unless they dived in, there was no other way to get there.

“There are so many mechanisms inside the pavilion, and there are probably more in the pond,” Shen Yu speculated. “That’s a key area monitored by the secret guards. Diving in would probably lead to a head-on collision with them. The best way is to get the key to control the mechanisms.”

Ying Shiqi put down his cup, gently brushing away the rising steam with the lid, and smiled at Shen Yu: "You're right, there's a mechanism hidden inside. As for the key... it's with Mu Yuyuan."

Shen Yu understood, and he said, "Shall I go get it?"

“No need, I’ll get it.” Ying Shiqi’s smile faded, and he said, “You should study the mechanisms inside the pavilion these next few days. I can handle Mu Yuyuan. We’ll meet at the back gate in a week.”

Shen Yu nodded, pondering the overall layout of the palace. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Ying Shiqi's wrist. He looked injured, with a thin bandage wrapped around his wrist.

Seeing this, Shen Yu slowly frowned. He stared at Ying Shiqi's wound for a few seconds before suddenly asking, "Ying Shiqi, the person Mu Yuyuan mentioned before... is that you?"

Ying Shiqi's expression remained unchanged. He looked at Shen Yu, as if he didn't understand his words: "Who is it?"

"It hasn't even been cleaned yet..."

"Ahem." Ying Shiqi suddenly coughed twice, pressing his fist against his lower lip. He looked at Shen Yu with a warning and said, "You'd better not talk about this kind of thing. I still know what shame is."

"..." Shen Yu was speechless. He asked, "Why didn't you tell him? He mistook you for someone else."

“I know.” Ying Shiqi’s lips curled up and he smiled faintly. “After you left, he leaned against the wall and cried for a long time. Poor little thing, he cried himself to death.”

Shen Yu: "..."

Shen Yu couldn't figure out Ying Shiqi's personality. He seemed carefree and unrestrained, but unexpectedly, he had some complicated entanglement with Mu Yuyuan.

Ying Shiqi had a slight curve at the corner of his lips as if he were smiling, but his face was expressionless, and his eyes were indifferent, giving off a cold and aloof air.

Shen Yu withdrew his gaze and said, "The knife wound on your wrist is very serious. If you don't treat it, it might become necrotic."

"I know." Ying Shiqi withdrew his hand, a mocking expression on his face, seemingly unconcerned. "I heard you know medicine. Can you give me some medicine?"

"Don't count on me too much, I don't have much either." Shen Yu's voice was calm as he stood up and walked to his bed.

During this time, he took care of Wen Yu and also stuffed a lot of wound medicine under the bed. Shen Yu took out a few bottles of wound-healing medicine from the box and threw them all to Ying Shiqi.

"Thanks." Ying Shiqi stuffed all the medicine bottles into his pocket.

He didn't tell Shen Yu about the origin of his wounds, but he had been in contact with very few people recently, and it was difficult to find anyone whose skills were superior to his. Shen Yu could easily guess the origin of these wounds.

The Shadow of the Photography Studio and the Yue Kingdom's Dark Guards are at odds. Mu Yuyuan rose to fame at a young age and commands the entire Dark Guard Division. It's impossible for him to be simple-minded. He can be ruthless towards Shadow Seventeen now; if a conflict erupts later, he will show no mercy.

"See you in the backyard in a week." Shen Yu didn't look at Ying Shiqi again. He had no right to interfere in their entanglement. He simply said, "Get the key and leave. Don't get caught."

"Don't worry, I know everything," Ying Shiqi replied casually. He didn't linger in the room any longer. After the next shift ended, he pushed open the palace door and went out.

Shen Yu stepped forward and closed the outer hall door tightly. He glanced at the scene outside through the crack. Kunning Palace was as quiet as ever. Ying Shiqi's figure flashed past the corner of the wall and quickly disappeared into the dark tide.

Shen Yu saw no signs of the guards' activity, so he quietly took a step back and closed the palace door.

The candles inside the inner hall had long since gone out, and Shen Yu relied entirely on the light emanating from Gouqietousheng to see. Gouqietousheng seemed to be tired as well; it was sullen and kept dimming its own light as it set up the mechanical bed.

It was rare for Shen Yu to see it so listless. He approached it and asked, "What's wrong? Are you lacking energy?"

The creature, named Yangqiu, glanced at Shen Yu. It was curled up on the mechanical bed, and the light dimmed a little more: "...It's nothing, I'm just feeling a little unwell, I'll be fine after a rest."

"Really?" Shen Yu was a little uneasy. He touched the sphere that was barely clinging to life and sighed, "Tell me directly if you have any problems. I also have some yang energy. If you need it, I can share some with you."

The creature, deeply moved by its precarious existence, trembled as it said, "You still care about me. You're such a kind person, sob sob... Give me a thousand now, and I'll pay you back when I recover."

Shen Yu: "..."