Throughout the game’s forums, players universally regarded Ruan Xuezong’s solo escapade as a meticulously planned main storyline event orchestrated by the developers. Zongzong was just running for his life across the Western Regions, while the players scoured the same vast expanse in search of him. What crime had he committed? Even if there was any fault, it lay squarely with the devs!
No matter what mishaps arose, the players banded together to vent their frustrations at the developers.
If the plot was too heartbreaking, they railed against the devs.
If a sandstorm hit, they railed against the devs.
If the Demonic Sects proved too overpowering, they railed against the devs yet again.
As the players searched for Ruan Xuezong, they gradually explored the excessively expansive map of the Western Regions. They soon discovered that this frontier land was truly extraordinary. Beneath the sky-obscuring, endless rolling dunes unfolded a captivating and magnificent panorama of Western Region scenery. Wherever there were people, there were stories—and this world of mingled joys and sorrows, thick with love and hatred, known as the Rivers and Lakes, existed not only in the Central Plains but here in the Western Regions as well.
Five-Colored Mottled Black was riding a double-humped camel when he received a serendipitous quest called “Person Search.” It came from a sturdy middle-aged man clad in a wolfskin coat, his face marked by a clear knife scar that stretched across the bridge of his nose and down to the corner of his mouth. The man looked utterly ferocious and introduced himself as Shi Yan.
Shi Yan said, “I see you’re heading west. Could you help me find someone? I don’t know how much it costs to hire you jianghu folk, but I’ve got plenty of money.” He pulled a pouch from inside his wolfskin coat, and the crisp jingle of coins echoed from within. Truth be told, the temptation was huge for any cash-strapped player.
Five-Colored Mottled Black swallowed hard, his heart racing with inner turmoil as he replied, “Then why don’t you go look for him yourself? Honestly, buddy, I’d love to take this quest, but I’m busy searching for someone really important.”
“Money’s no object!” the man said urgently, pulling out another pouch—this one even more bulging.
Five-Colored Mottled Black’s eyes went wide. He hesitated for a moment before saying, “Alright then. After I find Zongzong, I’ll help you search.”
“No, I can’t wait that long!” Shi Yan, the man in the wolfskin coat, rejected him outright without a second thought, his tone fierce and menacing. It startled Five-Colored Mottled Black so badly that he thought a fight was about to break out. But before Five-Colored Mottled Black could even assume a defensive stance, the man raised a hand to his forehead in regret. The scar on his face twisted with it, his expression filled with pain and remorse.
“To be honest, I killed someone. That old man took the blame for me and ended up as a slave, shackled and dragged off to Chasang.”
“I’ve thought about sneaking into Chasang myself, but my identity is too sensitive. If I set foot there, it’d cause a huge stir. That’s why I need to hire someone to find him.”
“I fear he might meet with misfortune, so I hope you’ll bring him back…”
As the man explained his tale, Five-Colored Mottled Black completed the prerequisite quest for “Person Search,” known as “Glowing Stone.”
In the “Glowing Stone” quest, the “stone” was none other than the fierce-looking middle-aged man before him.
According to Shi Yan, he had originally been a lazy bandit roaming the Western Regions deserts with his gang, preying on merchant caravans. He had only done it for the money to survive. But gradually, his companions grew more ruthless—they not only robbed passing merchants but also murdered, bullied the elderly, and tormented children. He couldn’t stomach it anymore. Ideological differences led him to part ways with the bandits, though wanted posters bearing his name still hung in many Western Region towns.
During that time, he had rescued an old man and taken in a group of people. Everyone else feared his bandit past, but the old man smiled and said, “Shi Yan, you may seem heartless as a stone, but you’re more compassionate than plants or trees. In my eyes, this stone of yours glows brighter than any treasure of the Western Regions—it’s priceless!”
The old man understood his principles and stood firmly by his side.
Then came the incident this time. The old man said, “You’re still young; you can lead them to survive. I’m already in my seventies or eighties—my days are numbered.” With that, he stepped forward resolutely to take the blame for Shi Yan.
That was the backstory to “Person Search.”
Having completed this prerequisite quest, Five-Colored Mottled Black had originally been single-mindedly focused on finding Ruan Xuezong. But this NPC had inexplicably stirred his compassion, so he spurred his camel toward Chasang.
Along the way, he learned that the old man had been taken to Radiant Water Garden, one of the palaces in the Chasang Royal Palace. Five-Colored Mottled Black disguised himself as a Western Region local and sneaked inside. To his surprise, he ran into Ruan Xuezong, who had infiltrated with the slave caravan. It was an unexpected windfall! If he weren’t afraid of getting killed by other players, he would have shouted, “This is love!”
Of course, Five-Colored Mottled Black had no idea that the Chasang Royal Palace harbored not only Ruan Xuezong but also infiltrators from the complex and formidable Demonic Sects, including two high-level Demon Sect Bosses.
Ruan Xuezong listened to the entire story from start to finish. He pondered for a few seconds before saying, “Young hero Five-Colored Mottled Black, you’re saying you just wandered around here, and the quest completed itself?”
“Yeah.” Five-Colored Mottled Black scratched his head. “I reached the rear garden, and the system marked the quest as done. It’s so weird.” His task was to bring the old man back, but after searching everywhere, he hadn’t seen a soul.
Ruan Xuezong closed his eyes briefly. After a long moment, he exhaled a slow breath of turbid air from his chest. In a cold tone, he said, “It’s not weird at all… That old gentleman is likely gone already—right here in this beautiful garden, beneath the grass at your feet.”
“???” Five-Colored Mottled Black’s eyes widened in horror as he stumbled back a full step.
Beneath his feet stretched a patch of unusual grass, vibrant and lush but otherwise unremarkable. Ruan Xuezong bent down, took a deep breath, and carefully parted the blades. Sure enough, under the dense roots, the soil was darker than it should have been.
Blood had nourished these plants, making the grass grow so vigorously.
“…No way?” A horrifying suspicion dawned on Five-Colored Mottled Black. He pulled a small shovel from his inventory—originally prepared for the Western Region treasure—and put it to use ahead of schedule.
After just a couple of scoops, he unearthed something: an old man’s finger.
“Aaaaaah!” Five-Colored Mottled Black yelped, utterly terrified, and plopped down on the ground.
Ruan Xuezong let out a soft sigh. He took out a pristine white handkerchief, wrapped the finger in it, and handed it over. “Keep this finger safe… It’s a quest item. When that man named Shi Yan sees it, he’ll understand.”
The Chasang Royal Palace was a demon’s lair with no escape. Ruan Xuezong had sneaked in with the slave group, but he had no idea how many of those twenty-odd slaves remained.
Five-Colored Mottled Black suddenly felt a pang of sorrow as well.
After linking up, Ruan Xuezong headed off to find the Holy Son. Along the way, they passed a corridor lined with relief murals depicting figures of exquisite beauty and lifelike detail.
“Zongzong, I heard from a servant girl NPC that these murals depict the loving tales of the Queen and the Chasang King. The Queen insists that the palace staff maintain and retouch them regularly to prevent the colors from fading.” Seeing Ruan Xuezong pause, Five-Colored Mottled Black whispered an explanation. “I checked them out earlier. It’s a really sweet and beautiful love story.”
Upon hearing this, Ruan Xuezong instinctively stopped and examined the murals from beginning to end.
The first depicted Du Qing’e encountering the Chasang King, who was traveling incognito in the Chasang market. They fell in love at first sight.
The second showed the Chasang King’s deep infatuation with Du Qing’e. For her sake, he dismissed his harem beauties and fathered children with her. In the relief, a group of courtesans departed the palace while Du Qing’e cradled an infant.
The third illustrated their enduring companionship. The Chasang King shared royal and military authority with her. The relief featured a throne they occupied together, clearly showing his profound respect and affection for the Queen.
At first glance, it truly seemed a tale of perfect romance.
But Five-Colored Mottled Black didn’t know the Queen was Du Qing’e—only Ruan Xuezong did. And because he knew, this seemingly idyllic love story took on a sinister shadow.
He furrowed his brow slightly before continuing on to find Wu Yao.
It was said that Chasang Kingdom’s Holy Son had always been selected from the royal family—not only as a heir but also as a spiritual leader, guardian of a certain secret.
Regardless of why the Demonic Sects sought Wu Yao’s life, since Ruan Xuezong had decided to oppose them to the end, he would protect the youth.
Five-Colored Mottled Black followed Ruan Xuezong to the Holy Son’s chambers. Upon entering, he gasped at the opulent splendor.
Towering ornate columns supported a vast blue glass dome. The walls were inlaid with intricate patterns of pearl, colored stones, and gold. A massive bed of snow-white peacock velvet dominated the center—everything screamed extravagance. But the most striking sight was a white-haired youth seated by a pool.
The boy had delicate features and was fiddling with something at the water’s edge.
On closer inspection, several budding purple water lilies floated on the surface. Five-Colored Mottled Black figured this must be the Holy Son. In the water-scarce Western Regions, only the Queen or the Holy Son would squander water like this. Rumors painted the Holy Son as cold, volatile, and difficult.
Now, he appeared sickly—a pale youth with white hair and golden eyes, though his personality seemed milder than expected. Hearing the noise, the tips of his ears twitched beneath his white locks, and he abandoned his water play. “Agu Ling, you’ve come—”
Ruan Xuezong replied, “Mm, it’s me.”
“You arrived just in time. This water lily is for you. Do you like it?” The youth roughly snapped the flower’s stem and offered it.
Ruan Xuezong refused. “I don’t.”
Five-Colored Mottled Black was instantly in awe of Ruan Xuezong. Zongzong was Zongzong, alright. While he had lurked for days without accessing Chasang royalty NPCs, Zongzong infiltrated in two days, freely entering their chambers and even receiving gifts! That vibrant purple lily was worth a fortune—a super-rare flower variety glowing with golden light in the game interface.
“Who’s this silent one?” The Holy Son suddenly turned, his golden pupils fixing on Five-Colored Mottled Black with a hint of youthful petulance.
Ruan Xuezong skipped the explanation and swiftly changed the subject. “Holy Son, the Queen’s at court now. Would you like to visit your gravely ill father, the Chasang King, while she’s away?”
The Holy Son startled. “Can I?”
“We’ll have to sneak in. You might discover something.” Ruan Xuezong figured he wouldn’t linger in Chasang anyway—he planned something earth-shattering before leaving.
The Chasang King’s chambers were equally resplendent, with carved beams, painted rafters, jade pillars, and marble corridors rivaling the Holy Son’s own. Through a heavy pearl curtain, they could only make out the shadow of a man reclining on a jade pillow.
“Father King, I’ve come to see you.”
With the soft chime of the curtain being parted, a middle-aged man’s visage came into view. Five-Colored Mottled Black let out an “Ah!” Wu Yao’s lips moved as he asked blankly, “Why are you yelling?”
The youth’s vacant golden eyes held only pure confusion and cool displeasure—no fear—because he was blind.
Five-Colored Mottled Black was on the verge of tears. “Aaaah, Holy Son! I yelled because there’s a ghost!”
