Is it you? Not me.

Qin Hao ran all the way, with the corpse puppet in relentless pursuit. But what exactly was Qin Hao’s plan?

Meanwhile, Gongsun Xiaoyue moved along at an unhurried pace. Gongsun Xiaoyue, He Qinghua, and Gong Yan chatted and laughed, completely unaware of the danger ahead. Gongsun Xiaoyue had reviewed the participants of this mission in advance—apart from He Yiting’s group, which showed a slight competitive edge, none of the other teams seemed capable or even known. Thus, they believed that only their group could complete the task, and so they took their time on the road. It wasn’t that they lacked sympathy for the common folk, but their bureaucratic airs weighed heavily on them. Gongsun Xiaoyue, a princess, was kind-hearted and compassionate at heart, yet years of commanding others had ingrained a certain haughty posture she could not shed. Gong Yan, son of the Minister of Rites, held himself in high regard. He Qinghua, favored by the Empress Dowager for her painting talents, was the daughter of a renowned painter, and had grown up accustomed to privilege.

“Jiajin, do you think Feng Lan and the others can finish the mission?” Gongsun Xiaoyue’s courtesy name was Jiajin.

“Heh, aside from Feng Lan, the other two in their group are probably just clueless bodyguards,” He Qinghua replied with a hint of disdain.

“No, I’ve seen one of them—Chen Jianqiu. He fought He Yiting yesterday and, although inexperienced, his strength seems not inferior,” He Qinghua said dreamily.

“Gecheng, what’s your take?” Gongsun Xiaoyue asked Gong Yan, whose courtesy name was Gecheng.

“Nothing much,” Gong Yan replied coolly, his words few. “Although Qinghua’s a bit infatuated, her judgment is not bad. There’s also a chubby guy in their group who’s close to Feng Lan.”

“A chubby guy?”

“Yes. I don’t know his name. He didn’t step onto the stage during yesterday’s trial but voluntarily joined the pharmacy department afterward. Feng Lan seems especially attentive to him.”

“Let’s keep an eye on him then.”

As the three chatted, a dark spot appeared on the distant official road. It grew larger, revealing a stout man. Behind him stalked a terrifying giant, but the man ran swiftly, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust that obscured the giant from Gongsun Xiaoyue and her companions.

Suddenly, Qin Hao appeared before the trio.

“Well, greetings to the three of you. I bring a grand gift,” Qin Hao said, then vanished in a flash.

Before they could react, a grotesque giant—the corpse puppet—emerged from the dust. The three immediately engaged it in battle. Although they were palace residents, all three had been trained by palace martial experts. Gongsun Xiaoyue often sparred with Zhang Zheng for practice. Having known each other since childhood, their coordination was impeccable. They managed to hold their own evenly against the corpse puppet. But as time wore on, their strength waned. Chen Jianqiu and Feng Lan soon appeared at the scene.

Feng Lan tossed her eight-foot golden fans into the air. The two fans split into sixteen sharp blades that spun around the corpse puppet. Seeing an opening, Gongsun Xiaoyue quickly drew her Nine Refinements Firearm from the Sumeru pouch and took aim. Gong Yan produced his jade flute, its milky-white body gleaming. His flute’s melody summoned countless notes that, working in tandem with Feng Lan’s golden fans, temporarily immobilized the corpse puppet.

Bang! A bullet struck the puppet’s forehead. Its head exploded but healed rapidly. As the group struggled, Qin Hao sprang from the nearby woods, landing atop the puppet’s head. The puppet turned just in time to see Qin Hao brandishing his paired swords—Blade! A crisp ring sounded as he severed the puppet’s head. Then Qin Hao produced five explosive pellets and hurled them into the puppet’s neck wound.

Boom! A tremendous explosion erupted. This time the corpse puppet did not regenerate; its form gradually dissipated into the air. Qin Hao landed beside Feng Lan and Chen Jianqiu, then bowed to Gongsun Xiaoyue and her group.

“You’re that inn waiter!” Gongsun Xiaoyue immediately recognized him as the one she had seen before.

“Grand Princess Gongsun, long time no see.”

“How could you bring such a terrifying thing before us?”

“This is the ‘zombie’ of our mission.”

“Huh?” The three stared blankly, unable to see how this resembled a zombie at all.

“This should be a corpse puppet forged by the Evil Sect. It possesses a D-grade strength. I know its weakness, but had no chance to strike. The three of us only have E-grade strength, so we were forced to engage it in a prolonged fight and lure it here to create an opening for me.”

“Oh, then how does the mission proceed?” Gong Yan, ever results-oriented, asked.

“The mission credit goes to your team.”

“I don’t believe you’re being so generous.”

“Corpse Dan. Our group takes the Corpse Dan inside the puppet; your team keeps the mission reward. How’s that?”

“What’s Corpse Dan?”

“Equivalent to a spirit pill from a demon beast, it condenses the puppet’s power. But it requires a special technique to harness, one known only to the Evil Sect and the Taiji Society. So Corpse Dan is practically useless to you.”

“Fine, that’s the split then. I have a question,” Gongsun Xiaoyue stepped forward, her large luminous eyes fixed on Qin Hao, her face close enough to make his cheeks flush.

“Did you dodge my eight shots that day?”

“It wasn’t me,” Qin Hao answered calmly.

“I never said it was that day! It’s you! Fatty! Taiji renegade!”

“Princess Gongsun, I don’t have time to play games. We must leave,” Qin Hao hurried to slip away. Gongsun Xiaoyue’s threat was all for show; she knew she couldn’t best him.

“Princess Gongsun, see you at the academy. And by the way, your marksmanship needs work,” Qin Hao called as they disappeared.

“Jiajin, did you just call him a Taiji renegade?”

“Nothing. I just don’t like that chubby guy and was insulting him.”

“What’s his name? He seems to be their leader.”

“I don’t know. We’ll ask another day. They’re all from Huangpu Academy.”

Qin Hao and his companions returned to the town and reported everything to the mayor. The corpse puppet was dealt with, and the townsfolk could breathe easier. Then they went to retrieve He Yiting and other team members left behind. The group returned to the academy, where Qin Hao distributed some valuable pills as rewards for their efforts. Everyone had expected to gain nothing, so this consolation prize instantly earned Qin Hao newfound respect.

After dispersing, the three planned to visit a tavern for drinks but were stopped on the road by a strange young man, roughly their age, who blocked their path.