Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 858 - 855: "Noel’s Night Visit to the Golden Phoenix Pavilion

Chapter 858: Chapter 855: "Noel’s Night Visit to the Golden Phoenix Pavilion

Under the twilight sky, the moon is embedded in the black velvet, hundreds of rows of red brick houses scattered alongside the street, the high tower’s copper yellow glazed tiles reflecting a clear hue.

Su Ming’an leaps onto the window ledge. Noel, clothed in silk, stands by his side, his silhouette shrouded in moonlight, adding a sense of mystery.

At this moment, Su Ming’an hears a voice, indistinct as to male or female, seemingly emanating from within his mind.

"...Hello."

"...Hello."

"...What do you want to say..."

"...My life is very..."

These utterances are indistinct in tone, eventually culminating in the phrase, "Chao Yan Diary·Self Narration."

Where do these voices originate?

They seem to be directly pouring into his mind, unlike nearby conversation. Could it be a script hint from the system?

He repeats these words to Noel, "Noel, I hear some voices..."

Upon hearing this, Noel suggests:

"These might be words once spoken by the Eldest Prince, akin to a memory flashback. Their discussion of true end and happy end reflects a contemplation on the ’ending’—whether knowing the truth brings more happiness or if halting before danger, ignorant bliss, is even better?"

"The metaphor of ’iceberg’ typically signifies ’the terrifying aspect hidden beneath the iceberg’, ’the threats yet to be discovered by people’. And ’crashing into an iceberg’ might symbolize actively approaching hidden dangers."

"Previously, I gave you the keyword for the Tenth World; its world name is The World of Old Days. It’s generally believed that the Old Days relate to Cthulhu, the unnameable, madness, and Old God. The Capital City we see might just be the tip of the iceberg, yet to unfold."

Su Ming’an nods, "Of course, I will delve into danger."

He doesn’t ask what the organizers did to Noel, since Noel hasn’t actively mentioned it, he simply can’t say.

"I knew you would do this," Noel says, "Let’s go, leave here with me."

At this instant, the world before Su Ming’an’s eyes slows down a few beats, including Noel’s blinking eyelids and the silk fluttering in the wind, all stilled under the white, glossy moonlight.

[Do you really want to leave with Noel?]

A line of small text appears.

A triangular pattern points outside the window: [Go with Noel].

A square pattern remains still on the bedside inside the room: [Stay].

Su Ming’an’s gaze lingers on the triangular pattern for several seconds, choosing [Go with Noel]. Moments later, the triangular pattern begins to fade, and everything in the world returns to normal speed.

In the next instant, he feels his body being propelled by an invisible force. A power moves his right foot to step forward, suddenly his figure plunges from high altitude, hair lifted high by the night wind, dark-colored robes fluttering.

This wasn’t a movement controlled by him; at the moment he chose the option, his hands and feet started moving on their own, like activating the game’s auto-pathfinding system, as if entering a plot CG.

His right hand automatically lifts, puppet threads entangled upon a nearby high-rise, his body twists, the movement smoothly halts the descending momentum, leaping towards the nearby high-rise.

"Swish!"

Upon landing on the rooftop tiles of the high-rise, the threads from Su Ming’an’s left hand wrap around another high building’s flying swallow eaves. Like a qinggong martial artist defying gravity, he kicks with his right leg, swinging towards another building, graceful as a horse stepping on swallows.

This scene is full of qinggong beauty. Under the moonlit sky, the youth clad in dark cross-collar robes leaps between the rooftops and pavilions of high buildings, the candlelight of the Capital City lurking beneath his feet, night sky’s thick clouds seemingly part of him, only among the high towers does the puppet threads bear the bright moonlight.

Noel stands on the window ledge, watching Su Ming’an’s back.

"So skillful... Is Su Ming’an’s puppet threads really this skillful?" Noel mutters to himself, "Clearly a skill copied in the latter stages of the Ninth World, and in just a few days, he’s using it more skillfully than me?"

He leans forward, pursuing Su Ming’an’s figure.

"Tap."

Retracting the puppet threads, Su Ming’an’s feet land, standing within the alley. At the moment he touched the ground, he finally regained control of his limbs.

...It truly felt like experiencing a plot CG, choosing an option allows the player to fully witness this set of actions. During this period, he couldn’t control his movements.

After landing, Su Ming’an tries again to wield puppet threads, attempting to reproduce the flawless qinggong between buildings but fails, nearly slipping off the roof eaves.

—That must be the most perfect puppet thread manipulation technique, only system control can complete it. His own proficiency is not enough to accomplish that scene unless triggering an option, enabling him to hand over his body to the system.

Thinking this way, if more battle options emerge, wouldn’t it be akin to enabling auto-battle mode?

Su Ming’an raises his head to see the tower imprisoning the Eldest Prince already far away; it extends into the sky, piercing thick clouds. At such a height, if it were him using puppet threads to land unscathed, it might not succeed.

The Capital City’s night is silent, devoid of civilian movement apart from the watchmen and squads in auspicious cloud attire patrolling the roads. Crow calls are faint, while the sound of copper gongs and wooden clappers echo.

"Dong—Dong! Dong! Dong!"

"Dry weather—beware of fire—!"

The light from the lantern carried by the Capital City soldier flickers from the alley entrance, illuminating inside then quickly departing. Once the man leaves, Su Ming’an steps out from the shadows.

He has already noticed, when choosing those options, not only Noel but even the live broadcast room’s bullet screen speed slowed to 0.5 times speed, indicating it’s not actual time slowing but his perception speeding up. After all, pausing time within the instance should not affect viewers outside the instance, thus it’s likely his own senses were stretched.

"Su Ming’an." Noel lands beside him, "Follow me to a place."

"Isn’t it about blowing up the Imperial Palace?"

"Not right now." Noel adjusted his ribbon and said seriously, "From what I understand, the night sessions of the Tenth World are very dangerous. Most ’abnormal events’ occur at night, like a hundred ghosts wandering in the night."

"I read some books earlier, and these ’abnormal events’ sound like ghost stories. For instance, someone who looks into a bronze mirror at midnight will see a bleeding woman. Or someone who draws water from a well at midnight will pull out bloody water. Or someone sleeping under the bed at dawn will lose their head to a ghost that died by jumping off a cliff." Su Ming’an pondered, "It’s just like a supernatural event. For players who fear ghosts, these things might be more terrifying than monsters... What are you doing?"

Under Su Ming’an’s slightly terrified gaze, Noel began to undress.

"These clothes are somewhat inconvenient, so I’m taking off the ribbon," Noel explained while undressing.

"Why are you dressed like a woman?" Su Ming’an asked.

"It has to do with the ’abnormalities,’" Noel said. "I possessed myself as a foreign astrologer in General Yang’s mansion. The servants doing the cleaning in the courtyard said that if foreigners roam the Capital City at night, they must be women or resemble women, otherwise they will attract ’abnormalities.’ I’ve heard many similar rules, such as wearing a brown felt hat when fetching water, or else being dragged into the well by an ’abnormality.’ Or sitting kneeling in front of a mirror at the third watch and needing to stand up within a half breath, otherwise, one might suddenly die by bleeding out. The people of the world have devised their own rules for preventing the appearances of ’abnormalities.’

"Instant death rules?" Su Ming’an’s mind sounded an alarm. He shared the options he encountered earlier with Noel.

Noel’s eyes narrowed: "I haven’t seen any options, only you have encountered options — you must have a very important identity. This might be a contingency plan left by the Eldest Prince."

"The Eldest Prince is certainly not simple," Su Ming’an said.

Noel removed the ribbon, leaving only a gold-threaded long skirt.

"Tonight, I want to take you to gather information." Noel smirked, "Follow me to a place."

...

Under the bright moonlight and lantern decorations, a palace-like building stood on the outskirts of the Capital City in the circular zone. A vermilion-painted gate with a redwood plaque hung above, with three dragon-flying phoenix-dancing large characters written on it: "Golden Phoenix Pavilion."

Peering inside the hall, you would see pearl curtains and warm jade glowing. People sat at the seats, clinking glasses, with songstresses singing and dancers performing on the stage, while a white jade platform was set up above.

Even at night, people came and went at the entrance, drunken men leaving with beauties in their arms, while exquisite women waving handkerchiefs could be seen on the pavilions, with their figures dimly visible.

When they first arrived, Su Ming’an took half a step back. How did Noel keep heading to such places; that time in Pulaya, it was Lv Shu and Lin Yin who kept rushing into such buildings.

"Let’s go." Noel whispered: "This is a good place for information gathering."

A middle-aged woman approached them with a smile. She carried a smoking pipe, wearing a purple robe, and pulled the reluctant Su Ming’an inside:

"Young master, you are a new face, aren’t you a young adept who came this year to participate in the Penglai Immortal Selection? Please, come in. The stage has already been set, and you can see the martial arts skills of various martial artists today. Today features a contest between the third-generation disciples of the Flying Talisman Sect and the Red Sword Sect; it’s truly spectacular."

Su Ming’an had already put on the "Wang Han’s Human Skin Mask" and wore a new white robe with ink bamboo, brought by Noel, ensuring that people wouldn’t recognize him as the Eldest Prince. In the eyes of outsiders, he looked just like a noble young gentleman with extraordinary temperament.

Even though the night was quiet, this place was still brightly lit. According to Noel, ’abnormalities’ are afraid of human presence. In places like this where crowds gather at night, the human spirit is strong, and most ’abnormalities’ dare not intrude, making it even safer than a civilian’s dwelling place.

A group of coquettish women greeted them with smiles, their hands indiscreetly reaching towards Su Ming’an’s arms and waist, startling him into clutching Noel’s sleeve tightly, using Noel’s long skirt as a barrier.

"Why did you bring a girl with you to such a place?" The woman looked at the golden-haired beauty beside Su Ming’an, her eyes full of admiration, "This one is truly of national beauty, making the girls here seem lackluster in comparison."

"Uh... yes." Su Ming’an nodded.

Noel lowered his head, pretending to be just an ordinary maid.

The two were surrounded and ushered inside. The interior was vast, with hundreds of people seated, interspersed with refined tea drinkers, gamblers, and traveling poets. As soon as they entered, they were met with an atmosphere of heat and bustling noise. People moved to and fro, faces flush with excitement and the scene was extremely lively. Su Ming’an’s arrival blended into the crowd, without attracting attention.

The most eye-catching feature was a square white jade platform in the center. People pointed at and discussed the two battling on the stage, exchanging opinions enthusiastically.

On the stage, one person wore a black and white robe, holding a yellow paper talisman, eyes shining, reciting incantations. The other had a stooped figure with silver stained beard, clad in a short and sturdy outfit, wielding a three-foot long red sword, from which fierce flames rose with each swing, a hot wind brushing against the faces of observers.

The people below drank tea and discussed animatedly.

"Master Zhuo is indeed a master of the Flying Talisman Sect, his talisman techniques are a sight to behold, he might stand a chance in this Penglai Immortal Selection." A young man looked at the middle-aged man in the black and white robe, and praised admiringly.

"That’s nothing; you haven’t seen that Holy Sect enchantress Zou Yuqing. Her innovative Matrix Orders don’t even need form condenced from cinnabar and yellow paper, and she can kill without leaving a trace. If immortals didn’t keep to a division between right and wrong, that enchantress might have seized the opportunity of the Fairy Island," a bald diner retorted.

"I heard Princess Jing He is exceptionally talented, also able to issue Matrix Orders without talismans. She is particularly skilled at offensive techniques, and with a single command, a hundred armies retreat. Even abnormalities fear her righteous aura. If not for her being a princess, she might have become a guardian heroine. She will undoubtedly be a contender in this Penglai Immortal Selection," remarked a scholarly literati beside them.

"Brother, your information is outdated. The Third Princess, being part of the royal family, doesn’t need to participate in the Penglai Immortal Selection. She can directly head to the Penglai Fairy Island three days later without competing for those three Immortal Selections spots." said the bald diner, "Whether they can bring back a vast expulsion of abnormalities with the Immortal’s talisman from Penglai Fairy Island, only Heaven knows. If indulging in the immortal realm leads to reluctance to return, it is the common folk who still suffer."

"The rise and fall of the world isn’t related to us, alas."

The crowd shook their heads, only watching the fight on the platform. Some sighed, but soon dove back into the pleasures of the red fragrance.

In a matter of seconds, the middle-aged man in the black and white robe moved his fingers consecutively, and talismanic golden light shone in the air. He pinched the yellow paper and exclaimed "Matrix Order – Swift Wind Retreat!", a fierce wind rose, causing the blademaster’s footing to falter and fall off the platform.

"Master Zhuo truly possesses outstanding martial arts!"

"Good! Well fought!"

The audience’s applause thundered, whether tea drinkers, gamblers, or diners, all loudly praised.

"Who else?" Zhuo Fanzhi stood on the platform, voice like thunder.

Su Ming’an gauged his combat power to be between two thousand and two thousand five hundred, not a match for even a single palm of his own.

Yet this level of combat power, in the eyes of the people, qualified as having ’a place in the Penglai Immortal Selection,’ considered a regional master. It seems the high-end combat power in the Tenth World should range from three thousand to four thousand.

He wondered what level Xiao Jingsan was at. From the public discussions, issuing Matrix Orders orally without yellow paper seems challenging. Yet Xiao Jingsan had managed to achieve it.

Just from these sparse conversations, Su Ming’an had already gathered a wealth of information — three days later, there would be a ’Penglai Immortal Selection’ gathering martial artists from across the land, where they would compete. The top three outstanding ones would earn the right to travel to Penglai Fairy Island, across the seas, for a glimpse of immortality. Meanwhile, Jing He, the royal princess, due to her principal qualification for seeking the way of immortality, replaced the former Eldest Prince and acquired the opportunity to go directly to Penglai Fairy Island.

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