The Tale of A Villainess ✔️

Ch 55: Arrest, Pocket Watch

Quote of the Day:

"One, remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet. Two, never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it. Three, if you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is there and don't throw it away." -Stephen Hawking

I. LOVE. FANART.

WHAT THE HECK. Check out the HEAVENLY fan art made for Zi Yan and Xu Kai's star gazing moment. 💙

**

"Sir!" I knock on his door, "Urgent news!"

The door opens inwards. The first thing my eyes lay on: chiseled six packs and v-shaped torso.

I cover up my eyes. "Sir! You could've said you were in the process of changing into your uniform."

"You said urgent news, did you not?"

I nod with my eyes closed, "Yes. But.. I'll wait, I'll wait."

After several minutes, Sir Xu exits his room and we go to where everyone is meeting up.

"After careful examination, I determined that the passcode is 9331."

Rong Yi rubs his temples to clear up his headache, "Zi Yan, how did you find out the passcode?"

I scratch my head, "Well.. Even if I explain it, you guys probably won't get it. Despite so, we need to go try it out."

We travel to where the underground cavern is. This time, we have the code ready. After passing the maze, we encounter the pathway again. "I have been here for years yet I have never seen his underground cavern," whispers Wan'er.

Wandering through the path containing the traps, we arrive at the stone door again. I twist nine, three, three, one.

Nothing happens. Was the passcode wrong..?

Suddenly the stone door slides open.

Scholar Li squeaks loudly, "Aiya Ma!" He pats his chest, "Almost scared Little Li to death." Sir Xu sends him a condescending glance. Scholar Li laughs nervously.

Rong Yi pats me by the shoulder, "Zi Yan, don't be scared. I will protect you!"

I shake my head, "Scared? Me? I am not scared. I have witnessed that plenty of times in horror movies."

"Horror movies?" He ponders, tilting his head.

When the door fully opens, we notice that the path ahead is obscure and mysterious.

"Wait.. this smell.." Scholar Li experiences an epiphany, "Everyone!" He turns his back to block the entrance, capturing all of our attention.

He digs into his bag, reaching out a brown marble bottle. He tips out several miniature pills, "Eat this right away and find a way to cover up your nose and mouth!"

We all take a pill from his palm and consume it, proceeding to cover our nose and mouth with our sleeves or piece of our clothings.

"This air is lethal and can poison you. Good thing I suspected something like this will happen."

Rong Yi and Sir Xu light up two torches; we begin to saunter down the pathway. The sound of footsteps and Scholar Li's unnecessarily loud breathing echoes through our ears.

For several minutes, we make several turns and curves. "How long until—" Scholar Li steps on what seems like a pressure plate, amplifying another set of reactions.

"Watch out!"

General Li, Rong Yi, and Sir Xu lifts up their swords and block the needles firing from various directions.

"Don't wander near the walls," Sir Xu wraps his arm around me, shielding me from the needles.

PING!

PING!

Momentarily, the sounds come to a halt. Sir Xu releases me and returns his sword back into his sheath. "Is everyone alright?" General Li asks. We give her an affirmative answer.

Ensuring everyone's safety, we scurry along the pathway. Soon, we see light ahead. Upon exiting the darkness, we enter another cave that is lit up from light poking in from above.

The cave is spread out, with the walls being wrapped in leaves and vines. We see stone tables, built deliberately on the center of the cave. Tens of glass bottles are set up on wood shelving units.

"I-Is this the lab..?" We glance around, amazed at the amount of plants hung on the walls. The most shocking things are the hundreds of mushrooms laid out carefully across the stone tables.

We hear a faint voice, "Can't believe it's just me now.." A young man enters the cave on the other side. Upon seeing us, he freezes and his eyes widen. He tries to back up to where he came from but before he can successfully escape, Sir Xu's sword blocks his way.

"H-How did you guys get in here?" The young man hesitantly says, "There is no way you would know the passcode.."

Sir Xu raises his sword to his neck, causing him to back up. "Who are you? Who do you work for?"

The young man kneels down and fake cries, "I-I am just a commoner. I accidentally found this cave and was staying here to rest."

General Li raises her brows, "Oh? Don't tell me you were relying on those mushrooms for food too?"

He nods, "H-How did you know? I was!"

Sir Xu signals Wu Lan Jun to tie up the man's hands.

The young man shakes his head, "W-What are you you doing? Hurting an innocent man!"

Sir Xu's brows furrow, "You are arrested for the illegal development of poisonous needles using the toxin from mushrooms, assistance murder of Minister Kun, and the plot of death of a General. Is that not enough to deem your death?"

"G-Good Sir, Nice Sir! Listen, this has nothing to do with me!"

"Mister, you are heading back to the Interrogation Room with us," Wu Lan Jun says, tying his hands together.

The young man resists, trying to twitch and wiggle his way out. "This is unfair!" Suddenly, a pocket watch slips out of his sleeves. "My pocket watch!"

Rong Yi takes the pocket watch from the ground, "What is this thing?" Somehow he pops it open and sees something unbelievable. "How did you capture a person in here?!"

That was how I knew..

This person isn't from this world either.