LOOKING at Guiying fidgeting, Luo Yan knew he already hit the jackpot. "Relax, I'm just testing you. They don't know about Wei yet," he said, still whispering. Guiying gave him a skeptical glance. "I'm just like you. I'm also under the command of the Wei Kingdom."

The girl still looked at her as if she didn't believe an ounce of what he just said. "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

Luo Yan, in return, looked at her with impatience. "Let's not play that kind of game, Guiying. I don't have the patience. If you just did your job well, we wouldn't even be having this conversation," he said coldly.

Guiying's face turned red in humiliation. Then she glared at Luo Yan. "If you didn't get in the way, I wouldn't have failed!"

Guiying might have as well confessed in doing the deed because of what she just blurted out. Luo Yan almost laughed. This NPC was probably programmed in a way that once someone suspected her, she would be easily fl.u.s.tered. And if she was pushed hard, she would probably reveal information she shouldn't. Exactly like what she's doing now.

"If you actually have the sense to observe your surroundings, then you might have noticed that one of the crown prince's dark guards were already rushing towards the smoke the moment you threw that dagger. If I didn't intercept it, he would have already captured you. You wouldn't be sitting here. Instead, you'd be in some torture chamber. Or worse, already dead," he said, looking at her as if she's the most stupid girl in the world.

"But we're still put in prison anyway," she retorted.

"Yes. But we're still alive, aren't we? Because of my quick thinking, I managed to buy us some time. Enough time for aid to arrive."

Guiying suddenly stopped glaring at him after he said that. "Help is coming? Did Madam Ru tell this to you?"

Madam Ru? She's also involved? Knowing that didn't really surprised Luo Yan that much. She's the owner of the pavilion. Being oblivious about the identities of her courtesans seemed almost impossible. That explained her calm demeanor despite this stark situation.

No wonder he saw her and Guiying talking in hushed tones before the banquet started. He didn't think much back then. Because he thought that she was just talking to her about the performance. He should have known that that was kind of impossible. They're NPCs. They wouldn't act that way unless it's related to the plot. That's his negligence, not taking note of it sooner.

"Yes," he answered Guiying.

The girl seemed to let out a long sigh of relief when she heard that. "How come Madam Ru never told me about you?"

"I'm a hidden piece. Only supposed to be activated when needed. Do you really think that the person groomed by Madam Ru to be the number one courtesan in our pavilion wouldn't be part of this?"

"What are the two of you whispering about?" Zhenya suddenly called, clearly much more irritated than before.

"It's none of your concern," Luo Yan said coolly before pulling Guiying to one corner of the prison cell. He still needed to get as much information as possible from this NPC. He turned to Guiying and he could still see hesitation in her eyes. "What, you still don't believe me? Do you think that I would confidently get in the way of that dagger you threw if I didn't have the antidote for the poison laced on it? If not, I wouldn't be standing here all alive and well. I would be dead minutes after I was stabbed by that dagger."

"Yes, I know. It just seemed so unreal. I never even suspected you," Guiying said, finally believing him.

"That's because unlike you, I'm good at my job."

"Yes, yes, you're Shishi who's good at everything," the girl said pouting. "But how come Madam Ru never mentioned you to me? I know most of the girls from Wei being kept in Yuexing Pavilion."

"Maybe because she's afraid you would never manage to keep it in. Besides, she also didn't tell those girls about me, so there's no need for you to hold a grudge against her," Luo Yan said with a straight face, no one could even tell he's lying.

"Why would I hold a grudge? I would just be another rat on the street of Wei if not for Madam Ru," Guiying said a bit emotional. "Are you also an orphan from Wei, Shishi? I remembered you're already there before I even came."

"You already know I'm an orphan. Let's not talk about that and just talk about something much more important," he said. "Did you and Madam Ru talk about the next plan? I didn't have the time to talk to her because of all the commotion. If you two have a plan, it might affect with the rescue that's coming."

"According to the plan, after the prince was assassinated, men wearing black clothes would appear and cause a commotion. The crime of assassinating the prince would fall on them. And then we would go scot free."

Black clothed men? They're most probably from Wei. But because of Luo Yan's interception, they hadn't had the time to appear. They're probably still inside the manor, waiting for the right time to act. Maybe they would even try to rescue Madam Ru.

Then he suddenly noticed something from what Guiying said. She only mentioned the crown prince. She didn't say anything about Prince Lin Rong. "It's weird though that Prince Lin Rong was the one who ended up poisoned."

"I know. The crown prince was the only target tonight. I was also surprised when Prince Lin Rong collapsed," Guiying said, confirming Luo Yan's guess.

"Could Madam Ru also have connections in the manor?" he asked.

"I'm not really sure."

So this was the extent of this NPCs knowledge. No wonder it's easy to get information from her. If a player only had contact with this NPC, they would definitely end up with the conclusion that the Wei Kingdom was the one behind the assassination. They wouldn't get the full answer to the Mysteries.

It seemed like it's time to have a heart-to-heart talk with Madam Ru.