Feng Yongrui passed the next few days uneventfully. He ate and drank as if nothing was wrong. In fact, he stayed in his room almost all the time.
Chen Longfei often asked him to dine together, but Feng Yongrui refused most of the time. He was afraid that if he interacted with Chen Longfei too much, the latter would discover that he was actually from the Cloud Realm.
Feng Yongrui also felt awkward interacting with other people in this palace, because they treated him too nicely. As Chen Longfei's subordinate, Feng Yongrui thought he would be treated like a servant.
However, the reality was that wherever he went, other servants would bow to him as if he was some sort of powerful individual. He also heard several people whispering and pointing at him wherever he went. It was really uncomfortable, to say the least.
Staying in Chen Longfei's palace was also stifling because the System wasn't there. Feng Yongrui had thought that if the System disappeared, he would be so happy beyond relief.
...That was not the case. Feng Yongrui found that he really, really missed the System. The System had been gone for several days now, and without someone to chat with, Feng Yongrui often felt bored.
So, during these days, Feng Yongrui spent most of his time inside his own room, reading books, enjoying the bed, and spending his time leisurely. On the surface, he was having fun.
On the inside, though, Feng Yongrui was suffering with fear and anxiety because the System hadn't come back and because he was constantly afraid that Chen Longfei would expose his identity.
When Feng Yongrui talked with Chen Longfei, the latter had mentioned that the Vampire Clan was working for him because of Feng Yongrui. At first, Feng Yongrui was confused, so he sent a letter asking Stan about his situation.
Stan had replied, telling him that Chen Longfei had visited him, talked to him, and told him that 'Feng Yongrui' was actually working for him. After some negotiation, Stan had agreed to swear his loyalty to Chen Longfei.
Stan added that, [I agreed to work for him because you're working for him too. And I know you're a good guy, so if you're working for him, that means he's not bad either, right?]
Feng Yongrui: "..."
When he read Stan's reply, Feng Yongrui didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Feng Yongrui was supposed to work for Chen Tengfei, the protagonist! Not the villain...
During his spare time, Feng Yongrui had also spent time looking through the information from the System. He did not find any information on the 'Nephilim', but he did find two two interesting information.
The first one was regarding Chen Tengfei's birth mother, Chen Mei. Chen Mei was from the Fairy Clan, and because of a mishap (the System's information did not clarify what kind of mishap it was) she was separated from Chen Tengfei. After that, she went missing for a long time.
It was estimated that she was already dead.
Frankly, Feng Yongrui didn't really pay attention to this 'Chen Mei' person. After all, she was a minor character who didn't appear much. However...
Feng Yongrui's thoughts drifted to the woman he had seen next to Chen Longfei. At that time, Chen Longfei didn't introduce the woman beside him, and Feng Yongrui was too scared to ask about the woman's identity.
However, after reading and rereading the information from the System... Feng Yongrui began to have doubts about this woman's identity. What if she was... Chen Mei??
It was an absurd thought, and frankly, Feng Yongrui didn't think that was possible... But...
For starters, that woman had a pair of brilliant blue eyes. Based on his knowledge, the ones who had eyes as blue and as pretty as that were only people from the Fairy Clan. Also, when Feng Yongrui met that woman, he didn't feel any demonic aura around her.... Actually, he didn't feel or sense any aura at all.
The woman had shiny blue eyes and her hair was also blue... Only people from the Fairy Clan were like this. If this woman was from the Fairy Clan, she was definitely someone from the main family, because the blue color of her hair was really brilliant and bright.
According to the System's information, the people from the Fairy Clan who were from the smaller branches of the clan would have pale blue hair. But that woman's hair... it was really lush and beautiful, not pale at all!
Feng Yongrui didn't know why he would think that woman was Chen Mei. It was impossible. The System's information didn't mention anything about Chen Mei and Chen Longfei's relationship, and it was heavily implied that Chen Mei was dead.
Even the protagonist, Chen Tengfei, thought his mother was dead.
Feng Yongrui mulled over his thoughts again. Even though he knew that the possibility of Chen Mei being alive was close to zero, Feng Yongrui could not shake off that feeling.
A human's thoughts were really strange. Once a thought was planted, then, like a budding plant, it would grow and grow, becoming firmly rooted inside the mind.
Also, since Feng Yongrui usually stayed inside his room because he was afraid of meeting the Crown Prince, he had a lot of time to think by himself. The System wasn't there to talk to him either, so Feng Yongrui stayed wrapped inside his own thoughts...
"But, assuming that the woman with blue hair is really Chen Mei, then what is her relationship with Chen Longfei?" Feng Yongrui muttered softly.
"Argh, it's so complicated," Feng Yongrui hissed.
He was tired of using his brain too much. It would be better to be a salted fish, he thought.
Feng Yongrui threw away his messy thoughts and laid on the bed absentmindedly. He wanted to distract himself from thinking about his task. He didn't want to think about the System... He didn't want to live in constant fear, afraid that Chen Longfei would suddenly expose him...
What could he think of? Feng Yongrui pondered for a while before finally finding a great topic.
Lunch.
What would his lunch be?
Since he was living in Chen Longfei's castle, this meant that the food quality that they served him was excellent, to say the least. Whenever he was eating, Feng Yongrui always felt that he was a king.
There would be countless dishes served in front of him, reminding him of a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast. Feng Yongrui would eat and eat as if his life depended on it, and at the end of the meal, he would be rather bloated...
Sometimes, he felt embarrassed, but he soon comforted himself, telling himself that it was okay. Wasn't good food meant to be enjoyed?
Feng Yongrui was still thinking about lunch when he heard a knock on the door. It was probably Cantrell. He jumped out of bed and opened the door energetically. Was it time for lunch already?
When Feng Yongrui opened the door, he expected to see Cantrell standing in front of him, smiling as usual. However, to his surprise, the person who was standing in front of him was none other than the blue haired woman!
"Uhm... H-hello?" Feng Yongrui said awkwardly.
During those times when Feng Yongrui ate his meals, he rarely ever encountered the blue haired lady. He didn't even interact with her that much... So why was she here?
Feng Yongrui opened his mouth and closed it again. How was he supposed to call this lady? Madam? Miss? Err...
"Mr. Feng, I need your help. Is it convenient for you to talk with me right now?" the woman asked, her eyebrows knotting in anxiety.
"S-sure," Feng Yongrui nodded quickly. On the surface, he tried to maintain his usual expression, but he couldn't stop his heart from beating frantically. What did she want to talk about?
The woman led Feng Yongrui to the room where he first met her, the room that was had blue walls everywhere. The woman sat down and motioned for him to sit as well.
After sighing, the woman opened her mouth and spoke.
"This is something that we've been keeping a secret from you, but the Crown Prince has led his army to fight against the Cloud Realm," the woman said.
Feng Yongrui unconsciously frowned and pursed his lips. Chen Longfei had led his troops to fight the Cloud Realm?! No wonder he hadn't seen Chen Longfei during these past few days...
Wait, Chen Longfei led his troops to fight against the Cloud Realm? Then... who would win this battle??
Originally, Feng Yongrui was supposed to help Chen Tengfei, the protagonist, by making the Shadow Demons loyal to him. When the great battle between the two realms finally began, the Shadow Demons betrayed the Phantom Realm, helping the protagonist gain the upper hand and defeat the Phantom Realm...
But now, what would be the outcome of this battle?? Feng Yongrui's heart was thrown into chaos, but the woman did not notice. Instead, she continued talking.
"The Crown Prince has already broken through the enemy's lines and destroyed most of their army. It has been an overwhelming victory so far. However, I just received news."
Feng Yongrui felt his heart thundering against his chest. What news would it be? In all honesty, he didn't know what he was hoping for. Did he want the protagonist to win and defeat the Phantom Realm? Or did he want Chen Longfei to win?
"The Crown Prince was ambushed by Chen Tengfei, and he is severely wounded... This means he can't lead the troops into battle. If our troops find out that the Crown Prince is wounded, the soldiers' morale will be weakened..."
"Also, we don't want to rest and give our enemies an opportunity to strengthen their army. The Crown Prince wants to strike while the iron is hot and eradicate the Cloud Realm's troops. But since he's injured, he can't lead the troops... So, he wants you, a Nephilim, to come over and help him," the woman finished talking.
Feng Yongrui felt his jaw drop to the floor. Wasn't he just a normal spy? Why was Chen Longfei telling him to come over and help? Was it... because he was a "Nephilim"? But he had no idea what that was!
Feng Yongrui's mind was in a mess, but he did not dare to refuse the blue lady. After all, if he rejected the lady and she told Chen Longfei... who knew what the consequences would be.
Feng Yongrui agreed to go to the battlefield and help Chen Longfei. The lady told him to go immediately, so he packed up a few sets of clothes and left the castle, guided by an escort.
Feng Yongrui and this escort rode Phantom Stallions. Feng Yongrui felt funny -- back in Xu Chao's mansion he used to take care of the Phantom Stallions. But now, he was riding one of them. Thankfully, he was able to stay on the saddle without falling or embarrassing himself.
After 3 days of traveling nonstop, Feng Yongrui and the escort could not stand it anymore and stopped to rest. All this time, they did not dare to stop for too long.
After all, during war, time was of the essence. They had to hurry and reach Chen Longfei as fast as they could.
But now, the Phantom Stallions could not stand it anymore. Feng Yongrui and the escort were also tired, so they agreed to rest for a while. Feng Yongrui was stretching his legs and walking around while the escort was drinking water.
Suddenly, Feng Yongrui felt his vision turn blurry and his head drooping down. What happened? Why was the world... spinning around and around?
Feng Yongrui heard a 'thud' and wondered where that noise was coming from. Why was that escort... upside down? Oh, and the escort seemed like he was running towards him...?
Feng Yongrui wanted to move his hand and massage his throbbing head, but he found that he couldn't move a single finger. His body felt like it had been weighed down with lead.
Feng Yongrui blinked twice. An enlarged version of the escort's face appeared in front of him, but he was slow to react. Before he could utter a single word, Feng Yongrui fell into darkness.
-End of Arc 3-
***
Phew! This arc seems like it ended in a cliffhanger, hahaha. Again, in this arc, the System's mistake ends up making trouble for our poor protagonist. As usual, here are some points to ponder...
-What will happen with this world?
-Will the villain (Chen Longfei) succeed in ruling this world? If he succeeds, what will happen to the protagonist (Chen Tengfei)?
-Will Feng Yongrui "succeed" his mission in this world?
-Why does the System keep making mistakes?
-Chen Longfei and Chen Tengfei actually have the same surname, which is Chen. Why is this?
-Who is that blue-haired woman? Is she really Chen Mei, as Feng Yongrui guessed?
I'd love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below~~
***
P.S. Look forward to Arc 4~~