Chapter Twenty: The Woman Who Lies (Please Vote, Please Support)

“Whew!”

Finally free from the Queen of Hearts, Mu Rongxun couldn’t help but exhale deeply.

Without Ao Keding and the others, the Queen of Hearts had unleashed her full fury, relentlessly pursuing them.

Although Ding Xiang and the other two were among the elite in the first level, they still weren’t a match for the Queen of Hearts.

Fortunately, the Rabbit Princess eventually released the dragon she had stolen. Taking advantage of the dragon’s blockade, she opened a portal, allowing everyone to escape inside.

However, upon entering, the group scattered.

Mu Rongxun was indifferent to this. They were never truly friends—only temporarily allied for the mission.

Luckily, several side quests had already been completed successfully, so now he only needed to focus on the main quest’s implications.

Gazing at the rushing river beside him, Mu Rongxun fell into thought.

He had no idea where he should go next.

All he knew was that he was currently in a fantastical fairyland; beyond that, everything was shrouded in darkness.

“Hey, traveler from afar! Do you need any help?”

Just then, a hunched old woman emerged from the nearby woods.

“May I ask where this place is?” Mu Rongxun inquired politely.

“Oh, this is the northern part of the Deep Blue Kingdom. You must be weary from your journey. Would you like to rest at my home for a while?” The old woman offered warmly.

Mu Rongxun’s guard immediately went up. Her sudden appearance and unusual warmth were not normal; most people wouldn’t greet strangers with such fervor.

Still, he concealed his suspicion and calmly accepted the invitation.

The old woman beamed with joy and quickly led Mu Rongxun along the forest path deeper into the woods.

Seeing a wooden cabin not far ahead, Mu Rongxun’s doubts eased somewhat. Perhaps she lived alone in the mountains and was simply lonely, hence her eagerness upon seeing a stranger.

“Please, take a seat!”

After inviting Mu Rongxun inside, the old woman poured him a glass of water.

He accepted it with thanks, his gaze drifting toward the house and then to three little pigs wandering nearby.

The old woman’s expression suddenly changed, and she chased the pigs away.

“May I ask where you came from?” she asked casually.

“Oh, I come from the far East. I’m a traveler,” Mu Rongxun replied without hesitation.

“The East, huh?” The old woman seemed thoughtful. “That’s quite a vast place.”

“Yes,” Mu Rongxun nodded, uncertain of the situation, so he played along.

“Could you do me a favor?” she suddenly pleaded.

“What is it?” Mu Rongxun’s heart skipped a beat.

“Well, the other day, while fetching water, I accidentally dropped my iron bucket into the river. You understand, I’m just an old woman, frail and unable to dive in and retrieve it. Could you help me?” She looked at him beseechingly.

“Oh, I see.” Mu Rongxun had expected something more complicated, but since it was just retrieving a bucket, he didn’t think much of it.

In a wild and desolate place, not having a bucket would indeed be inconvenient for an elderly person.

Though puzzled as to why an iron bucket was necessary, he agreed.

“That’s wonderful, thank you so much.” The old woman was overjoyed.

At that moment, the three little pigs returned and stood by the gate watching them.

“Shoo, go play somewhere else.” The old woman shooed them away while explaining, “These little rascals are spoiled by me and aren’t afraid of strangers anymore.”

Mu Rongxun thought that was a good sign—someone who treated their pigs well likely wasn’t malicious.

“Let’s not delay. We should retrieve the bucket first,” he said, hoping to get the matter over with quickly and continue his journey.

“Alright! Alright! Alright!” The old woman was ecstatic.

Leading the way, she guided Mu Rongxun toward the riverbank while he checked the newly appeared mission prompt.

[Retrieve the Iron Bucket: Do not blindly trust everything you see.]

[Mission Objective: Help the old woman retrieve her iron bucket.]

[Reward: Unknown.]

Mu Rongxun’s eyebrows lifted. This was interesting.

Since a mission had appeared, it meant something unusual was afoot.

His previously fading suspicion subtly resurfaced.

The old woman’s behavior was still somewhat suspicious, though he had instinctively dismissed it before.

Now, reflecting on those three little pigs, they too seemed peculiar.

Their gazes carried an unmistakable air of pity.

“Are they pitying me?” The thought crossed his mind.

At that moment, the old woman led him to a stretch of river.

“This is where I was fetching water. I slipped, and the bucket fell in. I saw it float down over there,” she said, pointing.

Mu Rongxun gauged the distance—it wasn’t far from the bank. The river was evidently shallow, so he needn’t worry about other dangers.

Stepping into the water, Mu Rongxun frowned. The water was unexpectedly cold.

Unbeknownst to him, as he waded in, three forest fairies were conversing nearby.

“Another one trying to break the seal,” one said.

“Foolish mortals, always risking their lives so carelessly,” another lamented.

“Whatever. I’m bored today. Let’s go dance!” The fairies quickly dismissed the matter, turning their chatter to more pleasant topics.

Meanwhile, Mu Rongxun braved the biting cold, feeling around until he found an iron bucket.

But something felt off.

This bucket wasn’t meant for fetching water—it was sealed shut.

Still, with the mission active and no turning back, Mu Rongxun clutched the bucket and headed back.

“Crunch!”

He felt something underfoot but barely noticed in the water and paid it no mind as he returned.

His anticipated mishap did not occur; he reached the shore safely.

Seeing the bucket in his arms, the old woman’s delight was unmistakable, her smile impossible to conceal.

“Thank you, kind traveler!” she said gratefully.

“Could you open it, please?”

“That’s not what you told me,” Mu Rongxun said coolly, already prepared to fight. If her words didn’t match the truth, he’d cut his losses and abandon the mission.

The old woman’s expression darkened.

“My daughter is inside,” she said, tears streaming down her face.

“I was once the river god’s wife, with a beautiful daughter. But my husband fell in love with a human woman and had a daughter with her. He brought that daughter home. Unexpectedly, that wicked woman sealed my daughter inside this iron bucket so she could marry the king. My poor daughter—she should be the queen!”

Mu Rongxun remained silent, skeptical of her tale.

“Don’t believe me?” The old woman looked up.

“Then I’ll show you.”

As she spoke, her pale hair turned jet black and glossy. The wrinkles on her face smoothed away, and her entire appearance transformed.

She became a statuesque, voluptuous beauty.

Mu Rongxun was genuinely surprised. Could a person’s form change so dramatically?

Yet, a lingering doubt remained.

He sensed a dark power.

Since awakening part of his own dark talents under the Queen of Hearts, his sensitivity to such forces had greatly sharpened.

“Young traveler, please help me,” the enchantress-turned-beauty pleaded, her voice dripping with seduction.

“Very well,” Mu Rongxun nodded.

As she reveled in her apparent success at deceiving another, she did not expect Mu Rongxun to suddenly plunge a blade into her chest.

He looked coldly down as she collapsed.

“You told too many lies. I don’t know which to believe, so I’ll ask you to die.” His voice was calm as her blood stained the riverbank crimson.

The enchantress gasped but—despite her formidable skills—had no means to fight back.

Once he confirmed her death, Mu Rongxun sealed her body into his Origin Gloves and then summoned her spirit—not for battle, but to hear her story.

Perhaps there was a side quest to unearth.

As she recounted her tale, Mu Rongxun learned the truth.

She was a sorceress, trained in magic from childhood.

After marrying, her husband died, and she remarried another man, bringing her daughter along.

That man had a daughter as well.

To further her aims, she had told the man’s daughter: “Listen, tell your father I want to marry him. After we marry, you’ll wash your face daily with milk to keep it fair and delicate, and you’ll drink wine. Meanwhile, my daughter washes with water and drinks water.”

The man’s daughter relayed this to her father.

The man hesitated, then said: “There’s a hole in my boot. Take it upstairs, hang it on a post, and pour water into it. If it doesn’t leak, I’ll marry. If it leaks, I won’t.”

What he didn’t know was the woman had already enchanted the boot so it wouldn’t leak.

Thus, the marriage proceeded smoothly.

This was just the beginning of the woman’s long-planned scheme.

She hadn’t chosen the man casually—she was after his daughter, a rare, pure-hearted girl.