Role Playing the Dark Horse Character

Chapter 104: How Could I Possibly Wear a Skirt? (Two-in-One)

Between Ranmu City and Zhusheng City lay another city, all three neighboring Four-Way City.

The city sandwiched between Ranmu and Zhusheng was called Tan City.

At this moment, the princess and her entourage were staying in Tan City, cautiously observing Ranmu City from a distance after putting space between them.

The noble city lord, under the imperial princess’s command, hosted a banquet.

Afterward, the princess, in a scenic courtyard, dismissed several S-rank ability users escorting her and entered the residence prepared by the city lord.

When she opened the door, a red-haired youth bounced out, full of energy.

“The imperial family didn’t say I can’t wander around, right?” An Huyu’s face screamed “let me go.”

The princess had pink hair tied up, adorned with jewels and diamonds.

Having just attended the banquet, she wore a white evening gown, short in the front and trailing in the back, moving with grace and dignity.

She was about An Huyu’s age and, hearing his words, said seriously, “But I think there’s something off about you.”

An Huyu was indeed unlucky.

Due to the Former Ability Guild’s need for secrecy, they’d split up to transfer, but he happened to run into the princess.

He used to play with her often as a child.

Now, grown up with some changes in appearance, his bad luck was that the princess recognized him instantly.

An Huyu recalled his past bratty behavior, inwardly cursing his childish self while putting on a convincing act. “I’m the head of the An clan now. I can go wherever I want. What right do you have to control me?”

The princess ignored him, elegantly adjusting the jewelry on her wrist, and walked toward her bedroom.

Out of options, An Huyu pulled out his trump card.

His mouth twitched, holding back frustration, and he said, “Tch, ridiculous.”

The princess turned back. “What did you say?”

An Huyu stood his ground. “I was calling your name, Princess Wuyu!”

The princess, a pink-haired girl named Wuyu, turned around.

Perhaps the bickering stirred old memories.

As if for the sake of childhood friendship, she explained to An Huyu, “Don’t blame me. Ranmu City only sent one message the night Lin Ran died, then nothing. Whatever happened in Ranmu City is beyond the imperial family’s control.”

“What’s that got to do with me?” An Huyu asked.

Princess Wuyu looked at him. “Before I came, the imperial family deduced the most likely ability user to have killed Lin Ran. You know his name.”

An Huyu’s thoughts raced, but he kept his face steady. “No idea!”

“Illusionist, Heige,” Princess Wuyu said, her tone serious. “He’s very strong, and the imperial family’s records on him are definitely incomplete. He’s too mysterious for the empire. If there’s someone capable of killing Lin Ran, it could only be him.”

“I even suspect the entire Ranmu City has fallen into his hands, that he’s already controlling it,” said the princess, who had brought five S-rank ability users and recruited more along the way. “I approved Feng Jiuqu’s request to go ahead, but he stopped sending messages the day he left. I lean toward him being dead.”

“That illusionist is undoubtedly a formidable opponent. Since his appearance, the empire has faced frequent disasters, and it can’t withstand more,” Princess Wuyu said, her tone calm but her emphasis clear. “I won’t underestimate him, so I’ll treat everything related to the illusionist with caution.”

“And you, who had contact with him in Four-Way City,” Princess Wuyu gave no chance for rebuttal, “can’t prove you’re not connected to the illusionist.”

“You think I’d team up with the person who killed my brother?” An Huyu’s face turned cold.

Princess Wuyu paused, then said, “This is also for your protection. If you’ve got nothing to hide, why are you so anxious?”

Heige was part of the Former Ability Guild, and An Huyu was now working with Former Ability Guild members—technically, they were on the same side.

An Huyu knew his enemies were the Qu clan nobles and others, but Princess Wuyu seemed fooled by the false information he and Rao Yue reported, believing An Huyu genuinely thought Heige was his enemy.

He had something to hide, so he didn’t notice if the princess had her own secrets. “You’re just picking on me because I’m an easy target.”

Princess Wuyu: “Then cry about it.”

An Huyu: “You think I’m still the kid I was? I’m telling you, I’m never crying in front of you again!”

He said that, but An Huyu sensed from Princess Wuyu’s attitude that she was resolute.

Without a proper reason, sneaking away would only confirm to Wuyu that he was tied to the illusionist.

At that moment, An Huyu prayed inwardly: Yiming, Tang, please don’t come to Tan City!

He hoped Yiming and the others would treat him like Yu Xiao—lost and left behind, not worth coming to Tan City to find.

The knock on the door sounded, and Princess Wuyu turned to leave the residence with an S-rank ability user, leaving two S-rank ability users by An Huyu’s side.

An Huyu’s gaze passed over the somewhat familiar faces of the two, slowly counting in his mind.

But what he saw was that Wuyu already had six S-rank ability users by her side, not to mention the A-rank ones below S-rank.

This place was like an inescapable net; if the people from Tide came, they would only enter and never leave.

And An Huyu didn’t know whether the illusionist, whom Wuyu was wary of, was on their side or not.

“Little waste, long time no see.” The two S-rank ability users left behind showed arrogant smiles.

These were nobles An Huyu had met in Floating City, nobles who mocked him after the An clan was exterminated.

Princess Wuyu, his former peers, the mockery he endured in Floating City.

His past seemed to surge forward all at once, scrambling to remind him of the foolishly stupid self he once was.

But An Huyu put on the humiliated expression they loved to see, his eyes slightly red, as if provoked, and turned his head: “If you won’t let me leave, is it fine if I just wander around?”

He had no energy to care about these people; now, he only hoped his friends were safe.

...

Princess Wuyu was invited by Sang Feiyuan, who slightly bowed, to enter the pavilion by the lake.

And there stood a youth with orange hair.

“Lin Ruye,” Princess Wuyu said his name.

In the lake pavilion, three S-rank nobles stood behind the pink-haired princess, while Sang Feiyuan, who had brought her here, took a step back, blending himself among the three.

“Give me a reason,” Princess Wuyu asked.

Lin Ruye naturally waved his subordinates away, and the ‘woman’ in a red cloak beside him lowered her head and retreated.

Only then did he begin his explanation.

During this time, Princess Wuyu sat gracefully on the chair prepared for her by a servant, quietly observing Lin Ruye’s face and every fluctuation of expression on it.

Lowering his presence, An Heyu’s forehead slightly beaded with cold sweat.

He wore the mask Li Li had prepared for him, hiding his face under a hood, recalling the direction from which Princess Wuyu had come, walking alone through the mansion.

Lin Ruye was already dead; the ‘Lin Ruye’ currently speaking with Princess Wuyu was merely a spirit controlled by An Heyu.

An Heyu could perceive the scene before the spirit through its eyes and senses, and because of this, he felt the imperial pressure exuded by the princess, who was about the same age as his younger brother, in her every gesture.

‘Does she really believe Lin Ruye is still alive?’ This thought circled in An Heyu’s mind before he dismissed it.

If she didn’t believe, there would be no need to listen to the spirit’s pretense.

An Heyu didn’t think Princess Wuyu had any reason to stall for time.

But his actions weren’t going smoothly.

While controlling the spirit, he avoided the nobles and servants on the way.

Multitasking was as natural as drinking water for an S-rank ability user, but facing such a situation, he still felt nervous and anxious.

And sneaking in alongside him was a small team from Tide.

“Phew.”

In an empty patch of grass, someone let out a sigh of relief.

“Shh, be quiet!” A soft, delicate female voice.

It was Tang.

In a place others couldn’t see, Yiming, Tang, and the Tide agent from Ranmu City were huddled together.

This was the ability of the Ranmu City Tide agent, an A-rank mimicry-type ability: invisibility.

This ability was his lifeline for operating in Ranmu City, and now he used it to bring Yiming and Tang into the residence prepared for the princess in Tan City.

Many had seen the princess being welcomed by the Tan City lord in the afternoon with a red-haired youth, which wasn’t a secret and since An Huyu was a noble and an old acquaintance of the princess, who hadn’t treated him as a traitor by imprisoning him, Yiming and the others analyzed it and leaned toward the idea that An Huyu hadn’t been exposed yet.

“There are S-rank ability users here; I’m not sure if I can hide from high-rank ones,” the Ranmu City Tide agent, Sun Shen, said.

His ability could cover up to ten people, but for them, the more people they brought, the more burdensome it became.

In a place filled with experts, no matter who followed, it would be useless.

So their plan was to find An Huyu and quickly use the invisibility ability to take him away.

At this moment, they were cautiously moving along the edge of the path.

And by chance, An Huyu, using an excuse to leave, was also in the courtyard.

But since An Huyu had people around him, Yiming and the others held back their actions for now.

Yiming and Tang stared at each other in the cramped space.

‘How do we talk to him?’ Yiming signaled with his eyes.

‘Think of a code.’ Tang fell into thought.

Sun Shen looked blankly at the two communicating, not understanding a single thing.

Not long after, An Huyu, who was perfunctorily dealing with the noble acquaintances, walked onto a small bridge.

In the dotted lights, his eyes scanned the ground and saw, right in front of him, two petals: orange-edged, white, with a hint of pink at the tips, like small plum blossoms.

The two petals seemed to have fallen naturally, yet together they looked like the rear of a corgi.

An Huyu hesitated.

‘Will he understand?’ Yiming, hiding invisibly in the distance, signaled to Tang with his expression.

‘He’ll definitely understand.’ Tang nodded.

And An Huyu did understand, as Yiming had told him before that Yiming’s brother called him a corgi.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to laugh at Yiming for not sticking to husky and accepting corgi, or to worry that they had come for him after all.

He had to admit, he was somewhat touched.

His friends were willing to risk themselves for him.

The only question was why it had to be a corgi’s rear.

An Huyu used the excuse of needing the restroom, but before he could shoo the two nobles away, the two arrogant nobles, with looks of disdain, moved a bit farther from him.

Finally, they reunited in the restroom.

Even the restroom here was lavishly decorated, with tiles so clean they reflected the people above.

And the figures of Yiming and Tang were reflected in the tiles, their blurry silhouettes appearing.

"How did you find me?" An Huyu asked in surprise.

Tang said, "You made such a big scene following the princess. Who doesn’t know by now that the princess brought a red-haired guy here?"

"What did you do!" she said, somewhat angrily.

"Hurry, let’s go!" Yiming said in a low voice, seizing the moment.

But An Huyu shook his head.

"I’m not leaving. You guys alone can’t defeat Princess Wuyu," An Huyu said. "There are many high-rank ability users here, but Tide only has Sang Feiling as a high-rank. Heige… his stance is unclear. The power gap is too wide. If someone could know Princess Wuyu’s movements, her plans, then our chances of winning would increase just a bit."

"But," Yiming felt this was too dangerous.

An Huyu then said, "Yiming, this is something only I can do."

The only one who could stay by the princess’s side was him, her childhood playmate.

They didn’t have much time to hesitate, and An Huyu insisted on staying.

"Little waste, you’re not trying to escape from this, are you?"

Outside, a high-rank ability user was already urging him.

Seeing this, Yiming and Tang could only prepare to withdraw first.

"What’s the rush? I’m coming out," An Huyu shouted toward the outside, turning slightly, waiting for Yiming and the others to conceal themselves before opening the door.

Outside the door, two high-rank ability users stood far away.

Hearing the door open, they turned to look.

"Too slow," one of them said, looking at him.

An Huyu still put on an act, saying, "What’s it to you!"

The door was opened, and though he couldn’t see Yiming and the others, he felt a faint breeze pass by his side.

They had come out too.

An Huyu inwardly breathed a sigh of relief, walking straight past the two, once again adopting the demeanor of a clueless young master.

After leaving the building, the night breeze hit his face, carrying a hint of heat.

His eyes skimmed over the lights lining the road, and An Huyu suddenly felt he had overlooked something.

The earlier signal was something only he could understand, and it didn’t seem intentional.

Their voices were also low, and he was certain both high-rank ability users had come out with him, leaving space for Yiming and the others to leave.

By all accounts, this meeting with Yiming and the others had gone smoothly.

He had conveyed his thoughts, reported his safety, and Yiming and the others could take his intentions back and start coordinating with him.

But something felt off.

He racked his brain, recalling memories of Princess Wuyu.

That pink-haired princess wasn’t the least bit refined as a child, often playing with them, her peers.

But in intellectual games, the princess always won the most.

It wasn’t that they let her win.

These nobles were all proud—her victories were entirely due to her own ability.

She was extremely clever, able to see three steps ahead in chess, crushing them, the little fools, without mercy.

By the path, lights flickered, shining upward from the ground, illuminating the surrounding bushes.

An Huyu turned back, and at some point, there was only one noble behind him.

"Where’s the other one?" he asked.

The noble said, "You think a single you is worth two S-rank ability users guarding?"

He looked at An Huyu with a mocking gaze.

"Little waste, you actually betrayed us."

…

In the pavilion by the lake, an ability user turned his head, nodding to the princess who was listening to ‘Lin Ruye’ speak.

Princess Wuyu’s expression paused slightly, then she raised her hand, stopping ‘Lin Ruye’ mid-sentence.

She said, "I originally thought you wouldn’t involve him."

Three high-rank ability users in the pavilion stepped forward, surrounding ‘Lin Ruye.’

The attack came instantly!

The undead ‘Lin Ruye’ showed a look of surprise, activating his ability.

An insect swarm blocked the attack from the fellow high-rank ability users, and he asked, "What do you mean by this?"

The battlefield of high-rank ability users instantly shifted outside the pavilion.

Sang Feiyuan stood by the princess’s side, acting as her guard.

"It really is you," the princess sighed, looking outside the pavilion at ‘Lin Ruye,’ saying, "The only one who could manipulate a corpse and make the dead Lin Ruye stand before me is you."

"What made you change?"

Her tone suddenly grew heavier, and she said slowly, "【Necromantic Prelude】."

As her ability activated, An Huyu reacted, expanding his domain.

Sure enough, he found the marks he had placed on Yiming and Tang.

The two marks were moving rapidly but were chaotically separating.

They had been discovered.

High-rank ability users were leisurely strolling through the mansion, chasing a few mid-rank ability users as if playing a game of eagle and chicks.

An Huyu enhanced the effects of Yiming and the others’ abilities within his domain while attempting to mark the S-rank ability user in front of him.

If he could mark him, he would be able to see his position and stack negative effects on him!

The specks of his ability’s light, under their master’s will, concealed themselves, merging into the high-rank ability user’s body upon contact.

Then they were repelled.

He had failed.

Most abilities had limitations, and the most common was that they failed against higher-level abilities!

"Was that an ability just now?" the high-rank ability user said mockingly. "The princess originally planned to spare your life, but you actually have an ability?"

Because of an ability? An Huyu didn’t understand the meaning behind his words, but he knew the man’s intent.

He was saying,

"Then I can only kill you."

The high-rank ability activated, and raging flames surged forth instantly.

An Huyu couldn’t dodge.

But he didn’t even need to dodge.

The flames were blocked by S-rank ice, and after being exposed by Princess Wuyu, An Heyu had no more reservations.

He had once controlled the S-rank ability user Yue Qing, who was draped in a red robe.

Under the [Necromantic Prelude], he resisted abilities of the same rank. At the same time, he pulled down his hood, the red hem of his robe growing even more vivid under the flames.

"I am Heige’s subordinate, here to lead you to safety," he said in a hoarse voice without turning back.

An Huyu froze for a moment.

He looked at the figure that seemed intent on leading him away.

A familiar phrase was on the tip of his tongue, but then he noticed the short skirt peeking out from under the cloak as the figure moved.

An Huyu shut his mouth.

He thought he must be missing his brother too much, causing him to hallucinate.

His perfect, who was flawless except for his nagging, could never wear a skirt, right?

...

An Heyu himself wasn’t entirely confident.

He currently had three S-rank corpses in his possession—Yue Qing, Lin Ruye, and Lin Ruye’s uncle.

But there were six S-rank ability users in this mansion, and multitasking with four at once was a bit taxing for him.

He had to take An Huyu with him, and An Huyu’s friends as well, but this was somewhat strenuous for him.

His heart couldn’t help but race with tension.

At that moment, a familiar voice came through the night breeze.

"Little Red, same as always."

It was a voice only he could hear, an illusory sound transmitted solely to him.

In an instant, his heart settled back into place.

An unprecedented sense of security flooded his entire being.

...

Three S-rank ability users surrounded ‘Lin Ruye.’

Electricity and water combined, toxins injected into the water, suppressing the insect swarm.

"It’s almost over," Sang Feiyuan said to Princess Wuyu, as if he could already see the princess’s victorious debut.

But at that moment.

The insect swarm surged, suddenly rising from the center of the lake, covering the sky.

Everyone’s vision went dark.

In that darkness, a soft chuckle rang out.

It was abrupt, yet the voice was pleasant—low, husky, and magnetic.

Completely different from Lin Ruye.

In the Lake Pavilion, Princess Wuyu slightly furrowed her brow and looked up.

In the pitch-black darkness, she sensed something was off.

"You make a good point, but." A snap of fingers echoed, and the insect swarm in the darkness suddenly transformed into an overwhelming wave of ice, freezing the lake’s surface and spreading toward the Lake Pavilion.

In an instant, Sang Feiyuan’s ability activated.

Wind lifted Princess Wuyu into the air, escaping the ice.

But Sang Feiyuan’s wind still carried a bone-chilling cold.

The water was frozen, its conductivity weakened, and the toxins’ activity was halted.

Everyone turned to the center of the lake, where the figure stood at the heart of the sprawling ice.

A completely different appearance—half a silver-white mask, stepping forward leisurely under the gaze of four high-rank ability users.

"Why can’t it be replication?" Li Li said unhurriedly.

Her crimson pupils swept over the unfamiliar faces around her, the progress bars of trust vividly clear in her eyes.

The imperial princess, Yiming, and others, along with An Heyu—this was Li Li’s first clash with them, and she naturally wouldn’t miss the chance.

By now, she had already discerned most of their abilities.

"Good night," she said, locking eyes with the pink-haired princess from afar, utterly at ease under the scrutiny of four S-rank ability users.

In Princess Wuyu’s eyes, the frozen expanse of ice was reflected.

"Princess, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time," Li Li said with a smile, her tone almost complaining yet impeccably polite. "But you were a bit slow, so I came to pay a visit first."

Li Li smiled, her tone leaving no room for refusal: "You’ll welcome me, won’t you?"

Even if you don’t, you will.

Her first performance after ascending to S-rank—she was ready.