The divine being seemed to know her thoughts and said solemnly, “You cannot change events that have already occurred in your space-time realm. Time reversal is absolutely forbidden!”
Yu Yi felt like she had been doused with cold water, staring blankly at a corner of the room, the light in her eyes quickly dimming.
The divine being said nothing more, and the room fell silent.
After a long silence, Yu Yi softly called, “Divine master.”
“Ready?”
“Yes, may this servant ask what the next mission is?” Although she could not change the past, she still wanted to change her and her mother’s and sisters’ future fate. She wanted revenge!
“There are several missions to choose from. Take a look and see which one you want to do.”
“Can missions be chosen?
Yu Yi was slightly surprised, not expecting that missions were not predetermined by the divine being but could be freely selected.
“Initially, I arranged missions for you because you are from ancient times. On one hand, it was to help you adapt, and on the other, to have you complete ancient missions with fewer mistakes. You can now choose from missions that no one has yet taken on, selecting one you feel capable of completing.”
“Are there others like me?” Yu Yi asked in surprise.
“Many. So I’m very busy, understand? Look through the mission briefs and decide which one to do!”
Yu Yi nodded, thinking to herself that this divine being must be quite popular. Images appeared in her mind, each mission with a brief description and points awarded upon completion. She selected a mission with the highest reward, which offered three thousand points. If completed, she could clear her debt and even have some points left over.
“Are you sure you want to choose this? This task is really not suitable for you,” the Heavenly God confirmed with her again.
“You can choose a high-difficulty task, where higher difficulty means higher reward. But correspondingly, you must consider whether you can complete the risks. I also cannot guarantee your safety during the mission.”
“I will provide guidance to you both, but ultimately, your success will depend on your abilities. You’ll need to rely on each other during the mission.”
“I understand,” Yu Yi replied, eager to get started. “What is the first step?”
“The first step is to familiarize yourself with the significant events and figures of the Republican era. Then, you’ll undergo training to adjust your speech and mannerisms. This will be crucial for blending into that time.”
With a determined nod, Yu Yi prepared for the journey ahead.
“
“No need. I want to complete this task alone,” Yu Yi refused. If she were to complete the mission with someone named Meng Qing, wouldn’t they have to share the reward? This way, when would she be able to repay the performance points owed to the Heavenly God, and when would she save enough points to exchange for money to redeem her mother and sisters?
Chapter 19 Warlord (1)
Yu Yi wore a deep blue homespun garment, her hair braided in the typical rural girl’s hairstyle of this period, standing among a group of young women dressed similarly, waiting to be selected.
The mission target was sitting on a luxuriously decorated sofa chair in the hall, legs crossed, holding a thick cigar between his fingers, scanning
Tu Feibaai slightly furrowed his brow, looking at the woman in a magenta qipao sitting on another sofa chair, his tone impatient: “Haven’t you chosen yet?” Then he pointed at Yu Yi, “Her. She’s fine.”
The woman in the magenta qipao was named Ding Jingman, beautiful and delicate. Hearing Tu Feibaai’s urging and looking at Yu Yi again, she thought Yu Yi was too attractive and reluctantly pouted: “Can’t I be patient? Since she’ll be staying by my side forever, I should choose carefully.”
Tu Feibaai’s brow furrowed tightly: “I’ve asked everything that needed asking, seen everything that needed seeing. What else do you want to choose? You can stay here and pick. You don’t need to go to the banquet.” He extinguished his cigar in the crystal ashtray and suddenly stood up, walking towards the door.
Ding Jingman panicked, quickly standing to chase after him: “Hey, Feibaai, don’t be angry. I’ve chosen. It’s her.” As she walked out, she hurriedly instructed Yu Yi: “You’re Ah Ju, right? Follow Wu Ma first. Ask her if you don’t understand anything. I’ll be back tonight.”
And just like that, Yu Yi became Tu Feibaai’s third concubine.
The mission objective was to eliminate Tu Feibaai’s warlord forces.
Yu Yi had read many historical books and had some understanding of the chaotic period of regional warfare. If she could find Tu Feibaai’s weakness or leverage, completing the mission might be possible.
—
Yu Yi followed Wu Ma through the house. Wu Ma explained the purpose of each room on the ground floor, which areas were off-limits, who lived in each room on the second floor, that she must knock before entering a room, and only enter with permission. After teaching these rules, she took her to the third concubine’s room to clean up and wait.
That night, Tu Feibaai and his group returned very late. While waiting in her room, Yu Yi heard the sound of a car approaching the house and quickly went downstairs to wait in the hall.
When Tu Feibaai returned, besides Ding Jingman, there was another woman – Yu Taochuer, Tu Feibaai’s fourth concubine.
Yu Taochuer was originally a famous actress from the provincial city. After marrying Tu Feibaai, she left the theater but would occasionally return to perform. Tu Feibaai did not object. Today, Yu Taochuer had gone to perform a play, which was why Yu Yi had not seen her during the day.
Yu Yi respectfully lowered her head and greeted them: “Commander, Third Concubine, Fourth Concubine, you’ve returned.”
Yu Taochuer looked Yu Yi up and down, smiling: “Jingman, this is the maid you just hired today? She’s quite beautiful.”
If she were dressed up, she might even be more beautiful than Jingman!
Ding Jingman’s face changed, looking at Yu Yi and then at Tu Feibaai, recalling that it was Feibaai who had challenged her in the afternoon. Yu Taoge’s words particularly stung her, so she forced a smile and followed up: “Taoge is right. For women, three parts depend on looks, seven parts on styling.”
Yu Taoge’s eyebrows twitched, but she didn’t argue with Ding Jingman. She just looked at Tu Feibaai with infinite grievance.
Tu Feibaai paid no attention to their bickering, threw his coat on the sofa, and strode upstairs. Ding Jingman gave Yu Taoge a triumphant glance and swayed upstairs. Yu Yi quickly followed Ding Jingman.
Yu Taoge glared fiercely at Ding Jingman’s back, picked up the coat Tu Feibaai had thrown on the sofa, and handed it to her maid Ah Xiang before going upstairs.
After going upstairs, Tu Feibaai entered the room of his fourth concubine Yu Taoge. This time, it was Yu Taoge’s turn to give Ding Jingman a smug glance, humming softly before the door was closed.
Ding Jingman’s face turned iron-blue as she forcefully pushed open her door, noticing the teapot wasn’t on the tea tray, and asked, “Did you move things in the room?”
Yu Yi softly replied, “Wu Ma asked me to clean the room before you returned.”
Ding Jingman scolded, “You should put things back in their original place when you’re done cleaning! The commander’s coat was left on the sofa. Didn’t you see it needed to be tidied up?”
Yu Yi knew she was just venting her frustration, so she lowered her head silently and endured the scolding.
After running out of words to scold, Ding Jingman looked around the empty room. Suddenly hearing Yu Taoge’s laughter from next door, she cursed, “Shameless actress! Always pretending to be charming!” Then she burst into tears.
Yu Yi quietly walked over and closed the door, muffling Yu Taoge’s laughter.
