Chapter 5 — Death Exam

I, with the status of "Permanent", was also honored to attend the party. I squatted at the emperor's feet, holding a roasted chicken, my face full of grease, nibbling like a true fool. But my eyes, hidden behind my oily bangs, coldly observed the whole scene.

“The great river in the past, the endless peaches, the characters of ancient times…”

A white-clothed scholar stood on a high platform, heroically reciting To Thuc's eternal masterpiece. There was a loud applause below. The scholar was full of pride, his eyes filled with the arrogance of someone who was arrogant towards the world. Ta Canh Hoa sat on the long chair, listening to it as if he were intoxicated, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of the long chair as if he were accompanying the rhythm. But I saw clearly, in his other hand he was holding a cinnabar pen. On the list in front of him, he circled a red circle next to the scholar's name. That's the death list.

“Good poetry, good poetry.” Ta Canh Hoa applauded, "Where are you, give me wine."

A bowl of "Royal Jade Translation" was offered. The scholar drank it all, but before he could thank him, his body stiffened, followed by blood pouring from his seven holes, and he fell to the ground.

"Oh my, this actor is so emotional, he's so drunk that he faints."

Ta Canh Hoa regretfully shook his head, "Pull it down, take good care of it." Two eunuchs immediately rushed forward, dragging him away like a dog's carcass. I know, waiting behind him are the tentacles and command codes in Tuoc Tinh Lau. Next, each other time traveler stepped forward one by one. 《Spring River, Flowers, Moon Night》, 《The Head of the Wine》, 《The Song of Water》... Each pearl of Chinese civilization has now become a talisman for their lives. The higher the talent, the faster you die. The whole Ngu Hoa Vien seemed to turn into a giant slaughterhouse, the air was filled with a sweet smell of blood that made people nauseous. As for those old native gods, they were still calmly clinking glasses and exchanging wine, as if those lives were just a supporting act to add to the fun. That collective paralysis scares us even more than blood. Suddenly, Ta Canh Hoa's eyes stopped on him. He seemed bored with the sight of handsome actors performing and wanted to find some entertainment.

“Idiot is always present.”

He looked at me teasingly, "Everyone writes poetry, do you have poetry?" The whole yard was quiet. All eyes were on the greasy-faced idiot holding a grilled chicken — me. There is contempt, there is ridicule, there is also pity. The time-traveling crowd looked at me with disdain, as if I were a disgrace to the time-traveling world. I swallowed the piece of chicken in my mouth, stood up trembling, and used greasy hands to wipe my shirt.

“Poetry? Hehe… Yes! There is poetry!”

I pointed to the moon in the sky and shouted loudly:

“The full moon is so big, like a big pepper cake!”

There were a few chuckles in the crowd. I didn't care, pointed at Ta Canh Hoa and continued reading:

“Your Majesty takes a bite, my concubine takes a bite!”

“Phew —”

The whole school burst into laughter.

“What nonsense!”

“What an idiot, you dirty the entire sanctuary!”

The people who traveled through time laughed the loudest, their sense of superiority was pushed to the extreme. Ta Canh Hoa also burst into laughter. It's a loose smile, looking down on low-class creatures.

“Good, good poetry.” He clapped his hands, the murderous aura in his eyes completely disappeared, "Reward! Reward Thuong is... a plate of Banh Tieu!"

I immediately knelt down and bowed my head: "Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the king!" That night, the capital's blood flowed like a river. Those who traveled through time once laughed at me, and no one left the palace alive. I hid in the heavenly palace, munching on the rock-hard pepper cake that the emperor gave me as a reward, while watching the sky dyed red by the firelight outside the window. I know, this is probably my last full meal in this world. Because, the system... is already full. After the system eats a full meal, it will often not be able to digest it. My chance, it's here.

06

It's certainly not beyond my expectations. Three days after the massacre, the palace not only did not restore peace, but was also covered by a more terrible layer of darkness. The system, because it had swallowed so much chaotic information in a short period of time—Tong Thi Song Tu, physics and chemistry, and a lot of nonsense from online literature—caused a serious data overflow in its logic library. It started to become unstable. The most obvious manifestation is: Ta Canh Hoa got sick. His skin began to appear in patches of bruises, which were traces of code corroding his body. His temper became more and more violent, killing people at the slightest move, and even started talking to himself in the air.

"Shut up! I'm the emperor! You're just a tool!"

“Get off my head!”

Every time I pass by the Royal Library, I hear such crazy screams coming out. He's about to go crazy. He realized that just "eating" wouldn't solve the problem. He needed a real "high-level programmer soul" to help the system handle that chaotic logic, otherwise he and the system would both die. In the entire royal palace, there was only one person who had ever entered the Cold Palace and had contact with the Nine Princesses—the one who knew the system's secrets. That person is me. That night, the door of Duong Tam Dien was kicked open. Ta Canh Hoa held a blood-dripping sword and rushed straight in. Half of his face was covered with black marks, looking like a half-human, half-demon. Behind him, two secret guards were dragging a small, barely alive body—the Nine Princess.

“Stop pretending.”

Ta Canh Hoa placed his sword on the neck of the Nine Princess, his dark eyes as if he wanted to tear her apart, "I know who you are."