CH 37

Ruan Jinghong stayed in Wen Jin's arms for an unknown amount of time, but the wailing of the female ghost behind her seemed to have gradually faded away. She hugged the only familiar warmth in front of her and shivered, and asked cautiously, "Teacher Wen, is that ghost still there?"

Wen Jin did not answer, her right hand on Ruan Jinghong's back seemed to be holding and casually sketching something. But the fingers of her left hand slid all the way from the delicate nape to the soft auricle, gently pinching it.

Ruan Jinghong: ...

She was too afraid to notice earlier, but now that there is no more interference from ghost calls. Every organ in her body's perception seems to have been magnified ten times. Wen Jin's cold fingers glide behind her ears, able to ignite stars and sparks.

The little deer in her heart was hit harder, but it didn't seem to be as scared as before.

Ruan Jinghong withdrew from Wen Jin's arms, mustered up the courage to squint one eye and turned around slightly, aiming at the mouth of the well.

The top is empty, and there is no more figure of the female ghost.

Ruan Jinghong let out a long breath, and pulled completely away from Wen Jin's arms belatedly.

Looking at the embrace that suddenly became empty, Wen Jin suppressed the wave that had just been aroused in her heart, and said calmly, "When you turned around, that ghost disappeared. It's all right now."

The night breeze came, blowing away the fear and charm in Ruan Jinghong's heart. She reached out and patted her flushed cheeks, and resumed her usual politeness and reserve, "I made Teacher Wen laugh at me just now, so let's hurry up and find the diary."

As for why that female ghost came out and why she left, she didn't want to care at all.

"Okay." Wen Jin looked at the serious-looking little thing on her face, and thought to herself: She looked more adorable like that just now.

She withdrew her hands as if nothing had happened, and at the same time put the thing she was holding in her right hand into her robe.

Without other disturbances, the two easily removed the big rock by the well, and indeed found a piece of rice paper under the rock.

Wen Jin picked up the rice paper and saw a handwriting on it with her good night vision ability, "The seventh day of April, sunny. I went out for an outing today and met a young man who was as bright as the sun. He had the brightest smile, more free than the eagle on the grassland. I looked at such a vivid life galloping between heaven and earth and was envious in my heart."

"This style should be the princess' diary." Ruan Jinghong tilted her head and joked, "Although it's only the first page of the diary, why do I have a hunch that my imperial brother may have a green grassland on his head*."

*being cheated on, same meaning as wearing a green hat

After successfully finding the first page of the diary, Wen Jin felt a little relaxed, and joked, "Prince Yin's hairstyle is really suitable for dyeing green."

Prince Yin: Ah-choo!

After getting the first page of the diary, Wen Jin decisively decided to move to the Imperial Dining Room.

It has to be said that the props of the program group are very realistic. On the counter table in the imperial dining room, there are several plates of small snacks, with a transparent cover.

Wen Jin pointed to a plate of peach cakes on the desk and said with a smile: "These are not poisonous, do you want to try?"

Ruan Jinghong: ...

Don't think I didn't see it. You defended Ziyi and made a joke of my alibi investigation.

Ruan Jinghong glanced across the dishes, through the light cover, she could still see the delicacy of the food.

She swallowed quietly, and said righteously: "I'm not hungry, let's look for the diary carefully."

Wen Jin noticed Ruan Jinghong's feisty demeanor and smiled, not teasing her anymore. She began to pay close attention to the clues in the imperial dining room.

Ruan Jinghong reminded herself repeatedly in her heart to focus on looking for the diary, but her gaze kept on looking at the plate of snacks from time to time.

Director Wen paid too much attention to the details of the props. These snacks even smell good!

Ruan Jinghong quietly lifted the cover of the almond cake, wanting to have a closer look, and saw a piece that was particularly large.

Ruan Jinghong curiously took out the piece of almond cake, and muttered in a low voice, "I just want to see the pastry chef's craftsmanship, I don't intend to eat it."

"See what?" Wen Jin walked behind Ruan Jinghong at some point.

"Ah?" Ruan Jinghong shook her hands in a "guilty" manner, and the almond cakes fell on the plate and split in two, revealing a corner of the rice paper.

Ruan Jinghong, who was just guilty of being caught a second ago, brightened up when she saw this, and said excitedly, "The princess' diary!"

Ruan Jinghong carefully smashed the pastry as she speaks, and took out the paper hidden in it. It really looked exactly the same as the page of the diary that he found in the Imperial Garden.

Director Wen is also a thief. She hid the diary in the belly of the pastry. If she was not a foodie, it would be really difficult to find out the diary.

The light in the room was still weak. Ruan Jinghong's eyesight was fine for reading snacks here, but she couldn't read the text, so she handed the rice paper to Wen Jin.

Wen Jin took the rice paper, shook off the crumbs of snacks on it, and read: "April 13th, light rain. Today I saw the boy from last time. He didn't ride a horse on the grassland this time, because the weather is not beautiful.  He squatted in the rain, holding a kitten in his arms. The cat was thin and dirty, and smeared several black marks on his delicate satin robe, but he had a gentle smile from the beginning to end. I think he must be a very gentle and kind person."

"This is still connected to the previous plot. Could it be that the seven pages of the diary are all about the unrequited love of the princess of the Western Realm?" Ruan Jinghong seriously analyzed with a sullen face after listening.

"I can't tell. Most of these diaries are related to the murder of the princess. There is always a reason why the time-space administrator specifically asked us to find the diaries." Wen Jin said, folding the second page of the diary and putting it in her clothes.

Ruan Jinghong was enlightened when she heard the words, "Yes, Teacher Wen is amazing! By the way, how did you know that there are diaries hidden in places like the Imperial Garden and the Imperial Dining Room?"

It was the first time Ruan Jinghong enjoyed the experience of doing tasks in the game. At this time, her admiration for Wen Jin increased a bit.

"Because I'm an advisor who is skilled in calculation." Wen Jin looked at the little thing in front of her. Her shining eyes were especially mesmerizing in the dark, so she deliberately teased her.

Because I have seen the map before, the diary has seven pages, and there are only six scenes marked in the West Palace. The reason why we went to the Royal Garden and the Imperial Dining Room first was because these two places generally do not have candles, and would not be the first choice of the other two groups, so that we would save time fighting over them.

Ruan Jinghong easily believed any of Wen Jin's words, and nodded with admiration, "As expected of Teacher Wen, she can even do metaphysics and arithmetic."

Wen Jin: ...

If it wasn't for the sincere expression on the little thing's face, she almost thought it was ironic.

Wen Jin was a little guilty by Ruan Jinghong's fervent adoring gaze, but she couldn't slap her face, so she turned her attention to the broken almond cake, pretending to be sorry.

"It's a pity that such a good snack is broken like this."

"It's not a pity, it's not a pity." Hearing this, Ruan Jinghong quickly picked up the shattered pieces of almond cake on the plate, stuffed them into her mouth and chewed them quickly.

She puffed her cheeks, looking like a little hamster eating in the winter. She narrowed her eyes slightly and said, "I'll eat them all, so it won't be a pity."

In the end, this plate of almond cake still couldn't escape her stomach.

At this time, of the seven pages of the diary, Wen Jin already had two pages in her hands, and she guessed that the other two groups had found at least one page each.

There are not many diaries left on the field, so she needs to find at least one more page before she can become the number one.

Wen Jin recalled the content on the map she saw before, and looked elsewhere from the teleportation points of the previous groups of people. No matter which direction she goes, the imperial study room in the most central position should be the last place to be visited.

Wen Jin quickly finished the analysis in her mind, watched Ruan Jinghong dispose of the whole plate of almond cakes extremely efficiently, and asked her with a smile if she wanted to pack the other two plates of snacks.

Ruan Jinghong: ...

Teacher Wen, I didn't know you are... quite comedic.

Packing is impossible. In principle, the only thing they can take away from the Western Palace is the princess' diary.

Wen Jin took Ruan Jinghong by the hand and took the shortest path all the way to the Imperial Study Room. Unlike the darkness in other scenes before, there is light in this room.

It seems that someone has already arrived here first and they haven't left yet.

Wen Jin thought about it in her heart, and led Ruan Jinghong into the imperial study together.

As soon as the two of them entered the door, they saw Jin Ziyi and Huo Yitong each holding a candle in their hands, searching for something.

"What a coincidence." At this time, Wen Jin was not afraid to run into them, and greeted them openly.

Seeing the two people who entered the room suddenly, Jin Ziyi became vigilant, and said with a dry smile, "Hehehe, it's a coincidence, you also came to snatch the diary from us, right?"

The word "also" is very subtle. It seems that their group has met with Yin Xiang and Zhong Manyun's group before.

"The diary has no owner, each depends on his ability." After Wen Jin finished speaking, she also began to search in the imperial study.

Jin Ziyi became anxious when she saw it, "Don't tag along with us, it's first come first served, do you understand? And these candles were brought by us."

"Then you can also extinguish the candles." Wen Jin responded calmly but she spoke from the bottom of her heart. If they extinguish the candles, then Huo Yitong and Jin Ziyi won't be able to find the diary as fast as her.

Jin Ziyi cast a look for help to her "alliance" Huo Yitong, but Huo Yitong just hastened her pace on flipping through the book.

"Hurry up and find the diary. If you dawdle, Yin Xiang and the others will come over later."

So the four people in a room were caught in a race against time to find the diary, afraid that they would fall behind and be overtaken by the opposing team.

Among them, Wen Jin was the calmest one. While searching, she chatted with Jin Ziyi next to her when she had time, "How many pages of diaries do you have now?"

"One page." There's nothing to hide about this, Jin Ziyi gets angry when she mentions it, "Originally we could have gotten two pages, but we got killed by Yin Xiang and Zhong Manyun in the middle of the cold palace."

Cold Palace, a must-see tourist attraction for ancient imperial palaces, a hot place and easy to bump into someone.

Wen Jin nodded upon hearing the words, "We already have two pages here, and Yin Xiang and Zhong Manyun have at least one page in their hands. I'm afraid it won't be easy for you to take the first place."

Wen Jin's words were tactful, but Jin Ziyi was not convinced, "Don't play psychological tactics like this. Don't fight for buns and breath*. Even if we're not the first, we can't be the last!"

*a phrase meaning to be courageous and have a backbone

Although Jin Ziyi is usually a little naive, she is not as easy to fool as Ruan Jinghong.

Wen Jin didn't really hope to make her give up, but just took the opportunity to annoy her.

While talking, Wen Jin saw a corner of rice paper sandwiched in a page in front of her, and at the same time, Jin Ziyi, who was closest to her, naturally also saw it.

Both hands grabbed the corner of the book at the same time, and no one wanted to let go.

In normal times, Jin Ziyi would pay attention to respecting her seniors, but once the PK* started, her competitive spirit took over.

*Player killing/kills, a gaming term usually in PvP, refers to killing another person's character or the number of kills the player has.

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Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=7288969

This translation is originally posted on

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please read it there. and check out other stories too.

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For a while, the two were at a stalemate. At this time, Ruan Jinghong, who was in the other corner of the imperial study, said happily: "Teacher Wen, I found the princess' diary."

Wen Jin glanced at the respective positions of Ruan Jinghong and Huo Yitong, and it took only a second to figure it out in her mind. She quickly let go, gave the book to Jin Ziyi, and ran to Ruan Jinghong's side, protecting her newly found page of the diary.

At this time, Wen Jin's group already had three pages of diaries, while Huo Yitong and Jin Ziyi's group found two pages, and the last page, as long as it didn't fall into Huo Yitong's group, then Wen Jin's group should be in first place. Seven pages of the diary, six scenes, now two pages appear in this scene, and the last remaining page should be in another scene.

Wen Jin wanted to understand this level and decided to stall for time.

Standing beside Ruan Jinghong, she looked at Jin Ziyi who was still in a trance, and advised, "Come on, now we are two teams of four, and one page per team  is fair, so let's not fight over them."

Huo Yitong inspected the other three people in the room, and also understood that her team did not have much advantage in terms of physical strength or intelligence at this time, and it was not realistic for a group to have the two-page diary in this room all to themselves. She immediately decided to save some effort and agreed to Wen Jin's suggestion.

Wen Jin saw Huo Yitong preparing to leave the imperial study and continued to tread, saying, "After all the hard work of searching, aren't you curious about the content in this diary? Why don't we exchange what we have found with each other? Perhaps it's related to the princess's murder. Let's have a short-term strategic cooperation, at least we can have some advantages in terms of information.

That's not a bad idea. Jin Ziyi is originally a gossip lover and she is actually curious about the diary content obtained by Wen Jin's group just now.

But Huo Yitong was unmoved, "No, we have to hurry up and find the last page of the diary."

Wen Jin continued to work hard, "The four of us are together right now. Even if you can find the last page, you may not be able to have it. Why don't you stop and take a look at the content of your existing diary? Alright, as long as we finish reading the diary here, I'll let you take action for 3 minutes first.

Huo Yitong fell into deep thought.

This condition sounds quite attractive, but A'Jin has always been cunning.

Seeing Huo Yitong wavering, Wen Jin took the initiative to read the content written on the page of her diary, "April 17th, cloudy. Today is the first time I have spoken to him, this princess has spent all her acting skills on this day. It's not easy for the ever-submissive gale to behave like a maniacal devourer, so I'll be sure to feed him more good horse grass when I get back. He has a very high level of skill in the art of horse control, but also a very simple and easy to trust people's hearts. So he is a person of Chen, is everyone in the Chen Kingdom so good and beautiful?" 

Jin Ziyi is a straightforward person. Seeing that Wen Jin took the initiative to read out that page of their diary, she unfolded the diary she had just obtained and read aloud, "May 11th, sunny. I went to visit my father today, but I didn't expect to see him again. He was in the hall with his purple belt and golden robe, his smile was gentle and his whole body seemed to glow. I realized today that he is the Crown Prince of Chen."

Ruan Jinghong, who silently listened to the entire contents of the diary, and suddenly felt a little skeptical about life: Prince of Chen? Sunny? Fresh? Gentle and kind? Simple and beautiful? Glowing?

The image of Prince Yin flashed in her mind.

So is this because the princess of the Western Realm has poor eyesight, or is Yin Xiang's acting skills too good?