THIP Chapter 7

[Mission Target: Lin Xi]

[Primary Mission 1: Prevent the Lin Family’s Annihilation (Completed)]

[Primary Mission 2 (New): Take Revenge on Yin Xiu and Su Biyan]

[Host Identity: Male Lead—Crown Prince Yin Xiu]

[Note: Click here to access world storyline (Acquired)]

A few days ago, Mu Liuyin was falsely accused of treason, and the evidence was irrefutable. Even the emperor, who had always doted on her, was enraged. As a result, he deposed her as the crown princess and placed her under house arrest in the Eastern Palace.

However, the emperor still retained some sense. After all, he had favored her for many years, and given the current situation, even if Yin Xiu hadn’t been accused of treason, she would still have eventually ascended the throne.

Moreover, although the evidence of the crown prince’s treason appeared flawless, its very perfection made the emperor suspicious. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been just simple house arrest—she would have been thrown directly into prison.

At this moment, the deposed crown prince, Mu Liuyin, stared at the glowing blue transparent mission panel before her. As her gaze moved down from the newly added Primary Mission 2 to the line that stated her host identity, she rarely lost her composure—but this time, she did.

“What the hell?!”

She had initially thought this mission would be easy with her current identity. But now, she realized the mission target had been reborn! And the way this new Primary Mission 2 was worded—it practically radiated malice!

Damn it! The mission target of being reborn was already bad enough, but this main mission is outright insane! There’s no escaping it—I’m supposed to throw myself into getting tortured! Taking revenge on Su Biyan is one thing, but revenge on Yin Xiu?! Are you kidding me?!!

I’m just an innocent mission executor, okay?!!

No wonder she had always felt that Lin Xi didn’t love the original host as the plot suggested. It wasn’t just that she didn’t love him—she probably wanted him dead in the most brutal way possible. And to think Mu Liuyin had spent time trying to please the reborn Lin Xi… In Lin Xi’s eyes, she must look like a total idiot. Mu Liuyin felt her stomach twist in frustration.

Inside her mind, Xiao Jiu, her system companion, trembled in fear, curling up like a frightened quail and not daring to make a sound.

But Mu Liuyin wasn’t about to let Xiao Jiu off the hook. She sneered at the glaring words “Revenge on Yin Xiu and Su Biyan” and spat, “In the past life, the Lin family was framed for treason and executed because of the original host. This is a blood feud, and you expect me to walk right into it and wait to be killed? I’d rather die myself!”

The mere thought of Lin Xi’s blood-red eyes, filled with unwillingness and hatred in the final moments of the original story, made Mu Liuyin’s body turn cold. It was obvious—the reborn Lin Xi would never let her go.

And now she was supposed to help Lin Xi take revenge on herself? Mu Liuyin went numb. Judging by her current predicament, she didn’t even need Xiao Jiu to tell her—it was Lin Xi’s doing.

Xiao Jiu shivered violently before finally gathering the courage to explain in a small voice, “Host… self-destruction won’t work. If you fail the mission, time will rewind, and you’ll have to do it all over again.”

Mu Liuyin: “… Ha. Thanks for the reminder.”

Xiao Jiu, shyly: “No problem! (////▽////) This time, it’s my fault! I failed to detect that this world’s data was faulty from the start, so the difficulty level of your mission doubled. QAQ”

Mu Liuyin was speechless. I was being sarcastic. What the hell are you getting shy about?!

And this wasn’t just twice the difficulty—this was going from easy mode straight into hell mode!

After a long silence, Mu Liuyin rubbed her temples, sighed, and closed her eyes to sleep.

“Wuwuwu QAQ, Host… does this mean you forgive me?” Xiao Jiu whimpered.

Forgive? My ass!

Mu Liuyin thought impatiently.

Not getting a response, Xiao Jiu didn’t dare cry anymore and instead whispered, “Then… when will you start the mission?”

Start my ass! Mu Liuyin, eyes still closed but unable to sleep due to the noise, gritted her teeth and said, “We wait for Lin Xi to come to me! Now shut up!”

After all, the reborn Lin Xi was coming for revenge. Why should she go knocking on death’s door herself? If Lin Xi was willing to go so far as to frame her for treason, what wouldn’t she do?

Mu Liuyin’s expression was indifferent. She was merely standing in for the real sinner, the original host, to receive retribution.

Somewhere inside her mind, Xiao Jiu burst into tears.

But she didn’t dare make a sound. QAQ

Having witnessed Mu Liuyin’s full-blown rage, Xiao Jiu shrank back, utterly terrified and wronged.

Duke Lin’s Mansion

Lin Xi spoke softly, “I want to be engaged to Yin Yu.”

Yin Jinxi was shocked. Just days ago, Yin Xiu had been exposed as a traitor, deposed, and placed under house arrest in the Eastern Palace. The Lin family had not been implicated, and the engagement between Lin Xi and Yin Xiu had been annulled by imperial decree.

And yet, barely any time had passed before Lin Xi was now saying she wanted to marry Yin Yu? It was unbelievable.

Lin Yuan, however, remained calm as he looked at Lin Xi. “Did you and Yin Yu conspire to frame the crown prince?”

Facing her father’s direct accusation, Lin Xi’s expression stayed tranquil. “Yes.”

Yin Jinxi slapped her daughter across the face—a daughter she had never had the heart to hit before. Her face turned pale with fury. “I should never have given you that secret decree! How could you do something like this?!”

Lin Xi’s mother still believed that Yin Xiu truly loved her daughter. Lin Xi thought to herself that she didn’t blame her mother. Instead, she calmly stated, “Yin Xiu and Su Biyan have been secretly involved for a long time. I hadn’t even married him yet, and he was already acting this way. Do you believe he cared about me? If not for the prophecy about his ‘phoenix destiny’…”

She trailed off, lowering her gaze slightly. A red mark was already forming on her pale, porcelain-like face—a testament to how hard her mother had hit her.

Yin Jinxi was stunned.

Lin Yuan’s voice remained even. “So, you conspired with Yin Yu?”

Lin Xi lowered her head and remained silent.

Lin Yuan sighed. “Xi’er, conspiring with Yin Yu is no different from seeking help from a tiger.”

Lin Xi replied, “We’re just keeping each other in check. Father, Mother, you don’t need to worry.”

Lin Yuan said no more.

As a man, he saw things more clearly than Yin Jinxi. Perhaps Yin Xiu’s kindness toward Lin Xi in the past had ulterior motives, but after she fell into the water, he had been genuinely good to her.

Especially during those years in the military camp, he sent a letter every month, even when he rarely received a reply. That young man still wrote to Lin Xi.

If that wasn’t sincerity, then what was?

Before leaving, he told Lin Xi, “Never regret it.”

Since things had already been set in motion, as a father, he could never go to the emperor and reveal that his daughter had conspired with the Second Prince, Yin Yu, to frame Yin Xiu. The Crown Prince was innocent. Yet, deep down, he sighed: What a pity!

“Fire!”

“Someone, come quickly! The Eastern Palace is on fire!”

“Fire! Hurry!”

Mu Liu Yin listened to the chaotic shouting around her, her expression calm. She had been woken up by Xiao Jiu before the fire even started.

She had only been imprisoned for less than a month, and Lin Xi and Yin Yu had already lost their patience.

This fire was orchestrated by Yin Yu.

If it weren’t for Xiao Jiu telling her earlier that Lin Xi’s people were lying in wait to take advantage of the chaos and rescue her, she might not have been able to maintain her composure.

Another scorched, still-burning wooden beam crashed down. Mu Liu Yin couldn’t help but mutter, “Where are Lin Xi’s people?!”

If they didn’t come soon, she wouldn’t wait any longer!

The moment she finished speaking, her vision went dark, and she passed out.

Watching their host fall unconscious, Xiao Jiu stammered, “H-host… the rescue… has arrived… QAQ.”

If the host were still awake, she would call it stupid again. Xiao Jiu hung his head in despair.

When Mu Liu Yin regained consciousness, her limbs were bound in iron chains, secured to a torture rack.

This was a dungeon Lin Xi had specially prepared for her.

Various torture instruments hung on the walls, sending chills down her spine.

“Holy shit!” Mu Liu Yin’s scalp tingled. She refused to give up and asked, “Xiao Jiu, is there no way to abandon this mission?”

“QAQ… No, there isn’t.”

“…”

For three days, Mu Liu Yin remained imprisoned. No one visited, nor was she given food or water.

If not for Xiao Jiu’s occasional chatter and her years of military training, she might not have survived.

This mission is insane! Inhumane! Mu Liu Yin cursed in her heart.

On the fourth day, Lin Xi finally entered the dungeon.

Mu Liu Yin was so weak from hunger that she could barely move. Her face was pale, her eyes half-lidded. Lin Xi splashed a bucket of cold water on her.

The icy water dripped from her pale face, falling drop by drop. She opened her eyes and feigned surprise. “Xi’er?”

The eighteen-year-old girl looked at her with an incredulous expression and softly called, “Cousin.”

The handsome yet disheveled young woman forced a weak smile and asked a question she knew the answer to. “Xi’er, why are you here?”

The delicate and stunning girl smiled slightly. “Three years ago, you took me out to play. Now, three years later, I’ve brought you to play too.”

Before Mu Liu Yin could respond, Lin Xi continued with a smile, “Do you like it here, Cousin?”

That smile sent a chill down Mu Liu Yin’s spine.

She remained silent, but Lin Xi didn’t mind. She continued speaking to herself.

“Do you know, Cousin? My Lin family had a total of 167 members. Every single one of them was executed for treason under your orders.”

“Annihilated. The entire family.”

As she spoke, Lin Xi picked up a whip with barbed hooks.

“This strike is for my father.”

The whip sliced through the air, lashing Mu Liu Yin’s body. The pain made her suck in a sharp breath, but fortunately, Xiao Jiu activated its defense system, blocking 90% of the pain.

“This strike is for my mother.”

With each name Lin Xi uttered, she lashed Mu Liu Yin once.

By the time 167 lashes fell, Mu Liu Yin was drenched in blood, her body looking like a tattered rag. The barbed whip tore into her flesh, ripping pieces away with each strike.

The sheer cruelty of Lin Xi’s attack reflected the depth of her hatred.

Mu Liu Yin’s voice was weak as she asked, “Xi’er, why?”

Her voice was hoarse, as if she truly didn’t understand why Lin Xi would do this to her. After all, neither she nor the original Yin Xiu had done anything to betray Lin Xi.

Lin Xi threw the whip to the ground, her eyes filled with unrestrained fury. “Why? Because you owe me!”

“Yin Xiu! How dare you act so innocent?!” Lin Xi laughed, but tears streamed from her beautiful yet hate-filled eyes.

“Even if I’m the only one who remembers, I will never forget my hatred for you.”

“Every bit of suffering you caused me, I, Lin Xi, will remember forever.” She spoke each word with chilling clarity.

Mu Liu Yin looked at her in shock and sorrow.

But Lin Xi had already wiped away her tears. She smiled. “Cousin, in a month, I will be engaged to your second royal brother, Yin Yu.”

“Are you happy?”

“If you aren’t, then I certainly will be.”