Faye Bright's mood was a hot mess. If you wanted to dress it up in a fancy way, you could call it 'caught between a rock and a hard place,' or 'confused and uncertain.' But if you want to be brutally honest about how she feels right now—yeah, it's more like, 'Well, I’ve dug myself a hole, haven’t I!'
If you want to understand why she's feeling this way, let's keep it simple and talk about what led up to this.
Faye Bright, the last direct descendant of Frank Fang, is the rightful heir to the Manichaean Sect in the Central Plains. After Thomas Tung, the Grandmaster, offed Frank Fang, the sect spiraled into a long slump. So, to revive the Manichaean Sect and fulfill the ancestors’ grand ambitions, Faye’s tried a bunch of tricks—the most important being outside help.
With the Central Plains branch of the Manichaean Sect barely hanging on, she figured she’d borrow some muscle from the Persian Headquarters. Lucky for her, the old leader there got mobbed by the Mongols last year, and most of the upper management got wiped out too. So, it was the perfect time for a leadership shake-up. Faye Bright hustled her way into a Saintess nomination—if she could outshine the other two Saintesses, she’d get promoted to Head Honcho of the Persian Headquarters.
Once she’s in charge, the Manichaean Sect under her would merge into the brand-new Bright Sect, and not only would their power skyrocket, they’d go from a regular rebel group to a full-blown multinational corporation. Attack when you want, defend when you need—now that’s what you call thriving in a world gone bonkers.
But all of this hinges on her winning the Saintess showdown against the other two candidates.
When it comes to a sect that actually believes in honest business, it doesn’t matter how many big shots you’ve got backing you in the Saintess contest. As long as there’s no crushing force tipping the scales, whoever the Sacred Flame’s Will favors is the undisputed leader of the Manichaean Sect.
And if you want to win over the Sacred Flame’s Will, besides your own qualifications, you need a little extra help: the Sacred Flame Token.
Speaking of the Sacred Flame Token, that thing’s a real piece of work. The Central Plains branch of the Manichaean Sect is the most important division, and when the faith first hit the region, the Persian Headquarters was obsessed with this rich, bustling land. So, they dug up six Sacred Flame Tokens from the Promised Land and brought them over with the missionaries.
According to the old stories, the Sacred Flame Token is basically the starter for the Sacred Flame. Wherever the Token is, that’s where the Sacred Flame burns. Every generation of the Manichaean Sect in the Central Plains gathered their followers, and eventually, on Lost Vessel Mountain by the East Sea, they lit the Sacred Flame and set up their branch.
Back then, the Manichaean Sect in the Central Plains was living its best life. Their boss, Frank Fang, just had to shout and the banners would fly—like he was about to swallow the world whole. But, as Guo Shoujing (or whatever his name was) said, the sect's luck was never as tough as the Song Dynasty’s. Thanks to a string of unfortunate events, Thomas Tung led the elite army south at the worst possible moment and wiped out Lost Vessel Mountain. (Go look up the real history if you’re curious.)
When the sect members ran for their lives, the Jianghu gangs started sniping at them, and the six Sacred Flame Tokens scattered to the winds—gone for good. The Sacred Flame dwindled to a few dying embers. But hey, even embers can spark a wildfire, right? As long as there’s a little glow left, there’s hope for a comeback.
So, after all that, here’s the bottom line: If Faye Bright wants to beat the other Saintesses and win the Sacred Flame’s Will, she needs to collect enough Sacred Flame Tokens. The Tokens come from the Promised Land, and they’re a huge leg up in the Sacred Flame competition. And with just one Token in her pocket, she’s not exactly set, so she’s been scheming all over the place. Finally, she got a lead on the next Token—in the Song Dynasty Imperial Palace.
Time’s running out—the Promised Land is about to reopen, and when she looks at her crew, it’s slim pickings. So Faye has to step up herself. She pulled every string she could, even activated some deep-cover agents, and finally managed to sneak into the palace as an Imperial Consort.
Obviously, she didn’t sign up for palace drama, and she definitely didn’t want anything to do with the old Emperor.
So she went all out with the disguise, making herself as forgettable as possible among the new batch of Imperial Consorts. Her whole goal? Make sure the old Emperor never picks her. There are so many consorts this round, even if he tries one a day, it’ll be ages before he gets to her. By then, whether she succeeds or fails, she’ll be long gone—so what’s there to worry about?
A few days ago, when she found out Emperor Chad Zhao was totally obsessed with Imperial Consort Mia Wise, she was over the moon.
But plans never keep up with reality, and things went sideways fast. First, the Promised Land suddenly announced it was opening up. The messages from the Sacred Flame Token kept getting clearer and more urgent. Faye knew she was almost out of time and couldn’t afford to keep snooping around. That’s why she took the risk that day, trying to strong-arm Chief Eunuch Lewis Ann into helping her find the Token ASAP.
Too bad—she totally blew it.
Just as she was debating whether to make a run for it, the second shock hit. That afternoon, a eunuch from the Imperial Household Department came grinning like he’d won the lottery, delivering the Emperor’s orders: All the consorts in her courtyard were summoned for a group sleepover—with the Emperor!
But this little courtyard has six consorts packed in!
Six at once? Emperor Chad Zhao’s gotta be kidding!
No way, this whole thing smells fishy. Isn’t the Emperor all about Imperial Consort Mia Wise lately? Why would he suddenly switch it up? And come on, even if the old geezer is a total degenerate, how’s he supposed to handle six consorts at once? He’s not exactly Superman.
Could it be Lewis Ann setting a trap for me?
But that doesn’t add up. If Lewis Ann really wanted to nab me, he wouldn’t need all this drama. With his skills and rank, he could just bring a few squads of palace guards and I’d be toast.
So maybe Lewis Ann isn’t behind this mess?
Faye Bright didn’t jump to conclusions. She calmly asked around and found that the older palace maids weren’t even surprised. Turns out Emperor Chad Zhao really is that wild—it’s not the first time he’s called in six consorts at once. He’s famous for getting bored fast and switching things up, so this is just business as usual for the big boss.
This chapter isn’t over yet ^.^, click next page to keep reading!
When she heard all this, Faye Bright was both disgusted and oddly inspired.
When she went to assassinate Lewis Ann, she wore her mechanical disguise just in case. Even if Lewis Ann saw her, he’d have no clue who she was, so her cover probably wasn’t blown. If that’s the case, why not take one last shot while she’s here?
The Emperor himself is about as strong as a wet noodle, and sleeping arrangements are super private. If I get close enough, grabbing him would be a piece of cake!
This plan is risky as hell, but just at noon, the Sacred Flame Token picked up another tremor from the Promised Land. The signals are getting closer and time’s almost up. No matter what happens, after today I’m ghosting out of this palace, riding hard all the way to Persia. With mountains and oceans between us, the Song Dynasty won’t dare send their goons after me—so what’s there to worry about?
Anyway, we’ve been mortal enemies for ages.
Alright, let’s do this!
Big moves need big action. Faye Bright ordered Cao Hong to secretly alert the Bright Sect crew to get ready for extraction. She’d already set up an escape route, so even though the order was rushed, it was doable. Cao Hong hurried off to prep the team. But the most dangerous, most crucial part of the plan? Saintess Faye had to handle that herself.
By late afternoon, Faye Bright was on high alert, marching with the other five consorts straight to the palace. Bathing, incense, dressing up, hair styling—the whole Simone-approved routine. The other consorts were a bundle of nerves and excitement, and Faye played her part perfectly.
Sharing a sleepover on the same night? What a weird class reunion vibe—awkward but kinda funny. Faye could tell a few of the consorts didn’t care much. Opportunity was knocking, and they were all ready to put on a show.
The only one she sort of knew was a girl named Chu Yunluo. Besides being nervous, she looked downright humiliated and angry—like she wanted to protest but couldn’t. Maybe she’d dreamed of a loving, harmonious marriage before coming to the palace, but too bad, Emperor Chad Zhao just saw her as a plaything.
Faye Bright glanced at her a couple times, then tuned her out—she had to focus on the mission.
Soon enough, the old nannies announced it was time—they could head to the palace. With every step, Faye Bright got more tense. The Emperor had ordered no fancy meat roll packaging, so the Imperial Household Department didn’t have to deliver anyone like a vacuum-sealed product—thank goodness, at least she didn’t have to worry about tricks inside the bedding. She kept her eyes peeled, trying to figure out if this was a golden opportunity or a trap.
The palace was right in front of her. As Faye Bright stepped over the threshold, she had one last mental battle with herself. But after a split-second of hesitation, she tossed all her worries aside. The Sacred Flame Token was back online—so as long as she had it, even if things went south, she could always make a run for it.
If you want to pull off something big, you can’t be scared of a little danger.
Screw it!
Tap—Faye Bright’s toe hit the floor of the palace, and she walked right into a trap.
The palace was huge, with layers of gauzy curtains blocking the consorts’ view. Palace maids lifted the curtains as they walked, then let them fall behind. It felt like walking down a deep, endless tunnel. At the far end, a silhouette appeared on the dragon bed, cast against the curtain.
The consorts knew—that was the Big Boss himself.
Creak—the palace doors shut, and all the maids slipped out.
Now, in this sealed-off room, only the hunter and the prey were left.
But who was the hunter, and who was the prey?
Faye Bright’s fingers twitched. She kept her intentions hidden, ready to strike when the moment came.
“Alright, just stand there.” The guy behind the curtain suddenly spoke up. The consorts froze, not sure what to do next. But he didn’t leave them hanging too long—using the same deadpan tone as a boss picking out girls at a nightclub, he ordered: “Strip.”
“Huh?” One of the consorts couldn’t believe her ears. “Your Majesty, did you just say…”
“Strip.” The Big Boss repeated, his voice sharp as knives slicing through the curtain, pinning them in place. “Just stand there, all of you—strip. I want to pick and choose.”