[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-ring-of-fate":3,"chapter-the-ring-of-fate-the-ring-of-fate-chapter-984":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Ring of Fate",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2298953,4496,"Chapter 984: Exploiting the Loophole (Thanks to the Silver Alliance Donation from Da Xunxun)","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-984",984,"\u003Cp>Lu Miana looked at Jianna with her fully restored eye and asked Yihuo ly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What became male?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her previously blind eye, constrained by the healing potion’s effect, had also been suppressed to Sequence 7 and recovered slowly, leaving her vision still blurry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, I can't... I don't know... Jianna’s thoughts flashed, and she forcibly found an excuse:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you remember you like dressing as a man?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Miana looked down at her clothes and accepted Jianna’s explanation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I still like it now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She believed it… She accepted this character background? Jianna vaguely grasped the current loophole and probed:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You seem shaken, dazed—have you forgotten we’re lovers and raising Li Lu together?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…” Lu Miana paused, “No wonder he calls me Mother and you Mom—I remember now, that’s right!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She just “remembered” that? Jianna’s lips twitched slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Miana’s reaction and transformation confirmed her hypothesis:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Due to the conflict between Lu Miana’s true gender and background identity, the dream had developed a loophole—before it was patched, whatever backstory was implanted into Lu Miana would make her become that person!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, this couldn’t involve the supernatural or contradict actual relationships—Lu Miana clearly remembered the people around her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Remembering she had brought Lu Miana and Ludwig back through the Mirror World, Jianna felt a headache coming—she didn’t know what other changes such details might trigger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few seconds of thought, she decided not to mention the Mirror World or why Lu Miana was injured yet; she’d wait for Lu Miana to bring it up first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She pointed to the bedroom:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You look exhausted, and your illness isn’t fully healed—I’ll help you inside to rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Miana gave a slight nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna immediately helped her up, then turned to Ludwig:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You did well today—you can rest a bit before continuing your reading and studies; the food’s in the bag.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Got it.” Ludwig had been waiting for this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swiftly reached out and took Jianna’s “Traveler’s Satchel.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After settling Ludwig and putting Lu Miana to bed, covering her with the air-conditioning blanket, Jianna entered the bathroom to dampen a towel and wipe Lu Miana’s face—the bloodstains were still there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she wet the towel, she saw Anthony’s figure appear on the bathroom mirror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna immediately exhaled in relief and turned off the faucet:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was just about to settle Lu Miana and company before going to find you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you alright?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She used the name Lu Miana to instantly inform Anthony of what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony confirmed with a follow-up question:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What about Zarathustra?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Phase Three of the plan succeeded,” Jianna replied succinctly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Anthony then recounted his own experience:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I was transferred to a prison where ‘Mirror Travel’ was clearly guarded against—I hypnotized my cellmate into feeling unwell, causing him to scream for help; then, using ‘Psychological Invisibility,’ I slipped out of the cell, reached the guard station, and escaped using the mirror and ‘Ice Mirror Talisman’ I carried.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“After returning to the Mirror World corresponding to the hotpot restaurant, I found you gone, so I came here to confirm the situation—but there were already police there; the area behind the mirror may not be safe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can remove your makeup and return to your original appearance,” Jianna said as she tossed the “Lie” earclip into the mirror. “I’ve already used mirror magic for counter-divination; the ‘Mystic Queen’ will handle the aftermath—you don’t need to worry. Go rest. I’ll keep Ludwig for now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Anthony, while the ‘Ice Mirror Talisman’s’ power still held, used the ‘Lie’ earclip to teleport back to his rented apartment in Xinhong Community.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His ‘Ice Mirror Talisman’ could only be used one more time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jianna exhaled, wrung out the towel, stepped out of the bathroom, entered the bedroom, and began wiping Lu Miana’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the way, she glanced at how far Ludwig had gotten with his meal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the hotpot restaurant, police had cordoned off the area, isolating the corpse and surrounding space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fueranka, looking visibly shaken, was being questioned by a policeman named Li En alongside Luo Shan and Zhou Mingrui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She said fearfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We weren’t eating fast—we were waiting for the next performance. Then I went to the restroom, and when I came back, there was a dead body!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You weren’t in the dining hall when the murder happened?” Li En pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I was in the restroom,” Fueranka explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En noted this down and decided to cross-check with his colleague reviewing the surveillance footage to confirm whether the woman named Luo Fu entered the women’s restroom and how long she stayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then turned to Zhou Mingrui:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You saw the corpse and a woman walk out from the screen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Zhou Mingrui glanced at Luo Fu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had listened and observed for a while, and grew more convinced Luo Fu wasn’t the killer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or perhaps her acting was so flawless I can’t detect a single clue? Zhou Mingrui muttered, then added:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At the time, I thought it was a magic show. Now I recall—there was something off; the woman had blood on her face…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li En asked more questions, then walked over to Officer Deng En and summarized the key points of his questioning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng En held a pipe but didn’t light it in public—only sniffed it to stimulate his nerves and keep them alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Captain, I’ve found something,” another officer approached Deng En.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was responsible for tracking down the woman who appeared on the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng En nodded and followed the officer to the back of the restaurant, entering the room where the face-changing performers rested.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The performers were frightened, huddled in corners, watching the police move about.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The target was last seen here,” the officer who led them in pulled back a curtain and pointed to the dressing area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deng En scanned the room, his gaze landing on a shattered mirror on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Trier, inside the luxurious villa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mian opened his eyes to find one eye completely dark, the other stained with faint blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every joint in his body ached; his thoughts occasionally stalled; his emotions were clearly off—he had achieved his goal, yet still felt a crushing despair, as if trapped in darkness with an urge to explode and tear it all apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was contamination from Zarathustra’s mythic form—it affected reality, and the injuries were real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mian slowly stood, confirmed the presence of his “Traveler’s Satchel” and other extraordinary items, then staggered out of the room and down the stairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t immediately drink the healing potion because his primary issue was contamination, not physical injury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lu Mian reached the first-floor parlor, the “Magician” lady, dressed in yellow and white robes, was already waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Magician” lady’s eyes sparkled with starlight, forming a phantom book that instantly flipped to a specific page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst a faint, ethereal voice, drops of nectar fell upon Lu Mian, washing away his bloodstains without wetting his clothes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His blind eye gradually regained sight; his discomfort rapidly dissipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The best way to handle your current condition would be to have Mr. Sun purify you,” the “Magician” lady smiled, “but you’re contaminated with too much, and the potency is too high—it might harm you more. For now, spiritual and mental contamination remains; later, Miss Justice will come to give you targeted treatment. Fortunately, the dream contamination has also been suppressed to Sequence 7—unless you encounter a Celestial, it’s manageable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mian pushed his black hair behind his ears and briefly recounted the actions taken against Zarathustra and the aid provided by the “Mystic Queen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Throughout, the “Magician” lady had him sit on a single sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t know if Fueranka ultimately killed Zarathustra’s dream image, but it likely doesn’t matter—Zarathustra’s bodyguards were all on the second-floor private booth, and the other half-god from the ‘Fortune-Teller’ path remained in the hotel. Even if Mr. Fool subconsciously believed Zarathustra possessed extraordinary abilities, he was merely an ordinary Sequence 7, with no special powers or angelic rank,” Lu Mian concluded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The “Magician” lady said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Divination regarding Mr. Fool’s dream state is heavily restricted and extremely dangerous—I still don’t know if the ‘Two of Cups’ succeeded. Wait for Miss Justice to arrive and ask her—she can use her ‘Dream Weaver’ ability to glimpse fragments of the dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What we must now watch for is that what you did was a severe psychological shock to Zhou Mingrui—no one knows what changes the dream might undergo next.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mian nodded thoughtfully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our greatest gain this time wasn’t expelling Zarathustra from the dream or likely killing his dream image—it was verifying one thing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the “Magician” lady turned her gaze toward him, Lu Mian spoke slowly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you do anything deeply involving the supernatural in front of Zhou Mingrui—something that makes him feel threatened—whether you’re a servant of the Celestials or one of us, you’ll be expelled from the dream and rapidly turned into a Quick Puppet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“On this point, everyone, regardless of allegiance, receives the same treatment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…………\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Affected by the shooting incident, Zhou Mingrui, Fueranka, and Luo Shan couldn’t continue eating hotpot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since many dishes remained untouched, Luo Shan hesitated over how much to pay.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, the restaurant manager approached them and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to pay—Mr. Huang of the Indus Group said he’ll cover everything, claiming his client’s incident ruined everyone’s meal, so he’ll foot the bill.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mr. Huang remains as generous as ever,” Zhou Mingrui remarked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Shan fully agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Luo Fu’s poor condition, Zhou Mingrui didn’t suggest going elsewhere—he politely saw the two ladies off into their ride-hailing car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fueranka had held on until they reached Dechuang Garden; only after entering the elevator did she suddenly go limp, leaning against Luo Shan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong?” Luo Shan asked in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think… I’m getting sick… Why so suddenly…?” Fueranka herself was confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luo Shan didn’t exit on the 15th floor—she supported Fueranka to the 23rd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Fueranka saw the door to Room 2303, she suddenly “awoke”:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The illness was caused by using the “Necessary Death” effect of the “Necessary Gun”!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I really killed Zarathustra…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: Thank you to Daxunxun for the Silver Alliance reward~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1689,"2026-06-20T06:22:37.987Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b3816a066e1afb5a2196948606caddca148daf321c5b727f2662200e0662b932","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-985","the-ring-of-fate-chapter-983",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-ring-of-fate-cover.jpg"]