Ganye Temple, No Escape is the opening arc of the Side Story route, triggered by choosing Liu Xi's terms in the Prologue. The protagonist must dispose of Liu Xi…
Ganye Temple, No Escape is the opening arc of the Side Story route, triggered by choosing Liu Xi's terms in the Prologue. The protagonist must dispose of Liu Xi's body, assume her identity, and navigate the deadly Mirage Pavilion — all while a single wrong item choice can lock you out of entire story branches. With nineteen bad endings compressed into two chapters, this is one of the most lethal segments in Road to Empress II.
BE 8 + 1 voice message + Achievement: Distant Echoes. Leaving with the Prince is a trap.
A shocking but necessary choice that keeps the route alive.
BE 9 + 3 voice messages. Staying at the scene of the crime is suicidal.
BE 10 + 2 voice messages. The framing is too thin to hold.
The only viable option. Identity theft becomes your survival strategy.
A personal charm. Affects the well scene and which items are available later.
A valuable hairpin. Leads to the 'A Chance to Live' branch at the Mirage Pavilion.
A childhood toy. Leads to the 'The Relationship' branch at the Mirage Pavilion.
BE 11 + 1 voice message. Fleeing raises suspicion.
Bluffing your way through as Liu Xi keeps you hidden.
BE 13 + 2 voice messages. Violence draws too much attention.
Blackmail is brutal but effective; Xia becomes your unwilling ally.
BE 12 + 2 voice messages. Honesty is fatal when you're a murder suspect.
BE 14 + 2 voice messages. The peony hairpin is worthless in trade.
Loops back to the same choice. The amulet isn't accepted here.
Leads to the 'A Chance to Live' branch. Only available if you left the Amulet or Red Kite at the well.
Leads to the 'The Relationship' branch. Only available if you left the Amulet or Sun and Moon Hairpin at the well.
You avoid the risk but lose a potential ally. Yue's daughter is not saved.
Achievement: Time to Step In. Saving Yue's daughter creates a crucial ally for later chapters. This is a PIVOTAL choice.
BE 15 + 1 voice message. Surrendering to the dead is final.
Fighting for survival keeps the route alive.
Assert your value; story continues.
Emphasize mutual obligation; story continues. Auto-split follows based on traded item.
BE 16 + 3 voice messages. Accepting their terms is a trap.
BE 17 + 3 voice messages + Achievement: Prerequisite Clue. Refusing also ends badly, but awards a clue achievement.
BE 18 & BE 19 + 3 voice messages each + Achievement: That Sounds Familiar. The pregnancy claim leads to two different bad endings depending on whether you saved Yue's daughter.
BE 20 & BE 21 + 2 and 1 voice messages. Two bad endings depending on whether you saved Yue's daughter.
The only safe answer. Admitting fault paradoxically keeps you alive.
BE 22 + 2 voice messages. Blaming others is not believed.
A chilling boast that impresses rather than alarms.
BE 23 + 2 voice messages. The truth is not accepted here.
Reveal your true identity to Yue. Only available if you saved her daughter.
Maintain the disguise. This PIVOTAL choice affects the ending of Side Ch22-23.
A desperate plea that buys time.
Achievement: Not a Good Match. A witty deflection that awards an achievement.
A pragmatic assessment that continues the route. Auto-split: if you saved Yue's daughter, proceed to 'Cast It on Her'; if not, BE 25 + 1 voice message.
Successfully shift the blame and continue.
BE 24 + 1 voice message. Failing the QTE exposes you.
Chapter End + Achievement: Ganye Temple, No Escape. You survive the temple.
BE 26 + 1 voice message. The final QTE failure is fatal.
It depends on which Mirage Pavilion branch you want to experience. The Sun and Moon Hairpin leads to 'A Chance to Live' (both options are death endings but award achievements). The Soaring Red Kite leads to 'The Relationship' which has a safe path via 'I wronged him.' For survival, choose the Soaring Red Kite route. For completionism, try both. Note: you must leave a DIFFERENT item at the well than the one you want to pawn later.
Yes, absolutely. Saving Yue's daughter (choice 7) is one of the most consequential decisions in the entire Side Story. It awards the 'Time to Step In' achievement, unlocks the 'Reveal Her Identity' choice, prevents BE 25 in the Assassin's Blade scene, and affects the ending of Side Ch22-23. The daughter's survival is a carryover variable that persists through the entire Side Story route.
Both 'Agree' and 'Refuse' lead to bad endings (BE 16 and BE 17), but 'Refuse' awards the Achievement: Prerequisite Clue. This branch is essentially a dead end designed for completionists who want all endings and achievements. To progress the story, you need to take the Soaring Red Kite route instead.
There are two QTEs: 'Cast It on Her' (only if you saved Yue's daughter) and 'Fight Back' (mandatory). Both must be passed to survive. Failing either leads to BE 24 or BE 26.