Chapter Seventy-Six You Will Die a Wrong Way

After several turns, the dark tunnel finally became brighter. By the flickering candlelight, one could see a lifeless figure curled up on a simple stone bed in the center of the dungeon.

His clothes were so worn and tattered that their original color and style were no longer discernible. His long hair, like withered grass, covered most of his face, and he exuded an aura of decay.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, the figure moved extremely slowly, and a hoarse, shrill voice rang out from behind the disheveled hair:

"Mu Cenlin, you'll die a horrible death! How dare you humiliate this princess like this! Just wait, when my mother comes to fetch me, I'll crush you completely under my feet, make you kneel, beg this princess for her favor... Hahaha... Hahahaha!"

The laughter was manic and broken, echoing in the cold dungeon, making it particularly eerie.

Upon hearing this, Li Bao'er frowned.

Are you really driven crazy by this? Talking in your sleep before you're even asleep?

Kneeling and begging for favor?

Princess Kangning's delusions are probably terminal; even Li Bao'er didn't dare to have such outrageous thoughts...

……etc.

That scene...

Li Bao'er's thoughts drifted involuntarily, and the image of Mu Cenlin's cold and handsome face inexplicably appeared in her mind. If it really was... kneeling... emm, it doesn't seem like it would be a bad idea.

She shuddered suddenly, her cheeks inexplicably flushed, yet a strange, shameful itch stirred within her, as if a feather had lightly brushed against her heart. Bao'er abruptly called out to 001, "Quickly, get rid of this dangerous thought!"

001: [Host, this system does not have an antivirus function, and data feedback shows that your dopamine secretion has just briefly increased by 0.5%! ()]

*

Meanwhile, far outside the city, on a high platform in the drill ground, Mu Cenlin stood with his hands behind his back, supervising the soldiers' training with a stern expression.

Suddenly, I felt a strange palpitation, and my body paused almost imperceptibly. A mix of shyness and indescribable restlessness was clearly transmitted through empathy.

His subordinates, noticing his unusual behavior, quickly stepped forward and asked in a low voice with concern, "Your Highness, you don't look well. Are you feeling unwell?"

Mu Cenlin frowned slightly and raised his hand to indicate that he was alright.

Li Bao'er? What happened to her this time? Why is she in such a strange mood?

Li Bao'er composed herself and took a few more steps closer to the figure huddled in the shadows.

Perhaps realizing that the newcomer was not Mu Cenlin or his subordinates as expected, Princess Kangning's maniacal laughter and curses gradually subsided.

She struggled to lift her head and look at the person who had come.

When the dim candlelight on the prison walls illuminated Li Bao'er's face, Kang Ning's body suddenly stiffened, and then he began to tremble violently.

This was not the first time she had met Li Bao'er.

Back when Li Bao'er was still the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family who was "infatuated" with the Third Prince, she had hidden in the shadows countless times, or taken advantage of the breaks in banquets, to scrutinize this woman who was rumored to be sickly but always able to stay by Mu Yuan's side with a critical and jealous gaze.

Kang Ning was picked up and raised by the eldest princess. She was of average appearance, so she was jealous of Li Bao'er's fragile beauty and the fact that her good looks could not be hidden even when she was sick.

But at this moment, it was the first time she had seen Li Bao'er appear before her so clearly with her hair styled in the bun that symbolized her status as a princess!

The bright red color and the dazzling jeweled headdress were like the hottest poison needles, piercing into Kang Ning's already broken nerves!

"It's...it's you...!" Kang Ning's voice was hoarse and almost unrecognizable, filled with disbelief, shock, and overwhelming jealousy. "Li...Bao...er!"

Kang Ning struggled to pounce, but was tripped by the heavy iron chains on his wrists and ankles, and stumbled back to the ground.

"How dare you... how dare you marry him?!" Kang Ning raised her head, staring intently at Li Bao'er, her voice shrill and piercing. "That's mine! It should be mine! Mu Cenlin should have been mine!! It was you! You, you bitch, who stole him! Stole everything that should have belonged to me!"

Li Bao'er stood quietly outside the cell door, watching her hysterical state, her face showing little emotion.

"Rob?" Li Bao'er spoke slowly, her voice exceptionally clear and calm in the dungeon.

"Has the princess forgotten what she did to win over the prince? She fostered a corrupt atmosphere in the court, isolated the prince, and framed him for corruption and disrespect for imperial authority, all so that he would submit to the power of the eldest princess?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Kang Ning shrieked in rebuttal. "If it weren't for you! He would have seen how good I was to him sooner or later! It's all because of you!"

Looking at her, Li Bao'er suddenly felt a pang of pity. Even at this point, she still blamed everyone else for her mistakes.

"The prince's heart has never been with you, so how can you say I stole it?" Li Bao'er's tone was calm, but every word was like a knife. "Even without me, he would never belong to you. What you think is deep affection is nothing but your own wishful thinking and fantasy."

"Shut up! Shut up!" Kang Ning was driven completely mad by these words, struggling desperately, the chains rattling. "What do you know?! You know nothing! I'm willing to do anything for him! I can help him! I'm much more useful than you!"

"Didn't you always like Mu Yuan? You're clearly Mu Yuan's shadow, a promiscuous woman! What makes you think you're so special!"

"Because I was betrothed by the Emperor, because I am the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister's family, and because I have long looked down on Mu Yuan, what is he anyway?"

Seeing her seemingly crazed state, Li Bao'er lost interest in continuing the conversation. She had come here hoping to see how Mu Cenlin would deal with her, and perhaps she had some other questions as well.

But now it seems there's nothing to say to someone who's completely lost in their own world of paranoia.

She took one last look at the figure twisted in despair and jealousy, then turned to leave.

"Li Bao'er!" Kang Ning roared in a shrill, unwilling voice as she watched her leave, "Don't be so smug! I won't let you go! I'll haunt you even as a ghost! You'll all die a horrible death—!"