Chapter 52 Meeting is difficult, parting is even more difficult: The frozen remains

Xi Bingyi arrived at the study before Huo Qin.

After confirming that her mother's grave was empty except for Yun Nijian, she was not shocked for long before rushing back to Shiburg and using her own key to open the study door.

In that instant, her mind was in turmoil. Xi Bingyi wondered where Mei Zhiying's body had gone, and why Yun Nijian was among them.

She had previously obtained Xie Fenglian's fan outside the city, and now she had discovered the treasures that Xie Fenglian had stolen in the tomb. These clues were all jumbled up, and the only thing that was known was that Xie Fenglian and Xi Ling had a close relationship.

But why?

Xie Fenglian should be the culprit who caused Huo Yunfeng's illness after winning the championship, and the root cause of the four people being completely changed. Why would Xi Ling...?

Xi Bingyi couldn't find the answer.

She wasn't sure if Huo Qin had gone to the study, but time was of the essence, so she decided to explore the study alone late at night.

But like Huo Qin, she searched thoroughly but found nothing useful.

Xi Bingyi knew about this hidden door from the beginning; it wasn't a secret cave, but just a storage space filled with miscellaneous items.

When Huo Qin came in, Xi Bingyi was rummaging through miscellaneous items in the hidden door.

Hearing the noise, she thought it was Xi Ling, so she held her breath and hid inside. It wasn't until a while later, when another voice came, that she realized the second "little thief" was the tacit Huo Qin.

However, at this moment, the two of them would face the same awkward situation—

If Xi Ling notices something is wrong and enters the study, it's only a matter of time before he finds out. And once Xi Ling discovers him, the consequences will be unimaginable!

The two held their breath, exchanged a glance, their faces filled with despair, and nervously awaited the moment the guillotine would fall.

Just as Xi Ling was about to enter the study to check, a voice suddenly called out to him.

"My lord, it seems there's been a problem with the madam..."

It's the sound of Yao Guang!

In the quiet night, Yao Guang's sudden rescue was like a timely rain. Xi Bingyi's eyes lit up, and she almost shed tears.

Outside, Xi Ling frowned and asked anxiously, "What happened?!"

Yao Guang glanced silently into the room, then lowered her head and explained:

"Today, Xijun and I went to pay our respects at Madam's grave, but we encountered a grave robber. Xijun and I worked together to drive him away, but who knew..."

Yao Guang raised her head slightly to observe Xi Ling's expression: "Who knew that when I went to check again just now, the lady's tomb had been dug up."

Xi Ling's expression softened slightly when he realized there was something wrong with Mei Zhiying's body, but then, as if he had thought of something, he said gravely, "The Yunni Scissors...?"

Yao Guang lowered her head: "They're gone too."

Xi Ling's expression was grave. He turned and left, saying, "Come with me."

"yes."

Yao Guang glanced at the study; from her angle, she could see the Liang Zhu hanging in the window.

She sighed inwardly, and then left with Xi Ling.

The two people inside the hidden door suddenly relaxed, only to realize belatedly that their inner garments were soaked with sweat, and the cold wind chilled them from their feet to their heads.

Xi Bingyi rubbed her overly tense muscles and asked in a low voice, "You're pretty quick. Did you find anything? How is Senior Brother?"

Huo Qin also whispered, "Zhou Ziheng is still in the room. I've been out for almost a day, so I don't think he'll have any problems..."

"But I haven't found anything unusual. Are you sure Xi Ling would leave behind a notebook or something similar to record all her conspiracies and schemes?"

Xi Bingyi fell into a deep silence.

"Uh... if he doesn't write it, there's nothing we can do, right?"

Huo Qin sighed helplessly and pressed his temples wearily.

"Who was the woman outside the door just now, and why did she help us out of that predicament?" Huo Qin continued to ask.

Xi Bingyi felt more confident now, and she unconsciously straightened her body: "Her name is Yaoguang, a retainer of my mother."

"Yao Guang?" Huo Qin's expression was strange, and in the darkness, his face suddenly darkened.

The one who shot and killed Yao Guang with an arrow?!

Back in the bamboo forest, Zhou Ziheng was in a frenzied state, his hearing was intermittent, and he was completely unaware of Yao Guang, who was hiding in the shadows waiting for an opportunity.

But Huo Qin noticed the other person.

He met Yaoguang's gaze for a moment, and in that instant, he was completely dazed.

Huo Qin suddenly remembered that he had actually met the other person before!

Huo Yunfeng and Ning Hanshuang left home on a snowy night. Before leaving, they left Huo Yunfeng all his money and a notebook for learning archery.

Ning Hanshuang silently shed tears, filled with reluctance.

She kissed Huo Qin's forehead and whispered to comfort the crying little Huo Qin.

"Don't cry, Xiaoqin. We're going to get Daddy treated. We'll be back soon."

Little Hochin's gaze passed through his mother's arms and landed on Yao Guang, who was waiting outside with a sorrowful expression.

The long-buried, burned memories resurfaced when he saw his old friend, sweeping him away like a flood!

At that very moment, Yao Guang seized the brief instant of hesitation and fired an arrow—

...

"Hochin? What's wrong? We should go."

Xi Bingyi's voice brought Huo Qin back to his senses.

He rubbed his head as if in pain and asked, "Are you sure this Yao Guang can be trusted?"

Xi Bingyi fell silent again: "...Uh, I guess so..."

"It seems that she, probably, perhaps, isn't genuinely helping my father..."

Huo Qin: "..."

What a long string of uncertain words!

He gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's hurry up and leave. It's really not safe here."

Xi Bingyi nodded guiltily: "Go back and check on how your senior brother is. I still have some things to do."

Huo Qin didn't press further. He was indeed concerned about Zhou Ziheng, so he nodded slightly and left.

After he left, Xi Bingyi lingered in the hidden door for a while, but still couldn't find what she wanted.

She sighed helplessly, her body slowly sliding down the wall, and hugged her legs with a sense of loss.

Without a doubt, Xi Ling must have hidden the mother's body.

But where could it be? Yao Guang went to great lengths to make himself see an empty grave, and then personally appeared to lure Xi Ling away. There must be something very important that she needs to do.

She buried her head in her knees, replaying Yao Guang's words and every expression on his face over and over again.

"Be careful when you go to your father's study, don't touch anything you shouldn't..."

Xi Bingyi slowly raised her head.

This statement seems like a useless statement; of course, you have to be careful when "exploring," and you certainly shouldn't touch things you shouldn't...

But what is it that she shouldn't touch?

Xi Bingyi stood up and went to the long table. She looked up at the hanging Liang Zhu painting, remained silent, tiptoed, and slowly reached out to grasp the hilt of the sword with fluttering butterflies.

The moment the fingertips touched the hilt of the sword, the mechanism clicked softly.

The next moment, with a "click", the stone wall behind the long table spun open, revealing a deep, dark door!

Xi Bingyi was shocked. She pulled her hand back abruptly as if she were on fire, staring in disbelief at the dark space behind the door.

When did Xibao get changed like this by Xi Ling...?

When all the door locks were replaced with mechanical locks, Xi Bingyi didn't think much of it. However, when the door opened in front of her, she belatedly realized that something was wrong.

Would a normal "home" be transformed into a fortress?

Behind the pitch-black door lay a path that seemed to lead to an abyss, or the open throat of a giant beast.

Xi Bingyi couldn't help but approach, and a chill swept through the air, making her shiver.

It's so cold, it feels like my bones are frozen.

She held the oil lamp tightly in her hand; its orange glow appeared so weak and cramped in the face of the boundless darkness.

Xi Bingyi took a deep breath and finally stepped inside.

Behind the door was a long, downward path. She groped her way along it, the oil lamp only illuminating a very small area.

The chill intensified as they went deeper, becoming ever-present, as if even the air itself was about to freeze.

Xi Bingyi gripped her collar tightly, her fingertips numb with cold. A chilling unease, like a tide, quietly overflowed in the boundless darkness, engulfing her heart.

In the darkness, I seemed to lose all sense of time. I don't know how long I walked, but the path under my feet finally became flat.

Then, Xi Bingyi's vision suddenly opened up. She raised the oil lamp and finally saw the space in front of her clearly.

This is a prison cell!

Xi Bingyi's pupils contracted sharply, and her arm holding the lantern trembled.

As she approached, she discovered that the cell contained no instruments of torture, no bloodstains, and even some tea sets in the center.

If it weren't for the terrifying design of its cell, Xi Bingyi would almost have thought it was a guest room.

The cell was empty, but judging from the items on display, at least someone had lived there.

Who was once imprisoned in this dungeon by Xi Ling?

Xi Bingyi thought of the carriage that had departed from Xibao, and of the deceased Huo Yunfeng and the haggard Ning Hanshuang…

A ridiculous yet very real thought popped into my head.

Could it be... that Ning Hanshuang and Huo Yunfeng were once imprisoned here?

The moment the thought crossed her mind, Xi Bingyi felt suffocated. The intense chill almost froze her, the world seemed to turn upside down, and a profound sorrow overwhelmed her.

Xi Ling has gone mad!

It wasn't enough that he personally killed his friends who had risked their lives for him; he actually imprisoned them in this dark, cold, and desolate underground place!

Xi Bingyi's lips trembled, her teeth chattered, and her lips opened and closed as if to scream, but no sound came out. Instead, she tasted a bit of wet salt.

It turned out she was crying.

Xi Bingyi felt as if all her strength had been drained away; her legs went weak, and she slid down against the wall to sit on the cold ground.

The oil lamp rolled away with a gurgling sound, losing its light and its sound, which actually helped Xi Bingyi calm down more quickly.

It's not time to be sad yet!

She squeezed her eyes shut, took a deep breath, and tried to calm her turbulent emotions, but was choked by the even more biting cold air surging from the depths of the passage, causing her to cough softly.

It was this biting cold wind that suddenly woke Xi Bingyi up, and a clear question arose in her mind: Why is there a long passage leading to who-knows-where deep in this dungeon?

Her intuition told her that what she was looking for was right there behind this.

So Xi Bingyi grabbed the oil lamp and rushed forward like a madwoman!

Even if she crashes into a wall, even if she's cut by the cold wind, she will keep moving forward!

The tears had long since dried, turning into a thin layer of frost clinging to the eyelashes.

Xi Bingyi thought it would take a long time to walk, but she actually arrived at her destination in no time.

The absurd conjecture has finally come true: a huge ice coffin is placed in the room before us!

Xi Bingyi was shivering from the cold, but she still felt as if a volcano was erupting in her heart, causing her excruciating pain all over her body, and her bones were groaning in agony from the unbearable burden.

Something must have exploded in front of her, otherwise why would her vision be blurred and her ears ringing?

The day's events revealed the bloody truth, and she could no longer hold on. She collapsed to the ground with a thud, the oil lamp fell completely, its casing shattered, and the tiny flame flickered, almost going out.

In the darkness, Xi Bingyi could not suppress her sobs and let out a painful whimper.

Before the light disappeared, she struggled to her feet and climbed onto the ice coffin. Her palms were frozen white, the skin almost sticking to the ice, but this pain paled in comparison to the anguish in her heart—

The woman in the ice coffin was so familiar; her face remained frozen in time, just a few years ago, so quiet and gentle, as if she were simply asleep.

This is her mother, Mei Zhiying.

Xi Bingyi let out a small scream. She wanted to refuse, to cry, to wake up from the nightmare, but everything in front of her forced her to wake up, causing her pain and torment.

When Zhang met Yu Xijun, a part of her world collapsed.

Now in Xibao, in her own home, Xi Bingyi's world is teetering on the brink of collapse and completely shattered because of her insane father.

To forcefully hold onto a deceased lover, one would stop at nothing to achieve it, even if it meant tormenting others, tearing a family apart, or causing one's beloved family and friends to suffer for the rest of their lives...

"No..." Xi Bingyi sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

The oil lamp stopped working completely, plunging the room into darkness, like a bottomless abyss.