Chapter 73 Castile (Twenty-Four) Danger

Chu Jing comforted Ryan, saying that the two shared the same fate but had different circumstances.

"I wonder how Viv is doing. She hasn't come for two days." Chu Jing looked out the window. The outside was all white. The snow had been falling heavier and heavier recently. The last time he saw Viv, her face was a little pale.

But she reassured Chu Jingze, "It's alright, I'm just a little tired. I've sent a guard team to protect you, so be careful."

Viv's thin figure disappeared into the snow and ice.

-

In a dark basement, Viv lay on the damp floor with her eyes closed. Water dripped from the cracks in the ceiling until a drop of water bloomed on her eyelashes.

Viv frowned slightly. Her hand instinctively reached out to grab something, but her fingertips touched only the rough, damp ground. She suddenly awoke with a start. Everything in front of her felt unfamiliar. The entire space was illuminated only by an oil lamp.

It was dark and terrifying.

Viv felt the hairs on her arms stand on end. She shivered from the cold, wearing only a dress, but thankfully, she wasn't so cold that she had to curl up into a ball.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock—"

The sound of water droplets hitting the ground startled Viv, who was already on edge, causing her to gasp. She instinctively clenched her fists; her sword had been taken.

Her only remaining weapon is the ring on her middle finger; with a gentle slide, a sharp silver needle infused with deadly poison will appear in the center of the ring.

Viv stared intently at the dark corridor, as if someone might appear there at any moment.

She knew without even thinking who had brought her here.

The sound of high heels hitting the ground echoed in the empty corridor. Viv stared intently at the cloaked woman in front of her.

“Sister.” Her tone was calm, showing no surprise that the person who kidnapped her was her sister, Vina.

"Hmph." Vina snorted coldly, looking at Viv, who was pale-faced, through the iron bars. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, and her eyes were full of indifference. "Sister? How dare you call me that? You are just an illegitimate child." Her tone was as harsh as ever.

“You brought me here just to discuss whether I can call you sister?” Viv didn’t back down; she knew her sister’s character.

If she shows weakness, she will only escalate her actions.

“How could that be? I brought you here only to send you on your way. Your father has been summoned to the palace by the Queen.” Her eyes lingered on Viv, like a viper eager to devour the rabbit before it. “Your greatest support is gone.”

“My father is not old enough to be deceived by such clumsy methods as you.”

"Is that so? You're so close to the First Prince's faction. In the current situation, even if I kill you, it would be a great achievement for me. The Second Prince will definitely clear my name." Vina gently waved the fan in her hand, and the crystal pendant embedded in it swayed slightly with her movements, making a soft sound.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and the corners of his mouth curled up, giving him an air of certainty.

“If I kill you, Father will only have me as his daughter. I don’t think he will blame me, will he? Sister.”

-

"My dearest Valentino, please be sure to go to that little manor. I believe there will be a surprise waiting for you there—love, Vina." After reading the letter, Valentino casually tossed it on the ground. He fiddled with the gemstone bracelet in his hand, an item that a duchess had accidentally dropped.

After a brief moment of thought, Valentino threw the gemstone bracelet on the ground. "Go and find out who lives in the small manor."

“Yes, Your Highness.” One servant withdrew, and another servant came to Valendino’s side. He looked down at the ground with a humble posture and said, “Fifth Prince, the Second Prince said that he will be waiting for you at the usual place tonight. Please be sure to keep the appointment.”

Valendino gave a polite smile, his eyes scanning the servant up and down.

He had a handsome face, was slightly smaller than the average man, and spoke in a soft voice. Valentino then beckoned to him, signaling him to come over.

Here, there's something everyone knows but doesn't say aloud—the person delivering the letter or message assumes it's a gift.

-

The knights' wails and the insectoid roars assaulted Xu Lingzhao's senses. If the situation was relatively good a few days ago, it was now extremely dire.

Xu Lingzhao stood protectively beside Alistair, glancing out of the corner of her eye at him as he gasped for breath. What if he died here right now?

Then all the knights must return to Castile.

The phrase "nine deaths and one life" was etched in Xu Lingzhao's heart. She had to protect him, but deep down she also hated this half-brother who shared the same mother but a different father.

"Your Highness, be careful." Xu Lingzhao pulled the exhausted Alistair away, preventing him from being attacked by a poisonous scorpion, the endless stream of insectoids, and the already exhausted knight.

It's crystal clear who is superior and who is inferior.

Logically, Solo's garrison of knights should have come to their aid, but so far, they haven't seen a single knight, let alone the knights.

With Yu Yu, Feng Sui, and Asolo all together, the knights have suffered too many losses, and there is no point in continuing to command them.

"Do you think we're going to die here?" Alistair moved his bloodless lips.

“No, Your Highness.” Timothy severed the head of a flying insect, black blood burning her skin, but she paid no heed to the excruciating pain.

"And you?" Alistair asked Xu Lingzhao, perhaps because he was particularly looking for some solace at this boundary between life and death.

"Your Highness, cheer up, we'll be alright." Xu Lingzhao's voice was hoarse, but it contained a magical power that rekindled the dim embers in Alistair like a reassuring pill.

As darkness fell, the Zerg, who had been relatively normal, seemed to become frenzied, and their attacks became even more rapid.

Xu Lingzhao scanned his surroundings and saw that the number of knights still fighting had been halved again.

With visibility obstructed, Xu Lingzhao could still see, but the others needed to use torchlight to fight, especially since the snow layer had thickened.

Using fire to drive away the Zerg is simply a fantasy.

The cold wind lashed against my face, as if it wouldn't stop until it scratched my skin.

A bead of sweat rolled down Xu Lingzhao's forehead. Her eyes were darting around rapidly; Xu Lingzhao was eager to break free from her current predicament.

otherwise.

They may truly rest here forever.

The image of Chu Jingze flashed through her mind. Xu Lingzhao took a deep breath. No matter what, she had to go back, to go back alive. How could she bear to let him receive her belongings?

Perhaps none of his belongings will be recovered.

Xu Lingzhao swung her sword with force, and she felt that her sword seemed to have stopped moving.

But the head of the stinging beetle had not yet been severed, and what she saw made her pupils constrict involuntarily.

It's black mist! Her previous encounter with black mist in the cave made her gasp in shock; it was something far more terrifying than the insectoids.

She wanted to say something, but it was stuck in her throat.

She was quickly surrounded by black mist, unable to see or hear anything, but Xu Lingzhao quickly calmed down. She threw the knight's sword on the ground without making a sound.

"What exactly are you? These endless hordes of insectoids, is it because of you?" she said coldly.

The black mist did not answer her words, but instead pulled her into that familiar space.

“I have been looking for a way to kill you.” His voice was hollow and devoid of any emotion, as calm as a still lake, devoid of any ripples in his words.

"Oh, but I don't think you found it."

"Heh, but I can kill the one you love." The black mist gradually condensed into a blurry human figure, its words filled with malice and threat. It approached Xu Lingzhao like a ghost. "Tell me, how about I kill him? Not just the him in this world dies, but the original him."

These words seemed to bring Xu Lingzhao to the edge of the truth. She had always harbored strong doubts about who she really was, but at this moment she was unusually calm and not swayed by His words.

"You can't kill him." This statement carries a strong sense of certainty.

"Yeah?"

Before Xu Lingzhao could speak, the black mist in front of him shook violently, as if it were being peeled away, with the human-shaped black mist and the human-bodied snake-tailed black mist constantly tearing at each other.

A loud scream reached Xu Lingzhao's ears; the sound seemed to pierce through her mental sea, and she frowned and retreated continuously.

"You idiot, get in here."

"I'm an idiot, why are you talking so much nonsense?"

Xu Lingzhao looked at the black mists in front of her, neither willing to give way, as if they were arguing. Reason told her that the opportunity to fight back had come.

The human-bodied, snake-shaped creature with black mist gradually gained the upper hand. Its face seemed to become clearer, and a pair of aggressive red eyes were staring intently at Xu Lingzhao, as if it wanted to devour her completely.

Sure enough, the next second...

His arm had already penetrated her heart, and blood trickled from the corner of her mouth. Xu Lingzhao smiled slightly, knowing that she would only trigger it when her life was threatened.

The black mist seemed not to understand why Xu Lingzhao was laughing, and it angrily wanted to crush that beating and warm heart.

The familiar golden light reappeared.

Xu Lingzhao felt an unusual burning sensation between her eyebrows. Some unfamiliar memories flowed into her mind like a gentle stream, and her gaze gradually changed from confusion to determination.

-

Chu Jing sat on the sofa, while Ryan, sitting beside him, looked nervous. He repeatedly opened and closed the invitation, muttering to himself, "Why would the Fifth Prince invite you to his house? The words on the invitation are so impolite." He swallowed hard and continued, "This is not an invitation, it's a threat."

"Calm down, Ryan. We can't contact Miss Viv right now, so we have to rely on ourselves." Chu Jing held a cup of tea that had long since gone cold.

That invitation was like a Damocles' sword hanging over our heads.

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Author's Note: [Please][Please]