Extremely arrogant

As dusk settled, the setting sun shone like blood.

Gu Jinghong found an excuse to quietly leave Chun Shen Garden and sneaked back to the vicinity of that hidden secret room.

The surroundings were silent and deserted, with only the cold wind howling through the corridor.

She held her breath, gently tapping the bricks with her delicate hand to discern their solidity, slowly moving her jade-like fingers to examine the intricate design of the porcelain vase, and pressing her ear close to the cold, heavy stone door of the secret chamber, listening intently for any unusual activity inside.

The moonlight, cool and clear, poured down like frost, illuminating her focused profile.

Standing before a stone gate where the noise seemed amiss, she took out a small tinderbox, lit it with a "snap," and the faint flame flickered, illuminating the small area in front of her.

Using the tiny ray of light, she examined the intricate patterns on the door and the seemingly ordinary bricks, stones, and vegetation around her inch by inch.

The layout of this secret chamber was clearly the work of a top master. The five elements and eight trigrams interact and restrain each other, the Ziwei star corresponds to the direction, and it is also mixed with exquisite and unparalleled mechanisms and secret techniques. One wrong step and it will be a deadly trap.

Especially the lock in front of him—Gu Jinghong's eyes narrowed.

Under the dim light of the fire, the lock's lines appear ancient and strange, with a hint of exoticism.

Her fingertips lightly touched the patterns on the lock, and her heart sank: the South Wind Lock!

The ancient Nanfeng Kingdom, which had long since vanished, was renowned for its mechanical arts. Its locks could not be opened without a specially made key, and each lock contained a mysterious mechanism. Even if one had the key, it would be useless without understanding its workings.

Could it be that the reason Da Yong destroyed Nan Feng was also because of Nan Feng's mechanical skills? Otherwise, why would Nan Feng's lock be hidden deep within the Prince's mansion?

Gu Jinghong was filled with doubts but had no time to investigate further. So she used her teeth to bite the handle of the tinderbox for light and reached out to touch the South Wind Lock, trying to loosen it a little.

Delicate, white fingertips, as smooth as jade, traced the intricate patterns on the lock body, feeling the engagement and resistance of the exquisite springs inside.

She held her breath, immersing herself completely in the subtle sensations of her fingertips, applying extremely precise angles and force to several almost imperceptible points.

A barely audible "click" came from deep within the lock cylinder, and the Nanfeng lock, which was perfectly embedded in the stone door, was actually pushed outward by an inch.

"Miss Gu, what a pleasant mood." A voice filled with coldness suddenly rang out from right behind her, piercing through the biting night wind and stabbing directly into Gu Jinghong's eardrums.

Her back tensed instantly, and the tinderbox she was holding almost slipped from her hand.

Why is this guy always haunting me?!

She reached for the tinderbox, turned around abruptly, and her face instantly filled with a mixture of grievance and delighted smile: "Your Highness!"

Under the moonlight, Xiao Chengyan stood tall and elegant, his aura even colder than the night. Changfeng stood silently in the shadows behind him like an iron tower, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's.

"Lost again?" His voice was calm, yet colder than the winter night.

"……yes."

"You seem to have a special connection with this forbidden area of ​​mine? Tell me, what brings you here this time?"

Xiao Chengyan stared intently at Gu Jinghong, the coldness in his eyes gradually revealing a hint of murderous intent...

Although Gu Jinghong was incapable of understanding love, she was extremely sensitive to killing intent. Xiao Chengyan's gaze could not escape her eyes, and her hand subconsciously prepared the short arrow in her sleeve.

Just as she was about to take action, Yun Ni's tiny, almost imperceptible words floated through Gu Jinghong's mind...

"The 'devoted lover' persona is currently stable, but its foundation is still weak and needs to be strengthened. Create 'moments of attraction' to break the deadlock and disrupt judgment."

"Eyes are a hook, distance is fire, whispers are wind, and praise is oil. Men are most susceptible to this ambiguous, flirtatious, and fleeting approach. If you have no other way to win them over, give it a try."

Gu Jinghong's eyes suddenly lit up—could it be that he could use the same trick again?

Her clear voice pierced the silence of the night, "Your Highness!"

As Gu Jinghong walked quickly toward Xiao Chengyan, she thought about Yun Ni's instructions.

"Capture his spirit, disrupt his thoughts; the eyes are the windows to the heart, look at him. Three breaths, look into his eyes, be focused!"

She stopped in front of Xiao Chengyan, raised her chin, and met his gaze, which seemed to be filled with murderous intent. She tried to focus and replicate the "concentration" that Yun Ni had taught her.

Her gaze lingered precisely on Xiao Chengyan's unfathomable, cold eyes for a full three breaths, no more, no less.

"Second step, move your gaze down to your lips, two breaths, slowly—make it ambiguous!"

Her gaze slowly moved downwards, finally landing on his tightly pursed, thin lips with lines as hard as stone carvings, the duration of which was strictly controlled to two breaths.

She could feel her cheeks rising uncontrollably, but her heart remained frozen.

Two breaths later, the command was issued again.

"The third step is to look back, inject 'fiery heat,' and confirm the effect."

Injecting intense heat? — Gu Jinghong was bewildered; this vague instruction was far less clear and tangible than the mechanical spring mechanism.

She could only try her best to concentrate and attempt to forcefully "inject" some kind of... well, probably "burning" thought into his unfathomable, cold eyes through her gaze.

A sense of chaotic absurdity, like "a scholar encountering a soldier," rushed to Xiao Chengyan's head—what exactly was this treacherous person doing in this situation?!

Did she think that by giving him a few ill-intentioned glances, he would let her off easily?

This is the King Jin's mansion! Where does she place the mansion? Where does she place him, the King Jin?!

Gu Jinghong didn't care what Xiao Chengyan was thinking, but she keenly noticed a subtle change in his eyes from his narrow, bright eyes—his killing intent seemed to be... somewhat covered by doubt, and indeed reduced.

"Get close, confuse them. Distance is medicine; approach quickly, tiptoe, whisper, and be careful to brush your breath against their ear!"

Gu Jinghong's steps were steady and swift.

The next instant, the distance between them was compressed to just one step, and his crisp pine scent enveloped her forcefully, causing her nerves to tense up instinctively.

"Praise him, praise his charisma, hit the nail on the head! For example... his commanding presence is captivating!"

"Then I will look for an opportunity to leave on my own initiative."

Gu Jinghong tiptoed, her warm breath like a controlled airflow, precisely brushing against Xiao Chengyan's cool earlobe.

She spoke clearly, word by word, in a deliberately lowered voice: "Your Highness, your appearance... is so majestic that it is breathtaking."

Xiao Chengyan stood up straight, his whole body as cold as ice.

—What is she doing? Trying to make him believe that she admires him? With such terrible acting skills?

Her eyes showed no trace of confusion or shy evasion; instead, they were exceptionally clear and calm, with even a hint of... assessment flickering deep within her pupils.

The warm current brushing against my ear was present, but its rhythm was short and slightly disordered—it wasn't the panting of someone in love, but rather the breathing rhythm caused by tension.

The phrase "so majestic it's awe-inspiring" is a precise strike, but the tone lacks emotion, like Changfeng replying with "Your subordinate obeys," cold and mechanical.

Xiao Chengyan became even colder.

He looked down at Gu Jinghong, a strange, absurd, and even slightly offensive feeling rising in his heart—he had thought she was 'flirting' with him, but in reality, she seemed to be 'following orders,' her eyes showing not a trace of a woman's admiration for a man…

Gu Jinghong blinked twice, looking at Xiao Chengyan with a hint of doubt in her heart—after Yun Ni said "Jinghong sighs three times," Xiao Chengyan's eyes should have flickered.

But he... seemed to remain silent, and his whole being exuded an even stronger, unapproachable chill.

A moment later, Gu Jinghong took a half step back, and her feeling worsened.

Xiao Chengyan's killing intent had indeed diminished considerably, but only for a moment, before it returned to the state before an avalanche.

The boundless, spreading cold made Gu Jinghong feel inexplicably lonely and panicked, as if she were walking on a cold snowfield with no one around, and for a moment she didn't know where to go.

Xiao Chengyan was indeed angry.

Gu Jinghong's scheming became increasingly obvious, even more disgusting than clumsy seduction!

This woman is unpredictable and full of lies. She provokes him time and time again. What does she take him, a prince, for? An object that can be disassembled?

His jawline was sharply defined, as if carved by a knife, and his thin lips were pressed into a cold, straight line. His voice was icy and chilling: "Changfeng."

Changfeng: "Your subordinate is here."

"Take her there—"

The words "Ministry of Justice" had barely rolled off his tongue when Xiao Chengyan glanced at the stone door of the secret chamber out of the corner of his eye and was surprised to find that the position of the hidden Nanfeng lock had clearly been moved outward by an inch!

How is that possible?!

This lock is a relic of Nanfeng, with a bizarre structure. Even the top craftsmen of Dayong were helpless against it, spending several days without being able to budge it an inch. Yet, this woman of unknown origin, in this cold night, managed to do it in just a moment...?!

His pupils contracted, and the second half of the command was stuck in his throat.

After a moment, Xiao Chengyan slowly exhaled, "Go to the side room of Chun Shen Garden."

That feeling of being in an endless snowfield ended with his one sentence.

Gu Jinghong was very puzzled by Xiao Chengyan's emotional fluctuations—he didn't kill when he should have, and he didn't show any warmth when he should have. He was cold from beginning to end. Could this be what Yun Ni meant by "cold-hearted and indifferent"?

Forget it! If I can't figure it out, I won't think about it anymore.

The tiny, insignificant doubt in her mind was instantly banished to the winds, as if a speck of dust had been brushed away.

Anyway, she's safe and sound now, and that's enough!

More importantly—the secret of the South Wind Lock had just flowed through her fingertips, and the key path to opening the secret chamber was now clearly outlined in her mind! All that remained was to find that specially made key…

Thinking of this, Gu Jinghong actually smiled at Xiao Chengyan, and then gave a rather considerate curtsy: "The side rooms in Chun Shen Garden are not far away. I know the way and can go there by myself. Your Highness and Guard Changfeng must have important matters to discuss, so I will not disturb you any longer."

Xiao Chengyan: "!!..."

Haha, as expected, she treated him like an object, taking whatever she wanted from him.

But what right does a commoner like her have to dare?!

He watched the departing figure, seemingly without a trace of lingering affection, even with a hint of elation, his jaw clenched tightly, as if something hard was stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Suppressing his anger, Xiao Chengyan slowly took two steps closer, reached out and turned the Nanfeng Lock half an inch, examining it closely in the moonlight.

She was completely unharmed—she unlocked the door with her bare hands!

This person is... extremely arrogant!

He pondered for a moment, then spoke softly, "Changfeng."

Seeing the prince's expression, Changfeng took a few steps closer and stood beside him.

"Go and take away my..."

Changfeng listened and nodded, then suddenly paused, turning to look at Xiao Chengyan.