As her rapid breathing gradually calmed down, Wei Shuwan didn't feel at ease; instead, she seemed even more reserved than before.

Previously, her mouth was gagged and she couldn't speak, so she could only feel anxious. Now that Li Qingchen had removed the gag, she could speak again, but suddenly she had nothing to say. She even felt uncomfortable looking at the person in front of her.

Li Qingchen guessed that she was bothered by his rudeness just now, and after hesitating for a moment, he still spoke up to explain, "I didn't mean to just now."

"I know, it's... nothing." After saying the last two words, Wei Shuwan felt the atmosphere between them became even more awkward, and Li Qingchen obviously felt the same way.

The two looked at the sky and the ground respectively, their gazes darting around, neither daring to look at the person opposite them.

"What do we do next?" Wei Shuwan's eyes darted around, then she answered herself, "We need to find a way to untie them."

"Hmm." Li Qingchen responded in a deep voice, propping himself up to sit upright. Just as he was about to use his strength to break free of the rope around his wrists, Wei Shuwan suggested again:

"Please, Your Highness, use your mouth to remove the hairpin from my hair."

Li Qingchen hesitated for a moment, but did as she said, bending down to pull out the last silver hairpin from her hair with his mouth.

"Give it to me," Wei Shuwan said calmly.

Both of them had their hands bound, and Li Qingchen naturally understood what she meant by "giving it to her." So, with the hairpin in his mouth, he leaned forward again.

Forced by circumstances, Li Qingchen hadn't given it much thought, but when his face drew close to Wei Shuwan's, he saw her eyelashes flutter slightly before she simply closed her eyes...

This action inexplicably made his throat tighten.

Li Qingchen held the middle of the hairpin in his mouth and gently brought the flower end to Wei Shuwan's lips. Wei Shuwan immediately opened her lips and took the flower into her mouth. Realizing that the intense heat that had assaulted her was gone, she opened her eyes.

Wei Shuwan and Li Qingchen exchanged a quick glance before looking away, their gazes falling on his neck.

The hemp ropes binding him were intertwined, with only a single strand at his neck, making it the weakest point. After choosing the spot, Wei Shuwan glanced at Li Qingchen again. Li Qingchen nodded slightly, and after a silent exchange, Wei Shuwan lowered her head and began to rub the hemp rope bit by bit with the tip of her hairpin.

The moonlight cast dappled shadows, and two shadows cast on the gray-white wall intertwined.

At first, Li Qingchen kept his neck straight and could only look out the window. Later, he realized that he was not actually unable to move, so his gaze slowly slid down and landed on Wei Shuwan.

From his perspective, he could only see Wei Shuwan's head and back. After her hairpin was removed, her long hair cascaded down her slender back like a black waterfall. She diligently performed monotonous and repetitive movements, her dark hair undulating gently with each movement, like ripples on a lake when the wind blows.

A stray strand of hair mischievously wandered into Li Qingchen's collar, restlessly sweeping back and forth, causing the originally loose muscles on his chest to tighten more and more, eventually forming a hard mass.

Several times, Li Qingchen wanted to interrupt Wei Shuwan and tell her that she didn't need to go to so much trouble, that he had a way to untie the ropes. But his lips opened, turned into a silent sigh, and he swallowed his words back.

If she knew he could untie the ropes himself, then it would be difficult for her to clear her name of taking advantage of her when he used his mouth to retrieve the handkerchief for her.

Thus, Li Qingchen could only watch as Wei Shuwan continued her arduous efforts, letting his guilt grow inward.

The thick hemp rope was quickly worn down by half, and Wei Shuwan felt a glimmer of hope, becoming even more motivated. However, just then, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, accompanied by a drunken, off-key tune…

Wei Shuwan stopped what she was doing, straightened up to look at the door, and then at Li Qingchen.

"Could it be that he's drunk and causing trouble..." Li Qingchen immediately had this guess.

Yan Sandao had already withdrawn half of the guards, and the remaining half had been given alcohol by Yan Sandao. He meant well by getting them drunk so that Li Qingchen could rescue them and leave. However, drunken bandits might not all sleep obediently and might do something outrageous.

For example, someone who has just met Wei Shuwan is very likely to use her beauty as a topic of conversation over drinks. The more they talk, the more excited they get. Once everyone else is drunk, they may have wicked intentions and want to take advantage of her at night!

As Li Qingchen had guessed correctly, the bandit walked to the door and kicked it open with a powerful kick! Then he stumbled and pounded his way in.

"My beauty...where are you, my beauty..."

Completely drunk and caught off guard by the sudden dimming of the light upon entering the room, the bandit couldn't immediately spot Wei Shuwan. He stumbled around the doorway in a daze before his eyes finally adjusted to the light. Pointing at Wei Shuwan, he burst into a wanton laugh: "So this is it... Brother's here..."

As he spoke, he opened his arms and pounced on Wei Shuwan!

Wei Shuwan still had the hairpin in her mouth and for a moment forgot to call out. Just then, Li Qingchen suddenly moved closer to her and snatched the hairpin back from her mouth before the bandit could reach her!

Then Wei Shuwan saw a cold light shoot out like a flying blade under the moonlight, hitting the outstretched palm of the bandit!

The hairpin was thrown from Li Qingchen's mouth, but it had an unusually strong force. It not only pierced through the bandit's thick hand, but also dragged him back to the wooden door, where it was deeply embedded in the door panel!

The bandit cried out in alarm, realizing he was nailed to the door and couldn't move. Whether the fright had affected his brain or he was still drunk, he immediately fell into a deep sleep, hanging from the door.

While Wei Shuwan was still in shock, she saw Li Qingchen suddenly stand up, give a strong shake, and the ropes binding him instantly shattered into countless pieces, which fell to the ground.

"This place is no place to stay any longer, I'll take you away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Shuwan was suddenly lifted up by Li Qingchen, who wrapped one arm around her shoulder and the other around her legs, pulling her into his arms.

With a light leap, it flew out of the small house through the open window.

Li Qingchen skipped and hopped along the way, his figure as swift as a hawk, and successfully led Wei Shuwan out of the mountain stronghold under the cover of night without disturbing anyone.

Wei Shuwan stared at him the whole way, but she had a hundred questions in her mind—could Li Qingchen untie the rope?

She nestled in his arms and had little chance to ask the question until they were some distance from the village when Li Qingchen finally placed her on a flat rock.

Wei Shuwan sat down as Li Qingchen helped her untie the ropes binding her. The question Wei Shuwan had been holding back all the way finally came to her lips: "You can untie yourself?"

Li Qingchen paused, clearly not wanting to answer her question, and continued to untie the ropes binding her.