incident

"Why are you here?"

Gu Muxing was wearing the jailer's clothes. After not seeing him for a while, the boy had grown a lot and the clothes no longer fit him ill.

"I was just about to ask why you're here?" Gu Muxing's face darkened. "Do you know that Master predicted you were in jail in the capital and scared to death? I was just eating when I was kicked out to see what was going on."

Mingyu had been used to being alone since he was a child, and he never expected that he would disturb them. He felt a little guilty for a moment.

Gu Muxing looked around, then suddenly squatted down and lowered his voice: "I've found a way out. Let's move quickly."

Is this a jailbreak?

"No, how could you..." Mingyu realized midway through what he was about to say, "I can't leave now."

At least we have to wait until the third prince brings his men to seal off the imperial city. If we are discovered leaving now, all our efforts will be in vain.

"Are you crazy?! You publicly accused the current emperor of murdering the previous emperor and usurping the throne in a busy city. Do you think you can survive if you stay here? I tell you, I heard with my own ears that you will be awaiting trial tomorrow. You can't just leave first then!" Gu Muxing wanted to reach out his hand, but retracted it abruptly.

Mingyu felt that if there wasn't a fence blocking him, he would grab his collar to keep himself awake for a while.

It would take time to explain everything, and more importantly, Gu Muxing had to leave immediately and not be discovered.

"Did you take the key from them or copy it? If it is a copy, give it to me. If the plan fails, I will escape by myself." To be honest, he did not fully believe in the third prince's plan, but the arrow was on the string and had to be shot.

“You really are…”

Gu Muxing gritted his teeth and stuffed the key into my hand, then took out a map from his pocket and briefly explained the escape route.

"You must hurry. After tomorrow, if you change people, I can't guarantee that nothing will happen."

This map surprised Mingyu even more. It didn't look like something that could be prepared in two or three days.

"After Master Uncle lost contact, Master has been looking for him. Later, he was found in the capital, and we guessed that he might not be able to get out."

There's no need to elaborate on what happened next. Knowing the people inside couldn't get out, what could they do? The people outside frantically tried to find a way out for the two people trapped in the cage, but Mingyu's master couldn't get out anymore.

Gu Muxing was very calm. He was used to it. He didn't even care about Mingyu's life or death. The only thing he cared about was whether his master would be sad.

"You'd better come out safely. If anything happens, I will bury your remains in the worst place with the worst feng shui. I won't let you rest in peace after death!" Gu Muxing said viciously, and then he turned and left.

Mingyu held the key for a long time before putting it away.

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As the night deepened, the magnificent imperial city could not escape the fate of being swallowed by darkness. Several dark shadows flew past the eaves, and a guard seemed to see something vaguely.

"Who's there?"

His exclamation immediately attracted the attention of his companions. Several of them immediately wanted to surround him to check, but were scolded by the team leader.

"Don't shout or scream! If you disturb any of the masters, neither your life nor mine will be enough to compensate you!"

"Yes!" The guard was still a little hesitant, not pretending to be lying, "But..."

"Okay, okay, you two go over and check it out, and the rest of you stay where you are." The team leader was a little impatient and obviously had no good impression of this newcomer.

The two men checked with lanterns but found nothing.

"There are quite a few cats in the palace, and the newcomer is just making a fuss." The team leader muttered softly. The rest of the team looked at the newcomer in a joking manner, and the newcomer's ears turned red.

Seeing that there was no problem, the group continued their patrol.

Only the team leader fell behind the team and glanced at the eaves before turning around and leaving.

Inside the prison, apart from the occasional suppressed groans of pain from the prisoners, there was almost no sound, and it was eerie and terrifying.

The cell door was badly rusted, and when a "Ya Ya" sound was heard, it was impossible to tell who was screaming.

"Come with me. The Third Prince sent me to pick you up." The man, dressed in servant's clothes, lowered his voice, as if he was on guard against something.

This is the second wave of people coming to jailbreak.

Mingyu remained silent, without raising any objections, and stood up and followed the man out.

The guards in the cell were lying all over the place. It seemed that the man had knocked them down first. Mingyu picked up a knife and held it in his hand.

"Why did you pick this up? There are guards and servants all around, and it would be too conspicuous if you hold this." The man frowned, looking disapproving.

Mingyu ignored him and raised his hand to check on the unconscious guard to confirm that it was impossible for him to wake up in a short time.

"Then how did you get in?" Mingyu raised his knife and pointed it at the man. "You know there are guards and guards all around."

The man was stunned for a moment, but did not panic: "The Third Prince arranged it. I am just following orders."

"Really? Then stop talking nonsense and just leave. Why bother me?"

Seeing this, the man stopped trying to persuade her and just lowered his head to lead the way. As expected, with the man leading the way, they didn't see anyone along the way.

After turning a corner, the man was the only one left on the road. The man's face suddenly darkened, and he turned back to look for Mingyu, but Mingyu held a knife against him from behind.

"Where do you want to take me? This isn't the direction out of the palace."

Mingyu's face was in the dark and his expression could not be seen clearly.

The man cursed inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged.

"The secret passage is the fastest way."

Mingyu sneered and dealt with the man directly.

The Third Prince would never take such an unnecessary risk to rescue him. He was just testing the man to see if he had any accomplices. He couldn't defeat him alone.

And the road we are taking now only leads to one place.

Witch Hall.

Mingyu carefully searched the man's body for things, and suddenly found a note in his sleeve. Looking up, he saw the tall tower of the Wuzhu Hall standing in the darkness, and its outline became blurred.

“Tsk.”

So annoying.

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In the witch hall, all the palace servants had disappeared. Only a large amount of hay was surrounding the center of the tower. A man was standing alone in the yard, with a brazier burning beside him.

"Since you're already here, why don't you come out?"

This was Mingyu's first time meeting Song Rongjing. He was younger than Mingyu had imagined, perhaps only in his forties or fifties, with a gentle and refined demeanor. It was impossible to imagine him as the one who poisoned the people.

What are you going out for? To be a sitting duck?

"Do you really think that I will surrender if you threaten me with a broken tower?" Mingyu hid in the dark and did not move.

The note said that if the Mingyu didn't come, the Witch Tower would be burned down.

Song Rongjing smiled: "Then why didn't you still come here obediently? Even though you already knew it was a trap. Admit it, you still care about it."

Mingyu remained silent, but didn't deny it. This was a very special place for her.

She used to be very afraid of this place. It was full of palace maids without tongues. Mingyu could feel their resentful eyes staring at her. If it weren't for her, they wouldn't have to endure the pain of having their tongues pulled out. But here she had her master, her only relative and the only place she had ever been able to stay.

"I don't need you to do much. Just bring this thing closer to the Third Prince." Song Rongjing held an exquisite box with vents all around, clearly containing a living creature. "I don't need to teach you how to do this, do I?"

A cold wind blew by, and a faint firelight could be seen in the distance, but it did not bring any warmth, and made the Wuzhu Pavilion seem isolated from the world.

A light laugh broke the standoff between the two.

Mingyu walked out, but didn't move forward, a stark contrast to Song Rongjing in the firelight. She said loudly, "I won't do it."

Song Rongjing's expression darkened, his confidence gone. "Aren't you afraid I'll burn this tower down?"

"Then you burn it, I'll just watch here." This is just a dead tower. Since the day the master passed away, there is nothing worth reminiscing about here.

"This tower is not worth it, but he is still worth it, right?" Song Rongjing raised the torch in one hand and suddenly raised it back, illuminating the person tied in the haystack behind him.

Mingyu's pupils suddenly shrank. It was Gu Muxing.

He was tied to a pillar with his head drooping, and only his faint breathing proved that he was still alive.

"Don't you think God is being kind to me? I actually met him on the way to the palace." Song Rongjing picked up the fire stick, and the flames cast a hint of madness on his face. "He's your fellow disciple, right? He came here specifically to save you. You can't be ungrateful."

He actually already knew it.

"Now, you can do what I say. Drop the knife in your hand and come here immediately." Song Rongjing smiled, and the night wind became cold.

Mingyu walked forward slowly as he said. Although the courtyard of the Wuzhu Hall was very large, Mingyu felt that she was in front of Song Rongjing in just a few breaths, leaving her no time to think.

In the end, is it true that their own destiny is no longer under their control? Will all their efforts be in vain?

"Good boy, after this is done, as long as you don't set foot in the capital and behave yourself, you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life." Song Rongjing said almost bewitchingly.

Mingyu opened the box and saw something very familiar.

The insects were found on the sick people before, but this one was bigger than the others. When the Ming fish touched it, it wanted to pounce on it.

Mingyu closed the box and threw it to the ground. Song Rongjing's face changed and he was about to get angry when he was interrupted by Mingyu.

"Dead bug, there's no use taking it."

Song Rongjing looked down and saw the insect fell out and lay motionless.

Before he could even think, something streaked through the air, heading straight for his head. He dodged it awkwardly, then looked down to see the girl's eyes flashing coldly. She stabbed him in the heart with a dagger.

Only then did he realize that the other party was not alone.