Chapter 46 So it turns out you did it for this man
"What's going on?" Ning Qi frowned. It wasn't Xiao Sui who was imprisoned here.
The girl cried and said, "I'm being held here by that man. He comes and tortures us whenever he feels like it. Please, please save me!"
"You? There are others?" Ning Qi asked in shock.
The girl pointed deeper into the room, "There are three or four more rooms over there, all occupied by people like me who were imprisoned by that demon."
Ning Qi asked Zhizhi to go and check, and Zhizhi nodded, "Two men and two women, four people in total."
She never imagined her brother could be so heartless as to commit such a heinous act of imprisonment, making his crime even more egregious.
She said, "Let them all go, and take them with you."
Zhizhi brandished her sword, and with a few clangs, they regained their freedom.
The young men and women followed Ning Qi with tears of gratitude in their eyes.
Ning Qi asked, "Are there other people being held captive in these secret rooms?"
The group exchanged glances, and one of the boys said, "There seems to be another tunnel over there. I heard sounds coming from inside."
"Where is it? Take me to see it," Ning Qi said excitedly.
The boy led her forward, and there was indeed a movable wooden plank on the damp ground. Lifting it revealed a deep tunnel.
She tentatively called out Xiao Sui's name, and the echo quickly filled the passageway. She heard a voice, "Princess?"
Ning Xi was overjoyed. Xiao Sui was indeed inside. She turned around and asked Zhizhi for a dagger, instructing her to keep an eye on the four people. She then entered the tunnel despite any attempts to stop her.
Holding a candle, she walked down the stairs and soon entered a prison-like place where she saw Xiao Sui with his limbs bound.
She exclaimed in surprise.
Xiao Sui raised his head. Apart from his slightly chapped lips and a few whip marks on his body, he was in relatively good condition, which put Ning Qi at ease.
He, on the other hand, looked panicked, the chains binding his limbs rattling as he cried out, "How did you find this place? You should get out of here."
Ning Xi glanced at the various instruments of torture displayed in the room. Fortunately, she came up with a plan in time, preventing Ning Xuanzhou from using these things on Xiao Sui.
She walked over quickly and reached out to untie the chains on his body. "I don't know how much effort I went through to find you, and you chased me away as soon as we met. Xiao Sui, I'll get angry if you say that again."
“It’s dangerous here…you shouldn’t have risked your life for me,” Xiao Sui said softly.
"Hmph, if you didn't want me to take risks, you shouldn't have left without a word." Ning Qi struggled with the chains on his hands. "Just wait and see how I punish you when I get back."
Xiao Sui obediently shut up, but Ning Qi discovered that these thick iron chains were all tangled together and locked with a padlock, and could not be cut with a dagger at all.
She was planning to go back and have Zhizhi try it when she heard the sound of stones scraping behind her, which startled her.
Ning Qi turned around abruptly and discovered that there was another door in this dark room.
The stone door opened, and Ning Xuanzhou appeared in the doorway, leaning on a cane in one hand and holding a sword in the other.
Why is he back?!
Ning Xuanzhou didn't notice Ning Xi at first. He walked towards Xiao Sui with a ferocious expression and said viciously, "After thinking it over, I've decided that I'll take you down with me before I die!"
Ning Qi held her breath and quietly backed away, her eyes fixed on the iron rod beside her, intending to knock him unconscious when he was off guard.
Ning Xuanzhou paused, turning his head towards Ning Xi. "Is there another person in the room? Who sneaked into my secret room?"
Ning Xi naturally didn't answer. She slowly squatted down, reached for the iron rod, and held it in her hand, but even though she was very careful, it still made a sound as it rubbed against the ground.
Ning Xuanzhou immediately followed the sound, wrinkled his nose and sniffed, "A very familiar smell, Ning Qi?"
Oh no, how could he be so perceptive!
Ning Qi gripped the iron rod tightly and mentally exchanged for items that would enhance the strength of her arms with the system.
"Ha! My sister." Ning Xuanzhou laughed like a madman. "No wonder you were going against me, it was all because of this man! When he tried to kill me, didn't you help him cover it up? No wonder he managed to leave without anyone noticing!"
His expression was crazed, and the smile on his face began to twist. "Come here, Xiaoxi. I have a key that can unlock the chains. Come here and I'll give it to you."
Xiao Sui shook his head frantically, telling her not to go over there.
Ning Qi had no intention of listening to him. She raised the iron rod and carefully approached Ning Xuanzhou, preparing to smash it hard on his head.
Finally, she was only one step away from Ning Xuanzhou. She held her breath and swung her stick with all her might. The swift wind lifted the strands of hair at their temples.
“That’s right.” Before the iron rod could even hit Ning Xuanzhou’s head, he quickly raised his hand, grabbed Ning Qi’s wrist, and twisted her to the ground in an instant.
The iron rod clattered to the ground.
“Princess!” Xiao Sui called out.
"You finally spoke up." Ning Xuanzhou was overjoyed. "I'm already crippled anyway, going to that remote place is no different from being dead. I'm not afraid of being accused of murdering my own sister."
His hands pressed tightly against Ning Qi's neck, slowly tightening.
The air was instantly taken away, and Ning Qi struggled desperately, her face flushed red, and her consciousness became somewhat blurred.
The sound of Xiao Sui's desperate shout filled his ears, the iron chains rattling as he cried, "I'll kill you!"
"Haha. How does it feel to watch your beloved woman die in front of you?" Ning Xuanzhou laughed maniacally.
Ning Qi struggled to concentrate, and out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a branding iron not far away. She stretched out her fingers and tried her best to reach it.
Suddenly, black mist gathered around Xiao Sui's head. She couldn't see clearly, but she felt it was ominous. Even Ning Xuanzhou sensed something was wrong, and the strength in his hands unconsciously weakened.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ning Qi suddenly grabbed the branding iron and slammed it hard on the back of his head.
With a "thud," the pressure on her neck suddenly disappeared, and Ning Xuanzhou unconsciously slumped onto her.
"Princess!"
Ning Qi kicked him away with difficulty, turned over and sat up, panting heavily. Her throat burned with pain, and she couldn't help but cough violently.
When she looked up again, she finally saw that Xiao Sui was completely shrouded in black mist, with a black line appearing on his forehead. He looked pained, but stared intently at Ning Xuanzhou's body.
The black mist suddenly drifted towards Ning Xuanzhou, and even Ning Qi, who had no cultivation, felt a strong killing intent.
She quickly stood up and said, "Xiao Sui, I'm alright, please don't kill him!"
If you're going to kill him, do it here. Killing him now would be impossible to explain, and all her efforts would be in vain.
Xiao Sui was drawn to her voice, his expression softened slightly, and the black aura moved away from Ning Xuanzhou's body.
Ning Xi quickly tugged at Ning Xuanzhou, took out several keys from the pocket at his waist, and started trying them out.
A voice seemed to come from the passageway outside, "Your Highness? Haven't you finished packing yet?"
Presumably it was the eunuch who accompanied Ning Xuanzhou back. Ning Qi quickened her movements, and finally, with a click, the lock opened.
Su Changshi covered his nose and walked into the secret passage, thinking to himself, "What kind of time is this? How dare he come to a place like this?" After walking a few steps, he saw a man lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance. He quickly walked over and saw the bloody hole in the back of the man's head. He turned the man over and found that it was indeed Ning Xuanzhou.
He glanced at the scattered iron chains beside him, which clearly indicated that someone had been imprisoned there not long ago.
He preferred to avoid trouble and didn't want to get involved. He simply called for people to come in and carry Ning Xuanzhou out.
Ning Qi took a breath in the secret passage separated by a wall, then returned to the secret room where she had just been, only to find that Zhizhi and the other four people were gone.
She led Xiao Sui further outside.
Emerging from the secret passage, she saw Zhizhi talking to a eunuch from the palace, while the other four people were crying and hiding to the side.
"Princess!" Zhizhi saw her come out and immediately went to her, exclaiming, "What happened to your neck?"
Ning Qi covered her hand, presumably with the marks from the pinch earlier. "It's nothing. What were you talking about just now?"
"I just told them that I accidentally discovered the secret passage and rescued these people."
She whispered again, "I was waiting for you inside, but they heard the noise and got scared, so they ran out and I had to follow them."
Ning Qi nodded and saw Ning Xuanzhou being carried out through a hidden door in the outer room, with Su Changshi following behind. This must be where Ning Xuanzhou had entered.
Su Changshi glanced at it, a knowing look on his face, walked up to Ning Qi, and greeted her respectfully.
Ning Qi raised her chin. "I presume you know how to report to the Emperor."
With her head bowed, Su Changshi said, "I just don't know if I should mention your injury?"
"Don't bring up anything unnecessary."
“This servant understands,” Su Changshi replied immediately. “When this servant sent people to search, they discovered this secret room and rescued several young men and women who had been imprisoned by Ning Xuanzhou. When Ning Xuanzhou realized that his plan had been exposed, he tried to escape but was subdued by us and suffered minor injuries.”
Ning Qi nodded in satisfaction. Serving the emperor, she knew exactly what was important. She left the four people with Su Changshi as witnesses and left the Prince Jing's residence with Zhizhi and Xiaosui.
Inside the carriage, Xiao Sui sat restlessly beside Ning Qi.
"Are you badly injured?" He raised his hand as if to touch you, but then withdrew it.
Ning Xi found his panicked look rather amusing, and with a smirk, she teased him, "It's serious, you're covered in bruises. I thought I was going to meet the King of Hell."
"It's all my fault." Xiao Sui's face turned pale instantly, filled with self-blame. "It's all my fault that you got hurt."
"Just kidding." Seeing how serious he was, Ning Qi quickly changed her tune, grabbed his hand, and placed it on her neck. "Actually, it just looks scary."
Xiao Sui carefully touched her neck with his fingertips, and a patch of the eye patch over her left eye was soaked.
"Why are you crying again?" Ning Xi touched his cheek. "You cry so easily."
Xiao Sui's voice was hoarse, "I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, I'm fine, aren't I?" Ning Qi gently comforted him, looking down to grab his hand, but saw that his wrists were all scraped raw and bloody, even more frightening than her own. She immediately said, "Why didn't you say you were injured?"
Xiao Sui paused for a moment, then said, "It doesn't hurt."
Ning Qi was so angry that she asked Zhizhi to bring some wound ointment from the carriage.
Xiao Sui insisted on applying a bruise-reducing ointment to her neck first.
Ning Qi couldn't refuse him, so she raised her neck and said, "Come on."
A cool, refreshing ointment was applied to her neck.
"Is this the place?" Xiao Sui asked.
Ning Xi held the bronze mirror in her hand and saw slender fingers wrapped around her neck. She swallowed hard and let out a soft "hmm" from her throat.
Xiao Sui's fingers continued to move, leaving a layer of glistening ointment.
His hands were very steady; even when the carriage was bumpy, he would never poke the horse hard.
"What beautiful fingers," Ning Qi observed in the mirror, a thought suddenly occurring to her: "They would taste delicious if I bit into them."
"So you're not going to do the mission anymore? You think the male lead wouldn't know about all this fuss about saving someone?" The system's cold words shattered the warm atmosphere. "If he knew you exposed your own brother for Xiao Sui, I wonder how much of your infatuation value would be left."
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Author's Note: Xiaoqi: You spoil the mood!
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