Chapter 20 Let's Go Together
Ning Qi rushed into the yard, panting, and saw the head rolling on the ground. She was so frightened that she almost screamed.
She quickly covered her mouth and rushed into the house, where she saw Xiao Sui covered in blood.
Behind him was Ning Xuanzhou, who had been tortured beyond recognition. Her legs suddenly gave way, and she was supported by Zhizhi.
Zhizhi exclaimed in a low voice, "Xiao Sui, what are you doing?! Murdering a prince?!"
The shock of the gore was too great for Ning Qi to bear. She asked the system in her mind, "Does it have a mosaic function?"
"Yes, 10 points per time."
She gritted her teeth and said, "Buy it."
"Ding, infatuation value decreased by 10, current score 1815."
The red color in front of her eyes finally blurred, and Ning Qi let out a breath.
Xiao Sui turned around, realized who it was, and awkwardly blocked Ning Xuanzhou with his body, saying in a panic, "Why are you here?"
“I guessed it.” Ning Qi approached, enduring the stench, and stated, “The enemy who gouged out your eyes was Prince Jing, wasn’t it?”
Xiao Sui's face showed a moment of stunned silence, then he stopped her from approaching Ning Xuanzhou, almost pleadingly saying, "Please leave quickly, I won't run away, I will surrender."
"Get out of the way." Ning Qi said angrily, having adjusted to the scene.
Xiao Sui was stunned. He turned slightly to the side, his face ashen, and asked, "Or... are you here to arrest me?"
Upon hearing this, Zhizhi immediately said, "That's right, Princess! Let's arrest him right away!"
Ning Qi's gaze fell on the leather straps binding Ning Xuanzhou and the gag in his mouth. She had seen these things before among the props that Nanfeng Pavilion had given her.
It certainly wasn't brought by Xiao Sui on his own initiative; he didn't even touch those things. It's only possible that he used whatever was available.
Why would Ning Xuanzhou appear in a remote courtyard, surrounded by these abusive objects?
She stepped into the inner room and saw a woman on the bed with one arm hanging from the headboard.
Even if she was surprised, the answer was already obvious: her brother was not as kind as he appeared on the surface, and was probably a villain who bullied men and women behind the scenes.
"Didn't you ever think that all of this was actually done by the villain, and that Ning Xuanzhou just happened to witness it, so he deliberately tortured and killed the prince?" the system said in her mind.
“Torturing and killing princes will only lead to death. If they have no grudge against each other, why would Xiao Sui seek his own death?”
"The villains certainly don't follow the logic of normal people," the system said.
Ning Qi ignored it and focused on finding the key. He untied the things from the woman's hands, lifted the blanket a little, and found that she was not wearing any clothes. He hurriedly opened the wardrobe and found several simple men's clothes inside. He touched them and found that the materials and workmanship were definitely not ordinary.
She was even more convinced that this was something Ning Xuanzhou had prepared after doing something bad for him.
Zhizhi followed and understood her intention. Together, they helped to dress the unconscious woman in men's clothing. "Princess, I heard from Aying that more than a dozen guards are on their way here. They probably know something has happened. Let's leave before they arrive, or we won't be able to explain ourselves."
Ning Qi nodded and handed the woman to her, saying, "She's all yours now."
"Okay." Zhizhi agreed and was about to leave with the princess when she was told to return to the main room and grabbed Xiao Sui's wrist.
“Let’s go together,” Ning Qi said.
Xiao Sui was stunned for a moment, wanting to pull her hand away, but then realized his hands were covered in blood and he didn't dare touch her clean fingers. "You..."
“I said, let’s go together.” Ning Xi repeated again, “Otherwise, we’ll both be captured by my brother’s guards. I heard they’re already here.”
"Princess?!" Zhizhi exclaimed in disbelief as she helped the woman out the door. "This is not the time to act on emotions. Even if you are a princess, you will suffer if you get involved with the murderer who plotted to kill the prince!"
“Princess, don’t worry about me…” Xiao Sui shook his head and said in a hoarse voice.
“Escape with me, or let me bear the stigma of murdering my brother. The choice is yours,” Ning Xi said, looking at him.
Xiao Sui's hands trembled, and he bit his lip tightly. His spiritual power could sense that a large number of people were approaching.
Finally, he said, "I know of a secret door. Princess, come with me."
His voice was so dry that he could barely form sentences.
Xiao Sui led her by the hand to the display case on the side where porcelain vases were placed. "Please turn to the right and look at the second pink porcelain vase in the third row."
Ning Qi did as he said, and footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.
The sound of rollers filled the air as the cabinet slowly slid open a crack to the right.
Someone was about to enter the courtyard, and Ning Qi's heart nearly jumped into her throat. Finally, the cabinet door opened to a size large enough for one person to pass through.
She held onto Xiao Sui tightly and pushed him inside, with herself and Zhizhi following closely behind.
After everyone had come in, Xiao Sui quickly flipped a switch, and the door closed again.
As the last ray of light disappeared, footsteps entered the room.
"Prince Jing?!" someone screamed in alarm.
"Assassin! Come quick and save them!" Chaotic voices rang out from outside.
Xiao Sui lit the tinderbox and led Ning Qi down the steps, continuing forward in the secret passage.
This passage looks like it's frequently used, and there are no spiders, rats, or other such creatures.
Ning Qi's rapid heartbeat finally calmed down.
After walking about a hundred steps, there was no road ahead. Xiao Sui stopped, raised his hand and pushed the passage above that was just inches away, and said to them, "I'll go out and take a look first."
Ning Qi did not object further and loosened her grip on his hand.
Xiao Sui pushed aside an iron plate, and the passage became much brighter. He leaped up, poked half his body out, looked around, and landed back on the ground. "There's no one here yet."
He knelt on one knee and stretched out his hand, "Princess, I will help you up."
The situation was urgent, so Ning Qi didn't waste any time. She stepped on his palm and was steadily lifted out of the passage.
Soon, Zhizhi also jumped out on her own and worked with Xiao Sui to bring the woman out. Xiao Sui came out last, covered the iron plate, and laid down the camouflage turf.
Ning Qi looked around and realized they had arrived at the lakeside.
The lake is located in the very center of the academy; they appeared on the south side of the lake, while her courtyard was a few hundred steps further east.
The communication talisman in Zhizhi's hand made a sound; it was Ashen's voice, "Princess, dozens of people have surrounded that courtyard, and dozens more have searched in all directions. Where are you now?"
Zhizhi reported the approximate location.
Ah Shen said, "Someone will be there soon, please leave quickly."
Ning Qi didn't even dare to catch her breath before rushing into the small garden by the lake to get back to her own yard.
Ah Shen's voice came again: "Strange, dozens of them went in, but only a few came out. Did they really need so many people blocking the way inside?"
Ning Qi and Xiao Sui exchanged a glance, probably realizing that the secret passage was known.
As they passed the artificial hill, they could clearly hear a jumble of footsteps coming from very close by.
Ning Qi saw through the cracks in the stones a dozen or so guards in uniform searching the small garden.
Oh no, we might not be able to leave.
Her heart began to pound, and she turned her head to look at Xiao Sui.
The bloodstains on his clothes undoubtedly indicated that he was the murderer who killed the prince.
If he were really caught, even she might not be able to protect him.
Ning Qi's mind raced as several footsteps slowly approached from behind.
“I’ll go lure them here.” Xiao Sui took a few steps back, pushed her hand away, and whispered, “If we delay any longer, you’ll be discovered.”
Ning Qi suddenly lifted her toes, leaned close to his ear, and grabbed the back of his neck, saying, "Take off your coat."
Xiao Sui turned his head in surprise, and Ning Qi had already started tugging at his collar, her attitude leaving no room for refusal.
His chest heaved as he tried to struggle, but fearing that any noise would immediately attract attention, he could only watch as the princess loosened his belt, quickly stripped off his outer garment, and tossed it into a decorative water tank nearby.
He was wearing a thin undergarment, the collar pulled down below his shoulders to cover the bloodstains there, and the princess pressed him down in the shadow of the artificial hill.
Immediately afterwards, a handkerchief with a sweet scent landed on his face.
Zhizhi seemed to understand her meaning, put the woman on her back down, and hid in the shadows together.
Footsteps sounded clearly beside them, candlelight blazed, and someone shouted at them, "Who goes there?!"
Xiao Sui leaned against the rough stone in despair, his hands gripping the protruding rocks tightly.
He ultimately implicated the princess.
The next moment, the girl's voice rang in my ears, carrying a hint of authority, "How dare you! Who is it that dares to disturb my refined pleasure?"
The leader recognized Princess Hexi and a disheveled man. He noticed that the man's face was covered by the princess's handkerchief, and the princess was holding his neck in her hand.
He was startled and immediately ordered his men to put down the candles, saying, "Your subordinates are apprehending the thieves who harmed Prince Jing, and did not intend to disturb the princess. May I ask if you have seen any suspicious figures?"
"What happened to my brother?" Ning Qi asked immediately with concern.
The leader showed some fear. "Prince Jing has unfortunately been attacked and is in a very bad situation. The thief has not been caught. Please return to your residence as soon as possible to avoid encountering villains."
"I understand, I will go back as soon as possible." Ning Qi nodded.
The men didn't move. "Do you need me to escort you back?"
“No need,” Ning Qi refused outright. “I brought my own guards. The most important thing is for you to catch the criminal who hurt my brother.”
The man glanced behind them and saw what appeared to be two figures.
So he bowed to her and prepared to leave.
Ning Qi said calmly, "You are not allowed to tell anyone what you saw today. If anyone finds out, I will hold you accountable!"
The group quickly responded and led the others out of the area.
Only when she could no longer hear footsteps did Ning Qi finally exhale, clutching her chest. "Damn, that was so exciting!"
“Princess…” Xiao Sui’s heart trembled, and a huge roar came into his ears. He could not find any words to describe his feelings at this moment.
Why would she still unconditionally believe in him after he treated her brother so cruelly?
Why take such a big risk to help him?
What is it about him that makes him so special?
"What are you spacing out for?" Ning Xi pulled the handkerchief off his face and grabbed his wrist again, but it felt like he was on fire.
The raging flames spread from his wrists to his heart, burning throughout his entire body.
He looked at the blurry figure in front of him, followed her steps, and suddenly realized something.
He will live and die for the princess for the rest of his life.
A note from the author:
----------------------
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com