The old man looked up, revealing a face disfigured by fire: "Chen Huan, the Northern Border Armory Supervisor, greets the Sixth Prince!" He pointed tremblingly into the cave, "The evidence is all inside, the Second Prince, he..."
Before he could finish speaking, an arrow suddenly pierced the old man's chest!
Above the cliff, Liu Ruhui's chilling voice carried on the wind: "Search! Find them alive or dead!"
Jueming gripped Xin Jiuwei's hand tightly: "Let's go!"
The two rushed into the depths of the cave, where they were met with a mountain of military equipment, each bearing the private seal of the Second Prince's residence!
"Enough armor and weapons to equip an army of 30,000..." Xin Jiuwei gasped. "He's planning a rebellion?"
Jueming suddenly pulled a signal flare from his pocket: "It's too late, we have to act immediately..."
"boom!"
An explosion suddenly came from the cave entrance, and rubble rained down!
Liu Ruhui actually wanted to bury them alive!
The cave teetered on the brink of collapse during the violent explosion, with debris raining down like a storm.
In the deepest water dungeon of Yingzhou Prison, Qi Huaiyu was submerged in waist-deep sewage, his limbs firmly chained to the stone wall by thick iron chains. Moonlight shone through a narrow vent, illuminating his bloodied chest—the words "murderer of his master" branded on it by Governor Zhou the day before.
"Crunch—"
The rusty iron gate was pushed open, and Governor Zhou walked in carrying a lantern, followed by four masked men in black.
"His Highness has asked me one last time," Governor Zhou said, lifting Qi Huaiyu's chin with the tip of his boot. "Where did you hide the map to the Lingyin Temple's underground palace?"
Qi Huaiyu slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of bloodshot eyes through his disheveled black hair. He parted his chapped lips, revealing a sinister smile: "Lord Zhou... come closer..."
Governor Zhou frowned, but still bent down.
"puff--"
A mouthful of blood mixed with broken teeth sprayed onto Governor Zhou's face. Qi Huaiyu laughed hoarsely, "Tell the Second Prince... without me... he'll never find that batch of Dragon Breath Arrows!"
"You're courting death!" Governor Zhou roared in fury, drawing his sword to strike—
"Wait a minute."
A gentle voice came from the darkness. Liu Ruhui, holding the Second Prince's warrant, slowly approached, followed by four black-clad assassins. Moonlight shone on the gilded sachet hanging at his waist, emitting a faint scent of agarwood.
"His Highness has ordered that he be taken away."
Governor Zhou's face changed drastically: "Mr. Liu! This is against the rules! The imperial court has already—"
"Shh..." Liu Ruhui pressed a gold seal onto Governor Zhou's palm, lowering his voice, "The Northern Army is still short of a supervisor, and His Highness said... Governor Zhou is very suitable."
Governor Zhou's pupils contracted sharply, and he gripped the golden seal greedily. He turned to the jailer and shouted, "Tonight, death row inmate Qi Huaiyu will commit suicide out of fear of punishment. His body will be thrown into the mass grave!"
The sound of the clapper at midnight echoed through the empty streets.
Xin Jiuwei rubbed her aching temples and walked alone on the path back to the manor. The days of coordinating military supplies had left her exhausted, but the thought of the soldiers in the northern border receiving their provisions soon spurred her on. The night rain soaked her skirt, and the flickering lantern light shone on the cobblestone path.
"rustle--"
As she turned the corner of the alley, she suddenly stopped. There was a faint, almost imperceptible scent of agarwood in the air—the incense Qi Huaiyu usually used!
She immediately reached for the dagger in her sleeve, but heard a soft clatter from the roof tiles above her. The instant she looked up, a handkerchief soaked in a sleeping potion was suddenly pressed against her mouth and nose!
"Ugh—!"
She struggled violently, her fingernails digging deep, bloody scratches into his arm. Through her blurred vision, she saw Qi Huaiyu's狰狞 (zhengning, meaning ferocious or hideous) face loom large before her: "Wei-meimei, you think you've already won?"
A sharp pain shot through the back of her neck, and she was plunged into complete darkness.
The pungent, sweet aroma woke Xin Jiuwei up.
She found herself chained to a large, ornately carved bed, her wrists and ankles bound with steel shackles. Her outer garment had been replaced with a semi-transparent gauze dress, its neckline wide open, revealing large expanses of her snow-white skin.
"woke up?"
Qi Huaiyu sat on the edge of the bed, wiping the wound on her neck with a handkerchief stained with wine. He had changed into a moon-white long robe, still with that gentle and refined appearance, only the madness surging in his eyes betrayed him.
"You..." Xin Jiuwei found her voice terribly hoarse as soon as she opened her mouth, as if a ball of fire was burning in her throat. Even more frightening, she felt an unusual heat rising from her lower abdomen.
Qi Huaiyu chuckled, "Do you like my specially made 'Spring Night'?" He leaned down and breathed into her ear, "In our past life, you begged me to favor you; in this life... I'll grant your wish."
Xin Jiuwei suddenly struggled against the chains: "Beast! The imperial court is issuing a warrant for your arrest—"
"Wanted?" Qi Huaiyu suddenly grabbed her chin. "The Second Prince has already arranged a new identity for me." He placed his other hand on her waist. "Once the deed is done, you'll be my official wife. Who will dare say anything then?"
"Pah!" Xin Jiuwei spat fiercely in his face. "You dare to challenge me?!"
Instead of getting angry, Qi Huaiyu laughed, slowly wiping the spittle from his face: "Do you remember your past life? You knelt down and begged me to look at you just once..." He suddenly ripped open her collar, "What are you pretending to be now, this virtuous woman!"
The icy air sent shivers down Xin Jiuwei's spine, but what terrified her even more was the surging heat within her. She bit her tongue, using the pain to stay awake: "You...think I'd be completely unprepared?"
Qi Huaiyu's expression changed slightly: "What do you mean?"
"Can you smell it..." Xin Jiuwei gasped, "The smell of bitter almonds..."
Qi Huaiyu suddenly retreated, knocking over the candlestick.
Flames leaped onto the gauze curtains, instantly illuminating his deathly pale face: "When did you poison me?!"
"From the moment you... met me..." Xin Jiuwei stared at his increasingly bluish fingernails, "the 'Seven-Day Corrosion' on the sleeve dart...it penetrates the skin upon contact..."
Chaotic footsteps sounded outside. Liu Ruhui, leading his henchmen, burst through the door: "Fire! Quick, save them—"
The words came to an abrupt halt.
Everyone saw Qi Huaiyu frantically scratching at his arm, black blood seeping from the mangled wound: "The antidote! Give me the antidote!"
Taking advantage of the situation, Xin Jiuwei used the thin iron plate hidden under her tongue to pry open the wrist lock. This was a method that Xiao Xun had taught her before he left—the iron plate was soaked in anesthetic, and at this moment her entire tongue was numb, but she successfully unlocked the shackles on her right hand.
"Stop her!" Liu Ruhui shouted sharply.
Two assassins charged at her with knives. Xin Jiuwei grabbed a burning curtain and flung it at them, rolling off the bed in the process. The fire spread instantly, separating her from the pursuers on opposite sides of the inferno.
Qi Huaiyu laughed maniacally in the firelight: "You think that's all? What's buried beneath Lingyin Temple—"
"Whoosh!"
A crossbow bolt suddenly pierced his throat! Liu Ruhui retracted his crossbow and looked coldly at Xin Jiuwei: "You know too much, young lady."
A wave of heat washed over her, and Xin Jiuwei staggered back to the window. The aphrodisiac was taking effect, and her vision began to blur. Just as she was about to collapse from exhaustion, a figure in black burst through the window—
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