Moreover, it made it somewhat difficult for her to refuse.
"Okay." Xie Lingqin suddenly put away her dagger. "Take me there."
"Miss, you mustn't."
Tinghai appeared to stop it.
"It's nothing. I also want to see just how much Young Master Xu really loves me..." Xie Lingqin's lips curled up, her eyes darkening, "just how much he loves me."
Helpless, Tinghai had no choice but to retreat.
Suanpi scratched his head and said, "Well, Miss, I..."
"You're coming with us."
"Okay." As Suanpizi spoke, he turned his head and glanced back at the place where Lanxiang had just been.
"Don't worry, Liu Yunzhou is upright and honest. As long as Lanxiang doesn't do anything bad, she won't be made difficult."
"yes."
So, Xu Yiran led the way.
And this road...
Xie Lingqin suddenly stopped, her expression dark and complicated.
Because this was the road she had told Bai Yu that day, the road that would allow them to leave the city after seeing An Shangning and An Shangyu off.
Now, Xie Lingqin was almost certain that this path was known only to her, and at most to Yuwen Yao.
What puzzled her even more was...
Following the thorny path, Xu Yiran suddenly stopped. Under the watchful eyes of Xie Lingqin and the others, she raised her hand and gently tapped on a straight, sturdy, and rather inconspicuous tree beside her.
Then, the big tree suddenly started spinning in place.
Not long after, a hole appeared underground, next to the tree, large enough for one person to enter.
Xie Lingqin's eyes showed surprise.
She had no idea there was a secret passage here, glancing at Suanpizi and Tinghai.
The former was alright, but the latter shared the same doubts as her.
“This is the direction leading to the Heavenly Mystery Hall, but we need to reduce the number of people by one,” Xu Yiran said.
Xie Lingqin frowned, meeting Xu Yiran's serious gaze.
“I will not leave Miss’s side for even a moment.” Tinghai stepped forward immediately, his tone firm.
"Alright, Sour Peel, you wait here."
"Don't worry, Miss."
As Suanpizi spoke, he had already climbed the tree and hidden himself away.
Xu Yiran's expression remained unchanged before she stepped into the entrance first.
A row of stone steps leads down.
Almost immediately after the three of them descended into the secret passage, the entrance above closed.
"Sizzle—"
Xie Lingqin took out a tinderbox from her sleeve and lit it.
"You're very well prepared."
Xu Yiran glanced at Xie Lingqin, her voice tinged with a smile.
“Miss, please come closer to me. If anything happens, I will be able to protect you.”
Tinghai was clearly hostile towards Xu Yiran.
Xu Yiran remained noncommittal and continued to lead the way.
The tunnel wasn't wide, just enough for two people to pass side by side, and its height was at most two meters. However, under the beam of light from the tinderbox, the traces of construction on both sides were still clearly visible.
This must have a history of at least a thousand years.
Looking down, all that could be seen were square bluestone slabs, each engraved with pictures of flowers, grass, animals, and even people...
In short, there's nothing mysterious about it, yet it feels strangely eerie.
Ahead, Xu Yiran walked at a leisurely pace, the lighter clearly in her hand. Despite the dim light ahead, she moved as if on flat ground.
That's true.
"Young Master Xu, what is your relationship with the Heavenly Mystery Hall?"
Xie Lingqin asked.
Xu Yiran smiled, "The guardian of the Heavenly Mystery Palace."
"Guardian".
"Yes, but..."
Xu Yiran suddenly stopped, her clear eyes looking at Xie Lingqin, then at Tinghai, a hint of sharpness flashing in her gaze. "Please don't look at me with such a gloomy gaze. It makes me feel threatened, and when faced with a threat, I can't help but hurt people. I know you're someone close to the Crown Prince, and I know you're highly skilled in martial arts, not an ordinary guard, but..." Xu Yiran's gaze returned to Xie Lingqin, suddenly becoming gentle and approachable. "In this world, the only person I can tolerate hurting me is you, Xie Lingqin. I don't care about anyone else."
These words are threatening, powerful, and... quite ambiguous.
"Young Master Xu, please don't constantly express your love," Xie Lingqin refused.
"I'm just speaking my mind."
After speaking, Xu Yiran smiled slightly, turned around, and continued walking forward.
"Miss, this man..."
"Shh!"
Xie Lingqin gestured for Tinghai to be quiet, "Keep your voice down, he wouldn't hurt us."
only……
Xie Lingqin thought for a moment, looked at Tinghai, and lowered her voice to a whisper, "Don't tell the Crown Prince what Xu Yiran said today, understand?"
Listening to the sea, he was stunned.
Did you hear that?
"Yes, but..."
"No buts."
"but……"
"There are no buts."
"yes."
Xie Lingqin pressed her temples. If the Crown Prince found out that she was here exploring secrets with a man who always said he liked and loved her, he would be jealous.
I've never experienced the Crown Prince's jealousy before, but it must be quite intense.
As Xie Lingqin spoke, she and Tinghai continued to follow.
The secret passage was completely silent.
So quiet that when she landed, the sound of her skirt and robes scraping against the ground was clearly audible.
The three of them had been walking for almost an hour when suddenly, a gentle breeze came from ahead.
Then, the view suddenly opened up before me, and a cold wind swept over me again.
This is……
Xie Lingqin looked around, and even with her extensive experience, her pupils dilated, revealing a look of shock.
---Aside---
The Crown Prince's rival has arrived.
This book was first published by Xiaoxiang Academy; please do not reproduce it!
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