The air was as though it had died entirely. Outside the door, Long Eleven and Long Twelve stood with heads bowed low, not daring to step a single foot inside.
A stillness like death hung over everything, casting a dark, heavy cloud over every person’s heart that simply would not lift.
After what seemed like an eternity, Zhan Qingcheng suddenly swept his hand through the air, and the bedsheet and the torn garment instantly burst into flame.
Yu Jingfeng stared, momentarily struck speechless. He had long known the prince’s inner strength was unfathomably deep, but he hadn’t known it surpassed even what he had imagined.
In the blink of an eye, both items were reduced to ash. Zhan Qingcheng’s face was expressionless as he turned and walked out the door.
Yu Jingfeng, trembling with apprehension, hurried after him.
Outside, Long Eleven and Long Twelve immediately bowed with great care: “Your Highness, we’ve apprehended a few of them.”
It was Long Eleven who had brought back the bedsheet and the clothing earlier — Long Twelve also knew this. How enraged the prince must have been upon seeing them — one could well imagine.
Yet now the prince emerged without the slightest trace of fury. He was simply cold — cold to the extreme — his entire bearing like that of a demon lord, making it impossible for anyone to look at him for more than a moment. If the prince had flown into a rage, that might have been manageable, but showing no reaction at all — that was what was truly terrifying.
“Your Highness, they refused to say a single word. They have already taken poison and died.” Long Twelve was filled with dread.
Zhan Qingcheng walked to where the bodies lay and surveyed the scene. Everything around him was utterly, frighteningly still.
Long Yi arrived from not far away and said in a low voice: “Your Highness, nothing of use was found.”
This place looked for all the world like an ordinary dwelling — a dozen or so rooms, a training ground, and some traces around the perimeter of defensive arrangements. But for a place meant to shelter key figures in hiding, this sort of middling location seemed somewhat out of the ordinary.
“This is absolutely not their true hiding place.” Zhan Qingcheng suddenly spoke, his voice cold.
“Your Highness?” Yu Jingfeng and Long Yi exchanged a glance, unable to follow his reasoning.
Yu Jingfeng pressed further: “Your Highness, have you discovered something?”
Zhan Qingcheng said nothing. He took another look at the surroundings, then said: “Long Yi, take a contingent of men and continue searching the ravine. This prince suspects they have a true base elsewhere.”
“Long Eleven, Long Twelve — continue leading men to search the entire imperial city. Guard every point of entry and exit.”
“Your Highness just said they have another hiding place — so why do you also believe they would leave the imperial city?” Yu Jingfeng still couldn’t make sense of it. Tonight, he felt entirely unable to keep up with the prince’s thinking.
Could it be that because the prince was so furious, even his own judgment had been thrown into disorder? But Yu Jingfeng didn’t dare say more, afraid that one wrong word might make the prince feel even worse.
“If news comes today that they have left the imperial city, then you must find this true base nearby for this prince.”
Before anyone could say another word, a white figure flashed past — and in an instant, he had vanished without a trace.
The prince was gone. He must have gone personally to investigate Feng Jiu’er’s whereabouts. But what had the prince meant by those last words? If news came that those people had left, then the true base had to be found?
“If those people deliberately spread word of their own departure from the imperial city — willingly exposing their movements — then this base must be of enormous significance.”
Long Yi clasped his hands toward Yu Jingfeng in salute: “His Highness’ safety is entrusted to Lord Yu. We’re moving out!”
Yu Jingfeng snapped to attention and immediately brought men to follow in Zhan Qingcheng’s footsteps.
So that was it.
The prince had just witnessed Feng Jiu’er’s humiliation, and he was still able to remain this calm and think this clearly — this was something Yu Jingfeng had never expected.
In the ravine, several more figures appeared. They had not yet descended to the base of the cliff, but according to the Ninth Prince’s reasoning, those people would certainly leave the city today. If so, the bottom of that cliff very likely concealed no small number of secrets.
Long Yi was leading men to search it — but getting straight down would be no easy task, unless there was a hidden passage of some kind.
What weighed most heavily on Yu Jingfeng’s mind was still the Ninth Prince’s state of mind. What was the prince truly thinking? How was he still able to be this calm? He could not work it out at all.
As for why Zhan Qingcheng was still calm — it was because he knew that Feng Jiu’er was at least still alive, still unharmed.
Even if… she had been violated, been wronged — as long as she was still alive, everything could still be remedied. He only needed her to live.
“The Ninth Prince has ordered Long Yi to continue searching toward the base of the cliff?” Hearing the scout’s report, Night Rasha could scarcely believe her own ears.
“How does he know there’s another location — and with such certainty? Did any of our people let something slip?”
Hadn’t they already deliberately allowed just a trace of information about their movements to reach the Ninth Prince’s people, letting him know they were about to leave the city? So why was Zhan Qingcheng still fixated on the base of the cliff?
“It shouldn’t be the case. When I carefully went to check, I found that our brothers had all already taken poison and died.”
The brothers of their Night Underworld Palace — not one of them was a traitor. Every single one was utterly loyal to the Palace Mistress, and they would absolutely never betray the Palace Mistress or the Young Palace Master.
Night Rasha looked at Elder Shi and furrowed her brow.
She had ordered people to send the bedsheet and Feng Jiu’er’s clothing to the Ninth Prince — the first purpose was humiliation; the second was to make him lose his composure from rage, which in turn would prevent him from noticing any gaps in their plan. So why had it made him even calmer instead? Could it truly be that she had underestimated this War God prince of Bei Mu Kingdom?
“Elder Shi, what do we do now?” They had not yet left — they were simply waiting for the right moment. They had ways of getting out of the city; Night Rasha simply wanted to be certain their base had not been discovered, otherwise she would leave with a lingering unease. Moreover, their remaining in the city continued to put pressure on Zhan Qingcheng’s people. Once their whereabouts were fully exposed, the days ahead would likely mean endless flight and pursuit.
Unless Zhan Qingcheng gave up on Feng Jiu’er.
In both Elder Shi’s and Night Rasha’s calculations, Zhan Qingcheng was not a person who would give up so easily — but he now bore the weighty duty of leading the campaign, which made it absolutely impossible for him to devote all his attention to this matter. The lives of the common people were something he, as a prince of his kingdom, could not ignore.
Therefore, even if the Ninth Prince himself were to pursue this personally, it would be a matter of only a day or two at most. Today was the first full day. At most, adding tomorrow and tomorrow night — by the third day, even the Emperor himself would likely be alarmed into action and would have to order him to set out with the army.
During these two days, they had to do something. Otherwise, once Zhan Qingcheng returned to his army, dealing with him would become extremely difficult.
Elder Shi’s thinking aligned with Night Rasha’s on the key points. He said: “Palace Mistress, please rest easy. That hidden passage — it was something the Young Palace Master discovered by chance. It was a sheer coincidence.”
“The Young Palace Master’s martial arts are formidable, and even he was not able to go down. Long Yi’s inner strength is far inferior to the Young Palace Master’s — naturally he would not be able to go down either.”
“As for the hidden passage itself, that was a matter of happenstance. Long Yi’s people may well never find it. As for the base — Palace Mistress need not worry about it for now.”