Qin Chang Ge spun around like a whirlwind, already pouncing forward!

With a crack, the floor suddenly flipped up. The surface layer of blue bricks fell away uniformly, revealing iron railings underneath. Each railing was as thick as a child’s arm, standing grimly erect, reaching from floor to ceiling in the middle of the room, immediately separating Qin Chang Ge from Wancui and Qi Heng.

Flipping backward in a somersault, Qin Chang Ge immediately shouted, “Qi Heng, block that protrusion!”

Beside the low table were four bat carvings, each bat spreading its wings with its head protruding above the table. Wancui’s hand was about to fall on the bat head at the western corner.

That corner was right beside Qi Heng’s hand.

Qi Heng had already frozen in place due to this shocking turn of events. Hearing this command as if waking from a dream, he reached out to block it, pressing down firmly on that protrusion, angrily shouting, “You betrayed me!”

But Wancui didn’t dodge. She gazed into his eyes and said softly, “Brother Qi…”

Qi Heng’s hand stiffened.

She called him: Brother Qi.

Just as she had in their tender past.

During their time together—those beautiful days and nights, those lingering embraces in bed, those conversations with music substituting for words to express their feelings, those intimate moments of adorning her hair with flowers and painting her eyebrows—he had heard her call again and again: Brother Qi, Brother Qi…

Lingering and circling, endless tender feelings.

But after being stunned for just that moment, he immediately reached out again to block that mechanism, gritting his teeth, “You… you’ve made me into a dishonorable man!”

Wancui flicked her sleeve out, extending her hand to block Qi Heng’s arm, smiling miserably, “Brother Qi, let go. Don’t interfere with this matter, and we can still be a loving couple. Don’t force me to hurt you.”

“Hurt me?” Qi Heng staggered from her push, looked her up and down, then nodded, “I forgot you know martial arts. But Wancui, you’ve already hurt me!”

“If you have the heart for it, then continue!”

He turned his eyes away, no longer looking at Wancui.

That woman with snow-white skin and flower-like beauty, graceful bearing with bright eyes like autumn waters—she was the one he had devoted his heart to for years. From that first sight at Four Seasons Spring, he had given her his entire heart. Through years of painstaking effort, he had finally won the beauty’s return. The beauty had been gentle, tender, and considerate in every way, making him so happy his heart seemed to bloom petal by petal…

Just as now it was being torn apart petal by petal…

All those tender, lingering thoughts and endless affection…

Turned out to be nothing but exploitation—

Qi Heng smiled bitterly as he gripped that cold bat head, using force to twist it—

“Crack!”

A blade flashed!

Snow-bright light unfolded, a white silk-like streak falling through the air, boldly slashing toward Qi Heng’s wrist!

“Chi!”

A black silk serpent appeared, passing through the iron railings, precisely and flexibly taking advantage of the gap exposed under Wancui’s arm as she raised her blade. It passed through the side of her body that had been blocking the mechanism and snapped onto that blade with a crack.

Then it pulled viciously!

With a clang, the long blade fell to the ground. Qin Chang Ge sighed helplessly—if she hadn’t worried about that blade just now and had directly grabbed the bat head to destroy the mechanism, how good that would have been! Unfortunately, seeing Qi Heng’s deathly pale face under the blade, in that instant, the faces of Qi Fan and Rong Xiaotian suddenly flashed by.

Before leaving for Liguo, Qi Fan had spoken earnestly: “Master, Qi Heng is inexperienced. Please be tolerant of him.”

In Nanmin, Rong Xiaotian lay quietly in Qi Fan’s arms, his chest never to pulse with hot blood again.

This was their brother…

Just an unconscious tremor of her hand, and the black silk seemed to develop its own will, completely ignoring rational commands and directly intercepting the long blade.

Once the opportunity was lost, it could hardly be recovered.

Wancui, whose blade had been swept away, immediately leaped through the air and kicked the bat head!

Rumbling sounds arose!

Qin Chang Ge smiled bitterly as she watched all four walls of the room approach step by step like living things.

“Qin-style meat pancake”—would the flavor be particularly good?

“Crack!”

Black holes suddenly appeared on the iron walls of the front door and railings. Black light flashed continuously in the holes as dozens of short arrows shot out from opposite sides!

Qin Chang Ge was positioned between the two walls.

Short arrows flew fiercely like iron rain, carrying overwhelming killing intent as they flew forth, weaving into a dense black net of slaughter, determined to completely pierce through Qin Chang Ge, who was squeezed in this small space.

“Bang!”

Qin Chang Ge lay flat down, her back pressed tightly against the ground.

Short arrows whistled past her face.

Those mechanisms, limited by people’s habitual positions, weren’t arranged too low. Qin Chang Ge lay down to avoid this round of arrow rain but didn’t dare be careless. She immediately rolled over and hooked up a flower stand with her foot, pressing it firmly against the continuously moving and approaching wall.

The triangular flower stand made of solid chicken-wing wood, pressed between the two walls that were slowly but constantly approaching, gradually couldn’t withstand such pressure and made creaking sounds of breaking.

“Crack.”

The flower stand broke in two.

Qin Chang Ge immediately hooked over a chair.

Shortly after.

“Crack.” The chair broke.

The table broke.

The door latch broke.

The stool broke.

When the last thing that could be used to brace against the wall completely shattered in Qin Chang Ge’s hands, her body was already almost pressed against the iron door. The cold wall with its metallic smell had pressed close to her face, and she could no longer straighten her arms.

A thousand jun of force, with no retreat possible.

With a snap, Qin Chang Ge sent her black silk through the railings, dragging over a decorative copper pipa from the other half of the room, wedging it between the two walls.

Wancui shook her head and smiled, “There are only so many things in this room. You’ve used them all up—what else can you drag over?” She smiled as she admired Qin Chang Ge’s predicament, one hand pressing Qi Heng’s wrist pulse points. Qi Heng, whose whole body was weak and unable to move, had eyes full of fury, staring fixedly at Wancui. But the woman acted as if she didn’t see him at all.

Qin Chang Ge took a deep breath, pressed close to the railings, and glanced toward Qi Heng, flashing like lightning toward that low table, indicating he shouldn’t be busy with anger but pay attention to the mechanism.

Qi Heng’s gaze trembled. He looked carefully at Wancui’s hand and discovered she always kept her hand near a bat on the right side, not letting him approach.

The copper pipa also groaned continuously under the enormous pressure. In the twanging sounds, the strings broke one by one, each sound like a death knell. Qi Heng listened to those sounds with burning anxiety, but unfortunately had no strength in his body. He could only listen resentfully to the woman before him laughing delicately, her voice clear and crisp, watching her slightly swaying black hair and her neck white as frost and snow, the skin behind her ear on that side pale as bright moonlight.

Skin behind her ear as delicate as bright moonlight…

Qi Heng suddenly felt something stir in his heart.

He lowered his head and gently blew behind Wancui’s ear.

Fine strands of hair lifted, and the woman’s laughter suddenly softened.

Qi Heng, with a trace of cold smile, intimately and seductively approached behind Wancui’s neck, his breath low and soft as he whispered, “Cui… Cui…”

Wancui’s body gradually grew soft.

The two had been intimate for days, sharing bed pleasures and tender moments together. Each knew the other’s body and preferences most intimately. No one knew better than Qi Heng every inch of Wancui’s body. Behind her ear had always been her weak point—any teasing there would immediately make her eyes burn with desire and instantly turn her into a pool of spring water.

Qi Heng’s cold smile grew more sinister, but his posture toward Wancui’s ear became more intimate. He extended his tongue to lightly bite Wancui’s earlobe, whispering tenderly, “Cui…”

“Crack!” The copper pipa broke. Qin Chang Ge grabbed the pipa broken in two and braced it again with her back to Qi Heng—such a live erotic performance always affected one’s performance when watched, so she had to give them space to perform.

Low moans came from behind. Qin Chang Ge had no mind to appreciate them—the last half of the copper pipa broke with a sharp sound, the two walls were about to close completely, and the wall before her was already pressed against her nose tip!

Qin Chang Ge was stuck!

One more blink, and she would be crushed alive!

…

Qi Heng was working hard at seduction.

Anxious in heart with worried expression, busy tongue and gentle words—seduction.

Wancui’s face was already flushed, even trembling slightly. The familiar breath of the man behind her overwhelmed her, constantly reminding her of those times when they had turned red waves in mutual pleasure. The tingling behind her ear seemed to have spread through her entire body, and the strength in her hand gradually loosened.

Qi Heng immediately seized the opportunity to lightly lick behind her ear…

Wancui let out a soft “ah” and relaxed her hand.

“Snap!”

The freed Qi Heng immediately reached out and twisted that targeted bat head!

With a grinding sound, like gears and chains rubbing against each other, it made a sharp, teeth-aching screech.

The rumbling sound stopped immediately.

The moving walls halted, stopping in front of Qin Chang Ge’s nose, squashing her relatively straight nose slightly flat.

Qin Chang Ge wanted to take a breath but found she was squeezed too tightly to breathe comfortably.

Behind her came sounds of exclamation and collision—both people’s voices were there. Qin Chang Ge could no longer turn around to look, so she simply listened to the sounds of wind and reached her hand through the railings, her black silk shooting out again.

With a whoosh, it wrapped around some limb. The person gave a low cry—it was Wancui. Qin Chang Ge surged with hidden strength and snapped Wancui into a somersault with a crack, shouting loudly, “Qi Heng, force her to tell you how to move the walls!”

Qi Heng immediately pounced over, drawing the long blade Wancui had intended to use to chop him and placing it at Wancui’s throat. Wancui kept coughing—she had been injured internally by Qin Chang Ge’s throw just now. Seeing Qi Heng pouncing over in infinite anger, despair flashed in her eyes.

Her expression turned vicious as she suddenly opened her mouth.

But Qin Chang Ge, still with her back to this side, shouted again, “Qi Heng, don’t let her commit suicide!”

Qi Heng had originally thought she was going to call for help, but now remembered she wanted to bite through the poison pill in her teeth to commit suicide. Seeing her teeth coming down and not knowing how to dislocate someone’s jaw, in his panic he stuffed his own fist into Wancui’s mouth.

Then he cried out in pain, his fist dripping with blood.

But he didn’t dare withdraw his hand, firmly blocking Wancui. Wancui looked at him pitifully, her expression suddenly showing more poignant sorrow.

Qin Chang Ge listened to identify positions, knowing Qi Heng had subdued Wancui. She immediately instructed, “Qi Heng, remove the wax pill from between her teeth and ask her how to move the walls apart.”

Qi Heng obeyed. When he removed the pill and pressed the blade firmly against Wancui’s throat, Wancui’s tears suddenly flowed.

Qi Heng’s hand trembled. His earlier fury was instantly transformed into confusion by her moment of pitiful sorrow.

She… still loved him, didn’t she?

Otherwise, such teasing couldn’t have made her emotional. Women were different from men—it was impossible to be so easily aroused by a man one despised.

That earlier blade strike… might not have been truly intended to kill him, right?

She had many opportunities to kill him with one blade, which would have prevented his later counter-control, yet she hadn’t.

Whoever showed mercy would lose.

Qi Heng knew he couldn’t show mercy—his mercy would get Qin Chang Ge killed. But facing his beloved woman, remembering those years of exchanged glances and mutual affection, remembering the happiness and joy of this period, it seemed like a dream in a trance. The dream wasn’t finished, but his heart was already softened by tears.

How could worldly affairs be so bizarre?

Yesterday they had still been laughing and talking—he playing music while she sang, walking together to admire peach blossoms. Today the world had turned upside down, and they had become deadly enemies drawing blades against each other in mutual deception.

Three years at Four Seasons Spring, a thousand bowls of jade-green porridge—he had drunk porridge until he never wanted to touch any porridge again in his life, just to win her heart’s light attachment and return with her.

In the end, she pressed his pulse points while he held a blade to her throat.

Qi Heng suddenly felt inexplicable anger rise in his heart, but didn’t know why he was angry or at whom. In his chest full of depression and irritation, he only wanted to curse at heaven, but didn’t know whom he should curse.

He stood there in a daze, holding the blade, watching his beloved weep silently under his knife.

He truly didn’t know how to begin “forcing answers.”

The silence behind made Qin Chang Ge sigh.

A pair of lovers with mutual feelings, forced to draw blades against each other because they belonged to opposing sides—what a clichéd plot, so trite that even a hundred-episode Korean soap opera would be too lazy to reuse it. Yet when truly encountered, one realized the pain was sharp and urgent, impossible to escape.

It was normal for Qi Heng, a child who had never experienced palace and martial world hardships and had always been well protected by his elder brother, to be unable to learn coldness and ruthlessness.

But she… couldn’t afford not to be ruthless.

The walls pressed too tightly, compressing her heart. She had difficulty breathing and saw golden stars, feeling as if someone was constantly strangling her throat. If this continued much longer, she would eventually suffocate to death.

This was why Wancui adopted the strategy of playing the victim—as long as Qi Heng couldn’t bear to harm her, once enough time passed, Qin Chang Ge would surely die.

Qin Chang Ge’s hand trembled, the black silk straightened, and Wancui at the other end was pulled flying by her decisive action, hitting the railings with a bang.

The speed was too fast. Qi Heng couldn’t pull away the long blade in time. The snow-bright blade edge sliced a gash across her neck, fresh blood rolling down like coral beads.

Qin Chang Ge reached back and grabbed Wancui’s throat, laughing coldly, “I’m about to suffocate to death. You can experience it too.”

Wancui’s eyes rolled back as she struggled to breathe, still laughing coldly, “…You’ll definitely… die before me…”

She said with extreme unwillingness and hatred, “…You actually… didn’t get poisoned…”

“That bowl of medicine?” Qin Chang Ge said coldly, “You think I would really smell it?” She reached out and with a crack broke one of Wancui’s little fingers, shouting lowly, “Speak! Which mechanism moves the walls apart!”

“Ah!!!” Wancui screamed, but then laughed coldly, hissing as she gasped, “…There isn’t one! There simply… isn’t one!”

“Crack!” Another finger.

Qin Chang Ge’s method of breaking fingers was extremely cruel. The moment the bone broke, the broken bone pierced backward—that kind of pain was unbearable for humans. After Wancui’s scream, her body quickly went limp, cold sweat instantly dripping down, hitting the refined iron floor with audible plops.

Qi Heng instinctively rushed forward a few steps, then stopped.

Qin Chang Ge broke Wancui’s fingers without emotion, listening to her continuous screams yet saying nothing, her heart sinking bit by bit.

Her guess was right—there were indeed only activation and approach mechanisms. These two walls actually couldn’t be separated.

The refined iron railings behind her were also of extremely durable quality. The opposition had planned carefully and naturally wouldn’t leave loopholes that could be easily dealt with.

If only Xiao Jue’s Mingxia sword hadn’t been lost, combined with his profound internal strength, perhaps it could be tried…

Qin Chang Ge took a deep breath, feeling as if her chest cavity might explode at any moment. She was already too weak to think of countermeasures.

Actually, it wasn’t that she didn’t know the greatest danger might be to herself. She just ultimately felt uneasy and feared it might happen to Rong’er… You brat, if your mother dies here, that would be a huge loss…

But suddenly there came the clear sound of weapons clashing, bright and clear to her ears.

Then, shouts came from the front courtyard, with vague sounds of people being blocked and knocked away. Qin Chang Ge smiled slightly—Feihuan had indeed come. She really didn’t know how he had charged through, but since the opposition had come prepared, the front must have been set with numerous obstacles. But from the looks of it, Feihuan had already drawn all the people away, otherwise why would Wancui be alone here with no one coming to her aid?

Chu Feihuan arrived extremely quickly. The previous sound of weapons clashing was still at the courtyard gate, but the next sound was already a body heavily hitting the iron wall. In the collision sound, Chu Feihuan swept over like a blue flying cloud, grabbed Wancui with one hand, sealed several of her major acupoints and threw her to the ground, then turned to examine the bat mechanism, immediately frowning.

Qin Chang Ge couldn’t turn around and couldn’t see what was happening behind her, so she struggled to call, “Feihuan, Feihuan?”

Chu Feihuan responded with an “mm” and said, “I thought this was a centrally controlled underground mechanism. There’s no mechanism set outside to resolve the trap?”

Moving quickly to her side, he reached out and grasped Qin Chang Ge’s hand, his fingers pressing against her palm as he said gently, “It’s alright, wait for me.”

Then he reached through the railings and struck with full force.

With a tremendous bang, the layer of wood disguising the iron wall fell off in pieces. Chu Feihuan didn’t stop, leaping up and moving around, first striking all the mud, stone, and wood disguises on the wall facing Qin Chang Ge to powder. Those fragments immediately fell in large pieces.

For every piece Chu Feihuan shattered, he guided those mud and wood fragments out through the railings. Soon, the wall Qin Chang Ge faced was left with only the iron wall. The wooden boards and mud walls used for disguise had some thickness, and once removed, the space immediately opened up by about half a finger’s width. This half finger’s width of space at this moment was no less than salvation—the explosive feeling in Qin Chang Ge’s chest from being tightly pressed by the walls immediately lessened considerably.

After dozens of full-force palm strikes, sweat also appeared on Chu Feihuan’s forehead, but he calmly wiped it himself and dried the sweat from his palms before going over to hold Qin Chang Ge’s hand, saying, “Try moving, get closer to the wall—there’s more space there.”

Qin Chang Ge slowly moved over, laughing, “This is good too. I’ll just live here, and you remember to bring me food and drink on time.”

She was joking, but Chu Feihuan actually answered softly, “Alright. If you really can’t get out, I’ll set up a tent and sleep outside the wall.”

He pressed his palm against the iron wall, channeled his full true energy for one strike. With a hum, the entire iron wall trembled slightly. A clear palm print appeared on the iron wall, but it didn’t retreat even an inch.

Withdrawing his palm, Chu Feihuan smiled helplessly, “Looks like I’ll have to think of another method.”

Qin Chang Ge turned her head with great difficulty, very repentantly saying, “Go ahead and scold me. I know you must really want to scold me.”

Smiling silently, Chu Feihuan said low, “It’s my fault for not being able to determine exactly who was in danger. What fault is there in you? Chang Ge, whatever decision you make, I won’t stop you. If anything goes wrong, I’ll accompany you through it.”

“Moreover…” He gently grasped Qin Chang Ge’s fingers, smiling with some helplessness and melancholy.

“I fear I alone can’t solve your difficulties. Since it concerns your life and death, I don’t dare show off. Before coming, I already sent someone to notify him.”

Before his words finished, they heard horses galloping rapidly in unison, their approach fierce and swift as thunder, making the entire ground tremble slightly. In the dust filling the sky, they could vaguely hear the footsteps of well-trained troops scattering and surrounding according to orders from various levels. Moreover, one rider rushed ahead of everyone, piercing clouds and treading lightning, charging forward at full speed. Before arriving, he already shouted fiercely, “No need for pursuit! Saving people comes first! Capital Defense Battalion, tear up this entire ground for me!”