Qin Yining’s cheeks turned crimson from his low, teasing whisper close to her ear, and she chided: “When do you ever forget to be glib? Why don’t you talk about how domineering you were back then? You bullied me so much that it would be hard to forget even if I wanted to.”

“Hehe. The wife I set my sights on—if I hadn’t been proactive, would I have given you a chance to become the Crown Princess instead?”

Qin Yining was rendered speechless by his matter-of-fact tone and punched him once.

Pang Xiao laughed heartily as he caught her hand and pulled her close for a loud kiss.

As they spoke, they arrived before the wooden palisade gate of the camp. Pang Xiao dismounted and bent his arm to provide a step for Qin Yining.

Qin Yining stepped on Pang Xiao’s elbow as a platform and nimbly jumped to the ground. Afraid she might fall, Pang Xiao wrapped his large hand around her waist, causing Qin Yining to tumble directly into his embrace.

“Stop fooling around. So many people are watching.”

Many patrolling soldiers at the camp entrance had already noticed them.

Pang Xiao laughed aloud and domineeringly took Qin Yining’s hand to walk straight into the military camp.

The Pingnan Army had long become familiar with Pang Xiao and held considerable respect and admiration for this prince who led from the front and had formidable behind-the-scenes methods. Therefore, when Pang Xiao brought Qin Yining into the military camp, though it was against regulations, no one dared to step forward and stop them. Actually, if this had happened in Pang Xiao’s direct Huben Army, some bold soldiers would probably have already come forward to joke around by now.

Directly facing the camp gate was an open area, with neatly arranged military tents on both sides. In the distance were several buildings constructed against the mountain, which appeared rather crude and didn’t look like they were meant for habitation.

Qin Yining looked at the soldiers’ tents on both sides and asked quietly: “Is it improper for me, a woman, to come to a military camp?”

“It doesn’t matter. I’m with you, and besides, we’re not staying here. After we persuade Mutou, we’ll go back.”

Qin Yining nodded and pointed to that row of buildings: “What are those for?”

“Those are prison cells.”

“No wonder. For holding prisoners, tents wouldn’t be sturdy enough.” Qin Yining’s beautiful eyes sparkled as she smiled: “If there were caves or something, that would be even better—you could even create secret passages and such.”

Hearing this, Pang Xiao chuckled: “How do you know I haven’t done that?”

Qin Yining raised her eyebrows and looked up at Pang Xiao, but didn’t continue this topic.

When they reached the door of the mountain-built structure, Qin Yining saw Huzi and several other familiar faces.

Seeing that Qin Yining had come along too, Huzi grinned: “Your Highness, Your Highness.”

“Mm. Where are Young Master Mu and his martial uncle?”

“They’re both inside.” Huzi moved closer to Pang Xiao and whispered: “That spy is a tough one. We used the whip on him but he still wouldn’t confess. Tianji Zi said she had a method and asked us for a stone mortar. She pulled out several small packets from her body and is currently working on something inside. We originally didn’t trust her, but Young Master Mu guaranteed she wouldn’t kill the spy, so we let her be. However, nothing has started yet.”

Pang Xiao nodded: “She probably won’t kill that spy. Otherwise, when Mutou went to help catch him, she wouldn’t have refrained from interfering at all.”

Huzi said: “That’s what we thought too.”

As they spoke, Qin Yining followed Pang Xiao through the door.

Different from the style seen outside, after entering the door, there was a corridor with several adjacent dark rooms on the left side. Walking to the end of the corridor and turning left, they soon reached a large iron door. Huzi went to push open the iron door, and only then did Qin Yining discover that behind the iron door was a natural cave.

Pang Xiao had indeed made use of the cave.

After walking further into the cave, the space became increasingly spacious. The flames on the torches occasionally flickered in the wind, casting swaying light, and their footsteps produced complex, crisp echoes in the cave.

Soon, they reached their destination.

Tianji Zi was indeed crouched on the ground, adding something to the stone mortar, then grinding away with huffing and puffing sounds.

Mu Jinghu stood beside her, his eyes vacant as he stared at the cave wall, his soul wandering in the clouds.

Perhaps hearing footsteps, Tianji Zi looked up. Seeing Pang Xiao and Qin Yining, she grinned.

Qin Yining had known she would encounter Tianji Zi and had been wondering on the way how awkward the scene would be when they met, given how this person had harmed her before. Unexpectedly, Tianji Zi’s face remained as thick as ever, and she actually smiled first.

One doesn’t strike a smiling face, and they were all old acquaintances with Mutou in between.

Qin Yining didn’t show any rejection and naturally smiled as she greeted the two.

Mu Jinghu forced a smile and then went aside to space out again.

Tianji Zi handed the stone mortar to Huzi: “Mix this with water and pour a little into that person. I guarantee he’ll confess everything.”

Huzi looked at that lump of blue “mud”—the color alone looked wrong. “This thing won’t poison him to death, will it?”

“Don’t worry, it won’t. It’ll just make him tell the truth. Don’t give him too much. If you don’t give him a second dose, the effect will wear off in an hour or two, and he’ll be a normal person again. I guarantee he’ll answer whatever you ask without leaving a single wound.”

Tianji Zi spoke so earnestly and confidently that Huzi was almost eager to try, looking inquiringly at Pang Xiao.

Pang Xiao looked at Tianji Zi’s sincerely smiling expression and smiled: “Let’s listen to the immortal lady.”

“Yes.” Huzi carried the stone mortar and strode toward the depths of the cave.

With the torchlight from his followers, Qin Yining could see that there were several openings of various sizes in the depths of the cave, and they entered one of them.

When the firelight could no longer be seen, the cave fell into darkness again. Faintly, they could hear talking from inside, but couldn’t make out exactly what was being said.

Qin Yining tugged at Pang Xiao’s sleeve—they mustn’t forget to handle their main business now.

Pang Xiao suddenly understood and smiled as he asked Mu Jinghu: “Mutou, you’ve been here all along and haven’t gone home?”

Mu Jinghu came back to his senses, his face full of displeasure: “No, I have to protect my martial uncle.”

Seeing Mu Jinghu’s state, Qin Yining knew he had gotten stuck in a mental rut. She exchanged a glance with Pang Xiao, then tugged at Mu Jinghu’s sleeve, indicating for him to come out and talk with her.

Mu Jinghu didn’t want to go, but Pang Xiao had already gone to talk with Tianji Zi, and Qin Yining was waiting for him not far away. He couldn’t refuse to give Qin Yining face, so he had to walk over.

The two walked to a secluded, deserted spot before Qin Yining said: “If you don’t go home, aren’t you worried about Boss Qiu’s condition? She’s now in her late months, and her body has been uncomfortable lately. I was afraid she was suffering, and with no female elder around to help her, I kept her staying with us at the Qin mansion these past days. But when she heard news of your return, she hurried home to welcome you.

“She waited for you all day. The Prince has returned home, but you won’t go back. What do you expect her to think? She’s still carrying your child, and if she becomes heartbroken at home and damages her health, what then?”

Mu Jinghu pressed his lips together, his expression already showing signs of wavering. But thinking again about how when he was kidnapped, Qiu Feishan didn’t seem to care about his life or death at all, infinite grievance welled up in his heart.

“How could she be heartbroken over me? It was my fault from the beginning—I shouldn’t have forced her to marry me. Now she probably wishes I would die soon so she could regain her freedom.”

Qin Yining was so annoyed by Mu Jinghu’s statement that she rolled her eyes: “You think too highly of yourself. Though your martial arts are superb, you’re not on guard against your own wife. If she wanted you to die early, wouldn’t it be better to secretly poison you? You’re not wary of her, so wouldn’t that be a sure hit?”

Mu Jinghu was stunned and momentarily speechless.

Qin Yining continued: “Everyone has a different personality. She was raised by her grandfather like a boy from childhood and never experienced those smooth, privileged days that other girls have, so naturally her character is somewhat strong. She’s strong-willed, but that doesn’t mean she’s unreasonable—she just doesn’t know how to express her feelings. Whether she has feelings for you in her heart, do you really have no sense of it at all?”

“I…”

“Moreover, you’re feeling wronged here, but how do you know she isn’t wronged too? When you kidnapped her and forced her, threatening her with the Qiu family’s future to make her marry you—were those methods honorable? Can you still blame her for feeling wronged? A woman who was threatened into marriage doesn’t resent you and is even willing to work hard bearing children for you—doesn’t that demonstrate her feelings for you?”

Mu Jinghu listened and stood there in a complete daze, his foolish expression making one want to kick him.

Qin Yining added: “You dislike her for not caring about you, but you’re not exactly eloquent yourself. How do you know there aren’t areas where you’ve been thoughtless in daily life? Don’t just focus on your own discomfort—think about how hard it must be for her now, pregnant and still busy with business matters.”

“I, I… what you’re saying does seem to make sense that I’m in the wrong.” Mu Jinghu was somewhat regretful. As a man, he should be more magnanimous. If there was anything to discuss, he should ask clearly face-to-face and speak plainly, rather than brooding like this.

Just then, a commotion came from inside.

Qin Yining and Mu Jinghu exchanged glances and both hurried back into the cave.

They saw Huzi carrying Manager Liu out like a bundle.

Manager Liu’s clothes were in tatters, with whip wounds crisscrossing his body. Clearly, he had already been severely “entertained” during previous interrogations. Despite such serious injuries, he hadn’t spoken, but now he curled himself into a ball, rolling on the ground and pleading pitifully: “I’ll talk, I’ll tell you everything, I’ll talk!”

Seeing this person in such a wretched state, Pang Xiao couldn’t help but glance at Tianji Zi.

Tianji Zi smiled: “Boundless Heavenly Worthy, these are just small tricks, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning.”

No one was trying to praise her!

Pang Xiao snorted lightly, then asked: “Speak. Who are you, who sent you to follow this prince, and what was your purpose in following this prince?”

Manager Liu had been tortured by the drug until his internal organs felt like ants were crawling chaotically, with pain and itching penetrating from his organs to his flesh, piercing his heart and bones. He had been tormented to the point of mental confusion.

“I’ll talk, I am, am Manager Liu of Sitong Trading Company. I, I followed my master’s orders to track Your Highness, to see if Your Highness could successfully arrange things. If Your Highness, if Your Highness couldn’t successfully rescue the young master, I, I was to go to the Qiu family and report Your Highness’s arrangements. My master said, to do everything, everything possible to ensure the young master’s, to ensure the young master’s personal safety…”

Speaking intermittently to this point, Manager Liu was about to faint.

Mu Jinghu stared blankly at the person before him.

Qin Yining and Pang Xiao were analyzing the true value of this information when they felt a “whoosh” of wind beside them. Looking again, Mu Jinghu had already shot off like an arrow and disappeared in the blink of an eye.