Darkness—bottomless, unfathomable darkness! His vision couldn’t reach its end, and there wasn’t the slightest sound by his ears. It was as if boundless darkness concealed infinite unknowns and fears, wrapping him tightly within.

This was the scene Xia Mingyuan faced when he regained consciousness. As his awareness gradually returned, he realized his neck was burning with pain. While reaching back to feel the injury, he slowly recalled everything. After falling from the room into this underground pit, he seemed to have been attacked from behind the neck, then remained unconscious until now.

The wound he touched seemed to have already scabbed over. Xia Mingyuan’s heart immediately filled with alarm. For a wound to scab required at least one to two days. Could it be that after being attacked, he had already been in this pit for two days?

Two days—enough time for far too many things to happen. He had vanished from his room without explanation. How would those personal guards react? Or had they also fallen into an ambush?

Darkness and thirst were enough to numb and confuse a person. Many chaotic thoughts surged through Xia Mingyuan’s mind, but he couldn’t sort out any clear direction. He had been cautious his entire life, never expecting to fall into an ambush at such a crucial moment. He could only blame himself for being too careless, too confident that Xiao Yunjing wouldn’t dare to act so brazenly against him in the Marquis household.

But he still couldn’t understand what purpose Xiao Yunjing had for doing this. If something happened to him in the Marquis household, Xiao Yunjing would be unable to escape responsibility no matter what. What benefit could this bring him?

Xia Mingyuan pondered in confusion for a long time, finally settling on only one conviction: regardless of anything else, he had to escape from this place first. But everywhere his vision reached was darkness so thick it couldn’t be dissolved, making it impossible to determine his location.

He began carefully feeling around his surroundings, sensing what seemed like some dry grass. The ground was hard and cold without any cracks. Trying to feel further, his heart suddenly filled with joy—he seemed to have touched a fire starter!

He joyfully picked up the fire starter and tried to light it, not caring that this might be another trap. If he had to remain in this darkness forever, it would be little better than death.

With a “scratch” sound, the fire starter gradually ignited, and the surroundings finally brightened. The sudden light made his pupils contract sharply. After adapting to the firelight before him, he quickly looked around: this seemed to be a cellar with stone walls on both sides, extending endlessly front and back.

Turning around, he discovered some long-dried bloodstains on the dry grass where he had been lying. Xia Mingyuan carefully examined them by the fire starter’s light. Judging by the degree of the blood’s drying, he must have been lying there for over two days.

Suddenly, he shuddered violently, cold sweat pouring out uncontrollably. He remembered the elite troops lying in ambush outside the Marquis household. If they had waited two consecutive days without news from inside the household, would they recklessly charge in? Once his subordinate soldiers made the first move, Xiao Yunjing would gain the advantage. If he could then walk out unharmed, Xiao Yunjing might very well turn the tables on him. Could this be their purpose?

The more Xia Mingyuan thought, the more anxious he became. He absolutely couldn’t sit and wait for death—he had to find an escape route before anyone arrived. So he took a deep breath, slowly stood up, carefully held the fire starter aloft, and began searching for a way out.

There was only one tunnel in the cellar, with only two direction choices: forward or backward. After thinking, he decided to follow his instincts and go forward.

But after walking only a short while, he felt his steps becoming increasingly difficult, his throat dry and parched. Only then did he realize he hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for at least two days. Fear had made him forget hunger, but the feeling of dehydration couldn’t be deceived. The thirstier he felt, the more unbearable it became. His throat burned like fire. Xia Mingyuan forced himself to take a few more steps, then leaned against the wall gasping heavily, feeling that even breathing was becoming difficult.

Only then did he sense something was wrong. The air in this cellar seemed to be diminishing, making breathing so difficult. He frowned and looked at the fire starter in his hand. Was this the reason? The cellar was too sealed, and the fire starter burning for too long would consume all the air. He tried extinguishing the torch and indeed felt breathing became somewhat easier. But without the fire starter, he could barely move in the darkness. What should he do?

Xia Mingyuan leaned against the wall, struggling to keep his consciousness clear. Finally, he decided to first use the fire starter’s light to see if there were obstacles ahead, then extinguish it and feel his way forward in the dark. So between the fire’s extinguishing and lighting, he was finally able to move forward smoothly. But no matter how he walked, before him remained the same bare walls, making it impossible to tell how long he had walked. He couldn’t even distinguish whether he was actually moving forward or just walking in circles.

The hopeless path ahead, the endless torment with no visible end—every breath felt like knives cutting his chest. Xia Mingyuan felt his will slowly being worn away, but he couldn’t give up. He had lived a distinguished life, never retreating before powerful enemies. How could he give up so easily now?

Thinking of this, he felt some strength return to his body. However, at this very moment, the fire starter in his hand suddenly burned out completely. Just as he was again swallowed by darkness and nearly collapsed, he heard a low growl coming from not far away.

It was an animal’s low growl, coming from the depths of darkness, gradually approaching him…

Xia Mingyuan jerked violently, straining to squint forward. The darkness seemed to conceal countless monsters, ready to pounce and devour him at any moment. At this moment, the string that had been tightly wound in his mind finally snapped. His feet felt like they were filled with lead, his body trembled uncontrollably, with only one final thought: he must escape, he absolutely couldn’t die here!

His survival instinct activated his last reserves of potential. He lifted his legs and desperately ran backward, but that growling sound seemed to slowly follow him, neither far nor near, as if not rushing to catch him but enjoying the pleasure of toying with its prey.

After running for an unknown time, that sound was finally left far behind, and Xia Mingyuan’s stamina had reached its limit. He collapsed backward helplessly, letting his body fall onto the cold, hard ground, gasping heavily and greedily inhaling what little air remained in the cellar. But that heart which had never considered giving up fell into deep despair at this moment.

Just as his consciousness gradually blurred and he was about to faint, the brick above his head suddenly opened.

Long-absent light pierced through the darkness, bringing a final glimmer of hope to his desperate situation. Xia Mingyuan was both excited and wary, not knowing what he was about to face.

At this time, an arm reached down. By the weak light from above, he could barely make out the sleeve’s color and embroidery—the insignia of the Chancellor’s household guards!

Xia Mingyuan excitedly propped himself up, quickly trying to grasp that hand. However, he soon discovered that hand was covered in blood, and the person above was too weak to pull him out.

Thick smoke poured in, and sounds of fighting could faintly be heard from above. That person spoke hoarsely, coughing, “Your Excellency, we’ve fallen into an ambush. There’s fire everywhere outside—I’m afraid we can’t fight our way out.”

Xia Mingyuan’s heart filled with alarm as he quickly asked, “What about Han Kun? How is he?”

That person’s throat caught, his tone heavy, “He’s severely injured. I don’t know if he’ll regain consciousness.”

Xia Mingyuan, already overwhelmed by the previous series of ordeals, felt like he’d been dealt another crushing blow, falling into despair so complete he could barely think. He never imagined Xiao Yunjing could be so ruthless. In a flash of inspiration, he suddenly grasped at a final ray of hope, asking tremblingly, “What about the elite troops Han Kun brought? Are they still outside the Marquis household?”

That person was suddenly startled, his voice immediately showing excitement, “Guard Han didn’t have time to brief us about this. If there really are reinforcements, I’ll fight my way out right now and risk my life to rescue you, Your Excellency.”

Xia Mingyuan finally felt some relief, but his body and consciousness were nearly at their limit—he didn’t know how much longer he could hold on. At this time, he heard footsteps return from above. That person hesitated, “Guard Han can’t get out, and I’m just a lowly person. I’m afraid the soldiers outside might suspect a trick and won’t dare easily break in. Could Your Excellency give me some token that could prove you’re truly in danger?”

Xia Mingyuan was made drowsy by the smoke, feeling everything before him becoming blurred. Maintaining his last vestiges of consciousness in a daze, he tremblingly pulled a jade seal from his bosom, twisted it left and right in sequence, and that ordinary jade seal handle actually opened outward, revealing a lifelike qilin head.

With his last strength, Xia Mingyuan threw the jade seal upward, saying weakly, “The Qilin Seal—only when they see this will they accept orders. Quickly take this and fight your way out. Whether you and I can survive depends on this final moment.”

Strangely, the top suddenly fell silent. The sounds of footsteps and fighting gradually faded away, as if nothing existed. In this eerie quiet, Xia Mingyuan finally fainted.

When he woke again, it was to the sound of knocking on the door. Xia Mingyuan’s body jerked violently, and he sat up abruptly in fright, only to discover he was lying on the same bed where he had fallen asleep earlier. Outside the window, the horizon was turning white as all things awakened. The soft, comfortable bed gave him a moment of unreality—had what just happened been only a nightmare?

But the burning sensation in his throat, his sweat-soaked robes, and the deathly weakness all reminded him it hadn’t been a dream.

At this time, the knocking outside became more intense, with someone calling out worriedly, “Your Excellency, are you all right?” It was Han Kun’s voice!

Xia Mingyuan’s heart filled with suspicion and uncertainty as he stared fixedly at the door, not knowing which was the trap. At this time, the person outside finally couldn’t restrain himself. The door was suddenly pushed open, and Han Kun, with a pale face, rushed in anxiously with several guards. Seeing him, they breathed a sigh of relief, but asked strangely, “Your Excellency, are you all right? Why didn’t you respond after we knocked for so long? Why does your complexion look so poor?”

Xia Mingyuan felt his hands trembling slightly as he asked shakily, “What time is it now? How long have I been sleeping?”

Han Kun replied uncomprehendingly, “It’s already past the hour of Chen. Your Excellency, you’ve been sleeping in your room all night. We saw you wouldn’t wake up and were worried something had happened, so we broke in.” He suddenly remembered something and continued, “Last night there seemed to be a fire in a distant courtyard. We were afraid of a trick, so we didn’t go look, only wanted to guard here properly without leaving for even a step.”

Xia Mingyuan bitterly closed his eyes, finally understanding he had been calculated against. He reached into his bosom with one last hope, but indeed could no longer find that Qilin Seal. But he couldn’t understand how this had happened. He had clearly been in the cellar for two days—why had it become only one night? What about that fire and that guard?

Just then, a personal guard who had been standing outside rushed in panic-stricken, “Your Excellency, Marquis Xuanyuan… Marquis Xuanyuan requests an audience!”

Xia Mingyuan suddenly looked up, his heart filled with alarm, shouting incredulously, “Xiao Du? He’s awake?”

He quickly had Han Kun help him walk to the courtyard, where he saw a person standing under the ginkgo tree. Tall and imposing, wearing dark robes and a jade crown, his handsome face appeared somewhat pale in the sunlight, but his eyes flashed with cunning light. He was bowing slightly toward them, laughing heartily, “Your son-in-law has come late—please don’t blame me, honored father-in-law.”