Shen Muzhou's deep eyes held a distant and cold gaze. A scornful smile curved his thin lips as he condescendingly looked down at her.
At that moment, Lin Yanxi felt that the person before her was a stranger.
In her eyes, Shen Muzhou's peach blossom eyes always looked at her with deep affection, but now they regarded her as if she were a stranger.
Shen Muzhou stared at the reaction on her face for a moment, seemingly waiting for an explanation.
How would she explain?
And how could she explain.
Seeing her flustered, bewildered, and wronged little face, his heart softened for a fleeting moment. Whatever the explanation, as long as she offered one, even a made-up one, he would accept it.
He waited and waited. The guards walking ahead noticed that the Prince behind them had not followed and stopped, turning back to look at the pair.
Lin Yanxi couldn't say anything. The chaotic words from yesterday were merely petulant ramblings born from muddled emotions.
She was acting out against herself, unwilling to admit her special feelings for him.
"Your Highness," the guard called out softly.
Seeing that she clearly had no intention of speaking, Shen Muzhou's lips curved into a faint smile. He turned and followed the guards.
Lin Yanxi watched his receding back, inexplicably feeling a suffocating pressure in her chest, and quickly followed.
Shen Qingyun was imprisoned in the innermost water dungeon of the Dark Night Division.
The murky water concealed sharp spikes, and falling in would surely impale one's body.
There was no walkway in the entire cell. A small raised platform in the center was surrounded by water, and Shen Qingyun was bound to a human-shaped frame in the middle of the platform.
Shen Qingyun had clearly been tortured. His head drooped, and he had fainted.
The water dungeon door creaked open. It was Lin Yanxi's first time seeing such a water dungeon, with water all around and no way to reach the central platform.
The spikes on the water's surface were densely packed, sending a chill down one's spine.
She glanced at Shen Muzhou, knowing he was angry, and dared not ask him how to cross. As she hesitated, her small hands reaching for his sleeve, Shen Muzhou pushed off the ground and leaped across, easily reaching the platform on the other side.
After steadying himself, he turned and looked down at her with a cold expression.
Lin Yanxi frowned, turned her face away, and stopped looking at him.
"I don't know martial arts," she said softly, her voice unusually clear in the silent water dungeon.
The guard said, "Second Miss, please wait a moment."
He then ran to the wall, where a long, thin wooden plank was propped. He brought the long pole over and laid it across the water.
"Second Miss, please," the guard said, then used his lightness skill to fly to the other side.
The guard and Shen Muzhou stood on the platform in the middle of the water, watching Lin Yanxi, waiting for her to cross.
Lin Yanxi's small face was fixed on the wooden plank, her hands clenched tightly. She slightly raised her eyes to look at Shen Muzhou. He pressed his thin lips together, his calm eyes holding a hint of amusement.
She knitted her brows and tentatively stepped her pale pink shoe onto the plank. The plank was very narrow, precariously balanced on either side. As her shoe touched it, the plank swayed, and she quickly retracted her foot.
While she was struggling, Shen Muzhou's cold voice rang out, "Miss Lin Er, how much longer will you delay? This King has no time to accompany you here."
His stern profile was sharp and clean, much like the man himself – devoid of any excess emotion, chillingly cold.
The guard squatted down and grabbed the plank, calling out, "Second Miss, don't worry, come over. I'll help you steady the plank."
Lin Yanxi bit her delicate lower lip. She hesitated, then cautiously stepped onto the plank. With the guard holding it, it felt a little more stable.
She slowly stepped across, inching forward one small step at a time. Below was the murky water, with spikes standing upright. She could vividly imagine the pain of falling into the water and being impaled if she missed a step.
The moment she looked at it, her legs inexplicably weakened, and she couldn't move forward. But she had already crossed a small part of the way; turning back would be even more difficult.
"Second Miss, it's alright, hurry over. I'm holding it tightly for you," the young guard said with a smile.
Such a delicate young lady, wearing a little pink jacket, even the guards of the Dark Night Division, who were accustomed to killing and had hearts as cold as knives, couldn't help but soften towards her. It felt as if even speaking loudly to her would frighten her.
She nodded and took two more steps. Her footing slipped, and her body swayed visibly.
"Second Miss!" the guard cried out.
Shen Muzhou's expression flickered. He instinctively took a step forward, wanting to rush to save her. But seeing her regain her balance with effort, he stopped, maintaining his indifferent demeanor.
The young girl was terrified, her eyes reddened. "I'm not going anymore. I can't cross."
It wasn't entirely due to fear; she was also increasingly angry at Shen Muzhou's apparent indifference.
"Shen Muzhou! I want you to come and get me. I can't cross."
Shen Muzhou stood on the high platform and chuckled. Even he didn't notice his own smile, his tone remaining icy. "Eldest Miss, who are you throwing a tantrum with?"
To demand that he fetch her with such an entitled air, only she would dare.
He had eavesdropped on their conversation first. Although her mind was in a chaotic state, and she had said many hurtful things that were contrary to her feelings, it wasn't entirely her fault.
After some thought, she still felt a bit in the wrong. Her tone softened. "Your Highness, what if I fall and die? You'll never see me again."
Her voice was already soft and sweet, but these words, laced with a hint of pleading, sounded like a spoiled child's coquetry when spoken by her, making it hard to refuse.
Shen Muzhou said dismissively, "Crying and whimpering, such a bother."
With that, he leaped to the middle of the plank. Without even touching the wood, he pulled Lin Yanxi into his arms and returned to the high platform.
The moment she was pulled into his embrace, her small face turned even paler with fright. She clutched his sleeve tightly and didn't let go until she was standing steady on the platform.
"Let go," he said.
Lin Yanxi pouted her lips in grievance and withdrew her slender hands, muttering, "Putting on airs of a proper gentleman."
The two walked to Shen Qingyun's side. Shen Muzhou gestured towards Shen Qingyun with his chin.
The guard immediately understood and threw a bucket of water on him. Shen Qingyun coughed twice and weakly raised his eyelids to look at them.
Seeing Lin Yanxi, he sneered. "Heh, how long did Yan'er beg you?"
"Did she cry and tell you how much she loves me? How hopelessly infatuated she is with me? She..."
Lin Yanxi rushed forward and slapped him across the face.
"Slap!"
The little girl put all her strength into it, and with Shen Qingyun having already been tortured, this blow caused blood to trickle from the corner of his mouth.
"You're not human! Worse than a pig or a dog!" Lin Yanxi cursed fiercely.
Shen Qingyun looked at her, his mouth contorting in pain.
"Slap—"
Another slap landed on his cheek.
"Lin Yanxi! You dare hit me!" Shen Qingyun's ears buzzed from the impact.
"Slap, slap, slap—"
The crisp sound of slaps echoed in the water dungeon. Three consecutive blows landed, each with full force, until her palm was red and swollen, feeling numb. She finally stopped, her hand trembling slightly.
After these blows, Shen Qingyun's nose and earlobes were bleeding, dripping onto his shoulders.
"You bullied my sister, so today I will make you die here!"
The young girl gritted her teeth, each word filled with venom.
Shen Qingyun, dazed by the blows, saw double. After a moment, he regained his senses, weak and feeble. "Kill me? My Imperial Father will not let you off."
Lin Yanxi let out a cold snort and took out a dagger from her sleeve.
This scene even startled the young guard, who had seen his share of battles and bloodshed. He stammered, "Second... Second Miss, don't be impulsive."
If the Crown Prince were to die, the consequences would be dire.
Shen Muzhou's gaze deepened. "You should go down first. You know the rules of the Dark Night Division."
"Yes, Your Highness, rest assured. I will not let a single word leak out," he said. He knelt on the ground, bowed, and quickly retreated.
She smiled and pulled out the dagger. The cold glint of the blade reflected in her eyes, making her look terrifyingly sinister, a stark contrast to her earlier tearful demeanor.
"What are you doing? You, you, you, if you kill me, your sister will be heartbroken, and the Emperor will not let you off lightly either." Shen Qingyun, seeing that Shen Muzhou had dismissed the guard and was intimidated by Lin Yanxi's cold ferocity, began to fear that these two madmen would actually kill him.
Lin Yanxi twitched her lips and said, "As for the Emperor, at worst, I'll exchange my life for yours."
"As for Yan'er..."
She raised the cold blade and thrust it fiercely into his chest, then twisted the blade with both hands, digging it deeper.
"You still have the nerve to mention my sister!"
Shen Qingyun had lived a life of luxury since childhood and had only recently experienced hardship. A chunk of flesh was brutally gouged from his chest, and as the blade was withdrawn, it was accompanied by bloody threads.
A large portion of his chest was soaked in blood, which flowed uncontrollably.
Shen Muzhou had overheard the Crown Prince and Lin Ruoyan's conversation yesterday and did not stop Lin Yanxi.
No matter what happened between them, he would always support and believe in her when facing the outside world.
Shen Qingyun looked at the bleeding wound on his body, his voice trembling. "Shen Muzhou, I am your Imperial Brother. Are you going to let this madwoman kill me?"
Shen Muzhou looked at him calmly. "You sent so many people to assassinate me, why didn't you mention that you are my Imperial Brother?"
Shen Qingyun denied it. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
"I didn't do those things, it wasn't me. Save me, I can't die. If I die, the Empress will not let you go."
Shen Muzhou's gaze turned even colder. "Then I'll send her to accompany you."
"Do you know who killed my birth mother?"
"A debt of blood for blood."
With that, Shen Muzhou turned away, no longer looking at Shen Qingyun, as if allowing him to bleed to death.
Shen Qingyun felt his body growing colder and weaker, blood still seeping out. The terror of watching himself approach death was almost enough to shatter his sanity.
There were many rumors surrounding the death of that foreign princess back then, including whispers that his Empress Mother had killed her. Shen Qingyun had never paid attention to such matters. Now, hearing Shen Muzhou say it, he finally understood.
"It has nothing to do with me. Back then, back then I was just a child like you. These things have nothing to do with me."
"Believe me, I really didn't do it."
Lin Yanxi stared at him, slowly twirling the bloody knife in her hand, bringing it closer to him.
He widened his eyes in terror. "What do you want to do? What do you want? As long as you don't kill me, I'll agree to anything."
Hearing this, Lin Yanxi stopped pressing the knife closer. "Then I'll give you a chance. Whether you live or not depends on yourself."