"What has happened to me?"
Gu Qianying looked at her hands, bound by iron chains, her spiritual energy completely suppressed. She was shocked.
She scanned her surroundings: a sealed cellar, damp air, a spacious but empty interior.
Under the faint candlelight, she could only vaguely discern that she was in a cellar that had been closed off for a long time.
Gu Qianying looked up. A faint light shone down from above.
It was then she realized that the true exit was overhead.
This was a large cellar, its exit covered by a massive stone.
Seeing no one around, and nothing she could use to help herself, Gu Qianying used her weakened hands to push herself up against the wall, determined to find a way out.
However, the moment she pushed off the wall, she stumbled forward, her legs weak, nearly falling.
Her vision suddenly went black.
Gu Qianying closed her eyes.
Unable to take another step, Gu Qianying sat down against the wall, intending to rest for a moment.
While resting, Gu Qianying sat cross-legged, attempting to regulate her own breathing.
But after several tries, she couldn't restore her spiritual energy.
Gu Qianying frowned.
It seemed she had been drugged.
Who had tied her here?
And who had drugged her?
As she pondered, a sound reached her.
The sound of stone being moved.
Gu Qianying quickly closed her eyes upon hearing it, lying down again.
She feigned being unconscious.
As she lay there, pretending to be asleep, another voice called out.
"I know you're awake."
This voice?
Gu Qianying's eyes snapped open.
She immediately sat up, looking towards the source of the voice, to face the speaker.
"Murong Yun, is that you?"
Indeed! The person she saw was Murong Yun.
"Yes, it is this prince. Surprised, aren't you? Hahaha. While I have abandoned the idea of killing Su Cheng, I have never given up on conquering the Nan Yi Kingdom."
Murong Yun wore a black robe, his third hand, which grew from his body, was almost invisible beneath the dark fabric.
"How did you capture me? What did you do to me?"
Throughout this, Gu Qianying remained utterly perplexed.
She had been in her room, finding an ancient medical text from the Poison Doctor's Pavilion, searching for a way to treat Ouyang Qinglin's numb legs.
Ouyang Qinglin had very little poison in his body, so why were his legs numb?
This point truly puzzled her.
Could it be a lingering side effect of the poison?
For this reason, she wanted to find a way to heal Ouyang Qinglin's legs from the medical text.
But as she was engrossed in her reading, the candle in her room suddenly went out.
The room plunged into darkness. At the time, she had remained vigilant, certain.
No one had entered her room.
She was skilled in martial arts and highly alert. Logically, she should have noticed if someone had drugged her.
How could she have been affected?
In the dark room, she didn't know when she had fainted. When she woke up, she found herself imprisoned in this cellar.
"Gu Qianying, do you truly not know who drugged you?"
Murong Yun's lips curved into a sinister smile.
He walked towards Gu Qianying.
He crouched before her, lifting her chin with his hand, gazing at her exquisite face.
The smile on his lips widened. "Gu Qianying, I promised my brother I wouldn't touch you. Hahahaha, I only said it, and that little fool Murong Feng actually believed it."
"Although I am not as skilled in martial arts as Murong Feng, I can still complete my mission alone. Oh, I forgot to tell you, I've decided not only to complete the mission, but I also intend to become the Emperor of the Nan Yi Kingdom."
"The Bei Ling Kingdom no longer has a place for me. They all dislike me, and I despise them. Therefore, I've decided not to return. What First Prince, what First Princess, I care nothing for them."
"Isn't it better for me to be the sole Emperor? Isn't it better for the throne of Nan Yi Kingdom to be mine?"
"Hahaha..."
He became more excited as he spoke.
Murong Yun's fingers traced Gu Qianying's face, her chin, and moved downwards.
"My little beauty, oh, I haven't told you yet. Do you know why you are here? Why you had no inkling?"
"Because you are so beautiful, shall I tell you a secret?"
As he spoke, his hand fell onto Gu Qianying's collar.
The nauseating scent filled her nostrils, making her stomach churn.
But she did not move.
She truly wanted to know what had happened to her earlier.
Who exactly had drugged her!
"Before the candle in your room was suddenly extinguished, who was the last person you saw?"
"Who entered your room?"
At Murong Yun's question, Gu Qianying's mind flashed. She suddenly remembered someone.
"It was him? Ouyang Qinglin? No, absolutely impossible!"
Ouyang Qinglin would never betray her!
When Meng Qinghua and Su Yuxi knocked on the door, she had actually considered opening it.
But at that time, she was reading and had discovered a method to heal Ouyang Qinglin's legs. She wanted to try it on Ouyang Qinglin quickly and also didn't want Su Yuxi to disturb her constantly.
So, she did not let Meng Qinghua and Su Yuxi enter.
After closing the medical book, she thought about going out and sharing this good news with Meng Qinghua.
But as she opened the door, she saw that Meng Qinghua and Su Yuxi had already left.
She intended to go out and find Meng Qinghua, but as she stepped out, she saw Ouyang Qinglin himself pushing the wheels of his wheelchair and approaching.
She had intended to go to Ouyang Qinglin, and now Ouyang Qinglin had come to her.
Later, after she had pushed Ouyang Qinglin inside, she told him that she had found a way to treat his legs.
At that time, Ouyang Qinglin had appeared very excited.
He was naturally excited to be able to stand again, and she didn't doubt this at all.
In her room, she treated Ouyang Qinglin with acupuncture. After half an hour, she removed the needles and drew blood from Ouyang Qinglin's calves.
After the procedure, Ouyang Qinglin was covered in sweat.
Although this method could heal Ouyang Qinglin's numb legs, it was very painful during the process.
Therefore, Ouyang Qinglin's face was very pale at the time.
After the acupuncture, he needed to lie flat and rest for two hours before his numb legs would regain sensation.
Originally, she had wanted to help Ouyang Qinglin to the bed to rest.
But Ouyang Qinglin refused her, citing the principle of men and women not touching.
She had also intended to push Ouyang Qinglin and send him back to his room.
But he had also refused, telling her that a servant was waiting outside.
Ouyang Qinglin also told her that he did not want Gu Qianying to see his weakness.
Besides, Ouyang Qinglin also hoped that she could rest well.
Therefore, when Ouyang Qinglin left the room, she did not go out to see him off.
After Ouyang Qinglin left, she thought of Su Yuxi's condition.
Without resting, she quickly took out the prepared medicinal powders and pills, intending to create an antidote for the soul-binding curse.
This required some effort.
After that, the room suddenly went dark, and she saw nothing. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in this place.
"Gu Qianying, I must admit, your close friends are truly good to you. I tried many ways to get your friends to cooperate with me, promising them wealth and status, but they all refused."
Hearing Murong Yun's words, Gu Qianying's eyebrows furrowed. "You mean..."
Understanding the implication of Murong Yun's words, Gu Qianying glared at him. "What did you do to Ouyang Qinglin?"
"Hahaha..."
"My little beauty is indeed intelligent. Little beauty, do you know what other method, besides soul-binding, can control another person's mind?"