"Husband, can you give me a heads-up next time before you make a move?"
Lin Qingge said as she reached out to undo Leng Ningyue's restraints.
With one hairpin missing, the latter half of her long hair cascaded down, lending her an air of ethereal grace.
Leng Ningyue, who had expected to be scolded, or at least lectured, was slightly taken aback, a faint smile then curving her lips.
Lin Qingge, whose entire focus was on picking the lock, did not notice this detail. In the blink of an eye, they both regained their freedom.
Stretching, Lin Qingge flexed her slightly sore wrists.
"Tsk tsk, that was quite the ordeal. We've finally infiltrated the enemy's stronghold.
But speaking of which, although Zhou Zeli is a scumbag who repays kindness with enmity, the cell he chose is quite decent."
Although the deepest part of the dungeon was even more gloomy and dark, even carrying a nauseating smell of blood, it had the advantage of being quiet, with no one around.
Therefore, even though the guard's corpse lay there stiffly, no one discovered it.
"However, just leaving him here isn't ideal..."
As Lin Qingge pondered, Leng Ningyue calmly spoke:
"This man is the jailer of this dungeon. Ever since you appeared, his ill-intentioned gaze has been fixated on you.
There are not many prisoners confined in this dungeon, and delicate women like you are even rarer.
I just saw him signaling to other guards. It's likely that no one will come for a while, so as not to ruin his plans."
...
Bemused as to how she, who was so manly, was labeled as 'delicate,' Lin Qingge was utterly speechless.
Nevertheless, she had Leng Ningyue help her strip the guard's clothes, drag the body to the opposite cell, and cover it with a straw mat.
After finishing these tasks, Lin Qingge, with a look of distaste, put on the guard's clothes, tied up her hair, and swaggered through the cells, searching for people.
Leng Ningyue, relying on her ghost-like agility, hid in the shadows.
The dungeon was much larger than Lin Qingge had imagined.
As she walked closer to the dungeon entrance, a guard approached her.
Instead of hiding, Lin Qingge familiarly greeted him proactively:
"Hey, busy?"
The guard instinctively nodded, then scratched his head in confusion, "Who are you?"
"Oh, hello big brother. I'm new here.
I was going to ask the boss if there was anything I could help with, but he cursed me out."
Upon hearing Lin Qingge's words, the man clicked his tongue, "Are you stupid, kid? The boss is busy with important matters. How could you not get yelled at for going to him?
However, I didn't hear the boss say a new person was coming today!"
"Ah, to be frank, I was originally serving the young master.
Unfortunately, I was clumsy and displeased the young master, so he sent me here."
Lin Qingge spoke with such conviction, and since the so-called young master had indeed come earlier, the guard didn't suspect anything.
"By the way, big brother, where are you going?
I'm idle, so let me help you carry that."
With that, Lin Qingge reached out and took the food box the man was carrying.
Unexpectedly, the food box was quite heavy, as if it contained a lot of food.
"It's not an important task, just delivering food to a fool."
Upon hearing the word 'fool,' Lin Qingge's spirits immediately lifted. She then flattered and cajoled the guard into letting her accompany him.
From the guard, Lin Qingge learned that there was another level below the dungeon.
Passing through a single-file staircase, Lin Qingge stopped before a heavy iron gate.
She watched as the guard skillfully opened the iron gate with a key.
"Eat..."
Before the second word could be uttered, the guard's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Lin Qingge seized the opportunity to take in her surroundings. Everywhere she looked was a sweet, pale pink.
Distant mountain paintings, Shoushan stoves, cloud and water zither tables, elegant branch wardrobes, Danlan beds...
The luxury of the room completely surpassed Lin Qingge's imagination.
What struck her as even more bizarre was that a grown man lived in this room, decorated more extravagantly than a princess's boudoir!
"L-Lord?!"
Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Qingge, who no longer knew how to react, tugged at her stiff lips and asked with some uncertainty,
"Constable Yan, has Prince Wucheng hidden you away?"
"Lord, what are you talking about?
As a man, why would I hide anyone?
Also, what does Prince Wucheng have to do with me being captured and brought here?"
Looking at Yan Tinghao, who didn't even know who had captured him, Lin Qingge suddenly understood why Madam Yan always wanted to find a wife for this simpleton.
It would be good to have someone watching over him, wouldn't it?
Or perhaps, this character was ruined, and she didn't want to train a new one, so she wanted Yan Tinghao to create a small account to inherit the family business?
Although Lin Qingge's thoughts were a bit excessive, reality only lasted for a moment. She placed the food box in her hand on the table and retorted,
"I say, Constable Yan, your problem is with your brain, not your legs.
Even if you don't know who captured you, you could have escaped and sent us a message!"
Yan Tinghao, lying on the bed, forced a smile that was even uglier than a cry.
"Lord, do you think I didn't want to leave here and find you?"
With that, he slowly raised his hands, accompanied by the 'clanging' sound of metal colliding.
Lin Qingge looked over and couldn't help but exclaim:
"Good heavens, no way?"
On Yan Tinghao's wrists were two thick, long iron chains gleaming with a faint light.
Compared to this, the restraints Leng Ningyue had earlier seemed like child's play.
Thinking that Prince Wucheng's taste was a bit too much, Lin Qingge rubbed the goosebumps on her arms, then walked to the bedside and examined them carefully.
Then, with quick movements, she unlocked the iron chains fastened to Yan Tinghao's wrists.
???
Yan Tinghao, feeling that he might not be very bright, stared blankly as his lord finished everything, unable to snap back to reality for a long time.
"What, didn't stay long enough? Want to stay chained here?"
Hearing his lord's teasing voice, Yan Tinghao seemed to wake up from a dream and shook his head:
"No more, no more.
It's not good here at all without you, my lord."
"Alright, stop dawdling, get up and let's go."
Lin Qingge's purpose for coming was to rescue someone, and her objective had been achieved.
Theoretically, she should escort Yan Tinghao away from this dangerous place.
But since she was already here, taking only this simpleton Yan Tinghao back felt like a bit of a loss...
With that thought, she walked to the door and gave Leng Ningyue, who was waiting there, a sweet smile:
"Husband, would you be willing to accompany this humble servant on a venture into the dragon's den?"