She walked closer.
On the ice bed lay a person, their face covered by a veil. Their features were obscured.
But the exposed skin was covered in mottled scars.
As if possessed, she reached out her hand, intending to remove the veil.
Yet, the moment she drew near, she suddenly heard the sound of bells from beneath her feet, like a series of death knells, and her heart clenched.
Looking down, she saw a fine thread blocking her path at her feet.
The thread was extremely thin, almost invisible if not observed carefully.
The ringing of bells continued incessantly, as if a mechanism had been triggered.
Qin Jiujiu quickly retreated, but it seemed she had touched another thread, and the bells in the entire room chimed in unison.
The strange thing was that this secret chamber seemed to contain only bells, with no triggers for offensive weapons.
Otherwise, she would have died many times by now.
These bells were likely an alarm, and it was probable that people outside already knew someone had broken in.
In her panic, Qin Jiujiu almost tripped.
Just as she was about to fall onto the ice bed, someone from behind grabbed her waist, pulling her into their embrace.
"Little Jiu'er~" Xie Jing's voice brought her back to her senses. Qin Jiujiu quickly regained her balance.
"Let's go!" she grabbed his hand, wanting to run out.
The person behind her held her hand, stopping her forward movement, forcing Qin Jiujiu to halt.
She looked at Xie Jing with confusion, "Go!"
Suddenly, a bright light flashed before her eyes – it was a teleportation talisman.
If they left through the passage now, they would likely be caught on the spot.
Was the person on the sickbed truly Yun Yaoyao?
The teleportation talisman could only move them a short distance, so they were still near the emperor's residence.
"How did you find this place?" She had shaken the bells before she fainted, but how could Xie Jing have found the secret chamber?
"Because of the painting on the wall."
Just as Qin Jiujiu was about to ask for details, footsteps were heard, and it sounded like many people.
If they had left through the passage earlier, they would have been caught face-to-face.
"Go," Xie Jing pulled her, and the two quickly left their original spot.
"Your Majesty, the person has escaped..."
"Investigate thoroughly! Who dared to dismiss the people in my room, and who dared to trespass into my chambers!"
Sheng Huai Zhi's face was filled with killing intent. He had not been this agitated and restless for a long time.
Once Yun Yaoyao's body left that ice bed, it would immediately dissipate into nothingness.
Therefore, he was afraid. He was afraid she would disappear, and then there would be no possibility of her returning to him.
The thought of this possibility made Sheng Huai Zhi's heart clench tightly.
With sinister eyes, he declared, "If you cannot find the person, then bring me your heads!"
"Yes!" Everyone trembled and quickly dispersed, disappearing into the darkness.
"Don't go back."
Qin Jiujiu looked at Xie Jing with confusion.
He continued, "This is also my elder brother's intention."
She was, after all, in the vicinity of the Nine-tailed Fox, which was likely a fox's den. Tonight's events were probably related to the Nine-tailed Fox.
But why had the Nine-tailed Fox come to the imperial palace, and how had she known about the secret chamber in the emperor's sleeping quarters?
Everything seemed to be interconnected.
"But none of this has been clarified yet. If I leave, it will be difficult to find any clues..."
Although she was in danger now, she was also the closest to the truth.
"Come with me!" Xie Jing had no intention of discussing further. He tightly grasped her hand.
"No!" They stood frozen in place.
Xie Jing stared intently at Qin Jiujiu, and soon, she felt a sharp pain in her neck and fainted.
Why did they all like to knock her out?
"Because it's most convenient when you're unconscious," the system interjected.
"Little Jing, Jiujiu?" Xie Yun opened the door, first seeing Xie Jing, and then noticing the person he was holding.
Qin Jiujiu's eyes were tightly shut, but her complexion appeared normal.
"Let's go inside to talk." Xie Yun reacted quickly and stepped aside, allowing Xie Jing to carry her in.
"You mean, you want to send Jiujiu out now?"
"Yes!" He did not hesitate at all.
This imperial palace was like a place harboring a man-eating beast. Her staying here was fraught with danger at every turn.
It would be better to send her away first. Once he had arranged everything, he would naturally come to find her.
"Jiujiu disagrees?" Xie Yun understood Qin Jiujiu's temperament well and assumed she would not agree easily, which was why she had fainted.
Xie Jing remained silent, his eyes fixed on the person in his arms, a rare tenderness appearing in them.
It was as if an ice glacier were melting.
"Elder brother, this imperial palace is too dangerous. She shouldn't get involved."
Qin Jiujiu had nothing to do with all this originally. She shouldn't be put in danger because of the secrets of this imperial palace.
Xie Jing had made up his mind, and Xie Yun said no more.
"If we could take Ah Luo out with her, that would be best." He was troubled as well.
Bai Qianluo, in order to investigate the case and get closer to Su Ming, was now very close to the eldest prince.
Bai Qianluo's disguise as a man had already been seen through. Although the empress was magnanimous and did not delve into her entering the palace disguised as a man, she was now in a precarious situation.
The eldest prince was a lecherous man with numerous concubines in his household.
Bai Qianluo was beautiful, and naturally, she was favored by him.
"As for Miss Bai, you will have to arrange it yourself, elder brother."
His meaning was clear: apart from Qin Jiujiu, he would not interfere with the safety of others.
Xie Yun frowned, seemingly contemplating how to handle the matter.
Bai Qianluo was different from Qin Jiujiu. She was strong-willed and skilled in martial arts, so she would not be sent away so easily and without anyone noticing.
"Elder brother, I'm leaving first."
The night was deep. The Divine View was hidden in the silent darkness, but in reality, undercurrents were surging.
When dawn broke, many changes had occurred within the Divine View.
"I heard that several more people disappeared last night..."
A few palace maids chatted as they carried food.
"Yes, but before, it was always palace maids who went missing. This time, I heard there were two guards as well."
"Look, what is that?"
Everyone looked ahead.
Several guards were carrying two stretchers. Such stretchers were used to carry the dead in the palace.
It was likely that someone had died!
The palace maids, having never seen such a sight, all moved to the side. The guards were about to carry the bodies past them.
Someone swallowed and then said, "They are all covered with white cloth. It's likely they are dead."
"Didn't they not find bodies before? Why have they found bodies this time?" someone questioned.