Shen Lixue, Su Yuting, and Ye Qianlong fell into the trap together. Just as the smooth opening closed, a white figure entered the room. Watching the small black opening become completely sealed at a speed visible to the naked eye, his gaze was terrifyingly gloomy, and his jade-like fingers clenched tightly. He was still a step too late.
"Bing'er..."
"Ling'er..."
The ladies entered the outer room and saw their unconscious daughters. They cried out in alarm, rushed forward, and held them in their arms: "Their lips are purple and black, their faces are pale, they've been poisoned."
"My daughter has also been poisoned! Someone, quickly fetch a doctor..."
The ladies were preoccupied with their own daughters, creating a chaotic scene.
"Where is Yuting?" Lady Wen looked around anxiously, but did not see Su Yuting.
"Open the secret chamber!" With a furious shout, the temperature in the room instantly dropped. Lady Wen, the Duchess of Wen, shuddered, and the chattering noblewomen all fell silent, trembling as they looked in the direction from which the voice came.
Dongfang Heng, dressed in white, was dashing and charming, like a banished immortal. However, his gloomy face and the violent aura flashing in his dark eyes made people afraid. The noble ladies all lowered their heads and dared not meet his gaze.
Lady Wen's eyes flickered, and she smiled slightly: "What secret room?"
"Don't tell me you didn't know Su Yuting's room had a secret chamber?" Dongfang Heng walked slowly towards Lady Wen, his powerful aura almost suffocating her.
"This...this..." Lady Wen's eyes darted around rapidly. Yu Ting was in the secret room. If she opened it now, wouldn't they catch her red-handed? But if she didn't tell, Dongfang Heng would never let her go...
In her anxiety, Lady Wen noticed the shards in the corner. Her eyes lit up, and she pointed to the broken antique vase on the ground: "Your Highness, it's not that I don't want to open it, but that antique vase is the switch for the mechanism. Since it's broken, the mechanism can't be opened!"
Dongfang Heng's dark eyes instantly froze, chillingly cold: "You are the master of the Wen State Duke's mansion, you must have other ways to open the mechanism. I'll give you the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. If you can't think of a way..."
With a wave of his hand, Dongfang Heng sent the sword flying from the guard's waist. It struck the Duchess of Wen with a thud, embedding itself five or six centimeters into the hard marble floor. The sharp blade gleamed coldly as it swayed back and forth, a sight that sent shivers down one's spine.
"You want to kill me?" Lady Wen was shocked. It took her a long time to come to her senses. She had witnessed Dongfang Heng's ruthlessness before. This was definitely not meant to scare her.
Dongfang Heng sneered, "Killing you would only dirty my hands. If I can't figure out how to activate the mechanism within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, you'll lose a finger!"
"I did nothing, why should I be punished?" Lady Wenguo roared indignantly.
“Su Yuting is your daughter. She made a mistake because you didn’t teach her well. You have to share the blame with her!” Dongfang Heng’s voice was icy cold and devoid of any warmth.
"The Duke of Wen is Yuting's father, why don't you punish him? The mighty God of War of Qingyan, is he only good at bullying a woman like me?" The Duchess of Wen roared again. The Duke of Wen was a first-rank official in the court, and she was certain that Dongfang Heng would not dare to cut off his finger, so she mocked and provoked Dongfang Heng.
Dongfang Heng glanced coldly at the ashen-faced Duke Wen: "If Duke Wen is willing to take the blame for Su Yuting, I will certainly grant his request!"
He even dared to cut off the Duke of Wen's finger!
Ruan looked at Dongfang Heng in shock. Was he deliberately threatening her, or was he serious?
Dongfang Heng coldly glanced at the broken teapot on the ground: "We've already finished a cup of tea, Madam. Has Duke Wen figured out a way to open the mechanism?"
Duke Wen's face was grim, and he remained silent. Madam Ruan lowered her eyelids slightly and said casually, "We can rescue them by blowing up the ground!"
"Ah!" A scream pierced through the house and echoed throughout the courtyard.
Everyone was so frightened that they quickly took a few steps back, staring in horror at the Lady of the Duke of Wen, whose hands were covered in blood and who was screaming in agony. On the ground in front of her lay a severed finger, still wearing a beautiful golden nail guard.
Normally, they would have thought Prince An was ruthless, but the maids spread rumors about Su Yuting's misdeeds. It was indeed because her mother, Lady Wen, had not taught her well. Prince An was absolutely right. Although she was afraid of Dongfang Heng, she was not angry with him, but full of respect.
The Duke of Wen was of noble status, and their daughter had been harmed by Su Yuting. They dared not speak out against it, but the Prince of An avenged them, so of course she was happy and pleased.
Dongfang Heng looked at the solid ground, his cold tone full of mockery: "Blasting the ground to save people, are you just trying to fool me, or do you want to kill them? The second cup of tea has already started the timer. If the time is up and you still can't think of a way..." He didn't finish his sentence, but it was even more intimidating. Everyone was so scared that they didn't dare to breathe. Even when they were telling the doctor about their daughters' physical condition, they spoke in hushed tones.
"The Duke's mansion has dug many secret rooms to store ice, and several of these rooms are interconnected. The Madam is in charge of the details. I don't know exactly where the entrance to this secret room is, but I can send someone in to look for it!"
As Duke Wen walked along, he heard the maids vividly describe how terrifying Su Yuting was. He was very puzzled and wanted to see Su Yuting as soon as possible to find out the truth. With Dongfang Heng pressuring him so hard, he told her everything he knew.
"Lead the way, I must go find her myself!" With Shen Lixue's fate unknown, Dongfang Heng could not wait a moment longer.
Stepping out of the room, Zi Mo appeared beside Dongfang Heng, head bowed, and whispered, "Your Highness!"
"How did you protect her?" Dongfang Heng walked straight ahead, his tone as cold as ice. With so many guards protecting her, she still got into trouble.
"Your Highness, it was Princess Lixue who forbade us to make a move!" Zi Mo and four or five guards had been standing by the side. Since Shen Lixue had forbidden them from making a move, they could not act on their own.
Dongfang Heng paused, a layer of anger swirling in his eyes. He just loved to show off!
So, after Shen Lixue, Ye Qianlong, and Su Yuting fell into the hole, Shen Lixue kicked Su Yuting to the very bottom. When Su Yuting fell to the ground, Shen Lixue acted as a cushion for the two of them, her whole body aching as if it had been broken apart.
Ye Qianlong landed on Su Yuting without getting hurt. Shen Lixue was on top and was basically unharmed. She stood up and looked around carefully, discovering that it was a secret room filled with ice. Ice was everywhere, making people feel cold all over.
The ice room was completely frozen and not very large. If they didn't get rescued, they would either freeze to death or suffocate.
"Li Xue!" Ye Qianlong took off his outer coat and draped it over Shen Li Xue. His warm body temperature and faint fragrance were very pleasant. Shen Li Xue was terribly cold, but she did not refuse. She grabbed the half-dead Su Yuting and asked, "Where is the exit?"
Su Yuting opened her eyes, looked around, and snorted, "The secret rooms for storing ice are all opened from the outside; there are no mechanisms inside!"
Shen Lixue slapped Su Yuting twice, making her dizzy and seeing stars: "Don't try to fool me. When you get the ice, the door to the secret room will be closed. There are no traps inside. Do you want to freeze someone into ice?"
Blood trickled from the corner of Su Yuting's mouth as she glared hatefully at Shen Lixue, gritting her teeth. If she hadn't been in so much pain that she had no strength left, she would have killed Shen Lixue with a single sword strike long ago.
"If you won't tell me the mechanism, I'll find it myself!" With that, Shen Lixue tossed Su Yuting aside and went to find the mechanism.
Su Yuting fell onto the ice, and her already injured body was in even more unbearable pain. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from her forehead, and she silently cursed Shen Lixue through gritted teeth.
The mechanism is right at the exit. Although it's frozen, it still works. Smash the ice with force, press the mechanism, and the thick ice door slowly opens.
Shen Lixue breathed a sigh of relief: "Qianlong, let's go!"
"Okay!" Ye Qianlong replied, not even glancing at Su Yuting, and went straight out of the thick door.
After Shen Lixue walked out of the thick door, she glanced back at Su Yuting, turned around, grabbed her collar and dragged her outside.