Master Jin once again forced a smile, his large golden tooth gleaming. "Since we're all clever people, let's not mince words. Young Master Ninth poisoned me because you're certain I have dealings with the Immortal City of Yunhuang, and you want to force me to cooperate, right?"
Chu'he looked up in surprise.
Ninth: "I didn’t—"
Chu'he covered Ninth's mouth and nodded with an air of profound wisdom. "Exactly. Ninth is brilliant. He knew ordinary methods wouldn’t sway Master Jin, so he had to resort to some Miaojiang techniques."
Master Jin's eyelid twitched. "The methods of Miaojiang are indeed impossible to guard against."
"If you know about Miaojiang, then you must understand how terrifying their poisons are. Even if you try to deny it, the gu poison in your body won’t give you the chance."
Master Jin gritted his teeth. "Yes, I’m well aware."
The torment of wanting to relieve himself but being unable to, the despair of knowing his family line—the Old Song Family’s nine generations of single heirs—might end with him… Such suffering was unbearable for any ordinary man.
Chu'he released her hand from Ninth's mouth, snatched the half-eaten candied hawthorn from his grasp, and secretly pinched his waist.
Ninth straightened his posture, standing tall and elegant, exuding an air of mastery.
He smiled faintly. "That’s right. I’m terrifying."
Master Jin studied Ninth again.
That faintly mocking expression, those eyes that looked at him as if he were an insect, yet without a trace of killing intent—it was utterly unfathomable.
His ability to conceal his true emotions spoke of his cunning and ruthlessness. Being outmaneuvered by him was no disgrace.
Master Jin cleared his throat. "I know what you want. I’ll tell you what I know, but you must cure me. The Old Song Family’s lineage must not end with me."
Chu'he crossed her arms. "You’ll have to speak first. How else will we know if your information is worth the antidote?"
Ninth’s eyes curved sweetly. "Yes, how will we know if your information is valuable?"
Master Jin clenched his jaw but decided to reveal a part of it. "The lord of the Immortal City of Yunhuang has already arrived in Canghaizhou. Not only that, but he also has an insider here."
Chu'he: "We could’ve guessed that. Tell us something we don’t know."
Ninth’s gaze shimmered. "Tell us something we don’t know."
Master Jin had no choice but to continue. "The lord and his insider never show their true faces in front of me, so I don’t know what they look like. But I know they have a plan. Yesterday, they were supposed to meet at the House of Tender Delights to finalize it."
Chu'he asked, "What plan?"
Ninth echoed, "What’s the plan?"
"The insider will release a deadly poison developed by the Immortal City of Yunhuang into the water supply at a specific time and place. When that happens, no one in the city will escape." Master Jin paused, then smirked. "As for when and where… you’ll have to cure me first. From what I know, the time is almost upon us."
Chu'he realized—this was why, in the original plot, Canghaizhou had fallen so easily. They had poisoned the entire city’s water supply.
She tugged Ninth’s hand. "Give him something."
Ninth acted decisively, tossing a pill over. "Take it."
Master Jin’s face lit up with excitement. He shoved the pill into his mouth, and soon, he felt his body returning to normal. Clutching his stomach, he bolted for the outhouse.
Chu'he blocked his path. "You haven’t told us the time and place!"
"Tonight at midnight, the underground river beneath the tower!"
Master Jin dodged past Chu'he and sprinted out the door. Just as he stepped outside, he glanced back at the room, his expression shifting as he activated a hidden mechanism.
Suddenly, the door slammed shut, and arrows rained from all four walls.
Ninth pulled Chu'he into his arms, his figure darting gracefully through the air. His short flute gleamed coldly as he swept it in precise arcs, deflecting the arrows with sharp metallic clangs. Broken shafts clattered to the ground.
The moment Ninth’s feet touched the floor, another mechanism clicked. The stone tiles beneath them gave way, plunging them into a dark abyss.
Master Jin listened to the chaos inside and sneered. "I haven’t survived all these years for nothing."
He rushed to the outhouse, slammed the door shut, and soon, his agonized voice rang out again:
"Why can’t I pee again!?!"
The dark, enclosed space was cramped and stifling, the stone slab above them too heavy to lift from inside.
Chu'he kicked the wall in frustration. "That old snake is downright treacherous! We never should’ve cured him!"
"Ninth agrees."
A soft blue glow from luminous insects illuminated the chamber. The young man leaned lazily against the wall, twirling his flute with a playful flick of his fingers. Watching Chu'he’s furious pout, he found it amusing.
Chu'he moved closer. "We got played, and you’re enjoying this?"
"Who played whom… remains to be seen."
The cold light of the insects cast shadows on his face. Though his expression was indifferent, his eyes sparkled with mischief. He tapped the flute lightly, the soft "dong" echoing in the chamber.
"I promised to cure him. I never said I wouldn’t poison him again afterward."
Chu'he’s eyes widened. "You poisoned him again?!"
Ninth tilted his head slightly, his lips curling into a wicked grin. "Mhm."
Chu'he asked, "Ninth, how can you be so devious?"
Ninth countered, "Does Chu'he dislike it?"
Chu'he’s face remained blank for a second—before she suddenly burst into excitement. "I love it!"
She leaped onto him, wrapping her limbs around his body. Ninth quickly steadied her with his hands to keep her from slipping.
Strangely, despite the danger, Chu'he felt no fear—only the thrill of adventure.
She buried her face in his neck, inhaling his pleasant scent, then abruptly pulled back. "Wait, you poisoned Master Jin from the start, and I didn’t even know. Now you’ve done it again. Why target him so much?"
Ninth’s gaze drifted away. Instead of answering, he casually adjusted his grip on the girl clinging to him, stepping here and there while tapping the walls with his flute.
Chu'he tugged a strand of his white hair. "Ninth?"
He cleared his throat awkwardly, then looked down at her with a bright smile. "As Chu'he said, I’m brilliant. I knew from the start he was no good."
Chu'he eyed him skeptically.
Ninth simply leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips. "Hold tight. Things might get a little exciting."
As soon as he finished speaking, his hand pressed down on a brick that sounded different when tapped. The brick sank inward, and the ground beneath them suddenly trembled violently. Chu'he instinctively clutched Ninth's collar, feeling the stone wall beside them slowly retract inward.
Then, a narrow, steep downward passage appeared, followed by two sharp clicks. A commotion erupted above them.
Chu'he pointed upward. "Ninth, there’s a huge iron ball rolling down from above!"
"Let’s go," Ninth said, wrapping an arm around her waist with a low laugh.
In the next instant, he surged forward, his feet lightly tapping against protruding rocks as he carried Chu'he down the passage as effortlessly as if they were gliding on flat ground.
The deafening roar of the iron ball grew closer, accompanied by the rattling of falling debris, as if it intended to crush the narrow space into dust.
He moved too fast—even the shadow insects couldn’t keep up. In the suffocating darkness, only his crimson eyes burned like meteors, slicing through the inky blackness.
Dazed, Chu'he loosened her grip on his silver-white hair, entranced, her fingers reaching out as if to touch the trailing light of those falling stars.
Instead of searing heat, her fingertips met cold skin. Then, Ninth’s hand cradled the back of her head, and his lips crashed against hers in a fierce, urgent kiss.
They were running for their lives.
Yet they were kissing.
Like madmen, adrenaline, dopamine, and oxytocin surging through their veins, their heartbeats pounding like thunder.
The little green snake nearly flew off Chu'he’s shoulder, but she quickly caught it and pressed herself against Ninth’s chest, her face buried in the crook of his neck, breathing heavily.
Just as the iron ball was about to crush them, Ninth abruptly dropped low, dragging Chu'he into a narrow crevice barely wide enough to crawl through.
The iron ball slammed into the rock wall outside the crevice, sending a shower of debris raining down.
Ninth shielded Chu'he as they landed safely on the other side, his sweat-dampened bangs sticking to his cheeks, his eyes blazing with exhilaration.
Brushing dust from her hair, he chuckled softly. "Fun?"
Chu'he nodded vigorously, then spread her arms. "So much fun!"
Ninth lowered his head, resting his chin atop her hair. "There might be even deadlier traps ahead. Still want to play?"
She tugged at the strand of silver hair draped over his shoulder. "Yes!"
He poked her cheek. "You’re strange, Chu'he. Not scared at all."
"With you here, I’m not afraid of anything!"
The shadow insects finally caught up, their faint glow reflecting in her eyes like scattered stars.
Unable to resist, Ninth cupped her chin and kissed her again—soft, lingering presses between breathless laughter, his voice a mix of exasperation and fondness.
"Chu'he, you really are a silly little thing."
