The captain of the guards' eyes flickered with wariness. He then gave Hermione a slight bow. "Sorry to disturb you."
With that, he pulled several hesitant guards away and retreated downstairs.
Once their figures disappeared, Hermione's calm expression immediately changed. Her brows furrowed slightly as she glanced at Zhao Xuan's door, took a light step forward, and kicked it with a bang.
"Open the door! I know you're awake!"
The girl's annoyed voice carried through the door.
Zhao Xuan shrugged. After opening the door and seeing the anger on her face, he rubbed his eyes as though he had just woken up. "What is it?"
Hermione said nothing, merely fixing him with her brown eyes.
The corridor fell silent for a moment. Wisps of green smoke, produced by the floor being scorched by lava, slowly drifted over, carrying a peculiar fragrance.
Zhao Xuan's nostrils twitched slightly, then his expression changed. Frowning, he looked around the corridor and asked Hermione in surprise, "What happened here?"
Hermione's expression did not change in the slightest. With her arms crossed over her chest, she glared at Zhao Xuan while the tip of her exquisite leather boot tapped against the corridor floor, making a steady tap-tap-tap.
"Let's go downstairs and get something to eat. You must be starving after the past two days."
In the end, Zhao Xuan could not hold out any longer. He turned and headed downstairs, looking rather like he was fleeing in defeat.
Hermione became even more certain that Zhao Xuan had been awake earlier. She wrinkled her delicate nose and hurried after him, her little leather boots clicking against the floor.
"You really were awake just now, weren't you?"
"No, I wasn't. Don't make things up!"
"Hmph. Pathetic."
"I was only testing your real combat ability!"
"So you admit it