Poisoning

In the dim tunnel, the same oppressive feeling that had washed over him the last time he followed Qiao Bin inside returned. This time, Yang Ning followed Xu Yinyin with utmost care. When his head finally disappeared below ground, the tunnel door behind him slammed shut, cutting off the last trace of light.

The instant the stone door closed, Yang Ning's heart clenched. His pupils widened despite himself, his breathing quickened, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his undershirt. With every step downward, his legs trembled uncontrollably.

The dark, damp tunnel finally broke through Yang Ning's psychological defenses, forcing him to squeeze his eyes shut in an attempt to escape his fear.

Memories from two and a half years ago surged back like a tide—

The sandstorm outside Black Wind Ridge gradually died down.

"Unless you agree to two conditions..." Yang Ning looked at An Han before him, the corners of his lips curling into a meaningful smile.

"You lecher!" An Han glared at him viciously and turned away in anger.

"Miss, you haven't even heard the conditions yet. Why are you insulting me?" Yang Ning asked helplessly.

An Han still had her back to him, her tone stubborn. "I don't need to hear them to know. Not one of you men is any good! My father took more than thirty concubines over the years! Once my mother, his legal wife, grew old and lost her looks, he neglected her..."

"Enough, enough," Yang Ning hurriedly waved his hands. "I have no interest in hearing about someone else's family affairs."

An Han, the Demon Cult's eldest daughter, had meant to seize the chance to denounce her heartless father, but Yang Ning's remark cut her off. She angrily kicked away a pebble at her feet. Her golden hair fluttered in the air as she stubbornly retorted, "As if I wanted to say more to you!"

Yang Ning turned to look outside the cave. Seeing that the sandstorm had subsided enough not to impede their movements, he rose and brushed the dust from his robe.

"How about this? You help me kill someone, and I help you gather Star Sea Flowers. Deal?"

An Han turned around in confusion. "Who?"

Yang Ning shrugged and tugged at the Red Armband on his arm. "Everyone wearing one of these is my enemy."

An Han nodded without hesitation. "Fine. What's the second condition?"

The sandstorm outside the cave had stopped. Yang Ning's gaze suddenly sharpened—a figure was standing at the entrance, though he hadn't noticed when they appeared. The same glaring Red Armband was tied around their arm.

He swiftly drew the sword at his waist. "I'll tell you the second condition later!"

Just as Yang Ning squeezed his eyes shut, his thoughts churning, his fingers suddenly brushed against something soft and warm.

Xu Yinyin's hand trembled faintly, and she instinctively tried to pull away. In the darkness, her cheeks had already turned bright red. She had only meant to support his arm or take hold of his wrist, but by some strange twist of fate, their fingers had touched.

Xu Yinyin, whose heart was usually as still as water, now found it pounding as fiercely as Yang Ning's, gripped by fear. Under ordinary circumstances, she would have pulled her hand back at once, but the dim tunnel seemed to give her some inexplicable courage. Taking advantage of the darkness, Xu Yinyin reached out again, as if in a trance.

Yang Ning was far too distracted to notice anything. He only felt those cool fingers touch the same warmth again. The next moment, that soft hand clasped his firmly.

"Boss, keep your eyes closed and follow my steps," Xu Yinyin's voice came through the darkness.

"I... I've had them closed the whole time..."

Before long, guided by Xu Yinyin, the two of them quickly made it out of the tunnel and reached the first underground level.

Xu Yinyin looked down and realized that at some point their fingers had become interlaced. She looked up at Yang Ning, whose eyes were still firmly shut. Her ears were red, her cheeks burning, and her mind was beginning to swim.

Her heart pounded so fiercely that she could barely stay on her feet. She hurriedly pulled her hand away. "W-We're here."

Only then did Yang Ning open his eyes. Xu Yinyin had hung her canteen around her neck and was frantically fanning her face with both hands.

"It's so hot, unbelievably hot!" she explained to herself. "Tomorrow, I'll have them put some ice in the dungeon!"

Yang Ning was calming the fear the tunnel had stirred in him with deep breaths, while Xu Yinyin tried to fan away the heat rising within her. After each had spent a long while composing themselves, they turned toward one another at the same time, their gazes meeting in midair.

Xu Yinyin guiltily spoke first. "L-Let's go."

Yang Ning nodded, and the two walked side by side farther inside.

Xu Yinyin kept her head down the entire way, both hands gripping the strap on her canteen.

Yang Ning, meanwhile, kept checking the numbers on the cell doors. The Undercover Agent had gone mad, and his intelligence had already been extracted, so he was being held on the first level.

At the bottom of every cell on this underground level was a window about the size of a palm. The windows served two purposes.

First, every morning, the disciples on patrol would push open the iron flap and look inside to check on the prisoners.

The other purpose was to deliver meals. At noon and in the evening, food was sent in through these windows. "Sent in" was really just a figure of speech: to save themselves the trouble, the Law Enforcement Hall disciples would steam the buns, toss two into each window at every meal, and call it a day.