Poisoning

In the dim tunnel, the same oppressive feeling that had washed over him when he last followed Qiao Bin returned. This time, Yang Ning cautiously followed behind Xu Yinyin. When the top of his head finally dipped below ground level, the tunnel door behind him slammed shut, cutting off the last sliver of light.

The instant the stone door closed, Yang Ning's heart lurched. His pupils involuntarily widened, his breathing grew rapid, and cold sweat instantly soaked his undershirt. With every step downward, his legs trembled uncontrollably.

The dark, damp tunnel finally broke Yang Ning's psychological defenses, forcing him to close his eyes tightly, attempting to escape his fear in this way.

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

The wind and sand outside Black Wind Ridge gradually subsided.

"Unless you agree to my two conditions..." Yang Ning looked at An Han before him, a meaningful smile curving his lips.

"Lecher!" An Han glared at him fiercely, turning her back in annoyance.

"You, girl, are calling names without even hearing the conditions?" Yang Ning looked helpless.

An Han remained with her back to him, her tone stubborn: "I don't need to hear them to know that none of you men are any good! My father took over thirty concubines! My mother, as the legal wife, was neglected when she grew old and faded..."

"Stop, stop," Yang Ning quickly waved his hands, "I have no interest in hearing about other people's family affairs."

An Han, the young lady of the Demonic Cult, had intended to take the opportunity to scold her heartless father, but Yang Ning shut her down with a single sentence. Angrily, she kicked a stone at her feet, her golden hair flying in the air. She said stubbornly, "Who cares to talk to you anymore!"

Yang Ning turned to look outside the cave. Seeing that the wind and sand had subsided and wouldn't interfere with their actions, he stood up and brushed the dust off his robes.

"How about this: you help me kill someone, and I'll help you collect the Star Sea Flower, how about it?"

An Han turned around, puzzled: "Kill who?"

Yang Ning shrugged, tugging at the red armband on his arm: "Everyone wearing this armband is my enemy."

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

By this time, the wind and sand outside had stopped. Yang Ning's gaze suddenly sharpened--a figure stood at the cave entrance, an eye-catching red armband also tied to their arm.

He abruptly drew the sword at his waist: "The second condition, we'll discuss later!"

Just as Yang Ning kept his eyes shut, his mind racing, his fingers suddenly touched something soft and warm.

Xu Yinyin's hand trembled slightly, and she instinctively tried to pull it back. In the darkness, her cheeks were already flushed crimson. She had only intended to support his arm or grasp his wrist, but unexpectedly, their fingers touched.

Xu Yinyin, who had been calm and serene, now felt her heart pounding as violently as Yang Ning's, who was consumed by fear. If it were any other time, she would have immediately withdrawn her hand, but the dim tunnel at this moment seemed to give her an inexplicable courage. Taking advantage of the darkness, Xu Yinyin, as if possessed, reached out again.

Yang Ning, however, was too preoccupied to notice. He only felt cool fingers touch that warmth again. The next second, that soft hand firmly grasped his.

"Boss, close your eyes and follow my steps," Xu Yinyin's voice came from the darkness.

"I... I already closed them..."

Before long, led by Xu Yinyin, they quickly emerged from the tunnel and arrived at the first underground level.

Xu Yinyin looked down and realized that their hands were now intertwined. She looked up at Yang Ning, who still had his eyes closed, her earlobes burning red, her cheeks hot, and her mind in a daze.

Her racing heart made Xu Yinyin almost unable to stand steadily. She hastily withdrew her hand: "We... we're here."

Yang Ning finally opened his eyes and saw Xu Yinyin hanging a water flask around her neck, fanning herself vigorously with both hands.

"It's too hot, simply too hot!" she explained to herself. "Tomorrow, I must have them put some ice in the dungeon!"

At this moment, Yang Ning was calming the fear induced by the tunnel through deep breaths, while Xu Yinyin was trying to hide her inner heat by fanning herself. After they had both adjusted for a while, they simultaneously turned to each other, their gazes meeting in mid-air.

Xu Yinyin guiltily spoke first: "Let's... let's go."

Yang Ning nodded, and they walked inside side by side.

Xu Yinyin kept her head down the entire way, her hands constantly fiddling with the strap of her water flask.

Yang Ning, on the other hand, was looking at the numbers on the prison doors on either side. That mole had gone mad, and his intelligence had already been extracted, so he was locked up on the first level.

Each prison cell on this first underground level had a palm-sized window at the bottom. This window served two purposes.

Firstly, every morning, patrolling disciples would push open a metal sheet and look inside to confirm the prisoner's condition.

The other use was for delivering food. Meals for both lunch and dinner were passed through this window every day. To "pass through" was essentially to "toss in." To save trouble, the disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall would steam the buns and then toss two into each window for every meal, and that was that.