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墨書 Inktalez
"Replying to the master, it is the First Prince!"
The answer from outside the carriage elicited a disdainful cold snort from the Beautiful Youth inside. His narrow Phoenix Eyes narrowed slightly, a fierce glint flickering within them.
His Red Lips parted slightly, and a chilling voice slowly escaped from his mouth—
"Good, very good! Since you are so heartless, you cannot blame me for being ruthless!"
...
Time passed in the blink of an eye, and soon a month had gone by.
During this month, Xin'er lived her life as usual.
Every day, after cleaning the White Jade Pavilion, she would go to the study at noon to practice her calligraphy, while Leng Yixuan would always be nearby, working on the accounts.
Time flowed in its usual tranquil manner, yet it felt so warm.
For Xin'er, although she had only been in this residence for a mere two months and had not known this man for long, it felt as if she had lived here for a long time and had known him for a lifetime...
"Xin'er, let's go to the market later!"
It was noon when Xiao Huan, having finished her own work, came to find Xin'er with a suggestion.
Hearing this while sweeping the fallen leaves in the front courtyard of the White Jade Pavilion, Xin'er paused for a moment and asked, "Why are you in such a good mood today to want to go to the market?"
"Ha ha, anyway, I've finished my work for today. Steward promised to give me half a day off to rest. It's been a while since I visited the market, so it's a good opportunity to go out for a walk and buy some fabric to make clothes for my parents and brothers," Xiao Huan said with a beaming smile.
Upon hearing this, Xin'er immediately nodded in agreement with a smile.
She knew from Xiao Huan that her family was not well-off, relying on her father who worked as a carpenter to support them.
Her mother was in poor health and had been bedridden for years, which was why they had brought her here to help support the family.
Xiao Huan was a very family-oriented girl; she handed over her monthly salary to her family and rarely treated herself to anything new, constantly buying things for her home instead.
So, upon hearing Xiao Huan's words, Xin'er readily agreed.
...
The streets of the Capital City were bustling and prosperous, being under the emperor's rule.
The afternoon sun was always so bright.
The golden sunshine bathed people in warmth.
A gentle breeze blew, lifting everyone's spirits.
On Upper Capital Street, shops lined the streets—taverns, brothels, silk shops, and everything one could imagine was available.
In front of the shop, numerous small vendors lined the street.
At this moment, it was the peak of the crowd, with people coming and going continuously. Luxury cars filled the streets, a sight to behold.
The vendors seized the opportunity to call out and attract customers.
Suddenly, the sounds of their calls rose and fell, intertwining with the various noises of the bustling street, creating an atmosphere of prosperity and vibrancy.
Xin'er and Xiao Huan walked hand in hand through the throngs of people.
Since Xiao Huan had many things to buy, Xin'er accompanied her as they dashed around for an entire afternoon.
After several hours of shopping, they grew tired and decided to find a relatively clean tea house to rest and enjoy some tea before heading home.
As dusk approached, the tea house was not overly crowded.
Thus, Xin'er and Xiao Huan found a window-side table and settled down.
After ordering two bowls of tea, they took a moment to relax.
It was the perfect opportunity to admire the sunset outside.
It was indeed rare for them to have such quiet time to sit back and enjoy the view.
Fortunately, Leng Yixuan had matters to attend to and wouldn't return until later that evening; otherwise, Xin'er wouldn't have had the chance to enjoy a leisurely outing with Xiao Huan.
At that moment, Xin'er was sipping her tea while engaging in a casual conversation with Xiao Huan.
However, it was at this time that the conversation of the people sitting at the table behind them caught the attention of both Xin'er and Xiao Huan.
"Have you heard!? Recently, several young girls have gone missing in Capital City, and their whereabouts are still unknown!"
"No way!? How do you know about this!?"
"You wouldn't know, but my cousin's son works at the government office, and it’s said that Lord Zhi Yuan has been busy dealing with the cases of those missing girls these past few days."
"Really!? Do you know where those missing girls have gone?!"
Hehe, you can guess with your toes that those missing are all young girls. It's obvious they've been abducted and sold to some brothels to make money..."
As the discussion continued among the people at the table behind them, Xin'er and Xiao Huan clearly listened in.
Both of them furrowed their brows slightly.
Since gossip is a woman's nature, Xiao Huan immediately whispered to Xin'er upon hearing this.
"Xin'er, did you hear that!? Isn't the security in Capital City usually very good!? But under the emperor's nose, there are actually people so audacious as to abduct good women. Oh my! This is terrifying; we should head back soon!"
After hearing this news, Xiao Huan felt a bit frightened.
After all, it was already dusk, and night would soon fall.
As the night grew deeper, the once bustling street gradually became less crowded.
Seeing Xiao Huan's frightened expression, Xin'er immediately nodded. After paying the Boss, the two quickly got up and headed towards the mansion.
At that moment, it was dusk. The sun was setting in the west, and the orange-red light filtered through the thick clouds, casting a slanted glow over the entire land, enveloping everything in a warm hue.
The streetlights had just begun to flicker on, and the number of pedestrians had decreased significantly. After all, most people were hurrying home for dinner at this hour.
Only a few taverns remained lively with business.
The journey from the Capital City back to the mansion would take about an hour, so Xin'er and Xiao Huan walked briskly.
However, Xiao Huan had bought many items, including fabrics and various daily necessities to bring back for her family.
With so much to carry, Xin'er naturally helped Xiao Huan with some of the load.
After walking for half an hour, both of them began to feel tired, especially since it was getting late and they wanted to return home soon.
Just then, Xiao Huan, who had been walking beside her, suddenly changed her expression slightly.
Noticing this, Xin'er couldn't help but ask with concern.
"Xiao Huan, what's wrong with you?"
"Oh, my stomach hurts so much. I don't know if the tea soup I drank earlier was dirty, but now I really need to use the restroom. Oh, I can hardly hold it anymore!"
As Xiao Huan spoke, her delicate little face contorted in pain from trying to hold it in.
Xin'er found the situation both amusing and helpless.
With a glance, she spotted an inn not far away and immediately took the things from Xiao Huan's hands, saying, "Xiao Huan, there's an inn over there. They must have a restroom. Hurry up!"
"Oh, okay! Xin'er, you have to wait for me here. I'll be back soon!"
While saying this, Xiao Huan dashed off, disappearing from Xin'er's sight in no time.
Watching Xiao Huan's pained expression made Xin'er unable to suppress a laugh.
However, with a large pile of items in her arms, Xin'er stood quietly on the street, waiting for Xiao Huan's return.
Yet as the sun set completely and the streetlights flickered on under the bright moonlight, Xiao Huan still had not come back.
Xin'er began to feel a bit worried. She wondered if something had happened to Xiao Huan.
Could she really be stuck in there for an entire hour? If this continued, would she faint from exhaustion?
Xin'er was filled with worry, so she decided to step in the direction where Xiao Huan had just left, hoping to find her and see how she was doing.
However, just as Xin'er had taken a few steps, she suddenly felt that something was off.
It seemed like someone was hurriedly approaching from behind her.
Confused by the thought, Xin'er turned to look back.
Yet, before she could fully turn around, a cloth was suddenly pressed over her nose.
Startled, Xin'er gasped in shock and instinctively tried to struggle. However, before she knew it, a wave of dizziness washed over her, and within seconds, she completely lost consciousness, dropping everything she held onto the ground.
A moment later, Xiao Huan finally rushed over, lifting her skirt as she ran.
"Xin'er! I'm done! That was exhausting! Let's go back! Huh? Xin'er, where are you?!"
Looking at the scattered items on the ground—everything she had just bought—Xiao Huan realized that Xin'er, who was supposed to be waiting for her here, was nowhere to be found. Her heart sank as her eyes widened in shock.
...
It was dark; everything around her was pitch black. Upon opening her eyes, it felt as if she had emerged from an endless abyss of despair.
Slowly reaching out to feel her surroundings, she touched the damp ground beneath her, which felt cold against her skin.
It was still spring; the nights were always so chilly.
Lying on the ground, even though there was a piece of fabric between her and the cold, the bone-chilling chill still seeped through, penetrating deep into her heart.
Cold, so cold!
Where on earth is this place!?
Just a moment ago, she had been standing on the street waiting for Xiao Huan. But after waiting for a long time, Xiao Huan still hadn’t returned. She wanted to go find Xiao Huan, but then she heard footsteps behind her. Before she could turn around to see who it was, someone immediately covered her mouth and nose with a cloth, and then…
Could it be!
Thinking of this, Xin'er seemed to have realized something. With a sudden movement, she sat up from the icy ground.
However, due to the force with which she sat up, a wave of dizziness hit her, causing her to fall back down onto the cold floor. It took several struggles before Xin'er finally managed to sit up again.
Having already adapted to the darkness, Xin'er’s beautiful eyes scanned her surroundings and she got a vague idea of where she was.
It appeared that this was a dungeon!
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