Time ticked by. Even if she wanted to ask someone for directions, there was no one around. Gu Jiangyue's last bit of patience vanished completely. She simply randomly chose a path at the fork of the corridor and turned in. She didn't care where it led; it should be close to Xie Jiuan anyway.
The scenery here was a bit different from before. It was late spring in March, and the weather hadn't fully warmed up yet. But the deeper she walked, the warmer Gu Jiangyue felt.
She was a bit curious and walked more cautiously, looking around as she went.
Finally, when she was almost at the end, she saw something different.
There was a puff of mist surging out from the end of the path, blocking her view. Gu Jiangyue wanted to step forward to see what was going on. Suddenly, she felt a tightness around her ankle. To be more precise, someone in the thick mist had grabbed her ankle with their hand.
Before Gu Jiangyue could open her mouth to call for help, the hand on her ankle yanked hard, pulling her down.
"Plop!" Gu Jiangyue didn't feel much pain. Unexpectedly, she was pulled into some kind of lake. Now she was completely soaked, and her eyes were hard to open because of the discomfort.
But the most important thing was that she couldn't swim.
When she was young, she was pushed into the pond in the Gu Mansion by Gu Zhengwan. Since then, she had developed a shadow and become extremely afraid of water. There was no way she would learn to swim. Even though she had been reborn, she was still as afraid of water as before.
Just as Gu Jiangyue was flailing around desperately with her hands and feet, she felt a strong hand wrap around her waist and pull her to a stone wall.
The moment Gu Jiangyue's head emerged from the water, she opened her mouth and gasped for air.
Xie Jiuan was propping one hand on the stone wall and holding Gu Jiangyue's waist with the other.
When he saw that it was Gu Jiangyue, the anger on his face dissipated a bit. His amorous peach blossom eyes were filled with a smile as he leisurely looked at the girl in front of him.
This hot spring pool was a place he had specially set up. No outsiders were allowed to enter casually, so it was very hard to find. He had no idea how this girl had managed to find it.
Gu Jiangyue gasped for air as if she wanted to inhale all the surrounding air into her lungs. Her two hands were tightly clutching Xie Jiuan's shoulders to prevent herself from slipping back into the pool.
She never wanted to experience such a terrible feeling again.
"Miss Gu, are you peeping at this prince?"
A familiar voice with a smile rang in Gu Jiangyue's ear. This sudden question left her a bit dazed. Then a guess popped into her mind, and her small face turned visibly red.
This was clearly Xie Jiuan's voice. Could the person in front of her be Xie Jiuan?
Gu Jiangyue shook her head to shake off the water on her head, then barely opened her eyes and saw the person in front of her. The moment she saw him, her heart sank.
Xie Jiuan was bare - chested. With his demonic - looking face, his beautiful peach blossom eyes were staring at her, and a teasing smile was about to appear on his lips.
Gu Jiangyue looked at Xie Jiuan's bare upper body and felt that the hands on his shoulders were burning.
She wanted to let go but almost slipped back into the water. She had no choice but to put her hands back and didn't dare to move.
Gu Jiangyue lowered her head to avoid Xie Jiuan's gaze and opened her mouth nervously, her voice getting smaller and smaller.
"I... I just took the wrong path by accident. I didn't mean to peep at you."
Xie Jiuan let out a soft laugh. Looking at the wet and blushing Gu Jiangyue in his arms, he had the urge to tease her. This was the first time he had seen Gu Jiangyue in such a mess.
How could Gu Jiangyue know what Xie Jiuan was thinking? She was completely soaked. Her originally thin clothes were now tightly clinging to her body, outlining every curve and leaving nothing to the imagination.
Gu Jiangyue felt a pair of eyes constantly scanning and sizing her up. She tentatively looked up and her eyes met Xie Jiuan's dark and unfathomable ones.
"Lecher!"
Her voice trembled as if she had gritted her teeth to say these words. She quickly withdrew one hand and covered her chest to block Xie Jiuan's view.
Xie Jiuan was stunned by her words. He really hadn't thought in that way and suddenly felt a bit wronged. He quickly shifted his gaze.
"Miss Gu, do you know what will happen to those who peep at this prince?"
Gu Jiangyue shook her head, indicating that she didn't know.
"This prince will cut out her tongue and then dig out her eyes."
As he spoke, Xie Jiuan leaned closer to Gu Jiangyue and deliberately lowered his voice to scare her.
Everyone knew that the Ninth Prince of the Great Xia was the most favored by the emperor and was domineering and lawless all day long.
If it were someone else who said these words today, Gu Jiangyue definitely wouldn't believe them. But the person in front of her was the legendary Ninth Prince Xie Jiuan.
Gu Jiangyue really believed that he would do such a thing. She immediately covered her eyes with the hand that was protecting her chest. Then, as if she had thought of something, she said nervously.
"Would the Ninth Prince be willing?"
Xie Jiuan didn't expect her to reply like this. He was also stunned for a moment. His gaze slowly shifted to Gu Jiangyue's eyes, and he just happened to find that Gu Jiangyue was also secretly looking at his reaction through her fingers.
Gu Jiangyue's almond eyes were constantly blinking. Her eyelashes were very long and looked wet under the steam. Now there was less hatred and scheming in her eyes than when he first saw her. At least these eyes now had the clarity and brightness that a teenage girl should have.
Xie Jiuan thought that this was the purest Gu Jiangyue.
Xie Jiuan's beautiful peach blossom eyes darkened. A complex emotion welled up in his heart. He gently parted his thin lips and gave a very gentle smile. He really seemed reluctant.
It would be a pity to dig out Gu Jiangyue's eyes. He really liked these eyes that seemed to be full of stories. He also wanted to study the owner of these eyes well, so he naturally couldn't just dig them out.
Seeing that Xie Jiuan didn't reply for a long time, Gu Jiangyue tentatively called him.
"Ninth Prince, I have some intelligence here. If you dig out my eyes, I won't give you the intelligence either."
Her voice was a bit tentative, but in Xie Jiuan's ears, it sounded more like she was sulking.
"Since you've seen this prince, this prince has to see you back."
Xie Jiuan's voice was clearly filled with a smile. As he spoke, his gaze moved down from Gu Jiangyue's blushing face.
Gu Jiangyue didn't want to pay attention to him anymore. She had already mentioned the intelligence. She thought that Xie Jiuan was not an ordinary person. He was just angry because she had intruded into his hot spring pool and was just teasing her.
Moreover, Xie Jiuan also knew Gu Jiangyue's personality. If he really did something today, Gu Jiangyue would definitely not go back on her word. Although it wouldn't be difficult for Xie Jiuan to find out that intelligence with his strength, it would still take a lot of time.
By then, it was not certain whether this information could bring down the Lin family.
Xie Jiuan watched as Gu Jiangyue tightly protected her chest, looking determined and ready to die. He didn't want to make a fool of himself anymore. He was going to keep this girl for great use in the future, so he naturally wouldn't do anything to threaten her now.
Gu Jiangyue only felt the hand around her waist tighten a bit. Then she was picked up horizontally by Xie Jiuan and carried out of the hot spring.