Gu Hanxun held the key belonging to Qin Anxin in his hand, examining it intently.
"Lu Feiyan, don't you want this key?" he murmured. "If you do, why don't you come and get it from me?"
Yes, from the moment Zhao Shuning appeared, he had known that she was the daughter of the Luo family and the granddaughter of Ye Feng.
She had suddenly appeared, covered in blood, and the spiritual power she emitted was extremely similar to the one he had sensed during the previous clash of spiritual forces. Although that particular spiritual power hadn't been released by him.
Since the commander of the imperial guards was also under Gu Hanxun's control, Zhao Shuning had been immediately sent to the Laundry Bureau as soon as she showed up.
At that time, there were two forces searching for Lu Feiyan. One was Qin Anxin, and the other was him.
The barrier had been set up personally by Ye Ge Lao. There were no more than five people in the world who could break through it. The only possible explanation for her to have entered was...
His mentor had once told him that he had incorporated the birth date of his granddaughter into the spiritual power shield.
However, the appearance of this young girl had truly caught Gu Hanxun by surprise.
Not only did she dare to look Qin Anxin straight in the eye during the memorial ceremony and help him up when he was in a sorry state, but she had also stayed up all night, exhausting all the precious purple lingcao, just to refine a Spirit - Nourishing Pill for him. This had left Gu Hanxun deeply shaken.
It was from that moment on that his heart began to waver.
He was a little afraid, afraid of her reaction when she found out that he had only been using her as a pawn.
Gu Hanxun had originally thought that Shuning was carefree and wouldn't notice as long as he didn't say anything. But he was wrong.
During the Flower - Seeking Festival, the way she looked at him was different from before.
She must have started to suspect him then, right?
Gu Hanxun put the key down, and a dull ache welled up in his chest.
Women were nothing in the grand scheme of things.
He had once thought that his aunt, Gu Qingqing, was the most remarkable woman in the world. But in the end, for the sake of a prince from the Hailing Kingdom, she had given birth to his child. And just a few years later, she was gone.
She had known full well that her body was not suitable for bearing children, yet she had still risked her life to do it.
At that time, Gu Hanxun had thought that his aunt's so - called love was the most illusory thing in the world. It was invisible and intangible.
It was only now, when he was experiencing this feeling firsthand, that he understood how difficult a decision his aunt had made and how powerful this emotion could be.
What Gu Hanxun didn't expect was that while he was sitting in the Chengxun Hall, wondering why Zhao Shuning hadn't come to him for the key or gone to find Qin Anxin,
Zhao Shuning had already appeared in a corner of the Fanghua Hall.
She carefully used her spiritual power to detect the location of the previous spiritual force. Then, she stealthily sneaked into the dungeon.
Gu Hanxun probably never imagined that he had only thought of Zhao Shuning as an alchemist, but she was also a spiritual herbalist. Moreover, her spiritual power was even stronger than her mental power.
She wrapped her aura tightly and slipped into the dungeon.
Qin Anxin was barely alive at this moment.
"Qin Anxin," someone called out to her.
Qin Anxin opened her eyes, and a searing pain shot across her face. Her eyes were half - closed, bound by the blood. All her fingernails and toenails had been pulled out, and everywhere she looked, there was nothing but scarlet.
Zhao Shuning was clearly shocked by how far Gu Hanxun had gone.
"Who are you?" Qin Anxin asked.
Zhao Shuning didn't reveal herself. She whispered, "I want to know where you've locked Ye Feng up."
The elder of the Qianji Kill organization? Qin Anxin was a bit taken aback.
"Who are you?" she repeated.
Zhao Shuning said, "Qin Anxin, if you tell me, I can relieve some of your pain."
"You're the first person to ask me about Ye Feng's whereabouts," Qin Anxin said.
Zhao Shuning frowned.
"Didn't Gu Hanxun ask you?"
Qin Anxin laughed weakly. "Him? Why would he ask me? It was he who imprisoned the elder of the Qianji Kill organization."
Zhao Shuning was stunned.
This was a possibility she had considered. But all the things Gu Hanxun had done before seemed to show that he held Ye Feng in high regard.
"Who exactly are you?" Qin Anxin asked.
Zhao Shuning revealed herself.
"Qin Anxin, there's no point in lying to me at this stage."
"Are you Lu Feiyan?"
"How do you know me?"
Qin Anxin said, "Apart from you, I can't think of anyone else who would care so much about the elder of the Qianji Kill organization. In fact, during the Flower - Seeking Festival, when you showed your true face, I started to suspect that you were the daughter of the Ruoqiang Marquis Mansion. Now it seems, haha... Gu Hanxun really laid out a huge plan. I've been smart all my life, but I've been completely used by him."
Zhao Shuning didn't understand what Qin Anxin meant.
"What do you mean?"
"Lu Feiyan, if even I know about your existence, do you think someone as shrewd as Gu Hanxun wouldn't?"
Zhao Shuning was stunned.
"Qin Anxin, you're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'm in this state. Why would I lie to you?"
Zhao Shuning said, "Do you dare let me plant my spiritual power in your spiritual root so that I can verify the truth of your words?"
"Go ahead," Qin Anxin said, closing her eyes and preparing herself.
Zhao Shuning's spiritual power entered Qin Anxin's body. She found her spiritual root and planted her own spiritual power in it.
A moment later, she suddenly opened her eyes.
Qin Anxin wasn't lying.
"How is this possible?"
From the very beginning, when she had landed in the palace of the Cangwu Kingdom, she had been a pawn in Gu Hanxun's game?
Before, she had stayed up all night, using all the purple lingcao to make the Spirit - Nourishing Pill for him, thinking that she owed him a debt of gratitude. She had even felt sorry for him, thinking that she was dragging him down.
But now it seemed that all of this had been part of Gu Hanxun's plan.
A second prince in his thirties, paralyzed in both legs, could have such a devious mind.
Zhao Shuning considered herself smart, but this time, she had miscalculated so badly.
"Lu Feiyan, you've been targeted by that man. It'll be hard for you to escape," Qin Anxin said.
Zhao Shuning took a step back.
Gu Hanxun was no good, and neither was Qin Anxin. Their struggle had nothing to do with her, but Gu Hanxun had forcibly dragged her into this conspiracy.
That innocent look, those pitiful eyes, those sincere words... They had made Zhao Shuning constantly dispel her doubts about him.
Gu Hanxun, you've hidden your true self so well.
"What about the key on your chest?" Zhao Shuning asked.
"It's just an ornament," Qin Anxin replied.
Zhao Shuning gave Qin Anxin a pill. Qin Anxin felt that the pain in her body had lessened significantly.
Zhao Shuning turned around and was about to leave.
"Lu Feiyan, this man has taken an interest in you. A pervert like him won't let you go."