Fortunately,
The current Dongfang Yinuo
Was not alone.
The moment she collapsed,
Xia Jingning reacted quickly and pulled her into his arms.
It was as warm as he had imagined.
"Don't be in a hurry. Since the elder has come, she won't leave again."
Their eyes met.
The two shared a smile.
"You sit here. I'll go and check."
Dongfang Yinuo nodded.
Xia Jingning stepped forward and opened the last secret door.
The person standing in front of them was Zhao Shuning, whom they had been eagerly awaiting.
Seeing Xia Jingning,
Zhao Shuning didn't seem surprised at all.
As early as in the Duke's Mansion, Zhao Shuning had noticed that there was something special between the two of them.
At that time,
Dongfang Yinuo was head - over - heels in love with Xia Jingning. She was so enthusiastic that she kept rushing forward, while Xia Jingning was gradually retreating under her passionate pursuit.
But Xia Jingning was too proud at that time. No matter what, he never admitted that he had fallen for Dongfang Yinuo.
When they parted,
Seeing Xia Jingning's eyes,
Zhao Shuning knew that
Dongfang Yinuo, the little princess of Dongzhou, had spent more than a decade, and finally, she had slowly walked into Xia Jingning's heart.
It was just that Xia Jingning was a bit slow to realize it.
Zhao Shuning only gave a few subtle hints.
Once he came to his senses, he rushed to Dongzhou in a hurry to rescue Dongfang Yinuo.
This was within Zhao Shuning's expectations.
For the two of them, this was a kind of liberation.
Breaking free from the shadow of Dongfang Yuchen, they could join hands again.
Otherwise,
The two of them
Would surely end up alone in their old age.
"Elder."
Zhao Shuning nodded.
"How long have you been here?"
"Less than ten days."
Zhao Shuning walked forward.
Dongfang Yinuo was sitting in the corner, looking at Zhao Shuning longingly.
Zhao Shuning looked at the corpse beside her.
Seeing that the once lively and pampered sunflower had now become so listless, she knew that Dongfang Yinuo had suffered a great deal.
"Senior—"
Dongfang Yinuo had just seen Zhao Shuning.
She murmured these two words.
Closing her eyes,
Tears welled up again.
Zhao Shuning stepped forward and wiped away her tears.
"Don't cry. I've told you before that when you came back this time, you would be facing a sea of fire. Do you regret it?"
Dongfang Yinuo shook her head.
"Senior, my mother—"
"Your mother is beyond rescue, but she must be very gratified because in her last days, her beloved daughter was always by her side."
"It's all my fault, Yinuo."
"Your mother would be unhappy if she saw you like this. Dongfang Yinuo, you are the princess of Dongzhou and the future hope of Dongzhou. You shouldn't be the crying and mischievous Dongfang Yinuo anymore. Do you understand?"
Dongfang Yinuo wiped away her own tears.
She nodded firmly.
"I understand."
Zhao Shuning stood up.
She said, "I came to the palace alone at night this time. I'm not familiar with the Dongzhou Palace. I need you to show me the way."
"Senior, don't worry."
"The place I'm going to is very dangerous. You may even lose your life. Are you still willing to go with me?"
"Senior got involved in this dispute because of Yinuo. Yinuo will never abandon you for my own safety. Senior, even if it means going to my death, Yinuo is willing to go with you."
Xia Jingning was standing beside them, listening with his head down.
His face
Was also gloomy.
Zhao Shuning said to the two of them, "Have you two confirmed your feelings for each other?"
The two nodded.
Their eyes averted each other when they met.
This shyness was so beautiful.
It even made Zhao Shuning feel a bit reluctant.
"Elder, you don't have to worry about us. Although I'm not very capable, I know what righteousness is. This is Yinuo's decision, and I will surely respect it."
"What if she?"
"If she can come back, then in the rest of our lives, we will join hands and grow old together."
"But if Yinuo doesn't come back, I, Xia Jingning, will also keep her in my heart. If Yinuo doesn't go, even if we all survive in the end, I'm afraid we will spend the rest of our lives in regret. Yinuo would surely not want such a life. I, as a descendant of Emperor Huiyuan, will never make such a cowardly decision."
Zhao Shuning looked at Xia Jingning.
She thought that at this moment,
He really resembled Xia Qingyan a bit.
When he was stubborn,
When he was serious,
The people of the Xia family also had the same passion as she did when she was roaming the world.
"Now, the outside is like an iron - walled fortress. How could I let you two take risks?"
Zhao Shuning suddenly smiled.
Then she said, "You two hide in this secret room. If I don't come back when the time is up, you can go out."
"Senior?"
"What does the elder mean?"
Zhao Shuning stretched out her right index finger.
She said to Dongfang Yinuo,
"I want to enter your spiritual sea and memorize all the corridors in the palace one by one. Are you willing? The process may be a bit painful and cause you some discomfort."
"I'm willing."
Dongfang Yinuo slowly stood up.
She walked directly in front of Zhao Shuning.
Then,
Zhao Shuning's finger
Slowly aligned with Dongfang Yinuo's brow.
All of a sudden,
A powerful spiritual force rushed into Dongfang Yinuo's body from her brow. Under the sweep of this spiritual force, Dongfang Yinuo seemed like a transparent person.
She stood there,
Being thoroughly analyzed.
Time
Passed quickly.
In just a moment,
Zhao Shuning had already imprinted all the roads in her mind.
Her finger slowly left.
Dongfang Yinuo opened her eyes.
Was it over?
"I'm a bit direction - challenged when it comes to roads, so it took a bit longer."
Zhao Shuning explained.
Dongfang Yinuo quickly said, "Senior, I'll go with you."
"No need."
"Senior, I can do it. This is what I should do."
"Your going with me won't be of much use. Maybe I'll have to spare some of my attention to protect you."
Dongfang Yinuo fell silent.
It was all her fault.
When she was young, she was too playful and didn't lay a good foundation.
"Xia Jingning, take good care of her."
"Elder, don't worry."
Zhao Shuning took out another night - pearl from her pocket and threw it to the two of them.
She also left a bag of dry rations for them.
"I see you've brought a lot of water. These things should be enough for you to last about ten days."
"Senior, there are two people in the palace whose strength should not be underestimated. You must be careful."
"I know."
Zhao Shuning had already experienced the abilities of Mo Yan and Mo Bai.
So,
This matter
Could not be dealt with by force.
It had to be outwitted.
Even if they tried to outwit them, the probability of success was less than 10%.
Zhao Shuning walked towards the secret door.
The secret door closed.
Dongfang Yinuo and Xia Jingning knelt on their knees in front of the secret door.
They bowed deeply, extremely pious.