In the pitch - black space, the cold wind howled. Su Wan'er subconsciously took a few steps forward, trying her best to get closer to Si Junlin.
Si Junlin generously extended his hand. "If you're scared, hold my hand."
Su Wan'er looked at his hand. Suddenly, she gritted her teeth and turned her head. "No, I'm not scared."
Si Junlin saw the stubborn look on her face. Suddenly, he thought she looked cute like this. Before she noticed, he reached out and grabbed her wrist. "You're not scared, but I am. Is that okay?"
When he held her hand, Su Wan'er's heart trembled for a moment, but then she quickly regained her composure.
The two walked forward all the way. Finally, after bypassing three or four junctions, Si Junlin led Su Wan'er into a stone chamber.
There were bottles and jars everywhere, and there was an alchemy furnace in the middle. It was clearly a place for making pills.
Su Wan'er's eyes narrowed slightly. A rumor came to her mind. It was said that when the former emperor was on the throne, he was very fond of making pills. So he set up a palace in the imperial palace for this purpose, named "Huang Hall". However, no one in the palace had ever seen the Huang Hall.
Su Wan'er carefully looked around. Sure enough, beside the stone chamber, she found a stone - carved plaque that read "Huang Twelve".
"Is this the Huang Hall?" Su Wan'er wondered.
Si Junlin looked back at her. "Yes, this is indeed the Huang Hall. To be exact, the entire underground palace is the Huang Hall, and this is the twelfth room of it."
"The former emperor liked to make pills or read pill - related books here when he was on the throne." Si Junlin walked to the table with a somewhat nostalgic look. There were many bottles and jars on it.
Su Wan'er followed him and asked the question in her mind. "Your Majesty, why did you bring me here?"
"There's a kind of hallucinogenic drug here that the former emperor accidentally made. If used on someone and slightly guided, it can make the person have corresponding illusions according to your words." Si Junlin turned to look at her.
Su Wan'er fell silent. "Isn't this method a bit too despicable?"
"Then shall we make public the fact that you and I have swapped souls?" If it weren't for the pressure from the Empress Dowager, he wouldn't have wanted to use such a method.
"Fine, I'll listen to you." Just thinking about the danger they would face if the fact that they had swapped souls was known to outsiders, she thought it was better to "let others take the blame rather than myself".
"Good, come and help then." Si Junlin reached out his hand and began to rummage through the many jars.
Su Wan'er asked puzzledly, "How do we look for it?"
"Like this. Lift the lid a little, then fan gently with your hand and smell the inside. If it's the hallucinogenic drug, it should have some effect." Si Junlin demonstrated it to Su Wan'er.
Su Wan'er replied with an "oh" and then began to search on the other side.
There were at least several thousand bottles and jars here. Looking for the hallucinogenic drug among them was like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Suddenly, Su Wan'er's attention was attracted by a colorful bottle.
She walked to the bottle and wanted to smell the inside as she did before.
Unexpectedly, she walked too hurriedly and stepped on a bottle that had fallen to the ground but didn't break.
"Ah!" Su Wan'er screamed and fell backward.
The most crucial thing was not this, but her hand. While flailing around, she accidentally knocked over the colorful bottle.
A large amount of powder spilled out of the bottle and landed all over her.
By the time Si Junlin heard Su Wan'er's scream and wanted to come to her rescue, it was already too late.
Finally, he could only watch helplessly as Su Wan'er fell to the ground, covered with a layer of white powder.
"Ugh, cough, cough, cough." Su Wan'er didn't think these powders were good things. Even if it was just dust, she didn't want to inhale it.
"Are you okay?" Si Junlin handed her a bowl of water.
Su Wan'er took it and took a sip, then looked up in confusion. "Where did this water come from?"
Si Junlin pointed into the distance. "There's an underground spring there."
Su Wan'er quickly rushed over to wash herself.
But even after washing, Su Wan'er still inhaled some of the powder.
"Are you okay?" Si Junlin asked hesitantly.
Su Wan'er asked puzzledly, "What's wrong with me?"
Si Junlin took a mirror. Su Wan'er found that her face was extremely red, just like the red cloth used in weddings. "I... I didn't get drugged with an aphrodisiac, did I?"
Just as she said this, she felt her body start to heat up. It was exactly the feeling of being drugged with an aphrodisiac.
"Impossible. The former emperor wouldn't put such things in the Huang Hall." Even the hallucinogenic drug was only for interrogating assassins.
Su Wan'er gasped for breath. "Then what's wrong with me?"
Now her vision was blurred. She felt that something was wrong with her whole body. Vaguely, she felt that she had come to a place full of soft and fragrant women. She had transformed into a man, and in front of her was the number - one courtesan.
"Hey, don't mess around." Si Junlin watched as the woman suddenly reached out to touch him and quickly reached out to hold her back.
"Mind your own business. I've paid the money. If you dare not obey, be careful or I'll complain to your madam." She slapped Si Junlin's hand hard and said dissatisfiedly. Then she opened her mouth and blocked his lips.
Si Junlin felt a pair of soft lips on his. The sweetness was a feeling that no other concubine could give him.
This woman... A look of helplessness flashed in Si Junlin's eyes. While resisting the woman's groping, he glanced at the bottle on the ground.
Just one look at the bottle made his eyes widen.
This was exactly what was meant by "search high and low without success, only to find it without any effort". But... just one spoonful of this drug could make a person have an inescapable illusion.
Moreover, once this stuff got on someone, washing with water wouldn't work. They could only wait for the drug to wear off.
"Rip!" A clear sound rang out. Si Junlin's clothes were instantly torn.
Si Junlin wanted to guide Su Wan'er through words, but he didn't know what kind of illusion she was in. He could only try his best to make Su Wan'er control her actions.
"Wan'er?" He tried to control the situation.
His call only got a heavy slap from Su Wan'er. She slapped directly on Si Junlin's buttocks. "Who allowed you to call me that? You're so disrespectful."
"Do you know where this is?" Si Junlin held her jade hand that was reaching into his chest.
Su Wan'er said with a blurred look in her eyes. "Of course I know. Isn't this the Drunken Red Courtyard?"