Song Jiuchen had already stepped through the gates of the Punishment Mansion, but instead of going upstairs, he turned toward the darkness on the right. Ye Zhao and Ye Yu continued to follow him.
Mo Sen was injured—how could that woman still be in his room?
Shen Qingyao was not yet asleep. She sat cross-legged on her bed, gazing into the darkness beyond the iron bars. Compared to the shifting shadows on the walls, what lay within felt even more mysterious and eerie.
She had asked the guarding Punishment Guards earlier, and their explanation was the same as Qian Tong’s, but she didn’t believe it.
She could recognize the scent of horses, and this was definitely not it.
Yet many animals had pungent, gamey odors—foxes, weasels, goats, and the like. But those wouldn’t be kept here for taming, would they?
Shen Qingyao furrowed her brow slightly and pursed her lips. Though the darkness was separated by iron bars, and even a large beast couldn’t harm her, the feeling was deeply unsettling.
It wasn’t just mysterious or eerie.
There was also a sense of conspiracy, of being watched!
Behind her, the iron door to the quiet room stood open. A head peeked in, stealing glances at her.
It was one of the Punishment Guards assigned to watch her, sharing her surname—Shen Nian.
At that moment, an extremely faint sound of a door opening reached both his and Shen Qingyao’s ears, coming from the darkness behind the iron bars.
Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat. Her first instinct was to jump off the bed and run toward the door.
“Guard Shen, there’s movement in there.”
Shen Nian was also surprised, but he quickly guessed what it might be and stepped inside.
“It’s fine. Perhaps Lord Qian sent someone in to clean. Didn’t you say there was a smell in there earlier?”
Shen Qingyao hid behind him, peering cautiously into the darkness. Could that be it?
Meanwhile, at the far end of the darkness behind the iron bars, two figures appeared—Song Jiuchen and Ye Yu. To their right, a stone door was slowly closing, shut from the outside by Ye Zhao.
In the darkness, Song Jiuchen gazed toward the faint glimmer in the distance, his eyes profound. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he walked forward at a steady, unhurried pace.
His steps were incredibly light, making no sound at all. Even without a lamp, he could discern his surroundings. Something was slowly moving toward him, but he paid it no heed.
Back in the quiet room, Shen Qingyao and Shen Nian had reached the iron bars. Shen Qingyao urged him to call out—if someone had entered to clean, why wouldn’t they light a lamp?
Shen Nian listened to her and shouted, “Is someone in there cleaning?”
His shout echoed several times in response, fading from near to far, startling Shen Qingyao!
This meant the space inside was vast, not like the cramped animal enclosures in a zoo.
The two waited for a moment, but no reply came. Shen Nian quickly glanced at the stunned Shen Qingyao and explained, “It’s very deep in there. Perhaps the cleaners will respond once they get closer.”
Shen Qingyao remained silent. Since he said so, they would wait.
In the pitch-black beast confinement area, Song Jiuchen continued walking at his steady pace, with Ye Yu following behind him. The things approaching them were also drawing nearer, step by step.
Four pairs of faintly glowing green eyes flickered in the darkness to their left.
They had all heard the earlier shout, but without Song Jiuchen’s signal, Ye Yu did not respond.
As the distance closed, Song Jiuchen finally caught a clear glimpse of the woman’s appearance and halted. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his deep gaze calmly assessing her.
She wore a snow-white prisoner’s uniform, her long hair loosely tucked behind her ears, as she clung to the iron bars, peering inside with a face of unparalleled beauty filled with curiosity.
The corner of his mouth lifted, his gaze flickering.
It seems she really has recovered completely!
Before him stood a chair, which Ye Yu was wiping clean. Once finished, he sat down.
Immediately, four animals appeared to his right—neither foxes nor wolves, but large tigers with vibrant stripes and robust builds.
They all stretched their heads toward him, and he casually patted one of them. As if possessing intelligence, they immediately crouched at his feet, closing their eyes, as docile as cats.
He turned his face slightly, silently signaling Ye Yu to converse with Shen Nian.
Ye Yu understood. Since there was some distance between them, he called out, “We’re here to remove the odor.”
Inside the quiet room, Shen Qingyao and Shen Nian finally received a response. Their expressions differed—Shen Nian’s pupils contracted, recognizing the voice as that of the prince’s personal guard.
Shen Qingyao frowned in confusion. Though she didn’t recognize the voice, she wondered why they weren’t lighting any lamps.
She thought for a moment and directly shouted, “Then why aren’t you lighting any lamps? Can you even see clearly in this pitch darkness?”
The girl’s voice was clear and crisp, delicate and melodious, exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
Song Jiuchen’s eyes curved with a smile, his shimmering gaze fixed intently on her. He wouldn’t speak, leaving all communication to Ye Yu.
He hadn’t brought Ye Zhao inside precisely to prevent Shen Qingyao from recognizing the voice, not wanting her to know he had come and was secretly observing her.
Ye Yu replied, “The higher-ups ordered no lamps to be lit. We’re familiar with this place and don’t need to see clearly.”
Since Shen Nian had asked if someone had come to clean, logically, he couldn’t ignore Shen Qingyao, the female prisoner.
Sending people to clean indicated the higher-ups’ concern for this female prisoner, which naturally came with specific instructions—a simple enough reasoning.
Shen Qingyao’s lips twitched, still harboring doubt and curiosity toward his words.
Since there was nothing else to do, she decided to ask.
“Why aren’t lamps allowed?”
“I don’t know.”
“…”
“Then can you come over and let me see you?”
“I’m busy.”
“Can you send someone else over?”
“Everyone’s busy.”
“…”
Shen Qingyao was utterly speechless, her dazed expression a mix of emotions.
Heh!
Song Jiuchen watched silently, a smile forming. This woman was quite amusing.
Shen Nian dared not laugh. Knowing who was inside, and to prevent Ye Yu from being exposed, he quickly explained, “Miss Shen, there really is such a rule from the higher-ups. The specific reason isn’t something we can know. Their refusal to meet you might be due to time constraints.”
Shen Qingyao fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then called out toward the inside.
“Your Highness, is that you?”
She wasn’t foolish—the tone of the conversation was calm and composed, clearly not the demeanor of a low-ranking Punishment Guard.
Besides, if they were here to remove the odor, why couldn’t they come over? Wasn’t the area in front of her part of the animal confinement zone?
Shen Nian was stunned. How had she guessed?
In the darkness, Ye Zhao knew he had been exposed and could only look at Song Jiuchen with a guilty expression.
Song Jiuchen didn’t blame him but signaled for him to open the iron bars.
This little girl is quite clever!
Shen Qingyao waited for a response, but instead of an answer, she felt the iron bars in her hands tremble slightly.
She froze for a moment, then immediately stepped back. Could it really be him?
As the entire iron gate rose, a tall and upright figure slowly emerged from the darkness, coming into Shen Qingyao’s view.
The man gazed directly at her, his eyes calm and steady.
Shen Qingyao’s heart skipped a beat. For some reason, facing this man now, she felt nervous again.
Perhaps it was because of the aura he carried, or his identity—when her mind was clear, she still feared him.
She bit her lip, her feet unconsciously retreating backward.
Shen Nian had already knelt down, while Ye Yu did not come out, staying behind to tend to the four tigers.
Song Jiuchen did not stop after stepping out of the iron gate, instead advancing step by step toward the woman in his sight.
Even though he saw she was about to bump into the bed after a few more steps, he offered no warning.
The closer he got, the deeper and more intense the look in his eyes became!