Guan'er took A Shui's hand and led her toward the other end of the tunnel. A Shui knew this path led underground, not to the garden above. Shen Langhun listened as the sound of destroyed mechanisms faded into the distance, his heart filled with wariness. Where exactly was this little girl Guan'er taking them?
Dim oil lamps were embedded in the tunnel walls. Snow drifted above ground, but below, the air was stiflingly warm. The brick-paved passage had puddles of water, though it was clear no one had walked here for a long time. A Shui's eyes flickered. "Does this lead to the water prison?" Guan'er nodded, her face pale. "Yes. It's exactly like the one you were kept in. Miss Xue escaped from here. Everyone thought the water prison was a dead end, but they raised water snakes in there. Those snakes burrowed and loosened the stones near the water inlet, leaving a large gap. Miss Xue swam out through it. After she escaped, the master shut down the water prison. He ordered me to seal the exit completely, but I..." She gritted her teeth. "I only blocked it with stones—they can be pulled away anytime. No one else knows about this."
The entrance to the water prison was a bronze door. A Shui gazed at the familiar door with quiet intensity. She had thought she could face it calmly, yet her body trembled slightly—darkness, pain, slithering water snakes, the terror of near-death, unbreakable shackles... Neither Guan'er nor Shen Langhun noticed her fear; her expression remained composed. The bronze door was secured with dozens of chains and a massive lock, confirming it as a dead end. Shen Langhun pulled a thin wire from his sleeve and inserted it into the lock. After a few twists, the lock clicked open. Guan'er stared at him in amazement, but Shen Langhun paid no mind to her reaction. He pushed the door open with both hands, revealing the long-sealed water prison.
Stifling air rushed out. A Shui closed her eyes, her chest tight with an indescribable nausea. Memories of the water prison refused to fade—that door led to a hell of malice. One more glance inside, and she might suddenly realize she had never been saved, that she was still trapped in that dark, terrifying prison, and everything now was just a dream before death. Overwhelming fear filled her heart, her chest churning with sickness. She clenched her teeth and suddenly thought... So... so this was how intense emotions could truly make someone vomit. When Tang Lici had heard her say "I like Xiao Fu," he had nearly killed her, then vomited violently—was that also from overwhelming emotion? She opened her eyes, and all her fear turned into a bitter ache. Those emotions that had made him vomit... were they from anger, or something else? Fear? Disappointment? Heartbreak?
He wanted to be loved by someone who "would die for him," but... in truth, no one truly loved him, because no one could stand without fearing him.With a "plop," Shen Langhun jumped into the water, groping around to move a large stone from the bottom. The water in the prison cell instantly flowed more violently, and the air seemed to freshen slightly. Guan'er brought in the oil lamp from the tunnel wall, but the dim light barely pierced the darkness beneath the turbulent water, revealing nothing. Unidentifiable creatures still swam in the depths—likely water snakes. After feeling around for a while, Shen Langhun said, "There's indeed a passage down here. Guan'er, you can escape through it."
Guan'er stared at the black water, clearly terrified. "What about you? Aren’t you leaving?"
"I want to find Miss Xue and verify what you said," Shen Langhun replied calmly. "Besides, A Shui and I came here to help Raging Orchid No Trace rescue Miss Xue. Now that he’s missing, at the very least, we must confirm that he and Miss Xue are safe before we leave."
Guan'er snapped, "Are you insane? Right now, he’s the one causing chaos up there, so the master has no time to deal with you. This is the perfect chance! If you don’t leave now, soon the place will be swarming with the master’s men—where will you run then?"
A Shui said softly, "Brother Shen is right. We must find Miss Xue first."
Guan'er stamped her foot. "You—you’re all mad! Stubborn fools! I don’t know where Miss Xue is kept. There are nine tunnels down here—good luck finding her!"
A Shui reached into her sleeve and pulled out a pouch of coins. "Guan'er, I don’t have much to give you, but take this for your journey. With your skills, you might one day find your mother. Don’t give up on yourself, and don’t kill anyone—or you’ll regret it later." She patted her head. "Go on."
Guan'er stood frozen for a moment before suddenly bursting into loud sobs.
Shen Langhun listened to the sounds of mechanisms breaking above. Strangely, though the noise of traps being triggered continued, there was no sound of actual fighting. He took A Shui’s hand. "Something’s wrong. We need to leave now—catch up with Raging Orchid No Trace."
A Shui nodded. Shen Langhun gripped her hand and sprinted back the way they had come, retracing their steps through the long-abandoned passage, following the path Raging Orchid No Trace had taken. Surprisingly, no one stopped them along the way, as if the key figures of the Dissolute Shop had silently withdrawn from the sprawling underground maze.
The path was littered with broken traps. Soon, Shen Langhun and A Shui reached Xue Tao’s disheveled chamber—only to see at a glance that she had already been taken by Raging Orchid No Trace. Shen Langhun’s heart sank as he scanned the room. He pulled A Shui toward the exit, but a figure suddenly flashed into the doorway, blocking their path with a faint smile.
The newcomer had waist-length black hair and wore peach-colored robes—it was Yu Konghou. Shen Langhun tightened his grip on his dagger, while A Shui’s expression shifted slightly. Judging by Yu Konghou’s demeanor, he had been waiting there for quite some time."You two came in such a hurry, won't you stay for a drink before leaving?" Yu Konghou smiled faintly, his beauty truly peerless. As he smiled, figures moved behind him—Yu Qifeng, Bai Suche, Hongchan Niangzi, and others stood in formation, while a black-clad, masked figure lingered in the distance. Yu Konghou held a short sword at an angle in his hand. "Who would have thought that little A Shui would turn out to be such a heroine? Saving Lin Bu atop Beauty Abode was one thing, but tonight you dare to lead a covert infiltration—no wonder Lord Liu is bewitched by you, Hao Wenhou lost his life for you, and even Young Master Tang has taken a liking to you."
"Young Master Tang would never fancy a woman like me," A Shui murmured. "Peach Girl overestimates me." Yu Konghou chuckled softly. "All I need to do is hang you from the stake outside the gate, and we’ll see whether he truly cares for you or not!" From start to finish, he did not spare Shen Langhun a glance, yet he asked gently, "Shen Langhun, do you still wish to fight?"
Shen Langhun glared furiously at Yu Konghou. Though Fu Cui was dead, she had mocked him by calling a sow his wife, tricking him into stabbing Tang Lici and leaving him severely wounded. Since then, his hatred for Dissolute Shop ran deeper than the sea! Though he knew he was no match, he gripped his dagger tightly, his eyes showing not a hint of retreat. "You freak of nature, neither man nor woman! From top to bottom, Dissolute Shop is filled with creatures worse than sows!" He gently pushed A Shui behind him. "Go quickly. You know the way out of here."
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