Chapter 8: Seeking the Truth in the Dungeon

Qin Luoli and Xiao Jingyuan quickly donned jailer uniforms, shrouding their figures in the night as they approached the prison entrance without a sound.

The guard on duty was yawning, his eyes unfocused and clearly weary. Qin Luoli calmly handed over two silver ingots. The guard weighed them in his palm, smiled with satisfaction, and let them pass.

Upon entering the prison, a stench of rot and damp mildew assaulted their senses, nauseatingly strong. Dim oil lamps flickered with eerie light, illuminating mottled walls and rusted cell doors. The air was thick with despair; the wails and groans of prisoners echoed incessantly, sounding like the cries of ghosts, enough to make one’s skin crawl. Qin Luoli suppressed her discomfort, her heart hammering against her ribs as if it might burst.

They followed their planned route toward the section housing high-profile prisoners. The jail was a maze of intersecting corridors; one wrong turn could lead to being hopelessly lost. Relying on her exceptional memory and spatial awareness, Qin Luoli navigated the labyrinthine cells, guiding Xiao Jingyuan through.

Suddenly, a boisterous laugh shattered the stillness.

"Oh? New faces? You look soft and pampered, not like the usual lot we see around here."

Three burly prisoners blocked their path. The ringleader, a man with a face full of coarse flesh and a heavy iron chain around his neck, clearly looked like trouble.

"Gentlemen, we are merely here on patrol. Please, be kind and let us pass," Qin Luoli said, lowering her voice and forcing herself to appear calm.

"Patrol? I think you’re here to pay us a tribute!" The bully sneered and reached out to grab Qin Luoli by the collar.

Xiao Jingyuan moved with lightning speed, catching the man’s wrist and twisting it hard. "My good man, we are new here and don’t know the rules. I’d appreciate some guidance." His tone was icy, his gaze sharp with lethal intent.

"Ugh, you little brat! You’ve got some nerve! Do you know who I am?" The bully roared in pain.

"I don't care who you are!" Xiao Jingyuan retorted, unyielding, as he applied more force. The bully winced, his face contorting, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Let him go," Qin Luoli said, her tone unnervingly calm. She took a small porcelain bottle from her sleeve. "I have something here that might be of use to you, sir."

The bully paused, eyeing the bottle with suspicion. "What is that?"

Qin Luoli smiled faintly and opened the bottle. A light, sweet-smelling medicinal fragrance wafted out, enticing one to take another sniff. Curious, the bully leaned in. Qin Luoli tilted the opening toward him and gave it a slight shake, letting a few translucent droplets land on the back of his hand.

Before he could react, he felt a numbness spread across his hand, followed by a sudden, overwhelming weakness that surged through his entire body.

"You... what did you do!" The bully’s expression changed drastically. He tried to struggle, but found he couldn't summon a shred of strength. His menacing face turned deathly pale in an instant.

"Just a little anesthetic, don't be nervous." Qin Luoli smiled like a cunning little fox. "Now, can we have a proper conversation?"

Watching this unfold, Xiao Jingyuan was awestruck. His wife’s medical skills were nothing short of miraculous! Her method of using anesthesia was faster and more precise than his own combat techniques. He couldn't help but give her a thumbs-up, his eyes filled with admiration. She was truly his woman—so incredibly bold and capable!

With the threat neutralized, Qin Luoli and Xiao Jingyuan passed the group of prisoners without further incident. The damp, rotting smell of the deep prison seemed less unbearable now. Relying on her keen perception, Qin Luoli finally located the prisoner in a corner who might know the truth.

He was curled up in the corner of his cell, emaciated as a skeleton, his face deathly pale and his eyes vacant, as if his soul had been ripped away.

Qin Luoli hurried to the cell door, her voice urgent: "Do you know who framed the Xiao family? Tell me!"

The prisoner slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with pain and helplessness. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, only a whimpering gasp.

Qin Luoli’s heart sank to the bottom of a well. She reached out, took the prisoner’s pulse, and felt carefully. A moment later, her face darkened, her brows knitting tightly as a fire of rage burned within her.

This prisoner had been poisoned to render him mute! What a vicious tactic—to leave them with absolutely no clues! She dug her nails deep into her palms, veins bulging on the back of her hands. The lead she had worked so hard to find was severed again! After all her painstaking efforts and risking her life to come here, she had ended up with nothing!

Qin Luoli lowered her eyes in frustration, her thick lashes shielding the glimmer in her gaze. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound emerged.

"Luoli..." Xiao Jingyuan comforted her softly as he saw her dejected expression. He pulled her into his arms, his heart aching for her. "Don't lose heart, Luoli. We will surely find other ways. Even if I have to dig three feet under the earth, I will drag out the scoundrel who framed the Xiao family!" His voice was firm, sounding like both a vow and a promise.

Leaning against his warm chest and listening to his steady heartbeat, a wave of warmth washed over her. That was right—she still had Xiao Jingyuan and the entire Xiao family. She couldn't give up!

She took a deep breath, looked up, and hope rekindled in her eyes. "Jingyuan, thank you."

"There is no need for thanks between us," Xiao Jingyuan said, tenderly stroking her hair.

Qin Luoli gently pushed him away and turned her gaze back to the prisoner. She refused to believe that she couldn't find a single clue! She wouldn't accept this defeat!

She circled the prisoner, observing every detail, trying to find any trace of evidence. Suddenly, her eyes locked onto the prisoner’s exposed arm. There was a peculiar tattoo—an eagle with wings spread as if to fly, yet it carried an eerie, unsettling aura.

Qin Luoli’s heart skipped a beat. This tattoo... she felt she had seen it somewhere before!

"Jingyuan, look at this tattoo!" Qin Luoli pointed to the prisoner’s arm, her voice laced with excitement.

Xiao Jingyuan followed her gaze, his brow furrowing slightly. "This tattoo... it does look familiar."

Qin Luoli struggled to recall, images flashing through her mind. That was it! She remembered! She had seen this tattoo in an ancient text—a book documenting secret legends of the Jianghu. It recorded a mysterious organization known as the Shadow Pavilion.

The Shadow Pavilion was an organization specializing in assassinations and intelligence gathering. Their methods were ruthless, their actions secretive, and their name alone struck terror into the hearts of many. It was said that their members were spread throughout the world and their influence was so vast that even the imperial court feared them.

Could it be that the Shadow Pavilion was responsible for framing the Xiao family? The more Qin Luoli thought about it, the more likely it seemed, and a chill settled in her heart. If that were the case, things were going to be very complicated.

Just then, Qin Luoli’s gaze inadvertently swept over the wall behind the prisoner. There seemed to be something unusual about it. She gently stroked the wall, her fingertips brushing against a tiny protrusion.

Qin Luoli’s heart stirred. Could it be...

"Jingyuan, bring the torch over."

Though confused, Xiao Jingyuan obediently handed her the torch. Qin Luoli brought it close to the wall, carefully illuminating the protrusion. With a soft "click," a hidden compartment appeared in the wall!

Qin Luoli and Xiao Jingyuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the shock in the other's eyes.

"Could there be some secret hidden inside?" Qin Luoli’s voice trembled slightly. She reached into the compartment, fumbling around...

"What is it?" Xiao Jingyuan asked nervously.

Qin Luoli’s fingers touched a cold object, and she slowly pulled it out. "It’s... a letter!"

She unfolded the letter with great care. The yellowed paper crackled softly, as if whispering of the silence of the years. The contents, however, made both her and Xiao Jingyuan gasp—it was a secret missive, and between the lines, it alluded to Prime Minister Wang colluding with foreign enemies in a plot to rebel!

"Good heavens, that old fox Prime Minister Wang is playing a high-stakes game," Xiao Jingyuan couldn't help but remark. "He's practically starring in a real-life 'Infernal Affairs'!"

Before they could recover, Qin Luoli keenly sensed that there was more to the wall. She tapped it gently, and sure enough, another hidden compartment! Inside were even more letters.

"Is Prime Minister Wang selling these compartments wholesale? Why are they everywhere?" Xiao Jingyuan exclaimed as he helped retrieve the documents.

The two felt as if they had struck gold, excitedly organizing the letters. The contents corroborated each other, forming a complete chain of evidence sufficient to prove the Prime Minister’s crimes.

"Now we have enough evidence to topple Prime Minister Wang!" Excitement shone in Qin Luoli’s eyes, as if she could see the dawn of victory.

However, as she studied the letters more closely, she discovered that many key pieces of information were replaced by special symbols, as illegible as a celestial script.

"What on earth is this? Alien language?" Xiao Jingyuan stared at the strange, twisted symbols, completely baffled.

Qin Luoli pondered for a moment, suddenly recalling an ancient text she had seen in the Xiao family study that recorded rumors about imperial temples.

"These symbols likely have something to do with the imperial temples!" Qin Luoli said with conviction. "Only by finding the corresponding codebook can we unlock the secrets of these letters!"

"The imperial temple? That’s a dragon’s den and a tiger’s lair!" Xiao Jingyuan looked at her with concern. "It’s heavily guarded. How are we going to get in?"

"When soldiers come, we use generals to block; when water comes, we use earth to cover! For the sake of the Xiao family, I must go!" A look of determination burned in her eyes.

Under the shroud of night, the imperial temple stood solemn and majestic, wreathed in incense smoke. The massive temple gates stood like a sleeping beast in the darkness.

Qin Luoli and Xiao Jingyuan’s figures vanished into the shadows of the temple, leaving behind only the cawing of a few crows echoing through the silent night sky.

"Remember, be careful in everything," Xiao Jingyuan’s voice was low and firm.

Qin Luoli nodded, took a deep breath, and stepped through the temple gates.