HLnovel Chapter 461 Your Highness, does it hurt a lot?
Chapter 461 Your Highness, does it hurt a lot?
Lu Yangyang grabbed the dark hair ribbon that had been inserted, raised her other hand and reached into the gap, pushing it forward to open the coffin lid even wider.
As she climbed out of the coffin and looked at Zong Que, the embroidered red veil covering her face fell off with her movement, revealing a face still stained with dirt and grime, like a cat's.
She stared at the person in front of her in shock, and the person in front of her stared back at her in equal surprise.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
Lu Yangyang felt her mind go blank for a moment. She never expected to meet Zong Que here, at this time.
Zong Que never expected to meet Lu Yangyang here.
Lu Yangyang had been hiding in the coffin. From the moment she heard the commotion outside, she was extremely nervous and cautious, gripping the rope tightly and ready to escape at any moment. Even though she couldn't hear the commotion outside clearly, she knew that if anything went wrong, she would be the one caught in the crossfire. So she didn't dare to come out unless absolutely necessary.
By the time she felt the coffin begin to fall, she was already prepared, having considered countless escape methods. Even when the coffin suddenly stopped and a crack appeared in the ground, she was still thinking about whether to strike first.
Her brow was sore from nervousness.
Only when the dark hair ribbon tightened, and the voice, like heavenly music, suddenly fell.
Without a moment's hesitation, she instinctively pushed open the coffin, stood up, and looked at that familiar face. Her nose immediately stung with tears.
During his investigation of the Immortal Palace, Zong Que naturally discovered that the mortuary at the foot of the mountain was problematic. It was through the mortuary that he discovered they were using this method to transport things and people to the Immortal Palace at the top of Yuming Mountain.
He transported girls, swindled from who-knows-where, to the celestial palace on the mountain in this way. However, it didn't happen every day, but only every now and then, so he hadn't had time to notify Prefect Ling to investigate the matter. He had to find that person first, and only after finding him could he deal with the celestial palace.
So he never expected that at this critical moment, they would happen to be transporting the coffin up the mountain.
During the struggle, he had obviously seen through his opponent's intentions. They had noticed his predicament and wanted to use it to cut off his escape route. But he couldn't just stand by and watch an innocent girl die because of this.
He was worried that the fright he had just experienced might have frightened the person inside, so he did not open the coffin rashly, but instead tested it first.
Unexpectedly, the person inside was Yangyang.
Zong Que couldn't suppress the smile on his lips. He raised his hand and placed it on Lu Yangyang's cat-like face, his fingertips wiping away the bloodstains she hadn't had time to dry: "Your face is all smeared."
Lu Yangyang looked at the beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, but his eyebrows, eyes, and lips still held the familiar gentle smile she knew so well. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears: "Your Highness, does it hurt a lot?"
She hadn't come out of the coffin, and she knew that someone had caught the coffin when it fell. She knew his current condition better than anyone else. He had difficulty walking, and even when he sat still, his meridians felt like they were being pricked with needles, which was extremely torturous. She knew how much strength he must have used when he caught her like that, and how much pain he must be in now, supporting himself on the iron chain that was only as thick as his arm.
Lu Yangyang reached out and grabbed his arm in a near panic, trying to ease his burden with her own strength.
Zong Que's fingertips trembled slightly, and he almost lost his grip on the sword.
He couldn't suppress the smile; it wasn't a dream, it really was his Yangyang.
Seeing her anxious expression, he ran his fingers through her hair and gently comforted her, "It's alright, I can still manage. I just need to trouble Yangyang to help me up, because it hurts a bit now."
Lu Yangyang was so worried that her mind was about to stop, but she still remembered the noise she had just heard and how she had ended up in the coffin. She hurriedly climbed out of the coffin, quickly closed it, and then crawled over, still holding the hair ribbon that Zong Que had just given her. She gently tugged at it and said, "Your Highness, come with me."
Zong Que followed her over the coffin. Lu Yangyang grabbed his wrist to support his weight and led him quickly to a hidden cave entrance in the rock wall above the iron chain. Pushing aside the stones blocking the entrance, she pulled Zong Que inside and said briefly, "Your Highness, Lord Ling and I discovered that they dug a tunnel inside the mountain, connecting several nearby mountains. One of the mountains has a cinnabar mine inside, and a scoundrel named Shangqing uses the cinnabar to refine elixirs, harming the people and using the government's name to conscript laborers. Those girls were offered up voluntarily because of their families' forced labor. I hid the girl first, and then I changed into his clothes and went up the mountain to see what that scoundrel is up to."
Lu Yangyang quickly explained to Zong Que why she was there.
Zong Que frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "So that's how it is. I'm looking for someone, but I've turned this area upside down and still haven't found them. That's why I'm planning to use a feint to force my way to the Immortal Palace and see if they'll show up. But you've reminded me of something I overlooked."
Lu Yangyang looked at him.
“Pei Ji has brought men; they'll hold them off for now. Be careful and act accordingly.” Zong Que looked down at her. “Understood?”
Lu Yangyang smiled broadly and nodded lightly: "I know! Your Highness, you must also be careful. I found Little Fairy Doctor. When we get back, I'll have her prescribe medicine for Your Highness again. It should help alleviate the symptoms."
"Hmm," Zong Que didn't want to take his eyes off her for a moment, and gave a helpless smile, gently instructing, "After you get up the mountain, try to make Pei Ji see you. He will secretly help you out."
"What about His Highness?" Lu Yangyang asked him with concern.
"The person I'm looking for can't be seen by anyone else." Zong Que looked at the cave where they were hiding and asked her, "You just said that they dug a tunnel in the mountain and connected it with iron chains, is that right?"
Lu Yangyang nodded.
"I think I know, but I still need to confirm it," Zong Que replied.
Lu Yangyang knew that now was not the time for them to reminisce. She glanced outside, wondering how long Pei Ji and the others could hold out. But if she wanted to go up the mountain, she couldn't stay here any longer. So she reluctantly gripped the hair ribbon in her hand and said to Zong Que, "Your Highness, I'll be going now. Please take care."
Zong Que responded softly, "Okay."
Lu Yangyang quickly crawled out of the cave, then swiftly restored it to its original state before jumping back into the coffin.
She had just closed the coffin when she heard the sounds of fighting approaching her.