Chapter 31

Chapter 31

I never expected Qiyun Temple to have a Dungeon.

This place was as large as three or four rooms combined. Although it was dark, it was clean; the stone floor bore the marks of repeated scrubbing, yet brownish stains remained, seeping deep into the rock.

My limbs were bound by iron chains, and those chains were bolted firmly into the stone walls.

Aside from a faint scent of blood, there was actually a thick smell of medicinal herbs here.

Many candles had been lit, making the room quite bright.

I looked around. The stone wall behind me was ice-cold, covered in deep gouges that looked like they had been scratched out by fingernails. In a corner not far away, there seemed to be a single pearl earring.

Directly in front of me sat Yuan Heng.

He seemed to dislike the damp chill of the Dungeon; not only was he wearing a silver fox fur cloak, but he had also placed a massive wooden screen behind him.

Cheng Wei was different. Once this demon entered the Dungeon, his brow relaxed and his eyes brightened, as if the heavier the scent of blood, the more delighted he became.

Sitting on a small folding chair was the sickly Hongyu.

It seemed I had wounded that wench severely. A good portion of her hair had been shaved off, and her head was wrapped tightly in gauze, which was still faintly seeping blood.

She glared at me, gnashing her teeth.

I was amused by her pathetic appearance and struggled to beckon her over with a hooked finger.

Hongyu actually trembled in fear, shrinking back into her chair and huddling close to Cuinong, who was standing beside her.

Cuinong had clearly never seen such a scene before; her face was white with terror.

The girl looked at me with concern, then seemed to summon her courage as she looked at Yuan Heng and said cautiously, “Marquis, the Madam is still pregnant…”

“Shut up, Cuinong!”

I barked at her, cutting off her plea. “You lot from the palace are all birds of a feather! I’ve been sick of the sight of you for a long time!”

Good girl, thank you for pleading for me, but please, you must draw a clear line between us. That way, you might still have a chance to live.

Turning my gaze to Hongyu, I sneered, “I only regret that I was too light-handed that day. I didn’t beat this wench to death, which is why I’ve ended up in this state today.”

Guilt gnawed at my heart.

Despite how fast Brother Meng and I had tried to move, we were still caught by this villain. I didn’t know how Brother Meng was doing now.

I gritted my teeth, suppressing my hatred as I begged Yuan Heng, “Let Cuinong leave. I won’t run anymore-I can’t run anyway. I’ll stay here and let you do as you wish.”

Yuan Heng crossed his legs, the tip of his left shoe swaying gently toward my face. “That won’t do. You are the pregnant Marquess’s Wife; you must have a maid to serve you.”

At that moment, a draft blew in from nowhere, causing the candlelight to flicker and the shadows to twist.

Yuan Heng rotated the thumb ring on his hand, looking at me lazily. “First you intentionally scarred your face, then you used the excuse of offering incense to your late mother to wound Hongyu and escape… For a mere daughter of a concubine to have such courage and cunning, Qing Qiu, I underestimated you. There’s just one thing I don’t understand. How did you know…”

He touched his own neck. “How did you know I wanted to harm you? Who told you?”

I stared at him.

It seemed he hadn’t been able to torture any information out of Brother Meng.

My eyes flickered, intentionally lingering on Cheng Wei for a brief second before I gave a savage grin. “The father of the child in my womb told me, of course. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs, after all.”