The Princess Cannot Escape: The Cunning Prince Is Not to Be Messed With

Chapter 246 Bait

As intelligent as Yin Quan was, how could she not know what Xiahou Ying was thinking? Although Xiahou Ying had used her, he had indeed considered many things for her safety, otherwise he wouldn't have sent Qin Nian to her side. But she still couldn't understand why Xiahou Ying would never tell her the truth.

This feeling reminded her of the betrayal in her past life, and she felt really bad. Looking at Yin Quan's dejected expression, Qin Nian suddenly felt a little regretful. He had said these things on impulse, and now seeing her so dejected made him feel a little guilty.

He thought it over for a moment and said, "Actually, Xiahou Ying isn't as... well, how should I put it? I've been his fellow disciple for so long, so I have a certain understanding of his character. Although he used you as bait, he was fully prepared. He even told me before he left that if you were in danger, he would take you back to Tianshan."

As the two were talking, another rumbling sound came from outside the cave. It was unclear where the mechanism had been triggered again. This island was full of traps, and Yin Quan didn't have time to think about Xiahou Ying's intentions towards her. Her life was the most important thing right now.

"This is not the time to talk about these things. We must find Mingyue. Only she knows how to get out of this damned island."

"It's probably not that simple. Since this woman is willing to fight to the death, she must have blocked all the ways that could lead to her."

Yin Quan thought for a moment, “Ming Ri! Yes, Ming Ri and she are bound by fate. She won’t abandon her, otherwise she won’t live long either. I’ve tattooed a hairpin on Ming Ri’s body, so her body will be imbued with a unique scent. Wait a moment.” Yin Quan took out a small, dark bottle from her pocket.

"This was given to me by Xiahou Ying. He told me to always keep it with me and never let it out of my sight..." Yin Quan's voice trailed off as she spoke, and she said with a wry smile, "It seems he even thought of this. I was being an idiot and worrying about him."

Qin Nian didn't know how to comfort her, so she awkwardly rubbed her head with her hand.

Qin Nian's strange behavior startled Yin Quan, but seeing his slightly embarrassed expression made Yin Quan feel a little better.

"I have to say, you're a really strange person. Didn't you used to avoid me like the plague? Why are you so interested in me now? Could it be that you've fallen for me?" Yin Quan's bright eyes stared straight into Qin Nian's eyes, like a stone thrown into a calm lake, creating ripples in Qin Nian's eyes. He quickly turned his head away.

“Let’s hurry up and find that Mingri you mentioned.” Yin Quan also stopped teasing him. She picked up the small bottle, sniffed it, and handed it to Qin Nian. “Just smell it and you can find that woman’s scent.”

Qin Nian took out a tinderbox from his pocket, and the two of them walked deeper into the dark passage by the dim light of the tinderbox.

The further they went in, the more humid the air became, and the moss on the stone walls grew heavier. Yin Quan accidentally tripped over a hard object under his feet and stumbled. When he looked down, he was shocked to see a skeleton. Qin Nian quickly covered Yin Quan's glasses with her hand.

"Don't look." For the first time, Yin Quan found Qin Nian's voice so pleasant, like a weight instantly stabilizing her heart. She turned around and whispered, "What else is around here?"

Qin Nian looked around and said in a low voice.

"There are many bodies here, but because they have been dead for so long, the cause of death cannot be determined."

Yin Quan's heart skipped a beat. She wondered what kind of place this damned Qionghai Gang was, with so many people dying all the time.

"Could it be that old woman Mingyue absorbed their life essence again?" Qin Nian reached out and touched the bones of the corpse, then shook his head. "Judging from the bones of these people, they were all robust when they died. Perhaps they killed the people who built the tunnel to prevent the secret of this passage from being exposed."

Thinking of that perverted old woman Mingyue, Yin Quan felt it was very likely. Suddenly, a familiar scent flashed before her nose, and Yin Quan hurriedly said, "It's that old woman Mingyue! She's just ahead, let's hurry over there."

Qin Nian also smelled something amiss, and the two rushed into the passage on the right.

The moment she stepped inside, she heard a series of whooshing sounds as arrows flew towards her. Yin Quan saw an arrow hurtling towards her, and her feet seemed nailed to the ground, unable to move an inch. She closed her eyes tightly, and heard Qin Nian's deep voice in her ear.

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Yin Quan opened her eyes and saw a hand with well-proportioned joints tightly gripping the incoming arrow. She said gratefully to Qin Nian, "Luckily, you, a martial arts master, were here, otherwise I wouldn't even know how I died."

"There are many traps here, so we'd better be careful." Having learned their lesson, the two dared not be careless again and cautiously tested each step.

Meanwhile, Xiahou Ying, who was outside, had lost his mind in his anxiety. Although he had been prepared for the island to collapse, when he turned around to look for the little woman, he found that she had slipped away at some point.

Seeing all the buildings on the island collapsing, he didn't know whether his woman was alive or dead. Thinking of this, his usually well-controlled rationality finally broke free of its restraint, and Gu Lounan hugged him tightly.

"Rushing out now won't help. There's chaos outside. Don't worry, I saw Qin Nian and Yin Quan go together. With him there, everything will be fine."

Xiahou Ying almost roared, "She's my woman, how could I not worry? This matter is out of my control, and I can't guarantee she'll be unharmed. If... if anything really happens to her, I'll make sure everyone on this island pays the price!"

Looking at Xiahou Ying, who was now going mad, Gu Lounan felt for the first time the burning love and deep dependence that Xiahou Ying had for Yin Quan. If he had never believed that Xiahou Ying would lose his mind for Yin Quan, he had no choice but to believe it now.

"Xiahou Ying, calm down. We know what Mingyue is thinking. I can't let you wander around aimlessly like this. Otherwise, if something happens to you before Yin Quan even finds you, how am I supposed to explain it to her?"

Xiahou Ying stopped struggling, frowned and pondered deeply. After a moment of silence, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he disappeared in front of Gu Lounan in a flash.

"Hey Xiahou Ying, where are you going?" All he got in response was a resolute back view. He smiled bitterly. Could love really change a person?

He's now increasingly curious to see if someone as ambitious as Xiahou Ying would give up that supreme position for love.

Yin Quan and Qin Nian walked for a long time without finding an exit. The scent of Ming Ri was faintly visible. After many twists and turns, they finally arrived at a pool of water. Looking at the steaming pool, Yin Quan said in surprise, "The Qionghai Gang actually has a hot spring? Is this hot spring connected to the outside world?"

Qin Nian reached into the water and said, "I can vaguely feel the water flowing, so it should be connected to the outside."

Yin Quan said happily, "Great! We should be able to find them if we just follow them from here." After saying that, Yin Quan began to take off her outer clothes, and Qin Nian's face instantly turned as red as a boiled shrimp.

She turned around, looking completely bewildered, her voice trembling slightly. "Um... men and women... men and women shouldn't touch each other, you'd better be careful."

Yin Quan rolled her eyes at him, annoyed. "I'm a chivalrous person who doesn't care about formalities! You blockhead, what time is it now? Hurry up and get out of here, or are you waiting to be tricked to death by that old woman Mingyue?"

Qin Nian stammered, "I...I actually...can't swim..."

Yin Quan found his awkwardness amusing. "So the mighty, god-like hero Qin is actually a landlubber? This really diminishes your lofty image in my eyes. Never mind, you wait for me on the shore, I'll go down and see what's going on."

"No, it's dangerous down there..." Before Qin Nian could finish speaking, she heard a thud behind her. Turning around, she saw that Yin Quan was nowhere to be seen. Looking at the rippling pool, Qin Nian wished she could dive in herself. "Why is this woman always like this? She's so impulsive. What am I supposed to do with her?"

In the water, Yin Quan was like a nimble mermaid. She dived down with the current and found a light at the bottom of the pool. She held her breath and swam down, finding a hole about the width of a person. After squeezing through, her body suddenly tightened.

She was caught in the whirlpool and couldn't swim out no matter how hard she tried. As she was being pulled into the depths of the whirlpool, she was already starting to feel short of breath. Her frantic thrashing around exhausted her strength, and she began to feel dizzy. Finally, she couldn't hold it in any longer and gulped down a mouthful of water.

In an instant, warm water rushed into her body, making her feel heavier and heavier. Just as her eyes were about to close, she seemed to be hallucinating. A familiar white figure was shaking her desperately, but she was too tired to hold on any longer. The tightness in her chest made it hard for her to breathe.

Suddenly, her lips tightened, and fresh air rushed into her mouth. With her last strength, she opened her eyes wide and saw those familiar eyes. She suddenly felt like crying; it turned out that before she died, what she most wanted to see was that heartless Xiahou Ying.

Yin Quan thought she wouldn't be so lucky to survive this time, but she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Could it be that she had transmigrated again?

She struggled to open her eyes and saw a dim stone wall, with water dripping from it. Yin Quan's eyes stung, probably because water had gotten into them. Just as she was trying to squeeze her eyelids open, a familiar voice rang in her ears.

"Why is Princess Duan awake?"

Princess Consort Duan? Could it be that she's not dead? She opened her eyes and saw a bright red figure behind her.

"It's you?" The one sitting on the rock was none other than Mingyue. Qiongji was lying on her lap, her long silver hair spread out on the ground. Yin Quan could feel Mingri's aura on Mingyue, but she did not see Mingri beside her.

Seeing her puzzled expression, Mingyue said coldly, "Why are you looking for Mingri again? It seems Xiahou Ying didn't tell you that that woman is already dead."

Yin Quan was stunned. "How is that possible? How are you still alive?" Ming Yue lowered her head and gently stroked Qiong Ji's face. Without the silver mask covering her, Qiong Ji's beautiful face shimmered like the most distant moonlight, so close yet so unattainable.