Shu Mingye stood there, arms crossed, staring at the door.
"What now?" one of his guards whispered.
He didn't answer.
What was she planning? He couldn't guess. He hated not knowing. She defied logic. Bent expectation. And yet somehow, she was still leading the show.
A few moments later, the door creaked open. She didn't say anything dramatic. No "Come if you dare," no "Follow me to freedom." Just a casual wave of her hand.
He stepped inside cautiously. And then stopped. And stared.
The silk curtain on the wall had been pulled aside. Behind the row of stone tablets, part of the wall was missing. Not broken, missing. Like someone had carefully carved a neat chunk out of history.
He walked closer.
Where the floor should've been, there were stairs leading down. Old, dark, and probably full of spiders.
"A secret passage?" he whispered, stunned.
That section of floor had looked solid before. Ancient, unmoving, very wall-like, very floor-like. How could she even know this was here?
Behind him, General Boyi let out a rare sound, something between a gasp and a choking noise. "This?!"
Boyi was not the type to be shocked. He'd survived battles, betrayals, freezing winters, bad soup, rotten buns, and at least three assassination attempts before breakfast. Once, a sword had gone clean through his side, and he'd finished his tea before getting it treated. He didn't flinch.
So the fact that he was now standing in front of a secret underground staircase, looking like his brain had just tripped and fallen down, meant this situation was truly next-level nonsense.
Boyi, once the personal guard of Queen Shu—Shu Mingye's mother—was the man who had survived hell. When Shu Wenxu, Shu Mingye's charmingly backstabbing uncle, took over Shulin and wiped out everyone loyal to the former queen and king, Boyi somehow made it out alive.
He escaped and came north to find a broken, exiled Shu Mingye. Then, like a battle-hardened babysitter, he trained him, protected him, and raised him through fire and frost. Shu Mingye trusted him more than anyone.
So when Boyi narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who is she?" in that low, suspicious voice of his, it wasn't just small talk. It was a warning.
Shu Mingye paused. Fair question. The truth was… he also didn't know. Her current title was basically just "Fake Princess With Great Hair and Questionable Morals."
Probably hearing them (or maybe just psychic at this point), the so-called fake princess glanced back and said, completely serious, "Princess."
That was it. Just that one word, as if it explained everything.
Boyi let out a short grunt of realization. "Oh." He stared at the dark hole in the floor again, eyes narrowing.
No wonder, he thought. The passage… he recognized it. Long ago, he'd seen it once—when he was still Queen Shu's loyal guard. This hidden tunnel was only known to those in the imperial bloodline of Yun clan. Which meant…
If this "princess" knew about it, then the current emperor should know too.
Which also meant this could be a trap.
Before he could voice those suspicions, the princess—as if she had read his mind—called over her shoulder, "No one knows. They're not that smart."
That answer was… not reassuring.
Also, it raised about ten more questions and answered none. Like how did she know? Was she born here? Did she trip one day and roll into it? Did a ghost whisper it into her ear while she was brushing her hair?
She gave no explanation. Of course not. She just continued walking down the stairs like she hadn't just casually revealed she knew imperial secrets no one should know. Her robe swished neatly behind her. Her steps were confident. Calm. Possibly criminal.
Reluctantly, Shu Mingye and his guards followed her into the unknown.
One step at a time. Straight into whatever madness she'd cooked up next.
The tunnel was dark. Not the kind of romantic, moody dark—just plain, possibly-trip-on-your-own-feet dark. Cultivators had better eyesight than the average terrified mortal, but even supernatural vision had limits.
It was also damp. Dust hung in the air. Every step made a soft crunch, probably bones, hopefully bugs, maybe just ancient dirt being offended. Somewhere above them, a rat sneezed (probably).
The walls were old and ancient, the kind of old that made even Boyi look like a teenager. They were carved from stone that had seen too many centuries, held too many secrets, and clearly hadn't seen a broom for hundred years. The place practically whispered: "Built during a time when people still thought bathing once a year was generous."
Then the fake princess, still maddeningly calm, spoke without turning around. "No displaying or showing off spiritual energy here," she said. "This place was built hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago. Might collapse."
Great. So not only were they in a royal escape led by an unverified woman down an unverified tunnel, but now it came with the added thrill of possible cave-in.
Truly, this kept getting better and better.
The tunnel itself stretched endlessly, a never-ending maze of cold stone, odd echoes, and very rude corners. Every few meters, a new path would branch off into even more darkness. If someone didn't know better or didn't have a fake princess tour guide, they could get trapped in here forever and become a very dusty skeleton. Or worse, become a ghost and get lost again.
Linyue walked at the front. Her pace was fast, her steps quiet, and her expression calm. Behind her, Shu Mingye said nothing. Boyi said even less. He Yuying muttered something about missing the sunshine.
Then, without warning, Linyue turned sharply and slipped down another path that looked exactly the same as the last ten they passed. Dark. Dusty. Ancient.
She stopped, turned to face them, and asked casually, "There are a lot of ways out. Do you want the one with traps or the one with ghosts?"
There was a very long pause.
Then He Yuying whispered, "I vote for snacks."
Linyue pretended not to hear him, which was generous of her. "This one leads to a back alley in the north, outside the palace wall. You know the area where buildings are forbidden? It's forbidden because of this. But people think it's haunted. How funny."
Of course. Haunted. Why wouldn't it be?
The perfect exit for a group of wanted men and one mysterious woman with zero fear.
Then she added, "I'll tell you the way from here. The rest can leave first. So…which one of you is staying?"
Before Shu Mingye could open his mouth, Boyi stepped forward. "Lord, let me stay."
But his other loyal guards were faster. "No one will leave, Lord!" one said, and another chimed in, "We'll leave together or die together!"
Linyue raised an eyebrow, her tone full of amusement and judgment at the same time. "How loyal," she said. It sounded almost like praise. Almost.
Shu Mingye sighed. He turned to her and asked the real question. "Where's the thing?"
Her lips curled into a smile. A dangerous, infuriatingly smug little smile. The smile that said you're about to hate this answer.
"Not here yet," she said casually.
Before he could respond with something sharp or rational, her expression shifted. Her voice dropped lower, serious now.
"Wait here," she said. "No matter what you see, hear, witness or whatever nonsense happens, do not move. Don't talk. Don't react. Don't even breathe too loudly. Just stay here and pretend to be a fancy rock."
Shu Mingye blinked. What?
Before he could protest, she was already turning around again, the hem of her robes sweeping dramatically behind her.
That woman was impossible. Everything she did was confusing. Helpful, yes. But suspiciously helpful. Helpful in a "you'll find out the consequences later" kind of way.
Still, he gave a nod. Because what else could he do? Fight her? Argue logic? Ha. That ship had sunk several tunnels ago.
Why had she helped them? Was it really just about smuggling something? And what was this mysterious thing that needed such dramatic instructions?
Shu Mingye stood there, arms crossed, surrounded by silent guards and thick dust, wondering how he had ended up in a secret tunnel with a woman who gave orders to a King so casually.
He didn't know what story he was now a part of.
But it was definitely not a normal one.
And one thing was certain: He was in way too deep now to back out.