Su Ningyan hated the silence. It pressed in on him thickly.
Even his own heartbeat sounded loud in his ears. Fast and uneven.
Was he scared?
…He couldn't tell.
But he kept moving anyway.
He checked chamber after chamber. Empty.
The main hall was in the direction Yan Wuhen had gone. So Ningyan went the opposite way until he reached the dungeon.
He stopped.
This place… he was thrown in here the day he woke up in this world.
The day he met Wuhen.
Lanterns flickered along the stone walls, casting dim, uneven light. It was enough to see.
Ningyan stepped closer to one of the lanterns. And then something prickled at the back of his neck.
His body stilled.
Someone was behind him. Close... Getting closer.
He didn't turn. Not yet.
He waited.
One step.
Two... Closer.
He spun, eyes blazing vivid purple, hand already raised only for his wrist to be caught mid-motion.
Ningyan froze. Familiar golden reptilian eyes met his. His pupils shrank.
"…Jun Haoxuan?"
