Interrogation and a Distant Tremor

“What… what do you intend to do?”

Her body was almost impossible to move, undoubtedly due to the anesthetic. She couldn’t quite grasp why someone of such immense power would resort to imprisoning her in this manner. More importantly, why *her*? What use could a powerless person be to him?

As the man slowly approached, Bai Qiao instinctively recoiled. Though undeniably handsome, he filled her with an ineffable dread; his proximity alone sent a chill coursing through her. The man noticed her reaction, yet it did not halt his advance; instead, he merely slowed his pace, intent on drawing nearer.

The man settled gently onto the edge of the bed. Bai Qiao, relying on sheer willpower, managed to inch herself further back. A hint of a smirk played on his lips as he leaned in slowly. As his face loomed larger before her, an unutterable revulsion welled within Bai Qiao, yet she could only cower further.

“Mmm…”

Behind her, the cold wall pressed against her entire back, an icy touch permeating her very being. Already chilled, Bai Qiao found herself trembling uncontrollably.

“You!”

When she felt the man’s hand caress her cheek, Bai Qiao froze. Despite her furious gaze, his hand did not withdraw; instead, it glided downward with a possessive slowness, and wherever it touched, Bai Qiao distinctly felt her muscles tremble.

“Snap!”

With a gesture of disgust, she slapped his hand away.

“What are you doing?!”

“Heh…” At this moment, the man was far from the imposing figure who should have commanded power from a throne. He was merely… at least for now, a contemptible wretch. His eyes, filled with blatant provocation, did not attempt to touch her again. Instead, he simply regarded Bai Qiao with a look bordering on pity, remaining utterly silent.

That gaze made Bai Qiao profoundly uncomfortable, prompting her to speak.

“What are you doing? What kind of expression is that?!”

As if he had been anticipating her words, the man responded almost without hesitation.

“Do you know why you came here, how you arrived here, and why you were so coincidentally discovered by me?”

“Ah?” Bai Qiao froze, utterly bewildered. ‘How does this man know I’m from another world? How does he know about my connection to Bai Chen? The people here… there are too many mysteries, far too many to explain, and I’m too exhausted to even try to unravel them.’

The man said nothing further. He simply turned and departed, only glancing back slightly once he reached the doorway.

“Are there truly such coincidences in this world?”

With that, he turned and left, leaving Bai Qiao alone to ponder his words. ‘Indeed,’ she mused, ‘such coincidences hardly ever happen…’

“Why doesn’t His Majesty tell her directly?”

“Heh… that would be no fun. Besides, if I were to speak so quickly, I’d be suspected, wouldn’t I? She… she will definitely come and ask me.”

His Majesty chuckled, his form slowly vanishing into the distance.

****

“Hey! There’s no end in sight here at all!”

After several kilometers, the Purple King, whose strength had largely recovered, finally reached his limit. The two figures ahead of him had walked in complete silence the entire way, simply moving forward without a hint of fatigue. He couldn’t help but grumble inwardly, ‘Are these two… even human?’

“…….”

The Purple King, receiving no reply, was unaware that his companions were lost in their own thoughts, having completely lost track of how far they had traveled. It was the Purple King who suffered, his partially recovered body trailing behind them for such a long distance.

Bai Chen was the first to break free from his introspection. He halted, surveying his surroundings. Since encountering the other two, they hadn’t encountered anything else. With no sense of time, he had no idea how long had passed. This timelessness only intensified Bai Chen’s anxiety, fueling his desperate desire to return to Bai Qiao.

Qing King walked several more paces before realizing he was alone. He spun around sharply, seeing the two figures standing silently behind him, and turned back with a puzzled expression.

“What are you… doing?”

“Just walking like this isn’t going to work, is it?”

Bai Chen gazed upward. ‘Since we fell down, perhaps breaking through the ceiling is a way out?’

With that thought, he condensed an energy sphere between his fingers. Though not large, the compressed energy within it was not to be underestimated. Seeing Bai Chen’s intent, neither the Purple King nor the Qing King objected; after all, what other choice did they have?

“Bang!”

As the energy sphere launched forth, it illuminated the pervasive darkness along its path, finally striking the overhead wall with a resounding explosion. Immediately, dust and chunks of earth began to fall.

Bai Qiao, who had been cowering at the head of the bed, lost in thought about His Majesty’s words, suddenly stood up. ‘Was it just my imagination?’

‘Below… the ground below seemed to tremble just now. There was a sound, an explosion. And there, I sense a familiar presence, a comforting aura… I can feel it…’