Chapter 701

Gu Jiu Ling's eyes went dark, she could see nothing; her hand was tightly held by Yun Duo as she slowly walked downward.

Gu Jiu Ling also didn't know how far she had walked; she only felt she kept going down, the steps were somewhat slippery, and she nearly fell several times.

Her heart gave a slight pause, she silently thought that aside from the initial man‑made section, this passage had probably already entered the underground cavern.

If Gu Jiu Ling guessed correctly, she had likely entered the mountain's interior; after walking about the time it takes to burn half an incense stick, she felt the wind ahead become dry.

Sure enough, not long after she was pulled out of the cave mouth, she then heard the sound of a carriage approaching.

Gu Jiu Ling was helped into the carriage by Yun Duo; at the moment she boarded, she unobtrusively scattered some powder on the ground.

Back when she was doing research in the laboratory, besides studying human medicines, she would also collect animal pheromones as part of the biomedical research project.

In the lab cabinet there were some powders that attracted small animals; this powder is harmless and non‑toxic to people because it is nearly transparent and thus unnoticeable.

However, after a while, nearby animals would gather beside the medicine, hoping that Jiu Yue and the others could notice something and thus find her and her child.

Gu Jiu Ling was blindfolded, unable to see outside the carriage, but she could hear the gradually rising cries of street vendors, feeling it was quite lively.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart gave a slight pause; she didn't know where they were going, guessing it was a prosperous big town, feeling the commerce was quite thriving.

In the days that followed, Gu Jiu Ling's eyes remained covered; even when going to the privy, someone would come to attend to her.

Gu Jiu Ling didn't even have the leisure to feel embarrassed; she felt this journey was more ominous than auspicious.

About another three days passed, the sounds in her ears alternated between noisy and quiet, and she could still smell the earthy scent of wind‑blown sand.

Gu Jiu Ling's heart gave a jolt; could it be that they had left the pass?

Or perhaps it was the great desert?

If they had left the pass and reached the great desert, they would not be far from Bei Di.

These few days were sheer torment for Gu Jiu Ling—worrying about her child, missing Xiao Yin, feeling lost about the uncertain future, plus the vague threats from outside.

Gu Jiu Ling saying she wasn't suffering would be false; just as the thread in her mind was about to snap, the carriage stopped again.

All around came only the quiet wind, and she could also hear the sound of water.

"Your Majesty, please," Yun Duo helped her onto the boat, then they swayed slowly forward.

Gu Jiu Ling sat quietly in the cabin; the accompanying Yun Duo was somewhat puzzled, wondering why this woman wasn't afraid.

Anyone else would have broken down in tears, but Gu Jiu Ling not only didn't cry, she ate and slept as usual along the way, seeming like nothing was wrong.

She couldn't help but admire that woman's resolve.

The boat docked; Yun Duo helped Gu Jiu Ling ashore, entered a side gate of a mountain villa, went around the corridor, passed through the moon‑gate, and arrived at an elegantly decorated flower hall.

The flower hall was surrounded by plum trees; now that winter had arrived, clusters of red plum blossoms blazed like flames all around the hall, in full bloom.

Gu Jiu Ling stood in the center of the flower hall; Yun Duo beside her pulled off the black cloth covering her eyes.

At that instant the sunlight streaming in stung Gu Jiu Ling's eyes, making them hard to open; she shut them tightly, then slowly opened her eyes to meet the gaze of a flamboyantly dressed young man seated in the place of honor.

He wore a bright pink brocade robe embroidered with large clusters of peony patterns, his hair unbound and falling over his shoulders.

He leaned lazily against the chair back, his deep, affectionate phoenix eyes fixed on Gu Jiu Ling, like a high‑end hunter sizing up his prey.

"Bai Xiaosheng?" Gu Jiu Ling frowned fiercely, staring hard at the overly flirtatious man before her.

Bai Xiaosheng, however, slowly rose, stepped forward to Gu Jiu Ling, bowed and said: "Your subject pays respects to the Empress, Your Majesty, may you enjoy myriad blessings!"

Although Bai Xiaosheng was performing the salute, his face bore a teasing expression.

No wonder— the throne of Southern Qi should have been his, but Xiao Yin snatched it ahead of him.

As the former crown prince, he naturally harbored several shades of resentment toward Gu Jiu Ling; at this point he wasn't afraid she'd cause trouble, and besides not having fed her many drugs that weakened her body along the way, he simply didn't give her any medicine.

Given Gu Jiu Ling's rudimentary skills, she could pull off no tricks, so he felt free to jump back and forth in front of her.

"Where is my child?" Gu Jiu Ling asked coldly, staring at him.

Bai Xiaosheng gave a light laugh: "You'll still need to wait a while before mother and child can be reunited!"

Gu Jiu Ling's face changed instantly; she said coldly: "Do you know the price of deceiving me?"

Bai Xiaosheng smiled faintly: "What the Empress says, the young princes are still on their way; besides, you're not what I want, while some people long for you to the point of madness."

He snorted, then sat back in the chair: "The young prince isn't in my hands; in three days he'll bring the child to exchange for you—this is a huge deal, and I'm waiting for it too!"

Gu Jiu Ling furrowed her brows tightly; she didn't understand what nonsense he was spouting, but one thing was clear.

Bai Xiaosheng had seized her, intending to trade her for the child in the other side's hands.

After all, this bunch of beasts simply didn't want mother and child to reunite, though Gu Jiu Ling had originally expected it wouldn't be so easy to see her child.

Bai Xiaosheng looked at Gu Jiu Ling and smiled: "Empress, you should return to your chambers to rest; when the child arrives, we will naturally let mother and child meet."

Gu Jiu Ling's eyes flickered, she glanced at Yun Duo beside her, looked at Bai Xiaosheng and said, "Where is Yun Duo?"

Bai Xiaosheng's face stiffened slightly, showing an expression unlike his usual.

Gu Jiu Ling coldly laughed: "I never thought you'd like a woman like Yun Duo, but Yun Duo has always been open and aboveboard; a rat in a gutter—she'd scorn such."

Bai Xiaosheng's gaze turned gloomy, as if Gu Jiu Ling's words had struck a sore spot.

"Someone! Take her away!"

The maids on both sides seized Gu Jiu Ling's arms, dragged her out of the flower hall, and shoved her into the rear courtyard.

Bai Xiaosheng furrowed his brows, then took a deep breath, rose, and headed toward the rockery behind the flower hall; he activated the mechanism, and an iron door appeared in the middle of the rockery.

Bai Xiaosheng strode inside; although it looked like a prison for private prisoners, there was no usual smell of blood, instead a faint plum blossom fragrance.

After walking down a few steps, he reached a locked iron door; inside lay a carved bed, with tables, chairs, and stools all present, plus books and various small trinkets placed in the eight-treasure compartments.

Bai Xiaosheng pushed the door open with both hands and stepped inside; on the bed lay a slender woman bound with black iron chains, her back to Bai Xiaosheng.