The air in the secret passage was thick, heavy with the damp, earthy scent of soil that clung to the back of my throat. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic drumbeat in the suffocating silence. Outside, torches flickered, casting dancing shadows upon the stone walls—as if Wei Zhongxian’s men were performing a grotesque ballet.
Eunuch Li’s shrill voice sliced through the silence. "Search! Tear this place apart if you must, but find them!" His words echoed, every syllable like cold fingers sliding down my spine.
Xiaotao’s hand, small and soft, was damp with terror in my grip. I squeezed her fingers, a silent promise to keep her safe, though my own mind was a tangled mess. *Think, Mingyue, think!* The wily old fox thought he had us cornered, but I would never let him succeed. Not a chance.
Chapter 78