Chapter 2

"Mr. Zhu Mingliang hurriedly explained, 'I am not a homeless man; I was just robbed and lost my money, and then I accidentally ate the poisonous porridge...'"

"What difference does it make? She has already achieved her goal," the Empress said coldly.

"What goal?"

Zhu Mingliang realized how foolish his question was as soon as it left his mouth.

What other goal could there be?

If the Empress were overthrown, there would be many ways to humiliate her. One of them would be to make her, the supreme ruler, sleep with a homeless man from the lowest rung of society. This relationship would instantly transform her proud and sacred image into something "vulgar" and "dirty."

Even the most humble rat in the street could entwine with the most sacred Valkyrie, so what difference would there be between her and a prostitute? Oh, no, at least prostitutes choose their clients.

After understanding this, Zhu Mingliang couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time.

It turned out he was being used as the most insulting tool against a woman. Indeed, there was no such thing as free porridge in this world.

"By the way, there were many other refugees who were poisoned and passed out with me. Could they have been...?" Zhu Mingliang suddenly remembered this.

"Do you want to die? I'll grant your wish right now," the Valkyrie's teeth were clenched, and her eyes glowed with a murderous light.

If she weren't so weak and powerless, she would have torn Zhu Mingliang apart.

"Cough, cough." Zhu Mingliang's face was full of embarrassment. Why did he always bring up the worst topics?

The Valkyrie looked dispirited, but soon her gaze focused again. She stared at the small window, clearly thinking of ways to escape.

Although she wanted to kill the man beside her, the Valkyrie also gleaned a crucial piece of information from Zhu Mingliang's words: there were other homeless men being held outside.

If a different man was sent in every day, she would rather bite her tongue and die than suffer such humiliation.

She had to find a way to leave this place. She didn't want what happened last night to happen again, and this was just the beginning.

"We need to find a way to leave this place," Zhu Mingliang said seriously.

The Empress didn't really hear what Zhu Mingliang said. She hadn't completely lost her mind over this, nor had she gone crazy, cried, or lost control. Perhaps she felt that way inside, but she would only show her despair and pain after calmly solving the current predicament and completing her revenge.

In any case, they needed to find a way to leave this place.

"Great, little guy, you're awake," Zhu Mingliang suddenly said excitedly.

Zhu Mingliang opened his right palm, and a small, milky-white ice worm appeared as if by magic.

The ice worm's plump body occasionally rippled with a layer of tender, white fat, making it look somewhat clumsy and adorable. Its large eyes twinkled, revealing a hint of nobility.

The Empress glanced at Zhu Mingliang and saw the small white worm in his hand, and she couldn't help but snort.

Ignorant optimism, to have the mind to play with a worm.

"Go, go and unlock the lock. I know you can do it," Zhu Mingliang said to the ice worm.

The ice worm climbed up the stone wall and quickly found the iron bars.

"Clank~~~~~"

Soon, the sound of the chain falling off was heard.

Seeing this, the Empress's eyes brightened, and her face showed unmistakable joy.

"Hehe, my little ice worm can do anything," Zhu Mingliang said to the Empress with a smile.

"Help me up," the Empress, feeling weak, clearly under the influence of some kind of love potion.

She stepped on Zhu Mingliang's shoulders with her bare feet.

With great effort, they climbed out of the dungeon. The Empress hesitated and looked back at Zhu Mingliang.

Zhu Mingliang stood in the dungeon, his eyes fixed on her.

Sure enough, the Empress turned and left the dungeon alone, leaving Zhu Mingliang behind.

The dungeon's stone walls were smooth, and without someone to help, it was impossible to climb out.

"Women, the prettier they are, the less you can trust them," Zhu Mingliang sighed, planning to have the ice worm spin some silk to help him climb out. Suddenly, light, cat-like footsteps sounded above his head.

"Put this on, I'll pull you up," the Empress said, having found two large burlap sacks somewhere in the dungeon. She tore them open and barely managed to use them as clothes.

Zhu Mingliang's face immediately lit up, and he quickly put on the burlap sack, gripping the Empress's delicate hand.

...

After pulling Zhu Mingliang up, the Empress was out of breath, her chest heaving. It was clear that the poison was still in her body, and despite her powerful martial skills, she was now as weak as a woman.

"Follow me, and don't make any noise," the Empress whispered.

"Are you familiar with this dungeon?" Zhu Mingliang asked in a low voice.

"I used to imprison myself here."

Zhu Mingliang was full of questions.

Imprison yourself??

Are you crazy??

...

The Valkyrie was indeed very familiar with the dungeon. If Zhu Mingliang tried to navigate it alone, even without guards, he wouldn't be able to get out. The dungeon was as large as a maze.

Finally, they successfully escaped the city through a secret passage.

Outside the city, Zhu Mingliang smeared himself with dirty mud from the ground and also smeared some on the Valkyrie's pale cheeks.

"Let's go to my place and hide for a while," Zhu Mingliang said.

The Valkyrie didn't respond, but it was a tacit agreement.

They walked out of the city, and soon they saw squads of soldiers galloping down the road, clearly spreading the news of the Valkyrie's escape.

...

After three days and nights of travel, Zhu Mingliang and the Valkyrie finally escaped back to Xiaosang Town.

Xiaosang Town was a cluster of silkworm farmers. Many merchants from outside the city would come here to buy silkworms and silk materials, and the increasing population had turned it into a mixed and chaotic place.

The more outsiders, the better for hiding. Zhu Mingliang and the Valkyrie had been traveling non-stop, barely resting during the day, and were utterly exhausted.

As soon as they entered his small courtyard and house, Zhu Mingliang rolled onto his bed and fell asleep.

The Valkyrie found two chairs, put them together, and lay down without a word.

She was also very tired, and the events of the past few days had dealt a severe blow to her. However, she didn't fall asleep immediately. She recalled the events of the past few days, and her eyes involuntarily moistened.

Zhu Mingliang, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly stopped snoring. He opened his eyes and looked at the Valkyrie, who was lying on her side, slightly curled up, and saw the tears on her eyelashes... He couldn't help but sigh softly.

Although their encounter was purely physical, Zhu Mingliang still felt a bit sorry for her.

For him, it was just a matter of drinking some poisonous porridge, spending a night in the dungeon, and a few days of travel.

But for her?

She was the ruler of Yongcheng, stripped of her power and her dignity, and now she had to hide in a small, stinky house full of silkworm droppings. The calm and occasional dispiritedness she showed over the past few days suggested that she hadn't easily forgotten the humiliation but was turning all her anger and humiliation into the resolve for revenge.