Drip... drip...

In the dim dungeon, water dripped into a small puddle nearby, making a crisp sound.

Steel-barred cells held their occupants firmly captive.

"Hmm... Where am I?" Liu Xiyun opened her eyes, her gaze blurry as she scanned the surroundings. Her beautiful crescent-moon eyes held a trace of confusion.

"No! I remember! I was tricked by that guy!" Her dazed expression instantly sharpened. She frantically searched the area, desperate to find the person she longed to see.

But the cell held no one else.

The opposite cell was empty too.

"Where was he locked up? He was knocked out by that woman earlier... I think we were taken together?" Liu Xiyun felt dizzy. Her spinning head and aching brain made it hard to recall everything before she blacked out.

Tap-tap!

Footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor outside the cell.

She snapped back to attention, turning her gaze left.

The dungeon hallway was equally gloomy, with only flickering torchlight in the distance. Shadows of cups and bowls stretched across the damp floor.

Over those shadows, a long human silhouette approached, growing closer.

Closer...

The footsteps stopped right beside her cell!

Liu Xiyun instinctively prepared to unleash her martial arts.

"Cough! Ptooey!" Blood spurted from her mouth. She stumbled backward several steps, slamming hard into the stone wall behind her.

Thud!

The sound made the approaching figure pause at the neighboring cell.

"Huh? You're awake?" A sweet female voice came from beside her. Before Liu Xiyun could look, a young maid in simple ancient-style robes bounced into view, staring at her with delight.

"How do you feel?" she asked curiously.

Liu Xiyun pressed a hand to her chest, frowning tightly. She eyed the maid warily, saying nothing.

The girl seemed about her age. She wore a light green ancient dress with semi-transparent gauze sleeves, her round face framed by simple black hair tied in a maid's bun. She looked harmless.

But!

That was just her appearance. When Liu Xiyun met the maid's childlike, smiling face, her frown deepened.

This maid was too beautiful! Her stunning features made even Liu Xiyun—a genius who prided herself on her looks—stare a little longer.

"Who are you?" Liu Xiyun didn't believe this was just a simple maid.

What maid had such a gorgeous face?

Did they think she was stupid!?

And that ancient-style outfit felt utterly out of place in this damp, dark dungeon.

Liu Xiyun's eyes stayed sharp with suspicion.

They stared at each other.

An eerie silence hung in the air. Finally, the maid outside tilted her head, puzzled.

"I'm me. Am I not me? Or am I you?"

"... That's not what I meant," Liu Xiyun said, frowning again.

"Then what did you mean?" The maid's big eyes were full of confusion.

"I meant... Forget it. Someone like you in a place like this can't be good news." Liu Xiyun muttered to herself, then sat cross-legged to meditate. The backlash from her spiritual energy had injured her badly; she needed to heal.

She fell silent. But the maid outside wouldn't give up. She rushed to the bars, gripping them tightly with both hands. Her small face pressed against the iron.

"Huh? Let me see—are you in a dimensional space!?"

Her eyes widened in shock.

"You won't vanish like those mice, whoosh! Gone in a flash, will you!?"

Liu Xiyun pretended not to hear.

This maid seemed off. Why was she so fixated on a stranger? Something was wrong with her!

"Talk to me! You won't really run away, will you? If you do, the adults will punish me! They're so big... sob... so scary."

Tears welled up in the maid's eyes as she frightened herself.

Is she crazy? Liu Xiyun thought again. But hearing "adults," she paused her meditation and asked, "Adults? Who are they?"

"Adults? Adults are adults! Who else could they be?" The tear-streaked face lifted, looking at Liu Xiyun like she was an idiot.

Liu Xiyun almost doubted her own question.

Now she understood.

This was why such a pretty girl was just a maid.

She must be simple-minded...

Could she trick her into opening the cell? Maybe learn how to break the spiritual energy seal on her body.

Liu Xiyun decided to try. She stood up and faced the maid. "Little sister, my stomach hurts. Could you open the door? I need to use the toilet."

"Need the toilet?" The maid outside eyed her suspiciously.

"Yes." Liu Xiyun nodded, pressing her stomach.

But the maid wasn't fooled. "Hmph! Do you think I'm stupid? If I let you out, you'll run away! What about me?"

"Go right here!"

"... Liu Xiyun.