Locked From Inside

There was only a small lamp lit in the room, its light dim and hazy.

The thin blanket on the bed kept rising and falling, barely visible in the gloom.

What on earth is he doing?

This is definitely not something I can handle alone.

Grace smirked mischievously and walked over to the bed.

She was met with a pair of eyes cold as a winter pond.

His eyes were filled with murderous intent.

Evan Xiao lay on his back, his face perfectly calm—there was no sign at all that the medicine had taken effect.

"Lily Bai, you—"

"Lily, your bamboo embroidery is absolutely gorgeous," Grace said with a look of genuine admiration. "If you use it on the General's pouch, it'll look amazing. Our General and green bamboo are a perfect match! And if you add that famous verse from Master Zheng—'Cling to the green mountain and never let go, rooted deep in shattered rock. A thousand trials and countless blows, still strong, no matter the wind from any direction'—it’ll be even better!"

Evan Xiao pointed with a wave of his hand, spiritual energy surged, and the candlelight reignited, making Grace's face appear clearly before him.

Her gaze was unfocused yet gentle, her expression peaceful and soft, as if she was truly watching Green Lotus embroider.

She tilted her head, watched for a while, then said, "Take your time with the embroidery. I’m off to prepare a pot of iced green tea for the General. The weather’s scorching, and he’s been running around outside. He’ll be dying for something cold to drink when he gets back."

With that, she skipped out the door, her steps light and cheerful.

Evan Xiao stared at her retreating figure for a long moment, then got out of bed and walked out, only to see Grace climb right onto the bed, striking a curvy pose before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

Evan Xiao scrutinized her sharply, slowly raising his right hand.

"Don’t worry, Miss Shishi… Give it a few days, and you’ll be fine…" Qingluan mumbled sleepily again.

Evan Xiao’s eyes flickered, and he lowered his hand.

Then, he turned and went inside, shutting the door behind him.

With a "click," he locked it from the inside.

Qingluan didn’t dare open her eyes the whole time. It was at least a quarter of an hour before she finally peeked them open.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she secretly congratulated herself: Good thing this young lady is quick-witted! Sleepwalking totally saved me.

She could clearly feel that just now, Evan Xiao’s gaze was filled with terrifying murderous intent.

In that moment, he really wanted to kill her…

This guy, damn it, is definitely not normal.

The sleeping potion didn’t knock him out.

Why didn’t the aphrodisiac work, either?

That was a sixth-grade spiritual elixir! Sixth-grade!

Oh right, just now, she clearly saw the thin blanket on the bed moving up and down. Was she hallucinating?

And those two loud "thuds," like something heavy hitting the wall—what was that all about?

...

The next day, Qingluan, sporting dark circles under her eyes, handed over her shift to Green Lotus and dragged her exhausted self back to her own room to sleep.

But she’d barely fallen asleep when Green Lotus came to wake her, saying the General wanted to see her.

Qingluan tried her best to look less guilty and asked, "Why does the General want me?"

"No idea," said Green Lotus. "But Steward Qin is there too."

"Oh…" Qingluan got up, tidied herself, dabbed on some powder to look more awake, and headed to see Evan Xiao.

"General, you called for me?" she asked with a smile.

Evan Xiao glanced at her and asked, "I heard you made a bet with Ruby?"

"Huh?" Qingluan’s heart skipped a beat.

"You bet her you’d be back within three days, and that I’d personally come to bring you back?" Evan Xiao stared at her, his eyes cold as ice.

How did he know?

Could it be Steward Qin told him?

She shot a glance at Steward Qin.