# Chapter 228: Two-Faced Woman
The dungeon was extremely deep, with a bone-chilling cold that would freeze any ordinary person who walked in.
At the bottom of the dungeon, fifty meters below ground, the surrounding stone walls were covered with formation inscription patterns, making it impossible for anyone to enter the dungeon from underground.
Zi Qian sat cross-legged inside a two-meter-tall metal cage. Her slender arms and legs were bound with iron chains, and golden runes flowed across both the chains and the cage bars.
The slightest touch of the chains would activate the golden runes, generating an electric current that would repel anyone.
Chen Xi'er stood outside the cage, her delicate figure poised there. Her beautiful almond-shaped eyes examined Zi Qian imprisoned inside, and she said, "You possess Saint bloodline. You are definitely no ordinary assassin."
Zi Qian kept her eyes closed, her hands resting on her knees, as if she couldn't understand Chen Xi'er's words.
Zhang Ruochen, following behind Chen Xi'er as he entered the dungeon, saw Zi Qian locked inside the cage and couldn't help feeling a pang of pain.
At the same time, Zhang Ruochen also felt somewhat angry. Chen Xi'er had merely suspected Zi Qian of being an assassin from the Underworld Gate, yet she had imprisoned her in this dark, sunless, freezing cold dungeon cage. This was going too far.
If Zi Qian had already been confirmed as an Underworld Gate spy, Chen Xi'er's actions would be understandable. But now, they were still fellow disciples of the same sect.
Chen Xi'er took out a sharp broken sword and walked up to Zi Qian. Her crystal-clear red lips curled slightly into a cold, mocking smile. "I heard you have a pretty good relationship with Zhang Ruochen?"
Zi Qian, sitting cross-legged in the cage, slowly opened her eyes and stared at Chen Xi'er outside the cage. Weakly, she said, "Zhang Ruochen and I... are just ordinary senior and junior disciples..."
"Haha! You finally speak!"
Chen Xi'er let out a delicate laugh, her chest heaving. Her gaze sharpened as she snorted coldly, "If you and Zhang Ruochen were really just ordinary senior and junior disciples, why would you risk exposing your identity to save him with all your might? Tell me, is Zhang Ruochen also a spy from the Black Market?"
"No," Zi Qian replied, closing her eyes again, refusing to speak further.
"Bang!"
Chen Xi'er's gaze turned cold. She grabbed the iron chain wrapped around Zi Qian's left wrist and dragged her over, pressing her face tightly against the cage bars.
The short sword in her hand moved along Zi Qian's cheek. Chen Xi'er laughed, "If you don't tell the truth, do you believe I'll slash your face right now, completely disfigure you, and then lock you in the Red Void Secret Mansion, never to see the light of day again?"
The golden runes on the iron chains were like bolts of golden lightning, continuously striking into Zi Qian's body.
Even though Zi Qian was an assassin who had undergone brutal training, she was still wracked with pain, her whole body convulsing. Clenching her teeth, she trembled as she said, "Everything I said... is the truth... Zhang Ruochen... indeed... indeed has nothing to do with the Black Market..."
The golden light shone on Chen Xi'er's stunningly beautiful face, revealing a perfect silhouette. Her features were exquisitely refined, without a single flaw.
But at this moment, Zhang Ruochen didn't find that face beautiful at all. Instead, he could only see malice and treachery, completely different from the perfect goddess image she had previously displayed.
Zhang Ruochen felt only a deep disappointment and let out a soft sigh.
Hearing the sigh, Chen Xi'er's expression changed. "Who's there?"
Just as Chen Xi'er was about to turn around, a palm strike hit her neck. Her vision went dark, her head grew heavy, and she collapsed to the ground.
Zi Qian in the cage also tensed up, staring at the dark figure wearing a metal mask who had knocked out Chen Xi'er. "Who are you?"
The dark figure approached, revealing a familiar facial outline.
Although Zhang Ruochen hadn't yet removed his metal mask, Zi Qian still recognized him.
She didn't show any joy. Instead, she became even more tense and lowered her voice. "What are you doing here? If the Martial Market Academy martial artists discover you, they'll definitely treat you as a Black Market spy too."
Zhang Ruochen said, "I've come to save you."
"Leave now. I don't need you to save me," Zi Qian said.
Zhang Ruochen asked, "Do you think I can't save you?"
Zi Qian's gaze turned cold. "Don't you understand yet? The Martial Market Academy people imprisoned me here precisely to wait for the Black Market to come and rescue me. They've definitely set up an inescapable net outside. We can't escape at all."
"Besides, you're different from me. You're a prince of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom. You have family and friends. If the Martial Market Academy suspects you of being a Black Market spy, the entire royal clan of the Yunwu Commandery Kingdom will be implicated."
Seeing that Zhang Ruochen still hadn't left, Zi Qian lowered her voice again and said, "Besides... we're just ordinary friends. You don't need to take such a big risk for me..."
"Whoosh!"
Before Zi Qian could finish, Zhang Ruochen took out the Abyssal Ancient Sword and swung it in a slash.
The iron chain forged from thousand-hammer meteorite was cut in two and fell to the ground.
Then Zhang Ruochen made four more cuts, the sword passing close to Zi Qian's wrists and ankles, severing all four chains.
Zhang Ruochen lifted Zi Qian out of the cage and said, "Now that I've saved you, I have no way back."
Zi Qian was very weak. In Zhang Ruochen's arms, she couldn't resist at all. She could only stare at Zhang Ruochen with eyes that were both angry and secretly pleased, her beautiful eyes wide open, glaring at him fiercely.
Zhang Ruochen set Zi Qian down and pressed a finger to her brow. A surge of powerful true qi rushed into her body, breaking through her sealed meridians.
Once the seal on her meridians was broken, the abundant true qi immediately filled the meridians in her body. Zi Qian quickly became energetic and regained her strength.
Zhang Ruochen said, "Let's go. Time to get out."
Zi Qian's face was slightly flushed. She tugged at Zhang Ruochen's sleeve and asked, "How do you plan to get out?"
Zhang Ruochen said, "I have a way to conceal our forms. At least seventy percent chance of not being detected by the guards outside."
Zi Qian looked at Chen Xi'er lying on the ground and said, "I might have a better idea."
"What idea?"
Zi Qian said, "I secretly learned the 'Silkworm Butterfly Art' from the Underworld Gate. Although I haven't mastered it, I can still change my appearance simply. Since it's night now, I believe the martial artists guarding the dungeon won't dare to look closely at Chen Xi'er's face. As long as I transform into Chen Xi'er's appearance, I can naturally escape easily."
Zhang Ruochen also glanced at Chen Xi'er on the ground. He had lost all the goodwill he once had for her. "That should work."
Zhang Ruochen turned around and waited for a moment.
Zi Qian took off Chen Xi'er's clothes and put them on herself. She put her own clothes on Chen Xi'er.
At the same time, Zi Qian also locked Chen Xi'er in the cage and wrapped her with four iron chains.
Zi Qian picked up the broken sword from the ground and glanced into the cage. "Chen Xi'er's head is also on the Bounty List, with a high reward. Should we kill her and split the bounty evenly?"
Zhang Ruochen frowned slightly. "I am still a disciple of the Martial Market Academy. I won't stand by and watch you kill a fellow disciple."
From Chen Xi'er's perspective, she hadn't actually done anything wrong.
The reason Zhang Ruochen was disappointed in Chen Xi'er was that she had appeared too perfect in front of him, but revealed her true nature behind his back.
Zhang Ruochen didn't like this kind of two-faced woman.
But if Zi Qian wanted to kill her, that was another matter. Zhang Ruochen naturally had to stop it.
"Fine. I'll spare her this time."
Zi Qian put away the short sword and used the Silkworm Butterfly Art to change her facial muscles and contours. Even her figure changed slightly, becoming almost identical to Chen Xi'er, making it hard to spot any flaws.
"The Silkworm Butterfly Art can change a person's appearance, but it can't change a person's physique and true qi attributes," Zi Qian said, using a voice identical to Chen Xi'er's.
It had to be said, Zi Qian was a qualified assassin. She imitated Chen Xi'er's temperament very well. When she walked out of the dungeon, the two martial artists guarding it didn't notice anything unusual.
Zhang Ruochen used the power of his Space Domain to distort space, making himself appear invisible. He followed beside Zi Qian and said in a low voice, "The Martial Market Academy martial artists will soon discover that the person locked in the dungeon is Chen Xi'er. So you must escape from Lingkong Manor tonight."
Zi Qian nodded.
Rowing a small boat across the lake, they encountered no obstacles. Zi Qian headed straight for the exit of Lingkong Manor.
"Greetings, Miss!"
The martial artists guarding Lingkong Manor all knelt on one knee, saluting Zi Qian.
"Open the gate. We're going out," Zi Qian said.
The martial artists didn't dare question "Chen Xi'er's" orders. They immediately opened the formation and the gate, letting "Chen Xi'er" out.
Just as "Chen Xi'er" walked out the gate, Zuo Lengxuan followed, gazing at Chen Xi'er's back from a distance with a puzzled expression. "Where is Junior Sister Chen going so late at night?"
After thinking for a moment, Zuo Lengxuan pursued her.
Originally, Zhang Ruochen had planned not to follow further since Zi Qian had already left Lingkong Manor. But he never expected Zuo Lengxuan to suddenly appear.
Zuo Lengxuan had always been pursuing Chen Xi'er. It was only natural that he would be curious about her leaving Lingkong Manor late at night and follow to investigate.
But that wasn't the real Chen Xi'er—it was Zi Qian.
If Zuo Lengxuan discovered "Chen Xi'er's" true identity, wouldn't everything be ruined?
Feeling uneasy, Zhang Ruochen concealed his form again and followed.
After leaving Lingkong Manor, Zi Qian used her movement technique to dash rapidly into the darkness, fleeing as fast as she could, wanting to put as much distance between herself and Lingkong Manor as possible.
But she always felt someone was following her.
When she reached a secluded area, she stopped and let out a soft sigh. "Zhang Ruochen, I've already escaped. There won't be any more danger. You don't need to follow me anymore."
Zi Qian thought the person following her was Zhang Ruochen, so she didn't deliberately imitate Chen Xi'er's tone when speaking, but used her own voice.
"Tap, tap."
Footsteps sounded.
Zuo Lengxuan stepped out, looking at the distant "Chen Xi'er" with a puzzled expression. "You're not Junior Sister Chen. Who are you? And what is your relationship with Zhang Ruochen?"
Hearing Zuo Lengxuan's voice, Zi Qian's expression changed. She immediately turned around and saw that the person approaching wasn't Zhang Ruochen, but an Inner Palace disciple.
Zi Qian had some impression of Zuo Lengxuan. She had seen him once or twice. He was one of the top fifty experts in the Inner Palace Academy.
Her heart sank to the bottom. She hadn't expected to be exposed only after escaping. Was tonight going to end in failure?