No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 1000: The Water Prison in Daylight?
Inside the silent water prison, everything was just as it had been the night before.

Eight food boxes containing vegetarian meals were pushed by Ouyang Rong into the eight black water curtain prison doors, numbered from "Gui" to "Bing".

As always, the "丙" (Bing) room moves the slowest, and the "己" (Ji) room moves the fastest.

The prisoners, whose faces were never seen, began to eat.

While waiting, Ouyang Rong looked around and observed the long corridor and the faint light on the rocks above.

If his intuition was correct, the dark curtains of water and the light in the corridor grew dimmer and darker as he left late last night.

Today, however, the situation is the opposite. The overall light inside the water dungeon is brighter tonight than it was at the same time last night.

The black water ripples flowing on the water curtain seemed much clearer, as if the blackness had faded somewhat.

This ever-changing phenomenon of light and shadow left Ouyang Rong somewhat unsure of the pattern.

He wasn't sure what was causing these changes in light and shadow; it felt like they were happening in real time.

Standing here again, Ouyang Rong had a vague intuition that seemed to be about to emerge, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it, as if it was just missing that one crucial spark.

Just then, the entire passageway darkened several degrees.

Ouyang Rong was taken aback.

I stared intently at it.

The black water curtain door, which had faded and become somewhat translucent tonight, turned dark again.

The water above turned as black as ink, and the ripples became somewhat undulating, as if the once calm water surface had suddenly begun to surge.

Ouyang Rong looked surprised.

He had only been there a short time, and the vegetarian meals had only just been delivered to the various cells. Even the occupant of the most impatient cell, "Ji," hadn't finished eating yet.

If we say that it was late last night, when he was about to leave, that the water prison began to darken.

So right now, it's still midnight, far from the middle of the night.

Why has it changed again, and why is it not following the usual pattern?

Could it be due to some external factor?
Ouyang Rong fell into deep thought.

The main reason is that Yun Xiangyi might return at any time, and there is something suspicious about the copper token given to him. Ouyang Rong dares not approach the black water curtain door without permission to investigate. He can only pretend to be a servant delivering vegetarian meals, doing his "official business" every day and observing silently.

You can "accidentally" trigger something, but you can't keep "accidentally" doing it all the time.

Ouyang Rong frowned, staring at the gradually darkening passageway and the water curtain prison doors on both sides.

Just then, there was a "clunk".

At the entrance of cell number "己", a food box had already been pushed out through the dark water gate.

Ouyang Rong snapped out of his daze and turned his gaze over there.

This seemed to be the beginning; soon after, the prisoners in the cells began to bring out their empty food boxes one by one.

Ouyang Rong pursed his lips, stepped forward, and began to tidy them up one by one.

As always, the last food box was pushed out by the "slow" occupant of cell number "C".

Ouyang Rong put away the last food box, turned around and walked out of the passageway, down the stairs.

A moment later, he returned to the house where Yun Xiangyi usually stayed.

Walk through the door.

On the table inside, a warm orange light shone, giving a sense of peace and tranquility.

The Goguryeo Buddhist scripture that Yun Xiangyi often read was quietly closed and placed on the table.

Everything inside was as usual, except that the beautiful white-clad woman who loved to read was missing.

When Ouyang Rong entered the room, his expression was slightly dazed.

Yun Xiangyi hasn't returned yet.

It seems that Xue Zhongzhu is on high alert.

He snapped out of his reverie and walked around the small desk.

Speaking of which, this room is located deep underground, making it a perfect place for quiet retreat and peaceful reading.

Because there is a huge waterfall above, the depth here can even "block out" the sound of the waterfall, let alone other noises, and can ignore most of the noise and disturbances on the ground.

Ouyang Rong understood somewhat. Yun Xiangyi often stayed here, reading Buddhist scriptures. This room was a place that could bring peace of mind.

Although the style of the water dungeon doesn't quite match the actual purpose of imprisoning criminals.

Because Buddhism emphasizes salvation, the water prison in Yunmeng Sword Marsh only "saves" but does not "convert".

Ouyang Rong still doesn't understand why Yun Xiangyi sits alone in this room, studying Buddhist scriptures every night.

As a queen consort who has been removed from the list of queens, she should have already decided to remain anonymous and serve the queen. Why would she need to learn Buddhist teachings? Could it really be a belief inherited from the Goguryeo royal family?

Moreover, judging from Yun Xiangyi's demeanor, she wasn't secretly watching, and didn't seem afraid of being discovered by Ouyang Rong, who was an outsider.

Of course, there was probably also the reason that people thought he, as an ordinary servant, couldn't understand the Goguryeo Buddhist scriptures.

However, even so, Yun Xiangyi's "upright and open" approach speaks volumes.

Ouyang Rong didn't stay in the room for long. He didn't disturb the Buddhist scriptures or Yun Xiangyi's seat, and then turned around and left the water prison.

Back up, passing through the water curtain cave beneath the rusty sword, Ouyang Rong had just stepped out of the waterfall when he suddenly found himself surrounded by torrential rain.

The rain poured down, flooding the pond and raising the water level above pedestrians' ankles.

Ouyang Rong stopped at the pool and gazed intently at the heavy rain outside the umbrella.

I don’t know what I’m thinking.

It was the early hours of the morning, and due to the heavy rain, the sky had completely darkened, and the crescent moon, which had been bright for several nights, was now mostly hidden behind the dark clouds.

When Ouyang Rong came in to deliver the vegetarian meal, the moonlight was clear and the night was bright.

As a result, the torrential rain came out of nowhere. Ouyang Rong had just delivered vegetarian food to the water prison and was in the deep underground, so he didn't even hear a sound.

At this moment, although the mist and rain obscured their vision, Chen Jiaxin and Enting, who "obediently" stayed by the pool, still saw the taciturn young man emerge from the waterfall.

They stood by the pool, waiting for Ouyang Rong to come ashore.

Ouyang Rong remained silent about this.

He looked up at the dark night sky under the rain, his expression thoughtful.

A short while later, Ouyang Rong, who was about to finish his shift, was once again taken by Chen Jiaxin to a secluded place.

The two walked under an umbrella.

The sword-clad girl who had been leading the way suddenly turned around and immediately asked:

"Liu Aliang, what's the situation inside? What did you see?"

Ouyang Rong hesitated for a moment, then looked up at her expectant face and said truthfully:

"Just like last night, following the rules."

Upon hearing the first half of the sentence, Chen Jiaxin was already somewhat disappointed.

After listening to Ouyang Rong recount what he had seen and heard that night, she couldn't help but say:
"that's it?"

"Ah."

Ouyang Rong nodded blankly.

Chen Jiaxin held the umbrella with one hand, a hint of disappointment on her small face below the edge. The girl in swords seemed to ponder for a moment, then gave a helpless remark:

"Liu Aliang, you came out a bit early today. You can stay inside a little longer tomorrow and maybe you'll make some more discoveries. But don't go back now, just finish your shift as usual."

Ouyang Rong glanced at her expression and slowly nodded:
"it is good."

Just as Chen Jiaxin was about to leave, Ouyang Rong suddenly spoke:
"Miss."

She stopped:
"What's the matter?"

“I didn’t come out on purpose to be lazy. I came out early because I wanted to take a look around.”

"Take a look, what does it mean?"

Ouyang Rong nodded, speaking calmly:
"I discovered something strange while I was in the water dungeon these past two days..."

Chen Jiaxin's eyes have gotten bigger:

"Weird?"

Ouyang Rong said woodenly:

"Behind the wooden gate, there is a water dungeon that is sometimes bright and sometimes dark. Every time I go in, the brightness is different. Moreover, once I am inside, I can see the light and dark changing every once in a while. This is not only true for the black water curtain door, but also for the eerie light above the water dungeon. It is really strange."

"You mean... tell me quickly."

She spoke in a somewhat urging tone.

Ouyang Rong pointed to the sparse raindrops in the darkness outside the umbrella.

Compared to the torrential rain just now, the rain has lessened considerably, but the sky above is still covered with dark clouds, obscuring the moon, and the night remains as dark as ink.

"Just before midnight, before I went in to deliver the food, I remember there was no drizzling rain, the night sky was very clear, the crescent moon was high in the sky, and the night was bright. Then I went into the water dungeon, and the first thing I noticed was that the water dungeon was a few degrees brighter than usual."

"and then?"

Ouyang Rong shook his head and said, "Before I left, at a certain moment, the water prison suddenly went dark again. It was an inexplicable change. I noticed this change last night in the middle of the night, but it came earlier tonight. It's very strange. I kept an eye on it and had some premonitions, so I came out early after delivering the vegetarian meal."

Chen Jiaxin saw the taciturn young man nod slightly, his tone surprisingly firm:

"As a result, I found that the rain was pouring outside. I couldn't hear any noise from inside the water prison, but the night rain and darkness outside matched the changes in light and dark inside the water prison perfectly."
“Miss, I believe, and am even certain, that this is no coincidence. The changes in light and darkness inside the water dungeon below are precisely following the changes in the sky outside. Although I don’t know how it does it or how it’s connected, it’s pretty much the same. I can just wait until I go in next time to verify it again.”

Chen Jiaxin listened in a daze, her eyes fixed on Ouyang Rong, and she fell silent for a moment.

Ouyang Rong didn't urge her. He stood still, looked at her, and waited silently.

"Is that so... You're quite observant to notice this anomaly..."

Chen Jiaxin murmured something, seemingly processing it silently. Then, she looked Ouyang Rong up and down again, and reluctantly offered a word of approval:

"Your analysis makes a lot of sense, and I basically agree. Alright, come back tomorrow night to verify it again. You can go back and rest early tonight. Um, it was my oversight just now, and I misunderstood you. I hope you won't take it to heart..."

Under the umbrella, her face was flushed, as if she were overjoyed and her mood had improved.

"Miss."

Ouyang Rong suddenly interrupted her.

Chen Jiaxin was not annoyed, and asked gently:
"What is it? Tell me."

"If the changes in light and darkness in this water dungeon are indeed confirmed, then it means there is another, more important matter, which is what I immediately thought of. Do you know what it is, Miss?"

Chen Jiaxin lowered her eyelids and said, "Hmm, I can guess a bit, but you tell me first, and we'll see who's right."

Ouyang Rong was speechless.

I really want to ask, Miss Chen, do you really know or are you just pretending?

However, it is clear at the moment that it is not appropriate for her to provide evidence, nor is it suitable to engage in the boring and time-consuming act of "both parties writing it down on paper and opening it together for inspection," as the circumstances do not support it.

He didn't keep her in suspense any longer. Under Chen Jiaxin's encouraging and expectant gaze, he uttered two words:
"Daytime".

Chen Jiaxin seemed to think he was going to continue, but after waiting for a while, nothing came of it, and the two of them just stared at each other.

After a while.

Ouyang Rong added somewhat helplessly:
"Wait for daylight."

Chen Jiaxin seemed not to have reacted yet. After chewing for a while, she looked up and her pupils, as black as lacquer, dilated slightly.

She stared at him for a moment.

After a short while, Ouyang Rong nodded, seemingly in response to something unspoken.

"Tell me..." Chen Jiaxin subconsciously asked another question, but immediately changed her mind halfway through: "What are you planning to do?"

She couldn't suppress the smile on her lips, a mixture of anticipation and excitement.

Compared to the lively and spirited young lady, Ouyang Rong's face was expressionless, and his eyelids drooped slightly.

Chen Jiaxin heard him say softly:

"Delivering food late, until dawn..."

……

The night was clear and the moon was like a crescent.

After a heavy rain last night, the sun came out all day, and even now at night it's cool and refreshing.

As usual, Ouyang Rong left Li Ruotong's food delivery team in front of the waterfall, taking the vegetarian meal from the water prison with him and staying behind.

Chen Jiaxin and Li Ruotong are still the same as ever, with a fake sisterly relationship that doesn't quite work out.

Chen Jiaxin and her two daughters remained by the pond.

Yun Xiangyi hasn't returned yet.

More than two days have passed since her sudden departure.

"Fairy Chen, Fairy En."

At this moment, Li Ruotong hadn't gone far. Chen Jiaxin pretended not to know Ouyang Rong. When he greeted her, she was cold and indifferent, not looking at him, and letting Ouyang Rong pass by her.

The taciturn young man, carrying a food box, walked alone across the pool and into the waterfall.

Tonight, his steps were somewhat light, even slow, and he stopped midway to look up at the rusty sword above him and the rock walls on all four sides of the passage.

Ouyang Rong did not display the same meticulous self-discipline he usually showed when delivering vegetarian meals to the water prison.

It happened for a reason.

He came here tonight to do something, there's no need to rush.

On the staircase leading to the water dungeon, Ouyang Rong paused slightly, then, taking advantage of the darkness, closed his eyes and sank into the Merit Tower. During his free time, he checked the merits recorded on the small wooden fish.

A line of cyan-gold numbers came into view:

[Merit: 1013]

The merit points accumulated from when Yun Xiangyi was lured away two days ago are now nearly 500 points less.

On these two nights, he would routinely infuse the "Startled Bird" snow-white longsword with merit-based purple mist.

It wasn't that I really wanted to fight Zhi Shuang to the death; the main purpose was to scare her with a surprise attack.

This will delay Yun Xiangyi's progress and make her stay at the Queen's Palace a little longer.

Apart from the initial use of 500 merit points to scare Lady Zhishuang, the subsequent two nights each night, maintaining the merit-based purple mist investment, consumed approximately 300 merit points.

In addition to the merit of delivering vegetarian meals for two nights, the good deeds are being repaid... All in all, only these thousand-odd merits remain.

(End of this chapter)