After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 179 Encountering the 3rd Prince at the Spring Breeze Pavilion

At this moment, Zhang Duan also recognized Zhou Xianya. He frowned unhappily and said, "What are you doing here? Go back now. This is not a place for you."

As he spoke, he reached out to take Zhou Xianya's hand, but she dodged him.

Zhou Xianya said irritably, "Where I go is none of your business! How come you're the only one who can come here to philander? Why can't I?"

Zhang Duan coaxed in a humble voice, "It's my fault, but you should leave here quickly, or it will be terrible if someone finds out."

"I'm not going! Not only am I not going, I'm going to have fun here!"

With that, she ran up to the second floor and shouted towards the lobby from the corridor: "I'm in a good mood today, so I'll cover all the expenses!"

"What are you shouting for!" Zhang Duan immediately chased after Zhou Xianya and dragged her inside. His tone was urgent. "Come with me, I'll take you out."

"I'm not going!"

"obedient!"

"Who do you think you are? You expect me to obey you? Why should I obey you?"

"go!"

As he spoke, Zhang Duan grabbed Zhou Xianya's hand and started to walk downstairs.

Zhou Xianya also lost her temper, shoving the other person's hand away and shouting angrily, "I said I'm not leaving! What right do you have to stop me!"

Just then, a commotion came from afar, and a group of people escorted a richly dressed man with a cold expression as he walked quickly towards them.

It was the Third Prince and his men.

In the blink of an eye, the group surrounded Zhang Duan, Xia Li, and the others.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Duan's face turned ashen, and cold sweat poured down his forehead.

He lowered his voice and anxiously scolded Xia Li and the others: "I told you all to leave here immediately! This is the Third Prince's territory, but you wouldn't listen and made such a commotion. Now look what's happened, you've alerted them!"

Upon hearing this, Xia Li was stunned, and the handful of sunflower seeds she had just picked up to crack fell to the ground with a "clatter".

She inwardly groaned, while muttering to herself, "Why didn't you tell me this was the Third Prince's territory? When we saw you two arguing, we thought it was just a normal jealous bickering! Who would have thought it would cause such a big problem!"

At this moment, the Third Prince from the opposite side stepped forward.

Zhang Rui, standing to the side, said with a fawning smile, "Third Prince, it's them!"

It was obvious that Zhang Rui had brought the Third Prince here.

The Third Prince recognized them as well, a forced smile playing on his lips as he coldly surveyed the crowd: "Oh ho! Who do we have here so generously? It turns out to be my ex-fiancée who was jilted, my current fiancée, and this brat who once gave me a hard time! Hahahaha..."

In the end, the Third Prince threw his head back and laughed, but his laughter was filled with chilling intent.

After laughing, the Third Prince suddenly waved his hand and said fiercely, "Since you bunch of fools have delivered yourselves to my doorstep, then don't blame me for being impolite! Today, I'll use you as my starting point and let you taste my power!"

Zhao Jihua shielded the two behind him and shouted at the Third Prince, "You dare! Neither the Prince of Jin's Mansion nor the Zhou Mansion will let you get away with this!"

To everyone's surprise, the Third Prince showed no fear whatsoever. A sly smile crept onto his lips: "Hehe, look at your attire. You must have sneaked out of your families, right? In that case, I just need to be quick and decisive, and handle this matter cleanly and without anyone noticing. Who would trace it back to me?"

Having said that, he scanned the crowd before him with piercing eyes.

Zhang Duan wanted to stop him, but he didn't have time to say a word.

Then they heard the Third Prince order: "Capture them! I want to keep them alive so I can torture them properly."

The guards immediately rushed up to capture them alive, and a fight broke out between the two sides.

Although Xia Li and his two companions were skilled in martial arts, they were outnumbered and the battle remained deadlocked for a time.

"This won't do, we have to find a way to break through!" Zhou Xianya shouted while fending off the enemy's attacks.

The three exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly.

They used all their skills and exerted tremendous force to break through the encirclement of the men in black and jumped directly from the second floor.

The man in black was hot on their heels.

Xia Li rushed into a room at random and found it empty.

Without thinking twice, she pulled Zhao Jihua and Zhou Xianya inside, then slammed the door shut and blocked it with her body.

The men in black quickly caught up and rammed the door.

The loud "bang!" sounds were terrifying.

Xia Li and the other two leaned against the door, panting heavily, their hearts filled with fear and tension.

Zhou Xianya: "The outside is already surrounded by the Third Prince's men. Jumping out the window would be like walking into a trap, which is simply unrealistic."

Zhao Jihua continued, "But if we get caught, we'll be worse off than dead!"

"What should we do? They'll break down this door soon," Zhou Xianya said, her voice trembling.

Xia Li gritted her teeth: "We can't just sit here and wait to die. Let's see if there are any other ways out of this room."

The three of them moved a table to block the door and began searching the room. However, apart from a desk, some supplies, and a bed, there was nothing else in the room.

"Impossible! Zhang Duan hinted that we should enter this room; there must be some secret passage or something. Take a close look."

Xia Li suddenly noticed a loose floorboard under the bed.

She forcefully lifted the floorboards and discovered a narrow tunnel underneath.

"Quick, there's a tunnel here!"

She exclaimed in surprise.

Zhao Jihua and Zhou Xianya rushed over, and the three of them jumped into the tunnel without hesitation, then covered the floor again.

Just as they hid, the door to the room was kicked open.

The man in black rushed into the room and searched everywhere, but found nothing.

Where are they? Did they just vanish into thin air?

Zhang Rui roared angrily.

"Boss, could they have escaped through the window?" a man in black asked cautiously.

Zhang Rui looked at the window, which was tightly closed, indicating that no one had gone out from there.

"Impossible! Keep searching! We must find them!"

Xia Li and the other two were unaware of the commotion outside.

They walked forward along the tunnel, not knowing where it led or what awaited them.

The tunnel was dark and damp, filled with a putrid smell.

Xia Li and the other two walked along, their steps uneven, their hearts filled with trepidation.

They walked for an unknown amount of time when suddenly a glimmer of light appeared ahead. They quickened their pace and headed towards the light.

When they emerged from the tunnel, they found themselves in an unfamiliar place.

This is a desolate outskirts, overgrown with weeds, and not a soul in sight.

"What should we do now?" Zhou Xianya looked at Xia Li, her eyes full of trust.

Xia Li pondered for a moment and said, "They will find us soon. The road into the city will probably be blocked by the Third Prince. Let's find a place to hide first. Since Zhang Duan pointed us to this road, he will definitely come looking for us."

“No, that’s not a good idea. We’ve always relied on men, so let’s figure out a solution ourselves,” Zhao Jihua interrupted.