Her body trembled instinctively, the sensation of the whip lashing her skin a sudden awakening, a dense stinging pain erupting across her back.
She adjusted the veil covering her face.
Inside the temple sat three men and two women.
The three men were people she would never forget, worse than beasts, human traffickers. The two women were likely newly captured or sold, their expressions listless, their gazes vacant, just like she had been.
As they entered, the three traffickers' eyes briefly swept over them before casually moving away.
But Xue Niang knew these men had quickly assessed their combat strength. Two not-so-strong men and two frail women were exactly the kind of easy targets they sought.
Liu Donghuai was not foolish. Three men with ill intentions and two pitiable women – something was clearly amiss. He hesitated.
"Brother Donghuai, let's just stay here for the night. It's so dark outside, and scary," the girl beside him leaned closer, pleading softly.
Xue Niang, head bowed, had already found a place to sit. Liu Donghuai, seeing this, could only nod, but a sense of unease lingered. He glanced back at the three men.
Perhaps his gaze was too obvious. The bearded man among the three smiled, "Little brother, it's best to be careful when traveling at night with your women. There are many refugees outside now."
"Indeed!" the coachman chimed in, nodding at Liu Donghuai. "Let's rest here for the night and head into the city early tomorrow."
The three traffickers exchanged glances, a malicious glint flashing in their eyes.
"Brother Donghuai, come sit here quickly." The girl pulled Liu Donghuai to sit beside Xue Niang.
Liu Donghuai hastily pulled out his sleeve, his expression uneasy.
Xue Niang's entire focus was on the three men. She had no time to pay attention to the interaction between the other two. The girl pouted, then turned to Xue Niang, "What's your name? What perfume are you wearing? It smells so good! Why are you out here alone? So dangerous. Did you argue with your husband?"
"Miss Su, don't ask random questions," Liu Donghuai interrupted her.
How was that random? Su Yuoruo looked at him, feeling wronged.
Xue Niang saw the three traffickers exchange glances and her heart tightened. She knew she couldn't delay any longer. She suddenly stood up and walked towards the bonfire.
The bonfire was closer to the three men. Liu Donghuai, not understanding what she was doing, quickly called out, "Miss Xiao!"
The bearded man chuckled, "Little lady, you look so delicate. Are you cold?"
Xue Niang made no sound. She casually threw something into the fire.
The thin-faced man squinted, "What did you just throw in?"
"Just fruit peels," Xue Niang replied, then returned to her original spot.
Su Yuoruo muttered, "You have to throw fruit peels in the fire? You could just toss them away!"
The bearded man laughed a little louder, stood up, and walked to the entrance, closing the dilapidated temple door.
"What are you doing?" Liu Donghuai stood up warily.
"It's a bit cold," the bearded man smiled sinisterly and gestured with his chin towards his two companions.
The two women with them shivered and kept shrinking back.
Now, even the coachman saw that something was wrong and quickly stood up, "What do you want? We're from Lin'an County. The magistrate is currently cracking down on bandits. Do you want to court disaster?"
"Hahaha—" the three men burst into laughter. The two sitting on the ground pulled knives from their clothes and stood up casually.
Liu Donghuai pulled Xue Niang and Su Yuoruo behind him, whispering, "I'll hold them off. You two, find an opportunity and run!"
"Brother Donghuai..." Su Yuoruo's eyes welled up with tears, touched.
Every time she was in danger, Brother Donghuai would protect her. She felt no fear at all.
Xue Niang saw that one of the women on the ground had slumped over, but the three standing traffickers showed no signs of being affected by the medicine. She removed her veil and smiled, "Long time no see."
The three men froze, their expressions shocked.
How could they possibly forget this face! It was her! They had made a fortune off her!
"So it's Ugly Slave! Truly, you've become more beautiful. This figure, tsk tsk. I thought that man had beaten you to death. Who knew you'd become more radiant with age? You'll fetch a good price this time!"
"Oh dear, I said we were shortchanged when we sold you for half a tael of silver last time. Back then, your buck teeth were still awkward, but listen to that voice, it makes one's bones go soft!" the bearded man complained to the thin-faced, sharp-cheeked man.
"It's not my fault that man was so scary, and I misspoke."
The third man, who hadn't spoken, swayed his head, his eyes a little glazed.
Just then, Su Yuoruo's body went limp and she slid to the ground.
"Miss!" the coachman went to help her, stumbled, and also collapsed onto the ground.
"Something's wrong!" Liu Donghuai shook his head. He had no strength in his body. He tried to reach for Xue Niang, but he didn't even have the strength to grab her sleeve. In the end, he couldn't hold on, his eyes wide with panic as he looked at her.
Only then did the two traffickers realize something was amiss. Looking at Xue Niang's cold gaze, they quickly reached for their daggers, but couldn't grasp them. With a clatter, they fell to the ground, and the men themselves swayed and toppled over.
Xue Niang began to laugh, but in the eyes of the traffickers, she was like a demon.
"You, what did you do to us?"
"Threw fruit peels!"
Xue Niang picked up a dagger from the ground and pressed the blade against the sharp-faced man's face, "I was captured by you for three months and whipped one hundred and thirty-two times. You remember, don't you?"
"N-no, I don't know, I didn't count..."
Xue Niang's medicine only made people weak, it didn't cause them to faint. Therefore, everyone was conscious, just without strength.
This was a life-saving method taught to her by Qing He. When she left Lin'an, she had gone to a clinic and bought the prepared medicine. Fortunately, she had encountered her enemies just outside the city.
What a great opportunity.
How could she let these beasts off!
"You also threw me into the river, didn't give me food, made me watch you bully others, and let fierce dogs scare me. Do you regret it? Regret not throwing me to the dogs?"
"No, no, my lady, we were wrong, spare us! We are not humans, we are beasts, please be merciful..." The sharp-faced man cried disgustingly, his face a mask of subservience, the arrogance of before completely gone.
The two women he had abducted looked on with a glimmer of hope.
The bearded man bit his own tongue, trying to regain some strength, but the medicine was too effective, having no effect at all.
"Don't kill us, didn't you have amnesia? I'll tell you your origins."
"My origins?" Xue Niang tilted her head.
The bearded man thought his words had moved her and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, as long as you let me go, I'll tell you."
Xue Niang's gaze turned fierce, and she stabbed his hand with a knife. Not only did the bearded man cry out in pain, but the other two also screamed in terror.
So useless.
Just beasts who could only bully women!
"Do you have the right to negotiate with me?"