Chapter 791: 331 Captivity (Part 2)_2
Yueyao didn’t know how long she had been on the road; she only knew that her internal organs were almost jostling out of place.
The carriage stopped in the outskirts, and the night was clear. Even though it was midnight, Yueyao managed to make out the faces of the two other men. She glanced at them briefly, then lowered her head. That glance was enough.
Soon, two women, one tall and the other short, approached from a distance. Both women were dressed in gray and had very ordinary facial features.
The leader of the men, upon seeing the two women, said, "We have brought the person over; the rest of the payment should be made to us now."
The shorter of the two women stepped forward and touched Yueyao’s face several times, as if to make sure she hadn’t disguised her appearance. After feeling her face, she nodded at the taller woman, "No mistake."
The tall woman nodded and said, "You take her first."
Yueyao hadn’t expected the short woman to suddenly carry her away. Yueyao felt terrified. She was already quite tall among women, and weighed over a hundred pounds. Yet this person carried her as though it required no effort—a sure sign of her immense strength.
After receiving the remainder of the payment, the woman advised, "A word of advice, this girl is no ordinary person; be careful and make sure she doesn’t escape."
The tall girl’s expression was cold as she replied, "You needn’t worry about that; we have our own measures. A sixteen-year-old girl can’t be that formidable."
The short woman carried Yueyao for about a half-hour, turning countless corners before finally reaching a residential area. After navigating several places, they arrived at a doorway and went inside.
The short woman brought Yueyao to a side room and said, "If you behave, I’ll give you the antidote that will allow you to speak."
Yueyao nodded slightly. Only then did the short woman pour a cup of tea from a teapot on the table and took a porcelain vial from her sleeve. She poured a pill from the vial into the tea and fed Yueyao the medicated tea. "Wait a few more minutes, and then you will be able to talk. By the way, my name is Xiao Qing, and my sister’s name is Xiao Hong."
About a quarter of an hour later, Yueyao felt her throat was not as painful as before. But when she tried to speak, she found her voice had become hoarse, as faint as a mosquito’s: "I haven’t eaten in a day, I am very hungry." Only a full stomach would give her the strength to escape.
Although Yueyao didn’t understand this, she had heard Xiang Wei mention that there was a type of pill that would make one’s body weak. This pill had no antidote but the effects would wear off after twelve shichen, after which a person could move freely. Yueyao now could only hope that she was lucky enough to have ingested the type of pill Xiang Wei had described.
Xiao Qing was surprised; she hadn’t expected Yueyao to ask for food so soon: "Wait here, I’ll go right now."
After Xiao Qing had fed her, Yueyao shrank back onto the bed.
Xiao Qing watched Yueyao, her eyes scrutinizing, wondering why the other side had paid such a high price for this woman.
Yueyao didn’t know this woman, but she knew Zhou Shu well. Given Zhou Shu’s character, he must have sent her here for a purpose; therefore, even though Xiao Qing seemed kind, Yueyao took no notice. If she were truly kind, she wouldn’t engage in such despicable acts.
Seeing that Yueyao remained silent, Xiao Qing didn’t mind, and she packed up her things and left.
Yueyao didn’t know where she was, but she knew it was a civilian area, surrounded by many common people. Yueyao could guess why Zhou Shu had chosen this house. This place was most likely conveniently located for transportation.
Living among ordinary citizens held both benefits and disadvantages for Yueyao. The benefit was that once it became light, she could easily find people to leave the place. The disadvantage was that in such places, her identity could easily be exposed, and once exposed, she would have no reputation left.
Yueyao had thought a lot, and perhaps due to sheer exhaustion, she had fallen asleep without realizing it, only to wake up at dawn. Yueyao couldn’t help but wryly smile, wondering how strong her nerves had to be for her to fall asleep under such circumstances.
As Yueyao shook her head, she noticed her limbs were strong, which brought her great joy. However, hearing the footsteps outside, she immediately lowered her head to conceal her expression, not letting the incoming person detect anything suspicious.
Xiao Qing brought the breakfast.
Yueyao refused, "I need to wash up." She couldn’t stomach the food without washing up. It was a habit of hers and not something she could change overnight.
Xiao Qing, unfazed, responded, "What’s with all these fussiness. If you won’t eat then never mind."
Yueyao, being pragmatic, decided to eat the food Xiao Qing fed her despite feeling uncomfortable all over. She ate everything that Xiao Qing had brought.
Seeing Yueyao eat all the breakfast, Xiao Qing muttered to herself, questioning, "Aren’t ladies of stature supposed to have small appetites? Why does this person eat so much? Did we capture the wrong person?"
Yueyao didn’t speak, and after finishing said, "I’m full."
Yueyao lay on the bed and squinted her eyes. She was now calculating how she could escape. To escape, she needed to deal with these two people. However, Xiao Qing was obviously very strong, and the taller one might also be hiding her strength. If she wanted to get out, she had to plan carefully. The only trump card she had was that she had been practicing martial arts for years, nothing else.
When the sun had risen high, Xiao Qing curiously asked, "Sister, why did the person behind this pay such a high price for this woman? She looks fine, but she’s no goddess?" She had expected the woman to look heavenly, but was somewhat disappointed. Thus, Xiao Qing believed, capturing this woman must not be for her beauty.
The tall woman named Xiao Hong responded coldly, "Just take good care of her, and don’t meddle in other business."
Xiao Qing lowered her head, but soon looked up again and said, "We agreed on the end of the Chen Hour, but it hasn’t come yet. Sister, you should go check if something happened."
Xiao Hong also furrowed her brows, concerned that the person coming to meet them hadn’t shown up yet, "It’s possible they got delayed on the way."
After thinking for a moment, Xiao Qing suggested, "Sister, let me go check. Maybe they got the place wrong."
What the two didn’t know was that the reason their contact hadn’t arrived on time was because of an accident. This accident had prevented their people from arriving as planned.
Xiao Hong, after thinking a bit, said, "I’ll go out instead! You take good care of her, and don’t let her run away. This girl is cunning, find some rope and tie her up."
Xiao Qing smiled, "Don’t worry, sister, with me here, she won’t escape."
Yueyao, also trained in martial arts, had excellent hearing. She overheard every word spoken in the courtyard without missing a thing. Hearing that Xiao Hong had indeed gone out, Yueyao sighed in relief. She felt confident about handling one person, but two was beyond her capacity.