Chapter 127: Wolf’s Den, Tiger’s Lair
Chapter 127: Chapter 127: Wolf’s Den, Tiger’s Lair
Liang Wan lowered her gaze, struggling to steady her nerves and suppress the rising panic and fear.
Yao Jinse chuckled softly as she slowly scanned the room, her gaze landing on the flawless beauty before her.
Yao Jinse leaned down, pulled the gag from her mouth, and tossed it to the floor.
A broad smile spread across her face. "Would you prefer I call you ’Aunt,’ or ’Sister Liang’?"
Liang Wan recalled that day at the Treasure Pavilion. Yao Jinse had offered her a sweet, dimpled smile—exactly like the one she was wearing now.
"Whatever you wish."
Her mouth had been gagged the entire way, and the taste was foul. Liang Wan had no desire to speak.
Seeing her in such a wretched state, the curve of Yao Jinse’s eyes deepened with amusement.
"You really are hard to kill. To think you actually escaped last time."
A ROAR filled Liang Wan’s head.
The day she’d returned home, Yao Jinse had been standing at the gate to greet her with a smile. She had intimately linked arms with her, pulling so hard that the arrow wound on Liang Wan’s shoulder flared with pain.
She’d vaguely sensed something was wrong, that it had been deliberate, but it was only a suspicion. She never would have imagined that Yao Jinse was the one who had sent the men in black!
The men in black that day, the bandits today... she had truly underestimated Yao Jinse.
The corner of Yao Jinse’s mouth curled into a sinister smirk. "Sister Liang must not know what it feels like to be violated, does she?"
Liang Wan looked up at her but said nothing.
Her sweet features twisted into a grotesque mask. "How could I ever let go of the humiliation and pain your Liang Family brought upon me? I only wish I could have killed Liang Zhang myself! Why would I have ever truly been willing to marry him?"
Liang Wan fell silent, staring blankly. She understood this kind of hatred.
It was as if she were looking at a reflection of herself.
Whether from resentment, grievance, or some other emotion, the rims of Yao Jinse’s eyes turned red. She sniffled. "It’s just a pity he died so soon. All my painstaking effort poisoning him every day went to waste."
Liang Wan suddenly remembered. When she had returned to the Liang Mansion, Qiuxi had told her that Liang Zhang had become very obedient to Yao Jinse, as if he were turning over a new leaf. ’Was she controlling him with poison?’
’But what kind of poison was it?’
Liang Wan’s gaze fixed on Yao Jinse’s swollen belly.
Noticing her stare, Yao Jinse looked down, her hand rising to gently caress her abdomen. "Sister Liang, are you curious? I’ll be honest with you. This child is the reason I hate you to the bone."
After speaking, she gave an exceedingly strange smile.
It sent a shiver down Liang Wan’s spine.
"Don’t you know? You killed my child’s father! I’m going to watch you suffer every torment imaginable! And then you will pay for his life with your own!"
"The child’s father?"
Liang Wan’s mouth fell open in astonishment. ’Wasn’t it the man she went to see through that small gate?’
A venomous light glinted in Yao Jinse’s eyes. "Sister Liang, you have such a short memory. The Wang family... have you forgotten them so quickly?"
’The Wang family?’
A chill ran through Liang Wan’s heart.
’So it was all for the sake of Wang Su’s family!’
"My, how quickly the great and powerful forget. Do you have any idea how we—a widow and her orphan—have suffered, unable to sleep at night?" She let out a gloomy laugh. "You just wait!"
With that, Yao Jinse left.
Liang Wan lay alone on the damp, hard ground.
Her mind raced. Among the group of children at Sikong Mansion, there was one other person around Yao Jinse’s age besides Wang Tingyue.
Based on the friendship between Mrs. Yao and Wang Su, she could have originally married into the Sikong Mansion. But Liang Zhang had ruined it all.
She finally understood why, in her past life, Yao Jinse had refused the marriage and become a nun.
Whether Yao Jinse had truly taken refuge in a convent was unknown; it was more likely she had given birth to the child and started a new life.
’However, this time...’
’But how could a sheltered young lady like her have such resources? First, the well-trained assassins, and now these mountain bandits.’
’Who else is behind her?’
Liang Wan’s eyes darted around. It was a messy and dilapidated thatched hut used for storing junk.
Outside, she could hear the voices of bandits and see the silhouettes of people bustling about in the distance. The sky beyond the door was a vast expanse of crimson. Once the sun set, night would fall.
’Trapped in a den of thieves, how can I escape?’
’When I woke up, I only saw Mother. I didn’t see Mrs. Zhang or Qiuxi.’
Liang Wan’s gaze searched through the piles of clutter.
Soon, the sound of approaching footsteps grew louder.
Liang Wan lay back down.
"Is this Lady a mute or something?"
The man who came in dragged her out of the hut and toward a large shed. Seemingly surprised that she wasn’t crying or making a fuss, he started talking to himself in a loud voice.
A few of his cronies who were passing by immediately started hooting and laughing.
"We’ll find out if she’s a mute soon enough, won’t we? It’s been a while since we got to have some fun!"
"Look at you, you pathetic loser! Acting like you haven’t touched a woman in eight lifetimes!"
The man spat at him. "Oh, you’re so high and mighty? Then you better keep your belt tied tight and not try to fight the rest of us for her!"
"Keep dreaming! The boss hasn’t even said a word. When would it ever be your turn to have some fun?"
The bandit holding her turned his head and shouted, shaking his big, dark hand for emphasis, "She’s so soft and delicate! How could she possibly handle you rough-housers!"
Liang Wan had no mental energy to spare for their filthy talk.
The stronghold was hidden within a forest, surrounded by tall watchtowers with guards posted on top. The courtyard was open and empty, with nothing for cover besides the constructed sheds.
’Escaping during the day is impossible.’
Just as they reached the entrance of the largest shed, heart-wrenching screams and wild, mocking laughter drifted out. The blood in Liang Wan’s veins seemed to freeze.
’That voice...’
Before she could think any further, Liang Wan was dragged inside.
Though it wasn’t yet dark outside, the interior was already lit with lamps and a bonfire. The air was thick with heat, smoke, and the stench of alcohol, and it was crowded with people.
Liang Wan quickly scanned her surroundings from the corner of her eye.
Directly opposite, on a main seat draped with animal hides, sat a burly, scruffy-bearded man. The section of his bare arm that was visible was thicker than her calf.
People were seated in descending order of rank below him.
Tied to a wooden post nearby were two people: Qiuxi and her mother, both unconscious with their heads hanging low.
In the open space in the middle, a person with their clothes in tatters was kneeling on the ground. A man with a long saber stood behind them, prodding them, lifting their clothes to humiliate them, and herding them around for entertainment.
The screams were coming from her.
It was Mrs. Zhang.
Her hair was a mess as she clutched at her tattered clothes, trying desperately to cover her exposed skin.
Liang Wan closed her eyes.
"Here she is."
The bandit shoved her, and she fell heavily to the ground.
Seeing her disgrace, the entire room erupted in laughter.
Before Liang Wan could even get up, someone grabbed her and began to beat and curse her.
"You bitch! It’s all your fault, you bitch! It’s all your fault—"
Mrs. Zhang, heedless of her nakedness, seemed to be venting all the humiliation she had suffered and all the resentment in her heart onto Liang Wan.
With her hands and feet bound, Liang Wan couldn’t fight back and could only let herself be pummeled and beaten.
This scene only made the crowd laugh even harder.
Liang Wan endured the pain and turned her head. "Aunt, if you kill me now, will that let you escape?"
Her voice was deep and cold.
Mrs. Zhang was too busy throwing her tantrum to listen.
Seeing that Liang Wan neither resisted nor cried for help, the man in the main seat grew interested. He raised his hand, and two men pulled Mrs. Zhang away, pinning her to the side to molest her in front of everyone.
Mrs. Zhang began to howl and struggle again.
Liang Wan lowered her eyes, took a slow breath, and then looked up at the main seat.
"Tell your master to come out!"
She spoke word by word, each one like an icicle, cold and hard.
Someone ambled forward from behind her.
"Liang Wan, long time no see!"