Chapter 305: Even If She Screams Her Lungs Out, No One Will Come to Save Her
Chapter 305: Chapter 305: Even If She Screams Her Lungs Out, No One Will Come to Save Her
Afterward, Zhi Wan opened the money pouch and counted its contents, finding only twenty taels inside.
But the thought of having sold Zeng Jiayi off for a mere twenty taels filled her with great pleasure. Even the pain in her body seemed to fade considerably.
’Zeng Jiayi wanted to sell me to that Soul Capturing House to be defiled, but did she ever imagine she’d face the same fate herself? Judging from their conversation, Zeng Jiayi was an old acquaintance of theirs. She’d even sent many innocent women to their Soul Capturing House. After committing so many wicked deeds, she was finally getting what she deserved.’
Zhi Wan was delighted.
Besides the twenty taels she got from selling Zeng Jiayi, she had also found thirty taels on Zeng Jiayi when she was changing her clothes earlier.
Ten of those taels were probably the ones she had Tong Dan give to Zeng Jiayi in town the day before yesterday.
She put these silver taels into the money pouch as well.
Securing the pouch, she carefully got her bearings and started walking in the direction of Santian Town, the way Zeng Jiayi had dragged her from.
’For safety’s sake, I really shouldn’t go back to Santian Town.’
’After all, Zhi Ye could return at any moment. Once he discovers I’m gone, he’ll definitely come after me. If I’m unlucky enough to run into him, I’ll probably be captured again.’
’But I’ve never been to these parts, and I don’t know the terrain.’
’So my only choice is to return to Santian Town first and ask for directions. If I’m lucky, I might even run into the people my cousin sent to rescue me.’
’Thankfully, I’ve changed into Zeng Jiayi’s clothes and my face is smeared with dirt. Even if I came face-to-face with Zhi Ye, he might not recognize me.’
This thought set her mind at ease.
However, she hadn’t eaten at all the previous day and had been dragged a long way by Zeng Jiayi. Plus, she had used up a lot of energy tying Zeng Jiayi up just now. She was completely drained of strength, so her pace was slow.
What she didn’t know was that the two men leading Zeng Jiayi away, struck by her beauty, began to harbor wicked intentions halfway through their journey.
The two of them, smirking wickedly, dragged Zeng Jiayi into a dense forest.
The pain jolted Zeng Jiayi awake. When she saw the man on top of her, the color drained from her face.
She tried to push them off but found that her hands were tied, and she couldn’t move at all.
"You... let me go! I-I’m Ah Yi! You can’t touch me..." Zeng Jiayi screamed in terror.
"Ah Yi? You’re so pretty, how could you be that filthy beggar? Don’t try to fool us. Be a good girl, and we’ll be gentle with you. If you’re not, we’ll show you what we’re made of!" the man threatened harshly, then slapped her across the face.
Zeng Jiayi wailed her heart out, but in a dense forest in the middle of nowhere, she could scream until her throat was raw, and no one would come to her rescue.
In the end, she reaped what she had sown. After being violated by the two men, she was taken to the Soul Capturing House.
Meanwhile, by the time the sky had fully brightened, Zhi Wan had already walked out of the small woods.
By now, however, she was dizzy with hunger, and her pace grew slower and slower.
With no other choice, she sat down to rest.
Just then, a group of men appeared on the road ahead.
Zhi Wan’s heart sank at the sight of them.
It was clearly too late to hide; doing so would only draw their attention.
After a moment’s thought, Zhi Wan suppressed her fear and remained seated, just hoping these men were not dangerous.
Otherwise, she would have no chance of escaping on her own.
"Boss, there’s a beggar up ahead," someone in the group of men suddenly called out.
This group was none other than Chen Jiu and his guards.
They had followed the drag marks on the ground all the way here.
Chen Jiu had naturally seen the beggar as well. Upon hearing his man, he ordered, "Go ask him if he’s seen the Miss."
The guard quickly ran toward Zhi Wan.
"Hey, little beggar, have you seen a very beautiful girl being dragged through here?"
Hearing this, Zhi Wan’s heart stirred, and she looked up at the guard.
When she saw the guard uniform he was wearing, she froze. Just as she was about to speak, a silver ingot rolled to a stop at her feet.
Then, a familiar voice said, "Little beggar, answer us honestly, and this silver ingot is yours."
Zhi Wan looked up in a daze to see Chen Jiu and his men standing before her. He was now looking down at her.
Overjoyed and astonished, Zhi Wan became somewhat incoherent. "Chen Jiu, I... it’s me."
"What do you mean, ’it’s you’..." Chen Jiu’s voice trailed off. "You know me?" With that, he quickly crouched down, moving closer to get a better look at Zhi Wan.
Zhi Wan raised her sleeve to wipe her face. "Ah Jiu, it’s me."
This time, Chen Jiu finally recognized Zhi Wan. With a gasp, he was so startled he fell backward onto the ground. He stared dumbly at her. "M-Miss?"
"It is me!" Zhi Wan said at once. The heart that had been lodged in her throat finally settled back into place.
’My luck really is pretty good. I actually ran into my own people.’
Chen Jiu was ecstatic. "Miss, we’ve finally found you! This is wonderful!"
The other guards, also overcome with excitement, knelt. "Greetings, Miss."
"Please, get up," Zhi Wan said quickly. "Thank you for your hard work."
"It was no trouble at all!" they all said in unison.
’This is great. Now that the Miss is found, we can report back to the Princely Heir.’
"Miss, let’s hurry back. The Princely Heir is going crazy with worry," Chen Jiu said. He wanted to help her up but hesitated, mindful of the propriety between men and women.
’I just leaned in so close to inspect the Miss. That was so rude. If the Princely Heir finds out, I wonder if he’ll give me a lashing.’
"Chen Jiu, do you... have anything to eat?" Zhi Wan asked, a little embarrassed.
’I’m just too hungry. I have no strength left to walk.’
Hearing this, Chen Jiu quickly turned and asked the men behind him, "Do any of you have food?"
The men all searched themselves and shook their heads.
Finally, a slightly chubby guard timidly raised his hand. "I... I have some beef jerky..."
"You had food and didn’t take it out sooner?" Chen Jiu slapped him on the back of the head.
The chubby guard pulled out an oil-paper packet with a wronged expression on his face.
He got hungry easily, so he always prepared some food to bring with him on missions.
Seeing his reluctant expression, Chen Jiu snatched the oil-paper packet from him and presented it to Zhi Wan.
"Miss, the jerky is a bit tough. Please make do for now. Once we get to town, I’ll buy you something delicious to eat," Chen Jiu said in an utterly fawning tone.
’There’s finally food. How could I possibly be picky?’
She hurriedly reached out and took it.
Fortunately, though the jerky was tough, it was very filling.
After chewing on two pieces, Zhi Wan no longer felt hungry, and it seemed some of her strength had returned.
Her cousin was also on her mind, so when she felt she had the strength to walk again, she quickly got to her feet.
"By the way, Miss, why are you dressed like this?" Chen Jiu asked cautiously after they had walked for a while.
Zhi Wan saw that he and the other guards were keeping a good distance behind her, and she understood.
These were Zeng Jiayi’s clothes, and who knew how long it had been since they were last washed. They reeked, and the smell was noticeable even from a distance.