Scorching heat gradually spread throughout her entire body.

Hot!

Unbearably hot!

As if she had been placed in some kind of oven to be roasted.

This was the first thing Ji Yunshu could sense when she regained consciousness.

Her body couldn’t move. Both her hands and feet were bound with rope, and her eyes were covered with a cloth—she couldn’t open them.

Where was this?

She could feel she was in a carriage, because of the constant jolting and the sound of wheels rolling.

“Wuu wuu wuu…”

Suddenly, the sound of a woman crying came from beside her.

Mixed with fear!

She opened her mouth: “Who are you?”

“Wuu wuu wuu…” The woman kept crying softly.

What was going on?

Ji Yunshu felt even more uncertain.

Until someone pulled off the cloth covering her eyes.

Dim light shot into her eyes. It took a while to adjust.

Finally, she could see clearly the environment she was in.

It turned out she was imprisoned in a carriage—no, to be precise, in a prisoner transport cart, a square prisoner transport cart covered with cloth!

Confined inside with her were three other women.

One was crying with her head buried!

One hugged her knees, having lost her soul, her eyes motionlessly staring at her own shoes with holes in them.

One was looking at her, holding in her hand the cloth strip she had just removed from her eyes.

This…

Could it be she had fallen into the hands of human traffickers?

She immediately looked down and discovered she was wearing a man’s clothes, so large they wrapped her entire body tightly, and emanating a man’s sweaty smell.

“Miss, are you alright?” the woman who had helped remove the cloth strip asked. Only then did Ji Yunshu examine her carefully. The woman before her had an extraordinarily beautiful face—skin like goose fat, lips like cherry blossoms, eyebrows and eyes like a painting, pupils like autumn water, possessing a spiritual quality different from ordinary mortal women. Only her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, casting a faint sadness across her face. Such beauty—even Ji Wanxin couldn’t compare.

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“Then let me untie the ropes for you.”

The woman’s movements were slow but very careful. As she untied the ropes binding her, she said: “My name is Qin Xi. You can also call me Xi’er.”

After the ropes were untied one by one, Ji Yunshu twisted her wrists and asked her: “What exactly is going on?”

Qin Xi shook her head: “I’m not clear either. I only remember when I was resting in the woods, I was suddenly knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I was already confined here. Counting the time, it’s been five days.”

Roughly the same situation as herself—both captured in the woods.

Ji Yunshu looked at the other two women.

Qin Xi also told her about them one by one.

The one who kept crying was called Chen Yun, only thirteen years old—in modern times, just a child.

The woman hugging her knees and not speaking, her name unknown, had just been captured the day before yesterday. At first, she had also cried in fear, but after one night passed, she became like this—not crying, not making noise, not speaking, as if she had become a fool.

Ji Yunshu also gave her name—Jing Yun!

The prisoner cart was covered with a large cloth, but one could still vaguely see the vast grasslands outside. Occasionally they would pass through a patch of woods. And in front of and behind the carriage were actually more carts just like this one. Clearly, she and these four weren’t the only ones captured—there were many more.

Qin Xi told her that almost every day people would be confined inside. After traveling for a while, the carts would stop, and those people would let them out and give them food. But after eating, they would be confined again.

Over and over.

Logic told Ji Yunshu she must stay calm. She had to first figure out exactly who these people were and why they were confining so many women.

Only then would there be a possibility of escape!

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped.

Some burly men began opening these prisoner carts one by one, pulling out the women inside. There were about twenty-some people, all young women, all under twenty-five years old, each with a face full of fear, heads lowered, necks shrunk, trembling all over.

And these women were each beautiful as flowers.

“Everyone sit down!” the men commanded loudly.

These women didn’t dare disobey and sat down one by one.

Ji Yunshu sat at the very back of the crowd. She didn’t know where she was. Looking around—in front was an endless expanse of grassland, behind was a dense patch of woods. She couldn’t even determine which direction was east, south, west, or north.

“All of you sit properly! If anyone doesn’t behave, I’ll whip you to death.” The man standing in front was extremely fierce, full-bearded, with violent eyes, wearing clothes made of Panhu fur, appearing even more “deranged.”

From his dress, he wasn’t from Houliao.

Four or five tribal groups were active on the western grasslands. To determine which one now was truly difficult.

Suddenly…

“Let me go back, let me go back…” Chen Yun, who had been quiet, suddenly became agitated again.

She began crying and shouting, trying to run.

But just as she stood up, before she could take three steps, the lead man wielded his whip and lashed at her.

“Crack!”

The whip struck cleanly and decisively!

Chen Yun’s clothing was torn open. A long bloody mark appeared on her back. Blood immediately flowed out, staining her clothes red.

Along with it came a miserable scream.

“Ah!”

Chen Yun was struck by this force and fell straight to the ground.

The pain brought tears streaming down!

But she no longer had the strength to cry out in pain.

Seeing this, Ji Yunshu was just about to rush over when Qin Xi grabbed her.

And anxiously whispered a reminder: “Don’t interfere, or they’ll beat you to death.”

Ji Yunshu deliberated and had to give up.

But that man didn’t stop. Holding the whip, he viciously lashed Chen Yun’s back again.

“Crack!”

That sound was like demons and monsters coming to claim a life, frightening those women until they trembled, all huddling together, heads lowered, not daring to look.

The man’s face was full of cruelty, veins bulging on his face. Just as he was about to swing the whip a third time, his strong, powerful wrist was suddenly grabbed by someone.

Everyone’s gaze almost simultaneously turned to the person who had stepped forward to stop him.

It was a young man!

He stood tall and straight with clear features and handsome looks. A sharp eyebrow arched high and cold. His expressionless face showed no emotion, but those black eyes were cold as an ice cellar, making one’s hair stand on end.

The man holding the whip was clearly intimidated.

“Bai Yin?”

Like a woman’s name!

The man called Bai Yin said coldly: “Don’t cause any deaths. These women must all be brought back, not one less.”

His tone carried a command.

So cold it sent chills through one’s heart.

“Yes.” The man with the whip restrained his violent aura and became respectful.

Bai Yin immediately released his hand. Perhaps because the force was too great, that man staggered back several steps before steadying himself. But Bai Yin didn’t leave. He walked in front of those women sitting on the ground, his gaze sweeping over them, as if searching for someone.