That night, Ji Yinshu couldn’t sleep at all.

She leaned against the cart wall, looking out through the cloth covering the prison cart. Apart from moonlight, it was almost pitch black.

The grassland nights were very cold, cold enough to make people shiver uncontrollably.

She couldn’t help but hug her arms tight, then looked at the clothes she was wearing.

Bai Yin’s garment was very large, but very thin. The cold seemed to blow directly onto her body.

Freezing cold!

Because it was too cold, Qin Xi also had no desire to sleep. She moved closer to Ji Yinshu.

After a little while, Qin Xi suddenly began crying softly.

Ji Yinshu asked, “What’s wrong?”

She choked out, “I miss my parents. I don’t know how they are now. They must be searching everywhere for me.”

Ji Yinshu didn’t know how to comfort her.

“Jing Yun.”

“Mm?”

“Aren’t you afraid?”

Afraid!

Of course she was afraid!

After going through so much, finally being able to be with Jingrong—if something happened to her, what would Jingrong do?

But—

“What good does being afraid do?” She looked at Qin Xi and said, “They won’t hurt us for now. They must be taking us somewhere. When we get there, we’ll find a way to escape.”

“Escape? How can we escape?”

“There will be a way.”

Qin Xi wiped away her tears, her eyes still glistening with tears, and asked, “Jing Yun, will we really… be alright?”

Ji Yinshu gripped her trembling hand. “As long as there’s a glimmer of hope.”

“Mm.”

“Don’t think too much. Rest first.”

“I can’t sleep. Just talk with me.”

“Alright.”

Qin Xi then pulled her into a long conversation.

They talked about everything under the sun.

But Ji Yinshu always held back. She didn’t reveal her real name or identity. Even when Qin Xi asked, she only vaguely glossed over it, only saying she was born in a small fishing village, that she was the only one left in her family, and barely spoke of anything else.

Qin Xi, on the other hand, said a lot.

She just listened quietly.

By the next day, dawn had just broken.

The people outside threw some food into each prison cart. After eating, the convoy continued on.

At this point, Chen Yun also woke up. Having walked a circle through the King of Hell’s palace, she seemed like a different person—no longer afraid, no longer crying. With an expression of facing death without regret, she sat there obediently, her gaze vacant.

Around dusk, the convoy arrived.

The carriages also stopped.

Ji Yinshu looked out through that hazy cloth and could vaguely see many white felt tents surrounding them. Looking out, she couldn’t see the end. Just as the carriages stopped, many people holding short knives and carrying bows and arrows on their backs gathered around.

She saw Bai Yin conversing with those people, then the prison cart doors were opened one by one.

Those people with short knives searched through each prison cart carefully. Only after finding no abnormalities did they allow them through.

The prison carts entered one by one.

Qin Xi gripped Ji Yinshu’s hand, worried. “Jing Yun, where have we arrived?”

“I’m not certain either.”

Actually, she already had an idea in her heart!

From the short knives those people held and the bows and arrows on their backs, she could roughly guess, but wasn’t sure yet.

The carriages kept going inward, passing one felt tent after another. Many people wearing similar clothing guarded various places. These people were almost all tall and imposing, radiating fierceness.

This place… was like a military camp!

Finally, the carriages stopped.

Then, the prison carts were opened one by one.

“Hurry up and get down.”

The young women trembled with fear as they got down from the carriages one after another, frightened yet curious in their hearts, huddling together and shivering.

Ji Yinshu helped the injured Chen Yun down, her gaze secretly surveying the surroundings. She saw a flag with the character “Yue” written on it!

So—

This confirmed her guess. This was the Yuedan tribe!

Yuedan was a nomadic people located at the westernmost part of the grasslands. Originally peaceful for a hundred years, but people ultimately have ambition. As surrounding tribes continuously rose, their ambition gradually expanded. To compete for status and seize grain, they began large-scale slaughter. The western grassland area became almost a sea of blood. In less than ten years, Yuedan had already annexed many neighboring tribes, their power surging greatly, with even more momentum and ambition to compete for the Central Plains.

During the late Emperor’s reign, many frontier generals had sent letters to the capital, mentioning Yuedan multiple times. But Yuedan didn’t belong to the Central Plains, nor had they invaded the frontier people like the barbarians. They were conquering territory on their own land—the Great Lin had no authority over it and could only maintain strict vigilance to prevent Yuedan from entering the Central Plains. Who would have thought that in just a few short years, Yuedan would rise at such a rapid pace? She wondered whether they would truly compete for the Central Plains in the future and become a major threat to the Great Lin!

“Everyone inside, everyone inside.”

They herded people like cattle and sheep into a huge felt tent.

Inside was very spacious, with many sheepskins hanging on the felt walls, and a large skin mat spread on the ground.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

The twenty-some young women all huddled together. Because they didn’t know exactly where they were, they were all very afraid.

Several young women even began crying.

Someone barked, “All of you behave yourselves.”

The crying stopped abruptly!

“Listen up, all of you stay here obediently. If you dare make trouble, we’ll let you taste the whip.”

No one dared cry anymore, nor did anyone dare move.

After those men left, the young women began crying again.

Ji Yinshu and Qin Xi together helped the injured Chen Yun sit in a corner.

“What exactly do they want to do? Why are they keeping us here?” Qin Xi asked.

Ji Yinshu had a bad premonition, feeling uneasy in her heart.

What did these Yuedan people want with capturing so many young women? They couldn’t carry loads on their shoulders or lift with their hands, much less fight battles for them.

Could it be—

Huh?

She immediately rubbed her hand on the ground a few times, then wiped it on her face. Her clean face became covered with dirt, very filthy.

She quickly had Qin Xi also darken her face.

Though she didn’t understand why, she still did as told.

The facts also proved Ji Yinshu’s guess was correct.

Sure enough, not long after, three men entered.

The young women instinctively shrank back, eyes full of fear.

The man in front scanned the women with eyes like a hungry wolf, occasionally licking his lips. Finally, his gaze fell on a woman with a relatively fair complexion. He grinned, his face full of evil.

He pointed with his hand. “Her.”

The two men behind him went up and dragged that woman out.

“Let me go, let me go.” The woman cried out.

She struggled with all her might!

Who knew, the man suddenly glared fiercely, raised his hand, and slapped her across the face.

“Smack!” The sound rang out. It struck her face hard.