Zhao Xiao Xiao glared at the man hauling her up, her brow arched sharply. “Let me go — or none of you will get out of this alive!”
“The Boss had it right — you can never be too gentle with a woman!” The man scowled, produced a pill, and forced it into Zhao Xiao Xiao’s mouth.
“You—” Zhao Xiao Xiao struggled with all her might, trying to spit out whatever was in her mouth.
The man moved with practiced ease, tilting her chin upward and forcing her to swallow the pill.
Only once he was certain she had swallowed it did he throw her back to the ground.
“Boss, with that, you can do whatever you like with her tonight.” The man looked at the person crumpled on the floor, his thick brows raised.
“Cough…” Zhao Xiao Xiao forced herself to sit up from the ground.
She felt the urge to vomit, but nothing came.
When Zhao Xiao Xiao raised her eyes again, they were glistening with tears.
“What did you make me eat? Give me the antidote — or else…”
“Easy now, little girl!” The Boss crouched before her and hooked her chin up, cutting off her words.
“Your big brother here finds himself liking you more and more — you know that?”
“If you really are the daughter of Zhao Family Village’s head, then after tonight, I’ll be their most prized son-in-law.”
“The head of the family would welcome me with open arms — why would he ever dare hurt me?”
The speaker felt not the slightest disgust at his own words; Zhao Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, was utterly revolted.
She glared at the man and snorted coldly. “Shameless!”
“Tsk, tsk…” The Boss pinched Zhao Xiao Xiao’s chin and shook his head with a smile. “You’ve already taken the pill. Before long, won’t you be begging me anyway?”
“Come now — be nicer to your big brother here, and I can be a little gentler later.”
Zhao Xiao Xiao’s brow remained tightly knotted. She could never have imagined these men would give her something like this.
“Quickly — give me the antidote! Ten thousand taels of silver — give me the antidote, will you? Ten thousand taels! With ten thousand taels, you could take your pick of countless women. Give me the antidote, hurry!”
Whether it was the drug beginning to take effect or simply her own rising panic, the moment she heard his words her body seemed to grow restless, as if she were becoming hotter by the second.
“Ten thousand taels of silver?” The Boss’s eyes went wide with exaggerated disbelief.
“That’s right — ten thousand taels. What Zhao Xiao Xiao says, Zhao Xiao Xiao means!” She would not let herself be defiled by these men. She would sooner die than allow it!
“Hmm, that number is rather tempting, I must say. But becoming the most prized son-in-law of Zhao Family Village — surely that’s worth far more than ten thousand taels.”
“Both the silver and the beauty — I’ll have them all.” The Boss curved his lips into a slight smile and lunged toward Zhao Xiao Xiao.
“No! I would die before I marry someone like you!” Zhao Xiao Xiao didn’t know where the courage came from, but she turned and threw herself headlong into the rocky wall behind her.
She was not afraid of death — but she refused to die in filth. If she did, she would feel disgusted with herself even in the afterlife.
Jian Yi — farewell. In the next life, she would still find him. And if there truly was a next life, she would shout it out loud and tell him plainly that she liked him.
Zhao Xiao Xiao slammed herself with full force toward the rock — but the pain she braced for never came. She had barely lifted her head when she felt herself hoisted off the ground.
“My lovely little beauty, how could your big brother here bear to see you hurt? Don’t be afraid! I’ve got you.” The Boss slung Zhao Xiao Xiao over his shoulder and started walking out.
“Let me go! Put me down!” Zhao Xiao Xiao kicked at the man carrying her with her bound legs.
But she could barely summon any strength, and the force she managed had absolutely no effect on the Boss.
The Boss carried Zhao Xiao Xiao to another section of the cave — a more spacious area, spread with dry straw rather than bare stone — and set her down.
“The rest of you, go stand guard outside. Don’t spoil the mood between me and little Xiao Xiao here on our wedding night.”
“Yes, Boss — take your time.”
“Boss, remember — a spring night is worth more than a thousand gold!”
“…”
One after another, the men tossed out a parting remark and turned to leave.
Zhao Xiao Xiao sat where she had been placed, looking toward the exit, her eyes filled with despair.
“Save me — Big Brother, save me!” She screamed in the direction the men had gone. “Big Brother, Xiao Xiao is here — save me! Big Brother, save me!”
“Don’t bother calling out, little girl. You could scream your throat raw and no one would come to save you.” The Boss pulled the cloth mask from his face and drew closer.
“No! Stay away!” Zhao Xiao Xiao lurched backward.
The light was dim in this part of the cave, and Zhao Xiao Xiao was already out of her mind with fear. Even when the man removed his mask, she was in no state to look at what he actually looked like.
As the man reached his hand toward her, Zhao Xiao Xiao let out a scream. “Stay away! Big Brother — save me, save me!”
The sound of tearing fabric filled the air. It was the most profound despair Zhao Xiao Xiao had ever felt in all her years.
“No! Big Brother, save me — Big Brother, come quickly, save me!”
Then, without warning, the sound of a struggle broke out from outside. Zhao Xiao Xiao snapped her head up toward the entrance.
A handsome face appeared before her eyes. She summoned the very last of her strength and shoved the person on top of her away.
“Save me — I’m here, save me!”
The newcomer pushed aside the man blocking his path and advanced swiftly.
He flung the man beside Zhao Xiao Xiao away with force, then stripped off his outer robe in one motion and draped it over the woman on the ground before gathering her up into his arms.
Zhao Xiao Xiao stared up at the man who had descended upon her from nowhere, her round eyes wide and unblinking, entirely unable to process what had happened.
Only once she felt herself cradled against him did it sink in — she had truly been saved.
“Ke… Keyan, thank you. Thank you for saving me.” When Zhao Xiao Xiao’s voice came out, it was not only hoarse — it had changed in quality entirely.
The drug was beginning to take hold. She could not put into words what she felt inside. She could only wrap her stiff arms around Tuoba Keyan and hold on.
Zhao Xiao Xiao glanced at the man drawing closer and cried out in a low voice, “Keyan, watch out!”
The moment Tuoba Keyan had gathered Zhao Xiao Xiao into his arms, the man behind him seized a long sword and charged toward them at speed.
He held Zhao Xiao Xiao close and dodged the attacker coming at them, but in the same instant, a cloud of white powder was thrown directly into his face.
Zhao Xiao Xiao caught sight of it just as it happened, in the very moment she lifted her eyes.
But Tuoba Keyan paid it no mind. He tightened his grip around Zhao Xiao Xiao and delivered a powerful kick that sent the approaching man flying.
The Boss, who had been knocked to the ground moments before, grabbed a short dagger and flung himself toward Zhao Xiao Xiao like a wild beast.
The candlelight glinted off the blade of the dagger and flashed across Zhao Xiao Xiao’s eyes.
“Keyan.” She cried out, and squeezed her eyes shut.
Tuoba Keyan spun around, and his tall, powerful frame swayed.
“Keyan.” Zhao Xiao Xiao opened her eyes and looked up at the man holding her.
Tuoba Keyan freed his left hand and pulled the short dagger that had been driven into his right arm clean out, then hurled it with a single fierce motion — embedding it with full force into the solid rock wall.
With a resonating clang, the thunderous sound faded, and from him came a voice like the cold wind off a mountain glacier, reverberating through the entire cave: “Get out.”
The men were so terrified they lost their senses entirely, scrambling and crawling over each other as they fled the cave.
Only when every last one of them had gone did Tuoba Keyan let out a long breath. His legs buckled, and he nearly collapsed.
“Keyan, you’re injured — quickly… put me down.”
Zhao Xiao Xiao pulled herself out of Tuoba Keyan’s arms and immediately moved to cradle his injured arm.
“You’re hurt — what do we do? You’re bleeding… so much blood…”