Chapter 47

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Chapter 47: The hand pressed firmly over her lips, soft and warm at first, quickly turned burning hot…

As usual, after gathering firewood, cooking dinner, relieving themselves one last time, and locking their shackles to the tree, they should’ve fallen asleep quickly to gather strength for tomorrow’s journey.

The disturbance struck just as the camp grew quiet.

Before any commotion began, Du Yinsui—who’d just lain down and closed her eyes—caught two nauseatingly greasy scents. Instantly awake, she rolled over and pulled a bone for picking locks from the nearby baggage.

"Du—" Jiang Wu, ever watchful of Du Yinsui, sensed her movement immediately. But he’d barely spoken when Du Yinsui clapped her hand over his mouth.

The hand sealing his lips felt solid, its initial soft warmth rapidly turning searing. Jiang Wu’s sweet scent flooded the air, drowning out the distant foul odor.

Half-propped up, Du Yinsui’s nausea faded. Relieved, she glanced down at Jiang Wu in the moonlight, puzzled.

Jiang Wu knew his face burned crimson. Unable to cool the maddening heat, he met Du Yinsui’s probing dark eyes—panic tightening his chest—before squeezing his eyes shut… pretending to flee.

Du Yinsui: "…"

Sometimes speechlessness made one smile.

But now wasn’t the time.

"Something’s wrong. Stay quiet no matter what happens," Du Yinsui whispered into Jiang Wu’s ear, then yanked back her nearly-scalded hand.

What was wrong? Jiang Wu strained to listen. Just as he heard nothing amiss, noise erupted from the guards’ side.

Specifically, guards were stirring trouble among the prisoners.

"What? What’s happening? No… stop—"

"Sir! Please, sir, don’t—"

"Father! Mother!"

"Sir, take another! Take someone else! This is my legitimate daughter—spare her! Take my concubine-born daughter! Here, take this one!"

…

The Kong family’s shouts tore through the camp’s silence.

Zhao Qi gripped Kong Yan’er’s wrist while backhanding Kong Fangqiu. "This concubine-born girl did all the filthy work," he sneered. "Her hands are callused thicker than mine! Is she your daughter or a slave smuggled in to serve you? Think I’ll sweat all day just to bed a slave?"

"I have four concubine-born daughters—pick any! Just spare my only legitimate child…" Kong Fangqiu begged, clutching his cheek.

Legitimate or not, Kong Yan’er was his most beautiful, cultured daughter—destined for greater things in the Northern Lands. She couldn’t be ruined here by a lowly guard! Despite fearing the guards’ blades, he had to try.

"Heh. I want this finest one." Zhao Qi shoved Kong Fangqiu hard against the tree, tore Kong Yan’er from her mother’s grasp, and dragged her toward the woods.

Unlike the Kongs’ bargaining, Cui Wu took someone from the Wei family in dead silence. Only Wei Huiqing’s thin, desperate cries broke the stillness.

*Was that slave—bought for a sham marriage to protect her—truly useless?*

The thought flickered through Du Yinsui’s mind.

No time to dwell on the Jin Kingdom spy now—she had tasks to handle.

"I’ll go too," Jiang Wu whispered, grabbing the bone Du Yinsui had discarded.

Du Yinsui froze mid-rummage through the baggage but stayed silent.

Just as Jiang Wu took it as consent, Du Yinsui snatched the bone from him.

"Quiet." She hid the bone beneath her and swiftly locked the shackles back around her ankle.

Following Master Xu’s order, Chen Gang circled the camp to inspect the situation. After checking Jiang Wu’s area, he returned to Master Xu’s carriage.

"Master Xu, Zhao Qi took the Kong family’s legitimate daughter Kong Yan’er, and Cui Wu chose the Wei family’s Wei Huiqing. Jiang Wu, Du Yinsui, and the Qin family remained seated in their spots," Chen Gang reported quietly.

Master Xu felt slight relief but remained conflicted. They’d reached Daizhou, yet his task of tormenting Jiang Wu seemed barely started. When Zhao Qi and Cui Wu went to select people earlier, he’d briefly hoped they might pick Jiang Wu—such violation would count as severe torment. But uncertain of his superiors’ intentions and Jiang Wu’s future, Master Xu dared not risk it, having swiftly sent Chen Gang to check.

Fortunately, those two scoundrels hadn’t targeted Jiang Wu, saving him from having to step in. Still, this midnight disturbance infuriated him!

"What’s Tan Wang doing, staying out so late? All sorts of monsters and demons will crawl out at this hour!" Master Xu snapped. After a pause, he asked, "They usually took just one per night, right? They wouldn’t return for another?"

"Ahem… typically one. Even Tan wouldn’t let them cross the line." Though serving different masters now, Chen Gang still felt awkward discussing such details about former colleagues.

Master Xu banged the carriage wall. "You’ve spoiled them! You tolerate it, but they refuse discipline? What nonsense!"

Chen Gang stayed silent. To him, this was routine. Only Zhao Qi and Cui Wu did such things here—other exile squads had far worse offenders.

Tan Wang had only reined them in once. If Master Xu wanted order, he should act instead of pounding walls.

But Master Xu… dared not intervene further.

After days arguing with Tan Wang over routes and pace, these troublemakers even made him miss Tan Wang’s presence.

"If they don’t take anyone else, ignore them," Master Xu said, rubbing his temples. "Go rest."

When Chen Gang left, Du Yinsui had already unlocked her shackles and packed a large bundle. Hearing no further threats would come, she immediately hoisted her bag to leave.

"I’m coming too." Jiang Wu finally unlocked his shackles, palms sweaty.

"Step where I step," Du Yinsui said without turning, bending into the forest with her load.

Qin Chongli and Chu Xiulan knew more departures would draw suspicion. Once the pair vanished into trees, they quietly woke their children and rearranged bedding into human shapes under shadowed covers—hoping to fool anyone passing before the women returned.

Chen Gang’s swift patrol and the victims’ struggles bought just enough time. Du Yinsui reached the forest as Wei Huiqing crashed onto the grass, her back burning.

Yet her father’s silent cowardice when the guards took her, and the looming violation, hurt far worse than her scrapes.

Moonlight pierced the leaves, tearing away the night’s veil before her assailant could.

*Let this end. Let me die now.*

As Cui Wu loomed over her, Wei Huiqing’s spirit shattered—though her body kept fighting, legs thrashing uselessly.

"Stay still! Want your legs broken first?" Cui Wu pinned her thighs threateningly. "Don’t refuse kindness when offered—"

Cui Wu’s words died as her resistance suddenly eased. Before he could mock her surrender, she erupted with explosive force, bucking wildly.

He threw his weight onto her, wondering if he should knock her out—when darkness claimed *him* instead.

A crushing blow to his neck. Cui Wu stared dazedly at the limbs he’d restrained, his last thought: *How did she—?*

A hand strike flashed. The mountain of a man crumpled like felled timber. Wei Huiqing braced for impact… but it never came.

Du Yinsui hauled Cui Wu aside by his collar, glancing at Wei Huiqing—clothes intact, good.

"Don’t touch him. He’s out cold. Wait here," she ordered before vanishing deeper into the woods.

Wei Huiqing, just rescued from the deep sea, was still in extreme terror. She instinctively reached out to hold onto her rescuer, but her mind recalled others being taken away, so she pulled back her hand, clenching it into a tense fist.

"Don’t be afraid, it’s safe now." Jiang Wu, left by Du Yinsui near the tree, approached. He glanced at the motionless guard and then at the trembling Wei Huiqing, hesitating as he asked, "Will you be alright here alone?"

With the rescue complete, Jiang Wu was now more worried about Du Yinsui, who had gone alone to find Zhao Qi.

Alone here? Of course not!

Wei Huiqing, just realizing Du Yinsui’s earlier "you" referred to her and Jiang Wu, still shaking, struggled to stand up.

"I… I’ll go with you." Wei Huiqing didn’t dare stay alone with the guard.

Jiang Wu didn’t argue. He supported the unsteady Wei Huiqing, following the faint cries for help from a woman in the forest.

As they walked, the woman’s shouts grew clearer, only to turn into a sharp scream, then silence.

Jiang Wu felt his heart leap to his throat.

"You go ahead." Feeling the grip on her arm tighten too much, Wei Huiqing wiped tears still flowing uncontrollably and pushed Jiang Wu, "I’ll follow behind."

Jiang Wu said nothing. Without worrying about propriety, he whispered, "I’ll carry you," and lifted her swiftly, rushing toward where the sound came from.

"It must be… Du girl knocked him out, scaring that…" Wei Huiqing tried to comfort the frantic Jiang Wu, but she couldn’t recall who else had been taken.

She hadn’t paid attention to other noises, focused only on her own plight.

But Jiang Wu didn’t need her comfort. They arrived quickly.

Just as Wei Huiqing said, Zhao Qi lay unconscious on the ground.

"Why isn’t her clothing torn? You rescued her first! Why…" Kong Yan’er pointed accusingly at Jiang Wu, but Du Yinsui firmly pinched her mouth shut.

"Stay quiet, or you’ll end up unconscious too. Understood?" Du Yinsui’s gaze at Kong Yan’er was cold, filled with disdain.

Look at the Wei girl. She saw Du Yinsui sneaking up on Cui Wu and just hesitated a moment before playing along. But this Kong Yan’er spotted Du Yinsui and tried to call for help. If Zhao Qi hadn’t covered her mouth in time, knocking her out quietly would have been hard. After he was down, she screamed; she wouldn’t last a day in the apocalypse.

Kong Yan’er stared at the woman who had just saved her, shocked. The grip on her mouth felt stronger than the guard’s!

After Kong Yan’er nodded obediently, Du Yinsui frowned and added, "If you make noise and attract others, we’ll blame it all on you!" Then she let go.

Kong Yan’er: "…"

Seeing this unreliable Kong family girl, Du Yinsui decided the plan needed changing.

Du Yinsui held out her hand to Jiang Wu.

Jiang Wu hesitated, then took Du Yinsui’s hand.

"…" Du Yinsui turned back in surprise, "The bag."

Goodness, his nervousness and resolve had finally overcome his bold affection when they started out, but now the crisis was over, his brashness was back!

Jiang Wu: "…"

Du Yinsui took the bag, reached in, pulled out a scrap of cloth, and wrapped it around Kong Yan’er’s hand. She then handed her a sharp stone, "Stand up and stab this into his neck."

Kong Yan’er, still shaken with half her sleeve torn, stared at Du Yinsui, who spoke as if telling her to stick a chopstick in rice. The stone felt like fire, and she threw it away instantly.

Du Yinsui caught it fast, annoyed. She shoved it back into Kong Yan’er’s hand, forcing her to grip it. "If you don’t kill him, he’ll wake and come after you, maybe worse. Are you sure? Don’t waste time—kill him or we leave."

"Don’t go." Kong Yan’er clutched Du Yinsui, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I don’t want him coming after me. You kill him for me, help me kill him… please… I’m begging you…"

The girl from the Kong family looked pitiful, and Du Yinsui hadn’t originally planned to make her kill. But when Wei Huiqing arrived earlier, Kong Yan’er’s first reaction was to accuse them of saving Wei Huiqing first and arriving late, letting her sleeve get torn… In an apocalypse, someone like this, if they couldn’t become an accomplice, was better off becoming a corpse.

This wasn’t the apocalypse, and besides killing her, other options existed. Yet Du Yinsui found her gaze turning cold.

Kong Yan’er was spoiled, but her ability to gain Kong Fangqiu’s special regard in the Kong family’s inner quarters wasn’t just due to her status as the legitimate daughter; reading situations was her skill. She hadn’t bothered to read these people before, but Du Yinsui’s icy stare now triggered an animalistic survival instinct in her.

"I… I’ll kill," Kong Yan’er stammered, trembling as she gripped the stone shard, tears falling uncontrollably again. "But after killing… I… I don’t have the strength."

"Kill first. Don’t waste time. Get up." Du Yinsui hauled her off the ground to Zhao Qi’s side, shoving the hand holding the stone shard against his neck. "I’ll give you force. You cut. If you’re too weak and he wakes before dying, you face him alone. We leave. And don’t make noise cutting."

Kong Yan’er: "…"

Du Yinsui had no time for counseling. After positioning her, she slammed Kong Yan’er’s stone-wielding hand straight into Zhao Qi’s neck.

Despite claiming weakness, once the stone pierced flesh, Kong Yan’er still managed to drag it. Forgetting both were women, ignoring how Du Yinsui’s blow made her hand feel shattered, Kong Yan’er focused entirely on the helpless agony and humiliation of being dragged into the woods by Zhao Qi, then yanked hard.

Kong Yan’er had never killed a chicken, never even cut raw pork. Yet just like that… she opened a man’s throat.

The gushing hot blood made her freeze completely.

The next instant, Zhao Qi’s muffled, awakening-like sound jolted Kong Yan’er like lightning. Uncontrollably, she slashed his neck violently several more times.

Only when Du Yinsui pulled her arm away, only when the finally gentler female voice said, "Alright, he’s dead," did Kong Yan’er snap back to reality and start sobbing.

Of course, only very quietly.

"We need one story. While you were being forced, a shadowy beast like a dog attacked. It went straight for the man on you, bit his neck, and dragged him away. You screamed in terror, scrambled away, too scared to look back. I’ll handle the beast attack marks." Du Yinsui finished, looking at Kong Yan’er. "We were never here. Understood?"

Kong Yan’er nodded.

"You?" Du Yinsui looked up at Wei Huiqing.

Wei Huiqing naturally obeyed Du Yinsui completely.

The group was moved farther away. They watched as Du Yinsui pulled a stone from her bundle, then an animal bone, then another item, methodically using them at different angles to slash Zhao Qi’s body.

During the apocalypse, Du Yinsui had often used small objects of various shapes to mimic mutant beast or plant attack marks on corpses. She could fake even attacks from creatures with unique methods. A simple dog-or-wolf-like beast mark was trivial.

She’d prepared these mark-making tools long ago, pretending to grind stones, intending to eliminate these two cancers before leaving the group—otherwise she worried for Jiang Wu and the others. She hadn’t expected to use them today.

As Du Yinsui worked coldly, the metallic scent of blood thickened in the air, even mixing with a foul odor.

Zhao Qi, processed by Du Yinsui, looked unrecognizable under the moonlight. Kong Yan’er glanced once and dared not look again.

Yet she had to wait there until Cui Wu received the same treatment, only fleeing with a scream after Wei Huiqing gasped.

"Hurry… I’m scared…" Kong Yan’er wanted to go with them, but Du Yinsui refused, citing the blood on her clothes would leave traces along the way.

Kong Yan’er couldn’t understand. How much blood could she have compared to the blood on Zhao Qi’s organs they’d wrapped up?

Not only did Du Yinsui refuse her, but before leaving, Du Yinsui also sternly warned her: if she didn’t cooperate, Du Yinsui would hunt her down to the ends of the earth and make her end up worse than Zhao Qi.

Kong Yan’er didn’t dare disobey.

These people removed shackles easily, stabbed necks with stone shards easily… Forget the ends of the earth—if she messed up now, that stone shard might be at her own throat tomorrow.

Du Yinsui scanned Zhao Qi’s scene, erased traces of the three of them, added more beast marks, pointed Kong Yan’er towards the way back one last time, then left with the others.

Following the scent trail of their approach, removing obvious traces like crushed branches and footprints in soft mud, the three returned to where Cui Wu lay.

Wei Huiqing bit her lip and stretched her hand out to Du Yinsui.

Du Yinsui shook her head and instead turned to look at Jiang Wu.