"Come back! Come back!" He Yao was still shouting at the top of her lungs, but no one paid her any heed. She turned to Wei Dongling with a sob in her voice and asked, "What should we do now? Are we just going to wait for death?"
Wei Dongling was suffering from abdominal pain, with her qi and blood surging. She was listless and didn't respond to He Yao.
He Yao looked at Yu Zixi on the ground and began to sob pitifully.
About an hour later, two men quietly opened the door, tiptoed in, and quickly bolted the door behind them.
Wei Dongling was resting against the corner of the wall. She squinted her eyes and sized up the two men.
One was tall, and the other was short and fat. They looked like the guards here.
The two men quickly set their sights on He Yao and roughly groped her chest.
He Yao woke up in shock. Seeing the two men molesting her, she angrily roared, "You damned slaves! What do you think you're doing! I'm the County Mistress of Rong'an!"
The short and fat man stepped forward and put his arm around He Yao's slender waist, laughing loudly. "We don't care what county mistress you are! The Crown Prince has given the order that as long as we don't kill you, we can do whatever we want to you!"
He Yao was shocked, angry, and disgusted. Her face flushed red as she roared, "You dare to touch me! My mother will surely tell the Empress Dowager, and she'll have your whole family executed!"
The short and fat man couldn't wait to tear at He Yao's thin clothes, leering. "You're all death-row criminals who tried to harm the Crown Prince. If it weren't for keeping you alive to lure that person in, the Crown Prince would have sent you to your graves long ago! You're not a county mistress anymore. If you're obedient and submit to us, we'll make you feel good!"
The man's big hand grabbed He Yao's dress and gave it a hard tug. The thin dress immediately tore apart, hanging on her body like a piece of ragged cloth. Her graceful figure, fair and delicate skin, and the delicate peach-colored bellyband instantly made the two men's eyes bulge. Ignoring the woman's cries and struggles, they couldn't wait to push her to the ground.
He Yao, with her hands tied, tightly covered her thin bellyband and cried and pleaded, "Please let me go! That woman over there is prettier than me. Go to her instead!"
The two men glanced at Wei Dongling's face at the same time, then looked down, and then turned back to continue tearing at He Yao's clothes.
Wei Dongling: ...
"Don't!" He Yao was so scared that tears streamed down her face. The fat man had already pressed her down hard. The unpleasant smell on his body made her want to vomit.
Wei Dongling looked down at her tied legs and sighed silently.
Although she didn't really want to stand up for He Yao, seeing a lecher forcing himself on a woman still made her feel that it was unforgivable and she had to beat him up!
After only a moment of hesitation, Wei Dongling gave a powerful jump and crashed into the short and fat man, knocking him flying.
When the tall man saw his companion rolling away, he quickly let go of He Yao and rushed at Wei Dongling, throwing a punch.
A sly smile curled up on Wei Dongling's lips. She tossed her head, and the iron hairpin in her hair bun fell straight down. She spun around and caught the hairpin in her hand. As the man lunged at her, she dodged to the side and stabbed the hairpin straight into his waist.
The man let out a shrill scream and fell heavily to the ground.
The short and fat man on the ground, seeing that his good deed had been ruined and his companion had been knocked down, was so angry that his face turned ashen. He stood up and roared as he rushed at Wei Dongling.
Wei Dongling jumped to avoid him. Her wrist moved quickly, and the hemp rope binding her hands was picked open by the sharp hairpin. She gritted her teeth and threw the hairpin. It sliced through the artery in the short and fat man's neck. The man fell to the ground with a thud, and blood gushed out immediately.
He Yao let out a series of terrified screams.
Wei Dongling bent down to untie the ropes on her feet. She grabbed the blood-soaked clothes of the short and fat man and threw them at He Yao to cover her charming figure.
He Yao, with tears all over her face, saw the large bloodstain on the clothes and shrank back in fear.
The tall man covered his abdomen. He glanced at the fat man on the ground who was almost out of breath, then glared coldly at Wei Dongling and roared, "You vicious woman!" He drew out the dagger from his waist and waved it at Wei Dongling.
Wei Dongling had exerted too much strength just now, and now her whole body ached. She could only rely on her lightness skills to dodge left and right.
Seeing that she had dodged his three consecutive attacks, the tall man was extremely annoyed and stepped up his pursuit.
The killing intent was approaching. The iron hairpin in her hand was knocked away. Wei Dongling had no choice but to use her hands to block. She grabbed the man's wrist tightly with both hands. The angry face of the man and the cold reflection of the dagger in front of her eyes made her feel flustered.
The wound on her right shoulder was throbbing with pain. Wei Dongling couldn't hold on any longer. Seeing the dagger getting closer and closer, she was completely helpless.
The man gritted his teeth tightly. The tip of the dagger was about to touch Wei Dongling's neck.
With a loud bang, Yu Zixi suddenly jumped up and knocked the man to the ground. He reached out and snatched the dagger and made a quick slash. Immediately, blood spurted from the man's neck. He covered his neck painfully and fell to the ground.
Wei Dongling looked at Yu Zixi, who was staggering on his feet, and her eyes instantly turned red.
Yu Zixi staggered towards her and pulled her into his arms. He gently patted her back and whispered softly, "I'm here. Don't be afraid, Dongling."
Wei Dongling wrapped her arms around his thin and narrow waist and cried uncontrollably. She suddenly realized that his body temperature was abnormally hot and that he was on the verge of collapse. She quickly reached out to support him.
He Yao was also crying like a pear blossom in the rain. She wailed, "Brother Zixi!"
Yu Zixi staggered over. He took off his outer robe and put it on He Yao. Then he picked up the dagger and cut the ropes binding her.
He Yao threw herself into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. She sobbed, "Brother Zixi, I was so scared... I almost..."
Her fragrant shoulder was half exposed. Yu Zixi comforted her repeatedly, "Don't cry, Yaoyao. It's okay. Put your clothes on first."
Only then did He Yao realize that her clothes were in disarray. She quickly lowered her head shyly and fumbled to put on Yu Zixi's robe.
Yu Zixi averted his eyes to avoid suspicion and asked, "Where are we?"
Wei Dongling said in a low voice, "We should be in Xingshan County. The Crown Prince brought us back here to lure the Ninth Prince to come and look for you."
Yu Zixi's face gradually darkened. Based on his understanding of the Ninth Prince, Murong Yuchen, if that guy knew he was being held here, he would surely come. Yu Zixi said in a deep voice, "We have to find a way to get out of here!"
Wei Dongling nodded. She quietly stepped forward and opened the door a crack. Seeing that there was no one around, she quickly turned back and waved to the two people behind her.
When she looked, He Yao was tearful and had shrunk into Yu Zixi's arms. She was sobbing softly, "Brother Zixi, you've been unconscious from last night until just now. I was so worried about you..."
Yu Zixi coaxed her gently, "Don't worry, Yaoyao. I'm okay."