Pirates?
The sound of messy footsteps pierced Xu Yanxiao's eardrums. A familiar fear spread uncontrollably throughout her body.
Her eyes were wide open, her fingers almost digging into the flesh of her palms, and the roots of her teeth were also trembling as her footsteps approached.
Outside the cabin, the frightened cries of the women could be heard. Although she had not seen it with her own eyes, she could picture the scene in her mind just from the sound.
The experience outside Mountain Urn City resurfaced in her mind once again. Xu Yanxiao's limbs were as cold as ice.
Clang!
The door of the cabin was violently pushed open, and the burly boatman whistled loudly at the panicking women in the cabin.
"Oh, the big fish are all here." The other party's elegant words carried a thick Zhe County accent. He chuckled and said, "Are you going to come out on your own, or do you want us brothers to carry you out one by one? Whoever refuses to cooperate may be fed to the fish. "
The women in the cabin were all Xu Bei's concubines, daughters born of concubines, and first-ranked maids.
Despite the pirates' threats, they wept and did not dare to move. They were miserable beyond compare, their cries almost piercing one's eardrums.
Xu Yanxiao clenched her fists in fear. Her face was pale from the loss of blood.
She felt that the current situation was even more terrifying than that time in Mountain Urn City.
Previously, she had not been alone. Her mother had protected her with all her might, so Xu Yanxiao had felt a sense of security.
Now, she was all alone. Her life and death were in the hands of the heavens.
The pirates impatiently threatened her again. Xu Yanxiao still did not move. The pale-faced first-ranked maid beside her pushed her.
"Miss Xiao, if you don't go out now, they will throw you into the river to feed the fish."
Xu Yanxiao snapped out of her daze. Her face was pale as she turned to glance at the maid beside her.
The inner residence of the Xu family was not peaceful. These maids who served their masters were all shrewd people. They were used to swerve to the wind, flattering the strong and trampling on the weak.
Xu Yanxiao's status was awkward. Her biological father was Xu Bei's younger cousin, but he had been forced to hang himself. Her biological mother had committed suicide for love. She was just an unloved orphan. Even if Xu Bei wanted to treat her well for the world to see, how would the outside world know how she lived in the inner residence?
Eldest Aunt treated her coldly and never asked about her situation.
No matter what, Xu Yanxiao was Xu Fei's eldest di daughter. Her living expenses and monthly allowance were actually based on that of Xu Pei's concubine daughter.
The servants didn't serve her well and often slacked off. The only "first-class maid" was also a slacker. Every day, Xu Yanxiao's meals were secretly eaten by the other party before they were sent to her table. Fortunately, the weather was still hot. If it was winter, she might not even have a hot dish to eat. Because Xu Yanxiao was still in mourning, Da Auntie casually bought her clothes and jewelry. They looked good on the surface, but Xu Yanxiao knew very well what was inside. Even so, after those items were put into the storeroom, they were secretly taken away by the servants.
It wasn't that Xu Yanxiao was soft-tempered, but she was now living under someone else's roof. How could she have the dignity of a master?
She had also taken the opportunity to mention the wicked slaves to First Aunt, but First Aunt did not take it to heart at all. Instead, she encouraged the wicked slaves.
For example, the first-grade maidservant beside him had repeatedly overstepped her authority and was constantly pushing and shouting.
Xu Yanxiao said, "If I go out, I'll die. If I don't go out, I'll still die. Why should I waste my energy to take two more steps?"
The maidservant choked on Xu Yanxiao's words. After a while, she rolled her eyes at her.
What an ungrateful orphan girl!
She didn't even live a decent life as a servant and always acted like a master. Did she really think that she was still the honorable wife of Lady Xu?
As the master and servant spoke, the pirates outside had already lost their patience. They raised a wooden club and raised it, ready to strike.
The womenfolk were so frightened that their eyes were filled with tears. One by one, their legs turned to jelly as they supported each other out. Some of them even crawled out in embarrassment.
The first-grade maidservant saw that Xu Yanxiao refused to budge and spat, "Ungrateful girl." She followed the womenfolk out anxiously.
Outside, there were many pirates standing guard. They had already occupied all the boats that were escaping.
Everyone was terrified.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen a man before?"
The pirates outside laughed and bared their teeth. A second ago, they were still laughing, and the next second, they were threatening with fierce faces. Their voices were as loud as thunder. "All of you, squat against the railings and put your hands on your head. If anyone dares to raise their head, I'll gouge out their eyeballs, strip off their clothes, and throw them into the river to be sacrificed to River Earl —"
Xu Yanxiao saw that the pirates didn't have any intention of touching the womenfolk and was astonished.
The pirates saw that there was a skinny maidservant in the cabin. They saw that her clothes were simple, that her black hair was bare, and that her small face was white and clean. They instantly thought that she was a low-level maidservant that served in a rich mansion. They urged, "You go out too —"
Xu Yanxiao didn't have any desire to live right now.
The heavens wouldn't care for one person again and again. Last time, Qin Gong was able to rush over to save her, but this time, he couldn't escape.
Rather than being herded outside like livestock and enduring unknown humiliation, it was better to die cleanly.
Xu Yanxiao wasn't moved. That pirate tried to threaten her with a wooden club, but she had an expression that said, "If you want to hit me, I'll kill you."
The pirates: "…"
Our lives aren't easy. We're all out here to make a living. Can't we act according to the script?
The pirates couldn't let her stay in the cabin. The women on these boats had special identities. If they accidentally killed someone, they wouldn't be able to explain it to their superiors.
"Little girl, you're pretty tough!"
The pirates put away their wooden clubs and lifted up Xu Yanxiao, who had a frightened expression on her face, as if he was lifting up a little chick.
Lifting her up, the pirates even complained in their hearts —
There were times when rich families didn't have food to eat. Such a good girl was starving. She was so skinny that she didn't even have two taels of meat left.
The cold wind on the river blew against her face. Xu Yanxiao's swollen mind calmed down.
She was smart and thoughtful. Seeing that the pirates were standing guard orderly and didn't seem to have any intention of harming the womenfolk, she became suspicious.
They didn't seem like pirates that robbed along the river. They seemed more like —
Well-trained navy?
Xu Yanxiao was shocked by her own guess.
What happened next made her heart skip a beat.
A hand that wasn't thick, but it was hot and dry, reached out from behind and covered her mouth. The other hand pulled her back.
Xu Yanxiao instinctively wanted to scream. In the next instant, she opened her mouth to bite the other person's finger.
The man behind her sucked in a cold breath. His other hand didn't delay and easily pulled her into the blind spot around the corner of the boat.
Xu Yanxiao's eyes were red. Seeing that struggling was useless, she used all her strength to slam against the railing of Class-A.
"Lady Xu — It's me —"
Qin Gong had just pulled his finger out of her mouth when he saw that she wanted to jump into the river. He was so scared that his scalp exploded.
Hearing the familiar voice, Xu Yanxiao's body suddenly froze. However, her body still leaned forward due to inertia.
The expected pain didn't come. Instead, she slammed into a wall of flesh.
Xu Yanxiao raised her head slightly. She saw Qin Gong's body leaning forward. He raised his palm to block her forehead, using it as a cushion.
"Qin, Qin — Qin Gong —"
Xu Yanxiao felt a sour and hot feeling rush up her nose and spread to her eyes.
Qin Gong wasn't wearing armor at this time. Instead, he was dressed in coarse hemp clothing. Although he didn't have his usual majestic aura, he still had the air of a dissolute knight.
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