Chapter 25: Seeking Opportunity

A low, gentle voice sounded beside her, steadying Jiao Yan’s anxious heart just a little. No matter where they were now, as long as the two of them were still alive, she could allow herself, for the moment, a measure of calm.

“Brother Shaoyuan, are you all right? Are you hurt?”

“No, only tied up. I just woke up—didn’t take long before I heard you calling for me.” Shaoyuan’s voice was so soft that one had to strain to hear it.

“Yan’er, try not to speak. There are several others in this room, and it looks like none of them have woken up yet. There must be people guarding outside. We shouldn’t make a sound. If we get the chance, we’ll find a way to escape.” Shaoyuan whispered.

The two of them were already very close, and Shaoyuan, with great effort, had just managed to inch closer to Jiao Yan, so now they were almost pressed together. Shaoyuan’s voice was right in her ear. For some reason, hearing his gentle concern brought her a sense of reassurance she could not explain.

How odd, she thought. She clearly possessed a mature soul, and by rights her mental age should have far surpassed Shaoyuan’s. Why, then, did she feel this way? Jiao Yan could not fathom it, and so dismissed the thought—this was no time for such musings.

Together, they struggled to sit up, resting back to back. Neither dared to sleep again; their eyes remained wide open, ever vigilant.

Outside, the distant sound of the night watch beating the drum drifted in. Faint and far off, it told Jiao Yan that the fourth watch had passed. Soon after, the crowing of roosters could be heard heralding the dawn. The room had no windows, only a tightly shut wooden door with a few thin slits through which the faintest glimmers of light seeped.

By that dim light, Jiao Yan turned her head to look around—and was startled by what she saw. There were, in fact, several other people in the room. She counted carefully: including herself and Shaoyuan, there were exactly ten. Judging by their figures and clothing, they were all children, none of them very old, boys and girls both.

Someone very close to Jiao Yan and Shaoyuan wore especially familiar clothes—almost certainly what Lin Hongtao had been wearing. Jiao Yan’s eyes widened in surprise. Could it really be Lin Hongtao?

Thinking calmly, it was entirely possible. She and Shaoyuan had been under adult supervision and still ended up captured—what chance had Lin Hongtao, sneaking off on his own? Those kidnappers could have snatched him up with ease.

Jiao Yan sighed. Who knew what karmic bond from a former life this was? Even in the misery of abduction, fate had seen fit to reunite them. Not that it mattered now; all three of them were trapped here, and meeting again changed nothing. For now, all they could do was take things one step at a time—perhaps, if luck was on their side, they might still find a chance to escape.

While Jiao Yan’s thoughts were running wild, several of the children on the floor began to stir. As they awoke and realized their predicament, some couldn’t help but burst into tears. Soon, the room was filled with cries and wails, rousing even those still half-lost to unconsciousness.

Lin Hongtao, of course, also woke. At first dazed, he gradually became aware of his circumstances, and the cacophony of sobs and shouts made him frown. “What’s going on? Weren’t those two kind gentlemen taking me to the capital?” he muttered to himself, not realizing he’d spoken aloud.

“Idiot, how can you be so dense? ‘Kind gentlemen’—you ran into kidnappers! Did you think everyone would treat you like my family, spoiling you as if you were some little prince?” Suddenly, a crisp, scolding girl’s voice reached Lin Hongtao’s ears.

The voice was all too familiar—none other than that girl from the Gu family he’d spent the past days with: Gu Jiao Yan. Lin Hongtao was shocked, then shook his head in disbelief. Impossible—how could Jiao Yan be here? Yet, he couldn’t help but glance toward the source of the voice. “Jiao Niang? Is that really you? How did you end up here too?”

He was stunned to see Jiao Yan, also tied up, glaring at him in anger.

“How did I end up here? Hmph! If it weren’t for you and your foolishness, do you think I’d be in this mess? You snuck out in the middle of the night and we all searched for you—then both Shaoyuan and I got caught. You’re nothing but bad luck—nothing good happens when you’re around!” Jiao Yan snapped.

At her words, Lin Hongtao’s eyes dimmed. Wasn’t it just so? Ever since he’d come to the Gu family, nothing had gone smoothly for them. “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”

Jiao Yan shot him a fierce glare before continuing, “Now you realize your mistake? What were you thinking before? Did you really think you were so clever, so capable? Sneaking off in the middle of the night, and for what? Where did it get you? You don’t even know which way is which outside, and you wanted to chase all the way to the capital—see how that turned out? Idiot. Utter fool.”

Jiao Yan was never sharp-tongued with others, but Lin Hongtao always brought out the worst in her. Especially now, when they’d been captured and bound, unable to move, with no idea what fate awaited them. In such a moment, her anger demanded an outlet.

“Yan’er, enough. Hongtao couldn’t have known things would turn out like this. Save your strength—we don’t know what’s coming, and we’ll need to find a way to escape,” Shaoyuan quickly interjected.

Jiao Yan glared at Lin Hongtao but said no more. Shaoyuan was right; they couldn’t just sit here and wait for the worst. The more strength they conserved now, the better chance they might have to escape later.

With ten or so children in the room, the noise soon roused those outside. A voice barked through the door, cold and menacing, “Quiet! No more crying! If you make another sound, you’ll all be thrown out to feed the wolves.”

The threat, tinged with malice, struck terror into the children, silencing their wails into muffled sobs.

Satisfied, the man outside walked off, but not far. Soon, a few others arrived, and a low conversation drifted in. “Yu Cheng, everything’s arranged. The old master’s funeral is at the hour of the Dragon. When the time comes, take these children out—make sure they don’t make a fuss. Our master takes this very seriously. Do this job well, and there’ll be plenty of rewards for you.”

“Yes, Steward. Don’t worry, I understand. I’ll take care of it—there won’t be any trouble, and I’ll see to it that these brats don’t make a scene,” came the first man’s reply, now obsequious and ingratiating.

“Good. I trust your work. Remember, this must not get out. Even with our master’s status in the capital, it would be hard to smooth things over if word escaped. These children must stay alive, but not make a sound. Do you understand?” the steward warned again before leaving.

Afterward, the man turned back to the children’s room. He opened the wooden door and entered. Inside were the ten children—five boys and five girls—none missing. He nodded in satisfaction, then went to each child in turn, pinching their cheeks and forcing something into their mouths.

The children struggled desperately, unwilling to swallow. Some were struck down with a slap, and then a large mouthful was forced down their throats.

Witnessing this, Shaoyuan whispered to Jiao Yan, “Don’t resist. Hold it in your mouth—when he leaves, we’ll spit it out.”

Jiao Yan nodded, fully understanding. Whatever the man was giving them was surely some kind of drug to knock them out again, so they could be moved elsewhere while unconscious.

When the man came to Jiao Yan, she gave a token struggle before he forced a large mouthful of liquid into her mouth. She tried to hold it without swallowing, but the man saw through her ruse. With a heavy blow to her back, the pain made her gulp the liquid down involuntarily.

Shaoyuan and Hongtao fared no better; all were forced to swallow a large mouthful before the man finally left, satisfied.

Soon after, the children began to feel dizzy and faint. Jiao Yan, too, sensed something was wrong.

“Yan’er, quickly—bite the straw on the floor and hold some in your mouth. Try to use it to make yourself gag,” Shaoyuan urged.

Jiao Yan bit hard on the tip of her own tongue, the pain clearing her mind a little, then bent her head and did as Shaoyuan said. Fortunately, the floor was strewn with straw. She managed to chew some, pushing the end deep into her throat. Nausea welled up, and she retched violently, expelling most of the liquid she’d just swallowed.

Shaoyuan and Hongtao did the same, bringing up nearly all they’d been forced to drink. Even so, some of the drug must have been absorbed; they all felt dizzy and lightheaded.

“Don’t sleep—do you hear me? We have to stay awake. If there’s a chance, we’ll try to escape or call for help,” Shaoyuan said, biting his tongue again to keep himself conscious.

Jiao Yan did the same, even as her mind clouded and her eyelids grew heavy. She bit down so hard on her tongue that it felt as if she’d drawn blood, the taste of iron filling her mouth.

Through the pain, they managed to cling to consciousness. Because they had spat out most of the drug, only a little remained in their bodies, and after half an hour or so, the dizziness began to fade.