To others, her expression looked like one of grief and sorrow.
Bai Yue pursed her lips at her and said to her mother, Mu Shi, “Some people really are shameless. She could escape this sea of suffering, but she’d rather die keeping face and live in misery!”
“That’s right. What’s so bad about entering the household at the same time as a concubine?
If it could avoid exile, being a concubine or even a slave would be better than this!”
Li Mingyue’s eyes blazed with fury at their words. She wanted to argue with them, but her mother-in-law tugged at her sleeve and shook her head.
Her mother-in-law, Old Madam Li Shi of the General’s Residence, had a serene face with wisdom in her eyes.
Li Mingyue understood her look and shot a resentful glare at the mother and daughter before letting it go.
Everyone waited anxiously for the exile. Eunuch Li had his people light fires and cook in the Bai Residence, as leisurely as if he were in his own home.
He didn’t want to linger here either; he wanted to finish up and report back soon—his newly acquired dancing girl was waiting for his attention!
But he had to wait until every separate courtyard of the Bai Residence had been searched and he’d obtained what the Emperor wanted before he could leave.
During this time, the people of the Bai Residence waited a whole day, from morning until night.
All day, Eunuch Li only sent someone to give them a little water. The Bai family was dizzy with hunger but dared not complain.
Fortunately, there were plenty of pastries for guests in the front hall. The old madam ordered the old steward to fetch them and distribute them to everyone, so they could at least put something in their stomachs.
The Bai Residence’s servants had been sold off or released, leaving only the old steward’s family, who claimed to be distant relatives of the Bai family and vowed to share the family’s punishment, which was why they were allowed to stay.
Bai Li stretched lazily.
Good evening. There was so much to be done at night!
Bai Li secretly waited until midnight, and when everyone was drowsy, she slipped away quietly.
She quietly changed into a set of black clothes and, without anyone noticing, made a round of the Bai Residence.
All the chests and boxes confiscated from the residence were piled up in the backyard, guarded by a dozen or so guards, with quite a few archers lying in ambush on the rooftops.
Pretty tight security!
Bai Li thought for a moment, then turned and left the residence.
Exile would definitely require stockpiling supplies, and her first target for supplies was the Zhao Residence.
Zhao Yuntian had taken advantage of her family’s downfall to kick them while they were down and humiliate her, and he even wanted her dowry. Surely it wasn’t too much for her to take some of their supplies?
She knew the Zhao Residence well—it was at the end of the street, not far from the Bai Residence.
The Zhao Residence’s guards might as well not have existed to her; a few leaps and she was inside.
The residence was decorated with lanterns and festoons. If nothing unexpected had happened, tonight was Zhao Yuntian and his A-Zi’s wedding night, right?
Which was perfect—a wedding banquet was exactly when people let their guard down, the best time for her to go fishing.
She spread out her supernatural ability to search, located the gold, silver, treasures, and grain, went to loot them, and put everything into her spatial dimension.
Not long after waking up, she had checked that her ability and spatial dimension were still there. In her past life, her ability could cover a hundred li in radius; now it could only cover about ten li.
Fortunately, the spatial dimension hadn’t shrunk. It had been about half a football field in size before, and it was still that size now.
She swept all the chests of gold, silver, and treasures into her spatial dimension, then emptied the storehouse.
She didn’t even spare the Zhao Residence’s hidden chambers and cellar. Her ability swept over, a thought moved, and the items were in her spatial dimension.
After clearing out the storehouse, Bai Li headed to the rooms of the masters, madams, concubines, and maids, and looted them thoroughly!
Cotton and cloth, coarse garments, silks and satins—she took everything, refusing nothing that came her way!
Suddenly, she detected a strong smell of blood not far away. She extended her supernatural ability to search it out—it was a side room in the back courtyard.
This side room sat in a corner of the back garden, hidden by a towering tree, so ordinary people would never find it.
Why build a house in such a secluded spot? What could be inside that was kept so mysterious?
Bai Li’s curiosity was piqued.
Under the moonlight that flickered through the branches, she could see the door was tightly shut, without even a single window. The room was sealed up on all sides like an iron barrel.
Bai Li focused her mind, reached out and gave a gentle twist—the copper lock hanging on the door fell off—then pushed the door open.
The door creaked open. Inside was pitch black, gloomy and a little creepy.
Bai Li turned on her flashlight and closed the door behind her.
Her ears twitched, and she followed a faint, barely audible sound.
Suddenly, a wave of blood stench hit her nose. In the flashlight’s beam, several iron cages came into view.
When she saw clearly what was inside, her eyes widened and she drew in a sharp breath.
In the iron cages were a gorilla and several female monkeys. On an operating table not far away lay several pregnant women.
The pregnant women’s bellies had been cut open, their lower bodies drenched in blood, their faces pale as paper. They were barely breathing—beyond saving even by the greatest of immortals.
She was certain they were pregnant women because their bellies were huge and their wombs had been cut open, but the fetuses inside were nowhere to be found.
No wonder the smell of blood was so strong here—she had smelled it from outside.
While Bai Li was surveying the scene, the pregnant women stopped breathing. Bai Li silently closed their eyes, then took several pieces of coarse cloth from her spatial dimension to cover their naked bodies.
How cruel!
Even in the Apocalypse, such a scene was rare. After all, the Apocalypse was full of dangers and simply staying alive was hard enough—who would think of torturing and killing women?
When the gorilla saw Bai Li enter, it inexplicably grew excited, pacing back and forth in its iron cage and hooting “oh-hoo, oh-hoo.” Bai Li could actually see lust in its eyes.
A chill of disgust ran through her. An electric baton appeared in her hand; she thrust it into the cage, and the gorilla’s eyes rolled back as it collapsed with a thud, out cold!
The female monkeys beside it shrieked in fright, “zhi-zhi!” Suddenly, one golden-furred monkey clutched its belly with its forelimbs and howled in pain. From the look of it… it was about to give birth!
“It’s coming! It’s coming!”
Just as Bai Li was about to turn and leave, a sharp bird cry suddenly rang out, giving her a huge fright!
“Damn bird, keep squawking and I’ll stew you!”
When she saw clearly that the noise came from a birdcage behind her, where a pitch-black bird was calling, Bai Li really nearly exploded.
Though her skills were exceptional, if she alerted the people of the residence, slipping away quietly would be difficult.
“I’ll stop! Don’t stew me!”
“Huh? This damn bird understands human speech?”
Hearing this, Heiying flapped its wings and opened its beak, ready to curse back.
At that moment, Bai Li’s supernatural ability sensed two people walking toward this side from the back courtyard.
“Your master is coming. If you dare betray me, I’ll definitely stew you!”
Heiying quickly folded its wings.
“I wouldn’t dare! Please, take me with you!”
“You want to leave this place?”
Heiying’s bird head bobbed furiously.
Here they come, here they come—its master’s footsteps grew closer and closer, and the voices became clearly audible.
“…Keep a close eye on Jinmao tonight. The witch doctor said it will give birth within the next two days.”
“Yes, Young Master.
Once Jinmao gives birth, the monkey spirit the witch doctor wants will surely be in hand.
Then I’ll finally get to see just how powerful this monkey spirit really is—could it possibly have three heads and six arms?