Beside a desolate road on the outskirts of the capital stood an isolated farmhouse.
Xie Lanyin was awakened by waves of dull pain in the back of her head.
Consciousness returned before her vision—a strong earthy smell, a musty odor, and the rough texture of the hard plank bed beneath her. Her eyelids were heavy; she stirred, only then discovering her wrists and ankles were tightly bound with coarse hemp rope, and her mouth was stuffed with a cloth ball reeking of sweat.
What happened?
The last thing she remembered was a speeding car losing control and rolling over, the loud crash of shattering glass, and a burning pain… Had the anti-drug mission failed? She wasn’t dead, but had she fallen into the hands of drug lords?
No, this isn’t right.
Her senses gradually sharpened. Her body felt wrong—slender, weak, definitely not her trained physique.
Just as she was in a daze, with a creak, the dilapidated wooden door was violently pushed open.
Two men walked in, one after the other, both dressed in coarse cloth tunics, like carriage drivers. The one in front was shorter and stouter, with triangular eyes that lingered stickily on Xie Lanyin, grinning to reveal a mouthful of yellow teeth: “Oh, Big Brother, the noble lady is awake.”
The Tall Man behind him was more imposing, his face cold and stern. He stood with his arms crossed in the shadow of the doorway, saying indifferently, “Good, she’s awake. Third Brother, untie her ropes. Do as instructed from above, make it look good.”
“Look good?” Third Brother, the short, stout man, rubbed his hands and chuckled, approaching the bed. Lustful gleams practically overflowed from his murky eyes.
“Big Brother, not even a ghost comes to this desolate wilderness, why bother making it look good? ‘Above’ can’t see us… I haven’t had a taste of such tender, delicate young ladies yet, brother.”
His gaze slid downwards, and he let out a guttural chuckle. “Oh, Big Brother, don’t pretend, you’re also…”
“Shut up,” the Tall Man’s voice grew colder. “Just do as you’re told.”
Third Brother pouted, clearly displeased, but still reached out to untie the rope on Xie Lanyin’s ankle. His coarse fingers deliberately brushed against her delicate skin. When he got to her wrists, his movements slowed, almost caressing the rope inch by inch, his eyes fixed on Xie Lanyin’s neckline, which had slightly opened from her struggles, his breathing heavy.
As the ropes loosened, Xie Lanyin’s wrists and ankles stung. Third Brother seized the chance to yank the cloth ball from her mouth, his foul breath spraying on her face. He pressed down on her, one hand reaching to tear at the sash around her waist: “Little beauty, don’t be scared, let big brother take good care of you…”
Xie Lanyin’s heart sank.
Ancient times? Make it look good? Above?
Countless fragments of information surged up with a fierce headache, but they were chaotic. Yet, her police instinct had awakened before her muddled memories—assess the environment, judge the threat, find a chance to survive.
No way to call for help, powerful enemies nearby, a weak body, time was short.
Desperation.
All the hairs on Xie Lanyin’s body stood on end!
“Wait… wait!” she blurted out, her voice a fragile, soft tone she didn’t recognize, laced with a trembling fear.
Third Brother, who was pressing down on her, paused, seemingly enjoying her terror. He actually stopped and grinned: “What? Want big brother to be gentle?”
Xie Lanyin forced down the churning in her stomach and the confusion in her mind. A thin film of moisture quickly gathered in her eyes, making her appear pitiful in the dim light.
She cowered slightly, her voice softer, pleading: “Don’t… don’t tear my clothes… I, I’ll do it myself…”
Third Brother’s eyes lit up, his lecherous grin widening: “Take them off yourself? Good! Big brother loves watching beauties undress!” With that, he actually loosened his grip a bit, but his sturdy body remained half-pressed against her, waiting like a cat toying with a mouse.
The Tall Man at the doorway snorted coldly and looked away, but he didn’t stop them again.
Xie Lanyin’s fingertips were icy cold, trembling slightly. As if using all her strength, she slowly raised a hand to point at the already loose sash around her waist. Her movements were incredibly slow, imbued with a humiliated, resigned delicacy. Her outer robe slowly slipped from her shoulders, revealing the thin, moon-white inner garment beneath, the nascent but already undulating curves of a young girl faintly visible.
The dim yellow light, the messy bed, the half-undressed, teary-eyed stunning girl… This scene stimulated Third Brother, making his blood surge. He gasped roughly, his last shred of vigilance thrown to the winds.
“Damn it! What are you dawdling for!” He could no longer restrain himself, roaring lowly as he lunged forward again, reaching to tear away that final covering—
Now!
The soft, fearful gleam in Xie Lanyin’s eyes instantly froze, turning into an icy sharpness!
Her right leg, which had seemed to hang limply at her side, trembling slightly, had already quietly bent, accumulating power! The moment Third Brother’s large hand reached for her, her waist and abdomen exerted force, and her bent knee shot upwards with lightning speed, striking fiercely!
“Aow—!!!”
A shrill, inhuman scream erupted!
Third Brother arched his body like a boiled shrimp, his hands clamped tightly over his crotch, eyeballs bulging. The color instantly drained from his face as he fell backward with a dull thud, convulsing on the ground, only gasping sounds escaping him.
Everything happened in a flash!
The Tall Man at the doorway hadn’t even clearly seen what happened. He only heard his companion’s scream, his pupils instinctively constricting. He roared, “You—!”
Xie Lanyin gave no one time to react!
As her knee struck, she used the push-off to propel herself like an arrow from a bowstring, not dodging backward, but lunging directly at the more dangerous Tall Man by the door! Her speed was astonishing, completely unlike the weak, delicate noblewoman she had seemed moments before.
Mid-air, she had already pulled out the single, inconspicuous jade hairpin from her hair. Pointing its tip at the man’s heart, she used all her strength, leveraging her forward momentum, and stabbed down fiercely!
Steady! Accurate! Ruthless!
Straight for the vital point!
The Tall Man, after all, was not of Third Brother’s caliber. Though startled, he was not flustered. The moment Xie Lanyin lunged, he had already sidestepped, simultaneously blocking with one hand and throwing a punch at her face with the other. However, he underestimated Xie Lanyin’s speed and her desperate ferocity.
“Pfft—”
The sharp tip of the hairpin didn’t penetrate his heart as intended, but plunged deeply into his blocking arm, entering so far it almost went through!
The man grunted, his eyes flaring with viciousness. The muscles on his injured arm bulged, and he suddenly swung it, the immense force flinging Xie Lanyin, hairpin and all!
Xie Lanyin slammed heavily against the mud wall, a sweet taste in her throat, her vision blurring. All her bones felt dislocated; that single powerful strike had almost completely drained her already weak body.
Her vision began to blur, and in her ears, she heard Third Brother’s beastly roars and the heavy footsteps of the man closing in.
Was she going to die here?
Having just arrived in this inexplicable world, was she going to die so senselessly at the hands of two vile scum?
She wouldn’t accept it…