Yangzhou City, underground secret chamber of the City Lord’s Mansion.
“Sister Yingying, when will that sister wake up?”
“Hm, I don’t know…”
“Baogege, I miss my mom…”
“Sigh… me too. When will Uncle Zhao take us home?”
“Don’t cry. Didn’t Uncle Zhao say? Once Sister Yinyin’s illness gets better, he’ll take us home and give us lots and lots of candy…”
***
“Hm? Where am I?”
Hearing the chattering children around her, Gu Qingying, who had been knocked unconscious by that mysterious woman, slowly regained consciousness amidst a throbbing headache that felt like countless sharp steel needles piercing her skull.
She couldn’t help but let out a painful groan, instinctively trying to raise her hand to rub her temple, but found her limbs heavy as lead.
“Where… am I?”
Gu Qingying struggled to open her heavy eyelids, but her vision remained blurry.
The last fragments of memory flooded her mind like a tidal wave.
Miss Zhou’s boudoir, the uncomfortable ruqun dress, the impenetrable black mist outside the window, the suddenly exploded floorboards, that ghostly figure so familiar, the fierce attack, the guests of Danding Pavilion flying backwards…
And finally, her powerless feeling as she tried to resist but was instantly crushed by that terrifying force…
Right… I remember now!
I was acting as bait in the Zhou household, then suddenly a female thief burrowed out from underground!
That woman was so strong…
Danding Pavilion’s ambush was no match for her…
Then, after that, I…
Gu Qingying recalled up to this point, only to find her subsequent memories engulfed in cold darkness.
I’ve been captured…
Damn it!
If I’m here…
Wouldn’t that mean my Master is currently alone with Gong Shangyu, that fox temptress?
Realizing the perilous situation her Master was in, Gu Qingying’s heart sank sharply, and she became fully alert.
Suppressing the headache and bodily discomfort, she abruptly opened her violet eyes and warily scanned her surroundings.
But what met her gaze was not the blood-soaked prison she had expected.
Instead, it was a room resembling a children’s playground, filled with toys and a warm atmosphere—if you ignored the grotesque blood-red symbols scrawled across the walls.
Hmm?
Where is this place?
The rebel who captured me locked me here?
What are they planning?
Gu Qingying looked around and noticed a dozen or so children of various ages curled up nearby, either lying down or sitting.
Their faces were rosy, expressions calm—not the appearance of kidnapped and abused children—but more like they were out on a spring outing.
This confused the newly awakened Gu Qingying.
In the corner, several younger children were sleeping soundly.
The sobbing and whispers she heard earlier clearly came from these children.
Gu Qingying struggled to sit up, drawing the children’s attention.
A little girl with pigtails, apparently a year or two younger than Gu Qingying, suddenly approached boldly and greeted her.
“Ah… Big Sister! You’re awake!”
Seeing the girl’s clothes and appearance, Gu Qingying felt a spark of recognition.
Because she had seen this little sister before!
When Gu Qingying acted as bait in the Zhou family courtyard, Wang Yingying’s father, Guest Elder Wang of Danding Pavilion, had shown her a portrait of his second daughter, Wang Yingying, who had gone as bait half a month ago and was captured by the demonic sect thieves.
So Guest Elder Wang wanted Gu Qingying to keep an eye on his daughter after being captured, and perhaps convey a few words for him.
“You’re… Wang Yingying from Danding Pavilion’s Guest Elder Wang’s family?”
Gu Qingying cautiously asked the girl, her voice hoarse from injury.
Yingying nodded vigorously, as if she had found an anchor.
“Mm! Sister, you know my dad?”
“Yes, I was sent by your dad to rescue you!”
At these words, Yingying’s face lit up with excitement.
Then she pulled two little boys from the nearby group.
“Huzi, Tietou! Come quickly! This sister was sent by my dad to save us!”
Wang Yingying then explained to Gu Qingying,
“Sister, these are Li Huzi and Liu Tietou. They are from Uncle Li’s and Aunt Liu’s families! They were all captured by Uncle Zhao when they were used as bait before…”
Upon hearing this, Gu Qingying’s heart jolted!
All three bait children arranged by Danding Pavilion were locked up in this dungeon, and the number of remaining children matched the count of those missing!
Hiss… It seems the demonic sect thieves haven’t been abusing these children, nor sacrificing them…
Instead… it looks like they’re keeping them captive?
As Gu Qingying pondered this, the other children in the dungeon, hearing the conversation, gradually gathered around, wide-eyed, curiously examining the new sister.
Seeing this, Gu Qingying took a deep breath, knowing she had to calm the children and gather more information.
Suppressing her agitation, she tried to make her voice sound gentle and trustworthy.
“Don’t be afraid. I am an Immortal Lady sent by Danding Pavilion. Your parents sent me to rescue you from this place of trouble.”
To add credibility, Gu Qingying gathered a faint trace of Spirit Energy at her fingertip, blossoming into a soft dark purple lotus.
Though this was a mere minor Qi Refinement stage spell, to these mortal children it was undoubtedly a divine technique.
Sure enough, seeing this, hope instantly blossomed in the children’s eyes as they flocked closer.
“Ah… Immortal Sister! Can you really take us out of here?”
“I want to go home! I miss my mom!”
“Uncle Zhao promised to give us candy but hasn’t yet…”
“I don’t want to go home! It’s so much fun here!”
“Yeah! I don’t want to go back!”
“We’ve been away so long, our parents must be worried…”
“But… we promised Uncle Zhao to help Sister Yinyin get better… if we leave now, what about Sister Yinyin?”
“Yeah, Uncle Zhao treats us well, he comes every day with good food and plays with us…”
“But I want to go home!”
***
The children’s voices overlapped in a noisy clamor.
Already with a headache, Gu Qingying felt her temples throb from the chaotic scene, and her injured abdomen ached faintly.
Not a patient person to begin with, facing this unknown danger, not being beside her Master but knowing he was alone with that fox Gong Shangyu, and now having to calm these unruly children, an irritability rose within her.
At the same time, the oppressive yin aura surrounding the room repeatedly gnawed at her protective Spirit Energy.
It even faintly stirred the terrifying, cold, bloody, and violent aura sealed deep within her by the Liu Li Calm Heart Mantra.
Damn it… this place is wicked!
Gu Hongchen!
Behave yourself!
Sensing the changes within her own Calm Heart Mantra, Gu Qingying felt her suppressed second personality suddenly becoming difficult to control.
Another voice inside her clamored, annoyed by the children’s noise and disturbance.
“Ahhh… all of you shut up!”
With an unusually cold, sharp command, the sound swept through the entire dungeon.
The noisy children immediately fell silent, staring at the suddenly enraged Gu Qingying with terrified faces.
Now Gu Qingying’s expression had turned icy cold, and her violet eyes revealed a faint tinge of scarlet and brutality, utterly unlike her usual temperament!
The gentle spiritual light she had emitted was replaced by a terrifying oppressive aura!
“Shut up! What are you all making noise for?”
Her voice was icy cold, laced with an unchallengeable authority:
“I’m taking you all out of here. This isn’t up for discussion! It’s a notice!”
Her sharp gaze swept over the frightened children, who had gone utterly mute.
“If you want to go home to see your parents, then listen to me obediently! Shut your mouths! If you don’t want to leave, then stay here and become zombies!”