It wasn’t cold, it wasn’t dark, it wasn’t dirty, nor was it empty. But it was stifling, it was grey, it was lonely, and it was torture. That was the kind of place Ming Ju Li found herself in.
Not long ago, she had been surrounded by loved ones, celebrating the marriage of the clan’s little princess. And for all intents and purposes, it should have been a joyous day. But fate seemed to have other plans in mind.
What should have been a celebration, which all of the family swiftly gathered for, had just as quickly turned into a bloodbath. Everywhere the eye could see was painted red. The blood of her relatives flowed relentlessly and she, the only one to be left unscathed, was shackled and chained before being transported to this hellhole.
Hellhole would be how she described it, but as she looked through her unmanaged hair into the brightly lit and carefully decorated space she was in, she could see people who contrasted her views on the situation.
She wasn’t the only one here. Far from it. There were another 14 women of various ages gathered here with her. The difference was, they bothered to maintain their outward appearances, even though, just as she was, they were all caged birds, waiting for whatever fate was to befall them.
Those women seemed to be resigned to this, but Ju Li was not.
She looked back down to the ground. Her hair covered her face, reaching all the way down to her crossed legs, masking her activities. There, she was grinding one fingernail against the ground over and over. She had been doing this every day since she got here and was careful not to reveal that fact to anyone else.
One of the other women came up to Ju Li’s side and looked down to the now cold plate of food placed in front of her.
“Are you not eating?” She asked. “A growing girl needs to eat.”
As usual, the only response she got was the continuous jingling of chains which hadn’t stopped on her account. She sighed as she looked at the youngest person here. It was plain to see that she wasn’t coping well with the situation.
She squatted down and slid the wooden board that the food was placed on towards the girl, whose name she still didn’t know. “You shouldn’t worry too much. After all, you never know what the Merchant Guild wants with us. Maybe we’ll be given a good life.”
At this point, the chains stopped their jingling, something that rarely happened. Not only that, but another rare event took place. Ju Li looked up.
Past her black hair, one could see her eyes. Eyes as dark as the abyss, with not a trace of emotion to be seen.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Pardon me?”
Ju Li looked back down to the ground, resuming her previous actions.
“Is there a place in your mind that actually believes that these people would murder our loved ones, abduct us, and hold us captive, then turn around and hand us over to people who want to give us a good life?”
“…”
“If you don’t even believe it yourself, then you shouldn’t go spreading your nonsense. It doesn’t help anyone.”
The woman clenched her fists but then quickly relaxed them. This was the expected result whenever someone tried to offer help to this girl. She was always blunt and generally unpleasant to be around.
“If you know that much, then you know that there’s no point in moping around. Why have you allowed yourself to deteriorate to this extent? You should at least maintain your appearance. It’s the strongest weapon any of us have in this situation.”
After waiting for a response and receiving none, the woman went back to the others.
Seeing the expression on her face, another of the women chuckled. “You tried to speak to her again? When will you learn that she’s not receptive to any of our goodwill? She’s just a little girl who knows nothing of cooperation and companionship.”
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“But that’s exactly why we should help her. Imagine being in this situation at such a young age. She barely looks ten years old. And by the sounds of it, she didn’t get it as easy as some of us.”
“I see. But still. She’s just about the most insufferable little brat I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
“I won’t argue with that.”
“Maybe it’s best to just leave her be. She seems to understand the situation. And frankly speaking, there’s no happy ending waiting for any of us.”
“You might be right. I keep wanting to treat her like a little girl, but… It seems she’s not inexperienced when it comes to the darker sides of the world.”
“Is there a bright side? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it.”
“Well, growing up, I heard stories all the time of valiant heroes who step in to stop this kind of thing.”
“Heroes? In this life?”
“You make me feel silly when you say it like that.”
Another of the women who had been listening in on their conversation decided to add her two cents.
“It doesn’t have to be someone who wants to help out of the kindness of their heart. Maybe one of us is their sister or cousin or lover or whatever. There’s always a chance that one of us is connected to someone extraordinary.”
“Someone who can oppose a second-grade sect? Be realistic.”
“… I didn’t say the chances were high.”
***
Ju Li overheard the conversation and it caused her to think of the one person who could possibly come to rescue her. From what she remembered, there was only one person who could have survived her clan’s massacre. But she hoped with all of her heart, or at least what little remained it, that he wouldn’t attempt something so reckless.
This situation was leagues above what even their clan’s patriarch was capable of dealing with. So, needless to say, it would only add to the death toll if another were to try to intervene.
That said, she wasn’t placing her faith in a rescuer in the first place.
From the moment she had been bound in chains, she made use of the years of training she had been through to gather information, both on her fellow captives, and the wardens who would stand watch over them. She knew when the wardens changed shifts, who would come when, and the nature of the interactions that took place between the different pairs.
The two who were next in the rotation were the least diligent. They would often distract themselves with conversations and items when they were on duty. If there were any cracks in the foundation, it would be those two. Any escape attempt would only be plausible if they were the active wardens at the time.
Fortunately, Ju Li had already planned out many of the other aspects of her escape should the opportunity arise. When she was brought here, she learned the internal layout of the place and now knew the route to the outside. At least one of them. Other than that, she had many concealment abilities she had learned as part of the family trade. Most of them were currently unavailable to her on account of the shackles she was wearing, but she had a plan in mind for that.
The only variables were the other women and the nature of the opportunity. She would have to adjust to the situation when the time came.
But until then, all she could do was to sit and wait.
***
Meanwhile, two men, Bing Wan and Gong San were walking down a hallway. Bing Wan’s walk was more exaggerated than Gong San’s.
“Damn! Why did it have to be now of all times?”
“Why so glum, chum?”
“Why so glum? I was about to make a breakthrough, that’s why! These damn yin physiques. Ruining everything!”
“If I’m recalling correctly, you have said the same thing five times in a row. How long does this breakthrough of yours take?”
“That’s none of your damn business. Let’s just get this crap over with.”
The two arrived at a cell, inside which there was a group of women.
In front of that cell were two men. Xun Sun and Zen Han. When they heard Bing Wan down the hall, they had turned their attention to him.
“If it isn’t this pair of slackers.”
“Have you finally made that breakthrough, Bing Wan?”
The two got up. Bing Wan and Gong San clasped their fists in greeting as did Xun Sun and Zen Han.
After that was done, Bing Wan stamped his foot and grabbed Xun Sun’s collar.
“Why don’t you mind your damn business, Sun? Otherwise, I, your father, will teach you a lesson today.”
“What was that?” Xun Sun gripped Bing Wan’s wrist, causing him to let go. ”Come, Grandson, let me spar a round with you.”
“Tch.” Bing Wan shook his wrist, which was stinging. “So you improved your cultivation? Don’t think you can just walk around sideways. I’m close to a breakthrough myself.”
“Yeah. You’ve been ‘close’ for a few months now. Some would call that being far.”
Bing Wan again grabbed Xun Sun’s collar. “I dare you to say it again, bastard!” He circulated his qi, activating one of his techniques to apply pressure to Xun Sun. “I haven’t fought against someone above my realm in a while. You’ll do nicely.”
“Where do you get this confidence from, Bing Wan?” Xun Sun smirked and grabbed Bing Wan’s wrist once more. “You haven’t fought against someone above your realm in a while? That’s because last time I beat you like a stray dog.”
Bing Wan clenched his teeth as his grip was forcefully removed from Xun Sun’s robe.
At this point, Gong San stepped forward with a gentle smile on his face. “Now, now. We’re all members of the same sect.” He moved his hand toward Xun Sun’s. “Can’t we all just get along?”
Xun Sun’s eyes widened and he quickly retracted his hand. “You damn psycho! You were trying to chop off my hand!” He stepped back a few paces and rubbed his wrist, making sure everything was still connected. “What happened to getting along?”
Gong San placed his hand over his mouth and laughed sheepishly. “Forgive me, Brother Xun. My hand slipped…”
“Okay.” Zen Han clapped his hands. “That’s enough fooling around. Since you’re here, our shift is over.” He turned around and started walking away, dragging Xun Sun with him. “Don’t go slacking like you usually do.”
Xun Sun hadn’t said his peace yet. He directed a mocking smile to Bing Wan. “I recently earned a few merit points. Perhaps I’ll have Sangsang warm the bed for me tonight.”
“You dare?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve heard such great reviews from you, right?”
“Hmph. Then maybe I’ll request Lingling’s services myself.”
“You!”
“Who knows? Perhaps she’ll bring me the breakthrough I’ve been looking for.”
Bing Wan waved his fingers and smiled mockingly as Xun Sun was dragged around a corner.
Gong San sat in his seat and shook his head. “You really need to learn to be more mellow, fellow.”
“Shut up.” Bing Wan took his seat next to Gong San. “Not everyone lives like you, you flower boy.”
“That’s why you fail to achieve your breakthrough.”
“Say that again. I dare you.”
“That’s why you fail to achieve your breakthrough.”
“…”
***
Ju Li listened to the exchange that was occurring outside. Just as she had calculated, the loudmouthed Bing Wan and the laidback Gong San had come to take their shifts. They would soon distract themselves with idle chitchat and miscellaneous items from their spatial rings. Falling asleep wasn’t out of the question either.
Ju Li continued scraping her fingernail against the ground, listening for any pertinent information. If the chance to escape ever came, she would not hesitate to take it.
It was just that, she wasn’t expecting to hear an earth-shaking explosion in the very next moment. And if she wasn’t mistaken, there was a trace of something familiar in the sound.