Chapter 67

The check revealed something strange in the male lead’s soul. Qin Jinxiu was shocked.
The male lead had been reborn. Her anger flared, this wretched world, with its ghosts, gods, and rebirth, demanded far too much of her.
“The reality of this little world is always completely different from the information you provide. Must I constantly risk my life just to complete this absurd task in such a bizarre world?”
“Tasker, remain calm. A review has been requested from headquarters.”
A long buzz of static followed. Qin Jinxiu, hearing this answer, straightened her face and coldly smirked, plotting her next move.
“Oh? The little beauty has woken?”
She was lying across a pile of chopped firewood, eyes half-open, lips pale, looking weak. The two bandits who entered found her enchanting, stirring a dangerous desire.
Just as they thought to advance, their companions stopped them. Qin Jinxiu backed up a few inches. Around her were several other young girls who had been captured.
“Impudent! Do you know who I am?!”
Qin Jinxiu shouted at the bandits attempting to touch her. They laughed loudly. “Girl, don’t you know that once you fall into our den, you’re no longer in control? Even the magistrate’s daughter, if she loses her purity, her father wouldn’t recognize her. From now on, you might as well be our mountain stronghold’s lady.”
“You lie! My parents adore me. If they don’t see me for a day, they can’t even eat. You beasts, why don’t you ask around Huaizhou Prefecture about my reputation?”
As one of them approached, Qin Jinxiu panicked slightly. Fortunately, they stopped advancing.
Outside the wood house, a short man asked, “Why doesn’t the big brother go in and… enjoy? It’s rare to see such a fine catch.”
The tall man glanced at him. “She’s the magistrate’s only daughter. Boss said not to touch her, lest we draw the authorities.”
“Then why drag her up the mountain if you’re afraid of the law?”
“They say it’s internal conflict in her household…”
Before they could go far, Qin Jinxiu trembled. Internal conflict in the household, who wanted her out of the way? When she returned… she returned…
Her tangled hair masked the gloom and ruthlessness in her eyes.
That night, an old woman came to deliver food. Qin Jinxiu waved it away. “These pigs’ food, and you dare bring it to me?”
The old woman’s face twisted with anger and she tried to grab her. Though usually spoiled and stubborn, Qin Jinxiu’s delicate frame easily evaded her. After a few strikes, two bandits outside rushed in to stop the woman.
“Wang Po! This is the boss’s prized catch. If you harm her, how do you explain it?”
“She refused to eat and struck me first. I only defended myself.”
The gatekeeping bandits waved them away and advised Qin Jinxiu, “If you don’t eat, then tough luck.”
Qin Jinxiu pulled off her golden hairpin and tossed it aside, expressionless. “I want roasted chicken, or I’ll starve. I won’t touch this pig slop, and if I starve, you’ll get nothing.”
The two bandits exchanged glances, muttered a few harsh words, but eventually agreed to get her the roasted chicken.
After the old woman and the bandits left, Qin Jinxiu felt around in the darkness and found the shards of the porcelain bowl she had broken earlier.
Glancing at the trembling girls beside her, she began sawing at the rope. Her skin was delicate, yet her hands bled from the effort, and she didn’t stop.
“Are you trying to escape?”
A girl cautiously asked. Qin Jinxiu bared her teeth. “Yes. You coming?”
The girl shook her head, terrified. “No… there’s only one way down the mountain. Without someone leading the way, you can’t get out.”
“Do as you like. But when I open the door, if any of you dare shout, I’ll say you were planning to run too.”
The girl bristled. “If I planned to run, why would I warn them? They’re not stupid.”
“I’m the magistrate’s only daughter. Even if I escape and they catch me, they won’t touch me. But if I’m trapped again, they won’t spare you.”
“You!”
Qin Jinxiu returned to cutting the rope. The girl bit her lip. “Do you still have porcelain shards?”
“You’re not running?” Qin Jinxiu didn’t look up.
“If you leave, and I’m in the same room, don’t tell me I can’t hear a thing. Might as well run with you.”
The girl understood.
“Why should I help you?”
“You just asked if I’d leave… now you…”
“Earlier was earlier. I’ve changed my mind.”
“You!” Qin Jinxiu wasn’t a kind soul. The girl finally crawled out from the corner, desperate.
Using her last bargaining chip, she said, “I’ve escaped a few times before. I know the most likely way down the mountain.”
Qin Jinxiu, already having cut the rope, sneered. “Didn’t you say there’s only one way down? Without a guide, you can’t leave.”
The girl emerged from the shadows, pretty but dust-streaked, eyes bright but averted when asked.
Qin Jinxiu shook off the rope, flexed her limbs, and pressed a shard of porcelain to the girl’s neck. Soon, a line of blood appeared on her fair skin.
“Don’t scream. If you alert the guards, I’ll end you.”
The girl blinked, signaling her to release her. Qin Jinxiu pressed the shard deeper. “Don’t move. Don’t blame me if you die. Who are you?”
“I’m Gu Fangyun… I… I live at the foot of the mountain…”
“You’re connected to the bandits.”
Before Gu Fangyun could finish, Qin Jinxiu said with certainty, “The third-in-command in the bandit gang is a childhood friend of mine…”
“Childhood sweethearts?”
“No, we haven’t seen each other in years.”
Qin Jinxiu imagined the scene: no wonder this girl could share a VIP “cell” with the magistrate’s daughter and sneak out multiple times without losing a limb.
Qin Jinxiu’s sharp gaze embarrassed Gu Fangyun. “Brother Shitou only became a bandit out of necessity. I tried to persuade him…”
“Who knew he wouldn’t listen, and insisted on marrying you.”
“How do you know?”
Qin Jinxiu pursed her lips. “Enough nonsense. I have no interest in your petty affairs. Lead the way.”
“Can you release the shard first?”
“I did. If Brother Shitou sees that cut on your neck, he won’t spare me.”
Qin Jinxiu casually held her neck, the girl’s glassy eyes full of innocence. Gu Fangyun remembered how timid and spoiled she had been upon waking.
Her instincts told her Qin Jinxiu was dangerous, but the smirk on Qin Jinxiu’s lips made it clear: she hadn’t changed. The magistrate’s daughter was ruthless, just far from stupid.
Half-coerced, half-led, the girl followed her.
They carefully bypassed the wood house and the bandits’ resting area, heading toward the cliff behind the camp. Gu Fangyun said it led to the only way down.
Suddenly, they heard movement ahead. Ducking, they overheard bandits chatting as they relieved themselves:
“What’s the deal with that girl in the wood house? She’s stunning, yet the boss doesn’t touch her?”
“Isn’t she the third-in-command’s woman?”
“Third-in-command my foot. I mean the one who insisted on roasted chicken.”
…
“I heard she’s the big boss’s prized catch. Can be exchanged for something important.”
“What thing?”
“How should I know? Go ask the big boss.”
“Go to hell.”
After one finished, shaking off the waste, Qin Jinxiu, hiding in the grass, felt a wetness on her body. Realizing what it was, her eyes reddened with anger, yet she held the porcelain shards steadily.
Gu Fangyun, worried, knew if Qin Jinxiu ran, the bandits’ den could face disaster. She didn’t want Stone Bro hurt. If she cried out, they might notice her, but Qin Jinxiu’s grip didn’t loosen.
She feared that before Brother Shitou arrived, Gu Fangyun might already be dead.
A bandit readjusted his belt. “That girl is said to be from a big family. How did we capture her?”
The others laughed. “Second-in-command’s nephew is my kin. They say she’s getting her comeuppance. Heard of Second Miss Qin? That wicked lady who whips people in Huaizhou Prefecture?”
“That girl looks delicate. Can she really wield a whip?”
“Of course she can. Her cousin’s face got completely beaten up by her.”
“Really?! Could it be that her little cousin held a grudge?”
“That I don’t know.”
Later that night, after finishing their business, the bandits chattered on for a while before yawning and heading back to their rooms to sleep.
Qin Jinxiu’s hands trembled as she bit her teeth, burning with hatred. She was certain it had been that fool’s doing. He must have been pretending to be clueless, otherwise, how would these bandits know her cousin’s face had been beaten? He must have been up on the mountain. When she returned… when she returned…
Her escape made a commotion. Bandits chasing her shouted, “You can’t run! Let Yun’er go! I’ll make it less painful for you!”
It was the third-in-command speaking. The big boss frowned and slapped him. At a time like this, why care about Yun’er or not? She was just a woman. It wasn’t delaying important matters, so he went along with it. Now, he had to think of the brothers across the whole camp.
“Don’t worry about that woman. Grab the one in red!”
Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Qin Jinxiu took advantage of the quarrel between the third-in-command and the big boss. She pushed the girl next to her, glanced at the nearly vertical slope behind them, gritted her teeth, and jumped down ruthlessly.
Meanwhile, the Qin family had already learned their prized daughter was missing. To avoid damaging Qin Jinxiu’s reputation, they secretly dispatched a large number of people to search for her. Wei Buxun pretended to search as well, wandering around.
Bored, he even approached the bandit camp, wanting to see how miserable and unlucky the girl looked, probably with swollen eyes, strained hands, and a scared spirit.
He smirked, until a ragged, filthy figure suddenly charged at him.
“Cousin, cousin, save me!”
The Qin family’s servants were overjoyed. “Second Miss is back! Go tell Master and Madam, and the eldest young master!”
When Wei Buxun was grabbed by her, his body stiffened. This woman had no shame, throwing herself into his arms, sobbing. “Buxun cousin, I was so scared! I barely escaped!”
Feeling the tension in front of him, Qin Jinxiu buried herself against his chest, smiling in a corner unseen by others. Pressing close, she whispered softly, almost inaudible to anyone else: “Cousin is so heartless… trying to kill Second Sister…”