Chapter 100: Escaping Is an Art Form

The old man’s laughter emitted an internal force that startled Sui Yi and the others. After a moment, his laughter faded as he stroked his beard, eyeing Sui Yi a few times before speaking calmly, “I see you’re young, yet you speak in such ancient language, clearly a worldly person from outside. Could it be you mean to deceive me so that I might treat that person?”

With that, he smiled again. “But indeed, I have other intentions.”

Hmm?

Sui Yi and Gong Jiu felt a sinking sensation in their hearts.

A very bad premonition.

“Our sacrificial festival is imminent, and you have conveniently arrived at our doorstep, perfectly fulfilling our sacrificial purpose...”

“Uh, old man, what do you mean by that?” Gong Jiu asked sharply, glaring at him.

“What do I mean... hehe,” the old man turned his back, tossing out a single phrase: “To sacrifice you to the heavens!”

Then, humming a little tune, he took the wooden carving and went back into his dwelling.

Gong Jiu and the others were left speechless.

Sui Yi exhaled sharply—truly unlucky. This place seemed riddled with danger.

Yet, the various clues couldn’t be pieced together, enveloped in a mysterious and bizarre aura.

And that palace—what exactly was it?

Who built it?

For what purpose?

If it’s a tomb, then who lies within?

Despite the looming threat of death, these people, though fearful, showed hardly any signs of weakness. From this, it seemed Gong Jiu and Hua Yaofei had a good eye for choosing companions.

Of course, Hua Yaofei at this moment...

Creak. The door of the house to the left front creaked open, and the young man from before stepped out.

This man was the young clan leader.

Sui Yi was sure of this because none of the other clan leaders dared meet her gaze directly.

“Since this is a sacrificial ceremony, if the offering is dead, it would be disrespectful to the gods,” Sui Yi said.

The young man turned to look at her, his gaze heavy and restrained despite his youthful face.

He stared at Sui Yi for a long while, said no more, and simply turned back into the house.

Gong Jiu and the others didn’t understand his meaning, but Sui Yi sighed. This was the best she could do; if it still failed, then it was fate.

After a while, a young girl emerged from the house, calling over a strong-looking young man who took Hua Yaofei’s ropes and helped escort her inside.

Shen Di was worried: her boss was beautiful—would she be taken advantage of?

Gong Jiu comforted her: “Save your worries. If that man was interested, he could have devoured her easily by now. He clearly doesn’t fancy a flower demon.”

Shen Di was speechless.

Sui Yi sighed silently—using comfort as an excuse to stir resentment, how helpful.

---

Some time later, Hua Yaofei was brought out, her clothes buttoned up neatly, but her shoulders were bound with white hemp cloth.

White hemp?

Though isolated from the world, they still possessed weaving skills. This place was like a miniature ancient world.

Sui Yi and Gong Jiu both noticed this, and as time passed, the tribe seemed truly to be preparing for a ritual.

Gradually, many men, women, and elders returned, bringing numerous hunted animals and fruits.

The game included headless ghosts and some strange creatures.

It was a lively scene of ritual preparation.

By nightfall, the bustle quieted down. After a communal meal, everyone returned to their own houses.

During the meal, however, the men under Hua Yaofei’s command were left drooling.

That huge pot of meat broth smelled even better than the best restaurants outside. They had been exerting themselves all day, running for their lives and burning massive energy—they were starving.

---

Clearly, there was no sympathy from the tribe toward these captives.

As night deepened, the moon shone bright and clear. Not a single one of Sui Yi’s group had fallen asleep.

Gong Jiu glanced at the four young men keeping watch at the corner.

They stared wide-eyed and vigilant.

The ropes on their hands were tightly bound—there was no escaping.

Even if they managed to break free, it would immediately alert the entire tribe.

Damn it!

Gong Jiu cursed silently, looking helplessly at Sui Yi.

Sui Yi was in a worse position—one guard stood directly opposite her, less than two meters away, able to see every detail clearly.

Gong Jiu rolled her eyes. Did that youth have a third eye? He saw Sui Yi as the most difficult to deal with at a glance.

Clearly, there was no way out.

But around midnight, the young clan leader opened the door and came out carrying several water jars. He called the four youths and gave them instructions.

Apparently, they were to offer water to Gong Jiu and the others.

Water?

“At least they have some conscience,” one man muttered. They had been crossing the desert all day and were parched.

The four youths quickly offered water, but when they reached Shen Di and the more cautious ones, they were refused.

Who knew if the water was drugged?

However, the youths forcefully pried open throats or brandished knives to coerce them.

Seeing this, Gong Jiu and Sui Yi cooperated and drank without resistance.

But they were certain the water was drugged.

Sure enough, within fifteen minutes, nearly everyone’s head drooped as they fell unconscious, including Sui Yi and Gong Jiu.

Seeing this, the four youths relaxed, yawned, said farewell to the young clan leader, and returned to their houses.

The young clan leader lingered a moment, then came over to inspect everyone.

When he reached Gong Jiu, he noticed several red marks on her forehead and smiled faintly, tugging at the corner of his mouth.

He must have been familiar with this young woman’s habits.

Then he moved to Sui Yi, pausing slightly.

He had some impression of her—perhaps a profound one.

Sui Yi lowered her head, much shorter than him. His gaze swept over her, and he reached out to lift her chin, raising her head.

He looked at her quietly, touched her breath to confirm she was unconscious, then withdrew his hand and returned slowly to his house.

After the door closed, the square remained silent, everyone still bowed with heads down, Sui Yi slipping into unconsciousness.

Standing at the window for a while, the young clan leader finally turned and went to sleep.

---

After an unknown length of time...

Deep into the night, when people are in their deepest slumber, Sui Yi’s eyes silently opened.

She raised her head, her eyes gleaming with sharp light.

---

The water was laced with a powerful sedative. Sui Yi and Gong Jiu had guessed this from the start but could not refuse to drink.

So they drank and planned to feign unconsciousness.

However, that was only if they truly fell asleep.

---

In the end, Gong Jiu couldn’t resist the drug and slept like a log.

She had believed, at least, that she had a better chance than Sui Yi, given her stronger internal power.

Yet Sui Yi’s constitution was special—she had resisted a corpse poison before, and this drug was equally ineffective. Moreover, she had used magnetic perception to dissipate the drug’s effect the moment she drank the water.

A double safeguard.

Naturally, she remained awake.

But she still waited several hours.

When the time was right, with crickets and other small creatures chirping in the grass, Sui Yi prepared to act.

Using magnetic perception, she gauged the distance, length, and angle around her, then fixed her gaze long on a pile of bones on the ground.

After a moment, she lightly tapped a slender white bone with her shoe’s toe. It seemed to be a small bone from a chicken, duck, or small deer.

Internal force gathered in her shoe as she gently pressed the raised end of the bone, which lifted easily.

Reaching mid-thigh, Sui Yi lifted her leg and flicked again.

The slender bone soared up, arced over a pillar, and fell straight down.

The angle... was just a little off!

If it hit the ground, it would make noise...

Sui Yi took a deep breath, condensed her magnetic perception to its densest form, and gently nudged the bone again.

Snap.

The slender bone landed softly in her palm.

It made a faint, soft sound.

So slight it was quieter than the chirping of a cricket.

Holding the bone, Sui Yi’s face turned pale, cold sweat breaking out—not from fear, but because the bone’s hardened magnetic energy sent sharp pains through her mind.

Resting briefly, she exhaled softly.

Her two bound hands folded the bone in two and rubbed the sharp ends against the cord—like a leather strap.

The rope was very tough and elastic, impossible to break with brute force.

It seemed to be made from the sinew of a large wild beast.

Otherwise, with their combined strength, Sui Yi and Gong Jiu could easily have broken ordinary ropes.

So breaking it was the only option.

She rubbed and rubbed, careful not to make too much noise.

This was not a task for the fainthearted, but Sui Yi was calm and patient, slowly wearing it down.

An hour later, the rope snapped—like a stretched rubber band releasing.

Carefully clutching the rope, she climbed down from the pillar.

Her legs ached, but more so her arms and palms felt as if they were about to break.

Their captors had been ruthless.

Stepping lightly on the ground, she twisted her wrists and surveyed her surroundings before silently moving toward Gong Jiu.

That woman truly was asleep, her expression peaceful and childlike.

Sui Yi wasn’t sure if she could safely carry the unconscious Gong Jiu away—after all, carrying an unconscious person was quite different from moving alone.

Still, she did not hesitate long.

She found a sickle tossed carelessly in a corner by the tribe.

It was no surprise she found it so quickly; during the day, she had seen a middle-aged man casually leave it there.

The sickle was somewhat dull and chipped but usable.

Much better than jagged bone shards, which she had already ground smooth.

Just as Sui Yi began slicing the ropes with the sickle, cutting only a little, a creaking sound came from behind.

The door was opening.

(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please support it on Qidian with votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users can visit m.reading.)