The setting sun dipped low, and the dim light within the mountain cave only served to make one feel more restless.
Zhu Jiayu and the newly arrived young girl were bickering in low voices, neither willing to back down.
"A-Hao, do you think she's unable to grasp the current situation? She acts as if she's still in her own home!"
"You two know each other?" The girl was tied up in another spot, which allowed her to see both Lin Hao and Zhu Jiayu. "Hey, why aren't you saying anything?"
Zhu Jiayu also noticed that Lin Hao had been silent for a long while and couldn't help but feel worried. "A-Hao, what's wrong?"
Lin Hao withdrew her gaze from a certain spot and looked toward the girl.
Under the dim light, it was impossible to see the other's subtle expressions; she could only see a round, apple-like face and a sense of arrogance that was palpable even without a clear view.
Lin Hao hesitated for a moment in her heart, then slightly curled the corners of her lips. "I am the second young lady of the General's Manor, Lin Hao. With me is the fourth young lady of the Earl of Yichun's Manor, Zhu Jiayu."
This girl did not seem to have a pleasant temperament; stating her identity before making a request would likely yield a better result.
Sure enough, after Lin Hao revealed her and Zhu Jiayu's identities, the girl's momentum visibly deflated. She whispered, "My name is Chi Caiyun. My father is the wealthiest man in the capital; he does business with the Imperial Family."
"Miss Chi, you are aware of our current situation, aren't you?"
Chi Caiyun nodded slightly. "I know. That villain wants my family to prepare a ransom; he'll only release us after the ransom is paid in three days."
At this point, Chi Caiyun's face was full of frustration.
Staying in this ghost of a place for three days was simply torture.
"And if he doesn't release us?" Lin Hao asked softly in the deepening gloom.
Chi Caiyun's expression stiffened. "What do you mean 'doesn't release'? It's useless for him to keep us!"
"It is useless." Lin Hao did not contradict her, but then her tone shifted. "But we have seen his face. If he is ruthless enough, it is possible that he will take the ransom and return three corpses."
Chi Caiyun was clearly panicked. "That can't be. Once he gets the ransom, he can just fly far away. If he truly harmed us, our families would never let it go. Why would he go looking for trouble for himself?"
The girl's words betrayed her disbelief. She wasn't making excuses for the villain; rather, when people are trapped in a predicament, they are always unwilling to believe in the worst possibilities.
Lin Hao understood this and said gently, "My fiancé is an outstanding artist; he can draw a person's appearance based on a verbal description. If you take this into account, do you still think there is no possibility of him killing us to silence us?"
Upon hearing this, the color drained completely from Chi Caiyun's face. "Then what should we do?"
Zhu Jiayu couldn't help but ask as well, "Yes, A-Hao, what should we do?"
"We must save ourselves." Lin Hao's voice was very soft, yet it possessed a power that calmed the heart.
"How do we save ourselves?" Zhu Jiayu and Chi Caiyun asked in unison.
Lin Hao's gaze shifted downward. "Miss Chi, look by your feet. There is a hairpin there; it should be yours."
Chi Caiyun looked over and indeed saw a floral hairpin lying by her feet, having fallen at some unknown time.
"It's mine!" she said with some excitement, though she didn't quite know why she was excited.
"Miss Chi, try to kick it over to my hand." Lin Hao moved her hands, which were tied behind her back.
Chi Caiyun glanced over and understood Lin Hao's meaning in a flash.
"You want to use the hairpin to fray the ropes?" she asked in a lowered voice.
Lin Hao nodded.
Chi Caiyun stared fixedly at the hairpin by her feet, her expression shifting constantly.
She wasn't far from Lin Hao; kicking the hairpin to her wouldn't be difficult. But if Lin Hao used the hairpin to break the ropes, what if she only cared about her own escape?
This was her hairpin. Instead of letting someone else use it to save their life, why not use it herself?
Lin Hao's gaze never left Chi Caiyun's face. Seeing her unpredictable expressions, how could she not guess the other's thoughts?
Some things, once spoken aloud, would only lead to awkwardness.
Lin Hao didn't give her the chance to make the situation tense and spoke first. "This hairpin is our chance for self-rescue. Since the hairpin belongs to Miss Chi, it would logically be most appropriate for Miss Chi to use it to save herself..."
These words sounded pleasing to the ear, and Chi Caiyun's restless impulses were unconsciously suppressed.
Lin Hao knew that spoiled girls with this kind of temperament often responded to softness rather than hardness. Normally, there was no need to indulge such people, but in a matter of life and death, one certainly could not be forceful. Thus, her tone became even gentler. "Our hands and feet are tied, and the hairpin just happens to be at Miss Chi's feet. It is easy for Miss Chi to kick the hairpin to me, but it would likely be very difficult to kick it to her own hands, wouldn't it?"
Chi Caiyun pursed her lips, calming down at this moment.
"One more thing: what binds my hands together is a cloth wrap, not rope. My chances of escaping with the hairpin will be much higher. As long as I can break free, I will not leave you behind."
Unlike Zhu Jiayu and Chi Caiyun, whose hands had been free when they first entered the cave, Lin Hao's hands had been bound with a sweat-cloth by that man when she first entered the mountains. Once they reached the cave, he had used rope to tie her to a rock. Although two loops of rope were wrapped around her wrists, the method was different from theirs.
As long as she used the hairpin to slice through the cloth wrap and free herself from its constraint, her hands would have enough room to untie the ropes.
Lin Hao's words completely dispelled Chi Caiyun's petty calculations.
"Fine, just don't forget what you said." Chi Caiyun moved her toe to touch the hairpin, then suddenly stopped. "What if you go back on your word?"
Zhu Jiayu had long been annoyed by her hesitation and whispered, "Are you finished? Do you insist on wasting time until that man returns and we miss our chance? Our A-Hao never speaks carelessly. If you don't believe her, do you want her to swear an oath?"
"Then I shall make a vow."
"A-Hao!"
Lin Hao smiled slightly. "It's nothing. I have no intention of going back on my word."
She readily made the vow, her eyes shimmering as she looked at the girl opposite her.
Chi Caiyun let go of her final hesitation, straightened her toe, and gave a forceful kick, sending the hairpin to Lin Hao's side.
"Very accurate." Lin Hao curled her lips, not sparing a compliment.
Chi Caiyun had never been praised so bluntly by a girl of a similar age. She awkwardly shifted her gaze elsewhere, but the corners of her mouth turned up. "I'm very good at Cuju."
"No wonder," Lin Hao echoed, focusing all her attention on the hairpin.
Although the hairpin was close at hand, the range of motion for her hands, bound by both cloth and rope, was too small. It took a great deal of effort before she finally managed to grip the hairpin in her hand.
Once she had the hairpin, it was easy. The cloth wrap had no resistance against such a sharp object and was quickly sliced through.
Having freed herself from the cloth, Lin Hao's hands gained a certain degree of freedom. Untying the ropes was still strenuous, but not hopeless.
Two quarters of an hour later, Lin Hao let out a long sigh of relief.
Finally untied!
Fearing that the man—who might be doing God-knows-what outside—would suddenly enter, she didn't dare remove the ropes completely. Maintaining her original posture, she felt around to untie Zhu Jiayu's ropes.
Fortunately, given the darkness of the cave, one couldn't see much even with their eyes, so this was not a detour.
After another two quarters of an hour, Zhu Jiayu's hushed, surprised cry rang out: "I'm untied!"
The two looked toward Chi Caiyun, who had been silent for a while, and heard the sound of long, steady breathing.
(End of Chapter)