Chapter 1: Starting in Hell

With a "bang," the panting man threw a girl with her hands and feet bound onto the ground.

"San'er, be gentle. This is your future wife; if you break her, won't it cost money to fix?"

"It’s not that I want to, Aunt, I’m just completely out of strength. Are you sure this Liu Chuxue will agree to marry me?"

"She’s already here, isn't she? Could it be fake?"

"You know how this girl’s temper is. If she reports me for molestation, won't I end up facing a firing squad? I want a wife, sure, but not at the cost of my life."

"You’re my own nephew; I wouldn't harm you for anything. Just listen to your Aunt’s arrangements, and it won't be long before you have a wife, children, and a warm bed."

Liu Chuxue was jolted awake by pain. When she was thrown to the ground, her hip had landed directly on a protruding rock. In her daze, she heard the conversation between the two.

Her mind buzzed: What was going on? Had she been kidnapped?

She shouldn't have listened to her best friend’s persuasion to go paragliding. Well, look at this—she’d really messed up now.

As the pain in her body eased slightly, she was just about to check her surroundings when she heard the woman continue, "Let’s get down the mountain quickly. Don't let the villagers find out we were gone."

"Are we just going to leave her here alone? What if she wakes up?"

"That sedative cost me a fortune to get, so don't worry. I doubt she’ll wake up before tomorrow morning. Besides, her hands and feet are tied; even if she does wake up, she can't run.

As long as she doesn't return home tonight, her reputation will be ruined. When you 'happen' to find her on the mountain, with this connection established, even if she’s unwilling, I’ll be there to mediate. I’ll make sure you get what you want."

"Then thank you, Aunt. I’ll be sure to treat you well in the future."

"Stop with the sweet talk. Hurry up and move some larger rocks to block the cave entrance. We have to guard against wild animals in the mountains ruining things."

"Alright, I’ll do whatever you say, Aunt."

Ge Xiulan glanced at the person lying on the ground, not a shred of guilt on her face: Don't blame me for being heartless; blame your own bad luck.

Hearing their footsteps receding, Liu Chuxue endured her physical discomfort and forced her eyes open, desperate to see who had kidnapped her.

But when she caught sight of their backs in the light filtering through the cave entrance, her mind went even blanker. What was going on?

What era was this? The two of them were wearing dusty, patched clothes. Where had she been kidnapped to?

Before she could recover from her shock, the two had already piled rocks to block the lower half of the cave entrance and hurried away.

She tried to break free from her restraints, but her hands were tied tightly behind her back; it was all in vain.

Struggling to suppress her fear and force herself to stay calm, she knew she had to save herself.

After carefully observing her surroundings, she noticed a rock protruding from the ground not far from the entrance, which had some sharp edges she could use. She wiggled across the floor like a caterpillar until she finally reached it.

After exerting every ounce of her strength, she managed to use the irregular, protruding rock to saw through the rope binding her feet.

With her feet free, she didn't dare rest and prepared to stand up to find a way to cut the ropes on her hands. However, she had overestimated her physical condition.

Perhaps because the ropes had been tied too tightly, cutting off circulation, she lost her balance and fell toward the cave wall.

With her hands tied behind her back, Liu Chuxue had no way to break her fall.

At the critical moment, she tried to shrug her shoulders to keep her head from hitting the stone wall, but even so, her temple was grazed and began to bleed immediately. The pain made her let out a sharp cry.