Chapter 8: 第五章 山下被掳

Zhen Yue silently lowered her eyes. Even though she had watched countless war dramas, experiencing it firsthand brought a bone-deep sense of helplessness. She smiled with firm conviction, walked up to Chou Sheng, and said earnestly, "Chou Sheng, thank you so much. Thank you for saving me, and thank you for taking me away from Di City. If fate allows, I will surely repay you one day."

The boy nodded silently without saying a word. Seeing this, Zhen Yue did not get angry, but she felt somewhat heavy-hearted. She turned around, intending to leave.

Suddenly, the surrounding forest of falling leaves emitted strange, rustling sounds, as if something were about to burst from the earth. Chou Sheng and Zhen Yue exchanged a grave look; a cold light flashed, and the air suddenly became exceptionally oppressive.

The snow cracked with a bang, and several dark shadows hidden among the snowy branches scrambled out quickly. They were actually four burly men with thick arms. Their feet landed steadily, suggesting they were trained fighters. Zhen Yue quickly pressed herself close to the cold-faced Chou Sheng.

"Stay away from me!" Chou Sheng said with disdain.

Instead of doing as she was told, Zhen Yue pressed even closer. This was a life-saving talisman; she had to stay by his side every step of the way.

The four burly men laughed wildly, pulling large nets from all directions. Their movements were swift and their positioning precise. Chou Sheng’s wrists jolted with force, and his footsteps were as fast as flying, escaping through the gaps in an instant. She had intended to grab Chou Sheng's belt, but after traveling for two days and one night, her legs had long since lost their agility. She watched helplessly as Chou Sheng escaped the net.

*Bang!* Zhen Yue was thrown heavily to the ground, snow splashing everywhere. A large, hemp-colored net ensnared her tightly. Immediately, she struggled desperately with her limbs and screamed, "Let me go! Chou Sheng, save me!"

"Catch that kid! Looks like he knows some martial arts. Good stock!" a man with a fat head and large ears shouted.

The three hulking men tossed the trapped Zhen Yue to the fat-headed man like a ball, then quickly surrounded the fully alert Chou Sheng.

Propping up her severely twisted body, Zhen Yue followed Chou Sheng's silhouette through the gaps in the net, her heart filled with extreme anxiety, fearing that the cold-natured Chou Sheng would break through the encirclement and abandon her.

The four men in the clearing quickly engaged in a brawl. Although Chou Sheng was young, his movements were exceptionally agile, but facing several hulking men was like a small leopard fighting stout black bears.

Though Chou Sheng's strength was weaker, he moved like a fleeing rabbit, weaving through the three men like lightning. His silver short dagger became like a meteor in an instant, slicing through the thick arms of the three men in a flash.

The men were visibly alarmed, not expecting a teenager to possess such profound skills. They immediately exerted their strength in unison, not daring to underestimate him. The three worked together, yet because of Chou Sheng's small frame, he always managed to find gaps to survive.

Zhen Yue watched, dumbfounded, and her frantic heart gradually calmed down. She had personally seen Chou Sheng take the life of a veteran soldier from the Northern Ying with a single strike; these hulking men shouldn't be difficult to deal with.

Suddenly, while resisting the blows, Chou Sheng intentionally withdrew the strength from his wrists. On the surface, it looked as if he had been knocked back by the men's powerful force, but from Zhen Yue's angle, it appeared to be intentional.

With a *bang*, the silver short dagger was kicked away and fell, its fresh blood staining the white snow. Chou Sheng was kicked to the ground, and his handsome face was ruthlessly trampled by the enraged hulking man, who was venting all his fury from the injury. Yet, Chou Sheng merely kept his eyes open, not blinking once.

"You brat! Let's see where else you can run!"

The boy's obsidian-black eyes flashed with a chilling, heroic light. He seemed to be struggling, but in reality, he possessed the aura of someone with a calculated plan, like an old fox that had been lurking for ten thousand years. Zhen Yue furrowed her brows, her expression filled with doubt.

"Ah San, take them all back," the fat-headed man commanded with a loud laugh.

"Big Brother, this one is good quality. We can get a good price for him," one of the men in hemp clothing said with a wide, simple grin.

The four men skillfully tossed Zhen Yue and Chou Sheng into a carriage cage within the snowy forest. With a *poof*, a black cloth instantly covered the iron cage, followed by the rumbling sound of the carriage rolling.

In the pitch darkness, Zhen Yue rubbed her aching shoulders and muttered to herself. Unable to see Chou Sheng, she called out toward his general direction, "Hey, with your skills, breaking out shouldn't be hard. Why did you pretend to be captured? Are you trying to stay behind to save me?"

The boy let out a short, mocking laugh. "You certainly have a high opinion of yourself. What value do you have that's worth my saving? Aside from being a drag, what else can you do?"

"If that's the case, you could just run. You're stuck in a cage with me right now; what are you acting so grand about! These people prepared nets in advance, so they probably won't take our lives."

In the darkness, Chou Sheng's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. "You're not stupid. I didn't stay behind for you, but for myself. Perhaps this is a way to survive."

"A way to survive? What kind of peculiar idea is going through that little head of yours?" Zhen Yue suddenly became interested and moved a bit closer toward his voice.

Sensing her approach, Chou Sheng said irritably, "You're the one with the little head! Stay away from me! You're like a dog's tail, always following."

She didn't get angry; in this pitch-black cage, being closer to him seemed to bring some peace of mind. Although relying on a thirteen-year-old child was a bit pathetic, since she had transmigrated into the body of a young girl, the situation was somewhat understandable.

Propping up her small face, she asked, "Who are these people? They don't look like an army, nor professional assassins. Why are they capturing us alive?"

The surroundings fell into silence. After an unknown amount of time, he finally spoke: "These people are slave traders."

"What! Slave traders! That means human traffickers! No, I still have important places to go!" She immediately became frantic.

Chou Sheng glanced at her sideways. Although the darkness obscured her features, he could still imagine her desperate, cornered expression. He said gloomily, "This group of slave traders shouldn't be ordinary. To dare to risk their lives in Di City for profit..."

"Since you know they aren't ordinary slave traders, yet you chose to be captured, what exactly is your plan?" After her initial panic, she slowly organized her thoughts, and a sense of foreboding spread deep within her heart.

"Di City has fallen, and Zhou City has long been in chaos. Even if we leave Di City, it will be difficult to move an inch. For slave traders to be lurking in a place littered with corpses, they must be planning a massive deal. And the buyers must be either wealthy or highly influential; otherwise, it wouldn't be worth risking their lives for the money."

She said sternly, "The 'way to survive' you're talking about is becoming someone else's slave! I want to control my own destiny. I will not be a slave!"

He gave a disdainful snort, his mockery sharp: "Destiny has always been held in the hands of the strong. You and I only have the struggle to survive." *Wait for the right moment to act,* he silently added to himself.

The rapid rumbling of the carriage and his forceful assertion made her feel a strong sense of rejection. She was a woman from modern society; in her world, destiny was in one's own hands, and one never accepted fate!

The carriage rolled on as day turned to night. The black curtain was occasionally lifted, but only to provide some sour, stale food. Two full days later, Zhen Yue and Chou Sheng were escorted into a side courtyard surrounded by bluish-gray walls.

"Get in!" A burly man gave the two small figures a hard shove. With a creak, the ink-red lacquered door slammed shut heavily.