Chapter 277: Thinking of Death for the First Time

Seconds felt like years; Kong Nian and the others truly experienced it.

The torment of being unable to see filled them with even greater unease.

Su Yan watched the fading sunlight outside the window, knowing that night had fallen.

She didn't know if Liu Yiyi had suddenly found her conscience or if she had some other motive, but she had actually sent someone to deliver food.

Although their hands had been untied, there were dedicated guards watching them; if they showed even the slightest sign of resistance, they would be bound up again.

Gan Hua fumbled around to grab the steamed buns and then distributed one to each person.

Kong Yueqing pinched the rock-hard bun in her hand, her face nearly drooping to the floor.

"This isn't even something a human should eat!"

Before her voice could even fade, she angrily threw the bun onto the ground.

Su Yan watched this scene expressionlessly.

To use Granny Li's words, this Kong Yueqing was a ghost who didn't know when to die.

To an ordinary family, steamed buns were already decent food; it seemed the Kong family had truly never suffered any hardships.

Of course, Su Yan did not touch the bun from outside either. It wasn't that she found the buns unpalatable, but rather that she was worried they might have been tampered with.

Besides, her Universe Bag was already filled with food, so there was no need to eat Liu Yiyi's things at all.

Furthermore, she had long since placed an illusion spell on the Universe Bag, so Liu Yiyi hadn't noticed anything unusual about it last time.

Compared to Su Yan, the Kong family was not so lucky.

They had been drugged and brought here last night, and by now, they had gone nearly a day and a night without a single drop of water. Yet, Kong Yueqing had so willfully thrown away the buns that could have saved their lives.

"Yueqing, filling your stomach is the most important thing."

Gan Hua, who previously hadn't felt much toward her, now felt a trace of faint impatience.

It was one thing for her to be spoiled normally, but in their current situation, she could not only fail to maintain composure but was also so thoughtless.

"If you want to eat, you eat. I absolutely will not eat them; I'm afraid I'll choke to death," Kong Yueqing said through gritted teeth.

It was just a day or two without food or water; it wasn't as if she couldn't endure it.

Gan Hua couldn't be bothered to continue persuading her and sat down with Ruan Tao to eat.

They had to conserve their strength so they could deal with various situations before Kong Xiang arrived.

Kong Yue Ling remained silent, holding her bun and gnawing on it against the wall.

Kong Nian was clearly more cautious than all of them; she waited for over ten minutes after they finished eating to ensure nothing happened before she began to eat.

In the deathly silent cell, even the sound of breathing seemed exceptionally clear.

After an unknown amount of time, Gan Hua's suppressed voice rang out.

"I wonder what time it is now?"

His nerves were constantly taut. He wasn't afraid of dying, but he was afraid of losing his reputation before he died.

Kong Nian replied, "It should be the Hour of the Dog."

Su Yan's eyes flickered; this girl's ability to perceive time was quite good.

It was indeed past 8:00 PM.

"Senior Brother Gan, that woman isn't really going to take you away, is she?" Kong Yue Ling said tremblingly.

The single sentence was suffocating.

Gan Hua did not answer.

Time flowed quietly. Just as everyone began to feel a hint of drowsiness and thought Liu Yiyi would not appear, footsteps suddenly came from outside.

It was as if they were striking the very hearts of everyone, making the hair on their bodies stand on end.

Who could it be?

Was it Kong Xiang finding them, or...

The cell door opened.

Su Yan shed a tear of sympathy for Gan Hua.

Before the newcomer could speak, Kong Nian and the others didn't even dare to breathe heavily.

The moment the door opened, the five of them simultaneously realized that the person was not Kong Xiang.

"You, come out!"

The man coldly grabbed Gan Hua's arm and dragged him outside with force.

Gan Hua, of course, would not surrender obediently and struggled violently.

Ruan Tao also lunged forcefully at the newcomer.

However, the two of them were already tied up tightly again; how could they be a match for the opponent? Soon, Ruan Tao was kicked to the ground.

Finally, even Kong Nian stood up to help block them, though she knew very well what the outcome would be.

Sure enough, a moment later, amidst Kong Yue Ling's terrified weeping, Gan Hua was led out of the cell.

"Waaa... Senior Brother Gan, he's really going to be... he's going to be... waaa..."

Kong Yue Ling was already timid, and now she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Stop crying!" Kong Nian's reprimand was chilling, and Kong Yue Ling's crying indeed stopped abruptly.

Kong Nian immediately looked toward Ruan Tao's direction. "Senior Brother Ruan, are you alright?"

Her voice was so dark it could drip water. For the Kong family to be humiliated like this was an absolute disgrace!

"I'm fine. Junior Sister Kong, think of something quickly to save Gan Hua!" Ruan Tao's voice was hoarse, almost pleading.

Kong Nian's bound hands clenched into fists. She didn't want anything to happen to Gan Hua either, but she was currently helpless.

The three of them all had solemn expressions, while only the ever-agitated Kong Yueqing shrank against the wall; even when Gan Hua was just taken away, she hadn't stepped forward once.

Listening to Kong Yue Ling's weeping, Ruan Tao's pain, and Kong Nian's helplessness, Kong Yueqing had completely given up on Gan Hua.

Her original intention to be with Gan Hua had vanished without a trace at this moment.

Su Yan watched expressionlessly as Gan Hua was led out of the dungeon, seemingly without any emotional fluctuation.

However, Kong Yue Ling couldn't help but start crying again, and her cries grew louder and louder. This time, even Kong Nian did not continue to stop her; Su Yan found it very noisy.

In the next second, Su Yan easily untied the hemp ropes on her body and sat cross-legged.

A few minutes later, her breathing became shallower and shallower, until it finally disappeared.

The tightly bound Gan Hua clearly felt himself being escorted up the stairs and into a room. The pungent aroma in the room instantly caused him physiological discomfort.

But he didn't even have the room to escape, unless he suffocated himself to death.

After attempting to hold his breath for over ten seconds, he could no longer hold on.

He was forcefully pushed onto a bed by the person beside him, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.

Soon, the room became quiet, leaving him alone.

He quickly followed the path he had just taken to try and leave the room, but just as he reached the door, a powerful force blocked his way.

It was a barrier!

When he realized there was actually a barrier in the room, his heart sank completely.

Now, aside from being able to move, even his mouth was tightly plugged, preventing him from making a single sound.

He could only desperately slam against the barrier, though the end result was, of course, futile.

Furthermore, when he stopped to catch his breath, he discovered with horror that as his breathing accelerated due to the intense activity, his body quickly began to feel strange.

Every inch of his body, even every tiny pore, felt incredibly hot, as if his blood were boiling.

"Huff! Huff!"

He couldn't help but gasp heavily, attempting to alleviate this intense discomfort, but the more he did so, the worse the situation became.

Feeling his mind go blank along with the irritation and urgency in his heart, Gan Hua thought of death for the first time...

(End of Chapter)