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With a loud bang, Shen Yu’an’s body was harshly slammed onto the ground.
Shen Yu’an’s instinctive reaction was to brace herself against the ground, covering it with a layer of straw.
However, even though she had been cushioned by the straw, the fall had not been gentle, and Shen Yu’an winced in pain.
The underground space was pitch-dark. Shen Yu’an cautiously opened her eyes just a sliver to peer outside, but she couldn’t immediately adjust to the profound darkness, making everything indiscernible.
Nonetheless, she managed to perceive a leak of light from above behind her – the person who had just thrown her down hadn’t sealed the cellar entrance yet.
Shen Yu’an shifted her body slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.
It seemed there were others in the cellar, as when Shen Yu’an was thrown down, she heard the sound of shoes scraping against the ground.
Accompanying this was a collective gasp, tinged with a sense of fear.
The light in the cellar gradually dimmed, and the person above resealed the floorboard.
Voices from above resumed, seemingly not caring whether the people in the cellar could hear their conversation.
To them, those in the cellar were already like fish on a chopping board, destined for slaughter—no need for discretion.
“Yun Niang, this one we’ve caught this time, if we train her, she’ll surely achieve great things. Hopefully, no one noticed.”
As the words fell, the voice of another woman echoed.
Shen Yu’an recognized this voice as belonging to the woman she had just helped up.
Yun Niang’s voice remained just as tender and affectionate as before.
She spoke, “No one noticed, but the government office has increased the number of searchers. Did you bring back someone you shouldn’t have?”
Those people chuckled, “Yun Niang, you told us to only capture women and children from ordinary families. Who among us dares not to follow your orders?”
“Brothers, we’ve captured quite a few people this time. Once we’re back, they better serve us well.”
Saying this, the person reached out and grabbed the waist of the woman addressed as Yun Niang, giving it a rough squeeze.
Yun Niang swatted his hand away and scolded, “Enough, once we’re back, I’ll make sure the sisters take good care of you. For now, quickly go outside and gather information.”
“It’s late at night, and the city gates have long been locked. Inquire about the situation and scout the area. Tomorrow morning, we’ll find a chance to leave.”
“Alright.”
Shen Yu’an listened to the voices from above, not daring to let her guard down in the slightest.
As the voices gradually faded, Shen Yu’an dared to rub her sore buttocks and stood up.
“Thud!”
Just as she was halfway up, Shen Yu’an’s head collided with the top of the cellar, producing a loud noise.
“Hiss~”
She quickly clutched her head and crouched down, waiting for the pain to subside a bit before raising her head to look up.
Her open eyes took a moment to adjust before gradually discerning her surroundings. The cellar was only about a meter in height, explaining why she couldn’t stand up fully.
She decided to sit directly on the ground, looking around her.
When she was thrown down, she likely landed in the center of the cellar, which was now surrounded by seated figures.
Shen Yu’an could only vaguely make out the silhouettes, unable to see clearly.
The temperature was still chilly, and the damp coldness of the cellar intensified the sensation.
“Ahem~” Shen Yu’an’s throat tickled, and she cleared her throat softly.
In a hushed voice, she asked, “Is everyone alright?”
Her voice hung in the air for a while, and Shen Yu’an didn’t hear anyone respond. There were only indistinct murmurs and mumbles.
Shen Yu’an realized that these people might have their mouths gagged.
She whispered again, “I’ll help you remove what’s in your mouths, but you must stay silent.”
Regardless of whether Shen Yu’an could see them or not, the people quickly nodded in agreement.
One of the children, upon hearing Shen Yu’an speak a few words, started struggling intensely, “Whimper! Mmm!”
After a moment, Shen Yu’an’s eyes adjusted enough to see the surroundings more clearly.
There were at least twenty people imprisoned here, including not only women but also many children.
Shen Yu’an crouched down and felt her way along the wall, one by one removing the cloth pieces from their mouths and untying the ropes binding their hands.
As she untied the hands of a few children, Shen Yu’an furrowed her brows upon feeling their warm wrists.
It was too cold in the cellar, and some of the children were already running a fever.
Once the ropes were removed, these people didn’t dare to move recklessly. They simply rubbed their sore wrists.
In hushed tones, they said, “Thank you, young lady.”
However, other than that, they didn’t dare to make any more noise or attempt to escape. They seemed paralyzed with fear.
One of the children, as soon as the cotton cloth was pulled from their mouth, lunged into Shen Yu’an’s arms.
“Sob sob sob, big sister, Zhu Zhu is so scared.”
Caught off guard by the sudden embrace, Shen Yu’an ended up sitting on the ground.
She shielded the child who had thrown herself into her arms, and upon hearing her words, asked in surprise, “Zhu Zhu?”
This “Zhu Zhu” was the little girl they had rescued on their journey, and here they unexpectedly met again.
The young girl was still crying, and Shen Yu’an comforted her in a hushed tone, “Yes, big sister is here to save Zhu Zhu. Don’t be afraid, Zhu Zhu.”
“Yeah, yeah, Zhu Zhu isn’t scared.” As she spoke, the young girl’s sobbing gradually subsided.
After this interruption, the others also grew bolder and started speaking softly to Shen Yu’an.
They urged, “Please, young lady, don’t act impulsively. We can’t escape from here.”
The other women chimed in with trembling voices, and even the children, after being untied, huddled together quietly, refraining from crying or making a fuss.
From what they told her, Shen Yu’an also understood why they felt trapped and unable to escape.
These people had been captured for as long as four days, and new captives had been thrown into the cellar constantly thereafter.
Initially, they were simply tossed into the cellar without their hands tied or mouths gagged.
But yesterday, when they heard silence from above, they collectively pushed open the cellar’s trapdoor.
However, before they could escape, they were intercepted by those who had captured them.
The girls who had managed to run out first were caught and beaten, each of them sustaining some injuries.
One of the girls trembled as she spoke, her voice quivering and finding it difficult to articulate, “They… they also said that if we try to escape again, they will… they will violate us.”
“They’re afraid we’ll escape. They haven’t given us any food or water for two days.”
Shen Yu’an gently patted the young girl in her arms, her expression turning cold upon hearing this.
Those beasts! Just as Shen Yu’an was fuming, her finger was suddenly tugged by the little girl in her arms.
Zhu Zhu looked up at Shen Yu’an and said, “Big sister, do you have any candy? Zhu Zhu is really hungry.”