Chapter 9

I'm telling you, better not play tricks! Don't think I can't see you have a lot on your mind... If we really run into danger, no matter how valuable you are, you won't be safe! Yuniang's dagger was very sharp, the blade pressed against Gan Tian's face, enough to scare the little girl.

However, that's what she said, but when the person coming to relieve Yuniang on shift arrived, she immediately took back her dagger and acted as if nothing had happened, ready to hand over and leave.

The person who came had actually seen Yuniang's action, furrowed his brows: "Yuniang, stop doing things you shouldn't; if you really damage the goods, Brother Dayou will hang you up and whip you!"

Kidnappers aren't the nursemaids of the "goods"; their attitudes can't be especially good, and some people just like to humiliate and bully the boys and girls they abduct. In the past, as long as things weren't over the line, the partners wouldn't say much. Although these people are bad, aside from doing bad deeds, they often follow some customs just like ordinary people.

For example, "keeping inside and outside separate"—they are a gang; even if the goods are very important, they won't usually make things difficult for their own because of the goods.

Being able to say this to Gan Tian already shows that Daobelian's regard for her is taking effect.

Yuniang gave a cold snort: "You all seem concerned, but it's probably wasted! This little lass is delicate-skinned and tender-fleshed, and Brother Dayou even said she's merchandise worth over a thousand taels of silver. If she's sent to the brothel, she'll likely become a top courtesan! That kind of woman isn't something lowly scum like us can touch!"

The arriving partner also wasn't good-tempered, immediately also darkened his face: "We're currently escorting the goods, I won't argue with you to avoid trouble! I'll settle with you later... so you know, you can eat anything at random, but you can't talk nonsense!"

Apparently feeling that the other party was serious, Yuniang's face flushed red, she turned and left, and the door even went "Bang!" with a sound.

The partner couldn't help but complain to Shitou, who was still in the room: "What's wrong with her? Her temper is getting weirder and weirder! Brother Dayou said having a female around is convenient in some ways, but it's also become troublesome in others!"

Shitou is relatively good at reading people's minds, he gave a dry laugh twice: "It's troublesome... before we thought treating her as a woman was looking down on her, but now we truly don't treat her as a woman, and yet we feel wronged—she looks rough on the outside, but actually she has a lot on her mind."

After saying that, Shitou tidied up his things and left as well, leaving only the two partners who had just arrived.

Tonight, staying at this inn, just like in the wilderness, there are night watches. Two people in the first half of the night, two in the second half, specifically guarding this room of "goods".

Although Gan Tian and the others had their hands and feet tied, sitting back-to-back, appearing completely helpless and not like they could escape, still, better safe than sorry—caution makes for a long voyage.

"She's jealous of you" Gan Tian felt an itch in her palm, and the boy behind her back-to-back wrote characters on her hand.

Among the seven or eight boys and girls tied up together, they didn't have a chance to get acquainted, but under guard Gan Tian and the boy behind her still found an opportunity to make contact.

It's clear that these two are the most valued among this batch of "goods"! So every night during rest they are kept together, and their position is exactly between the two guards... If an accident really happened, others might be able to run, but they would have no chance.

It was the other party who initiated contact, writing characters on Gan Tian's palm the very first night.

At first Gan Tian wasn't skilled at this, needing to write each character slowly to distinguish them. Now... the two of them can already "water group", besides discussing how to escape they also pass along some useless information. In the other party's words, it's probably just too boring, so they rely on this to relieve boredom.

It's also because of this person's existence that Gan Tian has never considered sending a message home for help...

Otherwise, after being tied up for several days, she would still hesitate—going back like this would be embarrassing, but a hero doesn't suffer immediate loss, duck!

The other party's role lies in always being calm and composed, feeling like a big shot... whether or not it's true, having such a person around indeed gives people a certain sense of security.

"Jealous of whom?"

"You, the girls who were kidnapped."

The boy back-to-back with Gan Tian also looks about eleven or twelve; at this age boys haven't developed yet, so they tend to appear big-headed and small-bodied, somewhat clumsy. But this boy is different—he has a clever face, and on top of that an unmistakable young nobleman's aura, as if his forehead were stamped with "I'm very noble."

With his eyelids slightly drooping, the boy has already observed this gang thoroughly in the limited time he's had.

So he knows what Yuniang is about... it's just that she's jealous of the kidnapped girls. These girls are their "goods"—they're not to her liking, weaklings whose fate she decides—but at the same time, if others were to bid, her value would be far less than theirs.

This disparity obviously twisted her.

She looks down on these girls, knowing they'll eventually be sent to a filthy place; now feeding them well and not letting their skin break is also to fetch a good price... but she simply isn't as likable as they are—this frankly makes no sense to say, or rather there is a reason, but it's not one she's willing to accept.

These, the boy certainly didn't explain. Just moving his fingers couldn't make it clear, and besides, he's long preferred not to analyze people's hearts.

Often he only needs a few glances to see through a person's thoughts; to his face people say he has a "seven-aperture crystal-clear heart," but behind his back it's fear and malice. He's not stupid, unwilling to go through a thankless effort—when he uses his ability to read people's minds in the opposite way, getting along with him feels like a spring breeze... everyone likes him.

Gan Tian puffed her cheeks, then wrote with her finger.

"When to run?"

The other party contacted her, and from the start it was to facilitate escape. Under such strict surveillance, it's too hard for one person to flee alone; if someone helps, it becomes easier.

However, the other party never said when or how to run; these past few days their communication has mostly been him giving her orders to observe certain situations—for example, the habits and routines of some members of the gang, which he also observes, but observation time is limited, one person can't cover the whole gang, so he needs Gan Tian's help.

"Wait a bit longer!"

"Wait for what?"

"Wait until Suppress the River."

"?"

What's the deal with Suppress the River? Obviously it's just a conversation between two people, why does it feel like I've missed an episode of the plot now! Gan Tian's face is full of question marks【Little friend, do you have lots and lots of question marks. jpg】

"The destination is Suppress the River."

"!"

Startled!

"How do you know?! Could it be you heard them say it?"

"I figured out the route while inside the box."

Although the other party's words were brief and offhand, Gan Tian was already about to shout like a mole-rat! Meow meow meow, what a deity this is! Indeed, the plot of blindfolding someone to lead the way and then deducing the location isn't just made up, right? Moreover, the difficulty feels higher, because the journey is too far, a sense of direction is bound to drift.

Where does this heaven-defying sense of direction and spatial awareness come from!

Gan Tian's spatial sense is poor... this had once been her excuse for being bad at geometry, although she later managed to conquer high-school level geometry, her spatial sense and direction sense remain hopelessly weak.

Anyone with a talent for finding their way easily gains her trust...

Under such an information overload, Gan Tian took a while before realizing that her earlier question hadn't really been answered.

"Why wait until Suppress the River?"

The boy kept his head lowered, eyes closed, resting his mind, almost asleep. But the sensation in his palm couldn't be ignored... his sleep isn't good; any little noise would keep him awake. In fact, if it weren't for being overly fatigued these past few days, he basically couldn't rest in this environment.

He's always disliked brainless people the most; now he needs someone to help him escape, sure, but only if the other party is truly a helper—if they're a drag, he'd rather act on his own.

Now he even doubts his initial judgment—that he originally thought this girl was a smart person.

Not very smart-looking... tsk!

"They'll ship the goods in Suppress the River."

"By then their guard will be at its lowest."

"Suppress the River is a big city, contacting the authorities is also easy."

Now, to avoid city inspections, the gang has them taking only backroads. Even if they escape successfully, the gang might still get away scot-free. It's best to, after escaping, quickly contact the authorities and bring these people to justice, so others can also be saved.

Moreover, dismantling such a large gang also prevents others from being harmed by them in the future!

"You're really a good person!" Gan Tian praised from the heart.

The boy's hand stopped, but Gan Tian didn't.

"Don't worry, I'll cooperate fully with you!"

"Cooperate... with a ghost!" The boy had no idea what nonsense the other person was imagining; he only knew that once they reached Guard the River and contacted the authorities, this gang would be doomed—after all the abuse they'd suffered on the way, these people dying a thousand times wouldn't be enough.

Moreover, what could she cooperate with?

At first he thought she was quite smart, because among those tied up she was the calmest. Initially many people were desperate, making small movements to try to escape. Not only did they fail to escape, but it made the guards even stricter.

But she was different, her demeanor was very calm.

Having such composure made him subconsciously rate her higher; now thinking about it, this might have been an unprecedented mistake on his part.

Maybe she's just big-hearted!

"You... just use the small knife to cut my ropes, and I'll get the authorities to rescue us." He had just noticed Gan Tian's small knife hanging at her waist in the evening, and could hardly believe his eyes.

Although that small knife is rather inconspicuous and looks like a toy to play with in one's hand, it should still count as a "sharp blade." It's hard to imagine that this gang didn't take that knife away.

If that small knife were in his hand, he wouldn't consider seeking help!

".. You found the knife?"

That question sounded a bit odd; the boy frowned... assuming the knife was something Gan Tian had secretly hidden, which she had accidentally noticed.

This also explains why the gang didn't confiscate her small knife—although that raises another issue.

It's just hanging at her waist—how could she hide it?

"Found it... be careful, don't let anyone else notice."

"No need..."

Gan Tian wrote those characters slowly.

"This isn't something others could notice."

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Thanks to the little angels who voted for me as overlord or poured nutrient solution during the period from 2020-04-13 08:43:24 to 2020-04-14 08:34:56~

Thanks to the little angels who poured nutrient solution: little treasure 5 bottles; phoenix flower blooming again, cute dumpling 1 bottle;

Thank you all very much for your support; I will continue to work hard!