Chapter 89: Li Qingzhu gets beaten, scared into wetting herself?

Li Qingluo shook her head and said, "Miss, I'm really scared of you. I originally opened the door out of kindness after hearing your plea for help, but you ended up almost getting us three killed."

If we weren't quick-witted, you and those killed maidservants would probably be in the same situation now.

I dare not help you any further!

Li Qingluo bit her lip and turned her head away.

Upon hearing that, Li Qingzhu shed tears continuously, gazing at Li Qingluo and the others with an utterly pitiful, pleading look.

Que'er whispered, "Miss, let's just ignore her."

Li Qingluo: "I know."

Just then, footsteps sounded outside again, approaching them.

Li Qingluo and the two others immediately lowered their heads, voluntarily biting the cloth gag in their mouths, pretending everything was as it had happened.

When those three came back in, Li Qingzhu seemed to want to complain, sitting up straight and continuously gesturing with choked sobs, and she lifted her head toward Li Qingluo and the others.

Unfortunately, those three didn't understand her meaning.

Moreover, after looking at Li Qingluo and the two others, seeing their innocent expressions and how they behaved honestly, Li Qingzhu's side, on the contrary, kept making a racket nonstop.

An impatient bandit raised his hand and slapped Li Qingzhu hard.

"What's the noise? Keep it up and I'll kill you!"

Li Qingzhu's face instantly swelled and reddened; she cried out in pain, but could only collapse into the nearby woman's arms, and after that painful cry she didn't dare to sob out loud.

As the sky darkened, one person held a torch while the other two squatted on the ground and untied the bonds on Li Qingzhu's and Li Qingluo's hands.

"Write!"

They each tore a strip from the girls' skirts and laid them on the ground.

Li Qingzhu sat dazed on the ground, not knowing how to write, since they hadn't provided any pen or ink.

Li Qingluo looked at her fingertip, raised her hand, and bit it open.

Then drops of blood fell onto the satin cloth, and with that she began to write the letter.

Afraid of the pain, Li Qingzhu kept trying to hide her hand behind her back, but a bandit grabbed it and slashed a large gash with his knife.

Blood immediately gushed forth like a column; Li Qingzhu nearly fainted again, and then the bandit who had just slapped her struck her other cheek, even blowing the cloth gag out of her mouth.

"Slut! I'm telling you plainly—if you don't listen, don't blame me for being rude. I'm afraid this precious flower of yours can't withstand a few of my blows."

Li Qingluo trembled all over with fear, yet she had to honestly say, "Gentlemen, earlier I was just spouting nonsense; in fact I am not at all a relative of any prince."

"Actually, I am Li Qingzhu, the eldest daughter of the Jiangjun Fu in Dongyin Alley; please spare me—I don't even know any prince—"

"You dare to deceive me?"

Hearing that, the bandit grew even angrier, grabbing Li Qingzhu's collar: "Slut! What does it matter if you're nobility? Deceiving me deserves death—"

Just as he was about to choke her neck with another palm, the silent person beside him intervened.

"Stop! Who do you say you are?"

Li Qingzhu, eyes closed and face streaked with tears, replied, "I-I really am the eldest daughter of the Jiangjun Fu in Dongyin Alley, Li Qingzhu—"

That person let out a cold scoff, "Still lying? Better tell the truth!"

"Four months ago, the Jiangjun Fu in Dongyin Alley suffered a great fire. Rumor has it that the eldest daughter—no, nowadays everyone on the street says she's just a fake young lady who perished in the blaze by self-immolation!"

"If you're her, then who is the one who died?"

"And how dare you strut about the streets, pretending to be a prince's relation?"

"Since you won't be honest, I might as well cut out your tongue first!"

After that person's shout, a strange odor suddenly filled the room, and everyone saw a puddle of liquid seeping from beneath Li Qingzhu's skirt.

Everyone: …

Even the bandit who had been choking her immediately despised her and flung her away.

"Is that all? And you claim to be the Jiangjun Fu's eldest daughter? Disgusting! Filthy!"

Li Qingzhu could barely bear the humiliation, yet fearing death more, she clung desperately to herself: "Spare me, spare me. I truly am the eldest daughter of the Jiangjun Fu, Li Qingzhu—I truly am…"

Looking at her, she's already been frightened to the brink of losing her mind.

The torch‑bearer also said at that moment, "I see she hasn't spoken a word of truth—just kill her!"

Li Qingzhu certainly did not want to die!

She grabbed the bandit's leg, weeping and shouting, "I have it! I have a token—I really do!"

Saying that, she produced a close‑fitting jade pendant from her neck.

"This is the jade pendant my mother gave me at my coming‑of‑age. There's no duplicate in the world—if you take it together with the letter and deliver it to my mother, she will surely believe it!"

"Then she'll know I'm still alive, and she'll bring money to ransom me—indeed, for anything you want, my parents will do it!"

"They regard me as the apple of their eye; they would never abandon me!"

Holding the jade pendant, the three exchanged a glance.

Then they urged Li Qingzhu to hurry up and write the blood letter, no more nonsense.

Li Qingzhu, tears streaming like pear blossoms in rain, buried her head and, without further delay, wrote a whole sheet of handkerchief in a free‑flowing hand.

On the other side, Li Qingluo had already finished writing, and had even watched a play in the meantime.

When Li Qingluo handed over her brief few sentences to the three, they gave her a deep look.

"Just these few lines?"

Li Qingluo wasn't the sort of ordinary girl who would be scared to death; on the contrary, she and Li Qingzhu were opposites—she was calm to the point of not seeming like a kidnapping victim at all.

This made the three sense something odd.

Originally, they could have killed her!

But if they could also gain more wealth, that wouldn't be out of the question.

Their Lotus Sect is perpetually short of silver, so letting these Jinling officials and nobles contribute a bit more—what's the harm?

So, Li Qingluo was able to follow along safely and appear here.

But she actually isn't afraid?

Is she pretending, or is she truly not afraid of them?

"You, exactly which family are you from?"

Li Qingluo took the cloth from her mouth and quietly said, "Gentlemen, may I have a word?"

Holding their blood-written pledge, the relatively calm bandit stared at her, did not immediately agree, but asked, "What do you want to say?"

Li Qingluo: "Naturally, I have the three pieces of information you want. If you're not satisfied, you three can just kill me."

The three exchanged a glance; the one holding the blood-written pledge clearly didn't take her seriously, so he turned and walked out, saying, "Come with me."

Li Qingluo was about to rise when Deng Mama and Que'er grabbed her.

"Miss..."

Li Qingluo shook her head at them, indicating she knew what she was doing, then walked out without hesitation.

"Speak, just who are you——?"

Having stepped out the door, a knife was placed across Li Qingluo's neck.