It felt as though both the past and the future were hell, leaving no peace.
Yet, Song Chaoyu, caught in the midst of it, was powerless.
They could only wait quietly, nothing more.
By afternoon, Song Chaoyu's stomach was growling fiercely. There was no sign of anyone offering them food.
Tiaohong went to inquire and learned that to better "serve" others, the women were usually given one meal a day.
However, since He Si and his men had not yet been found, the Lion Boss was in a bad mood and had cut off their single daily meal.
Song Chaoyu and the newcomers were relatively fine, but many others were too weak to move or speak from hunger.
Meanwhile, Qiu Qing had also returned.
She reported that people outside had received the message and told them not to worry.
As soon as the sun set, they would launch an attack on the academy.
It seemed Mu Changxi had successfully "infiltrated" the group of refugees.
—
Time passed quickly. Dusk soon arrived.
Just as Shuiyue had predicted, with the arrival of dusk, the agitated Lion Boss seemed to become even more excited.
Everyone gathered there, and bonfires were indeed lit in the courtyard, creating a lively scene.
Song Chaoyu counted carefully; there were about fifteen or sixteen people.
According to He Si, there were only about twenty of them in total. He Si's five men had been dealt with by Ping Jiang. Excluding a few who were guarding the county gate and other refugees, the people present were basically the majority.
Regardless of anything else, they had an abundance of weapons.
There were also various types of armor, mixed with items from the Ping An County yamen. It seemed the Ping An County yamen had also been plundered by these people.
How tragic it was that a dignified county yamen had fallen into the hands of these people.
The Lion Boss sat by the bonfire, ordering someone to roast the freshly caught fish. He then instructed the subordinates below, "It's always these fish! Go tell those people to be more diligent and catch some game for us to eat tomorrow! Otherwise, I'll have their families starve in the streets, and see if they dare to fool me like this again!"
His tone was always filled with irascibility. "Have He Si and those few men still not been found?! Where in the hell are those bastards slacking off?"
His anger made the subordinates wipe the sweat from their brows. "Boss, don't be angry! We've searched the surroundings and found no signs of intrusion. Who knows if they got drunk or ran off chasing some young lady?"
"Hmph!"
This remark seemed to remind the Lion Boss. His eyes darted around, and then he looked towards Song Chaoyu. "Right, where are the new young ladies? Come, bring them over! It's their turn today, isn't it?"
As he spoke, he looked around again, searching. "Where is Zhou Ya? Why haven't I seen her all day?"
However, his eyes were completely captivated by Song Chaoyu. "Bring her to me! We must also have a taste of the young ladies from the capital, mustn't we?"
"Hahaha!"
Laughter that Song Chaoyu found disgusting immediately erupted around them.
Someone stepped forward, pulled Song Chaoyu up, and pushed her towards the Lion Boss. "Boss, you're right, this young lady is truly beautiful! If she weren't from the capital, there wouldn't be such a beautiful young lady, would there? Boss, let your brothers have some fun too!"
"Good!"
The Lion Boss stood up somewhat impatiently and grabbed Song Chaoyu, reaching out to touch her face. "She is indeed beautiful!"
No, Song Chaoyu couldn't stand it anymore!
If the Lion Boss's greasy hands touched her cheek, she felt she would scrub her face raw the next day!
Compared to Mu Changxi, this man before her was simply crude and disgusting!
Song Chaoyu finally couldn't help but reach out and slap the Lion Boss's hand hard. "Get away, don't touch me!"
"Oh ho! Why are all the young ladies who come here so fiery?"
The Lion Boss became even more brazen, reaching out and pulling Song Chaoyu towards him. "Good, I like it! The more you struggle, the more I like it! Young lady, you won't escape today! Ah—"
However, before the Lion Boss could even react, Song Chaoyu had already pulled out the dagger Mu Changxi had given her, which she had hidden on her person, and stabbed directly towards the Lion Boss's face—
Although Song Chaoyu's movements were fast, she was, after all, just a young woman.
The Lion Boss dodged. While he avoided the vital spots, Song Chaoyu still managed to stab the hairpin directly towards his face!
He cried out, his eyes filled with rage. "You stinking bitch! You actually hid something on you?! Do you really think I'm easy to bully just because I showed you some kindness?!"
The Lion Boss immediately pushed Song Chaoyu away and then angrily shouted at his subordinates, "You, strip this young lady clean right here! She dared to injure me, I'll make sure she knows my power!"
With that, he also picked up a weapon nearby and lunged at Song Chaoyu.
In fact, how could Song Chaoyu not be afraid?
But compared to fear, it seemed that being touched by this man was the most unacceptable thing to her.
Fortunately, Song Chaoyu had Tiaohong and Qiu Qing by her side.
Especially Qiu Qing, she knew martial arts.
She stepped forward to block the Lion Boss, then snatched a weapon from a subordinate behind her and knocked the Lion Boss's weapon to the ground with a clang.
This surprised even the Lion Boss. "A young lady who knows martial arts?! Haha, how interesting!"
But the Lion Boss showed no fear, instead becoming even more eager.
Song Chaoyu knew she had been a bit impulsive.
She should have waited a bit longer, as the light in the sky had not completely faded, and the sun had not fully set!
With just the three of them, even if Qiu Qing knew martial arts, they were no match for these twenty people.
"Madam, lean on me!"
Qiu Qing shouted at Song Chaoyu and then pulled Tiaohong over.
The three of them were instantly surrounded by the Lion Boss's men.
In the deathly quiet academy, someone finally looked up and glanced in their direction.
There was no other movement outside. Song Chaoyu's only thought was: buy time!
So she looked at the people around her and angrily said, "What are you all standing around for? If you don't resist, you'll be the next to die!"