The Regressed Princess - Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Struggle

Ragged linen stuck to the ground, a layer of tainted blood seeping up from beneath.

Hudora’s hands were bound by hemp rope. She struggled feebly twice before saying helplessly, “Don’t go looking for death; this is too dangerous… cough cough cough.”

Specks of blood leaked from the corners of her mouth.

Three slaves were huddled around a bucket, eating noisily, while further away, even more were cupping soup in their hands and gulping it down greedily.

A red-eyed slave heard her words and let out a laugh. “Oho~ we little scraps are going to be beaten to death by our masters? What a novel concept!”

“Hahahaha!”

The other slaves also chewed their food and burst into laughter.

The cramped room was suddenly filled with an air of gaiety, leaving only Hudora to purse her lips, tasting nothing but bitterness and iron.

“Cough, cough! Cough, cough!”

She struggled to straighten her neck, panting as she spoke earnestly to the group: “I… I’m refusing because I think it’s impossible, not because I don’t want to run. Think about it how many overseers are outside? They have weapons. And us? We only have wooden swords and scrap iron!”

The slaves holding their porridge went silent.

They were all barefoot. Forget weapons; even their clothes were just draped over them without belts—they had just pulled out the hemp ropes to bind Hudora.

The red-eyed woman waved her hand at her companions and crouched down on the ground.

She pulled a rusted dagger from her bosom and brushed it against Hudora’s chin. “Come on, keep talking?”

“Gulp.”

Hudora swallowed hard and lowered her voice: “Even if you—we—escape, there is no way to survive. Nolana’s capital is too far from the borders and the wilderness.”

The red-eyed woman’s finger paused.

That was true. They only knew they had to run; they had no follow-up plan whatsoever.

Salin said her hometown had a stretching range of mountains. But “far water cannot quench a near thirst” there were so many people to keep alive on the way.

She retracted the knife and asked with mock respect, “As expected of the Great Scholar. Heh, keeping your life was truly worth it. Come, analyze it for us: what should we do next?”

Hudora raised her eyes and looked around, her restless heart slowly sinking.

No, these people hadn’t been moved by her words at all. Their eyes were firm; they were dead-set on escaping.

If she uttered one more word of discouragement, that red-eyed woman would likely smile while driving the knife into her heart and twisting it twice.

Hudora’s eyelashes fluttered rapidly. The only reason they were keeping her was probably to ask for a plan; a team always needs a brain.

Wait, why weren’t they relying on their original leader or contact person?

Hudora suddenly realized something was wrong.

This group was determined and fairly large; they were clearly organized.

Normally, a “talent” like her who hadn’t proven her loyalty would need time to be vetted. They should have knocked her out, stuffed her into the group, and gradually assimilated her once they were out and the bridges were burned.

Instead, they were lingering in this room asking her for strategy. Could it be… they had lost contact with the others?

Fortunately, there was no talent named Shang Yang in the Moon Mist Continent to add extra difficulty to the slaves’ escape plans. Hudora thought about it and felt there was indeed a slim chance.

She licked her dry lips and analyzed seriously: “The private armies of the nobles or even the King’s army will chase us sooner or later. So, once we leave the city, we must split up. We can’t stay bunched together.”

The red-eyed woman clapped her hands happily: “Split up it is, then! We’ll scramble into the wild villages. I don’t believe the King will send a grand army to fish us out one by one from the villages!”

Hudora nodded and then shook her head: “No, small villages are extremely xenophobic. Any strange face won’t last. We should head toward the large city-states.”

She continued her analysis, painting a grand vision for these slaves who had no concept of geography.

“Michelle City is very good. It’s adjacent to the border, rich in resources, and has a high degree of independence.”

Dazed yet somewhat agreeing expressions appeared on everyone’s faces.

Hmph, it seems they are nearly convinced.

Hudora fell silent. She secretly used her hands bound behind her back to touch her waist. Her keys were all gone, but there weren’t many people in the area she was responsible for anyway.

Eleven… twelve?

She counted in her head. Including herself, there were thirteen people in this room, and the number in the neighboring tent should be similar.

There were old and young among them; with their strength alone, they couldn’t even break through the main gate of the market… So who were their original helpers?

Hudora thought quietly. she had to seize any opportunity to escape this predicament.

The true predicament wasn’t being caught by these people; she had to find a way to get back into the slave owner’s sight and earn Scarface’s forgiveness and trust.

Time ticked by, and the slaves’ expressions grew increasingly anxious.

It seemed their contact person had truly run into trouble.

Hudora’s eyes flickered: perhaps someone had betrayed them, and Scarface’s guards were outside waiting for them, ready to catch them one by one.

But she couldn’t say such inflammatory things directly. So Hudora cleared her throat and asked in a low voice, “If it’s just the people here, how do you plan to run?”

“None of your business!”

The red-eyed woman raised her hand to stop a companion who was rolling up her sleeves, staring at Hudora coldly. “The Hyena Legion outside the city will revolt at the same time and attack the city gates with us.”

Concentrating strength to break the city gates? That’s a good idea.

Hudora felt a flash of excitement if they could truly escape no, they couldn’t.

The image of her wife and daughter waiting bitterly at home surfaced in her mind, and her wavering heart hardened once more.

One or two thousand slaves wouldn’t be able to shake anything.

She wasn’t good at fighting. Instead of risking a flight, it was better to stay here and work patiently. There would always be a chance to earn money for her ransom. She couldn’t bring trouble to her family.

The Hyena Legion was a breakthrough point. If she could reveal the movements of this group to Scarface, it would surely be a great achievement.

Hudora’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She lowered her head and said, “Then we can…”

Crack.

A crisp sound suddenly came from the doorway. Someone had stepped on the wooden stick they had placed outside!

Except for the bound Hudora, everyone jumped in fright, pulling out miscellaneous weapons to point at the door.

“Don’t be nervous, it’s me.”

An unremarkable youth stood at the door waving at them. A piece of linen was tied around her right wrist the exact sign the contact person had agreed upon.

“Phew…” The red-eyed woman lowered her knife and walked over, asking, “Why are you so late? What happened outside?”

Everyone’s hearts were in their throats, but fortunately, the contact person shook her head calmly and said, “Nothing happened. That bastard Scarface is hosting a noble guest. She gathered all the guards together, so we couldn’t find an opening.”

“Then what do we do? Scarface has so many guards…!”

The contact person soothed them: “It’s fine. We’re going to change part of the plan. Your group can escape through the secret passage first.”

She stepped aside half-way, making an inviting gesture at the door.

“Fine.”

The red-eyed woman nodded, but just as she took a step, she heard Hudora’s low call from behind: “Wait, this person looks very unfamiliar. Who sent her?”

When the contact person appeared, the slaves had loosened Hudora’s arms. Two slaves were flanking her to prevent her from suddenly running away.

Hudora stared at the youth with a look of suspicion.

The reason was simple: this person was just too ordinary.

She had never seen a person whose eyes, nose, mouth, height, and weight… whose appearance had absolutely no distinguishing “features.”

Could she be one of Scarface’s subordinates, specifically sent in to lure the slaves out to their deaths?

It was logical, but Hudora still felt something was off.

Beyond being a stranger, this person radiated an eerie sense of danger from head to toe, making her instinctively want to stay away.

Hearing Hudora’s questioning, the ordinary youth slowly uttered a few words: “Salin. Salin sent me.”

The expressions on the others’ faces turned to ones of relief.

The red-eyed woman even glared at Hudora as if to say: What on earth are you worried about?

Hudora touched the marks from the ropes and followed at the back with her hands hanging low.

Since this group was so careless, she had nothing more to say.

Once they were out, the moment she encountered Scarface’s people, she would immediately throw herself on the ground and beg for mercy.

The red-eyed woman lifted a heavy blanket, and the group slipped out of the tent through the gap.

The sunlight from above was blinding, but it was blocked by layers of eaves as it reached the bottom.

Hudora walked while looking at the sides of the alleyway in surprise and uncertainty.

The shanty town formed by the slave tents was extremely narrow; the width of the walkway could fit one healthy young adult at most. Thus, every time she passed through, she had to turn sideways to avoid the busy servants.

But today, they walked all the way to the edge of the trading area without encountering a single person. It was too strange.

Something was wrong, very wrong.

Hudora gripped the clothes at her chest; it was damp with sweat.

Pasha.

The contact person in front suddenly stopped.

The unremarkable youth shook her right hand, then bent her knees and slowly retreated.

This was a movement signifying danger ahead. Everyone raised their heads to look forward, only to see a few neatly dressed attendants standing not far away. These were the danger she mentioned?

The red-eyed woman took a step forward, pressing her ear against the youth’s. “They should be a Noble’s attendants, right? How about we rob them?”

She looked greedily at the short swords and daggers hanging at the attendants’ waists.

As expected of the “house dogs” of a great noble; underneath those crisp uniforms was a thick layer of leather. If her daughter could wear that, how warm would the winter be?

The contact person’s expression twisted slightly upon hearing this. “I suggest you’d better go around them.”

“Go around?” The red-eyed woman raised her eyebrows. “They’re blocking the entrance to the secret passage. We can’t go around!”

Hudora raised her eyes. The contact person seemed to realize she had just shown a flaw.

The very ordinary youth nodded, agreeing with the red-eyed woman’s suggestion: “You’re right. There are probably even more guards at the other end of the secret passage. Let’s try to ambush them here.”

She took a step back and turned her body in another direction.

“Where are you going?” The red-eyed woman wanted to follow, but was lightly patted on the shoulder.

“I need to meet up with the others. I’ll leave this to you.” As the contact person spoke, she pointed her finger at the girl in the middle of the three and handed over a short sword.

The red-eyed woman gripped the short sword and turned to look closely: the three attendants wore nearly identical uniforms, and even their sword sheaths were exactly the same.

However, the one in the middle was indeed slightly taller than the other two. She had ash-white hair, and her pupils were the blood-red color common among the barbarian tribes.

She turned back to ask more, but with a slight bow, the contact person vanished directly into the end of the alley.

The slaves looked at each other and then picked up their weapons in unspoken agreement.

There was no choice; these three people were blocking their path to survival.

The red-eyed woman whispered encouragement to her companions: “Noble-bloods practice martial arts from a young age, so it’s normal for them to be stronger. Don’t be afraid. We have the numbers; three-on-one is a sure win!”

The slaves nodded and, as one, lightened their footsteps, slowly approaching the three youths who were chatting.

Only Hudora did not move.

She stood there with her hands behind her back as if she were still bound.

The slaves didn’t pay her much mind; after all, no one expected anything from her combat ability.

Hudora turned her head away and stopped observing the three attendants.

Because from the first moment she saw them, she had instinctively sensed a feeling of danger similar to that of the ordinary youth.

They are the same kind of people. They are existences completely different from us.

Hudora looked toward the spot where the contact person had vanished.

That road could lead back to the slave tents, yet she had an inexplicable premonition that the youth hadn’t returned to the tents at all, but was hiding somewhere nearby.

Clang!

The sound of clashing weapons came from behind.

Hudora took a deep breath and bolted toward the mouth of the alley!

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