Transmigrated into the Scum Female Consort - Chapter 79

Seeing the state she was in, Yun Chi pried open Ye Xuejin’s tightly clenched fingers and held her hand with a gentle yet firm grip. “Let’s go inside first.”

Yun Chi had been worried about when those scoundrels would show up; their timing was actually perfect. She was eager to test the lethality of the sleeve-crossbows.

However, Ye Xuejin remained focused on Lu Shang, asking word by word, “Do you know how many of them are coming?”

Lu Shang bit her lip, her voice thick with resentment. “Sometimes as few as five or six; other times, more than a dozen.”

Ye Xuejin paused, her voice becoming unnervingly calm. “Have you ever resisted?”

Lu Shang’s voice turned hoarse. “I wanted to fight back when I first arrived, but they said if anyone injured a miner or a bailiff, the people in the neighboring huts would be punished as well…”

Ye Xuejin wanted to ask why they didn’t simply flee. But before the question could leave her lips, she realized how ridiculous the thought was. A woman without identification papers would not only be a wanted fugitive but would also implicate her entire clan. If they could run—if there were anywhere to run to—who would stay here?

She said nothing more, turning to follow Yun Chi into the hut.

Lu Shang looked up at the closed door, her lips trembling. She turned and walked away. At a time like this, she had work to do. Having served in the Hanlin Academy, she was steady and methodical; shortly after arriving, she had become the backbone of the female prisoners.

What she had to do now was arrange for the young girls and children to hide, for the sick to hide, and for those with tempers too fierce to hide…

She, however, would stay. She didn’t know how much longer she could endure; she simply acted on instinct, organizing things so that everyone might live a little longer, so that a few less might die.

Inside the hut, the moment they entered, Ye Xuejin covered her face in agony. The suppressed rage and resentment were nearly suffocating her. She had thought the ordeals of the young girls saved by Shiniang were the pinnacle of suffering, but the experiences of Lu Shang and the others were a literal purgatory.

In the past, she knew life was difficult for women, but she never imagined it could be this wretched.

“Prince Consort, I am truly pathetic.”

It was pathetic that she once believed she understood the hardships of the common people when, in reality, she had never seen true misery. It was pathetic that she thought the mountains and rivers were stable, occupying herself with “lofty character” and the pursuit of painting and calligraphy while viewing the throne as a vulgarity…

She had no idea that beneath the illusion of a stable nation, countless women were living in hell.

Yun Chi remained silent, unsure of what to say. Even if history books only dedicated a few light strokes to the subject, she could imagine how dire the situation was for women in ancient times. Even in the modern era, many women remained trapped in various plights, let alone in this “man-eating” ancient world.

Ye Xuejin tilted her head back, her sleeves damp with the tears escaping from beneath her fingers. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.

“Prince Consort, if there are a dozen of them, how can the two of us face them?”

In that moment, she thought of Yu Lu and Shiniang, the young girls, the Zhou men left at the mine, and everyone she could potentially use. But “distant water cannot quench a nearby fire.” The Zhou men were already at the mine; any sudden movement from them would alert the guards, and besides, there might not be enough time.

While Yun Chi was silent and deep in thought, Ye Xuejin suddenly gave a faint, bitter smile. “Prince Consort… you should leave.”

If the path ahead led only to death, she would face it alone.

“Don’t say such foolish things. We’ll find a way together,” Yun Chi said. She took out a compressed biscuit, made a silent wish to her “Golden Finger” (the system), and handed it over.

Without a second thought, Ye Xuejin grabbed it, her heart skipping a beat.

[Sent: One compressed biscuit. Please choose your reward: One sleeve-crossbow OR one sleeve-crossbow.]

Yun Chi looked at the rewards provided by the system. She was disappointed but not surprised; it clearly wasn’t going to grant her any firearms. She rubbed her brow, then struck by a thought, she grabbed Ye Xuejin’s hand with an expectant gaze.

“Do you know of any… cold weapons that can cause large-scale or group damage?”

Ye Xuejin thought for a moment. “Does a repeating crossbow count?” She then shook her head. “Although it can fire in succession, its range is shorter than a standard crossbow, and its power is lacking.”

Yun Chi’s eyes lit up. She quickly pulled out two more compressed biscuits and stuffed them into Ye Xuejin’s hands.

In the next instant, she produced a repeating crossbow. Not only could it fire ten bolts in a row, but its trigger—much like her previous sniper crossbow—used a rolling nut mechanism. It didn’t even require manual drawing.

“Let’s go try it. This repeating crossbow’s power will definitely be enough.”

What she wanted was never a product of this current era. She only needed to add two words to the “Repeating Crossbow” request to achieve her goal: Modern Military.

A Modern Military Repeating Crossbow!

Yun Chi quickly handed Ye Xuejin two more biscuits and immediately produced a second crossbow. In this era where cold weapons reigned supreme, a modern, rapid-fire military crossbow was essentially the equivalent of a firearm.

Ye Xuejin nodded in realization. Taking the crossbow, she pulled Yun Chi toward the door.

Outside, the women had all returned to their huts. Some left their lights on; others double-locked their doors. Those who left the lights on were those who had volunteered to stay and endure the abuse; those who locked their doors were those the group had collectively chosen to hide.

Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin gripped each other’s hands, moving quickly through the moonlight. Fortunately, they had walked the perimeter during the day and knew exactly which direction those subhuman creatures would come from.

In the neighboring hut, Old Madam Zhou and Zhou Qiyue sat on the edge of the bed with their arms linked. Their hearts pounded. They had not missed the sound of the door opening and closing next door.

“Mother, it sounds like Her Highness and the Prince Consort have left.” As soon as Zhou Qiyue spoke, her voice broke into a sob. She had already learned what was about to happen from Lu Shang.

Old Madam Zhou tightened her grip on her daughter’s arm, her voice sounding dead. “Qiyue, Mother has failed you.”

She could have let her daughter hide with her granddaughter; Lu Shang had even tried to convince her to hide as well. But of the new female arrivals, there were only the two of them, the Princess, and the Prince Consort. If the Princess and the Prince Consort were still in their room, how could they only think of themselves? Even if the Princess had left, they could not.

Old Madam Zhou understood clearly: those beasts knew new people had arrived. If they all hid, the women left behind would be the ones to suffer, and they themselves would likely be hunted down and punished afterward. She chose to stay with her daughter so that even if the Princess fled, it wouldn’t matter.

Zhou Qiyue shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down her face. “Mother, I stayed of my own accord. Her Highness and the Prince Consort should leave; they have great things to accomplish.”

Deep down, she still held a flicker of hope: the Immortal. She had decisively agreed to stay with her mother because she saw that Ye Xuejin and Yun Chi hadn’t left yet. She figured that since the Princess was protected by an Immortal, she wouldn’t be afraid—so she wasn’t afraid either.

But just now, the Princess and the Prince Consort had left without a word. Still, she didn’t regret it. She was just scared—scared to death.

Old Madam Zhou sighed deeply. “It’s alright. Mother is with you. We must survive. In truth, it is nothing; as long as one’s heart remains pure, one can live with dignity…”

She offered her daughter this heavy, desperate comfort. In truth, she too held a sliver of hope because she believed in the Eldest Princess. But if the Princess had no way to help, she would not regret her choice.

Inside the row of wooden huts shrouded in night, some people were in despair, their hearts like cold ashes…

At the same time, on the road under the crescent moon, others were laughing together in anticipation…

Further away, Zhou Qishan and several young servants of the Zhou family were terrified and at a loss. They had followed the group halfway and had deduced everything from the fragments of conversation they overheard.

Were the Princess, the Prince Consort, the Old Madam, and the Young Mistress just up ahead?

They were afraid of drawing attention. Seeing that there were only four miners, they had sent four men to follow. But midway, ten more brawny men had suddenly appeared. What could they do now? Did they have any chance of winning?

As Zhou Qishan gradually slowed his pace to create distance between himself and the mob, a Zhou servant couldn’t help but whisper, “Eldest Young Master, should we go back and call for more people?”

Zhou Qishan stopped and shook his head. “Inappropriate. If we are discovered, it will be a lot of trouble.”

“But are we just going to watch? Or should I run ahead to find the Princess and the Old Madam?”

Zhou Qishan clenched his fists but still shook his head. “Don’t worry. The Princess has the protection of an Immortal; nothing will happen. Let’s watch first.”

With that, he continued to follow at an unhurried pace.

The night grew deeper. On the path between the mine shaft and the wooden huts, Yun Chi and Ye Xuejin hid behind a tree at a bend in the road. Their gaze was steady, and a murderous intent simmered in their hearts.

Perhaps even the moon in the sky sensed their mood, as it chased away the obstructing dark clouds, casting a clearer, brighter light to illuminate the path before them.