Chapter 167

Chapter 167: Xu Jingxuan Captured (2) Xu Jingxuan groped her way over and, by the moonlight filtering through the ventilation opening, saw that it was a blanket. It was covered in a thick layer of grime, so dark and filthy that its original color was unrecognizable, and it gave off a nauseating stench—who knew how long it had been since it was last washed. "Ugh—" Xu Jingxuan gagged reflexively. She had already vomited several times during the day from seasickness. Because she hadn't eaten anything, her stomach contained nothing but acid, and even her dry heaves brought up nothing. She was overcome with disgust and kicked the blanket away, thoroughly repulsed. In the past, she had lived a life of luxury and fine clothes in the Jiang family—when had she ever endured such hardship? Even back when her mother was still alive, as the daughter of a maid, she had never suffered like this. Xu Jingxuan hugged her knees and sobbed quietly. Her faint crying was swallowed by the sound of the waves. Winter temperatures were already low to begin with, and out at sea, the nights were even colder. She shivered violently, her lips turning a bluish-purple, as if all the blood in her body was about to freeze solid. Finally, she picked up that filthy, stinking blanket. To survive, Xu Jingxuan had no choice but to wrap herself in that reeking blanket. After a bumpy journey, Xu Jingxuan finally arrived in Huaguo. Having drifted at sea for several days, she hadn't eaten well or slept well—she had lost weight, hadn't bathed in days, and reeked of body odor. Even the man who came to drag her off the boat couldn't help but feel nauseated. "Damn! You really stink!" "Ugh—" The man hauled Xu Jingxuan up, tore the tape off her mouth with a look of disgust, untied the ropes binding her, and tossed her into the sea. "Wash yourself clean. You stink to high heaven." The boat was docked at the pier. Although there were no sharks in these waters, Xu Jingxuan couldn't swim—throwing her in still put her life in danger! Clearly, the man who threw her in didn't know that. Xu Jingxuan flailed in the seawater, screaming for help. At first, the man thought she was faking it and watched from shore like it was a joke. "Yeah, that's right, keep splashing around. Wash yourself clean. Don't stink up the boss." The "boss" he referred to was none other than Jiang Shixu's subordinate, Lu Ze. The port where the ship docked was located in the coastal city of Lincheng, which sat in the north, where early spring temperatures hovered around freezing. The seawater was bone-chillingly cold. Xu Jingxuan shivered violently in the water, her lips turning blue, her hands and feet beginning to cramp and spasm involuntarily. She had inhaled a good amount of seawater, and her breathing grew increasingly labored. After struggling for a while, Xu Jingxuan gradually lost her strength. Seeing her cries grow faint and her body begin to sink, the man watching started to panic. He cursed: "Damn it! You really can't swim? Son of a bitch, now I have to jump in and fish you out?" In such cold weather, the man naturally didn't want to dive into the sea to rescue her. He scanned his surroundings and spotted an orange life ring hanging nearby. The man grabbed the life ring and tossed it into the sea. "Grab the life ring and get yourself out, you bitch. It's too damn cold for me to jump in and save you!" The life ring splashed into the water. Xu Jingxuan reached out a hand, but she didn't have the strength to swim toward it. Seeing that she couldn't reach the life ring and was about to sink, the man cursed under his breath and, with no other choice, jumped into the sea. She was pulled out, but Xu Jingxuan had swallowed a lot of seawater and suffered from the cold—she had already lost consciousness. "She's not dead, is she?" the man cursed. Another man nearby frowned. "Come on, boss, I told you to clean her up—is this how you do it?" The man was shivering from the cold. "You have no idea how bad she stank. I couldn't take it anymore, so I threw her in the sea. Who knew the woman couldn't swim? What rotten luck, and I had to dive in myself to fish her out. I'm freezing to death. You take care of her—find a doctor to check her out. Don't let her die. I'm going to change clothes." "Fine, hurry up. If the boss shows up and you're not there, watch out—he'll blow his top." "I know, I know." ... Xu Jingxuan opened her eyes again three hours later. Her consciousness slowly returned, and she moved her eyes to survey her surroundings. A dark, cramped space, much like the room on the ship. Feeling the movement, Xu Jingxuan guessed she was in a vehicle now. This dark place was probably the cargo compartment of a large truck. Her clothes were still soaking wet, but there was an extra thick blanket over her—it seemed those men were afraid she'd freeze to death. Xu Jingxuan wrapped the blanket tightly around herself, hugging her own body, sobbing so hard her shoulders trembled. This journey had been so miserable. She was hardly the pampered young lady anymore. Even without looking in a mirror, she could guess she probably looked about the same as a beggar on the street. She cried softly, and when she was too exhausted to cry anymore, she leaned against the metal wall of the compartment to rest. Even with the blanket over her, her wet clothes were still icy cold, making her shiver as if she were trapped in a freezing cave. Xu Jingxuan guessed the truck was heading toward Jiangcheng. In a few more hours, she should be able to see Jiang Shixu. The truck finally came to a stop. Xu Jingxuan was roughly dragged out of the vehicle. She looked up and recognized the place—it was Jiang Shixu's base. She had been here before, but had never actually gone inside. Without Jiang Shixu's approval, no one could enter this place, not even the old master of the Jiang Family. Being at Jiang Shixu's base—did that mean she would get to see him soon? The day had finally come. Xu Jingxuan was thrown into the basement. There was no heating, no sunlight—it was cold and damp. Before long, Lu Ze walked in. "Miss Xu, long time no see." The man narrowed his eyes, his tone icy. "You really made me work hard to find you." Xu Jingxuan's body trembled as she stammered, "Wh-what do you want to do?" Lu Ze grinned. "What can I do? My job was to bring you back, and now that it's done, it's up to the young master to decide how to deal with you." "He... is he here?" Xu Jingxuan bit her lip, a trace of hope flickering across her pale face. Seeing her like this, Lu Ze couldn't help but laugh. "Miss Xu, don't tell me you did all this for the young master? Could it be you've been harboring some unspeakable feelings for him?" Even at death's door, Xu Jingxuan refused to back down. "What business is it of yours?" "Fine, it's none of my business. You'd better think about what you're going to do next. The young master won't let you off easy." "No, he won't. A-Xu wouldn't be that cruel to me! He used to dote on me so much. Don't try to scare me. A-Xu was so good to me—how could he bear to punish me?" Lu Ze's smile turned strange. "Should I call you lovesick or just plain stupid? Back then, the young master was good to you because you were the Jiang Family's adopted daughter, his nominal sister. But now? You've been working for Fu Yuanzhou, you have several lives on your hands, and you've made yourself an enemy of the Jiang Family. Do you really think the young master would still go soft on you now?"