Chapter 843 - 845: Struck It Rich (3)
"Splash!"
She fell hard onto the ground, tears spurting from her eyes as both her arm and leg suffered varying degrees of abrasion. Bright red blood slowly seeped from the broken skin; gritting her teeth, she stood up, enduring the pain, and limped deeper into the garden.
The back garden of the Guangling prince’s mansion was vast. Inside, no lanterns were lit; it was dark and ominous, unreadable to those unfamiliar with its layout. Fei’er, dragging her injured body and gasping for air, hurried back and forth searching for a way out. However, the several exit doors in the garden were either guarded or locked—she simply couldn’t escape.
Fei’er was very anxious. Most of the night had passed, and dawn was approaching. She still hadn’t managed to escape. Once day broke, she would again be thrown into the tiger’s mouth, likely facing a fate worse than death. If that were to be the case, she thought it might be cleaner to die now!
As she despondently considered this, the back garden suddenly bustled with activity. A group of maidens and women, carrying red lanterns, surged into the garden, searching everywhere like hawks seeking sparrows. Although Fei’er didn’t know what they were looking for, her instincts told her they were there for her.
Ignoring her despair, she dragged her injured leg and quickly hid in a cave within the artificial mountain.
Two women searching near the artificial mountain approached, one carrying a lantern and muttering, "Tell me, isn’t that girl too sentimental? How many women would dream of receiving our prince’s favor, yet she does not care for it and has run away?"
The other replied, "Well, everyone has their own desires. The prince has many women, but the novelty wears off after a few days. Once it’s gone, they’re just thrown into some corner alley to fend for themselves! In my opinion, that little girl has spirit. If the prince really had his way with her, she’d never escape the Guangling prince’s mansion in this lifetime and would end up just like the fallen women of the Qingqiu’s courtyard!"
"Tch! What use is spirit? If the prince sets his eyes on someone, how can he allow her to escape? Remember that little opera actor Kui Guan’er, who was too proud to submit to the prince? He was handed over to those little boys and they ruined him to death. I heard they didn’t even bury his body, just left it naked at Chaotic Grave Hill; oh, how pitiful..."