Chapter 22: Getting Killed?
Lin Anning didn’t quite understand how this place actually worked. She was a human being for crying out loud, maybe she died once...but that still made her a living thing.
The moment Wanqing had finished speaking, the armored guards literally grabbed her and manhandled her out of the room. The said ’mistress’ of hers just glanced at her for a few seconds before turning away as if this was something normal.
"You really know you are supposed to hold a girl like this?" She muttered under her breath, glancing at the two men on either side of her.
"Keep your mouth shut and move," one of them said, tugging on her arm.
Anning exhaled, pulling her gaze away from the men and quietly moving along with them. The hallway of the Gu mansion was bustling with people as they moved, a few maids stopped to stare at her with nothing but pity, some stared at her with curiosity.
She didn’t like how they looked at her. It made her feel vulnerable in a way and considering the fact Anning didn’t want to cause trouble, she just had to remain quiet.
They walked down the hallway for a few minutes before they finally reached the other side of the Gu family’s house, a large wooden door stood in front of them and just the sight of it had Anning reconsidering her decision of remaining calm.
She didn’t want to die the second time. She refused to die.
The guard on her left released her arm, pulled out a bunch of keys from his pocket and moved to open the door. Anning cautiously glanced at the man standing beside her.
’I can do this. I. Can. Do. This,’ she thought inwardly, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
"Can you let go of my hand for a moment?" She asked the man still standing beside her. He merely glanced at her, the expression on his face not changing even a bit.
"I said let go." Anning said firmer this time. The armored guard let out a groan before he loosened his grip on her arm.
She let out a sigh, reaching up to massage the part of her hand he had been holding. As she massaged, her gaze flickered to the man still fumbling with his keys up front and the one beside her now had his gaze fixed on his comrade.
Her lips curled slightly as she took a step backward. She paused, then looked at the guard beside her... seeing that he was still distracted. She took another step backward.
"If I were you, I’d remain in place. Don’t make me hit you" The guard now standing a few in front of her said, turning his head slightly so he could meet her eyes.
Anning’s hands beside her body curled into fists and without replying to what the man said, she swiftly turned around and dashed back down the hall.
She had to gather her dress in hand as she ran, making sure to avoid bumping into anyone.
Anning pushed a few strands of hair out of her face as she slowly came to a stop, she pressed one hand against her chest while her gaze moved around the hallway. The long corridor was bustling with people but it still made her stomach twist uneasily.
A few maids stood at the corner, folded towels in hands as they openly stared at her now.
"I thought they took her to the water dungeon..." One of them whispered.
"Then why is she here?" The other maid responded, the discomfort in her voice unmistakable.
Anning frowned at their words, her hands curled inwards... her finger’s digging into their palm. Something about this situation felt incredibly wrong. The guards had definitely seen her run, yet they were not chasing after her. No one even called out to her. Weren’t they worried she would escape?
She could feel a slight ache in her head but no, this wasn’t the time to panic.
If nobody was following her, then that was a good thing. A really good thing. She just needed to find an exit and leave this hell hole before someone decided to drag her back to that...what did they call it?
Ah yes, water dungeon.
She inhaled deep through her mouth, forcing herself to calm down as she prepared to start running again but before she could even take a single step forward— she suddenly felt something cold being pressed against the back of her neck.
Anning froze immediately. Her entire body turned stiff and slowly, very slowly, she turned her head around.
The two armored guards from earlier stood behind her. One of them was leaning lazily against a wooden pillar with his arms folded across his chest while the other stood directly behind her, holding a sword against her neck like it was normal!
A real freaking sword. The sharp tip of the sword dug lightly into her skin and that made Anning forget how to breathe for a moment.
The man behind her tilted his head slightly, "I literally told you not to think of doing this."
His voice was calm but somehow that made Anning feel worse and maybe a bit angry. Why?
Because he sounded like Wanqing at that moment!
He pushed the sword just a little deeper against her neck, making Anning shudder slightly.
"Give me one good reason," he continued coldly. "One good reason why I shouldn’t slice your head off your body"
Anning swallowed hard at his words. Her legs suddenly felt a bit weak beneath her and cold sweat slowly rolled down her back.
She instinctively tried leaning away from the blade but the guard tugged her closer to him, the blade pressing further against her throat and that forced her to remain still.
A shaky breath escaped her lips and for the umpteenth time since she arrived here, she genuinely felt she was going to die today.
The other guard leaning against the pillar watching the scene with amusement dancing in his eyes.
"If you don’t speak in the next three seconds," he said. "He is really going to kill you"
Anning’s lips parted slightly, her heart pounding violently against her chest and despite how terrified she currently was, anger still burned hotly within her.
These people kept threatening to kill her as though her life meant absolutely nothing.
She clenched her fists tightly beside her body before saying through her clenching teeth.
"You bastard!"
