Chapter 1: The Sacrifice

“Giddy-up~”

Amid the violently jolting carriage, Hua Changxi, her hands and feet bound, opened her eyes. After a moment of confusion, her face filled with shock and fear.

She had been kidnapped!

Today was the day when Madam Hua had taken the women of the Hua family to Guangji Temple on the southern outskirts of the capital to pray for blessings.

Impatient with attending the temple’s ritual assembly, Hua Changxi had sneaked out alone, intending to see the famed matchmaking tree on the temple’s back hill. But no sooner had she reached the back hill than a sharp pain in her neck overcame her, and she lost consciousness.

Had she known such misfortune awaited, no matter how restless she was, she would have stayed close to her family.

Suppressing her panic, Hua Changxi forced herself to calm down and quickly surveyed the interior of the carriage.

Apart from herself, there was nothing else inside. Her hands were tied behind her back, and her feet were tightly bound, making even the slightest movement arduous.

“Bang, bang, bang~”

The carriage rattled violently as it sped along, the windows repeatedly clattering against the frame.

Watching the window open and close incessantly, a spark of hope lit in Hua Changxi’s eyes. Straining, she twisted her body, struggling to lift her bound legs onto the carriage wall, lying back in an L-shaped posture.

She then pressed her feet against the window ledge, rubbing her right shoe along the edge until it slipped out of the carriage.

After resting briefly with her eyes closed and estimating they had traveled another five kilometers, she repeated the motion, sending the other shoe out.

Her father was a detective with the Six Doors Bureau; once the family discovered she was missing, they would surely come searching. She hoped the two shoes would provide clues to her father.

Worrying the shoes might not suffice, she struggled against the carriage wall, bending over despite her bindings to grab the pouch at her waist. Using her hands tied behind her, she managed to pull it off and toss it out the window.

“Huh~”

Feeling the carriage slow, Hua Changxi quickly lay back down, closed her eyes, and feigned unconsciousness.

Soon after, the creak of the carriage door opening came.

She felt herself being dragged out like a lifeless sack, arms yanked by the kidnappers, then hoisted onto a shoulder like a mere bundle.

“To catch this one, we’ve wasted quite some time. Today’s the final deadline. I was worried we wouldn’t make the handover,” one kidnapper murmured.

Hearing their conversation, Hua Changxi’s heart plummeted.

She had thought her kidnapping was random — but the kidnappers were after her specifically!

Why?

Robbery?

There were plenty of wealthy merchants in the capital. The Hua family didn’t even employ servants; kidnapping her would yield no ransom.

Abduction for nefarious purposes?

She was only thirteen, her face still youthful, her body undeveloped. Even if sold to a brothel, she’d need years of grooming.

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