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Chapter 424 Quicksand
Zhu Yu felt that her arms, which had been tightly held by the two people around her, were finally released. Without even rubbing her aching arms, she quickly untied and tore off the cloth strips binding her eyes.

When she was blindfolded, she felt uneasy, as if the other party wouldn't let her out so easily.

After all, she had sneaked out of the building to wander around a few days ago without being scolded, which clearly showed an attitude of neither encouraging nor fearing her.

But today, when they said they were going to take her out, she was blindfolded and had to be carried around, which was very unusual.

There was also the damp, cold smell around us, and the creaking of the iron gate—none of these were there when we arrived.

Zhu Yu was certain that she was not at the main entrance of the small mountain building at this moment.

After tearing off the cloth strip from his face, Zhu Yu finally saw his predicament clearly.

The light around her was very dim, with only the flickering flames of the torches on the wall casting a dim, dancing light around her.

Two tall, burly guards stood in front of her; these were the two who had "carried" her downstairs.

Standing behind the two guards, Granny Shi's old face looked strangely eerie in the flickering torchlight.

"Granny Shi, what... what are you doing?" Zhu Yu pretended to be a little confused, looking around at the dark earthen walls and the pitch-black environment where no light could be seen. "Didn't you say you would take me out? This... this shouldn't be the way out, right?"

Granny Shi smiled and said, "You mean that door from before? No, no, no, that door is for people to enter our little mountain building, not for people to leave."

I asked you repeatedly upstairs and tried to persuade you to stay, but you insisted on leaving, so there's nothing I can do about it.

These days, you've been eating and drinking in our little mountain house. I even found a doctor to examine your pulse and prepare tonics for you, but you still wouldn't stay, no matter how much I tried to persuade you.

Our little mountain building isn't a place where people can eat and drink for free, coming and going as they please? That won't do.

So, I've brought you here. The way out is behind you. Since you've decided to leave, we don't want to waste any more time seeing you off.

Xiaoshanlou has treated you with utmost kindness and generosity; now it's up to fate whether you have a good life or not.

Zhu Yu felt uneasy. Looking at Granny Shi's tone and eyes, she could clearly see a hint of malice in them. So she quickly said, "Granny, it's not that I don't know how to be grateful. If you had said so earlier, I would have stayed."

I've changed my mind. Otherwise, I'll stay here and keep my sister company!

"Hehehe, there's really no need for that." Granny Shi waved her hand impatiently, signaling the two guards to block Zhu Yu and prevent her from getting close to her. "What do you think Xiaoshanlou is? You think you can stay here whenever you want and leave whenever you want?"
I gave you two a chance back then to honor you, but you didn't appreciate it. So don't blame Granny Shi for not giving you a second chance.

But don't worry, your sister is a sensible person. She'll stay here, and I'll definitely treat her well.

As for you…

Granny Shi gave Zhu Yu another once more, looking him up and down with a half-smile: "Good luck to you!"

After saying that, she waved her hand, and the others quickly turned around and left with her. The burly guards walked at the back, closed and locked an iron gate, and then closed another door that looked very heavy.

The light was too dim. Zhu Yu looked closely but still couldn't tell if the door was made of wood or stone. In any case, it was thick and heavy. Even for such a large guard, it took two people to push the door shut. In other words, with his own strength, there was no way he could possibly open those two doors again.

After both doors were closed, the surroundings became completely silent. Zhu Yu stood there motionless, listening intently to the sounds around him.

There was nothing there; not even the sound of Granny Shi and the others leaving could be heard.

While noise and commotion can be irritating, excessive quiet can also be unsettling.

Zhu Yu took a deep breath and tried to calm his heartbeat.

She didn't rush to do anything, but instead carefully observed her surroundings and analyzed her current situation.

She should be at the entrance of a tunnel now, with her retreat route blocked and the only way forward being an exit not far away.

However, the faint fishy smell in the air made Zhu Yu feel a strong sense of unease.

This will definitely not be an easy road, and it may not even be a road that allows you to get out alive.

Judging from Granny Shi's reaction just now, Zhu Yu already had a guess—all the women who were brought into this small mountain building, whether they agreed or not to stay, would have the same fate.

No one could leave the small hillhouse alive and continue living their life freely.

What lies ahead is unknown; it may be a perilous journey, fraught with danger, with traps or other deadly obstacles lurking at any moment.

The first thought that came to Zhu Yu's mind was to stay where she was.

Since he had already guessed that no one was allowed to leave alive from this small mountain building, and that there were likely many dangers ahead, he might as well stay here. Here, he only had to worry about hunger and thirst, and at least there were no other dangers.

The moment the thought crossed Zhu Yu's mind, he involuntarily frowned.

Judging from how familiar those people were with the place, they must have dealt with countless disobedient girls here before.

Therefore, it's impossible that only I could come up with such a method.

She looked around, and all she could see were hard, dark earthen walls. There wasn't a single corpse in sight, not even a skeletal remnant.

It seems that waiting in place to conserve energy and await rescue is not an option.

They must have some way of forcing people to go into that tunnel...

Just as Zhu Yu had this guess, he heard a rustling sound coming from behind him. Turning around, he saw that a hole had suddenly opened above the iron gate, and fine sand was falling from the hole.

The fine sand was so fine and dry that it began to spread outwards after falling to the ground, just like water.

The sand fell faster and faster, piling up on the ground and quickly submerging Zhu Yu's ankles.