Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 219 The Slave Turns on His Betrayal
Cai Zhu'er pondered and weighed the current situation.

The furnishings and objects in this palace exuded extravagance, yet seemed completely out of place with their owner. A gold wine goblet inlaid with turquoise lay overturned on the floor, and dark red stains, whether from undried blood or spilled wine, were visible on the disheveled carpet. Several weapons of different styles were carelessly discarded in a corner, some with dull blades, others filthy, reflecting a cold light, while luxurious silks were piled up nearby, seemingly for casually wiping the weapons.

Instead of the curtains hanging beside the couch, a string of animal bones was hanging, mostly wolf heads and ox horns. There were also many bones in the pottery jars beside the couch, whose species and parts were indistinguishable. They all seemed to be Munandon's spoils of war.

In the center of the palace stood a black iron cage, several of its bars twisted and deformed, with dark brown blood clots forming at the bottom. Chains were nailed to the carved, gilded pillars inside the cage; though the chains ended empty, the claw marks on the pillars clearly indicated that living creatures were frequently bound here and subjected to cruel torture.

Seeing Cai Zhu'er's gaze fall on the iron cage, Mu Nandun picked up the chain and said, "I like to tame pets, wild beasts, birds of prey, and slaves. Those who obey will be rewarded handsomely, and those who disobey will be punished... Don't worry, my beauty, I brought you here to enjoy yourself, and I won't treat you so roughly."

I had heard that the Little Prince was tyrannical, cruel, and bloodthirsty, but now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I know that it was true.

Pleasure? What kind of pleasure could there be in summoning a death row inmate?
Suppressing her nausea, Cai Zhu'er reminded him, "Your Highness Munandun, the Princess punished me for blasphemy against the royal family. In ten days, I will be burned at the stake as a sacrifice. How could a prisoner as sinful as me be worthy of your amusement?"

Munandon didn't care: "What's the big deal? I took a liking to you in the council hall that day. There are still ten days left. As long as you obediently become my slave and serve me well, I might even beg my mother to spare your life. It's just a sacrifice. It doesn't matter who gets burned. I can just find another slave to be the sacrifice."

Cai Zhu'er's heart sank.

This little prince was both foolish and wicked. He didn't understand the power struggle between the princess and Aisha at all, and thought of himself as a prisoner who could be manipulated at will and enslaved with just a few words. Little did he know that the princess would never leave her alive as a threat, and even Aisha could only try to delay her death. As long as he couldn't completely seize power, he was just a pawn that had to be sacrificed.

Therefore, her current situation is extremely unfavorable to her. It would be easy for Munandon to bully her, and being his slave would be worse than death. In the end, she would not escape the fate of being burned as a sacrifice. Would she have to suffer endless torment before she died?
No, she had to find a way to save herself.
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As she pondered, Munandon's tall figure approached, his rough fingers clamping down on Caizhu'er's chin.

The pungent, hot air hit her face, and Cai Zhu frowned, trying to turn her head away to break free from his grip. However, her strength was no match for Mu Nandun's.

Munandon sized her up with his greasy, lustful gaze and sneered, "How come I didn't know that a prisoner could wear such light and soft gauze? It seems my brother is quite concerned about you."

Cai Zhu'er was forced to retreat step by step: "Your Highness Mu Nandun, I am a witness brought back by the First Prince. He will not stand idly by and take me out of the prison without permission..."

scoff-

Ignoring everything, Munandon tore at her clothes, the bright red gauze tearing under his brute force. Half of her snow-white shoulder was exposed, provoking him to bite and suck like a wild beast.

"Do you think I'm afraid of him?" Munandon chuckled. "You don't think he's taking good care of you in prison because he can't bear to see you suffer, do you? Oh, my beauty, don't be fooled by him. Aisha is good at pretending. He has no heart at all. Everything he does is to achieve his own goals, even at the cost of sacrificing his closest loved ones."

"You... let me go!" Cai Zhu'er's reason nearly snapped. The chains rattled and vibrated the moment her lower back hit the iron cage.

She suddenly bent her knee and rammed it hard into the other person's groin, but Munandon had anticipated this. He slightly turned to the side and used his leg armor to block, and then picked her up horizontally.

Munandon walked to the edge of the tatami mat and said excitedly, "So it's just a little wild fox? I like it... Ah!"

When her first attack failed, Cai Zhuer fiercely bit his throat, tearing a chunk of flesh from Mu Nandun's neck. The intense pain forced him to release her and throw her to the ground.

With her hands bound, Cai Zhu struggled to her feet and tried to escape, but she was no match for Mu Nandun. While dodging, she tripped over a pottery jar and fell into a corner, scattering shards of pottery and animal bones all over the ground. Mu Nandun, clutching his neck, pounced again, enraged, "You dare bite me? Believe me or not, I'll smash your teeth!"

He threw a punch at Cai Zhu'er, who turned her head to avoid it.

She held a shard of pottery in her hand, constantly cutting the ropes binding her. In her haste, the shard cut her fingertips and wrists, drawing blood, but she paid no heed to the pain. She could only dodge Munandon's furious attacks while trying to buy herself some time.

Fu Feng will soon find himself out of the cell and will surely tell Ai Sha. Even if it's just for the common good, Ai Sha will likely come to stop Munandon.

In the chaos, Cai Zhu'er bit off the gold ring from Mu Nandun's earlobe. By this time, her clothes were disheveled, and blood dripped down Mu Nandun's ear cartilage onto the hollow of her collarbone, further stimulating Mu Nandun's brutality.

"You lowly slave!" Munandon grabbed her by the neck and punched her again.

"Ugh!" Cai Zhu had nowhere to escape, so she could only close her eyes and wait for the excruciating pain to begin.

Just then, with a whistle, a sand eagle burst through the window, its sharp beak aimed at Munandon's head and face, its flapping wings obscuring his vision.

Munandon was forced to stop and use his arm to block the attack.

He recognized the desert eagle and immediately roared, "Aisha! Keep your feathered beast in check!"

Badan stopped the guards at the door, and Aisha walked in. Seeing the mess in the room and the exhausted Caizhu, he frowned and said, "I should be saying that, Munandon, keep your beasts in check!"

Finally, the two stopped.

Aisha called out, "Kurz."

The desert eagle ceased its attack and perched on the string of hanging animal bones.

Cai Zhu'er also cut the ropes, her hands were freed, and she struggled to sit up, leaning against the wall, still shaken as she straightened her tattered clothes.

She tried to stay out of it, listening to the two brothers' argument.

Munandun said, "Brother, how dare you trespass into my palace? And you even dare to order this hairy beast to attack me? Aren't you afraid I'll tell Father and Mother and punish you for crippling your limbs!"

Aisha said innocently, "I was just looking for my lost pet. How could I have harmed my sibling? Kurz accidentally broke into my brother's palace and probably mistook him for a thief, which is why he attacked me rashly. It was just a misunderstanding. Didn't I stop him in time?"

Knowing he couldn't win the argument, Mu Nandun pointed at Cai Zhu'er and said, "Is this also your beloved pet, brother? I knew it, she's been your slave for a long time. As usual, what brother has played with, I want to play with too."

Aisha glanced at Caizhu'er and said indifferently, "The pet I was referring to is Kurz. As for her... she's just a sacrifice. If this sacrifice weren't so fierce and fragile, it wouldn't have been a problem to leave her to my brother to play with."
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Next chapter: I know she no longer believes me.