Falling into a Trap

Su Qing fell silent.

Xiu Fu fell silent.

Zhu Xing’er fell silent too.

Did they look that gullible?

Who faints conveniently on a main path, with a disciple jade token blatantly displayed at their waist?

The trio kept their tokens hidden close, afraid to let others see.

And that perfect fall, just showing off the token?

Too many coincidences—it screamed trap.

Without needing a glance, their journey’s unspoken bond sent them running.

Bamboo branches crunched underfoot.

At the same moment, over a dozen figures burst from the grove.

The leader, Wang Wu’er, shouted: “They’re escaping—chase them!”

Hearing this, Su Qing ran harder, head down.

“Into the woods, not the cave!”

The cave was open, no cover—a straight track, too easy to be caught.

The forest offered a chance to lose them.

She veered left, hoping to draw some pursuers, while Xiu Fu ran right.

They split three ways.

Easier said than done.

Su Qing’s sports skills were average—barely passing 800 meters.

Unfamiliar with mountains, she wasn’t a wilderness-raised kid.

After a few twists, she was disoriented, unsure where to run.

Wind roared in her ears, heart pounding, scenery blurring, roots tripping her.

Glancing back, three burly boys were a mere arm’s length away.

She weaved through bamboo, circling desperately, but they caught up.

One grabbed her sleeve, yanking.

The others flanked, pinning her arms, subduing her.

Face flushed, Su Qing snapped out of her escape focus, hearing Zhu Xing’er’s defiant yell: “Kill or cut, do as you please!”

Her angry words calmed Su Qing.

Zhu Xing’er’s outburst was bravado—she knew they wouldn’t dare harm them.

If they could, she wouldn’t talk so boldly.

Su Qing searched for Xiu Fu, hoping she’d escaped.

One out of three would be something.

Xiu Fu lasted longer but, exhausted and seeing her friends caught, gave up.

Alone, she couldn’t continue, so she stopped, letting herself be captured, hoping they’d find a way together.

The three were brought before Wang Wu’er.

At sixteen or seventeen, he was lean, sun-darkened, a typical country lad.

But his sharp, clear eyes gleamed with cunning—not a fool.

Su Qing wasn’t sure if reasoning would work, but she tried.

“We didn’t provoke you or grab that token. We three just want to travel, avoiding trouble. Why pick a fight and ruin the peace?”

Wang Wu’er twirled a branch, smirking: “If you went for the token, you’d deserve to be robbed. If you didn’t, you’ve got tokens already—still worth robbing.”

His shameless logic was clear: they were prey, no matter what.

Su Qing knew he’d gathered this group with promises—likely a token each.

“We’ll give you our tokens if you let us go. Deal?”

She thought of their three extra tokens.

Wang Wu’er didn’t bite, instead calling: “Liu’er, search them—carefully!”

A yellow-haired girl emerged, thin but strong, clearly used to farm work.

“Brother!” she said, eyeing Zhu Xing’er’s small silver earrings eagerly.

Wang Wu’er chuckled: “I know, you’ll get yours.”

Liu’er grinned, rummaging through Su Qing’s clothes without restraint.

She quickly found two tokens.

Wang Wu’er raised a brow, his look at Su Qing shifting.

Liu’er dug through Xiu Fu and Zhu Xing’er, finding the other four tokens.

Her rough handling sparked Zhu Xing’er’s temper.

As Liu’er searched, Zhu Xing’er bit her wrist hard.

Liu’er yelped, retaliating with a pinch to Zhu Xing’er’s waist.

Tears sprang to Zhu Xing’er’s eyes, and she let go.

Their entire belongings were taken—dry rations, the carefully rationed honey water.

Zhu Xing’er’s spare money was looted, her costly hairpin snatched and worn smugly by Liu’er.

Her silver earrings didn’t escape, though Liu’er, without pierced ears, tucked them in her chest.

Zhu Xing’er’s eyes reddened, furious and wronged.

All their journey’s efforts, handed to others.

Su Qing’s heart twisted, itching to flatten these bandits.

But she was powerless.

Wang Wu’er, seeing nothing left to take, told his lackeys: “Gag them, tie them in the back bamboo grove.”

Su Qing suppressed her anger: “You took everything. We can’t fight back—why go so far?”

Wang Wu’er laughed: “Why so dramatic? Once we’ve got enough tokens and leave, you can stay or go by your own skill.”

They were bound and led away.

In the back grove, they saw they weren’t alone—nine or ten others were tied up.

Five or six wore red, their clothes refined, clearly second-generation clan disciples.

Even they’d been ambushed by Wang Wu’er, tied to trees, with two guards watching.

Su Qing was tied to a sturdy tree, hands bound together.

Her captor cut a strip from her clothes, balled it, and stuffed it in her mouth.

Unwashed for days, her dusty, grimy clothes reeked.

The rough fabric gagged her, the stench hitting her senses.

She wanted to retch but couldn’t.

In her mind: Wang Wu’er, just wait.

Once they were bound and gagged without issue, the group left, instructing the guards to watch the clan disciples closely to avoid trouble for Wu’er.

The guards grumbled: “What’s to watch? They’re tied tight like fish in a barrel—can’t jump out.”

“Just keep an eye. If nothing goes wrong, Wu’er won’t short you.”

When they left, Su Qing, unnoticed in her corner, started small movements.

Two guards couldn’t watch a dozen people closely.

Her spot was conveniently secluded.

Zhu Xing’er spat out her gag, cursing: “You heartless thieves! Shameless robbers!”

The guards ignored her, moving to regag her.

Using the commotion, Su Qing slipped off her shoes and socks, rubbing her thigh.

A small cloth packet fell by her foot.

She carefully opened it with her toes—a gleaming knife shard inside.

This was what she’d hidden from Liu’er.

If Liu’er had searched like airport security, she’d have found it.

But she hadn’t—likely distracted by Zhu Xing’er’s jewelry.

Su Qing gripped the shard with her toes, bending her leg back to pass it to her bound hands.

Her toes stung—likely cut—but no matter, as long as it wasn’t tetanus.

She maneuvered the shard to her wrist, slowly sawing the rope.

It tested her flexibility; sweat poured after a few moves.

Her heart raced, pain unnoticed, unsure if she’d cut herself.

She kept sawing, straining her hands until the rope loosened and fell.

Success.

Suppressing excitement, she acted normal, cutting the ropes around her waist behind the tree.

To her right, a red-clad captive, tightly gagged, noticed her.

His eyes begged: Save me!

Su Qing thought: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

She signaled with her eyes, unsure if he understood: Quiet, I’ll save you.

She was a first-time “spy,” nervous about being caught at this critical moment.

The man, unsure if he got it, kicked a pebble past several trees, hitting another red-clad captive’s foot.

That triggered something.

The second man spat out his gag, roaring: “You dare tie me up? You’re done! Let me go, and I might spare you—otherwise, blood will spill!”

The guards groaned: “Why’s this gag so loose? Got extra rope to tie his mouth?”

The man kept shouting: “Let me loose, and we’ll duel—see who wins!”

A guard punched him: “Keep dreaming.”

Amid the chaos, Su Qing cut her ropes, then slipped to the next tree while the guards dealt with the shouting man, slicing his ropes in one go.

She whispered: “Stall them. I’ll free others.”

He nodded gravely, stretching and stepping forward.

Su Qing repeated the process, freeing several more.

Soon, the odds shifted—two against four, then six.

The guards were quickly subdued.

Su Qing freed Xiu Fu, Zhu Xing’er, and the rest.

The tide turned fast.

By the time Su Qing retrieved her socks and shoes, the victims had rallied, ready to hunt Wang Wu’er.

Eyes blazed, fists clenched, eager for payback.

But…

Su Qing pointed out: “We’re going empty-handed?”

Her group was poor, fine.

But these clan disciples must have something—family techniques, protective treasures—to bolster courage.

She didn’t believe Wang Wu’er could’ve taken everything; some clan secrets must be beyond him.

The red-clad disciples exchanged humiliated looks.

The one who’d signaled her stepped forward, clasping his fists. “I’m Tang Jiu, from Tianque City’s Tang Clan. Thank you for saving us. May I have your name?”

Su Qing mimicked him awkwardly. “Uh, I’m Su Qing.”

Tang Jiu gave a bitter smile. “Truth is, our elders dote on us, giving protective treasures. But after entering Tianxia Sword Mountain’s ten-li range, our spiritual meridians clogged. We couldn’t use spiritual energy or open storage bags.”

The pebble-kicked, shouting disciple, Tang Yu, fumed: “Otherwise, how could those lowlifes ambush us, stealing our swords and tokens? Let’s go get our stuff back!”

Su Qing thought: No wonder Wang Wu’er caught the Tang Clan.

If she hadn’t been robbed too, she’d almost find his hustle inspiring.

“I counted at least fifteen with Wang Wu’er. We’re only twelve,” Su Qing worried. “How do we turn this around?”

She could work, but fighting? She was clueless.

Xiu Fu and Zhu Xing’er were no better—none of them even good at escaping.

Tang Jiu pondered: “Climbing the main peak takes at least a week. Subtract that and travel time, there’s no time to find new tokens. And who knows if any remain ahead?”

He resolved: “We’ll need help from other sects.”

An ally call.

Tang Yu’s face fell. “Jiu-bro, can’t we think of another way? This is humiliating…”

Zhu Xing’er muttered: “Calling for help is embarrassing, but being tied up isn’t?”

Tang Yu caught something. “What’d you say?”

She deflected: “Nothing, just thinking how to deal with them—tie them all up. That wretched girl stole my hairpin and silver, ugh!”

Su Qing feared delays. “You decide. If we can help, just say. But nothing too dangerous. We only want our stolen stuff back—nothing else.”

Tang Jiu agreed: “Of course. Even giving you everything wouldn’t be enough. Thanks for helping us escape.”

He didn’t hesitate, pulling a talisman paper from his sleeve, cutting his finger to draw with blood.

The blood flowed, forming strange symbols with a golden shimmer.

As Su Qing marveled at the cultivation world’s wonders, the paper caught fire, choking them with ash.

Tang Jiu smiled awkwardly: “Uneven spiritual energy. That one’s ruined.”

He tried another, but it burned too.

Tang Jiu: …

Su Qing: …

Tang Yu, embarrassed, muttered: “We usually use spiritual energy for talismans. Without it, we use blood, which has some spiritual residue, but it’s not the same. Jiu-bro’s already skilled.”

The third talisman worked, golden symbols flashing before vanishing.

Tang Jiu, sweating, sighed in relief. “This message talisman will call sect allies within fifty li. Our Tang Clan has good ties—someone should come soon…”

Before he finished, Wang Wu’er’s pleading voice echoed: “Great heroes, immortals, my sister Liu’er is young and foolish. Her mistakes are mine—punish me instead!”

Tang Yu’s eyes lit up: “That was fast! Jiu-bro, our Tang Clan’s got serious pull!”