Chapter 36: Escape from the Cave, leave here, the farther the better!
Liu Yeshu slowly awoke, her head groggy and her limbs stiff and numb. She struggled to open her eyes, only to find herself in a dark cave. The light was dim, and the ceiling was dripping with water, the sound of it echoing in her ears.
She tried to move, but found herself powerless, as if bound by invisible ropes, and every muscle was unable to obey her command.
Footsteps echoed from the cave entrance, followed by the sight of a man slowly approaching. Liu Yeshu held her breath, nervously looking at him. Only when he reached a brighter spot did she see his features clearly.
He was a strange young man, with a burly build, shabby clothes, and an innocent look on his face, like a child.
The man squatted down and looked at her with his head tilted, curiosity and concern in his eyes.
"Are you awake?" the man's voice echoed in the cave.
Liu Yeshu struggled to pull the corners of her mouth and asked, "Who are you? Why am I here?"
The man scratched his messy hair, as if trying to recall something. Finally, he smiled innocently and replied, "My name is Dazhu. I saw you fell asleep, so I brought you back."
"Did you see me pass out?"
Dazhu nodded and gestured excitedly: "Yes, I followed you at the foot of the mountain. I saw you walking, and someone secretly pricked you with a needle from behind, and then you fell down. That person, that person wanted to take you away, and I snatched you back!" When he said this, there was a bit of pride on his face.
So that's how it is... Liu Yeshu's mind flashed back to the chill she felt on her neck before she fainted.
"Who is that man? Do you know where he is taking me?"
Dazhu shook his head with a confused expression: "I don't know who he is. I just saw that he wanted to catch you, so I snatched you away." After that, he described the man's figure and the specific process of the fight in a dramatic manner.
"He was shorter than me, thin, and moved very quickly. He was wearing black clothes and had a cloth covering his face. I saw him poke you in the back with a needle, and then you fell down. I rushed over, and he tried to run, but I grabbed his arm and we wrestled for a while. He was weak, so I used all my strength to snatch you from him."
As Dazhu spoke, he gestured in the air, as if he was back to the moment of the fight.
As Liu Yeshu listened to Dazhu's description, a familiar figure emerged in her mind: Yang Qing. That man, with his gloomy face and flickering eyes, looked almost identical to the one Dazhu had described.
She suppressed her suspicions and whispered, "Dazhu, you saved me, thank you." After a pause, she tentatively asked, "But why have you been following me?"
Dazhu tilted his head, a matter-of-fact expression on his face, but his answer was unexpected -
"Because you are my wife."
*
"……What?"
Dazhu nodded seriously: "My sister said, you are my wife, so I want to follow you."
Liu Yeshu's heart instantly turned to a mess. How could this be possible? She and Dazhu had never met before, so how could she become his "wife"? She tried to sit up, but she couldn't muster the strength. Her neck stiffened, but she fell back down halfway.
"Who is your sister?"
Dazhu seemed to be stumped by this question and scratched his head: "My sister is my sister. Who else could my sister be? My sister is my sister..."
Liu Yeshu realized that Dazhu's intelligence level was obviously different from that of ordinary people, and it was impossible to communicate with him normally.
She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
"Dazhu, listen carefully, I'm not your wife. You and your sister must have recognized the wrong person."
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Dazhu laughed foolishly: "Why do you all say that?"
"Everyone?"
Dazhu stood up, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes, and turned to Liu Yeshu and said, "Come on, I'll take you to see my wives!"
Liu Yeshu's heart tightened upon hearing this, and she felt a chill run down her spine. She tried to struggle, but found her entire body still numb and powerless, unable to move at all. Knowing she couldn't resist, she calmed down and pondered how to respond.
Seeing that she didn't move, Dazhu walked up to her and hugged her, his hand already reaching her shoulders.
"Don't touch me!"
Dazhu's hand froze in mid-air, and he looked at Liu Yeshu with a confused expression, obviously not understanding why she was suddenly so resistant. He muttered, "You're my wife, what's wrong with me touching you?"
Liu Yeshu suppressed her disgust and softened her attitude: "I am your wife, yes, but I want to leave on my own. You can't be so rash."
Dazhu was stunned for a moment, as if thinking about her words, then reluctantly withdrew his hand and took a step back.
Liu Yeshu felt a slight sense of relief, but she didn't let her guard down. She had a vague feeling that things were far more complicated than she'd imagined. The "wives-in-law" Dazhu mentioned might be the young women who had recently disappeared.
But since she woke up until now, she has never seen any other woman, nor heard any woman's voice.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but feel a chill on her back, and a chill spread along her spine.
"Dazhu, your daughters-in-law...where are they?"
Dazhu grinned, pointed outside, and said foolishly: "Some of them have fallen asleep and can't be woken up even if I call them. I buried them, and they will wake up next spring." His tone was relaxed, as if he was just talking about something extremely ordinary.
Hearing this, Liu Yeshu broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
"The ones that were asleep... When did you bury them?"
Dazhu used his fingers to count the times, as if recalling something, and then replied, "Some were buried a long time ago, and some were buried not long ago."
When Liu Yeshu heard this, horrific scenes flashed through her mind. Thinking of those innocent women who might have died tragically in this cave, she felt nauseous.
She struggled to suppress the shock in her heart and continued to ask in a calm tone, "Dazhu...does your sister know about this?"
Dazhu was stunned for a moment: "Of course! My sister is the best person in the world to me. She asked me to take good care of them and water them regularly!"
Just as Liu Yeshu was thinking about how to escape, the smile on Dazhu's face suddenly became more excited, and there was a hint of inexplicable urgency in his tone.
"By the way, you are my daughter-in-law, and we are going to have our wedding night tonight."
Liu Yeshu felt numb all over and cold sweat instantly seeped out of her forehead.
She calmed herself down and said, "Dazhu, of course we need a bridal chamber, but you have to prepare some things first. I can't move right now, and you can't let your wife be in such a mess, right?"
Dazhu scratched his head, as if he felt that what she said made sense, and hesitated for a moment: "You are right, I have to find you something to eat so that you can recover your strength." After he said that, he grinned, turned and walked out of the cave.
Looking at Dazhu's back as he walked away, Liu Yeshu's heart was beating like a drum and cold sweat was dripping down his forehead.
She took a deep breath and silently called out in her heart: "Baike, is there any way for me to recover?"
Among the herbs you planted in the General's Mansion, there is indeed a plant called 'Baijie Grass' that can quickly dispel anesthetics. However, since you are currently in a cave and cannot directly access it, the system can help you prepare a dose, but it will cost you points.
“How many points are needed?”
[It is exactly one-third of your current points balance. ]
Liu Yeshu said without hesitation: "Okay. I have a lot of herbs planted in the general's mansion, and I also want to exchange it for a kind of anesthetic poison. You can help me prepare it, and it must work quickly."
【Okay, host.】
Faint points of light appeared before her eyes like fireflies, and Liu Yeshu's limbs gradually regained consciousness. She moved her fingers and wrists slightly, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. At the same time, the system had already stored the "Dream Powder" in her system space, ready for use at any time.
Not long after, Dazhu came back as expected, carrying a basket of wild fruits in his hand. He walked into the cave excitedly with an innocent smile on his face: "Wife, I found some fruits for you. You will get better after eating them." He put the basket in front of Liu Yeshu, his eyes full of expectation.
Liu Yeshu realized that this might be her only chance to escape. She suppressed her inner discomfort, pretending to be unable to move, and said weakly, "Dazhu, I still can't move. Can you help me pass the fruit to my mouth?"
She forced a weak smile, trying her best to appear harmless.
Upon hearing this, Dazhu unhesitatingly picked up a fruit and held it to Liu Yeshu's lips. She took a light bite, pretending to be sour and bitter. "Is there any water?"
While Dazhu turned around to get some water, Liu Yeshu quickly took out the sleeping powder from her system and delicately smeared the powder on a few fruits.
"You can eat with us," she said softly.
The more Dazhu looked at her, the more beautiful she became. She didn't scold him or hit him, much better than his previous wives. He nodded happily and grabbed a few wild fruits and stuffed them into his mouth.
In a moment, his eyes began to become blurred and his movements became slower and slower.
"Dazhu, are you sleepy?" Liu Yeshu asked cautiously.
Dazhu blinked, swayed a little, and seemed to be a little unsteady. He said vaguely: "I'm a little sleepy...Wife, I'll sleep for a while..." He stood up shakily, turned around and wanted to leave, but suddenly turned back, his expression became a little alert.
"But...but there are wolves in the mountains, my wife can't run around..." He muttered, took out a rope from his waist, and stumbled towards Liu Yeshu.
After tying Liu Yeshu's hands and feet, he showed a satisfied smile and patted Liu Yeshu's shoulder: "Wife, I, I'm going to sleep first, don't run around..." After that, he moved step by step to the entrance of the cave, and finally couldn't hold on anymore, and fell asleep against the stone wall.
Seeing that he was fast asleep, Liu Yeshu immediately moved sideways, stood up and jumped to the stone wall of the cave. With her back to the rough rock, she began to rub it with the edge of the rope.
"Hurry up, hurry up..." She muttered to herself, sweat dripping down her forehead.
The rope finally began to loosen, and she continued to work hard, speeding up her movements little by little.
Finally, the rope broke with a snap in her hand.
Liu Yeshu quickly untied the ropes around her feet, stood up, and ran out, holding onto the stone wall. Outside the cave, the night was dark and the mountain wind was howling. She walked lightly, but didn't dare make the slightest sound.
In the distance, Dazhu was still sleeping soundly against the cave entrance, unaware of anything.
Liu Yeshu was panting and running desperately down the mountain. She didn't know what mountain this was, but she had only one thought at this moment - to leave here, the farther the better!
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