Chapter 202: Counterattack, Vent the Anger (6,000 chapters, please subscribe!)
Zhong Min's guess was absolutely correct. From the moment Shangguan Hong came up with this idea, this so-called life and death game had officially begun. Fortunately, Shangguan Hong did not restrict her freedom of movement in and out of the villa. Of course, this was on the premise that she could not make any abnormal moves, otherwise someone would immediately come out to stop her, either openly or secretly.
When she emerged from the front hall, the same man who had led the way continued to escort Zhong Min back to her previous room. Remembering Shangguan Hong's predatory expression, she felt a surge of disgust. She had seen this kind of gambling game where people's lives were treated as a game before, in television and movies, but this time, she had never expected to become a pawn in a real-life gambling game.
Placing one's own happiness above the lives of others, treating human life like grass, was a completely inhumane act. Zhong Min couldn't imagine the depth of her hatred for Shangguan Hong. How could such a good man treat a small figure like her in such a perverted way?
Forget it, let’s not think about it for now. Although she really wants to know the truth, she doesn’t want to hear it from Shangguan Hong now, because if she does, it means she will lose her only life.
After returning to the room, Xier seemed to have cleaned it up, and the things inside had been carried out and put away. After the man sent Zhong Min back, he just said that someone would bring food later, and then left without saying anything else.
Servants were waiting outside the door, and many eyes were watching every move outside and around the house. Fortunately, there wasn't anyone inside watching them face-to-face 24 hours a day, leaving at least a little privacy. Zhong Min knew this wasn't Shangguan Hong showing any special favor, but if someone was constantly watching over them, the game wouldn't work at all.
What's more, in Shangguan Hong's eyes, the entire villa is a golden cage. With so many people guarding and watching, any movement of Zhong Min can be known immediately. Naturally, there is no need to guard face to face 24 hours a day.
"Jin'er, have you met the owner of this villa? Who is he? Why did he save us? Did you thank him properly? And..."
Xier's questions came one after another like beads, and she seemed very excited. No wonder, for such a mysterious person, anyone would be curious.
Zhong Min naturally didn't say anything in a hurry. He closed the door first, then walked into the inner room, sat down, closed his eyes and rested as if he was very tired.
"What's wrong? Are you tired? You were fine when you left, but now you look like a frosted eggplant?" Jin'er was very surprised and hurried over. She stretched out her hands to massage the temples on both sides of Zhong Min's head.
Xier's technique was very comfortable. Zhong Min subconsciously hummed twice and let Xier massage her. You know, it takes a lot of brain cells to deal with such a fox-like person.
Seeing that Zhong Min still didn't say anything and looked like he was trying to relax, Xier immediately understood and shut her mouth. She suppressed her curiosity and concentrated on massaging Zhong Min.
She knew Zhong Min's personality well. She knew that the girl must have her own reasons for not saying anything at this time, so she would not continue to ask. When the time came, she would tell her naturally. There was no need to rush.
After pressing for half an hour, Zhong Min seemed to have fallen asleep. Her breathing was even and her expression was extremely relaxed. Xier gently took her hand away but there was no reaction at all.
"She's asleep, girl!" Xi'er muttered softly, shaking her head with a smile as she spoke. She tiptoed to the bed, intending to get a thin blanket for Zhong Min to cover herself with. The weather was getting colder now, and if she didn't cover herself with something before bed, she'd probably catch a cold.
After picking up her things and walking back, Xier realized before she even reached Zhong Min that the girl was staring at her with her eyes wide open. She immediately found it hilarious and was about to ask Zhong Min if she had just pretended or if she had actually fallen asleep. However, Zhong Min's reaction was quite quick. Before she could even open her mouth, the girl quickly put her hand to her lips, silencing her.
Zhong Min's expression was very serious, with a rare solemnity. Xier was unconsciously controlled by Zhong Min's aura. She subconsciously stopped talking and closed her mouth tightly. The expression on her face also became extremely solemn.
What on earth had happened? Before she had time to think about it, she saw Zhong Min had already stood up, walked towards her, reached out and pulled her, and took her to sit on the edge of the bed.
"Walls have ears!" Zhong Min stood close to Xier and whispered these four words in her ear in the smallest voice.
Xier suddenly understood. This girl must have done it on purpose, but how could someone outside be eavesdropping on them? What on earth had happened? They had just been rescued, but why did it feel like they were being held captive again? Even their conversation was being overheard. This seemed like a serious problem.
"What's going on?" Xier also lowered her voice and asked Zhong Min with a worried look on her face.
Seeing this, Zhong Min pricked up her ears again, then quietly told Xier about Shangguan Hong's life-or-death bet. This sort of thing couldn't be hidden from Xier, and perhaps Xier could be of significant assistance in their escape. Furthermore, they were a team, and she simply hoped Xier wouldn't be burdened too much, as it might hinder the already difficult escape.
After hearing what Zhong Min said, Xier's expression became extremely nervous and flustered. If Zhong Min had not been prepared and reminded her again, she would have wanted to scream.
Seeing this, Zhong Min had no choice but to comfort them again. In fact, it seemed that they were in a very disadvantageous position in this so-called life-and-death gamble, but they were not completely without a chance. It was just that they really needed to use their brains carefully and must not lose their courage or panic, as this would only make things worse.
Xier has always believed in Zhong Min's words. In this situation, she will naturally obey her orders. Her life is not in her own hands, so she might as well give it all and listen to Zhong Min. If she is lucky, she may still have a chance of survival.
"Jin'er, tell me what we should do. I'll do whatever you say!" That damn Shangguan Hong, what kind of bastard is that? Xi'er hated him to death in her heart, but hatred alone was of no use now. She knew that her only hope was Zhong Min.
"Xier, don't be anxious. We have to take a long-term view on this matter. We can't be impatient. We only have one chance and we must succeed in one go." After all, even the opportunity to take action is very rare. Once the action is discovered, it means that there will be no more chances, and they can only sit and wait for death.
She hadn't thought of any good solution yet. If she spoke too firmly, it would definitely put more pressure on Xier, so she couldn't say much now. The only thing she could do was to calm down and think of a solution.
Seeing this, Xier knew that she had not found the best solution yet, but she was no longer as panicked as before. She also calmed down and thought about it. Although she might not be able to think of anything useful, at least she would not disturb her sensitive mind.
Not long after, dinner was brought over. Zhong Min took a look at the table full of food and decided not to think too much about it. He pulled Xier to sit down and started eating.
Shangguan Hong finally did something humane. Before killing her, it seemed he wasn't stingy with the good food and drinks. That's right, how could a man like him be stingy with such a small amount of money? As the old saying goes, "The sky is big, the earth is big, but eating is the biggest." Even if the sky falls, there are still taller people to support it. Before the final step, you have to do what you should do. That's the only way to be worthy of yourself.
But Xier was not as open-minded as her. Seeing Zhong Min eating so heartlessly and happily, she didn't even want to touch the chopsticks and had no appetite at all.
"Why aren't you eating?" Zhong Min smiled and said, "Don't worry, eat it. He won't have to poison us to death right now."
"Jin'er, can you really eat this?" Xi'er frowned, wondering how Zhong Min could act like nothing had happened. She just couldn't do it, couldn't stop thinking about it, couldn't stop worrying about it.
Zhong Min knew that Xier was worried, and it was no wonder that the girl was worried. In fact, she was the same. But not eating would not help. It would be better to eat and drink enough, and retain enough energy and physical strength, so that she could think of a better solution.
"Xi'er, why think so much? When life is good, you should enjoy it to the fullest. Drink while you can, you know? Just not eating or drinking can solve the problem." At this point, Zhong Min suddenly whispered in Xi'er's ear with a smile, "If you don't eat or drink, even if you find a way to escape, you won't be able to move."
As soon as these words were spoken, Xier suddenly came to her senses. She nodded repeatedly, as if she understood. Without saying anything else, she picked up the bowl and chopsticks and started eating.
After finishing the things on the table, Xier called the person guarding the door to remove the remaining things. The two of them did not do anything else and rested for a while. Seeing that it was getting late, they went to bed.
Nothing happened throughout the night. When they woke up the next day, they did the same thing as the day before, eating and drinking as they pleased. After they were full, they even told the maid at the door that they had stayed in the house for too long and wanted to take a walk in the courtyard.
The maidservant naturally agreed and found a few people to follow them, saying they were leading the way, but in reality, everyone knew it was just surveillance. Zhong Min naturally didn't care. Such things were well known to everyone. Those people also knew whether she was visiting the garden or not. It was just that both parties were abiding by the so-called rules of the game.
Unless Zhong Min actually made any attempt to escape, those people would be able to stop her immediately. Otherwise, even if they knew that she was observing the terrain and looking for opportunities, they could only watch her cautiously.
It didn't take Zhong Min and Xier too long to tour the villa. Her excellent professional skills allowed her to quickly figure out the defense arrangements in various places in the villa. There were naturally no obvious loopholes. Even if there were, with her skills and the fact that she had to bring Xier with her, it would be harder than climbing to the sky for two living people to leave here without being noticed.
But the road to Shu is difficult, harder than climbing to the sky, but you have to go up, right? Zhong Min snorted in her heart, this time I will go up to the sky to show you bastards.
For two days, Zhong Min made no attempt to escape. Instead, she and Xi'er ate, drank, played, and rested, as if they hadn't given the bet a second thought. Their behavior naturally attracted the attention of those watching, and Shangguan Hong felt increasingly uneasy as he kept reporting the same thing every day.
"Why, they still don't show any abnormality today?" Shangguan Hong asked the servant standing beside him while teasing the bird in the cage.
The attendant answered truthfully, "Master, those two still haven't shown any abnormalities. I find it very strange, too. Time is running out, but they haven't even tried once. Could it be that they've given up?"
The attendant felt this was the most likely possibility. After all, anyone with a discerning eye would know there was no way escape was possible. Zhong Min was also an extremely intelligent person, and he probably didn't want to waste any more energy. It would be better to eat, drink, have fun, and rest well before dying than to do useless work.
However, his idea was not recognized by his master. Shangguan Hong mocked him, "Do you think she is you? Use your brain. If she gives up so easily, there is no need for me to change my mind and make this bet with her."
"Master, what you mean is that Zhong Min is deliberately confusing us, trying to make us let down our guard, and then wait for the right opportunity to strike at one stroke?" The servant was not too stupid after all, and immediately understood what Shangguan Hong meant.
Shangguan Hong sprinkled some food on the caged bird and said to himself, "Wait, I'm really looking forward to her counterattack."
After saying this, he waved his hand. Seeing this, the servant said nothing more and quickly bowed to Shangguan Hong before quickly retreating. However, the servant was now completely confused about his master's thoughts.
The master just said that he was very much looking forward to the counterattack of the woman named Zhong Min. What did he mean by that? Did the master want the woman to win or lose?
He couldn't help but shake his head. His master's thoughts were always difficult to predict, and now he had come up with something like this, which had almost thrown their original plan off guard. You know, if they stayed in this place any longer, their danger would increase significantly, not to mention three days. He really didn't know what his master was thinking. It was just a woman, right? Either kill her or let her go. Why make so much trouble?
Of course, these people naturally had no right to question at all. Seeing this, they simply didn't bother to think about it anymore. Anyway, the deadline was not long away. Once this matter was over, the most important thing was to escort the master back safely.
While Shangguan Hong and the others were pondering Zhong Min, she had already begun to fight for her life. Time was running out for her, and her final fight was about to begin.
"Jin'er, you've been grinding this piece of mirror in your hand for two whole days. What's the use of it?" Xi'er didn't know where Zhong Min got this piece of bronze mirror fragment from. In the past few days, when no one was around, he would fiddle with it in his hand, grinding it non-stop, and no one knew what he was doing it for.
After grinding the object in his hand for the last time, Zhong Min took it and looked at it. He smiled with satisfaction, then stopped and said to Xier, "Okay, let's go, Xier. Just like yesterday, we need to go out for some fresh air."
"It's already this late, and you're still in this mood." Xier couldn't help but say this. Actually, she wasn't complaining, but Zhong Min hadn't said anything and hadn't taken any action. Seeing that the time for the bet before dinner in the afternoon was approaching, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Don't worry, just follow me. Let's get started." Zhong Min stood up and whispered to Xier, "But let's make this clear first. This trip is just a prelude. Don't be too anxious. Just act like nothing happened. Just do whatever I tell you to do. You have to stay calm, okay?"
"Yeah, I get it!" Xi'er was instantly excited when she heard that something was finally going to happen. She had long known that Zhong Min was very smart and would definitely come up with a good idea, and sure enough, she wasn't disappointed. However...
Suddenly, Xi'er seemed to have thought of something. After a brief pause, she turned to Zhong Min and said, "But Jin'er, it's already this late. If we still act like nothing's wrong, wouldn't that be too fake and only arouse suspicion?"
When Zhong Min heard Xier mention this, she thought to herself that this girl was quite clever, but sometimes the truth and falsehood, the real and the fake, were all the same thing. "It doesn't matter. No matter what, they won't let down their guard against us."
When Xier heard this, she thought it made sense, so she didn't ask any more questions. Just like the previous two days, the two of them walked along the route they had taken twice before in front of the guards outside.
In addition to the polished copper lens, Zhong Min also carried a special item with her. When Qin Ke gave it to her, it was for emergency use, but she didn't expect that it would actually come in handy.
Zhong Min and Xier walked slowly, occasionally saying a few trivial words. The people following them were whispering in the back. Although their voices were very small, Zhong Min still heard them. He was just wondering why they could still act like nothing had happened at this time.
Zhong Min naturally pretended not to hear. Just as he was about to go back, he suddenly turned around and said to the two people, "Don't be curious. I'm afraid of death too, but I'm not used to crying and screaming. Wouldn't that be even more boring?"
The two men were stunned for a moment. They obviously didn't expect Zhong Min to hear what they said, and they didn't expect her to suddenly respond like this. For a moment, they really looked at this woman differently.
Zhong Min didn't care, smiled and ignored the two people, and took Xier into the house. Xier closed the door and was about to speak, but saw Zhong Min shook his head slightly, indicating that she should be silent for the time being, so she nodded and said nothing.
"Let's take a break. It'll be lunchtime soon." Zhong Min deliberately raised his voice a little, saying with a hint of helplessness, "Don't overthink it. Just let things take their course."
Xier knew that Zhong Min was saying this on purpose for the people outside to hear, so she cooperated with him and said a few awkward words, and then stopped talking, which made it easy for people to mistakenly think that the person inside was angry.
"What should we do now?" After a moment, Xier tiptoed to Zhong Min's side and asked in a low voice, as if speaking even a little louder would expose the entire operation.
"Wait!" Zhong Min said only one word, and then actually hid himself, closing his eyes to rest. Seeing this, Xier nodded, not quite understanding, and then without further questioning, found a chair and sat down, waiting as Zhong Min had said.
In fact, she didn't know what she was waiting for, but she believed in Zhong Min very much, and Zhong Min was really waiting at this moment. She had done everything she could, and the rest was up to fate.
Not long after, today's lunch arrived. Zhong Min glanced at the cautious manner of the two unfamiliar maids who brought the food, and her suspicions were confirmed. It seemed that a small number of the people in this courtyard were not Shangguan Hong and his group who had come with them this time, but had originally been here.
"Thank you. You can come back to clean up after you finish eating." Zhong Min smiled at the two people, and then signaled them to go out first.
When the two people saw Zhong Min thanking them, they relaxed a lot for a moment and nodded quickly, saying they would come back later.
After they left, Xier picked up a piece of meat and was about to put it in her mouth, but was unexpectedly stopped by Zhong Min.
"What's wrong?" she asked in confusion, wondering why Zhong Min didn't let her eat.
"Don't eat it, be careful of diarrhea!" Zhong Min mouthed, almost silently.
When Xier heard this, she was shocked and looked at Zhong Min in confusion, not knowing what this girl had done. But she was obedient and never dared to eat those things again.
Zhong Min smiled silently. Earlier, when she'd left, she'd quietly placed something in the well next to the kitchen. The stuff Qin Ke had given her was incredibly potent. Even in that small well, unless the people didn't use the water, it wouldn't wear off for three days. Of course, it wasn't anything life-threatening. Shangguan Hong hadn't specifically imposed any restrictions, and she wasn't so malicious as to kill anyone. At most, she'd just make them run to the toilet a few more times.
How could those people not use the water there to cook? She had seen people fetching water there on her way back. Zhong Min was so proud that, as if by magic, she managed to get two steamed buns from nowhere. She gave one to Xier and started eating the other herself. After finishing, she dumped some of the food on the table under the bed, then deliberately made the dishes look like leftovers.
After finishing, he whispered a few words in Xier's ear. Xier nodded from time to time, and the smile on her face became brighter and brighter. Xier was very excited. She really didn't expect Zhong Min to come up with such an idea. Now, they really only had to wait.
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