Chapter 68: Squeezing out value

Mu Xi sat down in front of the piano. 

Her fingertips touched the cold keys as she took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus.

Ling Yue began to guide her through the new piece—fingering, rhythm, emotional expression—demanding precision in every detail.

“Relax. Don’t be so stiff.” Ling Yue’s voice was as cool as ever, yet carried a trace of patience that was hard to detect. 

“Music isn’t mechanical repetition. You have to feel it with your heart.”

During a break Ling Yue remarked almost absentmindedly, “Ye Lan’s thoughts run deep. You’d better keep your distance from her and not let yourself be influenced.”

Mu Xi’s hands faltered on the keys, her heart skipping a beat.

She glanced up at Ling Yue but all she saw was that cold and aloof profile, as if those words had been spoken casually and meant nothing at all.

Mu Xi didn’t dare responded. 

She simply continued practicing in silence.

Ling Yue didn’t seem to care about Mu Xi’s reaction and spoke on her own. 

“She likes to control everything, including people’s hearts.”

Mu Xi’s heart grew heavy. 

Ling Yue’s words were strange today. 

Was she testing her?

“But,” Ling Yue’s tone shifted suddenly, the corner of her lips curving in the faintest hint of a smile, “you’re rather interesting. Not like her boring subordinates.”

Mu Xi felt even more lost and pretended not to understand, lowering her gaze back to the music sheet in front of her.

She truly couldn’t guess Ling Yue’s intentions, only trying to tread carefully, afraid of falling into Ye Lan’s trap with a single misstep.

Not until evening, when her practice was finally over, did Mu Xi leave the music room in relief.

The corridor was silent, with only the dim wall lamps casting a gentle glow.

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from downstairs, shattering the quiet of the Manor’s night.

Mu Xi walked to the window at the end of the corridor and looked down.

In the Garden, several teams of women in black were escorting a group of people. 

Those people were in rags, hair matted and faces filthy. 

Black cloths covered their eyes, and their mouths were stuffed with rags, leaving them only able to whimper.

They were shoved along roughly, like cargo and were being herded toward the Dungeon deep within the Manor.

Li Xin appeared behind Mu Xi at some point, dressed in a black uniform, her posture upright and her gaze as sharp as ever.

“Miss Mu Xi, what are you looking at?”

“Those people…” Mu Xi pointed downstairs, her voice trembling.

“New ‘goods’.” Li Xin’s tone was calm, as if she were talking about something utterly ordinary. 

“Prisoners from outside. The master wants to see if they still have any value left.”

“Value?” Mu Xi didn’t understand, but a vague sense of dread crept in.

“Maybe as labor, maybe… something else.”

Li Xin didn’t elaborate, but there was a coldness in her voice. 

“In any case, before they die, we’ll squeeze out every last bit of worth.”

Mu Xi felt a chill run down her spine.

This Manor was far darker and more terrifying than she’d ever imagined. 

Ye Lan’s methods were even more cruel—twisted, even.

She’d always thought Ye Lan only saw her as a pet. 

But now, it seemed there were more hidden secrets and crimes buried in this place than she could ever have guessed.

“Does Master… do this often?” Mu Xi couldn’t help but ask, her voice dry.

Li Xin was silent for a moment before answering, “The Manor needs funding to operate. This is one of the ways.”

Mu Xi understood now. 

This “squeezing out every last bit of worth” was likely far more than just labor.

Thinking of those ragged and broken prisoners, a wave of nausea and horror rose in her chest.

This Manor was nothing short of a hell that devoured people whole.

The radio crackled. 

In Li Xin’s earpiece, Ye Lan’s low voice sounded, carrying an unquestionable command: “Bring Mu Xi to the Dungeon.”

Li Xin’s eyes flickered slightly. 

“Yes, Master.” 

She cut off the communication.

She turned to Mu Xi, who was still gazing out the window, humming a quiet tune.

It seemed the earlier conversation hadn’t interrupted her practice, but the faint tremble of her lashes betrayed the unrest in her heart.

“Miss Mu Xi,” Li Xin approached, her tone still cold, “Master wants you in the Dungeon.”

Mu Xi’s body tensed almost imperceptibly.

The Dungeon?

Those words slithered into her ears like a cold serpent, setting her nerves on edge.

She looked up, her delicate face showing a hint of confusion—and a trace of resistance she couldn’t quite hide. 

“Go to the Dungeon… for what?”

Li Xin didn’t explain. 

“You’ll know when you get there.”

She turned toward the door, motioning for Mu Xi to follow.

Mu Xi’s heart was uneasy, but she knew she had no room to refuse.

She turned and followed behind Li Xin.

The corridor remained silent as ever. 

The wall lamps cast a gentle light, but it did nothing to dispel the chill in Mu Xi’s heart.

They passed through the Manor’s grand hall. 

The Guards in black suits stood like statues on either side, their sharp gazes sweeping over the two of them before quickly looking away.

Mu Xi felt like a caged bird under constant scrutiny, each step careful and restrained.

Leaving the main building, the Garden spread out before them—neatly trimmed lawns lush and green, fountains spraying cheerful arcs of water.

But perhaps it was the memory of those Prisoners just now—the Manor at night felt especially eerie and foreboding.

They followed the path through the Garden to the rear of the Manor, passing through blooming flowerbeds. 

The air was thick with the scent of flowers, a fragrance that clashed bizarrely with the word Dungeon, making the atmosphere even more twisted and out of place.

At the far end of the Garden, a dense grove of trees awaited. 

Sunlight was blocked by the canopy above, plunging the area into a damp, chilly gloom.

Li Xin led the way into the woods.

Mu Xi followed closely behind, her silver-white hair appearing dull in the shadow.

She could feel the Bluetooth Vibrator between her legs, silently trembling—a mocking reminder of her fear and helplessness.

Ye Lan, that pervert, never forgot to keep her under control, not even when sending her to the Dungeon. 

There was no end to her “fun.”

Deep in the woods, a hidden path snaked downward, leading underground.

The entrance to the Dungeon was concealed beside this path. 

Without careful searching, it would be impossible to find.

It was an unremarkable stone door, covered in moss, exuding a sense of ancient gloom.

A damp, rotten stench seeped from the cracks, nauseating and thick.

Li Xin paused, turning to look at Mu Xi. 

Her expression was calm as ever, but there seemed to be—just for a moment—a hint of… pity?

The stone door creaked open, the heavy scraping echoing harshly in the silent woods.

A wave of mold and blood hit them, suffocating in its intensity.

Mu Xi instinctively held her breath and followed Li Xin inside.

The Dungeon was even darker and damper than she’d imagined.

Narrow corridors lined with rough stone walls, a few dim oil lamps clinging to the walls, their weak glow barely lighting the space a few meters around them.