What should she do?
Run away?
But that Woman in Mask was tall and imposing, clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Besides, with her own frail body in its current state, she probably couldn’t even overpower one of the woman’s fingers.
To fight head-on would be like hitting a stone with an egg.
Use wit?
But what in this room could possibly be used to her advantage?
Her mind raced, desperately grasping at every possible lifeline like a drowning person.
Her gaze swept over the room’s extravagant decorations—the priceless paintings, the torturous instruments exuding a sickening aura…
Then suddenly, her eyes fixed on an exquisitely crafted colored-glass vase on the bedside table.
The vase wasn’t large, but its material was sturdy.
If she struck hard enough, maybe it could be useful?
This was the only idea she could muster—and the only one that might work.
Better to risk it than to sit and wait for death.
Mu Xi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She moved her feet slowly, trying to edge closer to the bedside table with cautious, deliberate steps, careful not to disturb the Woman in Mask who stood statue-still like a sculpture.
The soft carpet beneath her feet felt like a swamp, each step sinking as if into cotton, making her already unsteady body harder to balance.
“Don’t move.”
The cold voice rang out again, metallic and harsh like a blade forged from ice, instantly dousing the faint spark of hope that had just kindled in Mu Xi’s heart.
The speaker, naturally, was the Woman in Mask who remained in the room.
Her eyes, sharp as a hawk’s, locked firmly onto Mu Xi, as if she had already seen through her every thought.
Mu Xi froze, as if struck by a paralysis spell, unable to move.
Apparently, not a single twitch of hers could escape the other’s gaze.
She could only stand still, feigning helplessness as she glanced around with a look full of confusion and fear, disguising her true intentions.
‘Useless.’ She cursed herself silently.
Her soul had once been a resolute man, yet now, reborn as a woman, she was timid and scared like a mouse.
Still, it wasn’t entirely her fault—after all, in this moment, she was utterly powerless, facing off against a trained and burly giant… no, a burly big sister.
‘Wait, burly big sister?’
A strange thought flashed through Mu Xi’s mind—what kind of luck was this?
First, she was imprisoned by that perverted Ye Lan, and now forcibly dragged to this place…
Was she born to attract twisted women?
This absurd thought eased her taut nerves a little, and her lips twitched with a faint smile—though her situation was hardly one to laugh at.
She could only sigh silently within her heart, wondering what kind of fate this was.
The Red-clad Woman let out a light, teasing chuckle, gracefully stepping onto the bed, the mattress creaking beneath her weight.
She eagerly crawled toward Mu Xi, her gaze sticky and venomous like a poisonous snake.
Mu Xi’s stomach churned violently, nausea rising, but she gritted her teeth and clutched the colored-glass vase on the bedside table with trembling fingers.
This was a desperate gamble; one misstep would plunge her into eternal damnation.
The Woman in Mask remaining in the room seemed to sense the subtle shift in the air.
Her hawk-like eyes swept over again, sharp and warning.
Mu Xi’s heart leapt to her throat, her blood seeming to freeze.
But the arrow was already on the bowstring—there was no turning back.
The Red-clad Woman stretched out her hand, reaching toward Mu Xi’s cheek.
That strong scent of perfume mixed with powder made Mu Xi’s head spin.
At the moment the hand was about to touch her, Mu Xi moved.
She suddenly lifted the glass vase—not to strike directly—but throwing it with all her might into the air.
The vase left her grasp, cutting a dazzling arc through the air with a sharp whoosh, heading straight for the ceiling.
The crisp sound of shattering fabric instantly broke the suffocating silence in the room.
Both the Red Dress Lady and the Woman in Mask instinctively turned their attention to the flying vase.
It was a human instinct to fear falling objects, deeply ingrained in their genes.
The vase spun in the air, refracting dazzling light like a ticking bomb, setting everyone’s nerves on edge.
The moment their gaze was drawn to the vase, Mu Xi sprang into action.
She quickly leapt off the bed, her bare feet landing on the thick carpet like a dying fish gasping for air as she sprinted toward the door in a desperate escape.
Her fingers barely brushed the cold doorknob when the door suddenly swung wide open.
Caught off guard by the sudden change, she cried out and lost her balance, falling headlong into a hard, cold embrace.
The expected pain never came.
Instead, a familiar icy breath brushed over her nose—like the piercing chill of a mountain wind at the summit, biting yet strangely comforting.
She looked up in surprise, meeting a pair of familiar, piercing sharp eyes.
Those eyes were like the sharpest blades, radiating cold light that seemed to penetrate all disguises.
The Woman in Mask removed her metallic mask, revealing a face with strong, defined features.
If not Li Xin, then who else could it be?
To be rescued from the brink of death—this was exactly how it felt.
From her parched throat, Mu Xi managed a hoarse plea, “Li Xin, save me…”
“What’s going on?” Li Xin frowned, her voice icy as her gaze swept across the two people in the room and the mess scattered about.
In an instant, she understood.
She grabbed Mu Xi behind her like a protective mother wolf, her eyes dangerous as she scanned the two in the room with a deathly cold glare.
“Miss Mu Xi is the pet personally chosen by Master Ye Lan. Who gave you the audacity to lay a hand on her?”
The Red Dress Lady’s once arrogant and domineering aura instantly fizzled out like a flame doused by ice water the moment Li Xin appeared.
Her smile froze, panic flickered in her eyes but was quickly masked by forced calm as she said, “It’s a misunderstanding. We were just joking with Miss Mu Xi…”
“Joking?” Li Xin sneered, the chill in her eyes deepening like ancient glacier ice that froze to the bone.
“When did the rules of the Ye Lan Manor become so lax? Do Guests get to ‘joke’ with the Master’s pets whenever they please?”
The Red Dress Lady’s scalp tingled under Li Xin’s freezing gaze, unable to maintain her composure any longer.
Her voice trembled, “We… we…”
“No need to explain.” Li Xin cut her off coldly, her tone like a judge delivering a death sentence, leaving no room for argument.
“Those who violate the Manor’s rules will be dealt with accordingly.”
Before she finished speaking, she had already made her move.
No one saw exactly how Li Xin acted.
One moment the world blurred; a streak of black lightning flashed by.
Then the room erupted with piercing screams—one more agonizing than the last—like wails from hell itself, sending chills down the spine.
Mu Xi hid in the corridor outside, peering through the door crack, faintly witnessing the scene inside that resembled a realm of carnage and torment.