Chapter 1

It was the dead of winter, and several days of heavy snowfall had blanketed the entire mountain in white.

Inside a hut standing in the middle of the snow, a campfire burned brightly. On the floor lay the corpse of a young woman, her eyes wide open. Her neck was covered in dark blue bruises in the shape of fingerprints, while the lower half of her body was drenched in blood.

“Just my luck. I didn’t even get to properly enjoy myself, and she’s already dead?”

The man who had been pinning the woman down laughed crudely.

“Take it easy with them. How long has it even been since we left the capital? You’ve already killed three.”

“What’s there to be afraid of? They’re nothing but lowly women who are going to be sold to brothels anyway. Even if every last one of them dies, no one’s going to take their side.”

They were guards serving under the local government authorities. Despite doing some of the most grueling work, they received the lowest salaries.

For more than half of every year, they wandered far from the capital, escorting prisoners sentenced to exile.

If they were lucky, they could collect silver or other bribes from the prisoners’ families. But when they were assigned to escort people whose entire families had suffered ruin and been sentenced to exile, there was nothing to gain. All they got in return was a journey to some remote and desolate wasteland.

The only entertainment they could find along the way was the prisoners themselves.

The tall, skinny man still seemed dissatisfied. He casually kicked the woman whose life had already left her body, adjusted his trousers, and muttered,

“Damn it. That killed the mood. I’m going outside for a bit.”

The other two knew perfectly well what he intended to do. They laughed loudly, shifting restlessly as they watched him.

“Hey, you still have some energy left?”

“Want me to give you some medicine? Be careful, or you might break it completely.”

“Ptui!”

The skinny man spat at the two men.

“I’m perfectly fine. What, you think I’m like you two, with something no bigger than a bird feather? I’ll go grab another woman right now. Then you can see exactly what I’m capable of…”

The man proudly thrust out his waist before lifting the tattered curtain covering the hut and stepping outside, leaving the others’ laughter behind him.

Outside the hut, the prisoners were huddled together inside a wooden enclosure like frightened animals. The moment the man appeared, they recoiled in alarm.

Despair was clearly visible on the faces of several women.

The man looked them over as though he were choosing an item from a shop. Then he reached toward one woman.

She burst into tears, collapsed onto the ground, and repeatedly bowed her head.

“My lord, please spare me. I’m already married, and I’ve even had children…”

The skinny man continued reaching for her arm.

Terrified, the woman’s eyes darted around. Suddenly, she grabbed the young girl beside her and shoved her forward.

“My lord, I’m old, and I’m no longer pure. Look at her! She’s still a virgin. No man has ever touched her. My lord, she’s much better than I am!”

Without the slightest hesitation, the woman pushed Yun Suyin forward to escape the man’s grasp.

The man looked at Yun Suyin after hearing this.

Although she was thin and haggard, there was still a trace of beauty in her face. Greed immediately appeared in his eyes.

Even when she was dragged away by her hair, Yun Suyin merely looked quietly at the woman who had betrayed her.

The woman flinched and avoided her gaze.

It’s not my fault! I only wanted to live! I only wanted to survive…

Yun Suyin gradually regained her composure.

She looked at the woman whose eyes had become increasingly shameless, as well as the others beside her who kept their heads lowered and remained coldly indifferent.

A trace of mockery flashed through Yun Suyin’s eyes.

Only an hour ago, she had risked her own life to save these very people.

Yun Suyin was not originally from this world.

In her previous life, she had been a military doctor in the special forces of Military District 09. Her medical skills were extraordinary—she was capable of saving even people who were on the verge of death.

However, during an operation, she had been betrayed and ultimately sank into the sea together with a warship.

She had thought she had died.

But when she opened her eyes again, she found herself in an unfamiliar era.

To make matters worse, the original owner of this body had been the daughter of a prestigious family. After their souls became one, Yun Suyin found herself in the miserable position of a prisoner being escorted into exile.

Soon, the skinny man pounced on her and tore apart her shabby clothing.

When her white shoulder and neck were exposed, Yun Suyin suddenly reached out and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

The man paused.

He lowered his head and met Yun Suyin’s tear-filled eyes.

She was clearly haggard, yet there was a peculiar charm in her gaze. Her cracked lips had regained a hint of red, and a flush had appeared on her cheeks.

The sight of her shyly looking at him with those wavering eyes made his heart race.

“My lord… I’m scared…”

Yun Suyin’s voice was slightly hoarse, but to his ears, it sounded intensely seductive.

The skinny man felt desire surge through him.

“What are you afraid of?”

Yun Suyin’s eyes reddened as she spoke.

“I… I’ve never done this before. If you really want me, could you take me somewhere away from everyone else?”

Tears shimmered in Yun Suyin’s eyes, making her appear soft and coquettish.

“I want to serve you, my lord. I only ask that you take care of me. But… but I don’t want to do it here… I’m scared…”

Her voice was delicate and soft, sweetness lingering beneath the huskiness.

Yun Suyin trembled slightly and leaned into the skinny man’s arms, making it seem as though she completely depended upon him.

The man felt as if every bone in his body were melting.

He knew that the woman before him was Yun Suyin, the legitimate daughter of the Mu’en Marquis’s Residence.

He had been ordered to escort her out of the capital, which was why he had restrained himself and refrained from touching her until now.

But he had never imagined that her voice could be so sweet.

Yun Suyin was no longer the Second Young Lady of the Mu’en Marquis’s Residence.

She was now nothing more than a prisoner being dragged into exile.

The reason he had refrained from touching her before was because he had been mindful of her former status. But now that he thought about it, not a single person had asked about Yun Suyin’s well-being throughout the entire journey.

Even if he did whatever he wanted to her here, who would travel a thousand li from the capital to this place to hold him accountable?

The thought that the Second Young Lady of the Yun family, who had always occupied such a lofty position, was willingly offering herself to him was far more thrilling than taking her by force.

The man immediately swept Yun Suyin into his arms and laughed heartily.

“Fine. Let’s go inside. I’ll make sure you have a good time.”

Yun Suyin entered the hut in his arms.

The other two men inside were surprised when they saw the woman he was carrying, but as though they had suddenly realized something, they turned their heads away.

No matter how noble the Yun family’s young lady had once been, she was no different from the others now.

Unable to resist Yun Suyin’s pleading request to go somewhere secluded because she was embarrassed, the skinny man hurriedly laid her down on a pile of straw in a corner and moved over her.

“Pretty little thing. If you serve me well, I’ll make sure the rest of the journey is comfortable for you.”

“Thank you, my lord.”

Yun Suyin smiled shyly and obediently clung to him.

As she pressed herself against him and breathed warmly against him, he shuddered.

Overcome by excitement, the man’s mind became hazy as he touched her body.

They say the young lady of the Yun family is noble, but she’s even more alluring than a courtesan from a pleasure house. This feeling is incredible…

“Ugh!”

The man’s eyes suddenly flew wide open.

Yun Suyin had viciously bitten into the back of his neck. His airway had ruptured, leaving him choking for breath.

Then he felt blood gush from the wound.

The man frantically tried to push the woman beneath him away, but her legs were locked tightly around his waist.

At that moment, Yun Suyin struck his body several times with tremendous force.

He felt the strength drain from his entire body in an instant and collapsed heavily over her.

His open mouth was tightly covered by Yun Suyin’s hand.

Blood trickled from the corner of Yun Suyin’s mouth.

The man stared wildly with his eyes bulging, like a dying fish.

A moment later, excruciating pain and suffocation overwhelmed him, and it felt as though all the air had been forced from his chest.

His body stiffened.

His struggling stopped.

Then he collapsed helplessly onto the floor.

Yun Suyin opened her mouth and spat out the blood she had been holding inside.

Although she continued to make soft and delicate sounds, her eyes were filled with icy coldness.

Laughter echoed from the other side of the hut.

“Hey, don’t kill her. We haven’t even had a taste of a young lady from a prestigious family yet.”

“Exactly. Take it easy with her. Once you’ve had your fun, let us have a taste of that precious body too.”

None of them explicitly mentioned Yun Suyin’s identity, but it was obvious that they all knew exactly who she was.

Yun Suyin curled her lips into a cold smile.

So they all knew my identity, yet they colluded with someone and deliberately dragged me here?

Then every single one of them deserves to die.

Yun Suyin lowered her voice and began sobbing softly, making it sound as though someone were tormenting her while she begged desperately for help.

Then she opened her mouth again.

The exact same voice as the skinny man came from her lips.

She had once learned how to imitate other people’s voices, but she had never imagined that she would have to use that skill in a place like this.

“Don’t be so impatient. I’ll hand her over after I’ve had my fill, so wait.”

Yun Suyin rustled her clothes and continued,

“Maybe she’s different because