Rui didn't take much with her when she prepared to flee. She stuffed her jade, the butterfly fragment, a few paper banknotes, and the rest of her items inside her pockets before she sealed them with a few stitches to prevent them from falling out. On the night of the escape, Rui's heart was beating a hundred miles per hour as she nervously waited for the right time. She turned around and made eye contact with Liling. "Liling, come with me."

"Miss...I can't. I would only slow you down. Someone needs to be your disguise while you run away and that person could only be me." Liling tightly clutched Rui's hands.

Rui shook her head, "No way. There's no way that I would leave you."

The young girl looked at Rui with a deep gaze and held her tighter, "Be wise, Miss. Don't be foolish and start saying things like that. You need to escape. If you don't escape now, we will both suffer. We cannot go together. I have to substitute as your shadow. So you need to go alone."

Again, Rui shook her head, desperate to persuade Liling to come with her. But no matter how much she pleaded, Liling wouldn't budge.

"The time has come. Go!" She pushed Rui into the direction of her escape route. As Qiuyue promised, there was a loud disturbance in the eastern courtyard. The kitchen suddenly caught on fire and the wind spread its vicious breath to the nearby courts. The servants and guards all scrammed to put the fire out. Using this opportunity, she ran out the main door and followed the instructed pathway.

"Hey! She's escaping!" One of the guards spotted her fleeting figure and called for backup as they chased after her.

With all her might, she pushed forwards and ran. Because she was confined in a prison to be a lady, her calves burned with fire and her whole body begged her to stop. The guards continued the chase and picked up their pace. Finally, around the corner, Rui spotted a wagon with a man sitting on the horse. He had a straw hat and a dark coat. Rui screamed on top of her lungs as she practically threw herself onto the wagon, "Northern blue!"

The man glanced back at her for a moment before he urged the horse to move forward. The distance between her and the chasing guards grew until they looked like specs of dust. She looked back once more for confirmation. Finally, she let go of the breath she held in and took a sharp inhale. She could hear the pounding of her heart and the blood rushing in her veins.

Exhausted, she relaxed her shoulders and slid down. She just wanted to sleep for hours and hours. Her eyes began to droop and her vision blurred.

However, she was quick to shoot her eyes open when she scanned her eerie surroundings. There was no people on the road——heck, even the road was starting to fade. The lack of buildings and structures became more apparent, making Rui more alerted than ever. There was no way that this would lead to Qiuyue's residence. They were heading into the deep forest.

Terrified, she eyed the back of the driver's head. Rui spotted an incoming bush on the side of the dirt road and she quietly prepared herself to jump. On the count of three and the fast approaching bush, Rui held her breath then stepped on the edge of the wagon as a boost and pushed herself forwards. Rui nearly missed the bush and rolled out onto the dusty ground. Along the way, a sharp edge pierced her skin on her calve, making her wince. The metal from her jewelry sharply pressed against her, leaving a bloody indent. Regardless of the painful injuries, she wasted no time to pull herself up and make a run for it. Shocked, the driver immediately slowed down the horse to turn around and started to yell.

Rui desperately ran with short breaths and heavy steps. She could hear men shouting behind her, as well as the galloping of a horse. This only pushed her to the maximum and she ran faster with her weak legs. Albeit the effort she puts in to run, it was all in futile when a large man body-slammed her, almost knocking her out. The weight alone nearly crushed her and she cried out in pain. A familiar strong grasp gripped onto her hands and tied them with a rough rope.

"Ho? The little bird wants to fly away..." a bone-shivering voice drilled her ears and pierced her bones, right down her spine.

'Impossible!'

There was no way that he could possibly catch up this quickly, much less even know about her escape plan. He was supposed to come home late!

Seeing her frightened and confused eyes, Cai Zhi smiled brightly, "You're probably thinking: how could it be me?" He chuckled a little, "There are ears and eyes all around you, little bird. Now, you have been very disobedient. I thought I disciplined you well. I suppose not, because here we are!"

Rui was visibly shaking; it cannot be blamed, as she was truly terrified. He only smiled and yanked her up brutally with the rope before he ruthlessly dragged her across the ground to his horse. He suddenly had an idea, and he turned to Rui with a dark smile. She stared at him in horror and screamed for help as he tied her arm to the side of the horse. She was literally hanging on the edge and her feet barely touched the ground.

"Scream all you want. No one will save you." He chuckled darkly, "Now be good. You might want to close your mouth or else you'll swallow the dust. Hold tight." When their eyes connected, Cai Zhi winked and brightly smiled before the horse took off in full speed.

Rui wanted to scream but the amount of dust that flew into her face caused her to shut her mouth. Her arm felt like it was about to rip off so she gripped the saddle tightly for support, terrified that she would fall to her death while the horse zipped through the forest. She wanted to puke, to cry, to scream for help.

Needless to say, the experience was horrendous. Rui had no idea where all this strength to hold her weight up came from, but she was thankful that she didn't let go or else...no, she rather not think about it. After the horse slowed down and they arrived at what seemed like a small brick house, Cai Zhi mercilessly cut the hanging rope, causing Rui to fall to the harsh ground with a loud thud. Her head rung loudly and her back arched in pain. It felt like someone beat her with a heavy rod multiple times in the same area, on the same bruises.

Cai Zhi paid no heed to her tears and moans of pain, and continued to drag her to the house. The guards were already stationed to patrol the house so they opened the metal door with their keys. Cai Zhi simply pushed her in and her sorry state fell to the ground once more. Blood had already seeped through her clothes and onto the dirty floor.

Her eyes were burning from the tears, the dust, and possibly a concussion. She was too exhausted and her body failed to respond to her desperate call to get up. The last thing she could made out of with her darkened vision was Cai Zhi's empty gaze at her pathetic self.

"Keep her locked up. Only deliver food once a day." He coldly commanded before he brushed his sleeves and turned around to leave. She watched the metal doors clicked shut with a bang like a spell and she fell unconscious.