A Hero's Heart - Chapter 11

Zhao Yihuan told me that the masked man used the blood of the women he captured.

“What does he need the blood for?” I looked around the ornate bedchamber, puzzled.

Zhao Yihuan leaned against the wall and shook her head.

I glanced at her. “So you mean that the women who disappeared in the forest were all killed by him?”

She nodded. “That must be it.”

“He uses some kind of special medicine. After taking my blood, he applies it to the wound on my wrist. That keeps the wound from healing and stops it from bleeding.”

I comforted her. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you out.”

As I said this, I felt a little guilty.

The women he had captured were kept under guard, their hands and feet bound so that they could not escape.

Naturally, the first thing we needed to do was escape.

The worst part was that the monster gave his prisoners neither food nor water for seven days.

“He said that after taking blood for a certain number of days, the blood would be pure enough.”

As soon as Zhao Yihuan finished explaining, her stomach growled.

She had already endured days of hunger and thirst. She had thought rescue meant she would finally eat, only to find herself imprisoned again.

Waiting helplessly was not my style.

My eyes darted around the room. At last, I found a stone corner jutting slightly from the wall.

My eyes lit up. I crawled over at once.

Under Zhao Yihuan’s astonished gaze, I used the stone to saw through the rope binding my hands.

Once our hands and feet were free, we had to think about how to get out.

Having already escaped once, I knew there would be many guards outside.

Trying to force our way out would be foolish.

“He takes the blood at midnight,” Zhao Yihuan suddenly said.

Then we would wait until midnight.

The weapons at my waist had been taken away, but the hairpin in my hair remained.

We leaned against the wall and tried to preserve our strength for the moment when we would have to fight for our lives.

Because we were so hungry, the wait was agonizing. Zhao Yihuan kept me company with conversation.

It turned out that Zhao Yihuan was the daughter of the richest man in the region. She had been traveling with an escort when she was captured by the masked man.

“Once we get out, I’ll take you to the best restaurant in the city for a feast.”

Perhaps she had been encouraged by my promise. In the end, she stopped saying that she would not survive.

“Only one feast?” I teased her.

Her face turned red. “As many as you like.”

Only then did I nod in satisfaction. My stomach growled even louder.

I did not know how much time had passed before we finally heard the masked man’s voice outside.

I quickly wrapped the rope around my own hands and feet several times, then curled up in a corner and waited.

The masked man entered and walked to my side. When he saw the rope, which was obviously tied by my own hands, he only lowered his head and sniffed me.

“You smell wonderful.”

I glared at him. “What do you want?”

“Your scent is different from theirs. You smell better.” He tilted his head and stared at me with a dark smile.

I seized the opportunity. I slipped open the hairpin and drove it toward his chest.

He immediately tried to stop me, but I twisted my wrist and stabbed the inside of his calf instead.

Before he could cry out, I pressed him down.

Zhao Yihuan jumped in fright. “What happened?”

“It’s not that easy to kill him.” I kicked the masked man in the nose. “He’ll be unconscious soon. Then we can pick up the pieces.”

My inner force was gone. Even if I stabbed his chest, I might not be able to kill him.

If he did not die, the one who would be in trouble was me.

I could only use the drug on the hairpin to render him unconscious and buy us time.

I used the rope to tie him up and tore off another piece of cloth to stuff into his mouth.

Next, I had to take Zhao Yihuan and get out.

I had considered putting on the masked man’s clothes, but the corridors outside were too complicated.

His clothes were also too conspicuous.

The least conspicuous option was the clothing of one of the servants who carried supplies through the place.

I stood straight, lowered my voice, and imitated the masked man. “Send someone in.”

The masked man’s voice was already difficult to place between male and female, so imitating it was not too difficult.

The guard outside hesitated, but after listening carefully, he seemed to hear only one person.

After a while, he heard me again. “Send another person in.”