Song Ning's vision was completely blocked.
Then her whole body left the ground.
Someone had hoisted her onto their shoulder.
Before she could struggle, a strange, subtle fragrance reached her nose.
Her senses grew hazy, and she lost consciousness completely.
When she woke again, it was already broad daylight outside.
Her head still felt foggy, and she remained dizzy.
A glance around left her even more startled.
She was lying inside a wooden building.
The walls and windows were wooden, as was the peaked roof overhead.
There was no bed in the room. Though thick bedding lay beneath her, it had been spread on the floor.
It looked as though she was in a stilt house.
She recalled that she had met this group in Gui City.
Gui City was home to many ethnic minority communities.
Just whose hands had she fallen into?
She had done her best to keep a low profile and avoid trouble throughout the journey.
Yet trouble insisted on seeking her out.
She propped herself up, trying to sit and examine her surroundings.
The moment she moved, the world spun again.
What had those people made her smell? How could its effects be so strong...?
Just then, the wooden door creaked open.
The person who entered was the older sister, Changmei.
She carried a bamboo basket containing an earthenware pot and some food.
Song Ning stared at her without a word.
Seeing that she was awake, Changmei said apologetically,
"I'm sorry, miss! You got dragged into this and captured too because you tried to save Chunlan!"
Song Ning did not respond.
She still could not tell whether Changmei was in league with those people.
Had she been brought here simply because she was in the wrong place at the wrong time... or had it been deliberate?