The girls who had already finished gnawing on their steamed buns now stared greedily at the food in Feng Moxi's hands. They glanced up at the window above but ultimately didn't dare to come over and snatch it.
"Thank you!" Feng Moxi nodded gratefully. She picked up the cold steamed bun, carefully brought it to her nose, and sniffed. 'It smells so good, like the fresh aroma of grain.'
It was a taste she hadn't experienced in a long, long time.
She tore off a small, moldy piece of the bun, carefully placed it in her mouth, and began to chew. As soon as the food hit her stomach, the feeling of emptiness seemed to vanish instantly.
'Yes, this is the taste.'
The delicious bun, soaked in saliva, slowly slid down her esophagus. She closed her eyes for a moment as a comfortable warmth instantly enveloped her entire body.
The delicate-looking girl saw Feng Moxi's faint smile. She seemed very kind and approachable, completely normal. So, the girl carefully shuffled closer and said:
"My name is Luo Yunxi. Are you feeling better?"
Drawing on the "white lotus" persona from her past life, Feng Moxi naturally offered a faint smile. Combined with her exceptionally beautiful features and large, round eyes, her sincere attitude and the slight upturn of her lips would invariably convince people she was a naive, innocent girl.
"I'm Feng Moxi. You can call me Xiao Xi."
Suddenly, her expression faltered. By the time she realized her mistake, it was too late. The image of a gentle, polite, and delicate flower had already been imprinted on Luo Yunxi's mind.
This also made Luo Yunxi even more surprised. Although she didn't know the girl well, just a few days ago Feng Moxi had been crying and screaming, going on a hunger strike, refusing to touch the steamed buns even if it killed her.
That is, until she was beaten unconscious and then had a bout of madness.
She never expected such a drastic change after she woke up.
"Okay."
The sky gradually darkened. The faint sound of distant roars drifted in from outside the window. Another restless night was about to begin.
CREAK. Suddenly, the rusty iron door swung open.
The girls in the corner immediately fell into a panic, curling up even tighter. Luo Yunxi was among them; she quickly scurried past Feng Moxi and pressed herself against the wall.
Feng Moxi cursed inwardly. 'This is bad.' Heavy footsteps followed, and two towering figures appeared before them.
"Hmph. Still alive?"
The man's low, hoarse voice grumbled, "Damn nuisance. Even a dead body would still be in the way." It was the same voice from the man who had spoken at the window earlier.
Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through Feng Moxi's waist. The man had kicked her without hesitation, sending her flying into the wall before she crashed to the ground.
The kick was incredibly powerful and utterly merciless.
Feng Moxi's body, which had just started to recover, was once again wracked with pain. She kept her head down, but a vicious glint flashed in her eyes before vanishing just as quickly.
She clenched her fists. 'Right now, I'm even weaker than in my last life. I haven't even awakened a basic strength mutation. How am I supposed to escape this prison, let alone get my revenge? This body is so frail, I probably couldn't even crush an ant.'
The other man grabbed him. "Wang Bing, don't actually kick her to death. The boss said this chick has a strong family background. She's still useful." Otherwise, they would have just choked her to death when she was making a scene a few days ago, instead of patiently wasting food on her.
The main reason was that they didn't know how long this terrible situation would last. If they were ever rescued, this girl might prove to be useful.
"Hmph." The man called Wang Bing ultimately didn't bother Feng Moxi further. He casually grabbed a girl from the corner and started dragging her toward the stairwell.
The girl was half-squatting, shaking her head desperately. "No, don't take me," she whimpered, "please don't." The girl didn't even dare to cry loudly.
She only resisted with all her might.
Wang Bing backhanded her across the face, making her stagger. He then yanked her arm and snarled, "Are you trying to die? Behave, or I'll feed you to the monsters."
With that, he viciously yanked the girl's arm again. With a look of utter despair, she was dragged up the stairs.
The other man let out a sinister laugh, grabbed another girl, and also headed for the stairs. Having just witnessed what happened, this girl was terrified.
She struggled, but not fiercely. Eventually, the two men disappeared behind the iron door. As the door shut, all the remaining girls breathed a collective sigh of relief, huddling even tighter in the corner.
Clearly, they had escaped disaster for tonight. They would deal with tomorrow when it came. In a situation like this, they couldn't afford to think too far ahead.
Feng Moxi rubbed her aching waist. A dark light flickered in her vicious eyes. 'The weak are truly pathetic. In this life, I must become strong.'
Her hand habitually went to her neck. A round, thumb-sized, dark green bead fell into her palm.
'This... This is...'
She gently pulled out the long-lost bead hidden in her collar. She remembered her grandmother putting it on her with her own hands before she passed away. After the Apocalypse began, her cousin, Wan Wanxin, said she liked it.
Although she was extremely reluctant to part with it, she gave it to her in exchange for Wan Wanxin's protection.
She had never seen it again since.
'I never, ever expected this... Not only was I reborn, but I somehow brought this bead with me.'
Even if she was clueless, she knew this bead had to be special. She thought about her cousin's endless supply of food and her erratic, unpredictable movements.
If the circumstances weren't so dire, she would have laughed out loud. 'This is clearly a legendary spatial Divine Artifact!' At that thought, she focused her spiritual power and tried to probe the inside of the bead.
Inside was a pitch-black space, impossible to see clearly.
'Of course. Since it's a spatial treasure, it must require a blood bond.'
Looking at the darkening window, a sense of urgency washed over her.
Feng Moxi turned her back to the other girls. Steeling herself, she bit her finger open and once again reached for the dark green bead.
Blood instantly enveloped the bead. Her finger twitched, and a sharp, stabbing pain shot through it, as if her blood was being violently sucked out. Then, a strange, dark light flashed and disappeared.
In that instant, she could sense the space within the bead.
The inside of the bead was still pitch-black, its depths immeasurable. However, suspended in the very center of the space was a giant... well, a broken sword.
It emitted a faint, dark glow. But to call it a broken sword wasn't entirely accurate.
Looking closer, the giant sword seemed to be only half a blade. It was pitch-black from hilt to tip, with the point ending in a heavy, slanted shape. Though its design was strange, it wasn't actually broken.
An idea struck Feng Moxi, and she cautiously reached out with her slender fingers. Just as her hand was about to touch the body of the sword, a powerful repulsive force struck her arm, making it ache with a searing pain.
'Huh?' Feng Moxi exclaimed inwardly.
'Could it have a Spiritual Sense?'
Thinking this, she gathered a bit of strength in her hand and reached for the giant sword again.