11 Chapter 11: Escape plan

After they all had left, Xialin sighs a relief, "Phew! That was close. I nearly lost my virtue today but wait..... the guard told them that I'll be auction as a bride slave?! Oh! Good, God!! I am screwed!! I need to make a run from here otherwise, I'm done!".

The only thing Xialin had in her mind during the time was to escape from there. So, she gives her all crawling slowly on her knees towards the divine sword. Inch by inch she became closer and closer towards the Sword and at last, finally reached there. She turned and slowly put her tied hand on the sword's edge cutting her red ribbon slowly. After struggling for a while, she finally let loose of her hand. Soon after, she removed the ribbons which were tying on her mouth and feet.

"Ahh.....! Feel so good!!" , Xialin smiled to herself as she stretched her body. Since she already freed herself she decided to run away from there but then another thought came by, 'Wait...hold on. Xialin. You just can't run away like that. Look at all these treasures it's such a waste if you didn't take some'.

Xialin grinned mischievously at it.

Heeding to her own thoughts she finally decided to take some treasure. She strolled around and examines each and every treasure one by one. This sword is big and strong (the lightning bolt blade) maybe I should take one for my brother, Xialin tried to lift it up, unable to move it even an inch she scoffed at it, "Nah! My brother small swords suit him better.... umm!"

She then move on to the Zither made from the finest and rarest wood and exclaimed in awe, "Wow! This looks amazing!" but then she quickly gave up on it too, 'This Zither looks good but...I will not be able to carry it and escape from here!'

She moved onto the rare medicinal herbs which were laying on the table. She picked up one of the herbs and sniffs it, "What is this useful for?!"

As she was guessing it, the tingling smell of the herb went inside her nose making her feel like, "Aaa....aaaa....."

She quickly covers her mouth and made the sneezing soundless, "Phew! I nearly expose myself just now screw it! These herbs are useless!"

Xialin ignores the herbs too and went on to the shiny glittery beautiful ornaments which layout there. She quickly took the real vintage coral hairpin worn by the previous empire of the Kingdom of Yu and chuckled to herself, "This looks so good I'll wear it". She immediately put the hairpin on her head.

She then continued looking for the next treasure. There was a whole bunch of gold, silver, bronze and wooden boxes laying out there.

Xialin opens up the box one by one. There was nothing fascinating in it just some random elixirs hmmm....

She was so bored by it that she decided to leave. Just as she was about to leave she recollected the strange old woman words to choose the wooden one.

Recalling it, Xialin takes a step back and opens the small wooden box lying in the corner and pondered over it, 'Is this what the old woman told me to choose?!'

As she slowly opens the wooden box there was a small marble shape bluish stone. It was glowing and illuminating bluish light.

Dumbstruck by it, Xialin exclaimed in amazement, "Woah, this looks different!"

She quickly took it out and observed it closely, unable to determine what is that thing, she kept the stone inside the small wooden box and put it back there. What will be it's used though?! Xialin thought to herself but then she was a bit reluctant to leave it there. Something inside her tells her to take the stone, unable to deny it Xialin immediately grab the wooden box and kept it hidden inside her sleeves deciding to keep it anyway! "Hmm! This feels just right!", she convinced herself in satisfaction.

Since all the treasures have been done close examining and there's nothing much to take from, so, she decided to leave. Xialin looks secretly and observed the number of guards guarding the place, "Hmm, so it's two! I need two weapons to knock them out at once!" , she thought it over.

With it, she turned around and glances at the treasure. Finally, she grabbed the two jade teapots each on one hand and slowly went ahead and used it to hit on the guard's head swiftly.

It instantly make them to knock out and fall on the ground.

"Now! let's get out from here!" , She chuckled to herself.

Xialin came out from the treasure room and slowly walked upfront.

Just as she was thinking that she had escaped, she found herself in the middle of the Auction hall! There were two unknown paths in the front as well!

"Ohh! God! Which one should I take? One of these paths must lead to outside!" , Xialin wracks her brain thinking hard on it, 'Since this is the path from where I came from....then... this is not the one then among these two?!! Okay, I'll gamble it. Let's take this one!'

Convincing herself, she walked forth.

Little did Xialin know that she had chosen the path of the Auctioneer! She confidently walks in the path but then the path seems to lead nowhere. She felt a bit nervous as she moves further and further.

When she finally stops at the end of the path, she found herself in a big rocky room. Xialin nervously enters the room. Inside the room was a big table laying down from all sides with chairs, decorated beautifully with flowers probably for holding a banquet and so many people were there making a list of items deciding upon which item to auction and which not to. Some on the side, were seated on the chair probably waiting for the auction to starts.

Shocked upon seeing them Xialin immediately tries to get out from there. Nevertheless, the Auctioneer caught her eye on her. She was a beautiful woman in her forties and wore a beautiful ravishing red hanfu. Her hair was beautifully decorated with ornaments. She quickly gave orders to one of the men, "Quick bring the girl who just left!". The men immediately left to fetch her and Xialin was caught and brought before the Auctioneer.

"Here's the Woman! Madame", The guard said.

"Let me go!", Xialin pleaded.

The Auctioneer came nearer to her and explained, "Ahh! I just needed to give a quick check on you!"

The Auctioneer rolled her eyes observing Xialin from head to toe. She then took out the coral hairpin from Xialin's hair.

"Tell me. Where did you get this?!!" , The Auctioneer questioned in a witheringly harsh tone.

Xialin didn't utter a word  at it she plays dumb. Seeing her dumb act the woman immediately pulled her hair and interrogates fiercely, "Aren't you going to speak?!"

Xialin's feeling pain by her hair being pulled, finally responded, "Fine I'll speak! I'll speak!"

She then started to explain, "While I was coming inside I saw this hairpin lying on the floor near to the treasure room. I thought I got some luck today as I was in need of a new hairpin. So I took it for myself"

She continued to act cunningly, "I'm really sorry madame I didn't know it was yours!"