Qin Junyao waited until midnight.
Fortunately, she had her space to take care of her needs, otherwise it would have been truly embarrassing.
While her consciousness was in the space picking apples, thinking about taking one out to taste, she heard the door open.
Her consciousness instantly returned, and Qin Junyao gripped her dagger, on alert.
The person who entered did not approach her directly but began arranging things in the room, going back and forth many times.
After placing the items, the person did not leave the room but lit several oil lamps.
Qin Junyao stopped lying down and sat up, realizing the person lighting the lamps was a woman.
The woman wore a veil and had an elaborate hairstyle, dressed in a red gown like a bride about to be married.
"Awake? Good, you're awake. Wait a moment, it'll be ready soon."
The woman's voice was soft yet hoarse, and Qin Junyao found it very familiar.
The woman in red finished lighting the oil lamps and then went to the door to lock it. It was then that Qin Junyao noticed a large amount of firewood had been added to the room, and several jars were placed on the floor.
"Who are you?" Qin Junyao asked, looking at the woman's back.
"Who am I?" The woman in red locked the door, tossed the key through the crack, and slowly walked towards Qin Junyao. "Qin Junyao, you don't recognize me?"
"You took my man, my life, and you don't recognize me?"
"Like this, do you recognize me now?" The woman in red removed her veil.
"Qian Duo! You," Qin Junyao never expected it to be Qian Duo.
Hadn't she been taken away by Zhao Liangcai? How could she be here? And in this state.
"Hahaha, startled?" Qian Duo laughed heartily at Qin Junyao's shocked expression, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Qin Junyao, do I look good?" Qian Duo pointed to the wounds on her face. "These are all thanks to you."
"I had already escaped. I found a divine doctor, I bought food, I told them everything I knew, hahaha, but I, but I actually came back, hahaha, I came back."
Seeing the somewhat deranged Qian Duo, Qin Junyao slowly moved to the innermost part of the heated brick bed, intending to retreat into her space the moment she could distance herself from Qian Duo.
"Why are you hiding? Why are you hiding from me?" Qian Duo became agitated when she saw Qin Junyao keeping her distance.
"Why aren't you saying anything? You've always been this way, so why did Zhao Liangcai still marry you? Don't all men like women like me who can cry, act spoiled, and look delicate? Why did he marry you?"
Qian Duo shouted every question, yet Qin Junyao noticed no commotion outside.
This wouldn't do. Looking at the scene in the room, Qian Duo likely intended to take her life with her. She needed to find out who was behind this.
"Qian Duo, who bit your face?"
"Bit? Heh, let me show you what a bite looks like." Qian Duo rolled up her sleeves and lifted her skirt. Her arms and thighs were covered in deep bite marks on her fair skin.
Some had already scabbed over, others were newly closed. Besides the bite marks, there were also long, whip-like scars.
Qin Junyao suddenly stood up from the bed. "Who did this? How could you let someone treat you like this? No, didn't you go to Northwest City with Zhao Liangcai? How did you end up like this?"
Qin Junyao could have dismissed the bite marks on Qian Duo's face as an accident, but the marks on her body were clearly inflicted by someone.
As a woman herself, regardless of what Qian Duo had done before, Qin Junyao did not wish for her to be treated this way.
She could go to jail, she could be flogged, she could even die, but not be tormented like this.