Chapter 16

For two large-scale otakus with little social experience and independent judgment, it was already quite an achievement to analyze things so clearly. What they didn't know was that their supposedly private, low-voiced discussion had been heard clearly by Zhu Youxiang in the guest room. As a sword cultivator who had reached the initial stage of the Foundation Establishment realm, if Zhu Youxiang had the intention, she could sense any movement within a twenty-meter radius.

Hearing that the two otakus had decided to continue letting her stay at their home, Zhu Youxiang smiled with satisfaction—she was quite pleased with this news. It meant she wouldn't have to look for another place to stay.

Zhu Youxiang realized that although this was a wilderness planet, the local government's control was no less strict than that of the Ming Dynasty, and in some ways, it was even stricter. At least in the Ming Dynasty, she hadn't encountered such strict accommodation management; no inn would dare to accommodate guests without identification. Here, without identification, an outsider would find it impossible to move around. She was very lucky to have met Xu Yan, a kind and easy-going otaku.

Although she hadn't rested for a day and a night, for a cultivator at the Foundation Establishment stage, such a minor fatigue was nothing. While casually listening to the two otakus chat, Zhu Youxiang considered her next steps. However, Xu Yan and Liu Yang didn't chat for long. After a while, Liu Yang said goodbye and left, and Xu Yan watched TV in the living room for a bit before going back to his bedroom to surf the internet.

Zhu Youxiang withdrew her attention and focused on her thoughts: "Currently, my top priority is to establish a foothold here and stabilize myself. Only then can I gradually seek a way back home. Although this young master Xu is somewhat indecisive, he has a good heart. With his help, my life here should be worry-free. However, relying entirely on others and lacking self-reliance goes against my family's teachings. Therefore, I must have the ability to protect and support myself.

First, I need to manage my finances: money can move gods and control ghosts. Whatever I want to do, money is indispensable. The first step is to exchange the gold ingots I brought with me for local currency. This young master Xu is trustworthy and honest; I can entrust him with the exchange.

With money, the next step is to obtain a legal identity here—yes, the ID card that young master Xu mentioned. It seems the local government is very strict. As an outsider with no background, it will be quite difficult to obtain this. However, there are always corrupt officials in the government. As long as I am willing to pay, I should be able to find some bold and adventurous individuals.

Once I have a household registration, I will be free to move around, whether for accommodation or buying a house. Then, I can explore the local customs and gather information about the various countries, while also looking for a way back to the Ming Dynasty."

As Zhu Youxiang organized the items around her and pondered her plan, she suddenly heard an unusual sound. At first, she didn't pay much attention, but the sound grew louder. She focused and realized it was coming from the front door of the living room.

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It was past midnight, and Xu Yan was surfing the internet in his room when he also heard the unusual sound from the living room. At first, he didn't pay much attention, thinking it was just a rat rummaging around—such a rented apartment complex was not very clean, and rats were common. However, after a while, the rustling sound not only didn't stop but became even louder. Xu Yan became angry: "These damn rats are really out of control. I have to deal with them!"

Xu Yan grabbed a broom from beside his bed and went to the living room. He turned on the lights and looked around, but there were no rats. However, the rustling sound continued. Xu Yan walked around the living room and was surprised to find that the sound was coming from the front door—his doorknob was slowly turning.

If it were an experienced person, they would immediately realize that someone was trying to open the door from the outside, likely using a lock-picking tool. If they were alert, they would recognize the danger and either block the door or call for help.

Unfortunately, our otaku Xu Yan lacked this crisis awareness. In those crucial few seconds, all he did was stare in shock as the doorknob slowly turned. With a crisp "click," the door was pushed open, and a man cautiously peeked in, just as Xu Yan, holding the broom, stood in the middle of the living room.

They stared at each other, both shocked. They were so close, and the living room was brightly lit, so Xu Yan could see every wrinkle on the man's face: he was a complete stranger, wearing a black Giordano T-shirt, lean and agile, with a fierce look in his eyes.

Shocked, Xu Yan blurted out, "Who are you looking for? Did you come to the wrong door?"

The man, who had just used a lock-picking tool to open the door, was also surprised to see the homeowner standing there with a broom. However, his reaction was much faster than Xu Yan's. He quickly advanced, moving toward Xu Yan.

Xu Yan hastily raised the broom to block the man, shouting, "Who are you? Who are you looking for?"—even at this point, Xu Yan hadn't realized the man's malicious intent, showing just how slow his reaction was.

In the next one or two seconds, four more thugs rushed in, and the last one closed the door behind them.

What followed was inevitable—five adult men against a young, inexperienced boy. It was no contest. Before Xu Yan could understand what was happening, his broom was taken from him, and someone grabbed his neck with an arm, causing him to lose his balance. He was quickly knocked to the ground by several strong arms.

Next, someone pinned his arms behind his back, pressing him down hard, while others grabbed his legs, making it impossible for him to move. At least two or three men were pressing on Xu Yan's back, making it hard for him to breathe, and his ribs ached from the pressure.

Caught off guard, Xu Yan was about to cry out for help when he felt a sharp, cold object press against his face. A low, menacing voice came from behind: "Boy, if you make a sound, I'll gouge out your eyes!" The sharp object slowly moved across his face, and Xu Yan immediately fell silent—this voice was calm and authoritative, leaving no doubt that the man would follow through on his threat.

If the man had threatened to kill him, Xu Yan might have tried to resist, as the word "death" seemed far removed from a lively, twenty-year-old college student. But the threat of having his eyes gouged out, especially with a sharp knife right next to his face, was too convincing. Xu Yan was too scared to even breathe, and he asked in a low voice, "Are... are you looking for the wrong person?"

Someone pressed down hard on the back of Xu Yan's head from behind: "Tell us, where are the antiques you dug up hidden?"

The push was so hard that Xu Yan's face was slammed into the floor, nearly knocking out his teeth. Confused, he mumbled, "What antiques?"

"This boy is pretending to be stupid, Brother Lei. Give him a taste of pain—cut off one of his fingers?"

Hearing this, Xu Yan was terrified and struggled desperately, but the men held him down easily. Fortunately, the low, menacing voice spoke again: "Don't hurt him yet. Take him back and we'll deal with him there."

Among the thugs, this low voice was clearly the leader. When he spoke, the others obeyed without question. Someone turned Xu Yan's head and stuffed a cloth into his mouth, then sealed it with duct tape. Another person tied his hands behind his back with a rope. These men were experienced and worked well together, and it took only about two minutes from the time Xu Yan was knocked down to when he was securely tied up.

The leader, Brother Lei, instructed the others: "Find a piece of clothing to cover his head so no one sees him when we go downstairs. If anyone sees us, Huamao, you deal with it. Say it's the police catching a fugitive, and thank them for their cooperation—here's a police ID. Huamao, you three take him downstairs to the car and wait for us. Fertilizer, you stay with me to search the house for anything unusual and see if it's what the boss wants."

The thugs responded, and they pulled Xu Yan up from the floor. However, Xu Yan knew they were going to take him away and resisted, rolling on the ground and making strange noises. The three thugs had trouble dragging him up.

After a while, the leader, Brother Lei, became angry. He walked over, squatted down, and grabbed Xu Yan's hair, lifting his head and dragging him to face him. The man's eyes were cruel and full of violence, and Xu Yan was too frightened to look at him, turning his head away to avoid the man's murderous gaze.

Suddenly, a sharp, intense pain shot through Xu Yan's leg. He screamed in pain, his body convulsing violently. The pain was so intense that he opened his eyes to see the fierce man had stabbed him in the thigh with a dagger, which had penetrated halfway. Blood gushed out, quickly soaking his pants. Xu Yan's body convulsed, and he was drenched in cold sweat.