Sadly, Anning's words were brutally ignored. She was easily lifted off the ground, despite her struggles and then she was mercilessly thrown into the carriage.
She fell onto the cushioned seat, her body bouncing due to how she was thrown. She quickly straightened herself, her chest rising and falling asleep she tried to steady herself breathing.
Moments later, Wanqing stepped inside. She didn't even bother looking at Anning as she took her seat.
With both of them seated inside the carriage, it suddenly felt smaller to Anning. Anning pulled her gaze away from Wanqing, lowered her gaze as she stared down at her lap.
This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Despite all her efforts to escape, all failed woefully. She felt a lone tear slip down her cheek, despite her efforts to hold it back.
The carriage soon began to move and the carriage was filled with nothing but silence.
"Why are you sitting there?" Wanqing asked, finally breaking the uncomfortable silence.
Anning frowned slightly before lifting her head, the moment she shifted her gaze. She noticed Wanqing was looking at her.
She took a long time to process the question that had just been asked and when she did, she felt annoyed.
"Are you expecting me to fly?" She shot back, her voice sounding slightly hoarse.
Wanqing raised a brow slightly, as if considering her response.
Then she said softly, "A slave is meant to sit on the floor."
She didn't try to sugar coat her words. To Anning, she seemed overly confident of herself.
After a brief pause, Wanqing added, "Also, you should watch how you speak to me."
Lin Anning was not seated on the floor, just as she had been ordered to. Her back was resting slightly on the wooden wall as she stared out the window through the parted curtains.
After a few minutes of driving, the path had begun to slope upward, and this made the carriage tilt as it moved slowly. They were climbing up a mountain, but where exactly were they going?
The air around them had turned cooler and only the sounds of the horse galloping could be heard.
Tall trees stretched endlessly on both sides on the narrow road, their leaves holding different shades of green. The deeper they went, the more eerie it felt, as though she was in a completely different world.
(No pun intended)
Anning's gaze lingered on the scenery, her thoughts drifting despite everything that had happened.
'Where exactly did I end up?' She asked herself.
She had been too engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that someone else had been watching her the entire time.
Gu Wanqing's eyes were fixed solely on her, her expression unreadable as she observed the girl sitting on the floor. There was no curiosity in her face, no clear emotions, yet...she didn't pull her gaze away.
Anning, too distracted by how unfamiliar things seemed, didn't notice.
The carriage eventually slowed, then came to a complete stop after a few seconds.
The sound of someone jumping and approaching them echoed in the air, right before the door of the carriage was pulled open. A servant stepped forward quickly, lowering his head as he extended a hand to Wanqing.
Wanqing stood up from her seat, placed her hand in his as she stepped out.
Anning on the other hand, didn't move. She remained where she was seated, her eyes fixed ahead and her expression blank as though she had momentarily shut everyone and everything out.
Wanqing, who had been standing for quite a while, turned her head slightly. Her gaze fell on Anning who still sat inside the carriage.
"Are you planning to sleep in there?" She asked.
Anning let out a small chuckle before finally turning
her head to look at her.
"If I could, I definitely would. It's better for me than going anywhere with you." She responded.
Her voice sounded softly as usual as she spoke, lacking the sharp edge she had used before, but the meaning around them remained the same.
She didn't want to be here. She didn't even know who this woman was!
She didn't want to remain in a place where she knew nothing about.
If she could, she would rather go back... or even return back to the afterlife without much thought.
Wanqing sighed, raising a hand to touch her way.
"I don't know why you find it so difficult to follow simple instructions," She turned around. "But I won't repeat myself. Step out of the carriage and follow me."
It didn't seem as though she was threatening Anning. Why? Because she hadn't raised her voice.
But something about the way she spoke made it clear that she was most definitely threatening Anning.
The audacity!
Anning hesitated, due to everything that had happened today, her body felt heavy. The excessive running, the fear and her constantly screaming... even thinking was making her head hurt.
Her gaze slowly shifted toward the large gates they had passed, she had noticed the guards that stood on either side of the gates. They weren't slouching and they looked alert.
There were too many of them and even if she ran now, she wouldn't make it far.
Not here, not now and definitely not like this.
She let out a slow breath before standing up from the floor.
"Fine." She muttered under her breath.
For now, she decided to remain quiet. For now, she wouldn't argue with anyone and just do as they wanted her to.
Stepping out of the carriage, she found herself standing before a residence that looked more like a fortress than a home. It had high walls, built from a combination of stone and wood surrounding the entire vicinity.
The large gates they had just passed through made Anning frowns slightly.
With how many guards they had, the high walls...what exactly were they trying to protect? It wasn't as if the president was living here, right?
But at last, there was no one here to answer Anning's question.