He closes his eyes and sighs.
He has been an idiot. Why did he pick up a strange woman like this? Why didn't he consider the possibility that she might have been left to die on the island because she committed a heinous crime? She could be a murderess or an exiled woman. She could be a king killer.
"Speak." Lu Weixue can't take a risk. He has a younger brother. If this woman is going to bring him misfortune, then he will throw her in the sea right away. "Why were you there?"
She sits down on the bed and leans toward the wall. She doesn't meet his eyes. She has decided to ignore him to death.
Angry beyond words, he grabs her wrist tightly. "Did you commit a crime?"
She smiles at him mockingly. "Regretting it already?"
The contempt in those dark eyes makes him feel shame. He scrutinizes her with his eyes. What can a woman like her do? Her bones can be broken easily if he grips her arm hard. She can't even protect herself. She won't tell him about herself if he threatens her with death.
She's afraid of being dishonored though.
"If you don't tell me the truth, I will let those men do whatever they want," He tells her quietly.
As expected, she looks at him with fearfully again and then, it's gone with a flicker. There is only hate and disgust. He doesn't care. He just doesn't want troubles in the future. He already has nothing left.
"I didn't commit any crime," She replies with the same quiet tone.
He waits for her to say more. She doesn't open her mouth again. She watches him solemnly. Under the soft light of the lamp, she seems like someone who came back after touching the door of the death. A part of him is afraid of this woman.
Another part of him pities her. She's just a weak woman. What can she do? What can a woman who tried to bury herself do? She is likely to kill herself again. At most, he will have a dead body to bury.
"What's your name?" He asks her.
She shrugs her shoulders. "Must I tell you?"
"I need to know your name in case you kill yourself," He taunts her. The unpleasant feeling is growing strong. He doesn't like her at all. He should just sell her. "Do you want to be buried under a nameless grave?"
He chuckles when he sees her lips twitch in anger. She curls her fingers. He moves away a bit, thinking that she might try to claw his face again.
"Mo Wei," She whispers after a long time.
He raises his brow. "Where did you come from?"
"Just throw me in the sea," She says to him bitterly.
"I won't do that." He laughs, trying to sound sinister. "You want to die. If I throw you into the sea, you will get what you want."
Silence again. The woman just ignores him and closes her eyes. He lets go of her wrist. The red fingers marks on her pale skin the disappear right away. He frowns deeply and thinks nothing of it. It seems like he can't push her too much to answer him.
If she's not a felon, then it's fine.
He leaves the cabin. He needs to think about what to do about her after they reach the city.
***
I don't know how long I spent under the sand. I didn't lose consciousness. I didn't sleep. I didn't feel pain. I didn't breathe. My skin was eaten by worms in the sand. It would reform again. The process was endless. I didn't die. I kept my eyes closed and replayed mine and Li Jun's memories. I hoped for a miracle. I wanted death to find me.
I was found, but it wasn't death. It was a man. I hated it when I opened my eyes. He forced me to leave with him. I didn't want to leave the place where Li Jun left me. I was hoping that it would be Kang Si An or the timekeeper instead of a stranger.
Li Jun was really cruel. He should have left me to drown. I doubt that anyone could bring me up from the bottom of the sea. He could have stayed with me there. I don't want to wander the world alone without him.
So cruel. He even smiled when he left me. Was he happy to leave me alone in the world?
I miss my parents and my annoying brother. They aren't even born yet.
People wish for a long life because they want to spend it with happiness. Without loved ones, is it worth living? I am alone and there is no one to hold my hand. The man who held it is no longer in the world. I don't know how to live this life.
When I left him, I still felt secure. He was alive somewhere in the world. Even if we couldn't be together, he was in the same world as me. The hope that I could see him again kept me going.
The door is suddenly opened. A man comes inside with a tray. He places it in front of me. There is a dried piece of bun and a glass of water. I have seen him earlier with that other cranky and rude man.
"Your name is Mo Wei, right?" The man must be in his mid-twenties. Physically, I am 21. But I have lived a lot longer than him, though I don't know how long I was buried there. I must be older than most people on this ship.
"What's the year?" I don't need to eat. So, I won't eat. It's better if all the people are scared of me. If that happens, they will think less of me as a woman and more of me as a monster.
The man replies nervously, "Year XXXX?"
It's been 300 years already. Time flies by when you are buried under the ground.
The primitive man comes back. He glances at the food and says, "You aren't eating? Then, do you plan to starve yourself to death? You shouldn't work so hard. I told you that I won't let you die easily. You have some uses."
How many times I have been threatened to be raped by now? Nobody else other than Li Jun will ever touch this body. I am scared of this person. Reluctantly, I pick up the bun and eat it. There is no taste as if my tongue lost all the taste buds. I am just glad that I didn't lose other senses.
He seems satisfied with my actions. There are only two beds in the cabin. He climbs on one and covers himself with a blanket. His younger brother looks at the bed where I am sitting.
"I will sleep on the floor," I tell him before he could say anything.
"Lu Yuan." The horrible man speaks with his back to us. "Go and share someone else's cabin."
"Elder brother, don't be bad to her." Lu Yuan runs out after saying those words.
I stare hard at his back. The man doesn't turn around. He doesn't move for a long time. I can't sleep with him in the same room. When I left Li Jun and wandered alone in the ancient K country, many bad things happened. The ancient world isn't kind or much different from the modern world. A lone woman without a home or family meets many disasters.
"If you don't stop staring at me, I will misunderstand that you are willing to pay me with your body."
There is only one thing in his dirty head.
I lie down on the bed. It's chilly at night. I gaze at the ceiling until I hear his snores. It's the right time to make my escape.