Poisoned by My Mistress

“Porridge is being served!” “Line up! Everyone line up for your share!” At the shout, the refugees scattered along the roadside sprang to life as if resurrected from the dead. They rushed toward the food station like students charging a cafeteria at noon. “Damn, it’s mealtime!” From the shadow of a crumbling wall, a young man jolted awake and tried to leap to his feet with a dramatic kip-up. The motion looked impressive for half a second. Then his body flopped helplessly on the ground like a fish thrown onto dry land. No recovery followed. With a sigh, Mu Yunfeng pushed himself upright the ordinary way and shuffled to the back of the line. He had forgotten that this body’s meridians were completely shattered. It had almost no strength left. Yes, he was a proud refugee. Not by choice, of course. When he had transmigrated into this world, he had arrived as one. Worse, the original owner of the body had lost all memory, leaving Mu Yunfeng with no past to rely on and no understanding of this world. A hell-difficulty start. He had spent years trying to solve the mystery of his situation and gotten nowhere. At last it was his turn. The man ladling porridge scooped a spoonful of watery gruel, then frowned when Mu Yunfeng simply stood there. “Hey. Hold out your bowl.” Mu Yunfeng gave a cool smile, pointed at his mouth with his thumb, and said loudly, “Don’t have one. Pour it straight in.” The server stared at him expressionlessly, then turned to one of the guards nearby. “Sorry. There’s a troublemaker here. Can you remove him?” Seeing the guard’s bell-sized eyes swivel toward him, Mu Yunfeng said nothing at all. He turned around and left with remarkable self-awareness. “Tch. The girl who handed out porridge last time was way better. Even without a bowl, she fed me three spoonfuls.” “Why isn’t she here today?” “If she’s gone, I’m starving.” Scratching his head, he prepared to return to his corner and resume hibernation. From a scientific perspective, his lifestyle could be summarized in one phrase: Giving up. Just then, a shout rose in the distance. “The Northern Lands need laborers! Food provided! Join now and meals are guaranteed on the road!” Mu Yunfeng’s eyes widened. “Hell with this. I’m starving. No more rotting around. Time to chase food.” Decision made. True, he had no strength and could barely work. But as a man from modern society, he possessed one highly developed skill: Doing the minimum while looking busy. The Northern Lands lay in the far north of Snowshade Kingdom. Traveling there on foot would take at least half a month. But food was included. That was enough for him. After surviving famine and years of wandering, he had walked farther for less. As long as there was food waiting at the end, he would go anywhere. The rations on the road were meager, but still better than porridge water. Mu Yunfeng followed the crowd through forested mountain paths, though it wasn’t long before he fell behind. With broken meridians and a weakened body, he was far worse off than the average refugee—especially on a march like this. As he paused to catch his breath, he noticed faint green mist drifting from both sides of the forest. He blinked. It was gone. “Am I hallucinating from exhaustion?” He exhaled sharply. “Forget it. Need to catch up first.” Gritting his teeth, he pushed onward toward a road where even the tail end of the group had vanished from sight. Before long, a man’s voice echoed ahead. “Miss no one! Check every last body! Anyone still conscious—knock them out!” Mu Yunfeng froze. A strange smell brushed past his nose. He looked up. The refugees who should have been walking ahead now lay sprawled across the ground, unconscious in every direction. Standing among them were dozens of masked men dressed in black. “Move them all!” one of the masked men barked. “Take every single one!” No one had noticed him yet. Mu Yunfeng immediately sealed his lips and began backing away one careful step at a time. He had no idea who these people were, but they looked like trouble. Retreat first. Ask questions never. He had barely taken two steps when his back struck something solid and broad. Slowly, he turned around. A massive, muscular man stood behind him. The brute wore an unsettlingly cheerful smile. “Well now,” the man said kindly. “Where do you think you’re going, little treasure?” “Heh... hehe...” Mu Yunfeng laughed weakly. “Uh... emergency bathroom break?” “Bathroom break?” the giant roared with laughter. “You’re not going anywhere.” With one arm, he tucked Mu Yunfeng under his armpit like luggage. “Big brother! Wait! Not like this! Please, not there!” Mu Yunfeng’s face drained of color. Starving to death was one thing. But there were lines a man could not allow crossed. Before he could continue pleading, a sharp blow struck the back of his neck. Darkness crashed over him. It’s over. My poor a*s is doomed. “No! Nooo!” Mu Yunfeng jolted awake with a scream, drenched in cold sweat. He looked around wildly. He was sitting inside a massive pit. The stone walls surrounding it were riddled with countless small holes. Around him, the captured refugees were waking one after another. At the rim of the pit stood several black-clad men, staring down with icy indifference. “Who are you people?!” someone shouted in terror. “What do you want with us?!” The giant who had captured Mu Yunfeng stepped forward. “Nothing much,” he said casually. “Just giving you an opportunity.” He gestured toward a chest beside him. “If any of you can climb out of this pit during the upcoming trial, every coin in this box is yours.” With a sweep of his hand, the lid flew open. Gold filled the chest, gleaming brilliantly. A fortune beyond imagination. Many eyes turned red with greed. One refugee swallowed hard. “Then... what exactly do we need to do?” The giant looked down at him, expression cold. “Stand there.” He smiled. “Sorry. They need a little time to arrive.” From the holes in the pit walls came a sudden rustling sound. Then another. Then hundreds more. Something was crawling inside at terrifying speed. The sound alone made scalps crawl. Mu Yunfeng stared at the nearest hole, a surge of instinctive dread gripping his chest. “Oh no,” he muttered. “This is way worse than losing my dignity.” He quietly edged backward into the center of the crowd, hiding behind the others. Then it happened. A wet explosive burst rang through the pit. Before he could fully retreat, torrents of venomous insects poured from every hole like black water. The people nearest the walls were swallowed instantly. They didn’t even have time to scream. “Ahhh! Bugs!” Panic erupted. Facing the endless flood of crawling poison, no one could remain calm. Fear of death crushed all thoughts of wealth. The refugees scrambled desperately to escape, clawing toward the walls. But insects continued spilling from every side. No one could climb through that living tide. “Help! Help me!” “I don’t want the job anymore! Save me!” The screams rose nonstop. Above them, the black-clad men watched without emotion. “Eat,” the giant murmured, eyes gleaming with madness. “Feast well.” “Whether the last survivor is man or insect... what remains will be the ultimate poison.” Then he suddenly raised a brow. At the center of the pit, one man was moving. Mu Yunfeng ignored the few insects crawling over his body and kicked the back of another refugee’s knee, forcing the man down. Then he stepped onto the man’s back. “If you’re not fighting now,” he roared, “when the hell will you fight?!” Using bodies as footholds, he sprinted across the crowd toward the rim of the pit. Gold no longer mattered. Only survival. And survival meant getting out. He had already chosen the best route. If he moved fast enough, momentum alone might carry him over the edge before anyone could stop him. Closer. Closer. The rim was right there. With the last of his strength, Mu Yunfeng leaped. And the giant appeared in front of him as if teleporting. A single kick sent him flying back into the pit. In those final seconds through the air, Mu Yunfeng saw only the man’s feverish eyes— and heard words cold enough to freeze blood. “Cruel. Clever. Ruthless.” “You should last longer than the others.” Damn it. Am I really going to die here? At the hands of this lunatic? Rage exploded inside him. He opened his mouth and shouted, “f**k your—” He hit the ground. The swarm buried him whole.