Gu Fei's eyes shot open. She scanned the room and saw that the few available blankets had already been snatched up by four burly servant women. One was being particularly egregious, lying on top of one blanket while covering herself with another.
It was autumn now, and the nights in the north were cold. Sleeping in just their undergarments would be a surefire way to catch a chill.
Gu Fei approached the woman who had taken two blankets. "Sister-in-law Xu, give one of those blankets to me. There aren't enough to go around; we can't have one blanket per person."
Sister-in-law Xu rolled over, pinning the blankets beneath her body. A smirk played on her lips, but her eyes were cold. "Miss Jiefei, surely you don't still think we're in the Marquis Mansion and you're still the head maid?"
"I got to the blankets first, so they're mine! This floor is rock-hard. One for a mattress and one for a cover is perfect."
The Second Young Miss walked over, chewing on her thumbnail. "But we don't have any blankets. We'll freeze and get sick."
Sister-in-law Xu scoffed. "And who cares about you?"
"We've all fallen this far. It's every woman for herself now."
Gu Fei looked at the other servant women. "This isn't right. There are only five blankets and ten of us. That means two people to a blanket." She pointed to the four young maids cowering in the corner. "They need blankets too."
The women had been enjoying the spectacle, not expecting Gu Fei to confront them as well.
One of the women cackled. "Miss Jiefei, you've got a lot of nerve! We're not giving up these blankets. If you think you're so tough, why don't you try and take them!"
Gu Fei's expression turned grim.
If her back and backside weren't injured, dealing with a few servant women would be child's play.
In her past life, when the apocalypse arrived, many people awakened superpowers. Unfortunately, the superpower Gu Fei awakened wasn't a combat type. To protect herself, she had no choice but to relentlessly train in hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship.
Eventually, she could take down a Level 2 Zombie with her bare hands.
But now she was injured. The slightest movement sent excruciating pain shooting through her back.
These women had spent years doing odd jobs in the kitchens. They were all burly and well-fed, and would not be easy opponents.
Seeing Gu Fei remain silent, the Second Young Miss nervously tugged her sleeve. "Jadeite, let it go. We can just huddle together. It won't be that cold."
Just then, Gu Fei suddenly moved. Before anyone could see how she did it, she bent down and flicked her arm. Sister-in-law Xu went rolling to the side. Gu Fei swiftly snatched the blanket and tossed it backhand to the young maids in the corner.
Sister-in-law Xu let out a howl, scrambled up from the floor, and lunged at Gu Fei.
Gu Fei spun with the lunge, hooked her foot behind Sister-in-law Xu's, grabbed the woman's arm, and heaved her over her shoulder.
The throw knocked the wind out of Sister-in-law Xu. She lay flat on her back, gasping for air, and didn't make a sound for a long moment.
A searing pain flared across Gu Fei's back. The sudden, violent movement had torn open the wounds that had only just begun to heal.
The Second Young Miss gasped, covering her mouth as she saw a large patch of blood blossom on the back of Gu Fei's tunic.
Gu Fei pointed at the three remaining women. "I need two more blankets. Hand them over now, or I won't be so courteous."
The three women exchanged glances. One of them said, "I didn't think that little wench Jadeite had a few tricks up her sleeve. If we all go at her, what's there to be afraid of? She's just one girl!"
As she spoke, the woman slapped the dust from her hands and stood up. The other two got to their feet as well.
The Second Young Miss panicked. "You—you can't do this! Jadeite is already hurt!"
She turned and tugged at Jadeite's sleeve. "Forget it! We don't need the blankets!"
Gu Fei said in a low voice, "Get back—"