My cousin advised me to cancel my Spring Festival travel ticket and take her boyfriend's car home instead.

At first, I wanted to refuse, but after her repeated persuasion, I eventually agreed.

As soon as I got in the car, I felt drowsy. By the time I woke up, I was already in a remote mountain village.

A group of men surrounded me, saying they wanted me to bear children for them.

When I saw the tattoos on their arms, I was shocked. It was the emblem of the Hastings Tribe.

My boyfriend, Albie Hastings, was the young leader of the Hastings Tribe. I never expected to end up in his hometown.

——

"This wide pelvis is definitely built for giving birth to sons."

"Pretty girl, hurry up and choose one of us to be your husband for tonight."

The men surrounding me stared at me lecherously, their eyes filled with lust, as if they were about to take me right then and there.

Panicked, I looked at the men before me and soon, my gaze caught something. Each of them had a distinctive tattoo on their arm.

I knew this tattoo all too well.

My boyfriend, Albie, had the same tattoo on his arm, but his was red, while these men’s were black.

I had asked him before what this tattoo meant.

Albie confessed to me that this was a unique emblem of the Hastings Tribe. He also revealed that he was the tribe's young leader and had even jokingly said he wanted me to become his chieftain’s wife.

"Where's my cousin and her boyfriend? What did you do to them?"

I anxiously looked around but saw no sign of the two. Worry gripped me as I feared for their safety.

I remembered Albie once telling me that the people in his tribe held very outdated beliefs. Because there were far more men than women, they practiced polyandry, allowing one woman to have multiple husbands.

Some members of the tribe even used gold veins to lure women in.

But he had clearly assured me that such things no longer happened.

Then what was going on now?

"Oh, you mean those matchmakers? They took the gold we gave them and left to enjoy their lives long ago." A bald man stroked his chin, grinning as he looked at me.

"Matchmakers? What do you mean?"

I scrambled up from the ground, trying to get away, but none of them showed any intention of letting me leave.

Growing impatient, the bald man reached out and shoved my shoulder.

"It's getting dark. Hurry up and choose. If you don't pick one, we'll all take turns instead."

"Hahaha!" The men around me burst into laughter.

"You’re from the Hastings Tribe, aren't you? Your young leader is my boyfriend!"

As soon as I said that, the laughter died and silence fell over the group.

Just when I thought I had intimidated them, the bald man suddenly slapped me hard, knocking me to the ground.

Before I could recover, he stomped on my chest, pressing down so hard that I could barely breathe.

"Using the young leader's identity to lure women here is a common trick of the matchmakers. You hear about the Hastings Tribe's gold veins and come running eagerly, don’t you? Since you refused to choose, then we’ll all take turns tonight! We’ll show you the strength of Hastings Tribe men!"

In the next second, he lifted me like a helpless chick and slung me over his shoulder.

"My boyfriend isn’t some matchmaker! His name is Albie, he’s your young leader! If you don’t believe me, call him here…!"

I pounded my fists against the bald man's back, struggling desperately to break free.

"You dare call our young leader by name? You must have a death wish!"

With that, he threw me down hard. My chest slammed into the ground and a sharp pain shot through me. I felt like my ribs were about to snap.

"You outsider woman, where did you even learn our young leader's name? Calling him by name is a punishable offense. Do you understand?"

"Today, I’ll teach you the rules of the Hastings Tribe myself!"

The man pulled a leather belt from his waist and lashed it down on me again and again.

Pain wracked my body and I trembled uncontrollably. My chest, already aching from the fall earlier, felt as if it were being crushed, making it impossible to catch my breath. Weakness overtook me and I couldn’t even muster the strength to speak.

"Freddie, take it easy. Don’t beat her to death."

“Yes, we paid the matchmaker half a pound of gold in exchange."

Listening to their conversation, I immediately thought of my cousin's boyfriend.

When I got in the car, I heard him talking on the phone, telling the other party that he would definitely deliver the goods on time.

Thinking back now, the "goods" he mentioned must have been me.

I never expected my cousin to have such a boyfriend.

I had no idea what had happened to her now. Was she safe?

"If you don’t believe me, you can call Albie and ask him. I also have photos of us together on my phone…"

From the way they spoke, I could tell that Albie held a high status among them. I thought that if I could just prove my relationship with him, they would let me go.

But before I could finish my sentence, a heavy slap landed across my face.

"You still dare to call our young leader by name? I’ll beat that filthy mouth of yours shut!"

"This woman is cunning. She’s just trying to get her phone so she can call the police."

Three slaps landed hard on my face in quick succession.

I felt my teeth loosen from the impact, the metallic taste of blood spreading in my mouth. My head spun, my whole body throbbed with pain and it felt like my insides had been shattered.

Even though I was filled with grievances, I didn’t dare say another word.

These men were ruthless.

"Lock her in the pigsty. She’ll behave by tomorrow," the leader ordered.

Two men grabbed my arms and dragged me toward the pigsty.

The place was cold and drafty, reeking of pig waste. I collapsed in a corner, trembling uncontrollably in despair.

I endured until the dead of night when all the lights around me finally went out.

Crawling out of the pigsty, only one thought consumed me. I had to escape.

But I had barely run a few meters when a bright beam of light suddenly fell upon me. Moments later, the entire tribe erupted with the sound of blaring horns.

Within less than a minute, I was completely surrounded by a group of Hastings Tribe men.

Some wielded axes, others gripped long sticks, their fierce eyes locked onto me with murderous intent.

"I told you this woman was cunning! She actually dared to sneak away in the middle of the night!"

"No worries, just follow the usual process."

"No matter how stubborn a woman is, she won’t last past the third trial. By then, she’ll either be broken or lose her mind and once that happens, she’ll obey."

I had heard Albie mention the old, cruel traditions of his tribe before. Among them, he had specifically talked about the so-called ‘Three Trials.’

Without outright killing them, they had devised some inhumane methods to force foreign women to stay and submit.

They did it all because, without women, there would be no future for their people.

The first trial was soaking in itch water. The itch water was made from a toxic plant. Once it touched the skin, it caused rashes and unbearable itching.

The second trial was cactus torture. The woman's body would be pierced with sharp cactus spines until she was covered in them. She had to remove the thorns herself, except for the ones on her back, which remained, causing constant pain. It was both a physical and psychological torment.

The third trial was the cycle.

For ten days, the men of the tribe were free to enter and leave the woman’s room at any time, day or night. A doctor would examine her daily until she became pregnant.

"No, please… I beg you!" I knelt on the ground, bowing over and over, pleading desperately.

"Begging now? It’s too late!" Freddie sneered, gripping my chin tightly as he shined a powerful flashlight directly into my eyes.

The blinding light burned my vision, forcing my eyes shut as tears streamed down my face.

"I want to see your young leader! Let me see Albie!" I sobbed, clinging to my last hope.

"You really don’t give up, do you?" he scoffed. "Fine, our young leader will be back tomorrow. By then, you’ll get your wish. But the real question is… will you even survive the Three Trials until then?"

Before I could react, rough hands grabbed me and in the next second, I was thrown straight into the itch water pool.

I never expected them to start the Three Trials so quickly.

The water in the pool was a murky green. Within just three seconds of being submerged, an unbearable itch spread across my skin.

At first, it was just my hands. I scratched lightly and the skin immediately turned red.

Then, my arms started itching. When I rolled up my sleeves, I saw a patch of angry red rashes spreading across my skin.

Before long, the rash had taken over my entire body, especially my face. The itching was so intense that I could barely keep my eyes open. My face swelled up like a bloated pig’s, unbearably itchy and painful.

"Hahaha! Look at her! Doesn’t she look just like a mother monkey?"

Loud laughter erupted around me.

Desperate for relief, I writhed against the ground, trying to ease the itching. My nails tore into my skin, leaving deep scratches and streaks of blood across my face.

But none of that mattered anymore. My body was unbearably itchy.

After three hours of relentless scratching, the red rashes finally began to fade, but I was completely unrecognizable. Clumps of my hair had been torn out, leaving a bald patch on my scalp.

Now, a burning pain covered my entire body. I dropped to my knees, desperately bowing to the men surrounding me.

"I was wrong! If you want money, I’ll give you anything! Please, just stop torturing me! I’ll do whatever you say!"

I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much worse the next two trials would be.

At first, I had hoped to hold on until Albie returned. That was my only chance of survival. But now, I wasn’t sure I could last that long.

"Haha, let me tell you something about our tribe’s rules. Once the Three Trials begin, they can’t be stopped under any circumstances. It’s been our tradition for a hundred years. You should’ve behaved from the start. You brought this on yourself!"

A man spat in my face before ordering two others to throw me into a pile of cacti.

"Ah!"

My agonized screams echoed through the valley.

Countless tiny thorns pierced my skin, each one like a needle stabbing into me. The searing, relentless pain spread across every inch of my body, making me feel as if I were about to lose consciousness.

I staggered out of the cactus patch, but with every step, sharp spines embedded deeper into the soles of my feet. Cold sweat dripped down my back from the unbearable pain.

Collapsing onto the ground, I started pulling the thorns out one by one. My hands trembled as blood and tears mixed, dripping onto the dirt below.

The pain was constant and sharp enough to torment but never enough to kill. It was a slow, calculated form of psychological torture.

The Hastings Tribe men stood around me, watching like spectators at a cruel show. Some burst into laughter, while others mocked me with jeers and insults.

Just then, Freddie’s phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and his expression immediately tensed.

“Sir, you’re back? You’re already at the entrance? I’ll come meet you right away.”

Was it really Albie?

Relief surged through me. I was finally saved.

I lifted my head, a glimmer of hope flashing in my eyes.

But the next second, Freddie’s foot smashed into my face.