The moment Lin Jinju saw their grinning faces, her instincts screamed.
She tried to slam the door shut in panic, but it was already too late.
With brute force and shameless grins, the two soldiers shoved the door open, pushing her backward. One of them laughed loudly, the other stepped in confidently, as though they owned the place.
"Hey now, don't be like that," the one she had slapped sneered, rubbing his jaw as he crossed the threshold.
Lin Jinju stumbled back, nearly tripping over her own feet as she tried to reach for something—anything—to defend herself with. But the knife, the curtain rod… she had already put them away, ashamed and awkward in front of Shinju. Her hands came up instinctively, shaking, palms open, backing away.
The man she had slapped cracked his neck with a sick grin. "She's springy like a chicken," he said, mocking the way she had jumped. "Let's test and see how spicy you can get, lady~"
