Chapter 1945: Hostage (3) Death could claim any one of those prisoners at any time. With their grave injuries, there were already many dead bodies collapsed on the floor of the metal cages. As the weather had been rather hot and humid the past few days, the corpses had already started to rot. Squeezed in the cages with the dead bodies, the survivors had to endure the overwhelming stench of decay. The shadow of death shrouded the hearts of everyone. They watched as their own people died, knowing that it would soon be their fate. Just months ago, these people were the much-admired and respected elite of the ancient clans. But now, they were just a bunch of livestock squeezed in a metal cage with their dead companions. Despondence was written on the faces of nearly everyone inside. Any initial hope in their eyes had already been gradually eroded by despair. As the Ancient You Clan continued on their path of destruction, every prisoner knew that it was a one-way road to hell for anyone captured. No one would come to rescue them. It would be a suicidal mission. They had already been abandoned by the rest of the world. The Ancient You Clan sentries at the entrance completely disregarded those imprisoned ancient clan folks. In their eyes, they were no different from a bunch of rotting corpses, clinging pathetically on to their last breath. Instead, the sentries were on high alert for anyone who might try to rescue the prisoners. As Ye Qingtang led her group to the canyon, they stuck closely to the side of a steep rock face to keep themselves from sight. It wasn’t difficult to spot the metal cages from afar, as well as the completely disheartened hostages trapped within. Looking at the wretched state of their own people, the eyes of those clans who had suffered under the Ancient You Clan, all turned red like raging beasts. “The Ancient You Clan is so despicable! We should just fight them to the death!” One of the ancient clan elders gritted his teeth. They might have been able to quietly endure their loss if they hadn’t personally witnessed those prisoners. But now that they had seen the hostages, it was near-impossible to turn their backs on them. Ye Qingtang narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the prisoners. She then shot the eight tribe leaders a discreet look, indicating that they should hold back the ancient clan folks. The Ancient You Clan had boldly left those hostages out in plain view, precisely because they wanted to provoke the rage of the other clan members and make them act impulsively. Now was not the time to show how loyal one was. If they just charged in now, they would just end up being caught in the trap set by the Ancient You Clan. Luckily the ancient clan folks still had some common sense. They knew that they still had to rely on Ye Qingtang and Ming Di, and didn’t let their emotions blind their actions. Ye Qingtang surveyed the prisoners inside the cages, trying to see if there was anyone from the Jiang family. Soon enough, she noticed several familiar figures inside one of the cages. As she squinted her eyes to look closer, Ye Qingtang saw three familiar-looking females squeezed in that metal cage. Wasn’t that Ye You, Ye Xun and Jiang Qin? Apart from them, Ye Qingtang didn’t see anyone else from the Jiang family. At this, Ye Qingtang heaved a sigh of relief. Ye Qingtang didn’t care if it were only these three who were captured. Even if the Ancient You Clan didn’t take Ye You’s life, it was just a matter of time before Ye Qingtang personally killed her. But just as Ye Qingtang relaxed, she noticed one of the patrolling sentries discreetly drop a cloth pouch into Ye You’s cage as he passed by them.