Since ancient times, the climate of Jiangdu had been pleasant. It was a place that nurtured people, and it was particularly known for producing beautiful women.
Therefore, when concubines were selected for the palace, Jiangdu was always given priority.
However, the methods used were not necessarily honorable.
Ever since Emperor Jing ascended the throne, the entire court had faithfully implemented his overbearing style.
If they wanted something, they would never spend money if they could use force instead.
Whenever they encountered resistance, they would simply recite the eight-word mantra: “Under the wide heaven, all is the King’s land.” Under the suppression of such rogue logic, no amount of reasoning could settle the matter.
Thus, Wei Yun had been seized in such a manner.
By the time the little reporter, Wei Ning, received the news, it was already too late.
“The situation isn’t too terrible yet. After all, Xiao Yun is a candidate for the concubine selection, so those trash officials won’t dare to offend her too much,” Wei Ning said.
“The selection event won’t take place for another month, not until after the Shenzhou Cup concludes. At that time, the comprehensive quality of the recommended women will be tested. Simply being beautiful isn’t enough… They also look at music, chess, calligraphy, painting, etiquette, and conduct. I believe in Xiao Yun; she definitely won’t pass a single stage.”
“…”
‘You really have a lot of faith in your sister.’
“There’s no punishment for failing. Once it’s over, Xiao Yun can return to her original life,” Wei Ning continued.
“I’m just worried that her identity will be exposed. If that happens, I fear it will lead to her death…”
“I understand,” Si Lian nodded.
“You want us to kidnap Xiao Yun back as soon as possible?”
“No, no, no!” Wei Ning hurriedly shook his head.
“Kidnapping a candidate for the Emperor’s concubines is a capital crime! Those trash officials know Xiao Yun’s identity. If that happens, not just Xiao Yun and I, but likely every one of our friends and family won’t be able to escape!”
“Then what do you want…” Si Lian asked, puzzled.
“Auntie Lian, you’ve traveled far and wide, so I assume you have some knowledge of the Disguise Technique,” Wei Ning said, sounding a bit embarrassed as he stammered.
“I was hoping you could help Xiao Yun hide her identity using a high-level Disguise Technique. Once she survives the selection process, everything will naturally be resolved… I’m sorry, I know this is difficult and requires you to risk your life, but I really can’t think of any other way. You’re the only strong person I know.”
“It’s fine,” Si Lian smiled.
“This is a small matter. No problem, I’ll personally make a trip tonight.”
“Thank you so much!” Wei Ning’s eyes turned slightly red with emotion.
The arrival of the little reporter, Wei Ning, was merely a small interlude during the Shenzhou Cup, but Jiang Ke’er found it impossible to forget the scars on the top of his head.
The hideous scars always made her subconsciously imagine the scene of blood spraying everywhere as they were cut off, and the agony of having cartilage sawed through while alive.
What kind of despair must one feel to have the resolve to personally cut off their own fragile ears and tail…
None of it was as casual as Wei Ning had made it sound.
That night, Jiang Ke’er dreamed that she was Si Lian, standing on a path through a field filled with blooming golden flowers under the bright sun.
Suddenly, a spray of blood splattered across her face.
In the middle of the wild flower bushes, a five or six-year-old boy was facing a mirror, holding a pair of scissors. He was carefully cutting along the base of his ears.
Snip, snip.
He gritted his teeth, tears shimmering in his eyes, yet he looked at the bald, bloody top of his head in the mirror and began to laugh.
Blood flowed from his temples, down to his chin.
“This is great. I’m not a beast anymore. No one will call me a beast ever again…”
Then, Jiang Ke’er woke up in a fright.
She felt as if her chest were weighed down by several pounds of stone.
She left the [System Space] and returned to the real world, pushing open her room door to go out for some fresh air.
Coincidentally, Si Lian was also there, puffing heavily on a cigarette and blowing smoke toward the moonlight.
It was snowing. The snowflakes smothered Si Lian’s smoke, and the air felt relatively fresh.
Jiang Ke’er poked her head into the snow, greedily taking deep breaths and letting the icy snowflakes hit her throat.
“Can’t sleep?” Si Lian smiled.
Jiang Ke’er nodded and stood beside Si Lian, leaning against the railing with a dazed look in her eyes.
Finally, she couldn’t help but ask, “Are there many?”
“Many,” Si Lian nodded. “Far more than you can imagine.”
Jiang Ke’er felt as if a knife were carving a piece of flesh from her heart.
Si Lian knew that Jiang Ke’er was asking if there were many members of the Demon Race like Wei Ning. She could tell that Jiang Ke’er had been unsettled all afternoon because of Wei Ning’s visit.
And her answer was so truthful that Jiang Ke’er was afraid to hear it.
Jiang Ke’er gripped the railing tightly.
She had always thought that what she had seen was already dark and cruel enough, but this world always found a way to shatter her worldview anew.
“It is exactly as Wei Ning said, it’s no big deal,” Si Lian said softly.
“Many Demon Race parents choose to remove their children’s demonic characteristics the moment they are born to fight for a bright future for them. Just like the Realm Slaves who choose to live in the Realm of Novice Cultivator, their numbers are far beyond your imagination.”
As she spoke, Si Lian raised her hand and pointed toward a small residence not far away.
In the deep of the night, two hurried figures kept their heads down as they moved through the frigid wind and snow, knocking on the door of the residence.
The door slowly creaked open. By the faint candlelight peeking through the crack, Jiang Ke’er saw a young man and woman.
They were holding an infant in swaddling clothes, their faces haggard.
Upon seeing the infant in the couple’s arms, the occupant of the residence understood immediately and gestured for the young couple to enter.
Soon, heavy curtains were drawn over the windows, and Jiang Ke’er sensed a faint fluctuation from a soundproofing formation.
After a while, the young couple walked out of the residence.
The infant in the swaddling clothes was still sleeping deeply, but a blood-stained bandage was wrapped around its head.
Jiang Ke’er’s mouth hung open in shock.
What shocked her even more was that the residence soon welcomed new customers.
In the span of a single hour, three or four pairs of men and women ducked into the building with children.
They arrived in a hurry and left in a hurry, their tracks quickly buried by the heavy snow.
The small house remained, with a constant stream of people entering and leaving.
This crude little house was as efficient as an assembly line.
And yet, when those young parents walked out of the house, their eyes did not hold the pain Jiang Ke’er had imagined. Instead, they flickered with a hope that made her spine go cold.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t considered the idea of destroying such a dark den, but when she saw the looks of relief and the light of hope on those parents’ faces, she couldn’t take a single step forward.
Two streams of tears blurred her vision uncontrollably.
In the eyes of those parents, just like the young Wei Ning, what went in was a “beast,” and what came out was a “human.”
“Every city has a small Medical Hall like this,”
Si Lian said. “Although both races strictly forbid this behavior and work to eradicate it… as long as the fundamental problem isn’t solved, they will never be wiped out completely.”
“And most of the Demon Race chooses to selectively ignore this issue,” Si Lian said, placing a hand on Jiang Ke’er’s shoulder.
“Because facing it is more painful than facing an Immortal.”
Snowflakes pitter-pattered onto Jiang Ke’er’s hair.
After standing in a daze for a long moment, she suddenly wiped her face. “It ends here!”
“Why?” Si Lian looked at her.
“Because I’m here!”