Chapter 132
Chapter 132
How much time had passed? The great fire was finally out. Anything that could burn must have turned to ash. Still, she didn't have the courage to leave the secret room. It wasn't until the dead of night that she managed to escape, and only with great effort. She then discovered that not only had her father Xu Guangyun’s death been staged as a suicide, but her entire family—save for her grandmother and her brother, who was not yet five—had been slaughtered.
Xu Qianqian quickly understood why her grandmother and brother had survived. The Zhangs, father and son, needed an audience for their play, people who would be moved by their performance. That way, they would witness the Zhangs’ act and burn with hatred for Shen Lang.
Having died and been reborn, Xu Qianqian’s mind was completely clear. She bitterly resented her past foolishness. Why had she ever thought Zhang Chong would spare the Xu Clan when they were no longer useful and had become nothing more than a nuisance?
Break the engagement? Doing so would likely tarnish Zhang Jin’s reputation. Zhang Chong, known as a ruthless official, cared little for what the world said of him, but he had to be mindful of his reputation in other areas. If word got out that the Zhang Clan had broken the engagement as soon as the Xu Clan lost its wealth, it would reflect terribly on their character. Naturally, the Xu Clan had to die or disappear.
Did Xu Qianqian still hate Shen Lang? Perhaps. But the ones she resented most now were Zhang Chong and Zhang Jin, and thirdly, herself. Shen Lang had clearly warned her, but she had refused to let go of her fantasies about Zhang Jin, leading her father and family to a pointless death. If she had acted the moment she saw Shen Lang’s warning, they might have had a chance to live, or perhaps her father and family would not have died at all.
She felt she could never forgive herself. So, she resolved that after her revenge was complete, she would join her father and family in the ground. But she was just a weak woman; seeking vengeance alone was a fool's errand. Who in this world could help her? Only Shen Lang, of course!
Having lost all her wealth and now considered dead, she didn't even dare to ride a horse. She walked toward the Count of Xuanwu's Estate on her own two feet. There were still dozens of miles to go. Xu Qianqian, who had lived a life of luxury and high status, walked until her feet were raw and bloody. Yet she felt no pain or fatigue. Instead, she used the agony to drive herself forward.
*I caused the death of my father and family, so I deserve this painful punishment. I don't deserve any comfort. But this is strange! Was it always this quiet? There isn't a single person on the road. And in all the villages I've passed, I haven't seen a single candle lit.*
She didn't know that a major event was scheduled in Xuanwu City that night, and a curfew had been imposed on the entire city and all the towns under its jurisdiction. Thanks to this, her journey was much easier. After walking for over two hours, she finally entered the fiefdom of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. The estate itself was now only about ten miles away. Xu Qianqian finally felt a small sense of relief. Everyone in Xuanwu City knew that the villages and towns within the Count's fiefdom were the safest.
For some reason, she saw no militia or patrolling cavalry in the villages. She was also unaware that the Count, feeling immense pressure to protect the estate during the visit from the Governor and the Fourth Prince, had moved most of his forces to the immediate vicinity of the estate, leaving the fiefdom's defenses thin.
She ran toward the estate's walls. As she was passing through a village, she suddenly heard voices. Just then, the dark clouds parted, revealing a bright moon. In the moonlight, Xu Qianqian saw a group of vicious-looking pirates dumping something into a well. It wasn't poison. They were throwing in a corpse that had turned a sickly blue. They were trying to spread a plague—an act devoid of all humanity.
In ancient times, there was no running water; people drew all their drinking water from wells. The inhabitants of an entire village often shared a single well. If a plague were to spread from that well, the entire village, or even the entire town, would be wiped out.
Xu Qianqian recognized them as pirates by their clothes and tattoos. Though it was deep into autumn, they still wore revealing leather armor, their arms bare. Moreover, the scimitars every pirate carried were different from the swords used on land.
These were warriors under the command of the Pirate King, Qiu Tianwei. The Xu Clan had even done business with them before. It was said among the people of the eastern State of Yue that if you had stolen goods or items you couldn't sell openly, you could always trade with Qiu Tianwei.
She could see bloodstains on the pirates' scimitars. They had clearly killed the warriors from the estate who were patrolling the village.
"Hurry, hurry. Still five wells to go."
"A lot of people are going to die in the Count of Xuanwu's Estate this time. Could be thousands."
"Our Young Lord is a vicious one."
"Well, who told them to marry Jin Mulan off to that weakling Shen Lang?"
A chill ran down Xu Qianqian's spine. She too had been an enemy of Shen Lang and part of the forces attacking the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. But even the Xu Clan had lines they wouldn't cross. The pirates before her, however, were worse than beasts. Fearing they would spot her, Xu Qianqian quickly ducked for cover. These were animals, and she was a beautiful woman, alone. If she fell into their hands, the outcome was obvious. She would be brutalized, left in a state where she could neither live nor die.
Did Xu Qianqian know any martial arts? A little, but the only person she could probably beat was Shen Lang. Before these dozen or so pirate warriors, she was as helpless as a chicken. As she crouched down to hide, she put weight on her foot, and a dry twig snapped under it.
"Who's there?"
The dozen pirates, alerted by the sound, swiftly drew their scimitars and rushed toward Xu Qianqian like lightning. In an instant, four scimitars were at her neck. A torch was brought close, revealing her beautiful face and her fine, alluring figure. The fierce pirates' eyes widened, and for a moment, they couldn't breathe.
*The Sea God is watching over us. To send such a beautiful woman to us in the middle of the night.*
These pirates were no better than beasts. What would they do upon seeing a peerless beauty like Xu Qianqian? The answer was obvious. The highest-ranking pirate in the group, their leader, immediately started unfastening his pants.
"You lot, hold her arms and legs. I'll go first, then it's your turn."
The dozen or so pirates’ eyes gleamed as they moved to grab Xu Qianqian's limbs.
"Chief, don't be too rough. If she dies, we'll have no one to play with."
The pirate leader laughed at the remark. He had never been with a woman this beautiful in his life. Back in Raging Tide City, any woman with even a hint of beauty was claimed by the Young Lord, Qiu Xiao. Moreover, the Young Lord was incredibly possessive, vicious, and cruel; they couldn't even touch a finger of a peerless beauty like the one before them.
As Xu Qianqian looked at the savage pirates, their yellow and black teeth and the foul stench emanating from their bodies made her want to retch. She would rather be burned alive than be defiled by these animals. Now she was in a situation where she could neither live as she wished nor die as she wished.
"I'm still a virgin."
Hearing Xu Qianqian's words, the pirate leader gave a sinister laugh.
"Even better. Virgins are the best, especially a peerless beauty like you."
"What would your Young Lord think? If he found out you came across a peerless, virginal beauty like me and had your fun instead of offering me to him, how do you think he would punish you?"
At her words, the pirate leader suddenly flinched. Among pirates, hierarchy was brutally strict and extremely cruel. Even when pirates found treasure, they had to present it to their superiors first, who would then distribute it. The same went for beautiful women; they had to be offered up. Only after the Young Lord had his fill would he bestow the woman upon his brothers. How else could Qiu Xiao have defiled so many beautiful virgins? His body was tattooed with the images of hundreds of women.
Once, a captain had captured a beautiful woman but, unable to resist, slept with her before offering her to the Young Lord. As a result, he was flayed alive. That captain's skin was still hanging from a mast, fluttering in the wind. The memory of that scene sent a shiver down the pirate leader's spine.
The pirate chief said in a hoarse voice, "We just won't tell the Young Lord. After we're done with you, we'll kill you."
"There are fifteen of you in total, and three are women. Will they want to sleep with me? Are they willing to take such a risk for you?"
The three female pirates took a step back. They didn't care if their comrades defiled the peerless beauty before them. But risk the Young Lord's wrath? That was out of the question. The Young Lord had a hobby of collecting peerless beauties. If he found out they had discovered such a stunning woman and not presented her to him, everyone here would be flayed alive.
The dozen male pirates looked at each other. Everyone loved a beautiful woman, but not enough to lose their life over it. Besides, once the lights were out, all women were the same. The girls in the brothels even had incredible skills that could drive a man wild.
"Ah, I think we should offer her to the Young Lord."
"That's right. If even one of us reports this to the Young Lord, we're all finished."
Many of the male pirates grew fearful. The pirate leader, displeased, pulled up his pants and spat fiercely to the side.
"Fuck, I wish we'd never run into a peerless beauty in the first place. Go. Ten of you stay and continue throwing the poisoned corpses into the remaining wells. Four of you, come with me. We're taking this woman to Xuanwu City to present her to the Young Lord."
A moment later, the pirates split into two groups. Ten continued their work, following Young Lord Qiu Xiao's orders to spread the plague by dumping poisoned corpses in the wells, aiming for a death toll of ten thousand in the Count of Xuanwu's fiefdom. The other five dragged Xu Qianqian toward Xuanwu City to offer the peerless beauty to Qiu Xiao.
* * *
On the way to Xuanwu City, the pirate chief, unable to bear the sight of Xu Qianqian's beauty any longer, dragged one of the female pirates to the side of the road, threw her to the ground, and had his way with her. The female pirate, far from being angry, seemed to enjoy it with him. The other two female pirates watched for a moment before turning to Xu Qianqian.
"Miss, once you meet our Young Lord, you'll know what the best thing in the world is. The Young Lord is the greatest man alive. A delicate lady like you might even lose your life trying to handle him."
Xu Qianqian knew, of course, that Qiu Xiao was like a beast. A frail woman like her would indeed be in mortal danger if she fell into his hands. The more beautiful a woman was, the more fiercely Qiu Xiao would defile her. She had to find a way to save herself. Otherwise, an extremely miserable fate awaited her.
But she was already surrounded by five pirates, and she was as helpless as a chicken. Escaping from them would be incredibly difficult.
*Xu Qianqian, this is the time to test yourself. If you can't even get out of this predicament tonight, how will you ever get revenge on Zhang Chong?*
She thought of how clever Shen Lang was, and an idea quickly came to her.
* * *
After the pirate chief finished his business, the group resumed their journey. Suddenly, Xu Qianqian deliberately stumbled, dropping a money pouch on the ground. It fell with a clatter, scattering gold coins all over the ground. There appeared to be several dozen gold taels. The pirate chief immediately snatched up the gold from the ground.
"Who are you to be carrying so much gold?" the pirate chief asked in a hoarse voice, his eyes filled with greed.
Pirates loved beautiful women, but they loved money more. With money, you could have any beauty you wanted in a brothel. Xu Qianqian intentionally feigned surprise.
"I... I am the daughter of an ordinary family. Just an ordinary rich family's daughter."
The pirate chief sneered.
"Ridiculous. What daughter of an ordinary family carries this much money? And wanders around alone in the middle of the night? Don't you know there's a curfew tonight?"
"I really am from an ordinary family."
The pirate chief drew his scimitar, pressed it to Xu Qianqian's neck, and said in a chilling voice, "If you don't tell me the truth, I'll cut off your ear."
Xu Qianqian trembled all over, feigning terror.
"I... I am Xu Qianqian, the young lady of the Xu Clan."