Chapter 533
Chapter 533
Those with blank bloodlines shared a few common traits. They were physically weak with pale complexions, their gazes were unfocused, and they often wore dazed expressions. At first, Shen Lang thought they were intellectually challenged, but he later discovered that it wasn't a matter of low intelligence, but rather a delayed reaction to external stimuli. When others spoke to them, they rarely responded. Distracted and taciturn, they always stayed indoors, seldom venturing out to interact with people. On the surface, they truly did seem like imbeciles.
However, Shen Lang believed their symptoms were more akin to mental disorders like depression or autism. Not only were they at the very bottom of society, but they were also treated as if they were invisible, non-existent. Furthermore, these blank bloodlines didn't seem to be hereditary but appeared more like sudden mutations. Some were born into wealthy families where their parents and even their siblings possessed relatively superior bloodlines. But when a mutation like this appeared in such a family, they were treated as useless and abandoned by their parents and relatives.
Of course, most of those with blank bloodlines came from ordinary families. Lacking even the strength to lift their arms, they were already considered useless burdens to their kin. Those from wealthy families were at least fed, though they had to endure the scorn of their relatives. But those from poor families couldn't count on a meal every day; they starved as often as they ate and were frequently beaten and cursed. Some were even thrown out of their homes. An ordinary person, if cast out, might wander and beg for food to survive. But these individuals, with their severe depressive tendencies, had little will to live. Once cast out, they would simply find a place to starve to death.
Shen Lang had been studying them recently. Utterly forgotten by the world, as if they had fallen into another dimension, they lived in a miserable state—sensitive, melancholic, and kind, truly incapable of harming any person or beast. Even a man as cold and dispassionate as Shen Lang found his eyes welling up with tears upon hearing their stories. Over the years, how many with blank bloodlines had died so tragically, without a sound? Only the heavens knew.
It was against this backdrop that when Shen Lang's female warriors burst into their homes and forcibly took away those with blank bloodlines, most of their families only put up a token resistance. The individuals themselves, upon being seized, showed a flicker of bewilderment before falling silent. Their families would cry out a few lines—"You godless curs, why are you taking my son? He is my life!"—but when Shen Lang placed a gold coin in their hands, the sharp screams and shouts turned to sobs. They would cling to their sons, weeping and putting on a great show of being reluctant to let them go. Yet, most of those with blank bloodlines were dressed in rags, their faces sallow and gaunt, a clear sign that they had never been treated well at home.
Shen Lang decided to pay them a monthly salary of thirty silver coins. This amount wasn't just substantial; it was utterly ruinous, ten times the pay of a soldier in a regular army. For each person with a blank bloodline they took, Shen Lang gave their parents and family a "family settlement fee"—a sum meant to help the family manage—equivalent to six months' salary, amounting to a grand total of one hundred and eighty silver coins. Even in the bustling capital, this was an unimaginable sum for a commoner. Many families couldn't save that much even in ten years.
"Sign here, or make your mark. From this day forward, this son is no longer your concern."
After handing over the money, one of Shen Lang's female warriors presented a contract. To these parents, it must have seemed like a contract selling their son's body, or even his life. But with that money, another son in the family could finally afford a wife, or they could build a new house. In the end, they would sign or mark the contract through their tears. And as the female warrior led their son away, they would embrace their other son and weep inconsolably.
***
Wang Da had a blank bloodline. Since childhood, he had been frail and pale, with no strength in his limbs, completely unable to do any strenuous work. His family was of modest means, just enough to get by, but he had always been silent and withdrawn, like an invisible man. He tried to work every day, but he couldn't handle major tasks, so he was mostly given trivial chores. In his free time, he would sit at the entrance of their home and stare blankly at the sky, capable of doing so for hours on end.
Everyone considered Wang Da a fool; he couldn't even hold a proper conversation with his own parents. So, instead of calling him by his name, they called him Wang the Fool. He ate only one meal a day, just a single bowl, yet he was still seen as a burden to the family and was berated daily. Of course, no matter how much his family disliked him, he was still their own flesh and blood, so his parents made sure he got that one meal, allowing him to scrape by. But everything changed after his younger brother, Wang Yi, took a wife.
Wang Da was banished to the woodshed to live with the chickens and ducks, next to the pigsty. He was beaten or cursed at the slightest provocation, truly living a life no better than that of a dog or a pig. After his brother Wang Yi had two children, Wang Da's status in the family plummeted even further. He was often denied even his single daily meal, because with so many new mouths to feed, food had become scarce.
There had been an old dog in Wang Da's household, the only being he could call family. He would talk to the dog every day. But before long, his brother Wang Yi killed the old dog and cooked it for meat. From that day on, Wang Da's life was plunged into complete darkness and despair.
It was lunchtime again. Wang Da only ate one meal a day, lunch, but Wang Yi's wife loathed eating with a fool like him and absolutely forbade him from sitting at the same table. Every lunchtime, she would call for Wang Da, and he would bring a bowl. How much food went into that bowl depended entirely on her mood. If she was in a good mood, she'd scoop a generous portion; if she was in a bad mood, she'd scoop less. At the table, Wang Da's parents, Wang Yi and his wife, and their two children began to eat.
"I'll go call Wang Da to eat."
"Eat what? He won't die from missing a meal for a day."
Wang Yi's wife snapped at Wang Da's mother. Then, her chopsticks moved toward the only dish with meat, the only oily thing on the table. Her father was a butcher and would occasionally send his daughter the leftover scraps of meat from his daily sales.
Wang Yi's wife spoke coldly.
"Father, Mother. You are both getting old and will need me and Wang Yi to care for you. But what about Wang the Fool? Are you expecting us to feed that idiot while we're looking after you?"
Wang Da's father said nothing, just lowered his head and ate. He used to be able to work, but he had recently fallen and injured his foot. Wang Yi's wife continued.
"I'll be frank. The job Wang Yi has was found for him by my father, and he only earns two silver coins a month. It's impossible to feed Wang Da as well."
Wang Da's mother said quietly, "My dear daughter-in-law, we have a little money saved up, don't we? Besides, Wang Da only eats one meal a day, and he eats less than a cat."
Wang Yi's wife said coldly, "Let me be honest. If you two want to feed that fool Wang Da, fine. But from this day on, we won't be concerned with you either. I'll take Wang Yi back to my family's home."
Wang Yi, too, acted as if he had heard nothing, his head bowed as he ate. Wang Da's mother began to weep.
"But I'm his mother. I can't just watch my Wang Da starve to death, can I? If he starves, what will happen to our family's reputation? Will the neighbors even see us as human?"
Wang Yi's wife said, "Then it's simple. Just take him to some desolate field and leave him there. He's a fool; he won't be able to find his way back."
Wang Da's mother asked through her tears, "What do we say if the neighbors ask?"
"Just say someone took Wang Da in as a live-in son-in-law."
Wang Da's mother wailed.
"We'll be damned for this, truly damned…"
"Put two pieces of meat in a bowl of rice and give it to that fool."
A short while later, Wang Da was in the woodshed, eating meat. It was the first meat he had eaten in years and the first time he had eaten his fill. After the meal, his mother bathed him and dressed him in a new set of clothes. They weren't actually new, but the wedding clothes his brother Wang Yi had worn. Wang Da was transformed. He then left the house with his brother. Neighbors saw them and asked.
"Hey, where are you taking your Wang Da?"
Wang Yi smiled and replied, "Someone has taken a liking to my brother Wang Da and wants him as a live-in son-in-law."
Hearing this, the neighbor laughed and said, "Congratulations. Looks like your Wang Da's fortunes are finally turning."
"Thank you. I suppose so."
The moment the neighbor closed his door, he muttered with a sneer, "They'll be damned. Another life is about to be thrown away."
Wang Yi led Wang Da far away, out of the city and to a desolate field on a mountain.
*This should be far enough. It's remote, and that fool Wang Da will never remember the way back home.*
"Brother, something urgent has come up. Sit here and wait for me for a moment."
Wang Da nodded at his brother's words. Wang Yi hesitated for a moment, then added, "Brother, it was a long walk, you must be a little warm. You should take off that coat. I'll hold it for you."
Wang Yi couldn't bear to abandon the clothes.
*Even if my brother dies, this good coat shouldn't be wasted.*
Wang Da took off the wedding coat. It was October, and the weather had turned quite cool. Moreover, it was already dusk, and Wang Da was left wearing only a thin inner garment. Wang Yi took the wedding coat and said, "You sit here and wait for me. Don't you dare wander off."
Wang Da nodded and sat down on a tree stump. Wang Yi glanced at his brother one last time, then turned and left, abandoning Wang Da in the desolate field. When he was some distance away, Wang Da's voice suddenly came from behind him.
"Brother, you must be good to our parents."
Wang Yi flinched in surprise. So, his brother had known all along.
"Don't worry. I won't go back home."
Wang Yi's whole body trembled, and he ran as if fleeing for his life. Wang Da sat quietly on the stump, his eyes fixed on the sky. As dusk settled, the air grew colder and colder, but he was clad only in a single layer of thin clothing. Yet, as if he felt nothing, he remained there like a statue, unmoving, gazing at the sky. He was quietly waiting for death to come.
One day passed, then two, then three. Wang Da lay on the ground, motionless. Suddenly, someone slapped his face and poured a warm broth into his mouth.
*What kind of soup is this? It's so delicious.*
It was ginseng chicken soup, something Wang Da had certainly never tasted in his life. After finishing the bowl of ginseng chicken soup, Wang Da felt his ice-cold body instantly warm up. A burly woman helped him up, slapped his face hard, and pried his eyelids open.
"Don't sleep. You'll die if you do. Look at my finger. How many is this?"
"One!"
"Good. You're one of us now."
The female warrior lifted Wang Da effortlessly and placed him inside a carriage. Inside the large carriage were a dozen other people. From them, Wang Da felt a sense of familiarity. It was the aura of people who were miserable and grim, sensitive and lonely.