The Exiled Village Girl

Soul Realm, Soul Sacrificing Village

A middle-aged man in a black robe impatiently stared at the list in his hand. As he remained silent, most of the densely packed crowd below broke out in cold sweats, not daring to make the slightest sound.

After a long while, he looked up at the illusory sun in the sky and finally spoke carelessly. "Last one, Hun Ruoruo."

"Yes, sir."

At his words, a gray-haired girl in coarse hemp clothes slowly stepped out from the edge of the crowd and timidly stopped before the platform.

Her complexion was pale, her hair dry and messy. Her overgrown bangs, left untrimmed, even covered part of her face, adding a hint of gloom to her already rustic village-girl appearance.

The man in black robes looked disdainfully at the girl's frail body and said,

"Hun Ruoruo, according to previous test results, the Bloodline Power within you is far too thin. If this test still detects no Bloodline Power, your only option will be expulsion. Do you understand?"

At the edges of the Soul Realm stood countless small villages built by the Soul Clan's descendants, who lived as the humblest beings at the very bottom of the Soul Clan.

Yet since they could survive within the Soul Realm, it meant they still possessed a trace of the Dou Di bloodline. Should some accident or mutation strengthen their bloodline abilities, these descendants would gain the potential to become members of the Soul Clan, and their worth would soar.

Conversely, if their Bloodline Power vanished completely, they would lose all value. Even their breathing would be considered a waste of the Soul Realm's air. There was no point in keeping them.

"Sir, I-I'll do my best."

Hun Ruoruo's voice trembled with nervousness, and her feet unconsciously drew closer together. After a long pause, she seemed to gather her courage and placed her small hand on the center of the testing disc.

One second. Two seconds.

Time passed quietly, yet the testing disc showed no reaction at all. The girl's arm stiffened in midair.

The man in black robes showed no surprise at the sight. If Bloodline Power mutations were truly that easy, the Soul Clan would have long since dominated the Dou Qi Continent.

"Hun Ruoruo. No Bloodline Power detected. Strip her of her status as a Soul Clan descendant!"

He put away the disc in his hand and announced the test result in an indifferent tone, as though issuing an imperial decree that decided the girl's fate.

"Next, either cross Sword Soul Mountain on your own and leave the Soul Realm, or attach yourself to another descendant with a bloodline and become a servant. The choice is yours."

The villagers below let out sighs and could not help whispering among themselves.

"Ah, the fate of women stripped of their status has always been worse than death!"

"She's still standing there without moving. Did she get scared stupid?"

"Obviously. Sword Soul Mountain isn't something a little wench like her can climb over."

In the villagers' eyes, their status as descendants was undoubtedly the final line of protection.

Women stripped of their status in the Soul Realm, if they lacked strength, were little different from livestock awaiting slaughter.

The lucky ones might be able to rely on their looks to cling to some powerful person. The unlucky ones would mostly end up buried in some nameless mass grave.

After a long while, Hun Ruoruo gradually came back to her senses. Hearing the mockery around her, she looked at the man in black robes in terror and pleaded softly,

"Sir, my father died when I was young, and my mother disappeared years ago. My cultivation is only at the Third Stage of Dou Qi. I'm afraid the invisible astral winds around Sword Soul Mountain would kill me before I could even get close."

"Oh?" The man in black robes raised a brow and said mockingly, "I've heard those words countless times. Save your excuses for the Clan Leader. Only he has the authority to change the rules."

The moment he finished speaking, the crowd below burst into laughter.

They were clearly taking pleasure in the girl's fear. What kind of person was the Clan Leader? He commanded heaven and earth and roamed freely across the Central Continent. How could someone stripped of her status and on the verge of death possibly meet him?

Sure enough, upon hearing those words, the girl's frail body trembled as if all the bones had been pulled from it.

"You jest, sir. My life is worthless. How could I deserve the Clan Leader's concern?"

Hun Ruoruo's voice shook. As she spoke, she raised her head, and her pale little hand anxiously grasped the man's sleeve, as though clutching her last lifeline.

"You little village girl, you—"

The man in black robes froze. He had never expected the timid girl to dare grab his sleeve. He was about to rebuke her insolence, but before he could finish, her face, hidden behind her bangs, gradually came into view as she lifted her head—beyond the sight of the crowd below.

His eyes widened. Beneath her hair, the girl's beautiful eyes narrowed as she looked at him, deep as the sea tide, as if they could draw his very soul inside.

"Sir, please make an exception for me."

"This... I would like to make an exception, but the clan rules don't allow it."

"I know I am weak. I do not ask to cross Sword Soul Mountain and leave the Soul Clan. I only hope to find a place to shelter within the Soul Realm, so I will not end up like Daddy, left dead in the wilderness."

"So, if you do not mind, sir, I wish to become your servant." Hun Ruoruo turned her head aside and spoke with shy hesitation.

"A servant?"

Recalling that fleeting glimpse of her pure, delicate face, the man in black robes swallowed hard and spoke in a dry voice. "...If it's merely taking on one more servant, then with my strength, naturally no one would dare say anything."

Without realizing it, the way he referred to himself had changed slightly.

A sweet smile curved Hun Ruoruo's lips. She then bent at the waist in a deep bow, seemingly expressing her heartfelt gratitude.

"Thank you, sir!"

The man in black robes breathed heavily, his heart pounding. After calming down for a moment, he shouted at the confused crowd below,

"Enough. The testing is over. The few whose Bloodline Power failed the test have all been clearly recorded on the disc. Three days from now, if you have not registered as servants, I will personally send you up Sword Soul Mountain!"

Hearing that they had only three days this time, the crowd below immediately erupted. No one had the mind to mock Hun Ruoruo anymore. The few who had been wallowing in despair after losing their status turned deathly pale, muttering prayers for the protection of their ancestors.

"Heh heh, in the end, they're just a bunch of spineless wretches who bully the weak and fear the strong."

Looking down at their ugly display, the man in black robes smiled disdainfully, then turned and called for Hun Ruoruo to leave the testing grounds with him.

After circling halfway around Soul Sacrificing Village, Hun Ruoruo led the man in black robes to a stop in a secluded corner.

Few people came here. Even within Soul Sacrificing Village, it could be considered the poorest area. Only a long-neglected wooden house stood at the foot of a small hill, creaking and groaning as though a gust of wind could tear off several planks.

"Please excuse the poor state of it, sir. This is Ruoruo's home." Hun Ruoruo pointed at the wooden house in the distance and said timidly, "Thank you for helping me, sir. I still do not know your name."

By now, the girl had already swept her bangs to either side. Her pure, delicate face and gemstone-like eyes revealed an exceptional beauty.

The man in black robes licked his lips. "My name is Hun Huan. From now on, follow me and address me as Lord Huan. But never mind that for now, Ruoruo. It's getting late. How about I stay in your little house tonight, and tomorrow I'll take you with me?"

Hun Ruoruo's pretty face instantly flushed crimson. She shyly glanced at the sun hanging high in the sky and stammered,

"Sir, how could I let you lower yourself to sleep in Ruoruo's little house? Besides, Ruoruo's family is poor. There is only one small wooden bed in the room, and with your build, I'm afraid it would not fit you."

"Heh heh, I don't care about such things. When I carried out missions in my younger days, what harsh conditions haven't I endured? Forget this little wooden house—I've even slept in Magical Beast nests. Say no more. Just go prepare."

"If it is your order, Ruoruo naturally would not dare disobey..."

Hun Ruoruo's gaze shifted uneasily. Her little hand clutched the rough hemp clothes beneath her, as if she found it difficult to speak. "But, sir... before we go, could Ruoruo ask you for one thing as well?"

Seeing her like this, the man in black robes was utterly captivated. How could he bear to refuse? He immediately nodded without thinking.

Having received the answer she wanted, Hun Ruoruo gently patted her chest and let out a long breath. Her face was as lovely as a peach blossom as she leaned closer, trying to whisper like a child.

"Could you please go die?"