Pointed Face

White Silk must have been lost during the struggle with the big-bearded man. Gu Shenwei clung to the wooden bars of the cart, looking back, but could only see a long string of ox carts. After waiting for a while, the convoy turned, and he could see further.

The intersection was out of sight, and the convoy had already gone far.

Gu Shenwei's hands gripped so hard that his knuckles turned pale. He stared blankly, unable to believe that his family's secret manual was gone just like that.

"Did... did anyone see a piece of white cloth?"

Gu Shenwei turned around, asking the other children in the cart with a sliver of hope.

Whether they couldn't understand the Central Plains dialect or were unwilling to speak, the children didn't answer, not even looking up at the newcomer.

"A piece of white..."

Gu Shenwei gestured the size of the White Silk in his hand, his voice growing less confident as he spoke. The children in this cart were all sallow and ragged; they wouldn't be interested in a piece of cloth.

"They don't understand you."

The ox cart swayed for a while before a young man in the corner finally spoke.

This young man was about Gu Shenwei's age, with a delicate appearance and sharp cheekbones. Compared to the other children, he was relatively clean. The cart was cramped, yet he occupied a corner, playing with a blade of grass and watching the newcomer with a probing gaze.

"White Silk, a piece of white cloth, did you see it?" Gu Shenwei asked urgently.

The sharp-faced young man thought for a moment and shook his head, "No, is it important?"

Gu Shenwei slumped down, his mind a blank.

"Where are we going?" he asked absently after a long pause.

"Jade City."

Gu Shenwei knew this city. It was a major hub in the Western Regions, a convergence of all directions, bustling with merchants and travelers. It was a paradise of debauchery and a hell of blades and swords. He had even stayed there for a night. And—he suddenly remembered, wasn't Golden Peng Fortress located outside Jade City?

Gu Shenwei looked up, meeting the sharp-faced young man's gaze. It was as if there was something strange about him that drew the other's sustained attention.

"Do you know me?" Gu Shenwei asked, annoyed. He and the sharp-faced youth were the only ones in the cart who could speak the Central Plains dialect, but he was now a slave and had lost his crucial family secret manual, so he was in no mood to make friends.

"A child from a rich family," the sharp-faced young man sneered, his tone frivolous and full of sarcasm.

"What?" A surge of anger shot up Gu Shenwei's head, though most of it had nothing to do with the sharp-faced youth.

"Nothing. We'll all be sold in Jade City, but no one will buy you as a young master anymore. I'm just kindly reminding you, it's not easy to go from young master to servant. Servants have their own rules and ways of survival. Do you want to take my advice?"

What the sharp-faced young man said made sense, and Gu Shenwei nodded.

"Wash your backside clean."

The sharp-faced young man said earnestly, then a smile spread across his face, growing more intense until it erupted into mad laughter.

Gu Shenwei didn't understand the meaning of this phrase for a long time. He was only displeased by the young man's unrestrained laughter, and then he slowly grasped the lewd implication. But the best moment to react had passed. In his limited life of luxury, he had never learned how to deal with such a situation.

Having gained the upper hand verbally, the sharp-faced young man pressed his advantage. After his laughter subsided, he pretended to be serious and said:

"Don't worry. For a former young master like you, you're still quite clean-looking. In Jade City, someone will definitely snatch you up. Your future is boundless, haha, your backside won't be idle."

This was an unambiguous insult.

Gu Shenwei lunged at the sharp-faced young man, but was tripped by the children in the middle, rolling into a heap. Screams of pain erupted, attracting the attention of a guard, who, without asking any questions, began poking into the cart with his club.

The children quickly separated, each having taken quite a beating, including Gu Shenwei. Yet he still hadn't managed to reach the sharp-faced young man in the corner.

The sharp-faced young man had been holding back his laughter. After the guard left, he clutched his stomach, laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

Gu Shenwei couldn't imagine a more detestable person in the world. For a time, the sharp-faced young man even surpassed the assassins of Golden Peng Fortress to become the object of his greatest hatred.

The sharp-faced young man's teasing wasn't limited to Gu Shenwei. He would often fall silent for a moment, then suddenly launch into a torrent of words, either hinting or stating outright the miserable fate of becoming a servant, determined to infuriate or make his audience cry.

What's more, he had a knack for speaking several languages. The children in the cart came from all directions, and he could converse with almost everyone. Coupled with the sensational rumors, he would also put on a variety of expressions and actions.

"Some masters like to eat children, especially ones our age. Every year, these slave traders select a batch of tender-skinned children to supply adults with peculiar tastes. They'll announce that you were disobedient, defiant of your master, and tried to escape. Then they'll tie you up securely, wash your backside clean, and while torturing you, they'll cut off pieces of your flesh to eat, bit by bit. Some are roasted, some are boiled, all sorts of ways to eat them. You'll still be alive while the master eats, watching with your own eyes."

The sharp-faced young man bared his white teeth and licked his lips. "Wash your backside clean" was his favorite catchphrase.

Only after a child about eight or nine years old burst into tears did he shut his mouth contentedly for a while.

Before long, Gu Shenwei grew accustomed to the sharp-faced young man's sharp tongue and incessant chatter. His mood was now like that of a terminally ill patient. Knowing his end was near, he had no will to live. If there was any hope left, it was for the arrival of death.

The caravan moved slowly, day after day, night after night. The slaves were occasionally let out to relieve themselves. Gu Shenwei was like a walking corpse, offering no resistance, not even attempting to escape. He had completely lost confidence. Even the divine will had abandoned him, no longer giving him the slightest hint.

The atmosphere of the caravan, however, grew increasingly cheerful. Jade City was just ahead, where wealthy buyers, endless flowing wine, and intoxicating delights awaited them. Most importantly, the caravan had entered Golden Peng Fortress territory and would encounter no danger.

The last thought was shattered on the third day at noon. At that time, the caravan was just over a day's journey from Jade City. The road became increasingly flat, the surrounding greenery grew denser, and villages began to appear. It didn't look like a place where bandits would appear.

Yet, it was here that a group of robbers blocked the front of the caravan. Those behind couldn't see what was happening, but bad news spread one after another:

"There are bandits blocking the road ahead."

"How can there be bandits here?"

"Where are the Golden Peng Fortress assassins? Wasn't he leading the way?"

"Don't worry, we have more people. The bandits are only a few dozen strong."

"Great Head God? It's the Great Head God, oh my god."

Gu Shenwei also had some impression of the "Great Head God." This person always appeared in terrifying stories. Those stories were so unusual that Gu Shenwei had always considered him a mythical figure. He never expected such a person to exist in the world.

"We're finished. The Great Head God loves to eat children the most. Whether their bottoms are washed clean or not, he eats them anyway."

The sharp-faced youth's face turned ashen. He repeated the words in four or five different languages, his usual flippancy gone, his voice trembling. This lent his words a degree of credibility.

Almost every child in the Western Regions had heard the story of the Iron Mountain Great Head God. Once reminded, they all fell into a panic. The timid ones huddled in the haystacks, trembling uncontrollably, not daring to even lift their heads.

Initially, it wasn't the Great Head God himself who negotiated with the caravan. Just as the entire caravan was gripped by unease, a voice of terrifying volume boomed:

"You don't need to be afraid. I have dealings with the Unrivaled King. I'm not doing business on his territory. I'm not here to rob; I'm here to buy."

The merchants were even more astonished that the Iron Mountain Great Head God wanted to "buy" something. No one dared to respond, fearing it was a secret signal from the bandits. They might eagerly lean in, only to be met with a swift, clean blade.

It wasn't until the Great Head God's subordinates threw two large bundles of gleaming silver onto the ground that the caravan leader mustered the courage to ask:

"May I ask what Your Majesty wishes to buy? We have..."

"People."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the caravan took three steps back simultaneously, huddling together. They all wondered who had offended this great malevolent star to make him pay money to buy them.

Unexpectedly, the Great Head God was indeed simply buying people. A scrawny middle-aged woman emerged from the bandit cavalry, leading a small contingent. She inspected each slave cart, pulling out anyone she fancied.

The merchants' suspended hearts finally settled. However, the slaves who heard the news were terrified. The sharp-faced youth was first dumbfounded, then he fumbled in the hay, grabbing handfuls of dust and smearing it on his face.

His actions reminded everyone. Even Gu Shenwei, who had lost all hope, joined the dust-smearing frenzy, striving to make himself as ugly and inconspicuous as possible.

But the gaunt woman seemed to possess a special ability, able to see through appearances at a glance. No matter how thick the dust on their faces, when she reached this particular cage cart, her gaze swept over it, and she selected two children.

Gu Shenwei steeled himself and jumped down. The sharp-faced youth collapsed in a corner, still clinging to a sliver of hope, only to be forcibly dragged out by a bandit.

The gaunt woman was quick in her selection. In the end, she chose ten boys and ten girls, all around ten years old. Among them were the two youths being pursued by the Snow Mountain Swordsman, Long Feidu.

"The flesh of young boys and girls is the tenderest. Are we really going to wash our bottoms clean to be eaten?"

The sharp-faced youth only spoke in the Central Plains dialect. Then, with a mournful face, he followed behind Gu Shenwei, clutching his arm tightly as they walked towards their new masters.

The Great Head God had been at the very front of the caravan. Gu Shenwei had only heard his voice before and had not seen him. Now, he boldly raised his head for a glance. Although he had mentally prepared himself, he was still startled. He wondered how such a terrifying person could exist in the world.

The Great Head God sat astride a black horse. His exposed upper body alone was almost as tall as a person. True to his name, his head was as large as a cauldron, further expanded by his disheveled hair and beard, making his head appear even larger. He resembled a colossal ancient bronze cauldron carved with gluttonous beasts, his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears all disproportionately large, like a temple statue.

His upper body was bare, his muscles knotted and gleaming in the sunlight.

The black horse was also extraordinary, a full size larger than an ordinary steed. Its teeth were bared, its eyes gleamed fiercely, making it look more like a carnivorous beast.

Gu Shenwei began to believe the legends of the Great Head God eating people. The sharp-faced youth behind him stumbled, nearly falling onto him.

There were plenty of horses in the Great Head God's entourage. Immediately, someone led out more than ten horses. The newly purchased boys and girls were forced to mount, either riding alone or in pairs.

The sharp-faced youth stuck close to Gu Shenwei, mounting the same horse as him and wrapping his arms around his waist from behind. No matter how hard Gu Shenwei tried to shake him off, he refused to let go.

The Iron Mountain bandits had finished their purchases and turned their horses eastward, galloping away. The silver left on the road amounted to nearly ten thousand taels, enough to buy dozens more small slaves. The merchants were still shaken, but the Great Head God had vanished. No one dared to touch the silver.