Are You Even Polite?

The woman's words made the official pause in surprise.

Then he understood at once.

One Hand wandered improperly over the woman's slender, soft waist, his gaze boldly roaming up and down her body.

"Perfect timing. There's still a bowl left. Would Young Lady like to have a taste?"

The woman asked again, "Are there any buns?"

The official feigned hesitation, but that hand continued lingering at her waist.

When her attention was drawn away, the hand resting in the hollow of her waist gave a hard pinch.

A soft moan spilled from the woman's lips.

That cry was soft as down feathers brushing against one's heart, making ears burn and a tingling numbness crawl up the spine.

"Phew—Young Lady, that voice of yours could send a man's soul flying. If you went to the Entertainment Quarter, you'd become a top courtesan within days..." The official loosened his grip. "As for buns, there are some. That depends on how well you serve me."

Though this woman was bedraggled and surrounded by a stomach-turning stench, conditions On the Way of Exile were harsh. In this blazing weather, who did not reek of sweat and sourness? Besides, this official had gone without a woman for a long while. Having someone offer herself to his bed was exactly to his liking.

At the thought, he could not help secretly laughing.

No wonder his colleagues all liked escorting female prisoners. So it was not merely because the reward silver was generous and the work easy—there was such good fortune along the way as well.

Who knew—

The woman raised her hand and laid it over the back of his, gently moving it away beneath his puzzled gaze.

"What do you mean by that?"

Just as the official was about to lose his temper, the woman said unhurriedly, "This servant has already borne a son and a daughter. How could my looks compare with those tender young girls? I fear I might not serve you well enough, so why not—"

As she spoke, her gaze turned toward Shen Tang.

The official understood the moment he heard it and sneered. "What a venomous woman! She serves me while you drink broth and eat buns?"

"Young Master does not know this, but that girl was born and raised by this servant."

"You raised her?"

His expression made it clear that he did not believe her.

What birth mother would, for a bowl of meat broth and a bun, personally shove her daughter into a man's arms to be defiled?

"That Young Master earlier was right. Things have come to this, and being sent to the Entertainment Quarter to suffer humiliation is only a matter of time. Rather than letting this girl's pure body be wasted on some lowly commoner and leaving her with regret for the rest of her life, it would be better to ask Young Master for a favor. If you are satisfied, she can suffer a little less On the Way."

With her whole performance, the woman appeared deeply sincere. Anyone unaware of the truth might have thought her a loving mother.

The official was nearly dazzled by her words.

There was such a wonderful thing?

Not only could he enjoy some pleasure, he could even do a good deed and accumulate virtue?

Shen Tang: "..."

Are you even polite?

You were a woman of no more than twenty in bone age—how could you have an eleven- or twelve-year-old daughter?

If you wanted to play madam and ruin her, just say so. You even had the shameless nerve to pretend to be her mother!

She could not endure it any longer!

Unable to keep pretending, Shen Tang slowly opened her eyes and stared directly at the woman with those pitch-black eyes.

The official's gaze shifted between The Two of Them. "Why isn't she close to you?"

The woman said, "This child was born with a brain ailment. Sometimes she is mad, sometimes dull-witted. She has always been carefully tended to, so her skin is soft and delicate all over. Serving someone will not be a problem..."

"Why is her surname Shen instead of Gong?"

Not every female prisoner could be touched. Out of caution, the official looked at the tattooed words Behind Shen Tang's Ear.

Her surname was not Gong, and she was young. Thinking of the prisoner roster, she was likely only a maidservant.

Who knew the woman would Immediately Following that with an excuse? "She is this servant's eldest daughter, born to my late husband before I was taken into Gong Manor. Naturally, she bears her late father's surname. The master's family pitied her for being alone and helpless, and thus performed a good deed by permitting this servant to bring her into the manor and raise her."

The official: "..."

Since she was not an important female prisoner, taking her was no great matter.

He chose Shen Tang.

As for this woman...

Xiaocheng was still far away. He Has Plenty of opportunities.

And he "kept his word," truly giving the woman a bowl of still-warm meat broth and a bun.

After greeting the colleague keeping watch, he pulled Shen Tang toward the far side of a small slope.

The night was dark and heavy; only a vague black silhouette could be seen.

The watchman joked, "When you're done, let your brother have some fun too. Don't think about Eating Alone."

"Of course. I could forget anyone, but never my brothers when there are benefits to share."

Shen Tang's fingers hanging at her side curled slightly as her thoughts began racing.

If she refused At This Moment and angered these officials, the situation would likely become impossible to salvage.

But if they were alone—

It was instead an excellent opportunity.

One Low-Tier Gongshi was far easier to deal with than a whole group.

Though she lacked complete memories, intuition told Shen Tang that a Low-Tier Gongshi was nothing but a little brother!

Her eyes shifted slightly before she silently lowered her lashes, striving to play the part of a dull-witted fool with a brain ailment.

As Shen Tang was led away, the woman was gulping down meat broth. When she looked up, she happened to meet a pair of deep, dark eyes that seemed ready to see straight through her soul, leaving her nowhere to hide.

The woman's hairs stood on end under that gaze.

"Madwoman," she cursed under her breath.

Behind the slope lay a patch of wild grass, waist-high and dense, hot and stifling.

Since Shen Tang was "born with a brain ailment," the official was not worried that she would run.

Half-kneeling on the ground, he lowered his head eagerly to untie his waistband.

"Urgh—"

A dark shadow seemed to flicker Before the Eyes. Before the official could react to what it was, a thick hemp rope cinched tightly around his neck from front to back.

An ambush!

How could he, caught unprepared, have imagined that Shen Tang would suddenly attack?

But however inferior he was, he was still a Low-Tier Gongshi. Would dealing with a female prisoner trying to escape not be easy?

He immediately activated his Martial Spirit.

His arms visibly swelled several times over, his Muscles hard as rock and brimming with explosive strength.

That strength amounted to five shi. It could easily smash her head, snap her limbs, and crush every bone in her Entire Body.

The official effortlessly snapped the thick hemp rope, Turned Sideways, and struck like lightning, ready to seize Shen Tang in one motion. Yet Shen Tang's fist was even faster, nearly leaving an afterimage—fast, fierce, and precise. It slammed directly into his jaw, and one could faintly Hear the sound of liquid sloshing inside his head.

Seizing the opening, Shen Tang viciously threw her whole body down to pin him, twisting back to restrain his wrist while her other hand strangled his roar in his throat.

Crack! Crack!

There was not the slightest hesitation in her movements.

Two sounds of breaking bone Sounded almost simultaneously.

Shen Tang: "..."

Looking at the official's head twisted at a grotesque angle, Shen Tang, now relaxing mentally, felt unreal for a moment.

A Low-Tier Gongshi...

That was it?

That was it?

She rolled over and crawled aside.

"This is... way too easy to beat..."

Though she had taken advantage of the ambush, it had gone far too smoothly.

With matters already at this point, she had no time to think further.

She hurriedly searched the official. All valuable items and food were Searched Clean, and she turned and fled in the opposite direction.

Escaping came first.

Once she was discovered and caught, only two paths would remain Before Her Eyes.

Either she took down every official by herself, including that Third-Class Zan Niao whose true depths were unknown. Her instincts told her this path did not look very promising.

Or she would be beaten crippled and dragged back. The fate awaiting her would likely be worse than death.

As for that woman—

She would Find a chance later to visit the Entertainment Quarter in Xiaocheng!

Shen Tang gritted her teeth and sprinted wildly in one direction, ignoring even the broken stones grinding her soles raw.

Who would have thought—

She had not escaped for Half an Incense Stick before the faint sound of hoofbeats appeared behind her, rapidly closing in.

Hoofbeats???

Wait, the exile convoy had no carts or horses. Where had these hoofbeats come from?

Before she could determine whether it was enemy or passerby, an intense sense of danger spread from her back through her Entire Body. Without a second thought, Shen Tang rolled hard to the right. The moment she regained her feet, she saw an arrow deeply Embedded in the spot where she had just been.

Following the direction from which the arrow had flown, she saw the Official Leader on horseback, his face brimming with Killing Intent.

Shen Tang: "...Damn it!"

Please spare a Recommendation Ticket. ε=(ο｀*))) Sigh