Sudden Killing

At those words, Wang Ai's face turned deathly pale.

A sturdy, imposing man nearly two meters tall, he could barely stand. His legs turned to jelly, and he stumbled as though he might fall at any moment.

Gifted as he was, even he could not hold firm against the "Venerable Mother of Might and Virtue."

Hong Yuan's expression changed drastically too. He was ready to strike at any moment.

Hong Yuan stayed still, glancing from the corners of his eyes at the sturdy women on either side. He weighed the angle and timing for a breakout. Or would it be better to seize that old fat sow and use her as a hostage?

This was a terrible start to his new life. He had woken up in a den of monsters with no time at all to grow stronger. The only thing Hong Yuan could rely on was his enhanced body.

What do I do?

As Hong Yuan searched for a way out, a soft laugh sounded from behind a curtain, followed by a languid woman's voice. "Venerable Mother, you're far too impatient. The immortal gifts haven't even been bestowed, yet you're already eager to take someone into your arms. If you claim the two best prospects at once, won't the rest of us be left with nothing but cold scraps?"

"Oh? Lady Siyan, do you have a problem with me?"

"I wouldn't dare. But I'm afraid what you're doing breaks the rules."

The Venerable Mother chuckled, her voice hoarse and grating. "Immortal Maiden Hehe, Yu Po... do the rest of you think so too?"

Before she had finished speaking, a pale, slender hand lifted a corner of the curtain to the Venerable Mother's right. Half a beguiling face appeared, half-hidden, as a woman's voice drifted out at a leisurely pace.

"Please don't take your anger out on us, Venerable Mother. Yu Po is frail and couldn't withstand it... Lady Siyan went a little too far as well. Everyone in this hall is a fine prospect, one in a hundred. Where are these cold scraps she speaks of?"

Lady Yu Po's alluring eyes swept around the hall. She let the curtain fall again and smiled. "But perhaps you've forgotten, Venerable Mother, that this gathering is a little different. Lady Xuansu ascended to the Golden Palace half a month ago, leaving us six sisters behind to enjoy the immortal realm. Fortunately, a new sister has joined us. Today is Lady Tanxin's first time attending the Jade Wutong Immortal Realm Blissful Gathering. You're generous by nature, Venerable Mother. Surely you can give her a little preference and share some of the bounty?"

A gentle voice came from behind the curtain on the far left. "I'm grateful for your kindness, Sister Yu Po. But I've only just entered the immortal realm, so I'll leave everything to my elder sisters. I wouldn't dare ask the Venerable Mother for special treatment."

The Venerable Mother ignored Lady Tanxin. Her fleshy face darkened into a savage scowl. After a moment's thought, she snorted. "Fine!"

Her little eyes moved between Hong Yuan and Wang Ai as though she were choosing merchandise. She pointed at Hong Yuan. "I'll give this prospect to Lady Tanxin."

She knew the other five liked to play rough. She feared they might ruin him in one sitting and leave nothing for her. Lady Tanxin, being new, would probably show some restraint.

"Thank you, Venerable Mother!" Lady Tanxin lifted her curtain, revealing the face of a gentle, lovely woman. Pearls and jade adorned her coiffure, lending her an air of stately grace. Her soft eyes glanced at Hong Yuan below, seemingly shy and bashful.

The Venerable Mother turned to Wang Ai and licked her lips, as if she had lost interest in everyone else. "I'll take only this one prospect today. The rest are yours to divide."

Wang Ai trembled all over. At last he collapsed onto his backside, his head roaring and his heart pounding like a drum. He had seen Lady Tanxin too. Jealousy and hatred filled him, but he dared not direct either at the Venerable Mother. Instead, he fixed Hong Yuan with a venomous stare.

The immortal maidens on the dais roared with laughter at his sorry state. Lady Yu Po praised her. "The Venerable Mother is generous indeed."

The Venerable Mother waved a hand to cut her off. "I have more to say. Let's hold the next gathering in one month."

Lady Siyan's languid voice drifted out. "We've always held our gatherings once every three months. Has the sight of such a fine prospect made you impatient, Venerable Mother? I can understand. Even I'm tempted by a prospect with such heavenly gifts. I'd like to take him under my wing this instant!"

The Venerable Mother snorted again and waved a greasy hand. "Bestow the immortal gifts!"

At her command, the two people in colorful clothes beside her each picked up a flower basket covered with an embroidered cloth and walked down from the dais. One headed toward Yang Lie, the Hook-nosed Youth, and the others. The second approached Hong Yuan and Wang Ai.

"One hundred taels of immortal fortune, bestowed with the immortal maidens' blessing! Long life and eternal bliss!"

The people in colorful clothes lifted the embroidered cloths and took out stacks of gray-blue banknotes, handing them out one by one. A startled cry immediately rose. "Hundred-tael notes from Baoji Zhenji?!"

Even Wang Ai, who had been slumped on the floor, perked up when he received his hundred-tael note. He flipped himself upright, pressed the note to his forehead, then held it to his nose and breathed in, his face rapt.

Yang Lie, the Hook-nosed Youth, and their group were excited too, but they kept it under control. Each carefully tucked his banknote against his body.

At last Hong Yuan understood why these "old hands" had come here more than once, despite being both frightened and eager every time.

Money truly could stir the heart.

In Qingxu County, common folk at the bottom earned at most two or three tenths of a tael a month, barely enough to keep themselves fed. An income of one or two taels a month was already considered good. Yet after all the harsh levies and taxes, and the squeezing by officials and gangs, anyone without connections could hardly save a coin over the course of a year.

A hundred taels of silver was, without question, an enormous fortune!

If they received that much on every visit, then to many people it truly was "immortal fortune"!

Even if they had the bad luck to be chosen by the Venerable Mother, they could close their eyes and endure it. It was not certain death.

Plenty of people on the streets risked their lives for two or three copper coins.

A hundred taels!

"Why didn't I get any?" a delicate-featured boy among Hong Yuan's group shouted.

"Shut up!" The person in colorful clothes glared at him, then said flatly, "You signed an Immortal-Mortal Contract with the immortal realm. Your body and soul already belong to it. Of course you get nothing."

As they spoke, they glanced at Hong Yuan. "The same goes for this young gentleman."

"I... I didn't know." The boy was frightened, but the thought of that hundred-tael note made him speak up in a small voice. "Someone brought me here. I never signed any Immortal-Mortal Contract..."

Another one who had been sold!

"That doesn't matter!" Having finished handing out the banknotes, the person in colorful clothes covered the bamboo basket and turned toward the dais. "Behave yourself here and please the immortal maidens. You'll naturally be rewarded with immortal fortune later."

The Venerable Mother extended her two fleshy hands. Supported on either side by the people in colorful clothes, her mountain of a body looked like a monster that fed on human blood. Her throat rasped with quick breaths again. "I'm tired. I'll go and rest."

Her eyes settled on Wang Ai, and she smiled like a fiend. "Come up here, my little darling. Come with your Venerable Mother."

Thud, thud, thud!

Wang Ai retreated several steps. The shock of receiving a fortune wore off, and he forced a smile that looked worse than crying. Four sturdy women carrying cudgels had already moved behind him, blocking his way.

The Venerable Mother shifted her gaze to Hong Yuan. "And you, young gentleman, don't be impatient. Next month, I'll choose you to join me!"

Fuck!

Hong Yuan had held back and pressed his anger down again and again. Now he could contain it no longer. It felt as though a blaze shot straight through the crown of his head and burst forth.

True!

He seemed "lucky" to have escaped this time, and Lady Tanxin on the left looked beautiful and stately. Perhaps he might even enjoy a night with her. But here in this den of monsters, was Lady Tanxin any different from the Venerable Mother?

They were both nothing but lumps of rotten flesh!

In his previous life, people online had joked, "Rich lady, I'm starving—please keep me!" But nearly all of them had only been joking. Even those who truly wanted such an arrangement chose it for themselves. They were not picked over like pigs and dogs, stripped of every shred of dignity.

Or Hong Yuan could endure it for now. He still had a month to find a better opportunity. At the very least, that month's breathing room would greatly improve his chances of escape.

But he could not bear it. Not for another moment!

"Fat sow" had already risen to his lips when something unexpected happened. A bright red glow seemed to flare up, and a sudden clamor erupted in the estate outside the hall. Many people began running, their footsteps jumbled.

One of the people in colorful clothes on the dais peered outside, then suddenly cried, "Oh no, there's a fire! Put it out, quick!"

On hearing this, the eight sturdy women in the hall did not rush outside to fight the fire. Instead, they hurried toward the dais. "Protect the immortal maidens! Protect the Venerable Mother!"

The person in colorful clothes saw this, and their expression changed. They whipped something from inside their clothes and gripped it in one hand. Gritting their teeth, they swung it at the Venerable Mother's head with all their strength and roared, "Die, you old hag!"

Bang!

The person's savage expression froze. The Venerable Mother, who panted even while seated, had caught their descending wrist with one hand. Her tremendous strength seemed ready to snap their arm!

"You little bastard..." The Venerable Mother's face twisted hideously. Drool spilled from her mouth as she snarled, only to cry out in pain the next instant!

The other person in colorful clothes had somehow produced a sharpened wooden stake about a foot long and driven it deep into the Venerable Mother's fleshy cheek, burying nearly half of it.

The Venerable Mother's face contorted with pain, and she let out a heart-rending howl.

Bang!

At almost the same instant that the two people in colorful clothes struck and the eight sturdy women rushed toward the dais, Hong Yuan moved. His fist clenched tight. Fueled by surging rage, he swung and smashed it into the back of the last woman's head!