“Is there any news from the capital?” Cui Jian asked.
The man carefully looked around to make sure nobody was listening before answering.
“Five days ago, Shadow Four and I disguised ourselves as street vendors and stayed near the Grand Tutor’s mansion. But security there is very strict, and we couldn’t get close. The Grand Tutor’s situation is probably not very good.”
At some point, Cui Jian had taken out the wooden hairpin Zhu Mingyue gave him. He closed his eyes and gently rubbed the carved patterns on it. He remained silent for a long time after hearing the report.
The man lowered his head and waited for orders. At the same time, he secretly glanced at the wooden hairpin and felt confused.
It’s just a cheap wooden hairpin. Why does Young Master treasure it so much?
While he was distracted, Cui Jian finally spoke.
“Tell Shadow Four to find any way possible to enter the Grand Tutor’s residence. He must contact…” Cui Jian paused before continuing, “…the Grand Tutor and his wife, or the Right Assistant Minister of Revenue.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
The man quickly left and blended back into the refugee group. His sharp and capable appearance disappeared completely. He looked just like an ordinary refugee.
Cui Jian kept his eyes closed. If not for his fingers still moving across the wooden hairpin, people might have thought he had fallen asleep.
After a long while, he suddenly opened his eyes.
“Nanny.”
Aunt Hua, who was standing nearby, stepped forward with a worried expression.
“Young Master, don’t wear yourself out.”
She handed him a flatbread.
The constant bad news had ruined Cui Jian’s appetite, but he accepted the bread anyway.
…
Meanwhile, back in the county town…
“Look carefully, sir. This is twenty coins. I’m paying back every single one.”
Zhu Mingyue stood in front of the old vendor who had sold him the wooden hairpin.
The old man was busy and had no time to chat. He counted the coins twice, confirmed the debt was paid, and waved Zhu Mingyue away.
Finally free of debt, Zhu Mingyue pulled his clothes tighter against the cold wind and headed into an alley.
The shortcut from the county town back to the temple passed through two alleys. He had taken this route for the past few days.
But today felt different.
As he walked, an uneasy feeling crept into his heart.
It felt as if someone was secretly watching him.
Zhu Mingyue trusted his instincts.
Whenever he felt this kind of danger, trouble usually followed.
At this hour, he was the only person in the alley. Most houses had their doors closed while people ate dinner. The few open houses appeared empty.
His uneasiness grew stronger.
A voice in his head seemed to scream:
Run!
Run now!
Without hesitation, he turned around and sprinted back the way he came.
He no longer wanted to take the shortcut.
The alley was dangerous.
Immediately, hurried footsteps sounded behind him.
He ran faster.
The people behind him ran faster too.
Now he was certain.
They were after him.
He couldn’t understand why. He was poor and owned almost nothing.
But this was not the time to think about that.
Move, legs! Run!
At that moment, he regretted never exercising properly in his previous life.
After only a hundred meters, he was already running out of energy.
The footsteps behind him grew closer.
There was more than one pursuer.
Before he could escape, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed his neck.
Fear exploded through his body.
His legs weakened.
His scalp went numb.
Someone locked an arm around his throat and pressed a wet cloth soaked with medicine over his nose and mouth.
As darkness swallowed his consciousness, two words appeared in his mind:
I’m finished.
Then everything went black.
“Damn it! That little slut almost got away!”
One of the men cursed while tightly tying Zhu Mingyue’s hands and feet with rope.
After finishing, he spat on the ground.
“How did he notice us? We were hiding so well.”
“Who knows? The brat is sharp. Stuff something in his mouth too. If he wakes up and starts making noise, we’ll attract attention.”
If Zhu Mingyue had been awake, he would have been furious.
The kidnappers were none other than the two thugs who had already bothered him twice before.
Still unconscious, Zhu Mingyue was stuffed into a sack and thrown onto a cart loaded with hay.
Less than fifteen minutes later, the cart stopped in front of a large, beautifully decorated building.
Wang Huzi looked up.
The sign above the entrance read:
“Nanfeng House.”
He grinned with satisfaction.
The building looked wealthy. They should be able to sell Zhu Mingyue for a very good price.
“You wait outside. I’ll go in first.”
After saying that, Big Yellow Teeth swaggered through the entrance.
…
Inside, the rich fragrance nearly overwhelmed him.
He had visited brothels before, but never a place like this.
The male entertainers wore bright makeup and colorful clothing. Their outfits were thin and attractive, showing off their figures.
A madam quickly approached him.
“Sir, are you here for drinks or for the night?”
Big Yellow Teeth came back to his senses and looked around.
The men downstairs were handsome and skilled at charming customers.
But none of them could compare to Zhu Mingyue.
Not even close.
The more he thought about it, the prouder he became.
Straightening his back, he grinned.
“I have a business deal for you. Interested?”
“What kind of deal?” the madam asked curiously.
She followed him outside.
At the cart, Wang Huzi untied the sack.
The first thing revealed was Zhu Mingyue’s face.
Because the sack had trapped the heat, his cheeks were slightly red, making him look even more attractive.
The madam froze.
She had seen countless beautiful men and women in her life.
Elegant ones.
Cold beauties.
Sweet beauties.
Yet none compared to the young man before her.
She unconsciously held her breath.
Reaching out, she gently touched his face and lightly pinched his cheek.
His skin was smooth and soft.
Like the tender center of a young cabbage in spring.
“Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.”
She praised him three times in a row.
“This is the business you wanted to discuss?”
“Exactly.”
Big Yellow Teeth grinned.
“What do you think?”
“Very good.”
The madam raised five fingers.
“Five taels?” Wang Huzi blurted out.
Big Yellow Teeth immediately slapped him.
“Shut up!”
Then he turned back to the madam.
“Fifty taels?”
The madam smiled and nodded.
But Big Yellow Teeth shook his head.
“I want seventy taels.”
He lied smoothly.
“This is my distant younger brother. His family suffered from famine and asked me to sell him.”
The madam raised an eyebrow.
She had seen many people bargain before.
But this was ridiculous.
Why should she pay more just because they were supposedly related?
Still, she carefully considered the matter.
This young man was truly exceptional.
If trained properly and allowed to grow out his short hair, he could become the top attraction of Nanfeng House.
Seventy taels would not be a loss.
And if another house bought him instead, they would gain a powerful competitor.
After thinking for a while, she finally nodded.
“Fine. Seventy taels.”
The thugs’ eyes lit up.
The silver was quickly handed over.
Big Yellow Teeth bit one of the silver ingots to test it and nearly hurt his teeth, but he didn’t care.
Seventy taels!
With this money, he could buy a nice house, marry a beautiful wife, and live comfortably for years.
All from selling one person.
What an easy profit.
After the deal was completed, Zhu Mingyue was carried upstairs while still unconscious.
The madam could barely take her eyes off him.
The more she looked, the more satisfied she became.
Meanwhile, the two kidnappers happily left with their silver.
Zhu Mingyue felt as though he had been sleeping forever.
He dreamed that he was back in a dangerous post-apocalyptic world.
He sat in a shaking truck heading into battle.
Suddenly, a mutated tentacle monster wrapped its wet suction cups around his face.
He jumped in shock—
And woke up.
Well, not completely.
His eyelids felt as heavy as stones.
He could not open them.
A slippery hand slowly stroked his face.
Every hair on his body stood up.
Please stop touching me!
he screamed internally.
But his mouth would not move.
No sound came out.
Then he heard voices nearby.
“Calling him a distant brother? He was obviously kidnapped. Otherwise, why use such strong drugs?”
Zhu Mingyue immediately became excited.
That’s right! I was kidnapped! Wake me up and let me go!
Unfortunately, nobody could hear him.
Another person laughed.
“Who cares where he came from? I bought him, so now he’s mine.”
The voice continued confidently.
“Just wait. Before long, Nanfeng House will have a brand-new top star.”