Chapter 62: The Cries in the Dark
Chapter 62: The Cries in the Dark
"My Lady, where are we going exactly?" Fu Xiao asked as she followed Xiang Ling down the stairs. Her lady barely rested for ten or so minutes before she decided to go out for a walk.
"It’s not like we step out of the city easily. Since we are already here, let’s go and have a look." Xiang Ling told the girl who hurriedly nodded her head in agreement. The two of them stepped out of the Inn with enthusiasm-filled eyes. They headed straight toward the main market street and checked out every stall and shop.
After roaming around for a while, they entered a jewelry shop, and Xiang Ling decided to buy something. She chose three silver hairpins for Fu Xiao, An Mei, and An Xi. Finally, she chose two white jade hairpins for herself. In the end, she paid three silver taels and stepped out of the shop along with a very baffled-looking Fu Xiao.
"My Lady, you don’t have to waste your money on us. We don’t need-"
"Fu Xiao!" Xiang Ling silenced the girl before she could finish speaking. Letting out a small sigh, she spoke, "Don’t say no. If you don’t want to wear it, that’s fine. Keep it safe. You never know when you will need to use these savings in the future. What if your family encounters some emergencies and you will need money "
Fu Xiao’s expression only became more unhappy as the girl responded, "I don’t have a family, My Lady. You are the only one I have in this world. If not for you saving me from getting killed when I was five, I would have died a long time ago."
Xiang Ling watched in surprise as tears rolled down the girl’s cheeks. She finally knew why this girl was so loyal to the previous owner of her body even when treated so poorly. She moved closer to the girl and wiped away her tears. "Silly girl. Why are you crying? Aren’t you afraid that you will make people think that I’m bullying you?"
Her words alarmed Fu Xiao who hurriedly wiped away any trace of tears from her face, making Xiang Ling chuckle. She took hold of one of Fu Xiao’s hands and placed one of the silver hairpins into her palm. "If not for emergencies, then save these for your marriage. Alright?"
Fu Xiao’s cheeks immediately turned bright pink as she mumbled, "I’m not marrying anyone. I will stay by my lady’s side for the rest of my life."
A soft and warm smile appeared on Xiang Ling’s lips as her ears registered Fu Xiao’s words even though she knew that those words weren’t meant for her. "As you wish. But you need to accept this gift."
She didn’t wait to hear another protest from Fu Xiao and started walking toward the other stalls. The two of them roamed around the town for a little bit longer before they finally decided to return to the Inn as it had already turned dark outside.
They were passing through one of the narrow alleys on their way to the Inn when Xiang Ling’s ears picked on the muffled sounds of cries and screams. She immediately came to a halt, surprising Fu Xiao who was following behind her.
"My Lady, what happened?"
Xiang Ling didn’t answer immediately and focused her enhanced hearing to find the location from where the sounds were coming. It barely took her a few seconds to find the source. "Something is happening there. Let’s go."
Fu Xiao didn’t even get a chance to say anything let alone stop her lady as Xiang Ling took off in the direction of the alley. Not having another option at hand, she hurriedly ran behind her lady to keep up with her. The two of them were so focused on their thoughts that neither of them detected the man who saw them heading into a dark alley and silently followed behind.
The alley merged into another alley and when they reached the end of it, Xiang Ling finally found the source of the cries. A group of men were whipping another group of people who were chained and scrambled together in the corner of the alley. One look was enough to tell that the chained people were slaves bought by the ones beating them.
"Stop!"
She called out to stop the man who was about to whip a young girl. All five men along with the group of slaves, turned their attention toward Xiang Ling. The only light in the alley was coming from the two lanterns that the slave dealers were carrying and most of the alley was filled with darkness.
"Who?"
One of the men called out when they failed to see Xiang Ling’s face clearly because of the distance between them and the darkness.
"My Lady..." Fu Xiao quickly grabbed one of Xiang Ling’s arms and stopped the latter before she could move. Her fear was evident and Xiang Ling patted her hand softly before whispering, "Don’t worry. I can deal with them."
At first, Fu Xiao didn’t let go of Xiang Ling’s arm but after a little bit more coaxing, Xiang Ling was finally able to calm the girl to a certain point. Once her arm was free, she headed toward the group of people who were still waiting for her.
The Chen Xiang Ling of the Mortal Realm was no ethereal beauty but looked decent. However, the Supreme Immortal Xing of the Celestial Realm was one of the most dazzling beauties to ever exist in the history of Five Realms. Even inside a mortal body, her Celestial aura made Chen Xiang Ling look more beautiful than she was.
That’s why the moment she stepped in the light of the lanterns, she momentarily took away the breaths of those who were waiting for her to make her appearance.
"W-who are you?" One of the dealers asked as he looked at her from head to toe. While she wasn’t extravagantly dressed nor she was wearing any expensive jewelry, it was obvious from her top-quality clothes and noble aura that she belonged to some rich family.
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A/N:
My lovely readers, thank you so much for reading this story. It will mean the world to me if you all can support this story with - Power Stones, Golden Tickets, Gifts, and reviews.