Chapter 157 World 7 (V)

The full sun peeked out from the distant, inky mountains, revealing a saffron-red glow. Crystal-clear dewdrops still clung to the grass and trees. A clattering sound echoed through the courtyard, like the clanging of iron tools. Baoshan finished washing up, changed into a dusty Hu garment, and walked into the courtyard. Duan Changfeng had already moved Wu Li's cage to the most secluded corner, unprotected by an eaves, where he would have to endure the scorching sun.

The newly made bracelets and anklets were still warm from being taken out of the blazing fire. Duan Changfeng had already put the bracelets and anklets on Wu Li.

In his cage, Wu Li's eyes were tightly shut. His old wounds hadn't healed, and new ones had appeared. The intertwining of old and new scars was a terrifying sight. A crimson tinge clung to Wu Li's wrists, perhaps from the harshness of the chains. Even in his unconscious state, Wu Li's brows knitted together, his thin lips tensed.

Duan Changfeng turned around and discovered the treasure fan. Duan Changfeng looked at Wu Li, whose freedom was restricted by shackles, and explained to the treasure fan: "This slave is behaving unruly, so it's better to lock him up."

Looking at Baoshan's soft, watery eyes, Duan Changfeng's heart was pounding. He was worried that Baoshan would be soft-hearted and that his actions were too rude and insolent. However, although Baoshan's black eyelashes trembled slightly, she did not speak a word. Instead, she whispered, "Duan Bo is looking for you."

Duan Changfeng hurried to look for Duan Wu.

Baoshan walked lightly to the cage where Wu Li was imprisoned. She looked around and noticed the remoteness of the place—far away from the many slaves, and with little shelter—enough to see Duan Changfeng's anger.

The precious fan stretched out its soft fingers and pushed aside the hair covering Wu Li's forehead.

The black hair was stuck together, and I didn't know whether it was wet by the morning dew or the clean water in the bathtub last night.

Because of the water marks, the originally stiff hair became a little softer.

Baoshan moved his palm slightly and placed his soft and warm palm on Wuli's forehead.

Wu Li, who was enduring the cold, subconsciously pressed his palm against the treasure fan, slightly opened his tightly pursed thin lips, and let out a comfortable sigh.

Baoshan's thoughtfulness was like a dragonfly skimming the water, fleeting.

The most cherished and lingering thing in the world is not looking up but never having it. It is experiencing something beautiful but having to return to darkness.

Looking at the unconscious Wu Li with a troubled look on his face, Bao Shan's beautiful eyes trembled slightly, but her heart was calm.

Baoshan knew very well that the Lord of Anning County was in power and high above everyone else.

Even if Wu Li was not a slave but an ordinary citizen, he would still fall under the spell of Princess An Ning.

After learning of his future fate, Bao Shan should have tried his best to please Wu Li and not treat him as a slave. Instead, he should have carefully nurtured it and presented it to Princess An Ning one day.

Beyond this, Baoshan should also persuade Dong Yixiao not to be harsh on Wu Li, thereby changing the fate of the two "evil men." However, while a little kindness in times of adversity is precious, once one gains power, who will still remember the kindness of the past?

With Princess An Ning as a comparison, who would choose Bao Shan, the daughter of a slave keeper?

It was Baoshan's intention to let Wuli's cage stay in front of the lily of the valley.

Everything that happened afterwards was also caused by Baoshan taking advantage of the situation, but she never thought that Wu Li had such brute force that he could break free from the cage and break into her room.

Now, in Wu Li's eyes, Bao Shan's figure gradually became clear. She was no longer the slender and thin daughter of Dong Yixiao among the people who bullied slaves.

Kindness is indeed precious, but as time goes by, how many people still remember the kindness in their hearts?

Baoshan would not be afraid of the surprised looks of the horse merchants, but would be gentle and considerate to Wu Li and try to please him.

She only needed to stand quietly by the side, letting Wu Li raise his drooping eyes and look at her figure until he surrendered to her.

Baoshan withdrew his gaze and walked away.

The horse traders rested briefly and continued on their way. Dong Yixiao saw the reinforced cage and the black iron chains on Wu Li's body, which gleamed in the sunlight.

Duan Changfeng explained that he had come up with this plan because he saw the fragility of the cage and Wu Li's large stature, fearing he might break free. Dong Yixiao nodded slightly, but he wasn't convinced. Dong Yixiao looked at Wu Li's dejected form, hungry and thirsty, and the scars on his body were enough to prove that Wu Li had no strength left to break free, so how could he escape the cage?

Because of Duan Wu's instructions, Duan Changfeng no longer accompanied Dong Yixiao, but walked to the middle of the team.

Duan Changfeng turned around and looked towards the end of the team, only to see figures that had turned into virtual dots. He couldn't help feeling a little lonely.

The camel pulling the cage has heavy feet and its steps are steady and powerful.

Only the camel bells hanging around their necks could be heard ringing slowly, which was particularly clear in the silent procession.

Wu Li slowly woke up because of the call of the camel bells.

He raised his arms, but there was a rattling sound, as if there was a heavy object on his arms.

Wu Li moved his feet and found that not only his hands but also his feet were bound by shackles.

He truly became a slave.

If it were the Wu Li of the past, he would calm down and think carefully about how to resist and escape from the cage that restricted his freedom.

But now, Wu Li no longer had the will to resist, and he no longer cared where he was sold.

In Wu Li's heart, the fate of a loser should be like this, with his life and death controlled by others.

The restrictions of the shackles made Wu Li's movements difficult.

He barely managed to sit up in the small cage and looked behind him.

Dong Yixiao sat on the camel with a tense expression. Behind him was the frail Baoshan.

After leaving the desert, Baoshan no longer needed to cover her face with a towel, and her beautiful face was fully revealed.

Baoshan's slender and fragile fingers gently grasped the rope tied around the camel's neck, and she looked cautious, as if she was afraid of falling off the camel.

As if she realized that someone was observing her, Baoshan raised her head. When she saw Wuli's two eyes of different colors reflecting her own figure, her beautiful eyes trembled and she lowered her head in panic.

Wu Li withdrew his gaze. Bao Shan was cowardly and timid. The chain thing was definitely not her idea. Wu Li lowered his eyelids, thinking back to the chaos of last night.

The delicate and soft white skin first appeared in Wu Li's mind, causing him to open his eyes immediately, with a burning heat of shame and anger in his ears.

How could I have imagined such a beautiful scene?

Wu Li tried to dispel the distracting thoughts in his mind, and the delicate figure gradually faded from his mind. But his other senses still held the memory. The rich fragrance of lily of the valley filled his nose, and the sweet taste of water lingered on his lips...

Wu Li raised his head, letting the scorching sunlight shine on him so that he couldn't open his eyes.

Wu Li could clearly hear the sound of his own swallowing as his Adam's apple rolled - it was so lingering and he could savor it for a long time.

Wu Li gradually calmed down and thought about the man who suddenly appeared in the room last night with an extremely angry face.

Wu Li thought that his current situation was probably the work of that man.

Thinking of the concerned look in the man's eyes when he looked at the treasure fan, Wu Li's eyes flickered slightly, and he thought that the love, hate and vengeance of the people in the Central Plains were indeed complicated.

The shackles were probably mixed with the meaning of venting anger, and a trace of resentment emerged in Wu Li's heart: he hated being involved in the grudges of others.

The sun hanging in the sky emitted brighter and brighter white light, and the steaming heat even made people dizzy.

Dong Yixiao did not take these slaves seriously, but he also did not want to let them die on the road before returning home.

Dong Yixiao raised the water bag and drank the whole pot of water. The water filling his abdomen relieved the heat in the air.

Dong Yixiao jumped off the camel and brought water to the slaves.

I can hardly remember how long it has been since I last had a drink of water.

The water bags were thrown into the cages, and the slaves picked them up instantly, biting open the corks with their teeth and pouring the water down their throats.

Even after drinking the entire pot of water, the slaves still felt it was not enough and even wanted to tear open the water bag and pour out the water.

Dong Yixiao naturally would not allow them to do so. The water bag was made of horsehide and was worth a few cents. How could he let the slaves tear it apart?

Dong Yixiao walked towards the front of the team and saw the water bag in Wu Li's cage, which had not moved at all. He then loudly instructed Bao Shan, "Go and help that slave get some water, so he won't die of thirst."

Seeing Baoshan's body tremble slightly, Dong Yixiao understood: his daughter was timid by nature, and the slave Wu Li was tall, which must have frightened Baoshan.

Dong Yixiao comforted him, "He can't hurt you. The chains are restraining his body. He has no strength left. Don't be afraid."

Baoshan responded softly, "Yes."

The water bag was thrown into the corner of the cage, and Baoshan reached out to pick it up.

Her wrists were slender, and under the sunlight, they looked even whiter and more dazzling.

Seeing this, Wu Li's eyes blurred slightly and he turned to the side.

Baoshan uncorked the bottle and handed the water bag to Wuli, but Wuli pursed his lips tightly and refused to open them.

Baoshan murmured softly, "You drank so happily last night, but today you are so reluctant..."

Wu Li did not understand Bao Shan's words, he only saw the lips, shining with watery light, opening and closing.

I don’t know what she said, but her jade-like cheeks turned a beautiful blush like rouge.

Baoshan stretched out her soft hand and gently pulled Wuli's clothes, motioning him to look at her.

When Wu Li turned around and looked at Bao Shan, Bao Shan raised the water bag and drank the water in small sips.

She used herself as an example to teach Wu Li how to drink water from a water bag.

In Baoshan's mind, Wu Li didn't understand the Central Plains dialect, and probably didn't know how to drink water from a water bag.

After being moisturized by clean water, the lips of the precious fan become softer and more graceful.

Wu Li's gaze passed across the vermilion lips and finally looked into Bao Shan's clear and clean eyes.

Wu Li suddenly remembered the abusive words the horse traders used when scolding their slaves. One of the words was very suitable to describe the precious fan.

Wu Li thought about the lip movements of the horse traders when they said that sentence, and imitated it exactly.

"Fool……"

Although the pronunciation is strange, every word can be heard clearly.

When the Tajik merchants insulted their slaves, their tone was harsh and tinged with anger, and the words "idiot" and "stupid" were mixed with insults like "fool." However, when Wu Li said "idiot" himself, his tone became calm and gentle, and the original insult suddenly changed its meaning.

Upon hearing this, Baoshan's palm trembled, and the water bag immediately fell to the ground, spilling a large amount of clear water.

Baoshan looked at Wuli with a flushed face. She couldn't believe that Wuli had actually learned a sentence of Central Plains dialect and used it to evaluate herself.

How could Baoshan not be ashamed and angry? She had kindly shown Wuli how to drink water, but he scoffed and called her a "fool." However, Baoshan was soft-hearted, and even if she was angry, she couldn't lash out at Wuli. She could only stare at him with red eyes, looking pitiful.

Wu Li thought that Bao Shan would be angry if he said that and would complain to Dong Yixiao. He might even throw the water bag at Wu Li and threaten to never give him water again.

But Wu Li never thought that Bao Shan would look at him with such a pitiful expression.

Although no words of accusation or abuse were spoken, one could still feel guilty from the bottom of his heart.

Bao Shan suppressed the sadness in his eyes, picked up the water bag that fell into the cage, and shook it gently.

Fortunately, there was still a lot of clean water in the water bag, and not all of it was spilled out.

Baoshan poured the clean water into the palm of his hand and brought it to Wuli's lips.

Wu Li should be able to understand such an obvious action.

Wu Li didn't expect that even though Bao Shan felt wronged, she still insisted on feeding him water.

Wu Li could only stick out his tongue and lick the water in the palm of the treasure fan gently like a bird or beast in the forest.

The rough touch slid across Baoshan's palm, giving her fair skin a tingling and seductive sensation.

Wu Li really couldn't refuse the water. Even after he had drunk all the water in Baoshan's palm, he still licked the soft palm and let his tongue slide across the delicate skin.