Chapter 84 Selling Her: I Was Defiled by a Beast Like You
"I couldn't ask for more." Fangru coldly uttered three words, turning her head to the side and refusing to look at him again.
For her, no matter who she was sold to, her situation couldn't be worse than it is now.
Leaving this beast was the only, albeit faint, way out she could see at that moment.
Even if it's another pit of fire ahead, she'd rather jump in, as long as she can no longer walk alongside this devil who ruined her innocence.
She even thought to herself: Sell me, sell me quickly! As long as I can survive, as long as I have a breath left, no matter where I am sold, one day I will find you and repay you a hundredfold for the humiliation I have suffered today!
This intense hatred became the only force that kept her conscious and prevented her from completely collapsing in the cold night.
Ah Qi stopped talking, but urged his horse on, speeding away towards the "Black Wind Pass" he had mentioned.
The horses galloped on for a long time until the moon was high in the sky, when a cluster of lights appeared ahead. It was a fairly large mobile market, still bustling even in the dead of night.
Ah Qi was quite familiar with this place. He reined in his horse, observed warily for a moment, then took Fang Ru hostage and went around to a relatively laxly guarded spot on the edge of the market, where he sneaked in.
Finally, they stopped in front of a huge tent filled with the sounds of people.
This tent was different from others; several fierce-looking guards stood at the entrance, and inside came bursts of noise, decadent music, and an indescribable atmosphere mixed with lust and savagery.
What's even more striking is that a well-equipped squad of soldiers was patrolling not far from the tent, creating an atmosphere of extreme tension.
Ah Qi lowered his voice, a hint of barely perceptible excitement in his voice, and said to Fang Ru, "See those patrolmen? I heard that Prince Arslan is coming tonight and will also be 'selecting goods' here." He deliberately emphasized the words "selecting goods," his eyes roaming lewdly over Fang Ru.
Fangru's heart skipped a beat!
Prince Arslan? He's here? Hadan must have managed to inform him of his abduction!
If... if she could see the prince here, perhaps she could escape Ah Qi and continue her unfinished, life-or-death deal with the prince! This was a chance to escape from a desperate situation!
Entering the main tent, the light was dim, with only a few flickering animal oil lamps and a campfire in the center providing illumination. The light and shadow cast distorted, swaying, and intertwined human figures on the tent walls.
The air was stale and thick, a mixture of the pungent smell of cheap liquor, the steaming sweat from men and women, a cloyingly sweet musk scent, and a faint, fishy odor of lust and indulgence.
Each breath felt like inhaling this decadent mixture into my lungs, making me dizzy.
As far as the eye could see, there was a vibrant and lively scene. The open space in the center of the tent was less of a "showcase" and more of an altar of primal desires.
A young woman stood there like a soulless doll, staring blankly at the top of the tent, while a fat man wearing only loose silk trousers roughly pried open her jaw to check her teeth, leaving red marks on her skin with his rough palms, as if he were assessing livestock.
There were many men and women sitting or lying around, most of them disheveled, or even half-naked.
Some people were entangled together, oblivious to others, emitting suppressed gasps and groans; others held up their wine glasses, their eyes glazed as they watched the "performance" in the center, uttering lewd laughter.
A wave of almost suffocating heat hit her, and Fangru felt her stomach churning.
She instinctively tensed her body, every sense screaming for escape.
However, what terrified her even more than the filthy scene was the man pressed close behind her.
She could clearly feel the warmth of his chest and the undeniable strength of the arm around her waist. In this place, in this atmosphere, her deepest fear was…
I just beg him not to... not to be like those people, not to let this scene arouse his lust and come to me to vent his desires again!
The thought, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around her heart, making her limbs go cold and even her fingertips tremble slightly.
She could almost imagine how those arms that were currently holding her would turn to inflict even more horrific humiliation.
However, Ah Qi's reaction was beyond her expectations.
His tall and upright figure, far from being assimilated by this unrestrained environment, strangely highlighted a cold and hard sense of control that was out of place with his surroundings.
Unlike the onlookers, he didn't show any signs of fascination or excitement. His sharp eyes swept across the room like a hawk's, with an almost cold scrutiny, as if he were assessing a flock of lambs to the slaughter, rather than appreciating a sensual performance.
Just as Fangru trembled slightly from her inner fear, he leaned down slightly, his warm lips almost touching her sensitive earlobe.
That deep, hoarse voice, now like a knife chilled to the bone, spoke the most unbearable yet most realistic words:
"See that?" His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced through the background noise and reached her eardrums. "If you leave me, your fate will be no different from hers. Here, you're not even worth a piece of 'commodity,' just a plaything for people's amusement."
He gestured to the woman in the center, who was being manipulated by everyone, his tone carrying a malicious, tempting tone that seemed to want to drag her down with him, "Want to go up and 'perform' a little? With your looks and figure," his gaze swept over her slender neck and heaving chest as if it were a physical object, "maybe you'll catch the eye of some high-ranking official, or even... a prince? That would be a meteoric rise, and you wouldn't have to live in fear with me anymore."
Fangru felt a churning in her stomach, and a strong urge to vomit rose to her throat.
She clenched her teeth, her nails digging deep into the soft flesh of her palms, trying to use the pain to stay awake and resist the pervasive atmosphere of decadence and the nauseating suggestions in her ears.
However, the instinct for survival and the intense desire to escape the man overwhelmed all shame and fear.
Compared to the nauseating chaos of the demons before her, the man behind her was the true source of her fear.
So what if she becomes a plaything? As long as she's not Ah Qi's plaything! As long as she can escape from him, she's willing to brave any danger, even mountains of knives and seas of fire!
She suddenly raised her eyes, no longer looking away with humiliation, but staring straight at Ah Qi.
The flickering light inside the tent reflected in her clear eyes, revealing a desperate, almost burning calm:
"OK."
A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in Ah Qi's eyes.
Fangru's lips curled into a bleak yet resolute smile as she continued, "Being a plaything is fine, as long as I'm not your plaything. Falling into someone else's hands, at most I'll be powerless and sink into the sea of desire. But staying by your side is a constant reminder that I was defiled by a beast like you! This feels more filthy than any physical torture!"
This time, it was Ah Qi's turn to be clearly stunned. A fleeting look of surprise flashed across his deep eyes, clearly not expecting her to agree so readily, even with a resolute air of willingly facing death.
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, a deeper scrutiny and amusement appearing on his face, which held a hint of wickedness. His long, slender fingers gently caressed the fabric at her waist. "But we'll have to take off our clothes, like that, for all you distinguished guests to 'inspect' us carefully!" He deliberately slowed his speech, his gaze fixed intently on every change in her expression. "You're willing to do that too?"
Fangru managed to force a bleak yet resolute smile, a smile tinged with endless mockery, whether directed at him or herself, it was unclear.
"I'm willing to do anything as long as I don't stay by your side."
These words, like a tiny needle, unexpectedly pierced Ah Qi's seemingly cynical heart. His arms around her waist tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment, the playful smile deep in his eyes faded, and a complex and difficult emotion flashed across his face, too fleeting to be detected.
Suddenly, the heavy curtain at the entrance of the tent was flung open, and several figures walked in, surrounded by guards.
Fangru immediately recognized one of the two at the head of the group as Hadan, whose complexion was still not very good, while the other was a young man surrounded by the crowd like a star, with an extraordinary demeanor, and the people around him respectfully called him "Prince".
Fangru's heart skipped a beat!
Prince Arslan! It was like finding a needle in a haystack! Her original plan with Hadan was to find a way to get close to this prince and complete the deal that concerned her life. Now, the opportunity had appeared before her in such an unexpected way! She had to find a way to attract the attention of Hadan or the prince!
However, almost at the same time, Ah Qi reacted even faster! He clearly recognized Hadan as well, the victim he had robbed at the brewery.
Once recognized by Hadan, he will have no chance of escape on the prince's territory!
"Go!" Ah Qi shouted in a low voice, his voice short and tense. Without saying a word, he put his arm around Fang Ru's waist and, relying on his keen sense of the dim light and messy layout inside the tent, quickly retreated like a ghost behind a tall wooden shelf piled with miscellaneous goods.
The corner was heavily shaded, just enough to conceal the two figures, yet leaving gaps to observe the outside.
Fangru was pressed tightly against him, and she could almost hear her heart pounding like a drum. But this time, in addition to nervousness, there was also a secret hope.
Looking at Hadan and the prince so close by, she felt that her chance to escape was right in front of her.
She even spoke with a hint of provocation, lowering her voice to Ah Qi behind her: "What? Ah Qi, who fears neither heaven nor earth, is now hiding? Are you afraid of being recognized by Lord Hadan and having your true identity as a robber exposed?"
Ah Qi had already grabbed a dark-colored headscarf from the pile of miscellaneous items nearby, its original purpose unknown, and deftly covered his mouth and nose, leaving only his sharp eyes visible in the shadows.
Hearing Fangru's sarcasm, he was not angry at all. Instead, he chuckled softly. The laughter sounded somewhat muffled through the fabric, but it carried his usual infuriating laziness: "Afraid? I just find it troublesome."
His gaze, like that of a hunting leopard, calmly scanned the crowd inside the tent through the gaps in the wooden frame, seemingly assessing the situation and potential dangers.
As he observed, he spoke to Fangru in a voice only the two of them could hear, his tone carrying an unquestionable pronouncement: "I was originally hoping to find you a 'good match' like a prince, but alas..." He glanced at Arslen, who was surrounded by people, "With that old bastard Hadan around, this path is not going to work."
He abruptly changed the subject, his gaze fixing on a few people in the crowd who looked like merchants from out of town: "We'll have to settle for second best and find you a reliable caravan. It won't be as prestigious as a prince's, but at least it can take you away from the grasslands to the prosperous Central Plains. Maybe..."
"A merchant?" Fangru almost laughed in anger, interrupting his self-talk. She tried her best to suppress the anger in her voice. "Weren't you just boasting that you would sell me to achieve instant success? In the blink of an eye, you're 'only' able to find a merchant? Ah Qi, is that all you're capable of? Or..." She paused deliberately, her tone sarcastic, "you're actually so afraid of Hadan that your legs are cramping, and you just want to quickly sell this hot potato to some ignorant merchant so you can pocket a few copper coins and run away with your tail between your legs?"
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