Chapter 1399: Cause and Effect (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
[Tsk tsk tsk, how could Mengyuan tell someone to get lost so easily?]
The martial artist knew that Tan Ting would be furious, but he didn't expect him to be so wild and fiery, and for a moment he felt a little sorry for him.
"If you were a real woman, I'd overcome all obstacles to try and have a baby for me." The martial artist chuckled, uttering highly insulting words, ignoring Tan Ting's murderous glare, and breathed on his cheek. "Meng Yuan probably doesn't quite know where this is, right? I heard the Meng Yuan clan has a horse farm, which raises many mares. In season, they select the strongest stallions to breed with the mares. My job is to look after the horse farm, and your sister is a mare."
Tan Ting suddenly opened her eyes wide, her gaze fierce and as if she wanted to devour someone.
Watch your mouth!
The martial artist gripped his chin, a chilling sneer appearing on his sinister face: "Why are you so angry, Meng Yuan? Do you think I'm inhuman, worse than an animal? Bullying a bunch of defenseless women and children? Tsk, why are you spitting again?"
The martial artist reluctantly wiped the saliva off his face.
He waved to signal the thugs to give Tan Ting a series of whip strikes.
Hit the legs and face, but don't damage the torso.
The jailer dipped the rolled-up whip into the wooden basin filled with salt water, then swung the dark iron whip in a crescent arc through the air, the sharp force accompanied by a whistling sound, striking Tan Ting's calf directly. A single lash tore open the skin, blood staining her trousers. Besides the excruciating pain that pierced her skull, there was also a burning and itchy sensation that penetrated to the bone. The jailer lashed out three times, and Tan Ting, bound to the rack, swallowed the blood that gnawed at her throat. The martial artist sat imposingly, watching for a while before raising his hand to stop the fourth lash.
"Mengyuan, one shouldn't be too greedy." The martial artist pinched Tanting's taut jaw, forcing him to tilt his head back, his slender neck almost straight. "We can't let you aristocratic scholars tell all the good and bad stories, can we? Don't forget, I'm just a sharp blade. The ones who truly wield this blade and do these things are you hypocritical, sanctimonious ghosts in human skin. You think you're clean just because you have a beautiful, flawless face?"
The martial artist was also angered by what he said.
He was born into slavery and suffered constant bullying since he could remember; everyone could trample on him. He thought he had a talent for cultivation and could defy fate, eventually climbing out of the mire. But he never imagined that this path would have no end.
He thought he had climbed out of the mire, but when he looked up, he found himself surrounded by feet that could crush him into a pulp. Even with his current level of cultivation, he still had to grovel before the owners of those feet. He was a cow, a horse, a dog, but not a human.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't want to do it this way either.
The problem is he had no choice.
The martial artists even envied Tan Ting. Despite his deformed body and the confusion he suffered, Tan Ting had a good background. He was born a human! He was born superior to them! He could simply stand on tiptoe and his hands would not have to get dirty.
May I ask, on what grounds?
I ask you, on what grounds?
All I wanted was to live a more comfortable life, so why was I repeatedly humiliated and insulted by Tan Ting? This world is a dog-eat-dog world. As a prisoner, Tan Ting should recognize reality and see who is the one at the mercy of the powerful now!
Tan Ting suppressed the flashing golden light before her eyes and the nausea rising in her chest, and sneered: "[Soliciting excuses! The one wielding the knife deserves to die, but is your knife not under your own control? Dare you say you felt no excitement when you did these things? That you were entirely coerced? You're a human being, not an inanimate object, stop shirking your responsibilities! Tell me, what exactly did Tan Mengyuan do?"]
Was it he who planned this place?
Did he order the other party to stay here as a guard?
Tan Ting stared coldly at the other man, her gaze seemingly piercing the darkest depths of his heart. The martial artist neither flinched nor flinched, but instead covered Tan Ting's mouth with one hand, leaning closer maliciously and saying, "Your noble birth is a sin! You may not have done these things, but can you honestly say that every penny of your food, clothing, shelter, and all your expenses from childhood to adulthood is clean? And that it has nothing to do with these mares waiting to give birth and be bred? You can't guarantee that, so Meng Yuan, you can't prove your innocence!"
The martial artist gently stroked Tan Ting's face, which was covered in cold sweat, with his other hand, his voice low and husky like a demon's murmur: "You say I'm enjoying this? I am, how could I not? These old bastards up there are so desperate for manpower that they're turning on their own people! Do you know what this is called? This is called dog-eat-dog! They're even willing to push their own wives and daughters here! Meng Yuan, you should be grateful that men in this world can't give birth, otherwise, there might be stallions among those waiting to be bred, heavily pregnant and locked in a dark room."
Regardless of age or gender, anyone could be the next dish.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
"There's something I forgot to tell you—women of these bloodlines seem to have a harder time conceiving than ordinary women. They're very picky about the seed, requiring the male to try several times each time, and if that doesn't work, they have to change the breed. Your sister…" The martial artist hesitated, seemingly not saying anything, but in reality, he said everything. Seeing Tan Ting's anger escalate, the martial artist also suppressed his frenzy, feeling somewhat pleased. "Don't worry, the higher-ups understand the importance of 'killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.' They know that if the mother is well-served and given a good seed, a good offspring will be produced. Every male is carefully selected, young, handsome, strong, and healthy. Any one of them would be a perfect son-in-law in the eyes of the world, otherwise they would have died from exhaustion long ago. Tsk, I'm really worried about your body."
Those above still value eugenics. To prevent the next generation from having too close a bloodline, which could lead to unhealthy reproduction, there are quite a few male progenitors. Each male progenitor can only be used five times, meaning five babies can be born. If a baby becomes pregnant, the male progenitor is killed to cover it up.
Tan Ting seemed to have lost her strength.
He closed his eyes and said heavily, "You really disappoint me."
His meetings with the martial artists were all pleasant, and the two men chatted happily. Besides a few important matters, Tan Ting's return this time also included recruiting talented individuals with loyalty and courage but humble origins. They had no chance of advancement in the Central Continent.
Rather than lingering here, we should find another way out.
I just didn't expect the other party to give me a "surprise" first.
The martial artist, as if he'd heard the funniest joke, winked and said sarcastically, "I thought your sister was the most disappointing thing for you."
Tan Ting: [She must have her reasons.]
One cannot speak harshly to the weak who are trying to protect themselves.
The martial artist looked annoyed: "Don't I have my own difficulties?"
At a time like this, how can you still put on a kind and compassionate act?
Tan Mengyuan still hasn't been whipped enough.
He waved his hand and ordered the jailer to whip him a few more times.
When Tan Ting was taken down from the rack, she could barely stand. At that moment, someone ran over and whispered something. The martial artist gloated, "Hey, there are still more people in this world who judge by appearances. Even in this ghastly state, someone is still attracted to your face and wants to have you serve them. According to the rules here, mating is timed; the purpose is mating, not pleasure."
The martial artist crouched down: [Meng Yuan, look up.]
Tan Ting naturally refused to comply.
The result was that he was put back on the rack for interrogation and torture. Besides physical torture instruments, he was also subjected to mental manipulation, as if they were in a hurry to extract something from Tan Ting. After a round of this, he was covered in blood. The body of a scholar was far more resilient than that of an ordinary person; even in this terrible state, Tan Ting managed to maintain some semblance of clarity and didn't utter anything he shouldn't have. The martial artist wanted to give him a thumbs up: "Looking so delicate and weak, I didn't expect him to have such a strong and courageous spirit."
Tan Ting was ultimately not taken away.
Who could be interested in a pile of flesh and blood?
"Oops, I hit you a little too hard, but your face is still perfectly fine." The martial artist said sarcastically to Tan Ting. As the interrogation ended and Tan Ting was being led away, he affectionately wrapped his arms around Tan Ting's neck and whispered something in his ear to the dazed man.
"You said I disappointed you, Mengyuan, you'll soon find out who disappointed you more. Maybe after comparing, you'll even think I'm a decent person..." Tan Ting didn't hear the rest of the words clearly. When he woke up, he found that the superficial wounds had scabbed over, and the new skin was white with a reddish tinge. He examined it carefully and found that the restriction had also been temporarily opened.
Before Shen Tang arrived, Tan Ting was interrogated every few days.
Every time, it involved whipping with salt water and going through the motions of torture and interrogation.
After this happened several times, the martial artists became somewhat impatient.
You're so stubborn, I'm getting annoyed even if you're not.
The last time, they locked Tan Ting in a small, dark room. The room was pitifully small and reeked of a foul stench; a normal person wouldn't be able to stand it for a day, but Tan Ting found it alright. The space also made it easier for him to plan his escape; he had been frequently tortured before, and his small actions would easily be exposed. Once exposed, he feared utter ruin. But just as he was beginning to make progress, his master descended from the sky to take him out.
Tan Ting downplayed his ordeal, only mentioning how he was tricked into coming here. During his time trapped, he also figured out the layout of the place and the number of people trapped, and that the guards and patrols were not yet complete: "According to the information we have, we can get out through this road."
Tan Ting looked at Shen Tang, hesitant to speak.
Shen Tang understood immediately: "You want to rescue the others here?"
Tan Ting sighed, "I only have this idea, but I know that it's probably impossible for the two of us, the Lord, to do it. We can barely take care of ourselves, how can we have the spare strength to help others? It's just a thought."
Why bring this up on purpose?
This naturally makes him seem less cold-hearted and harsh.
Saying it or not leaving a certain impression makes a difference.
Shen Tang felt sorry for the women's plight and decided to rescue them, which would also disrupt the plans of the Central Branch Society. It was a win-win situation: "Dare to think and dare to do. What's the use of just thinking? When I infiltrated, I discovered that although there are martial artists stationed here, the strongest one is only a fourteenth-rank right-strength warrior. You and I can deal with them by joining forces."
The avatar's strength was naturally incomparable to the original, but dealing with a fourteenth-rank right guard was no problem. For Shen Tang, the most troublesome were not this fourteenth-rank right guard, but the other guards. These guards were weak, but there were many of them.
In such a complex place, Shen Tang cannot use the full power of his avatar to fight anyone. One careless move could cause a landslide that would bury everyone alive! Therefore, winning the battle is not difficult; the real challenge is how to make a safe retreat after winning.
Just as Tan Ting was about to nod, Shen Tang pressed his hand down.
Suddenly, I looked towards the gate.
"Since you're here, come out and meet us. Why sneak around eavesdropping outside?" As soon as the words were spoken, a gust of wind violently forced open the door, shattering the door panel. The figure of the newcomer disappeared into the dust, but it couldn't hide his sharp gaze falling on Shen Tang. Shen Tang stood up, pulled Tan Ting behind her, and flicked a light, snow-white shawl, as if woven from the moonlight, from her palm.
The newcomer was none other than the martial artist.
“Standing openly outside the door to listen, what kind of sneaky behavior is this?” Her gaze shifted slightly from Shen Tang to Tan Ting’s face, and she said with disdain and sarcasm, “Is this the reinforcements you secretly found?”
Shen Tang infused his literary energy into the "shawl" in his hand.
The soft "shawl" instantly fills the growth whip.
The martial artist had barely uttered the words "Not so great" when a flash of white light appeared, and the tip of the whip snagged a piece of flesh across his brow. Warm blood gushed from the wound, flowing down his eyelashes to his cheekbone.
The martial artist felt a chill run down his spine.
Shen Tang herself didn't even see the speed just now.
The next instant, a murderous intent gnawed at him like maggots clinging to his bones.
If you don't get out of the way, you'll die!
"Heh, not bad, but I'm not one to be trifled with!" He adopted a fierce and explosive approach, actually catching Shen Tang's whip with his bare hands. He grabbed it and yanked it forcefully, while simultaneously throwing a punch at Shen Tang with his other hand. The silver-white whip moved nimbly like a snake, winding its way up his body and wrapping around his wrist. The whip tightened, its fine barbs tearing through the leather wrist guard. The moment the flesh tore open, it sounded like silk ripping, followed by the belated, excruciating pain. The pain was akin to someone dragging his hand into lava.
It's more like molten iron being poured into the bones.
Martial artists dare not gamble—
His intuition proved to be correct.
The whip effortlessly shredded a stone pillar as thick as a waist.
If it were his wrist, it would be broken by now.
The martial artist retreated rapidly, landing on both hands and feet. His muscles appeared relaxed, but in reality, he was gathering strength, resembling a leisurely cheetah lurking in the shadows. Hanging upside down on the roof, his beastly eyes coldly stared at Chen Tang's neck. Tan Ting formed a hand seal with one hand.
"Try it out, see if you can escape today!"
Dense footsteps approached from the darkness.
Shen Tang was too lazy to waste words.
If we just kill our way through, we can get out, right?
With a flick of his wrist, the silver whip unleashed a hundred or so streaks of silver light, each arcing erratically towards the same target. They exploded just inches from their target, blooming like silver lotuses, adorned with blood-red splatters. But the cheetah was faster, its familiarity with the terrain allowing it to instantly transform into countless afterimages, cutting off Shen Tang's retreat.
bite--
The sharp claws barely grazed Shen Tang's earlobe.
A large bead of blood condensed from the broken skin.
"What a pity—"
If you can dodge it once, can you dodge it a second time?
Just because the reinforcements can dodge doesn't mean Tan Mengyuan can.
Shen Tang saw through his thoughts. She wrapped her blood-stained whip around Tan Ting's lean waist, tightened the whip, and pulled him to her side before the claws that could tear a person in two could fall. At this moment, the dense footsteps stopped, and the hum of bowstrings taut to their fullest extent rang out one after another.
"shoot!"
The cave passages here are so narrow that there's nowhere to hide.
Arrows rained down from behind, and several dark figures pursued them like ghosts. Tan Ting whispered, "My lord, advance!"
Fighting here would be too restrictive and put us at a great disadvantage.
|ω`)
Having followed movie box office performance for so many years, this is the first time I've seen a film surge so powerfully towards the top spot. It's unstoppable, piercing through the clouds and splitting rocks—it's absolutely exhilarating!
P.S.: This is an amazing, exhilarating scene that even entertainment novels couldn't write! I predicted it would reach 8.7 billion (just kidding, I only saw it go up to 9.4 billion, why not dream of something bigger, like 10 billion?), is this even Chinese? (One more chapter, I'll read it tomorrow.)
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