CHAPTER 45
A hero saving a damsel in distress? Maybe you should worry about yourself first.
Desperate to save lives, Sheng Qing instigated Cheng Yuanxiu to skip the afternoon's archery competition and head straight to Xiaoxiangfang to investigate. Although it was just a casual suggestion, it was exactly what Cheng Yuanxiu wanted. The two quickly finished lunch and retreated, but they were called out before they even reached the military camp gate.
The one who stopped them was none other than the city lord, Sheng Zhilin, with the female teacher who had detained the portrait standing to the side.
Sheng Qing, looking embarrassed, reluctantly walked towards the two of them, and asked with feigned ignorance, "What's wrong, Mother?"
"Where are you sneaking off to?" Sheng Zhilin asked with a stern face.
"No, I didn't go anywhere," Sheng Qing said guiltily. "I ate too much, just need to digest." A quick glance out of the corner of her eye...wait, Cheng Yuanxiu has abandoned her again?
"I thought you were going to skip the archery competition to do something bad?" Sheng Zhilin said, kicking Sheng Qing's shin, and the three of them walked towards the arena.
"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Sheng Qing dared not risk such misfortune.
"I think you're pretty bold." Sheng Zhilin clearly didn't believe him. "Give me your all in this competition, or you'll be sorry."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Sheng Qing spoke with great conviction, but then she came in last place in the first round. Sheng Zhilin's eyes seemed to want to tear her to pieces.
You can't blame her for that. After all, it was her first time. Not only did she not understand the rules at all, but her body and the horse were also completely out of sync. Not to mention hitting the bullseye, she almost missed the target several times.
This won't do; I have something important to do tonight.
Horse riding and archery both require a high degree of physical coordination. Although he couldn't use his elemental power, the spiritual energy in his sea of consciousness continued to be generated. Sheng Qing pondered how to make the most of this strength.
It is difficult to improve archery skills in a short period of time, but by making flexible use of spiritual energy, Sheng Qing's energy was highly concentrated, and he became one with his horse, his body moving with his mind. He could see the target, even the bullseye, clearly from more than ten meters away.
In the second round, Sheng Qing hit the center ring several times, and finally managed to avoid embarrassment by rising to the middle position in the rankings.
Sheng Qing gradually figured out the trick, and in the following rounds, not only did he hit the bullseye every time, but he even hit the bullseye eight or nine times out of ten.
After the last five rounds of competition, Sheng Qing and another newly recruited female soldier tied. Cheng Yuanxiu, who came in third, clamored for a tiebreaker round, insisting on selecting the top two.
Sister, what's going on? Why aren't you saving any energy for me? Are you afraid I'll steal your man?
Sheng Qing glared at Cheng Yuanxiu, who pretended not to see it and continued to pester his elder sister to give advice to the city lord.
"Hey Cheng, what business is it of yours, a third-place finisher?" Sheng Qing said.
"Hmph!" Cheng Yuanxiu raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe you. You definitely cheated."
"Your second young lady isn't engaged yet, is she?" Sheng Zhilin brought up the old topic again for no apparent reason.
“I disagree,” Cheng Yuanjin refused outright.
"Tsk!" Sheng Zhilin's eyes darted back and forth between Sheng Qing and Cheng Yuanxiu, looking extremely regretful.
Feeling that Sheng Zhilin had ulterior motives, Sheng Qing and Cheng Yuanxiu exchanged glances, neither looking at the other again.
Before the banquet even started, Sheng Qing and Cheng Yuanxiu huddled together intimately, discussing their trip to Xiaoxiangfang after the banquet.
The name Xiaoxiangfang sounds very sophisticated, reeking of money. No, to be precise, it's built entirely of gold and silver.
Not to mention that so-called debut show must have required a lot of gold and silver. Judging from the scenes described in TV dramas and novels, in such an occasion, young masters would definitely spend a fortune to win a smile from a beauty.
Tsk tsk tsk, what a waste! There are so many better things to do with that money.
Although Sheng Qing didn't intend to be the sucker, upon closer reflection, if it really was Meng Yunxi, it wasn't impossible. Money is just an external thing, and besides, it wasn't her money anyway; she could just pack up and leave.
But where can we get this money?
"Oh, Miss Sheng, why are you worrying about money?" Cheng Yuanxiu teased. "Aren't you always the one who keeps accounts? You're already giving them face by going there. Did you actually take a fancy to something and actually go to the city lord's mansion to ask for money?"
"Ah, hahaha!" Sheng Qing chuckled dryly. How could she have forgotten her reputation as a troublemaker? As the future heir to the city lord, it was only natural for her to enjoy some privileges. However, was it okay to do something that wasn't suitable to be discussed openly?
Could that person be Meng Yunxi? Sheng Qing's mind was filled with this thought. She wanted to ask Cheng Yuanxiu for the portrait, but he hesitated and refused. In the end, Sheng Qing took it from him.
The more I look at his eyebrows and eyes, the more he resembles him, but how did he end up like this?
The setting of this secret realm is indeed not very friendly to men, as can be seen from the behavior of Cheng Yuanxiu and others. But with Meng Yunxi's skills and intelligence, surely it shouldn't be that bad?
Something must have happened to him!
With a heavy heart, Sheng Qing ate a couple of bites haphazardly before taking his leave from Sheng Zhilin. Then, he escorted Cheng Yuanxiu and hurried towards Xiaoxiangfang.
Men, clearly drugged, were brought onto the stage one after another. Their thin clothing barely covered their private parts, leaving only glimpses of their private parts, a stark contrast to the fully clothed host on stage. The women in the audience stared intently, making no attempt to hide their observations and comments, and Cheng Yuanxiu was no exception.
The incoherent men were displayed one by one, their bodies—heads, faces, necks, chests, backs—exposed in detail. Each man had a clearly visible number painted on his chest with some kind of dye.
"Distinguished guests, we have specially selected several beauties with fiery temperaments for you this time." The host wore a reserved yet elegant smile. "To meet different needs, Xiaoxiangfang has also prepared various props and medicines for our guests..."
Sheng Qing felt extremely uncomfortable in the VIP room because she recognized several of the people in the portrait as members of Team Zero who had fought alongside her. She was almost 100% certain that the person in the portrait was Meng Yunxi.
Sheng Qing silently noted the markings on the chests of the Zero Team members and sent a servant to summon the steward for questioning.
As expected, the man who appeared as the final act, dressed impeccably, was none other than Meng Yunxi.
Damn it, did their Zero team get wiped out in one fell swoop?
I didn't see the Qin siblings; they must have been injured and thus escaped the operation.
How embarrassing!
Losing face is a small matter. Where does Sheng Qing get the ability to save everyone?
Oh no, what is the host doing? Why is he suddenly grabbing at someone's clothes out of nowhere?
The host on stage simply ripped off his belt, causing his outer garment to slip down and revealing a flawless white inner garment, which elicited a cheer from the audience.
"Shall we continue?" the host asked.
"Keep going, keep going!"
"Do you have abs? I want to touch them."
"Can we come up on stage and interact with the audience?"
...
"Sure," the host said with a smile, "but that's the price for overseas markets."
"Money is not a problem!"
"How can you know if it's worth the price if you don't touch it?"
"Take off your clothes!"
...
"Stop!" Sheng Qing stood up reflexively and tried to stop them, but the scene was so chaotic that her voice could not be heard.
Don't spoil the fun!
"Miss Sheng, what are your orders?"
The former was Cheng Yuanxiu's impatient voice, and the latter was the manager's puzzled inquiry, brought over by the servant.
"Make them stop!" Sheng Qing said urgently, seeing that the host had already taken off Meng Yunxi's inner shirt amidst the commotion, leaving only a thin and transparent undershirt covering her, and he hesitated to speak.
"Miss Sheng wishes to spend the night with him?" The middle-aged woman in charge calmly winked at the servant, then waved him away. She then looked at Sheng Qing with composure and asked, "As you can see, he is very popular. I wonder how much money Miss Sheng is willing to pay?"
She clearly saw the importance Sheng Qing placed on the person on stage and wanted to temporarily inflate her own status. Sheng Qing glanced at Meng Yunxi, whose top had already been removed, and tried her best to hide her panicked expression.
Of course, the person in charge didn't just spout off; the enthusiastic cheers from the audience were the source of her confidence.
"Do you think money would be a problem for me?" Sheng Qing stared directly at the woman in charge.
"As expected of Miss Sheng, so generous! I'll make the arrangements right away." The woman in charge paused, then added, "However, this man has a fiery temper, and it took several of my experts to defeat him. But rest assured, we will make all the arrangements perfectly, and he will absolutely not harm you in the slightest."
"What do you mean?" Sheng Qing understood as soon as she asked; they still wanted to give him the medicine. "No need, I have my own way."
"Just in case, I'll give the items to you, and you can decide whether to use them or how to use them." The woman in charge didn't argue.
At the same time, the commotion on stage stopped, and the host announced with a smile that the person on stage had been decided, and Meng Yunxi had also preserved her dignity.
"Hey, you promised you wouldn't steal it from me!" Cheng Yuanxiu then turned his gaze from the stage to Sheng Qing.
"Wait!" Sheng Qing didn't have time to pay attention to Cheng Yuanxiu and called out to the manager who was about to leave.
“I’ve also finalized these people,” Sheng Qing said calmly, stating the numbers on the chests of the Zero Team members.
"Can you handle it?" Cheng Yuanxiu's mouth opened slightly, his expression one of surprise.
Even the well-informed woman in charge was stunned, but she quickly masked her surprise with an exaggerated smile and asked, "Are they all... all of them to be sent to your residence?"
Sheng Qing could already foresee Sheng Zhilin's furious appearance, but there seemed to be no other good place to go.
"What other places do you have?" Sheng Qing asked tentatively. "Don't worry, my City Lord's Mansion isn't going anywhere. You won't be shortchanged." Anyway, he made that boast.
“There really is a place that would be very suitable.” Even Cheng Yuanxiu felt that sending a large group of people to the city lord’s mansion was too ostentatious, whether it was the dead of night or broad daylight.
"Alright, I'll take the people on stage with me tonight." Sheng Qing glanced at the stage, where Meng Yunxi was still shirtless, receiving everyone's attention. He then said to Cheng Yuanxiu, "The rest of you can go to the place you mentioned first."
After making the arrangements, Sheng Qing didn't care about anything else and rushed out the door to run onto the stage.
Since Sheng Qing already has such a shady reputation, what does it matter if others know that she has been engaged to several men?
"After Miss Sheng has finished enjoying herself, may I also feast my eyes?"
"I want to enjoy this delicious food!"
"I want to feast my hands on this!"
The audience erupted in cheers, creating a lively atmosphere, but also mixed with emotions of envy, jealousy, and resentment.
"Shut up, don't even think about it!" Sheng Qing said coldly, bending down and squatting beside Meng Yunxi, only then realizing that he still had some semblance of consciousness left.
"Captain, it's me." Sheng Qing whispered close to his ear, "Don't worry, I will get everyone away safely."
Meng Yunxi's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
