Chapter 1649 – Conquering Nan Sheng, Killing An Huan (59)
“You would think so, which is quite reasonable.”
Lü Zheng did not blame Kang Xintong; she was just a child who had enjoyed her parents’ love but lost her closest kin overnight, struggling to comprehend her mother’s anguish. The mind of a child is different from that of an adult; adults can compromise and survive for the sake of living, but a child’s world is black and white, never having grasped the concept of “gray.” As a father himself, Lü Zheng was naturally more tolerant and patient with children.
The young girl clenched her fists, gritting her teeth. “So, what you’re saying is, you believe her sweet-talk?”
She found that mother rather laughable.
When her father was still alive, she led a life of luxury, envied by outsiders.
And what happened next?
Less than a day after her father’s death, she climbed into another man’s bed, snuggling into his embrace, like a parasitic plant that could only cling to a man, unable to survive without one. Ignoring her biological daughter from her former husband, she even subjected the girl to all kinds of abuse just to please her new husband, leaving her hungry and cold, forced to wash chamber pots by the stream in the harsh winter…
The chill wasn’t there in a day.
Similarly, the girl’s hatred for this mother wasn’t built in just a couple of days or instances.
Without giving an answer, Lü Zheng countered, “Do you know what one seeks to achieve in chaos?”
“To live,” the girl replied, puzzled. Lü Zheng continued, “Living is not hard for an ordinary woman. If she’s willing to put aside her dignity, not mind being treated like a dog or pig, not caring about living in a muddled state, she could still survive even if caught by a foreign tribe. But it’s easy to live, yet difficult to live with dignity and respect. From any angle you look at it, your mother is a wise woman.”
Kang Xintong stubbornly held her ground.
Lü Zheng lost interest in returning to the New Year’s Eve celebration, pausing his steps and taking a different path.
He knew the girl was being obstinate; simple platitudes wouldn’t wake her up. The best approach was to slap her with the truth.
“Actually, your mother is your stepfather’s concubine, not his legitimate wife.” On the way to their destination, Lü Zheng gave the rebellious girl a heads-up, ensuring maximum impact, “Your stepfather comes from humble beginnings, originally a ruffian from Dongqing’s Red Lotus Sect. He married a wife in the Dongqing countryside, but such rustic women are like weeds, dull and quickly discarded.”
In chaotic times, it’s quite common for a man to leave his downtrodden wife back home in search of new pleasures.
Lü Zheng merely wanted to tell the girl that while a woman’s beauty is indeed a weapon, it shouldn’t be her sole reliance.
Men may crave beauty, but they prefer novelty even more.
“Do you know your stepfather harbors improper thoughts about you?”
“I know.” Kang Xintong said defiantly, “Even if that old man takes advantage of me, how much worse could it get? For me, if I could use this face to become that man’s concubine and live a bit better, what’s wrong with that?”
Lü Zheng stopped his feet, turned to look at her, suddenly revealing a hint of scornful laughter.
“Then let me show you a fate a thousand times worse than being made a beast of burden for someone.”
With that, Lü Zheng grasped Kang Xintong’s arm and urged her to walk faster.
His legs were long and strides swift, while Kang Xintong was small and nearly stumbled to keep up.
Her gaze fell on the hand gripping her wrist, and Lü Zheng didn’t directly touch her hand, but rather restrained it through his wide sleeves.
He took her to a dark alley notorious for gathering secret prostitutes.
He had never visited such places, but had heard of them, even sneakily glanced at them from afar before; the situation was dire.
Tonight was New Year’s Eve, and logically, households should be bustling with celebration, yet the dark alley remained lively.
The alley was lined with low, dark doors, women in tattered clothes leaning against them, ranging in age from seven or eight to fifty or sixty.
These women mostly looked miserable, their cheeks reddened by the cold wind; some wore cheap powder to cover their faces, and the air was filled with the stench of sweat and low-grade cosmetics, mixed with unidentifiable odors. As Kang Xintong passed by one of the low doors, the disgusting odor intensified, reminiscent of a corpse left out to decay for days in the scorching summer, unable to be masked even with layers of heavy powder. Some women wore straw sandals, with their exposed ankles covered in countless tiny, white pus-filled blisters.
Some blisters had burst, while others were scratched red from being touched, making Kang Xintong’s small face turn pale.
Lü Zheng said, “The ones leaning against the low doors are secret prostitutes. These are still relatively better off; serving customers means they have a small shelter from the wind and rain. Some are directly curled up on tattered mats in less traveled areas to entertain guests. Some are daughters from good families, but more have been displaced by the oppression from the southern barbarians, ending up in this state, step by step. Some were once cherished concubines from wealthy households, discarded for their fading beauty, sold to the Tooth Shop, which then sold them to brothels. After two years, a flower girl who once received one guest a day becomes a secret prostitute serving the likes of truck drivers, with no fixed number of customers each day… Not to mention the silver and copper coins, even a night’s worth of spoiled rice bran can cost them submission to someone.”
Aside from these women in the dark alley, naturally, there were also men visiting them.
Kang Xintong glanced at them and found their gazes revolving around her, instantly making her hair stand on end with disgust.
She tightened her grip on Lü Zheng’s sleeve and quickened her pace behind him, seeking a semblance of safety.
Lü Zheng was dressed in lavish clothing; it was clear he wasn’t someone who would frequent such places. Even if he indulged in pleasures, it would be in upscale, fine establishments, seeking out young and beautiful entertainers. His accompanying young servant might not be dressed well, but he was strikingly good-looking. This combination hardly seemed like people who would be lingering around secret prostitutes. For a moment, they drew plenty of eyes.
However, these rowdy men didn’t dare entertain any thoughts; even if they did, they needed to consider whether Lü Zheng’s sword hanging at his waist would permit it.
Lü Zheng guided Kang Xintong through the dark alley, and while she entered confused, she left with a pale face.
“Did you see everything?” Lü Zheng looked at Kang Xintong’s head, speaking blandly, “Is there anything you still want to say now?”
Kang Xintong suddenly felt a wave of nausea rise in her throat, gripping Lü Zheng’s sleeve as she turned her head to vomit bile, her mind swirling with the sights and sounds she’d just witnessed. The rooms in the alley were dilapidated, and the noises coming from inside were not something a mere door or window could muffle.
Due to the lack of light, she couldn’t see what was happening inside, but merely hearing those noises sent chills down her spine.
The women’s heart-wrenching wails and pleas mingled with the men’s brutish, heavy breathing and vulgar comments…
Some rooms were even more terrifying.
Inside, there was only one woman, but not just one man.
Such a blatant scene would have an unimaginable impact on Kang Xintong.
