Chapter 3: 003: Are you being polite?

The woman’s words made the bailiff pause for a moment.

Then, he understood perfectly.

One hand reached out, shamelessly stroking the woman’s soft, slender waist, his eyes roaming over her body with wanton scrutiny.

"What a coincidence, there’s still one bowl left. Does the lady want to go and have a taste?"

The woman asked again, "Is there any flatbread left?"

The bailiff feigned hesitation, though his hand continued to linger and wander over her waist.

Taking advantage of the moment the latter was distracted, he pinched hard at the small of her back.

A soft, coquettish gasp escaped the woman’s lips.

That light cry was soft and pliant, scratching at the heart like a feather, making one’s ears burn and a tingling sensation run down the spine.

"Hiss—little lady, that voice of yours is enough to make a man’s soul fly away. If you went to the music academy, you’d be the top attraction within a few days..." The bailiff loosened his grip. "As for the flatbread, there is some, but that depends on how well the lady serves me."

Although this woman looked disheveled and was surrounded by a stomach-turning stench, conditions on the road of exile were harsh. In this sweltering heat, who wasn't covered in a sour, foul odor? Plus, this bailiff hadn't touched a woman in a long time; having someone offer themselves up was exactly what he wanted.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smirk.

No wonder his colleagues all loved the job of escorting female prisoners. It wasn't just the generous reward and the easy work; there were such fringe benefits on the road.

Who would have thought—

The woman raised her hand to cover the back of his, and under his puzzled gaze, gently moved it away.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Just as the bailiff was about to flare up, the woman said unhurriedly, "This humble one is already a woman who has borne a son and a daughter. In terms of looks, how can I compare to those fresh, young girls? I’m worried I won't serve you well enough, so why not—"

As she spoke, her gaze shifted toward Shen Tang.

The bailiff understood as soon as he heard this and sneered, "What a vicious woman! She serves me, and you get the soup and bread?"

"The gentleman doesn't know, this girl is one I raised."

"One you raised?"

He looked at her, his expression clearly disbelieving.

What kind of birth mother would personally push her daughter into a man’s arms to be ruined just for a bowl of meat soup and a piece of bread?

"The gentleman from before was right. Things have reached this point; being sent to the music academy to be bullied is only a matter of time. Rather than letting this girl’s innocence go to waste on some low-life commoner and leaving a lifelong regret, it would be better to ask the gentleman for a favor. If you are satisfied, she might suffer a little less on the road."

The woman’s performance was elaborate, seemingly sincere and heartfelt; an outsider would have thought she was a devoted mother.

The bailiff was left dizzy by these words.

There was such a wonderful thing?

Not only could he enjoy the pleasure, but he was also doing a good deed and accumulating merit?

Shen Tang: "..."

Are you even human?

You, a woman whose bone age is at most twenty, how could you have given birth to an eleven or twelve-year-old daughter?

If you want to act as a procuress and harm me, just say so; don't go around shamelessly claiming to be my mother!

Absolutely intolerable!

No longer able to pretend, Shen Tang slowly woke up, staring straight at the woman with those pitch-black eyes.

The bailiff’s gaze wandered between the two. "Why isn't she close to you?"

The woman said, "This child was born with a brain ailment. She is sometimes mad and sometimes dull. She has always been pampered and cared for, so she has delicate skin and tender flesh. Serving someone won't be a problem..."

"Why is her surname 'Shen' and not 'Gong'?"

Not every female prisoner could be touched. Out of caution, the bailiff glanced at the tattoo behind Shen Tang’s ear.

Not surnamed Gong, and young—thinking of the prisoner list, she should just be a maid.

Who knew the woman would immediately quibble, "She is the eldest daughter I had with my late husband before I was taken into the Gong household, so naturally, she follows her late husband's surname. The master of the house, seeing her orphaned and helpless, showed kindness and allowed me to bring her into the household to raise."

The bailiff: "..."

Since she wasn't an important prisoner, taking her was fine.

He chose Shen Tang.

As for this woman...

They were still far from Xiao City; there would be plenty of opportunities.

He "kept his word" and truly gave the woman a bowl of lukewarm meat soup and a piece of flatbread.

After greeting his colleague on night watch, he dragged Shen Tang to the back of a small slope in the distance.

The night was pitch black, and only a vague, dark shadow could be seen.

The night-watch bailiff teased, "Let me have some fun too when you're done. Don't think about eating alone."

"That goes without saying. I wouldn't forget my brothers."

Shen Tang’s fingers, hanging by her sides, curled up, her mind racing.

If she refused now and angered these bailiffs, the situation would likely become unmanageable.

But if they were alone—

It would actually be an excellent opportunity.

A bottom-tier *Gongshi* was much easier to deal with than a whole group.

Although she lacked complete memories, her intuition told Shen Tang that a bottom-tier *Gongshi* was just a small fry!

Her eyes flickered, then she silently lowered her eyelids, striving to play the part of a mentally ill, foolish child.

When Shen Tang was taken away, the woman was slurping the meat soup. She looked up just in time to meet a pair of deep, dark eyes that seemed to pierce through her soul, leaving her with nowhere to hide.

The woman felt her hair stand on end.

She cursed under her breath, "Crazy."

Behind the small slope was a patch of wild grass, as high as a person's waist, dense and stifling.

Because Shen Tang was "born with a brain ailment," the bailiff wasn't afraid she would run.

He knelt halfway on the ground, his expression impatient as he lowered his head to undo his belt.

"Ugh—"

A black shadow seemed to flicker before his eyes. Before the bailiff could react to what it was, his neck was tightly strangled from front to back by a thick hemp rope.

An ambush!

Caught off guard, how could he have imagined that Shen Tang would suddenly attack?

But no matter how mediocre he was, he was still a bottom-tier *Gongshi*. Wasn't it simple to deal with a female prisoner trying to escape?

He immediately channeled his Martial Soul.

His arms visibly swelled several times over, his muscles becoming as hard as rock, filled with explosive power.

This strength was at least five *shi*, enough to easily crush her skull, snap her limbs, and shatter every bone in her body.

The bailiff broke the thick hemp rope without any effort. He turned and struck, fast as lightning, preparing to capture Shen Tang in one go. But he didn't expect Shen Tang’s punch to be even faster, almost leaving an afterimage. It was fast, ruthless, and accurate, striking his chin directly. He could vaguely hear the sound of water sloshing in his head.

Seizing the gap, Shen Tang pressed her entire body onto him with ferocity, backhanding his wrists to restrain them, while her other hand choked the roar in his throat.

*Crack, crack—*

She didn't hesitate for a second.

Two sounds of bone fracturing rang out almost simultaneously.

Shen Tang: "..."

Looking at the bailiff whose head was tilted at a bizarre angle, she felt a moment of unreality as her tension faded.

A bottom-tier *Gongshi*...

That’s it?

That’s it?

She rolled over and climbed to the side.

"This is... too fragile..."

Although she had the advantage of a sneak attack, it was still unexpectedly smooth.

With things having reached this point, she had no time to think.

She hurried to search the bailiff, stripping him of everything of value and food, then took off running in the opposite direction.

Escaping was the priority.

Once discovered and caught, there would only be two paths before her.

Either she killed all the bailiffs herself, including that leader of unknown strength—a third-rank *Zanniao*—though her intuition told her that path wasn't very optimistic.

Or she would be beaten to a pulp and dragged back, and the fate awaiting her would likely be worse than death.

As for that woman—

She would find an opportunity to visit the Xiao City music academy and pay her a visit!

Shen Tang gritted her teeth and sprinted in one direction, not even caring that the gravel on the ground was tearing through her soles.

Who would have thought—

She hadn't been running for even half a stick of incense when the sound of horse hooves appeared behind her, rapidly closing in.

Horse hooves???

Wait, the exile party had no carriages or horses; where did these hooves come from?

Before she could ponder whether they were enemies or passersby, a strong sense of crisis spread from her back to her entire body. Shen Tang rolled like a donkey to the right without a second thought. Just as she stood up, she saw an arrow deeply embedded in the spot where she had just been.

Following the direction from which the arrow flew, she saw the leader of the bailiffs, riding a horse with a murderous look on his face.

Shen Tang: "...Damn it!"